Where in the World are Jay and Anna?

The M Blog: My thoughts on the new IMB global objectives (KRAs)

2010-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

The M Blog: My thoughts on the new IMB global objectives (KRAs)

My wife Anna saw the UPG strategy twisted when she did disaster relief with the board in South Asia. Several S.C.s from south refused to help the earthquake victims up north because, "they are not our unreached people group." Seems to me like they have strategized themselves out of a great strategy and an even greater opportunity.

"A church, denomination, or ministry's greatest weakness is invariably its greatest strength taken to excess." Dr. George Patterson
UPG is a great strategy but it is not a command of Jesus.

Back to Blogging

2009-04-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

During our time in Myanmar I didn't have much time and internet speed to blog much.
We are back in North Carolina with the news that we are expecting our first baby in November. We are also seeking the Lord about where and who we will began a new ministry of training church planters, missionaries, and evangelist in Asia.

Please pray for us

The City of Gold

2007-10-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

October News
"Where int the World is Jay?"

Greetings from Bangkok.
My friend Adam and I are about to board a plane to return to Narnia. My coworkers tell me that it is okay to return, now that things have stabilized a bit. Of course things will be completely different as the junta is still looking for those who dare to protest their rule.
My primary goal of this trip is to get the updated version of the new Bible translation that my lawyer friend's team has completed. The major difference in this version and the Judson Verson is that Judson translated "Heaven" as "sky." My lawyer friend has shown me that this and other key terms do not communicate a place of no more sin and no more suffering to Buddhist hearts and minds. Buddhists are familiar with the term "The Golden City" for the place where they long to go and this Bible version uses this term and others more appropriate to express the hope that we have in our Savior.

My second goal of this trip is to assess the needs of the people in the western part of the country so we will know how to help these harassed and helpless people more. The price of food has dramatically risen due to the rise in fuel prices. The majority of people spend 60-70% of their income on food. So you can see how desperate they have become.
Pray Matthew 9:35-38

In the past few weeks you have gotten a little taste of where I have been living for the past five years. The peoples of Narnia are some of THE most wonderful on this planet and it is heartbreaking to hear their cries for freedom. Our desire is for them to become citizens of the Golden City where our Abbot Monk, Jesus, sits on his golden throne. Hebrews 11:13-16

Our Abbot Monk, Jesus, will never be beaten or killed again and all dictators and the forces of hell will bow at His feet on the Day that all dictators and forces of hell will be judged.

The internet has been cut off, so if you need to call me then call, +951501439 and Duane will know how to contact me.
Longing for the City of Gold,
jay

In New Delhi with Thom and Linda Wolf

2007-09-20T13:34:00.001-07:00

I was motioning for Linda to come join us, but Jesus wanted to be in the pic too.
We all had such a great time together. Thom and Linda have been my counselors as long as I have known them.

A day with Dr. Thom

2007-09-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today my friend and mentor Thom Wolf and I visited the minister of education of India! Dr. B.L. Mungekar is a very open minded Buddhist.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

2007-08-30T03:22:00.000-07:00

Hello from Guwahati, Assam, India. I am here with my friend, Ed Aw. Ed is originally from the San Jose area and we attended Western Sem together many moons ago. I am here with Ed helping to train and coach church planters among the Council of Baptist Churches of North East India. This is the largest Baptist denomination in South Asia (possibly in all of Asia). The leadership have completely accepted the house church movement model and have already seen 320 new house churches start among the Assam Baptist Convention. It is awesome to see older traditional church leaders catch this vision and to hear new more indigenous style worship spring up from what the Lord is doing. One of the five convention leader attendees are the Garo tribe. The Garos convert to Christianity one hundred and fifty years ago. They wrote the well known Baptist hymn, "i have decided to follow Jesus." Ed and my coach, George Patterson came here in May and believes that this may be the largest denomination in Church History to adpot the house church movement model and we are all eager to see what the Lord does next.

North Korean Refugees

2007-08-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

There is one other country in the world that ranks above the country that I have been living in for the past five years in terms of cruelty and isolation. That would be North Korea. Last night I had dinner with a group of fourteen refugees from Kim Jong il's regime. It was amazing to hear about their escape and how they got all the way to Thailand. Most of them are headed to the States for a chance at a somewhat "normal" life. Wish I could show you a picture but that might put them in a little danger.

