Remembering Those Fighting for Christian Liberty in China

Sometimes I hear people say, "I know that Christians used to have a lot of persecution in China, but all that is over now."  Tell that to the men and women featured in the following story.   Persecution of Christian leaders is a problem right now in China!   The only reason these individuals' stories are being told is that they have loved ones who have made it to the US to tell their stories.  Getting out of China isn't easy.  So, imagine how many others are suffering extreme persecution across China because they are brave enough to stand up for what they believe?

Who are the real Daniels of the Year?
@WORLD Magazine... Remembering those in the Den...

Add these families to your prayers!

Add to your reading list:  Brother Yun's  Heavenly Man.

Another very common misconception is that China no longer has many children available to adopt.  This is a major fallacy.  There are Chinese girls and Chinese boys of all ages eligible for adoption right now - literally thousands!  While the wait to adopt healthy, young babies has dramatically increased (mostly because Chinese citizens may now adopt), the time frame for adopting children who have an identified medical need is short.  Those with an identified need and those who are waiting because they are older can be adopted with one of shortest international adoption time frames -  10-18 months.  Many of these needs are ones that are readily medically handled in the USA or needs that most people would readily accept in their birth children without blinking an eye.  An adopted boy from China whom we know is missing one arm, but he is one of the brightest, most adorable young man I've ever met, and his family feels enormously blessed!

If you are considering adoption, consider China!   And be blessed!!!

For Dad's

When people meet my husband and learn that he is the dad of five daughters, ages 10 to 18, their eyes widen.  "How do you do it?!" they exclaim.

He shrugs and smiles.  "They're great girls and we have a lot of fun.  But there's a lot of drama."  He sometimes elaborates about all the other things there are lots of, too, much to his daughters' chagrin.

Despite the drama, he loves being Daddy to our five.  But how do dads manage to bring up girls in such a way that they bring more joy than worry?   How do dads raise daughters who are ready to follow their Heavenly Father in whatever he calls them to do?

Dr. Dobson has some basic advice in the above linked video.   The three T's.  Talk, Touch, and Time.

Dr. Dobson - Dad's Relating to Their Daughters, short video

I hope this spurs some dads forward in understanding how to relate to their girls.  I would add a few more, which may appear in the remainder of Dr. Dobson's book, Bringing up Girls, which I hope to read some day before mine are completely raised....

More T's ....  in honor of the dad who is raising my girls and the dad who raised me.  These are ordered randomly.....

Tickle --  Most girls like to be tickled.  The trick is to make sure you gear the level of tickling to the individual tolerance and delight of each child.  For the rough and tumble ones, include tackle with the tickle.

Tease --  Include lighthearted and good-natured teasing in your relationship with your daughter from an early age.  Make sure that this teasing is not about her or about boys, though.   The teasing can be super simple -- just sneak her fork when she's not looking and then put it back while she's up getting a new one from the drawer.  Make sure you are BOTH having fun.

Train -- find something she wants (or needs) to learn how to do and work with her on it.  Build together, garden together, learn a sport together, or even change the oil together.  If you know how to play guitar, teach them to play, too.

Try something new --  if you are stuck, try something completely different.  And keep trying new fun things until something clicks.  With five girls it is rare that the same thing works with all of them.   Things that have worked with our girls have ranged from Tickle Spider to "get-by" where girls have to crawl from one end of the room to the other without getting tackled by Daddy.  The more difficult the child, the more important it is to get creative and spend time in playful interaction!

Tell stories --  make up funny stories with big adventure.  Don't worry about how great they are, but include cliffhangers when possible to keep the stories going.

Take them on dates.  Or just take them with you when you go places.

Tell them about boys.  (You may want to run ideas past your wife first on this one.)

Tell them they are beautiful.  They can't hear it enough!!

Track with them.  Girls emotions get more complicated as they mature.  Be super sensitive and track with them.  If they are in tears, it is time to hug not lecture.

Tolerate their quirkiness ... and try to learn to appreciate it.

Tell them they are smart and wonderful.  Tell them you love them to the sun and back.  Tell them they are making good choices.  Tell them they are so important to you.  Tell them how proud you are of them.  Tell them over and over what they mean to you.  And try to make all of this telling a priority over telling them to do their chores and their homework.

