Be Aware: 10/40 Window

From Gospel for Asia's Website:

The Neglected Window: the 10/40 Window

97 percent of the world's unreached

Although 97 percent of the world's unreached lives in the 10/40 Window ... Less than 0.05% of our total resources as the Church in the West are being sent to help share the Good News.

Truly there is a staggering amount of work to do.

Within the 10/40 Window:

• The darkest of all areas within the 10/40 Window is Asia.
• Over 80,000 die every day in Asian countries without knowing about the love of Jesus Christ.
• 500,000 villages in India alone have never heard the Gospel.

  

Be Aware: India ~ Hope: GFA

"Over 5 million people live in the slums of Mumbai. K.P. Yohannan recalls the time he first went into the slums of Mumbai. The stench nearly made him throw up and he was devastated by the sight of children playing in the sewage."


"From the first day the children in Bridge of Hope learn about Jesus Christ. K.P. Yohannan discusses how children, their parents, and communities all across Asia are benefitting from Bridge of Hope centers."

To GO and to DO you must KNOW.

"Lord, I will go! Send me!", the maiden's cry.
"Dear one, do you know Me?" He responds.
"Savior, of course I know You." she replies, "You are the One who took the blow for me, bore my penalty and my shame, the One who died in my place to set me free."
"Child, do you know Me?" He asks again.
"Father, of course I know You." she answers, "You are the One who adopted me, the One who has grafted me in, who has given me a promised inheritance with the Son, the One who lives in me as I abide in You."
"Lover, do you know Me?" He inquires.
"Beloved, do you not know that I know you? You know that I love You and in order to love You I must know You. I know You as You know me... intimately. You have revealed Your heart, Your desires and Your secrets to me and yet do you wonder if I know You?"
"My own, I know that You know me, yet I would have you know Me more." His tender reply, "Why do you worship Me?"
"Because I know You."
"Why do you abide in Me?"
"Because I know You."
"Why do you pray? How do you pray?"
"Because I know You. According to Your name -- Your nature and Your will."
"I would have you know Me more." He says, "Why do missions exist?"
"Because worship does not."
"Why must you abide in Me?"
"Because on my own I can do nothing."
"How often must you pray?"
"Always."
"You desire to GO and to DO?"
"Yes, Lord!"
"First you must KNOW. If worship is to spread through you, first you must worship. If abiding is to be seen in you, you must be always abiding. If my kingdom is to be advanced through your prayers, you must not cease to pray. I want you to work for Me*, I want you to represent Me -- to bear My name, My image and My reputation -- it's why I freed you, its why I cleansed you, it's why I brought you near, it's why I indwelt you, but how will you represent One you do not KNOW? Do not fear, for I am with you.  You know Me a little, I would have you know me MORE. Others will pull at you saying, 'Why do you do nothing? Why do you sit still when there is so much to be done now?!' and I will answer them, 'You are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: Chelsea has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.' Come My Beloved, let us go forth into the fields; you will find that what you truly desire is to know Me. The going and doing will be a natural outflow but you will hardly take note because all your heart will cry is, 'Desiderio Domini' (meaning: I dearly long to be with My Lord). Yes, My own, soon You will be with Me and then You will fully know Me."

*"We're here to be worshippers first and workers only second. We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of him. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshipper, and after that he can learn to be a worker. The work done by a worshipper will have eternity in it." -- A.W.Tozer

All I Need

All I Need - JJ Heller

Don't need a thing

My good Shepherd brings me all

You are all I need

You let me catch my breath

Even in the valley of death

You are all I need

All I need to be complete

Is Your love

Your blood that covers me

You lift up my head

You provide the wine and bread

You, You are all I need

There's no need to fear

Even with my enemies here

You are all I need

All I need to be complete

Is Your love

Your blood that covers me

Goodness and mercy are following me

You're all that I need

You make a home for me

Where pastures are green as far as I see

You are all I need

All I need to be complete

Is Your love

Your blood that covers me

Where I am right now...

