Help Our Indian Brothers and Sisters

Their resilience astounded us. Their love inspired us. Their joy was evident to us.

They chose to follow Jesus despite the unavoidable sufferings that would result. They have been beaten and threatened multiple times for choosing to follow Him by shepherding His people in the slums of New Delhi.



My friends and I had the opportunity to meet this family of six. Each week for three months we would drive about two hours until the road became too narrow for the vehicle. We walked the remaining distance: A few hundred yards down a narrow, bending alley filled with colored walls that somehow made the polluted sky look bluer. At the end of the alley on the righthand side, we were welcomed each time by one of the precious family members.



They would invite us in and offer us chai and biscuits. (They're called biscuits, but they're basically little cookies.) We would leave our shoes outside of the front door and sit in white plastic chairs or along the side of a bed. We would sit for 10-15 minutes and then some of the family would lead us to the heart of the slums just minutes away. Again, we would drive until the road became too narrow. From there we would walk less than 100 yards to the home of a Christian family that would soon be overflowing with children.



The children came from all over the slums. Their parents formed a spectrum of nominal to radical Hindus and Muslims. Each time we told them stories of Jesus, sang songs, asked their names, prayed for them, and a few times we gave them candy. Sometimes we would go to different houses and pray for those who wanted it. I could write a separate blog filled with those stories alone. Toward the end of our time there, one of the girls would always grab my hand and walk with us back to the vehicle. All we could do was smile, hug, and say, "I love you. I pray for you." I didn't know much Hindi, and she didn't know much English, but a definite, inexplicable connection was made.



My purpose in writing all of this is due to a need that has gone unfulfilled for over a year. This pastor -- whom I know and have seen many times personally -- has begun constructing a building immediately outside of his home. At this time, he does not have the means to finish it. His intention is to use it as a place for people to gather together, hear about Jesus, and worship Him.



It is roughly 200 square feet -- which is about twice the size of the home the believers usually meet in. Most of the walls are in place, but it is in need of doors, windows, a roof, and electricity. Recently some people have stopped coming to the original home because it is too small, too crowded and too cold on the floor. The estimated cost to finish is about $4,300. Those of us who have been are hoping for closer to $5,000 so that they will be able to have furniture of some sort and good mats for the floor.

Two main verses come to mind when I think of India. Isaiah 51:3 and Philippians 4:19.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the glorious riches that are in Christ Jesus.

I am asking you to pray with me for our brothers and sisters in India. I do not doubt that God will meet all their needs. Let me know if you are interested in being a part of that.

Peace,
Brittany

The King and the Castle

Dear Church,

At just the right time, the Spirit of Jesus Christ brought this quote to my attention:

"Satan is always trying to maneuver you into a position where you can save your castle only by losing your bishop."

C.S. Lewis

You have an inheritance, Church. It is He Himself. You have an inheritance and you are an inheritance...Christ's inheritance.

Hear:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. . . In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. . . For this reason. . . I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

Ephesians 1:11, 13, 14, 15, 18

Have you ever thought of yourself as His inheritance? You are His portion and His treasure whom He came to redeem. You are His; it is sealed and it is irrevocable! He sought you and saved you out of the depths of His great love, though you had gone after other lovers.

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

Song of Solomon 6:3

I am His and He is mine.

I am His inheritance and He is my inheritance.

For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

Deuteronomy 32:9

We have been given an inheritance. Access. (Ephesians 2:18.) In the beginning was perfect relationship existing between the Father, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. He formed us to join with Him in that relationship, but we turned our hearts against Him. But God in His mercy and His unrelenting love pursued us so that we might be restored to enjoy what He originally formed us for. We were saved from much, and we were saved for much.

What now is our lot? Knowing Him. Being in Him. Delighting in Him. This is what causes the aroma of Christ to exude from us. Evangelism is then natural. Love is natural. Truth is sought and devoured. All fears are claimed by Love. Suffering is beautiful and glorious because of the interactions with His presence that result. There is no intimacy like this. I could write for days about the delight and the satisfaction and the glory of this intimacy. For now, I will leave it at that.