Back in Bangkok

2007-07-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

School for Burmese migrant workers' children on the Thai side of the border. My friend's church in South Carolina are helping to buy a table for these kids.

My friends Susan and Celeste work with prostitutes to give them practical skills so they can earn a respectable living.

Dang and his Japanese wife Yuki and her Thai boss, Ao.

2007-07-25T03:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Ben Murry and his church multiplication team took me way out in the boonies to some house churches. I head back to Bangkok tonight.

The very young at heart!

2007-07-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

"Fairy Tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you're young at heart
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
And life gets more exciting in each passing day.
And love is either in your heart or on its way.
And if you should survive to a hundred and five
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive.
And here is the best part,
You have a head start
If are among the very young at heart"

My Aunt Betty (75) married Mr. Robert Barden (78) last month. His wife passed away a few years ago and my Uncle Lynn did too. Mr. Robert is an evangelist in the local prisons. He is really on fire for Christ. I went with him to the prison when I was in Brownsville back in Feb.
Aunt Betty, my friends over here really thought that it was awesome about yall's wedding! Yall give me hope and help me to laugh at love that has fallen apart at the seams!

Happy 38th Anniversary to Mom and Dad and to Amy and Mike both on July 25
love yall,

From the Jungle to the City of Gold

2007-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I spent several hours out in a Burmese village along the Thai side of the Burmese border. We laid hands on several sick people and prayed for a Buddhist guy from the Deway people. These Burmese were much poorer than their Thai neighbors because most of the Burmese migrant workers over here do not have any citizenship. Many have lived here so long that they have lost their National Identity Cards. Without this card they will be arrested by the Military government. The man sitting on my left has recently become a believer and is also from the Deway people. There are no known Deway churches. We just got down talking about the Ten Commands of Jesus that the first church in Acts were obeying. They memorized this commands with hand movements and about how Christ has made us citizens of an eternal City of Gold where there is no more suffering or sin! The Good News for Buddhist is that He has set us free from the endless cycle of sin and suffering and has made us citizens of this eternal Golden City. In this life, however there will be suffering and we must be willing to suffer in order to bring many more of our friends and family before the Golden Throne of salvation. Luke 9:23.

Being out in that village reminded me so much of the first mission trips that I went on to the Philippines ten years ago. I really am feeling more and more called to work with the harvest among the Burmese. I am praying about focusing on this side of the border.

Rural or Urban Focus?

2007-07-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

I have been having a sometimes lively discussion with some friends about where to focus church multiplication efforts. The vast majority of contemporary mission articles and literature, suggests that mission workers should focus on cities. The idea is that hopes that once movements are started in urban areas then they progress out to the countryside. Promoters of this view point the example of Paul and how he focused on cities. The reply that I have to this is that the movement did not start with Paul but with Christ. George Patterson points out that Christ did not chose to begin His movement in the city. It most likely would have lead to the premature end to the disciples. Patterson writes, "Christ centered His work up river from Jerusalem, where folks spoke with a backward accent." Throughout Church History great people movements for Christ have started in rural areas. For example one of the largest and earliest movements in Southeast Asia started among the rural Sgaw Karen. The apostle of this movement, Ko Tha Byu, evangelized in his native river delta area of southern Burma back in the mid 1800s. This movement later spread into the capital city. This has been my experience as well. The one hundred and fifty churches that
we have seen first started in villages and only two years later made its way down to the capital where I have been living. Jesus focused on the poor rednecks first! Only later did the peoples of the upper/educated class start to come to Him in large nu bers.

2007-07-07T02:15:00.000-07:00

A Monsoon Wedding

2007-07-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

Dr. Bill and his new bride.
Went to my former roomate's wedding here today. It was incredible. Dr. Bill works with orphans here and his new lady will be a great help to what he has being doing.

Don't take your freedom for granted

2007-07-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Spent the Forth with some friends at the American club here in our wonderful Military Dictatorship. It seems that the top dogs are cracking down more and more on the traditional churches. I have heard reports this week about believers being martyred in the state which I focus on. One deacon was pulled out of his house and beaten to death for simiply sharing his faith. Another family in another township were terrorized by a dunken mob had sharpend bamboo poles shoved through their house while they sleeping.

