songbird says stuff...: September 2008

green leaf in drought

Posted by christin joy | | 9/30/2008 03:52:00 PM

i just finished reading the book "Green Leaf In Drought" by Isobel Kuhn. this book is about the provisions the Lord makes for His children that are following His guidance. the family of arthur and wilda matthews along with their little girl lilah went through SO much. they literally had nothing yet remained faithful to the Lord and His calling on their life. when times got rough, and when they had black days, God provided scripture and physical things to meet their daily needs. its so great to see the hand of God at work. this is a passage from the very last page of the book. read it, it so applies to the life of today's christians! mind you this book was originally published in 1958!

"Andrew Murray has warned us how easy it is for the cares of this life to choke the Seed. He says: ''The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, the temptations of business and pleasure, all unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present.' That describes the home church today. But who knows when the drought is going to strike us also? Is it possible for any Christian to put forth green leaves when all he enjoys in this life is drying up around him?

We feel this question and its answer are worth sharing with you, hence this book.

'I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground.
Open your heart to the gift I am bringing.
While ye are seeking, I will be found.'
The Holiest of All"

i hope you enjoyed this little blurb. just thought i'd encourage you all to find this book and read it, also to encourage my brothers and sisters of the faith that "God does not waste suffering, The tests He sends or permits are in reality His vote of confidence, for He undertakes not to allow us to suffer any testing beyond our powers of endurance." - J. Oswald Sanders. God provides for His children and we can have confidence in the fact that whatever storms we go through, if we stand in awe of His presence, stand steadfast on His word and glory in the Spirit, God gives peace, understanding and undying, unwavering, unfathomable love to those He calls. its lives like the one of Job that fully understand what God "can be to those who gladly embrace His will and accept His discipline, no matter how inscrutable." even now i'm getting goosebumps thinking of the love that i receive from my Heavenly Father. i can have hope that even if i'm stuck and unable to say anything to those around me, if i obey spiritual disciplines, am able to show love, remain faithful in my prayers, sing praises to the King and listening intently to the voice of the Holy Spirit - He is faithful to show Himself to those who witness such happenings. amen. agape.

"Please, please show me your Bible."

Posted by christin joy | | 9/18/2008 04:09:00 PM

the title of this blog is a short excerpt from the heavenly man by brother yun and paul hattaway. just this strong desire is enough to bring me to tears and show me that if i'm not serious about my relationship with the Lord then i should sit down and go home. i've only read 3 chapters but the point has struck to heart. i have talked to many people about the need for bibles in China, i've expressed to them the things they go through just to get their hands on them but did i truly understand myself? maybe. maybe not. i'm not sure. but i do know, that this is something that's been grabbing my attention the past few days. the depth of brother yun's desire to see the word of God, just a glance, show's the deep, the utter love and adoration he has for His LORD. hearing of men and women rejoicing in the Lord, hoping in and worshiping the LORD while chained to walls, tortured and neglected by those in power around them; is humbling and heart wrenching. how deep do i go with my Lord? how superficial am i? i have my times of longing for the Lord, but i am way to complacent in this land of america, land of the free. i'm reading two books right now. one i've already mentioned and the other is tortured for christ by richard wurmbrand. i recommend that you read both of these books. and while i'm at it, read God Smuggler by brother andrew. all of these books show you what people in different areas of the world have gone through (and are going through), just to hold a Bible and to be a christian.

most americans own a Bible. in fact, 92% of households in america own at least one copy. of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three. this includes not only the homes of christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well. can you imagine what those of the underground church would think, if they understood the reality of the american life. the reality being that for the most part, christians who are free to worship how they want are able to have one-two-three Bibles, can worship openly, can have Bible studies in the open - in public places like starbucks and the like. that instead of having a fire, an undying and unwavering desire to seek out the Lords will, to know Him better, to grow, feast and live out His word and to fulfill The Great Commission; we're complaining and pissing away our time on meaningless dribble. the underground church would think that we're absolutely nuts! and the problem with this is many westerners think people are crazy for laying their lives on the line for the Lord, for the Bible, for risking all that they have. they say "conform" or "obey the government."

i can understand that its hard to understand the depths of what i'm talking about, i also understand that "first hand witness" is needed for a lot of people to see the graveness of the situation. but we do have things at our fingertips that will help us grasp whats going on in the world today. we have ways of spreading the word of the needs in China and other countries suffering severe religious persecution. i also understand that its hard to listen and its hard to chew on the reality of people being thrown in jail, beaten and worse, all for their belief in God. its like watching those commercials of little babies in africa with swollen bellies and flies in their eyes. it causes them to feel uncomfortable, it causes squeamishness, it may even drive someone to write a check to soothe their conscience. but what needs to happen for revival in the land is a true awakening of the Saints! we need to go out and help. "Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;" - Matthew 9:37. i know that this comes off very demanding, i know this comes off as i am on a high and mighty rant or pedestal, that i'm judging and telling people where they are lacking and what they need to do; and i guess that i am. christians need to wake up and do their job, instead of worrying about their prized possessions and worrying about their lives. we need to devote and place our lives fully into the hands of the Lord, trusting only Him with their lives, not this world, not the stock system, not banks and jobs, not even their home churches. nothing is secure unless the Lord is in it. its time to wake up and do whats right for the Kingdom of God and for my beautiful brothers and sisters from all over the world who are in chains for the Lord. lets get serious about whats going on and do something about it. i thank the Lord for His ways of grabbing my heart and i'm so excited that the next few months, i'm blessed with the opportunity to go and do what i'm preaching. i just pray that i will be sensitive to the Spirit, that i will be able and willing to do whatever God calls me to do and to have no fear in doing it. agape.

hong kong memories...

