In preparation for Easter

Friends, I want to encourage you to check out Lenten Lights. This series of readings is put out by one of my favorite pastors...John Piper. If you are like me and have young kids, you can start these devotional readings tomorrow (the Saturday the weekend of Palm Sunday) and read one daily until Easter. The instructions are on the site.
One thing I will severely miss about Thailand is the lack of commercialization of "Christian" holidays. I put "Christian" in parenthesis because I feel that much of the hype and materialism that accompanies Christian holidays in essence makes the holiday no different than celebrating the Easter Bunny or Old St. Nick. I am not saying that I am against gift giving or Easter baskets or even the Easter Bunny (!), but it's nice to simply reflect on the Cross of Christ and on the events that led to His death on that Cross for us, without worrying about the jellybeans or the ham for Sunday dinner. Again, I don't say this to condemn those who have ham or jellybeans...I will be the first to line up and eat ham and jellybeans on Easter when we get Stateside...but I do hope living here in a land of complete darkness, will have changed me so much that I will never put the ham and jellybeans over the Christ. So, check out what John and Noelle Piper have compiled, reading from the Word, to reflect upon during this week before Easter.

On another note, I've been thinking a lot lately about God's love. I mentioned a few posts ago about a Living in Grace seminar we had here in Bangkok. It was so encouraging. Ron, the guy who came out here to share with us what it means to live by grace on a daily, practical level, shared his first point is that God is a God of love and that this is the most important attribute of God. I've been reflecting on just how radical that one thought alone is. I think about my Thai friends who don't know Christ. They know no God who is love. The only gods they know invoke fear instead of love. We truly have a revolutionary teaching, a teaching that shows us that GOD LOVES US! We are LOVED by an everlasting, eternal GOOD GOD! Ron encouraged us to do something EVERY day to remind us of God's love for us. I admit, I haven't done this, but I do find myself reminding myself often, that God loves me. Wow, God loves me. There's nothing I can do to to cause God to love me any more or less (paraphrased from Jerry Bridges in "Transforming Grace"). I think, if only I could get this thru to my Thai friends. If only they could understand the Gospel...that it's so radically different they would believe. But, of course, God is in control but I am seeing the lights starting to go on. Ron also shared how unbelievers see God's love thru the fellowship of believers. I have never before in my life believed this more than I do right at this moment. I have a Thai friend. She's a bit older...she's definitely my Phii (older sister in Thai) and at first glance you might assume as I did, that she would be the LAST person to be interestd in the Gospel. You might suppose she has no desire for God at this point in her life, and you might be right. On the other hand (and where I stand), I believe God is severely at work in her life. She comes to EVERY outreach event we have. Whether it's mom's group or a campus party, she is there...and often with her two teenaged kiddos. Not only does she come and participate and have a GREAT time, she comes early to help prepare food. I can only believe one thing about this...she sees God's love thru us as we minister in His name. She wants to be around us. She hasn't come to church yet, but I pray she does one day soon. She recently heard the Gospel clearly spelled out. Pray for God to open her heart more and more and that He would woo her to Himself. I know He is able.
This has turned into quite a long post. I hope to encourage you to praise God for His LOVE! Remind yourself daily...do something (I thought about tatooing it to my forehead but I didn't know if Paul would like it!) to remind yourself daily. I will try to do it too. We have an amazing story to share with people. We have an amazing God. "O Love that will not let me go" wrote the hymn writer. Amen to that.