Cell phones here cost three thousand US dollars. Used beat up cars that wouldn't bring $800 in the US run for $18,000 here. Gas is rationed so that you can only purchase two gallons per day. There is little to no freedom of the press. The power goes off all the time. Motorbikes are not allowed here in the largest city in the country and there is a curfew at 10pm every night.

It is absolutely pouring down rain here every single day and night. There has been severe flooding in my area too. Six tornadoes have touch down in Yangon in the past week doing lots of damage.

I was walking down a muddy, vile, nasty street the other day and was reminded that one day I will look down and I will be starring at streets made with gold. That kinda gave me a different perspective. God is certainly on the move here. I will write more about that later.

What to do with their idols?

2007-07-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
this is a response from Dr. Victor Choudhrie of India to an issue that has repeatedly come up among our work here in MY country among a BBB movement that is starting. He works with a network of almost one hundred thousand Hindu Background house churches all over South Asia.

Dear Jay,
This is a common problem. If the whole household has not come then there is no way of removing anything. In any case even if the whole family comes, we rarely have to tell them, as over a period of time, they do it anyway. It is us who needs patience and wisdom. I think you are doing the right thing by not making it an issue.
Shalom,
Victor

Hello Dr. Choudhrie,
My Kiwi coworker questioned the new house church leaders about why they continue to have Buddha images in their homes. The Buddhist Background Believers responded that if they remove the images of the Buddha too soon then they will be kicked out of their villages before their families can hear the whole gospel. The new believers ARE encouraged to not to worship their Buddha image. They are shown that True Buddhism (The Eightfold Path) demands 100% perfection and that True Buddhism is Bad News. Primary House Church leader declares, "They must understand the Bad News before they can understand the Good News" Once they understand the Christ is the Savior and Liberator from the endless cycle "they never return to Buddhism"

How do you train your house church leaders to tactfully instruct new believers about this touchy subject?
blessings,
jay

Posted

What is your Hope?

2007-06-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Touched down in YG on Sunday. Immediately went to my lawyer friend's house. I learned that a friend of ours father had passed away the day before. My friend is a new believer and this past Christmas was his families first ever celebration of this Christian Holiday. We had met his father only a few times but never really got to share the beautiful news with him. He died without knowing Christ.
This was my first Buddhist funeral. After some time at the home we walked in a procession of mourners while someone struck a bell. When we arrived at the crematorium I was amazed at the lack of ceremony. There was a monk present but no ceremony! The body was laid for display with much weeping and crying. However there was absolutely no words of hope or songs sung in remembrance of this poor man's acheivements or anything about his life.

It is amazing to note that in funerals in "Christian" countries where the attendees are obviously not believers in Christ there STILL is a mentioning of some hope in the afterlife. Songs are sung with the hope that the loved ones will be seen again. Words of encouragement are spoken over the deceased. But not in a Buddhist Funeral in Buddhist countries. "Work while there still is daylight, for night is coming when no man can work" "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Beg the Lord of the Harvest to thrust forth laborers into the Harvest field!" Matt 9:38

Does your culture affect you?

2007-06-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

Are spirit filled missionaries affected by the culture in which they live?

For the past five years I have been living in a military dictatorship. My emails are regularly viewed by the government. I am friends with the secret police who keep a record of where I go and who I talk with. I have been constantly watched and I never know if my visa will be revoked. Now I that I am living in Thailand I can't help but feel freer.

Last night I had a long conversation with my co-worker Judy. She told me about how believers in the state that I have been focused on are being killed. It is not completely clear if these are martyrs or just the result of ethnic tensions.

I will be flying back to this country on Sunday and will be there for about three weeks. Please pray that my health will get better. I am about to head to see the doctor again. Since April I have really been having lots of unexplainable health problems.

Judy is about to have surgery to remove a cyst that should have been removed a month ago when her appendix ruptured. Please pray for her. The women who she has been coaching have been starting many new house churches in one of the most oppressive countries in the world.