  Self must die. I am a believer, I passed the test of 1 John*, but there is still much flesh to mortify in this life of mine.
  Leviticus-- My reading today was on the uncleanness of and cleanness of leprosy (a flesh disease that kills). When you are unclean you must live alone, outside the city. If your clothes are unclean they must be burned. Being unclean wasn't pitied or tolerated, it was severed. When being pronounced clean there was a ceremony that the priests went through. The right ear, right thumb and right big toe of the individual being pronounced clean was smeared first in blood (death) and then in oil (Spirit), and then they were clean.
  Our unclean flesh cannot be lived with, cannot be tolerated, it MUST go to the Cross.
  I picked up "Born Crucified" and the chapter I am at just happens to be "The Cross and the Flesh". So many good things are in this chapter. The hardest though is the list of ways the flesh is still alive in believers, the list of fleshly things that MUST yet be killed.

The victorious believer will become aware of many forms of self which must yet be dealt with. We shall discover:
- in our service to Christ, self-confidence and self-esteem;
- in the slightest suffering, self-saving and self-pity;
- in the least misunderstanding, self-defense and self-ivindication;
- in our station in life, self-seeking and self-centeredness;
- in the daily routine, self-pleasing and self-choosing;
- in our relationships, self-assertiveness and self-respect;
- in our education, self-boasting and self- expression;
- in our desires, self-indulgence and self-satisfaction;
- in our successes, self-admiration and self-congratulation;
- in our failures, self-excusing and self-justification;
- in our spiritual attainments, self-righteousness and self-complacencey;
- in our public ministry, self-reflection and self-glory
Finally, in our life as a whole, we will discover self-love and selfishness. The flesh is an "I" specialist. ... Vast areas of the flesh must yet be crucified. We must become Christ-like. As an old black Christian in Africa put it: "The Cross of Christ condemns me to become a saint."

  And in Acts 7 (the other chapter in the Bible I read this morning) you'll see the flesh hates being called out by the Spirit. The two are at enmity with one another. The Flesh stoned Stephan, but the Spirit lived on. Stephan's last words were a prayer uttered for the lives of those flesh-controlled men: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." (Acts 7:60)
  Romans 8 is a beautiful chapter of over-coming truth, powerful grace, and glorious freedom in Christ in the midst of a world that hates the Spirit and will hunt us down to kill us because we possess it (the Spirit). "To live is Christ, to die is gain." Do you think the flesh utters such words? Lord, mortify my flesh through the thousand daily choices I make. I must decrease THAT You might increase. How will I live to suffer and die if I won't even die to fleshly desires?
[Journal Entry]

*(take the test)

Jim and Norma

This past weekend my family took a trip up North to visit my grandparents. I had the privilege of talking with a couple that are good friends of my family (Norma was my Grandma's maid of honor in her wedding) but whom I have not seen since I was a very little girl. They lived and served in Ecuador for many, many years and have recently returned to the States. Jim and Norma are sweet, precious, wonderful people. I got to talk with them about Ecuador and about Project Awareness. It was a lovely talk. My Dad went to "visit" them on a mission trip when he was 17 (quite a few years ago) and we have heard him tell his Ecuador stories countless times -- they're some of our favorites. Jim and Norma will go back occasionally to visit and, if it is the Lord's will, Dad and I (and mom and my siblings, if they're interested) will get to go along. What an amazing experience that would be!

Psalm 37

¹Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

 ²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

 ³Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

 ⁴Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

 ⁵Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

 ⁶And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

 ⁷Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

 ⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

 ⁹For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

 ¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

 ¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

 ¹²The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

 ¹³The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

 ¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

 ¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

 ¹⁶A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

 ¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

 ¹⁸The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

 ¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

 ²⁰But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

 ²¹The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

 ²²For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

 ²³The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

 ²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

 ²⁵I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

 ²⁶He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

 ²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

 ²⁸For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

 ²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

 ³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

 ³¹The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

 ³²The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

 ³³The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

 ³⁴Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

 ³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

 ³⁶Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

 ³⁷Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

 ³⁸But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

 ³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

 ⁴⁰And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Be Aware: Child Soldiers

Project: AK-47 exists to rescue child soldiers. from PROJECT: AK-47 on Vimeo.

"There is a place where Zion's flag does not yet fly."