May the Spirit of God grant you understanding and revelation, so that we may know who He is and who He has made us to be. He has enabled you to know Him -- so feast!

The Old Covenant was law-ridden and our relationship with Him was filled with stipulation after stipulation. (His love, however, remained unconditional.) Now our relationship with Him is just that -- a relationship. We have direct access to Him now that He lives in us, and we have the promise that He will never leave. The things we do, the places we go, and the decisions that we make are second to knowing Him. I pray that He reveals the wonder of this to us increasingly.

This is eternal life, that they may know Me and He who sent Me.

John 17:3

Selah,

bd

Letter to a Friend

Dear Church,

This isn't the holistic update I have been planning to write. That will come soon.

The past few weeks, I have been writing a series of letters to a dear, dear friend of mine. Tonight the letter was a revision of a note I wrote to myself a little over two years ago. I am itching to revise it further, but if I begin that, I may not finish it and it may not get posted. In summation, though, I will say this:

Marriage is no longer the scope through which I view Christ and the Church. The relationship between Christ and His Bride is now the lens through which I view everything else. It never ceases to fascinate me. More on that later, beloved...

October 29, 2008, 23:07

Oh, girl --

Don't try to win him with your charm.
Don't try to put forth something you're not.
It will take more energy than you have to keep up an image of yourself that will eventually crumble.
REST.
Search your heart and see that that is what you really want.
You don't want to have to keep trying to be something you're not.
You are who you are, and you are SO wonderfully and intentionally made.
If you were to search your heart, you would almost definitely find a desire to be loved and accepted and enjoyed and celebrated for who you are -- not for who you can pretend to be.
If all you show is a mask, the mask will get loved.
(But God pours His love on you ceaselessly...)
Again, I say to REST.
Seek the Lord -- not a relationship.
He is the God of relationships, and knows exactly what you need -- and don't need.
Trust Him to do the winning of the hearts -- and do not trust your charm.
"At just the right time..."
Let Him win the hearts -- because He wants all the credit.
This builds up your assurance in His will.
Seek Him now, seek Him then, seek Him until then, and seek Him beyond.
Seek the Lord and LIVE -- abundantly, victoriously, freely.
Trust Him and give Him your whole heart.
He made it.
He knows how it works.
He will wake it up in ways you didn't know could thrive with such life.
He is Life.
And your past?
Whatever it is, you're not beyond healing.
You're not beyond restoration.
Grace always tells another story.
It extends a long way down. It meets us where we are in order to bring us to where we could never otherwise be.
If you receive it, it will tell your story in a whole new way.
No one can love you like the Lord.
No one can see you quite like He does.
No one can fulfill - or even know - your needs like the Lord can.
You want romance? He's the Author of it.
He will guide you to overflowing springs, if you let Him.
Marriage is like Christ and the Church.
And just as Christianity isn't about being good enough, neither is marriage about being good enough.
It's not for what you could earn, but to express and receive a love undeserved.
That's why it's grace.
And it is AMAZING.

But God

Dear Church,

The enemy comes to steal.

But Jesus enables us to store up treasures in heaven, where thieves do not break in and steal.

The enemy comes to kill.

But God raises the dead to life and speaks things into being.

The enemy comes to destroy.

But God is our very own healer and restorer.

The enemy may breed darkness and hatred.

But God is Love and light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

Satan struck His heel.

But Jesus crushed his head.

The powers of darkness may wage war against our souls and prowl around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us.

But God has created us not only as recipients of His ferocious love, which is our fortress, but as weapons of holy war to wreak havoc in Satan's backyard.

The enemy may confuse and interfere with God's good gifts purposed for His glory.

But what he means for evil, God means for good. He makes dry land out of deep seas, and creates paths where paths have never existed. Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing exhausts Him.

The enemy may be "the god of this age." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

But God is the Alpha and Omega, who was and is and is to come; the Almighty.

Satan is the father of lies.

But we have within us the Spirit of Truth.

The enemy is our accuser.

But Jesus is our advocate at the right hand of God, always interceding for the saints...who are the righteousness of God in Him.

How wonderful it is that we are not left alone to contend for ourselves!