Shock and Aw

2007-06-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was shocked to get my "five year pin" here at the AGM in Chiang Mai. They had me run down the isle with about two hundred people cheering and yelling. I was truely speechless. I can't believe that it has been five years since I landed in Yangon. God truely is incredible and I have been so humbled to see Him move so mightly through my friends.

Have you ever studied Straitology?

2007-06-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

George Strait - The King Of Broken Hearts
composer Jim Lauderdale

The king of broken hearts doesn't ask much from his friends
And he has quite a few of them
They know he will understand
That's just the way it goes
The king of broken hearts doesn't know he's a king
He's tryin' to forget other things
Like some old ship at sea, he's walkin' through life alone

He talks to angels and the stars start to spin
He thinks of troubles that he's gotten in
He recalls how his heart got broken
And how it's still that way
The king of broken hearts is so sad and wise
He can smile while he's cryin' inside
We know he'll be brave tonight 'cause he's the king of broken hearts

The king of broken hearts thinks that he's no fool
He's a little like me and you
So what's a king like that supposed to do with all that blue time
We know he'll be brave tonight
'Cause he's the king of broken hearts
He's the king of broken hearts.

In 1994, I was listening to this song when I felt like God laughed at me and I rededicated my life to Christ. I have been listening to this again in the past few days.

June 5, 1975

2007-06-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Keisha Castle Hughes who played Mary is of Maori (Polynesian) origin from New Zealand.

Earlier today I watched "The Nativity." I figured that it was befitting that I watch a movie about my Savior's birthday to celebrate my own. I can't believe that no one has told me that that is LIKE THE MOST AWESOME MOVIE ever made!!!! Hello!?

I am now 32 years old but only 24 years old in the Lord! I was
born again in May 1983. Today was pretty much an uneventful day until
the Lord led me to wash my clothes. While in the laundry mat I got into
one of the most grace filled conversations with a seminary former
minister who had pretty much given up on the Church and had left the
Lord, even though he obviously knew Christ and all about the Bible. God
seemed to really allow us to talk about our hurts and pains in the
ministry and this guy "Bill" confessed that he had been in a homosexual
lifestyle for the past three years here in Thailand. God really seemed
to be in our conversation so much so that we both could not ignore what
He was saying. I got to share with Bill about all that the Lord is
doing among my Buddhist Background friends in the neighboring country and
about how they are turning away from their sin and following Christ
outside the box of traditional church. We are planning on obeying Jesus
command to take communion tomorrow night. Bill began to talk about
starting a simple church with his friends who obviously needed to hear
about salvation. He even used the word "sin" in reference to his
struggle without me saying much about that.

For the next few hours I was in a state of awe and wonder about the Grace of Christ and how He has set us free for the slave master of sin to worship, honor
and obey all of His commands out of love.

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me a sinner condemmed unclean.

The Apostlers

2007-06-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bangkok House Church with Bro Artit (Sunday)

Me in my teacher outfit

What is a faster way to finish the Great Commission? My friend Thom Wolf suggest finding apostles. If we find those who already have the apostolic gift then we wont have spend years and years training them to jump start things becuase that is what they are already gifted to do. Thom calls this "apostling the apostlers."

It does seem that there is a chronological order to Eph 4:11, because Paul says, "first apostles."

I am using a small "a" and not a capital "A" here. I am not talking about the A postles who hung out with JC and wrote scripture. I mean the term as it relates to function in jump starting movements.

Brother Sunday asked me to evaluate his church. He is such a humble guy. He's not even a professional clergy dude. He is a businessman. Wish I was better at that. Maybe I can learn from him. After the worship service after we prayer walked the neighborhood and saw two Buddhist ladies pray to recieve Christ, he asked me, "so how do you think we can improve our church to help it to multiply." Okay Bro Sunday I think I will just hang out with you for a while. It was tempting not to say too much. So I asked, "the real question should be how can we make leading worshiping Christ in a small church soo easy that even a dummy like me can do it or better yet a new believer can led it?" So he's thinkin and praying about that.

I am going to wait about getting an English teaching job. Uncle Sam came through today in a really big way. Also Brother Sunday offered me a free condo to stay in as long as I want! I feel pretty good about that. I will be traveling up to northern Thailand this weekend to attend the IMB Buddy Block Annual General Meeting. Please continue to pray for me. Please pray that my friend's churches in Burma will continue to spread the Blessed News and that many more Buddhists here in Bangkok and there in Yangon and R state will continue to be enlightened by the Great Enlightener.