Paul Washer

"His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us  leaves us no other choice."
-- John Stott

Be Aware: India

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

Psalm 82:3 KJV

Project Awareness: Design

Been wondering what happened to Project Awareness? It's still being worked on but now its a little more behind-the-scenes. Here's a peek "back stage". Praying the Lord of the Harvest to send forth workers. <3

All who are thirsty...

Last week my brother and I drove to Colorado for the wedding of James and Kelsey. Driving my "trusty steed" (a Honda CR-V) named Claxton we set out confidently. It was a hundered-degree day, the sun was beating down and for some reason our A/C was not functioning properly (which is abnormal). Not gonna lie, it was highly uncomfortable! Lane and I drove 16hrs in the sweltering heat, sweating through our clothes over and over again and both getting dehydrated in spite of our frequent rest stops and consuming of various liquids (from warm water to lemonade). I'd like to take a moment and recognize one of the many ways that Lane served me on the trip and that was by driving the entire way. I was so dehydrated at points that I would suddenly fall asleep just from the exhaustion of the heat and then start awake when my body was to warm to sleep any longer. Because Lane never asked me to drive I was able to take advantage of those few times of rest.
In the midst of that great discomfort the Lord began to minister to my heart. At Ellerslie whenever something was less comfortable than what we were accustomed to we would choose to be thankful for the opportunity and would joyfully say to each other, "Missionary training!" As I pondered how most Americans would react to the discomfort of sweating for 16hrs straight but how few people have probably had to experience that very much (if at all) in their life my mind went to all the brothers and sisters we have overseas that deal with excessive heat and lack the luxuries we take for granted. The Lord helped me to see all the things that I had to be thankful for in the midst of our unbearably-warm drive.

Thankful for His provision of finances that enabled us to purchase COLD refreshments!

Thankful that there was a way to create shade!

Thankful for restaurants and gas stations that provide air-conditioned relief, running-water rest rooms, and beverages! 

Thankful that we didn't have to WALK miles and miles in the heat carrying heavy loads of sticks or jugs of water, we got to SIT and read or rest!

Thankful that we were never in such desperate need or so lacking any other option for hydration that we had to stop and collect water for drinking from rivers, streams or ponds that we passed!

Thankful that we were able to listen to music praising our good God and communicate with dear ones that were praying for strength and relief for us. The radio, iPod and cell phones we had never ceased to work!

Thankful for the setting of the sun and the finish of a very trying and testing day... Thankful that we don't have to endure that discomfort daily!

My heart and mind was on those less fortunate than myself but even more than being able to empathize (to some small degree) with those enduring dehydration, exhausting heat and long days and wanting to bring all of them the relief of clean, convenient water and rest and shade I wanted them to know the One who was sustaining me. Jesus. The One who quenches thirsty souls -- not just thirsty bodies. The One who provides supernatural rest even in the midst of strenuous toil. The One who refreshes and restores our lives for eternity not just a day. I heard the cries of those without water and those without hope, those who simply survive one day at a time and labor each day simply to live one more day. I saw the practical need, desperate need, urgent need of providing water for these people, it finally hit home with me. At the same time though, I saw their need for the knowledge that I have of a God who supplies all needs, satisfies at the deepest level and who not only provides rest and abundant life here on earth but who promises eternal rest in His presence at the end of that Day when He brings us Home to Heaven.
Christian, allow Him to move you to action. Allow Him to reach your heart and open it to what He opened mine to on that hot drive to Colorado last Monday. Pray for the thirsty souls in your sphere of influence and allow the Lord to lead you in how to bring them to the Well that will satisfy their longing souls. Pray for those dying around the world for lack of clean or convenient water and allow the Lord to lead you in the way He desires to use you to bring physical relief as well as spiritual relief to them.
Note: I'd also like to thank our brother-in-the-Lord who blessed us greatly by fixing our air conditioning and teaching Lane how to care for my "trusty steed", Claxton. Our drive home was much more comfortable! We're thankful for your services and your joyful, always-ready-to-help attitude, Aaron!

- Resources -

bloodwatermission.com

charitywater.org

Gospel for Asia's Jesus Wells