Posted by christin joy | | 9/11/2008 08:24:00 PM

hi there everyone. bud and i are thinking and praying about hong kong and all that is in our future regarding it. i've been terribly nostalgic and missing my home away from home, so i thought i'd post some pictures for you, so you can see what has gone on. i'll try to add captions as well and why the pictures mean so much to me. some are serious and some are just fun. i hope you enjoy.(p.s. until i can get bud to fix the html, some of the photo's are cut off. so just click on them to see the full photo.)

fun times in hong kong:

po ying birthday party. you can't really get around hong kong without her!

po ying's party in pak wai tsuen, north sai kung area.

you really can't get around hong kong without maggie cho either!

maggie again. i think this photo is just too cute!

although she is not a native, i met cami in hong kong. well, i met her in person in hong kong!

friends were made. they are so special to us. we email back and forth as much as possible and stay in touch. but its just not the same as being there with them.

food and tourism in hong kong:

this will hopefully be one of the first things i'll eat in hk when we go back! french toast, peanut butter and honey. :drool:

iced lemon tea, or "dung ling mun cha". the best invention of tea. i dont know why its so good. (so is milk tea but i dont have a picture of it.)

top one noodle, shatin mall. wonton soup - my most favorite soup. i could eat it everyday!

green chopsticks in fanling. they are so nice there and we have become friends with the waitress. she's awesome.

shatin at night. beautiful!

sheung shui, hong kong.

star ferry at night. coming from hong kong island and going back to kowloon/new territories.

at the harbor! azn fingers!

tsim sha tsui at night. oh man its a great place!

the goal of hong kong, to help those to see Christ, to understand their depraved state and to let Him change their hearts:

entrance to our village. we lived in tsz tong tsuen. in our backyard and up a few hundred steps, you reach a temple where people burn incense and hell money to honor and worship their ancestors.

our village in fanling, tsz tong tsuen. you can see a shrine type thing at the bottom of the hills, joss sticks and all. this village needs prayer and the spiritual weight you felt when living there would only be lifted by the hope and grace of Jesus Christ.

the temple behind our house. this is just the entry way, if you want to see more pictures let me know. the grounds of the temple are immaculant. full of gargoyles and fish ponds and turtle ponds and scupltures. you can see a person walking in to burn incense in this photo.

people are burning hell money to pay and "bless" their ancestors that have passed away. this is very difficult to watch.

tseng lan shue, sai kung. this is where bud and i moved to be closer to his work. in this village there were at least 6 shrines and mini temples for people to worship their ancestors.

and last but not least, worship that we were able to join in. its the most remarkable thing. the chinese people, those that love the Lord, pray fervently, pray without ceasing, groan in the Spirit and God meets them where they are and shows them His truth and His light. they pour out their hearts to Him and long to know Him and experience Him more. i only got one picture from church but i think it shows a lot!

sunday worship at the vineyard in kowloon.

with this church we went on an outreach at the beach. we didn't personally talk to people but witnessed people in the church doing so and we prayed a lot for the people there.

clearwater bay outreach.

we're so happy to be here!

hong kong is ripe for God's word and truth to go forth. laborers are needed. praise the Lord for the opportunity to be apart of this work the Lord is doing. :) hope you enjoyed the pics. :)

agape,
christin joy.

a passionate one.

Posted by christin joy | | 9/09/2008 03:54:00 PM

passion. i was recently bombarded with an accusation that has kept my mind busy. i was told i've lost my passion, i've lost my drive. i'm different in a way that's not appealing to someones idealistic impression. its not that what was said is bothering me, it just got me thinking. i've been thinking about it. trying to rationalize what was said. trying to figure out why they would say that after a single 5 minute conversation, when there's been a lack of communication for at least 6 months. but now i realize that its not that i've lost my passion. its that my passion has shifted and is focused on different things.

my passion. here's worthwhile passion. being driven to see the Gospel go forth to all the unreached people groups of the world. being passionate for the hard working chinese who need to hear of God's saving grace. having a passion for the children of this world, born and unborn. a passion to help woman survive in a chauvinistic world but to still be a proverbs 31 woman who is able to fend for herself and provide for her family if need be. my passion is to help my husband in a ministry that He has been lead to by the Holy Lord of Lords. i'm daily seeking to better myself and the only way i find that i am able to do such a thing is to fully depend on God's guidance and encouragement. if i place my passion into things of this world, its going to do nothing but take away from my gifts for the Lord and spit in my face when it does nothing for me in return. God has promised me an inheritance, a blessing above all blessings. if i were to put my passion into something that is not going to honor that promise, what good is it?

there are people heading to hell everyday. granted, i know that God doesn't need my feeble brain and feeble attempts to get people to hear what He wants to say to them. but He has asked me to do it nonetheless. so my passion is to serve my God first and foremost. to honor Him in all that i do and all that i seek to do with my life. i want my life to be poored out like a drink offering to Him, devoted and laid out so that He can do what He wants with me. so where did my passion go? its been shifted into gear heading towards Jesus, what He wants me to do, and not to fulfill my own selfish desires that would not, in the long run, make me feel fulfilled or accomplished. thank you Lord for showing me how precious i am to You and how you're molding my heart into Your heart. agape.

songbird says stuff...

green leaf in drought

"Please, please show me your Bible."

hong kong memories...

a passionate one.

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