The Buddhy Block is the last of the gaints and Jesus fully intends on kicking in the door of the strong man and binding him up so that His church can terrorize the gates of hell. Neil Cole points out, "Gates are not offensive but defensive structures." The church is meant to be on the offensive, but sadly most believers are hidding behind the doors of their church or making Christian cultural enclaves.

Thankfully God does raise up people to redirect the Church. I think that these direction setters are often extroverted/task oriented individuals who have an entrepreneural spirit. They sometimes have a little pastoral/encourager giftings but that is secondary.

My friend Carol Davis points out that apostolic gifted people are usually THE most misunderstood individuals in the Church. They don't like to sit in meetings because they are alway thinking about the horizons and the vision of where the church should be headed. I have started to look for individuals who shake the legs when they are sitting down. George Patterson says calls these people "those with the itchy feet syndrome. They can't stop moving their feet." They are not happy in life unless they are starting something new! Paul was like this. Apostolic people are often accused of starting things but never finishing them. When these type people are "in Christ" and Christ is living His resurrected life through them they are NOT meant to finish things themselves!! They are meant to delegate and move on to the next mission and occasionally check back on the progress of the work that they started.

Carol says that if these folks don't move on then they tend to mess things up. This is one the reasons why I have relocated to Bangkok for now. She goes on to point out that apostolic people are rarely on church staffs because of the three dominant roles of Pastor, Teacher, and Administrators usually are threatened by these "rebels." They tend to be so out of the box that traditional institutions cannot handle them. In fact institutions tend to sufficate these people.

Do you know any apostolic type folks? How are they perceived by you or the institution that you are a part of?

Happy Vesak! "May the House of Buddha become the House of Jesus!"

2007-05-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

In one movement the picture of the Four Noble Truths (above) are presented to Buddhists to show them that there is no hope in becoming 100% perfect in order to reach Salvation (Nirvana) as Buddha taught in the "Eightfold Path." Many Buddhists are realizing that Jesus is the only hope for salvation.

Daniel predicted that Jesus would gain victory over the evil one. Now we look back on the life of the Lord of Compassion, and how he wins victory for all those who believe in His son.

Today the Theravada Buddhist World celebrates the day that Gotama was born, enlightened, and died. Most businesses are closed and lots of Buddhists go to temples and pagodas for special ceremonies. Many believers in Christ take the day to hold conferences and seminars. I have some friends who are attending a marriage conference today. Last night I had dinner with with one such couple, Bro Sunday and Sister Cat.

I have been meeting with them for the past year to encourage their vision to multiply house churches here in northern Bangkok. They started another church last
month. That will make it a baker's dozen for Bro. Sunday. We talked about his desire to develop a system to train new believers to become trainers (aka make disciples).

There are huge Church Planting (Grace) Movements currently happening among Catholics in Latin America and the Philippines,Hindus,Mahayana Buddhists like Chinese and Koreans,Tribals, but not among Theravada Buddhist. In the past five years there have
been four hundred thousand baptized believers in one Muslim country in Asia. How is that there are more believers in Muslim countries in comparison to Buddhist countries?! How is it that they are far more missionaries among Buddhists countries than there are among Muslim nations?! I think it has to do with the fact that Muslims believe that they get brownie points with Allah for persecuting Christians. Buddhists opponents of Christ tend to be a lot more subdued and peaceful because killing is a sin in Buddhism. However, they do occasionally poison their enemies. Buddhist peoples tend to be a lot more friendly and peaceful but behind the backs of Christian evangelist they remind their people that Christianity is foreign and to stay away from the Christian. This is reinforced by the fact that the vast majority of churches in the Buddhist world are not encouraged to be themselves in Christ but to adapt foreign forms of worship. Churches in the Muslim context are forced to meet in homes and multiply through relational networks. For the most part, missions in the Buddy Block have not really been forced to opperate like this...yet!

There ARE bright spots where multiplication is happening but for the most part there has not been significant breakthroughs in the House of the Buddha.