"If God is for us, who could be against us?" Psalm 56:4

I read this quote today:

"We have to come to a place where we are more confident in the Lord's ability to lead us, than the enemy's ability to deceive us."

Jesus has brought me to that place. It is victorious. It is unshakable. There is an incredible peace and rest resulting from complete, blind (some would say foolish) trust in the Spirit of God. The joy is boundless.

Lately the only things I have been aware of are that He is good, He is sovereign, and He loves me. To love Him with my mind is to let myself be concerned with these few things, trusting Him with the details and enjoying the rest that He has set apart for me in His presence. It sounds so simple -- and that's because it is!

But it gets simpler yet, Beloved. I pray that you put more stock into His love for you than your love for Him. Just receive. That's it. No strings attached. Your condition does not determine the flow of His love for you. Nothing can separate you from His love. He is faithful and He is near. Read that again and breathe it in: He is faithful and He is near...He is a part of you and He will never leave you.

My mind may wander and forget these things...but the Holy Spirit pursues me and reminds me of what is true. He wins!

I may have been a great sinner, but God is a great Savior. He made me an entirely new creation that now stands before Him with Christ's righteousness as my resume. That is why we are not condemned! He is just in not condemning us because Christ's crucifixion and resurrection have justified us, making us as if we had never sinned. Enjoy that access, holy ones, because in your inheritance is everything that Christ earned in His perfection.

He who has an ear, let him hear.

bd

The Author and Pioneer of our Faith

Dear Church,

Trust Jesus.

Dear Jesus,

Give Your people faith.

Spilling Open

Dear Church,

My heart swells for you and for what I wish to communicate to you. Every time the Holy Spirit leads me into truth, every time I realize something beautiful He has done, I am overwhelmed with a burning desire to speak to His people about His greatness.

That is happening again right now. Since being back in the States, I have started writing over ten different blogs -- but I have no idea how to finish them. I've been planning on writing out the details and insights of my trip chronologically (and quickly), but it's not happening. I don't know why, but I trust His sovereignty.

Let me tell you why my heart is burning today. I came across a list I wrote before going to North Africa. On it were weakness of mine and difficulties I anticipated. I nearly wept as I recalled not only my inadequacies, but His surpassingly gracious provision. I was expecting to be under the heavy weight of oppression and darkness, and I was willing and even excited about the victory that would stem from that. But my King and Father saw it fit to cover over everything for me.

I thought I would experience loneliness,
but I have never interacted so intimately with Jesus Christ.

I thought I was going to be aware of darkness and fear,
but my only atmosphere was the Light of Christ. It was stronger than anything else, and I carried it with me everywhere I went -- to cities without any believers!

I thought the powers of darkness were going to hinder and discourage me,
but I experienced an unstoppable joy as I effortlessly rested in the victory of the Resurrection.

I thought I was going to be attacked with memories of former sins,
but He continually renewed the freshness of His grace to me throughout each day without mention of my sin.

This is what confounds me the most: I have been asking Him for years to break my heart for the lost, but He won't do it. The more I ask to be broken, the more joy He gives me in His presence for making me His own. He is so gracious; I can barely take it in. There is no one like Him!

The memories I have of this time overseas are one thing; the symbolism it has on my life is another. Before I explain further, I need to tell you something else: I jumped off a cliff.



I was fearless and at rest, which was peculiar to me based on what I knew I was about to do. Excitement calmed me, strangely. The cliff was a mere thirty feet above the Mediterranean. The wind was blowing my hair. My mind was clear. I could hear conversations in Arabic all around me. It was nearly sunset, and everything had a gold hue. I breathed deep, braced the wind, and ran to the edge of the cliff. I flew forward, putting myself entirely at the mercy of what would catch me. I couldn't contain a smile as my stomach rose while my body fell.

Seconds later I broke the surface of the water. My smile grew. When I came to the surface again, my ears were welcomed by applause behind the sound of my own laughter. I looked up at the sky in joyful gratitude and began swimming back to the foot of the cliff.

