7: scripture

"To those who reside as aliens... who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." [1 Peter 1- excerpts]

Take a few minutes to listen to this song and be encouraged: 1 Peter Song

26: recovering

This morning I slept in. Embarrassingly late. But I'm claiming it as a recovery day, and therefore refuse to feel guilty. It was much needed and I feel so much better after 10 hours of sleep! That being said, after waking up, getting ready, reading the Word (I finally made it to Romans in my extended* edition of 'Read the NT in 30 Days Plan'!), and doing a minor clean-up job to my tragically trashed room, I headed to the office for a full afternoon and evening of teaching. I forgot to sniper-photograph my students in class to give you sneak peek into the classroom, but classes went well. It's week three, which means that after Thursday I'll be exactly halfway done with my term.

After class, I headed back to my room for a skype date with my dear friend (and one year Bangkok compatriot) Claire. We may have also talked for an embarrassingly long time... but that was much needed, too! It was so refreshing to get to talk face-to-face with her, as it always is. I value and appreciate it so much when people stateside make time to spend time with me. I know it's not easy, but it is a real encouragement. Whether it's as simple as a reply to a post, or facebook message, or as involved as a skype call, I love hearing from you all! Thank you for your continued support, love and prayers <3.

---
* Our church here, LifePoint, encouraged all of us to read through the entire New Testament in the month of October. As it's Nov 18th and I'm only beginning Romans, you can see I got a little behind. My goal is to finish it (and the little bit I have left of the OT from my 'Read the Bible in a Year' plan) before I return Dec. 14th. I share this for accountability purposes... If I haven't finished the Bible before I step of the plane, send me back! Haha!

joyful.

A little over seven weeks ago, God planted in my heart a desire to start a small group... and now I can't imagine my time here without them. What started off as me, a friend and a student, has become six (& counting!).

[L-R: Joom, Aey, Thep and I]

I love our pocket of time together on Sunday nights. It feels like home. We eat; we laugh; we dig deep; we ask questions and we grow. Some of us growing in our relationship with the Lord, some growing in their knowledge of Him, but all of us moving forward together. It's a Thai/English conglomerate with languages bouncing back and forth-- sometimes being translated, other times, not. It's not smooth or slick or "sexy"-- but we all belong. Whoever comes, whatever friends are invited (which has been someone new almost every week!), they are welcome and they are wanted.

[Aom and JJ celebrating Fall with s'mores!]

Some days here are like some days in America. You wonder if you are making a difference or an impact. You wonder if what you are doing is worthy work in service of the One who called you. And for me, Sundays are an affirmation. Week after week God shows me His faithfulness. Whether it's in providing insight into a passage, direction in what to study next, or simply in the combination of people He brings. Leading this small group is different than any I helped lead in America-- in that, as a Christian, I'm usually the minority. And, sometimes it's non-Christians who are inviting and bringing their non-Christian friends! Seriously??! That's all God. He is so good. And He gets 100% of the credit.

For those of you praying and partnering with me, please keep our small group in your prayers. Pray that His Word would be clear, that His Spirit would teach our hearts and make connections like only He can, that community would continue to grow, that conviction of sin would occur and that a deeper knowledge and understanding of our Father's grace and love would prevail!!

thought.

I have a lot to blog about to catch y'all up on the last few weeks... but this is not that post. My body is recovering from having a little illness/infection fiesta, so I'm not really up for tackling a long detailed post at the moment. But! I did want to share a couple verses I read today. God always knows exactly what I need to hear and be reminded of... And when I get convicted or encouraged, I love to spread it around! :) If you're like me, sometimes you skim Bible verses in blog posts... but I want to encourage you to slow down and take this one in.

Col. 3:12-14

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

May we be people like this.