"The House of Buddha WILL become the House of Jesus!"
Brother Yun (The Heavenly Man)

How did you spend your Memorial Day?

2007-05-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

I spent mine in the Hospital in Bangkok. I had numerous tests to figure out all my problems. They put me out for the big one. I have a nice new DVD video of one of the operations. I wont gross you out with that, although it reminds me of a 1966 movie called, "Fantastic Voyage." A team of US scientist travel through the heart and arteries in a ship called the Proteus to save the life of a dying spy to get some crucial information during the Cold War between the US and the Soviets.

Thankfully the doctors didn't find anything serious while they traveled around deep down inside of me. I am just going to continue to bomb my system with anti-biotics as one doctor suggested that I do. Pray that this problem would go away in the Name Christ.

From Malaysia to Bangkok

2007-05-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Josh and I on our way from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. I was about five minutes late and missed my flight to Bangkok. Josh is from Denver and has been living in Penang for the past year and a half.

I was shocked at how nice Malaysia was. It was even nicer than Thailand and I always call Thailand, Hawaii. The road between Penang and KL was just like a freeway in the US. A little different than MY country.

The steering committee for SEANET. These folks are some of the recognized "experts" on missions to the Buddhist world. I just tried to keep my month shut, since it was my first time there.
There are huge church planting movements happening among Tribals, Chinese, Hindus, and Muslims but very very little among Buddhist peoples. Pray that this last giant will soon fall. Dr. David Lim from Manila is not in the picture.

"Lord Jesus, May the House of Buddha become the House of Jesus!" Brother Yun (The Heavenly Man)

Mark Magdalene At His Feet

2007-05-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Paul DeNeui who has been a missionary here in Thailand gave me this picture. It was painted by a Buddhist Background artist Frank Wesley in India. I attended theSEANET steering committee meeting all day Sat and Sun. Met several believers from India, Nepal and Austrailia.

Paul and I have often talked about why so many cross-culural workers are soooo FEARFUL of the topic of contexualization. Paul clarifies that the real issue is fear of "Syncretism" or wrong doctrine creeping in to newly established multiplying church planting churches. Paul says that Christian Anthropologist Charles Kraft equates the charge of "Syncretism" with "Dual Allegiance." Paul says that all believers in Jesus have to admit to some form of Syncretism in our lives and churches. Many Christians in traditional Bible believing churches in the southern U.S. still believe in Theistic Evolution. That is that God created monkeys which eventually became
Adam.

You don't hear much about that but if you start encouraging new Buddhist Background Believers to worship Jesus in their own way and forms you better look out for thebarage of criticism that will inevitably come. Millions of believers in Huge Church Planting Movements in the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim worlds are currently
experiencing avalanche of His grace when they begin to Be who they are in Christ instead of merely adopting (Sycretizing) western forms of Christianity. It is said to note that many "Christians" in Asia have become "twice the sons of hell" because they have not been taught to enthrone Christ by placing childlike obedience to Him far above all tradtions of man. Lord, give me the grace to deal with Grace Killers. Help me to love them as well.

My friend George Patterson constantly encouraged me to let the Grace of
Christ "slop over onto the new believers and sinners." Romans 5:20 is
not a license to ignore the Church or discipline but to set the
captives FREE! "YOU have been given the Keys of the Kingdom. Whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bond in Heaven" Surely this was what drew the unworthy like Mary Mgdelene to Christ and reviled the Religious people when He walked among us.

Today, I am going to the doctor here in Bangkok. Please pray that the doctors
can figure out what is wrong with my blood and stomach. I will be
spending the next few days with my friend Siam and visiting a church
planter in the northern part of the city

The Temptress of ALL Temptresses

2007-05-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I miss you. You are no where to be found in Asia.

One Night in Bangkok

2007-05-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well, actually it will be a few weeks in Bangkok. I missed my plane in KL last night so I had to get a hotel, buy a new ticket and was late for the meeting in Bangkok. There were about ten folks there from all over Asia planning for the meeting in Jan on reaching Buddhist. I was shocked to find out that some of the Indians have been working in MY country for a while.

I am really getting tired of meetings. Hopefully I will get a chance to meet my friends Siam and Artit. I usually hand out with Siam when I am here and have been meeting with Artit (Bro Sunday) and his wife Cat for the past year. He told me that they have started another house church last month and I am eager to talk with him.