This memory is treasured in my heart. It also sums up my time in that particular country: There were dangers and risks, but each one was worth it. I could have made myself anxious by dwelling on what it could cost me, but all that I received was joy in His presence because He brought me to a place of rest as He fought for me. He just wants to be gracious to me; no strings attached. "The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." Proverbs 10:22. Selah.

Also, it is very fitting to mention that only about four months before I went to North Africa, I was in a hard season of discipline and deconstruction. I "messed up" big time, and thought it was going to be years before I would be restored. But my Jesus healed me quickly and brought me to safety in surrender. Praise Him with me, because He is not treating me as my sins deserve! He is giving me beauty instead of ashes and confident access to His throne of grace. I can't get over how good He is to me, and I never want to leave His presence. This grace is an ocean of its own, and is offered to you. Take it from someone who has jumped in already -- it is amazing here!

Church, I am begging you, for the unified sake of His glory and your joy -- REST! Ask Him to show you what this means. His Spirit will lead you into all Truth, and He will make His voice heard. He is stronger than our enemy. If the risen Christ is for you, who could be against you? You're already on the winning side. Enjoy!

Remember your VIP pass into His presence. Meditate on His unfailing love. Discover all you are in Him, and all He is in you. There is power in the blood, there is victory in Jesus, and I long for you to get a taste of it. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Radiantly,
bd

Father to the Fatherless

Dear Church,

We have brothers and sisters in India who are in need of faith, comfort, and protection.

Just over a week ago, an inspector from the government visited Asha House, a children's home near New Delhi. He said that it is an issue that the boys and girls are together in the same house. At first he gave orders for either all of the boys or all of the girls to leave the home. After more discussion, it was decided that the younger children and anyone still in school can stay for one more year, since the school year has already begun. However, all of the children over the age of twelve must be sent away by tomorrow, July 10. Ruth, Ravender, Savita, Vinita, and Diwan are all true orphans but have some extended family who will be able to take them in for a while.



Please pray for the protection of the traveling children and for the comfort of the Asha family staying behind. Their hearts are hurting, but they are trusting God. Pray not only for these things to happen, but to focus on the faithfulness and power of our compassionate Father.



"O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations. . . For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy...O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name."

Daniel 9:18-19

With love and hope,
bd

P.S. I have much to tell you about the time I got to spend in North Africa...soon!

Anticipating Opposition...and Victory

Dear Church,

Very soon I will be in Atlanta, Georgia, training for a short trip to North Africa. The trip's purpose is two-fold: First, it is to assist the established missionaries in connecting with as many people as possible so that relationships may be brought to a place where the Gospel can be spoken and received. Second, it is to immerse believers in Muslim culture in order to better understand their hearts so that, while in North America, they may be more efficiently served with the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ.

This morning I wrote myself a note to read whenever I become discouraged while overseas. It seems fitting to be shared with more than just myself:

Self,

If you're reading this, you are probably discouraged. Let the discouragement be countered in Jesus' name. He is more powerful than your enemy. I pray that the hope of future victory will cause you to rejoice even now. The greater the opposition, the greater the victory. Your God can not be defeated, you are His, and there is nothing that can shake that. Let the Spirit of truth encourage you -- the evil forces at work may be more intense than you have previously experienced, the Body may not be functioning ideally, and things may not be going according to plan. But take heart. There are unchangeable things in place that are worth praising Him for.

David wrote in Psalm 27, "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord."

His goodness is shown simply by you being here. Being...regardless of what you do. He has done an incredible work already: You are salt. You are light. This light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can not overcome it. Above all else, rejoice that your name is written in the Book of Life. Not only is your God good, but He reveals His goodness to you continually. Rest in His love for you, and remember the victory that was already won for you and for all of the saints.

And as for this affliction? It is light and momentary. Any pain will be surpassed by His comfort. Any fear will be driven out by His love. Any lie will be exposed when the Spirit of Truth works to set you free. Any opposition will cease when Jesus, who is for you, speaks His will into being. The pain of the cross was real, but the joy of the resurrection is eternal. Rest effortlessly in the victory that was won for you as Christ makes Himself known among the nations. Whatever He gives or takes away will cause you to rejoice. You will see His goodness and praise Him for it. Let Him make this your unwavering hope. You'll be Home soon.

bd