I still haven't found a job. My stomach problem presist and I got an email from my Hematologist telling me that I still need to get my blood work checked out here.

Hopefully I will have some up to date pictures soon.

For Men Only

2007-05-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, my class here in Malaysia is almost over tomorrow. I still have
yet to finish my paper on William Carey. Hopefully next week. I will be
traveling by bus tomorrow to KL with my bro, Josh Caldwell. Then flying
up to Bangkok for a meeting with the SEANET steering committee. SEANET
is a group of missionaries who are studying the best ways to share Jesus
with their Buddhist friends. After that I have doctors appointments to
figure out what in the world is wrong with my stomach.

Dr. Thomas has me on a different anti-biotic now. I hope to get a SD
card for my camera and a card reader so I can post more pics of my
travels. I may be staying in northern Bangkok with my friends next
week. Brother Artit (Sunday) and Sister Meow (Cat in Thai) and I have
been friends for the past year or two. I meet with them when I come to
Bangkok.Artit is one of the very very few Thai Christians who not only
has a vision for working outside of the traditional church planting
mindset but is actually DOING it! He has started ten house churches
already!! This is like a very rare thing in Thailand, Trust me! So
please pray that I could hang out with him and that we can learn from
each other. After that if my health is okay then I am going to go beat
the bushes for an English teaching job along the border of MY country.

I feel that it is time to distance myself from the new church
leadership that I have been coaching for the past five years. They have
sooo many human needs projects that they need and I feel like I could
really mess up what the Lord has started plus they really need to
depend on him and each other now. We have estimated that there are now
160 new House Churches since Feb 2004. They havefiiiinally translated a
more contextualize Bible into the national language and have started to
pass that around. It is a real answer to prayer. Please pray that they
will continue to develop and translate more with as much accuracy to
the original meaning but with as much cultural relevance as possible.
Last week when I was with the leaders we hammered out their method as
much as possible to refine their methods for continued leadership
training, Bible Translation, and evangelistic story sets. We drew out a
map or the worldview of Buddhist. I will post that later.

What does Jay talk about when I am not yapping about missions????
I am reading "For Men Only" right now. Have skimmed it and made copious
notes. All of the chapters don't really apply to single folks but three
or four are helpful.It is written by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn and is
about the "inner world" of women. Yeah, scary I know! But hey, I am
trying. It is a follow up to a book called, "For Women Only: What You
need to know about the Inner Lives of Men" It's apparently a best seller.
I have been out of touch with the US book world. When I open the book all
the words are upside down. I thought that was hilarious. The First chapter
is called "Rethinking Random; Why you need a new map of the female universe."
It is basically trying to draw a map of a woman's worldview. I wish I had
more time to read it before my friend Don takes it back to his home.
I don't have the funds for new books.

Another chapter on "her emotions" gives a good illustration about how
women's emotions are like having numerous windows open on a computer
desktop. They have all kinds of pop up windows happening all the time.
Men just tend to have one emotional window open. I would agree with
that. I can't really focus on more than one thing at a time. But the
author is really talking about how women are always dealing with past
and present emotions all the time, all at the same time--and all these
can't be easily dismissed. Guys just tend to cut through emotions and
move on to the next project. We can "move on"to the next project faster
ad emotionally easier. On the chapter on her security I was shocked to
find out that women do not place a high value on financial security as
much as they do on emotional security and emotional closeness.

If their guys aren't happy earning a living to support them then women
aren't happy. Most men thin that they are showing their support by
earning a lot of money but women just want their guys to be available
for them. Financial security is definitely on the list but it isn't
as high on the list as I thought. Women don't want guys to fix
their problems (unless technical). They just want someone to listen
to them talk out their feelings. Guys go into "fix it" mode to quickly.

Buddhist Background Church

2007-05-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Gangsta Monks

2007-05-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Boyz in da Hood

2007-05-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ngapali Beach, Rakhine State

2007-05-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

new House Church network leaders

2007-05-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

The Apostolic Life

2007-05-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am feeling pretty lousy. However, PTL I finished my presentation on the Strategy of William Carey. Hopefully I will get my eighth doctor visit in the past two months on Monday in Bangkok. Basically in addition to my blood issue I am also having persistent stomach problems. The blood issue is still not clearly diagnosed.

IMB Pac-Rim Regional Leader, Don Dent’s Presentation on Paul’s Strategy
“Paul’s Missionary Methodology;
Little Understood and Rarely Applied” That is Don laughing on the left side of the picture. Don always seems to be around at key turning points in my life in the last four years.

Most Christians daily read Paul’s writings as devotional material. Many authors write volumes on Paul’s Theology. Very very few believers study Paul’s letters from the vocation which Paul said himself that he was called to, that is, a Missionary.

Paul was not really “sent” by the church at Antioch. He was “released.”

The Greek term in Acts 13:3, for sending is better translated as “released.” The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for ME, for the work that I

Did Paul have a geographic strategy?
Paul was constantly asking himself “where am I going?” “what will be my priorities?”
Paul was completely bilingual. Greek and Aramaic
Paul could swing back and forth as a Jew, a Greek speaker, and a Roman citizen.
Paul constantly changed his plans, he got sick. He probably only visited half of the places that he wanted to go.
1) Contact
Paul looked for effective places to share the gospel.
Synagogue—Finding those most prepared
Homes—likely
2) Content
Jesus was the core of the message
Jesus—Jew who lived and was crucified
Messiah—eternal purpose thru one people
Lord—Risen, On the throne, coming again
Son of God—pre-existing deity. Jesus was not a man who became god. He was a God who became man.
Paul’s gospel was a scandal and a mystery. How can people believe that the Messiah would die like this and make sinners into saints.
3) Communicating
Good Newsing
Heralding
Dialogue and discussion
Warning of consequences
Persuasion, urging, persuading

4) Contextualing
Gentiles—laying basis about God
Jews—direct to Jesus as Messiah

5) Contending
In every communication he protected the gospel against attack. In every letter he reminded his listeners.
Among Greeks he spoke

6) Confidence
Paul believed that boldness was a critical part of communicating

India visa woes

2007-05-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

Well, i found out today that it takes like 10 days to simply get a tourist visa for India. I was supposed to be there on the 27-June 2 to help lead a "Train and Multiply" workshop with George Patterson and Ed Aw.
My friend Don Dent talked today about Paul's Methodology and how he only went to about half of the places that he really wanted to go. Romans 15:22-26. It seems like everytime I have been invited to go to India for the past year I have been delayed for various reasons. The last invitation came from George Patterson and Ed Aw who are training leaders from the Garo and Boro people to send missionaries into a nearby Buddhist Kingdom. The Garo were the believers who wrote the words to the song "I have decided to Follow Jesus."
No Turning Back,
jay
;

History of Mission Strategy Class Day 1

2007-05-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have repented from my terrible attitude about this class. It may actually be helpful to the Kingdom. It's usefulness is directly related to this blog and you.

The History of Mission Strategy Seminar Dr. Mark Terry Penang, MY MBTS

It’s amazing that so many people would give their life to something but spend so little effort studying so little about it. Wake up!

“I am not saying that they are incompetent. Not saying that they are not passionate.
They know whoooo they are serving. However most mission workers don’t know the why. Therefore they do not tend to evaluate their strategies effectively.

Strategic Priorities become very clear when your house is on fire.

Effectiveness = Doing the Right thing.
Efficiency= Doing things the right way.

Do you know of people who are efficient but who are not effective?

Why is Country Music so appealing to me?

2007-05-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Cause it is soo dang tragic!
Kinda like my life.
Two of my Life Songs so far are "The King of Broken Hearts" and "In the Middle of No Where." by George Strait.
Ya'll know how I felt like God spoke me through "The King of Broken Hearts" back in 1994 when I was livin like a heathan.
If you have any philosophical thoughts on 'Straitology" please let me know.

Malaysia

2007-05-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

I flew out of Yangon this morning and just happen to bump into Kyle on the plane.
Had a late night snack with my brother Josh. Haven't seen him since October and had a good chat about life and sharing frustrations. Had a great prayer time with Don D tonight before he fell out from Jet lag. The Lord always seems to bring Don into my life at key turning points.