Track them down --  sometimes they just need to be pursued.  If you've had a fight, don't let them cry alone in their rooms.   Go to them and find out what's wrong, and if you are to blame, apologize.  This is probably the most difficult part -- pursuing them and taking the time to make things right, but it is one huge thing that will keep your relationship strong between 13 and 18.

Ok, I didn't know there were so many T's.    Hope this helps someone reading!

Stuck

I’ve got a serious case of the “stucks.”  My brain isn’t moving into anything productive, creative, or redemptive.   Instead a fog has settled upon me, and like a rat moving in circles around its maze, my brain is whirring randomly.

Lord, help me – lift me from this slimy pit.  In this pit there is no joy or hope, no peace, no revelation.  Darkness falls, and all I crave is a pillow and blanket – comforting companions in which to escape.

I listen to those who are praising and I barely hear their words.  Could it have been only five days ago that I soaked up your presence in worship like a sponge?  Am I now saturated with the gunk of this world to the point that there is no more thirst?

I see my stories ready to edit and I can hardly remember why I wrote them.  Help me Lord to wrest myself from this malaise-drenched marsh before I sink into the pond waters of despondency – the "slough of despond."  (Pilgrim's Progress)

Now is all I have, and it is ebbing away. 

Rescue me, my Savior.  I turn my eyes to you!  Now is all I have to give to you – these rags of compromise embarrass me, and I would turn away, to turn and run, to find a place to hide again, except that a rising desperation is just starting to bubble up.   

Oh, what a wretched daughter I am!  Is there hope for me?  Thanks be to God, said Paul, there is still hope, and that hope is Jesus Christ alone!  May my desperation drive me into his arms rather than farther away.   When I run and fall, may it be to run to him and fall at his feet.

Help me, Lord, to run to you and fall at your feet again.  Break me free from the miry malaise that sucks at my feet and keeps me from moving toward you.

As David commanded his own soul, so I tell myself:  Sing and bless the Lord, my soul.  Do not delay. 

Later:

A remedy - sing aloud, even when not feeling it; play outside with kids and dog; re-teach cartwheels; hold a baby; help 12 year old make Australian bread, but don't help too much; listen to teen daughters sing.

I do feel a little better.  Not quite inspired yet.  But hopeful.

Now is all I have, so I won't worry about the wasted minutes that have passed.  I choose to grab hold of  now ... oh, and return that phone call from yesterday first :).

Mary Said Yes

An angel came to Mary and told her the most amazing, scary thing, beyond anything she could imagine.  She would give birth to a child, even though she wasn't married yet.  Not just any child -- God’s child.  And he would be her savior -- everyone’s savior.

I can’t imagine the thoughts that went through Mary’s mind – a dozen reasons to say, “No, you've got the wrong girl.”

But she didn't.  Instead she said, “Yes.  Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Am I like Mary?  In many ways, no, I could never be, and it is unlikely that an angel will appear to me, but ….  What will I say when the Lord calls me to the next seemingly impossible thing?  Is my heart still filled with “Yes?”

Years ago the Lord planted the seeds of “yes” in my heart: hope-filled seeds, bursting with crazy trust -- that God’s ways are higher and infinitely better than mine.

So when the Lord prompted us to adopt from China the first time, we pressed past our own fears and the warnings from people around us, and we said, “Yes.”  And we were blessed with beautiful Li Jiang.

A couple years later when God whispered, “Bring  your children home from school and school them at home,” I thought, “Lord, you must be kidding!”  But we prayed long and hard and pressed past our own fears and doubts and said, “Yes, we trust you, Lord,  that you know better than we do.”

And a couple years after that, when God nudged us in the direction of another adoption from China, how could we say, “No?”  And we were blessed with bright and funny Hui Lan.

But we didn't think then that we’d return to China just three years later to bring home an 8 year old orphan, our amazing Mei Xiang, making us a family of seven – five beautiful daughters, each one unique.

We are fully blessed – though sometimes hard pressed to see beyond the daily challenges, still rejoicing each time we realize the enormity of this call to equip our five lovely ladies for loving and serving their King.

At times the thought has crossed my mind, what if we had said, “No” to these things?

What if Mary had said “no thank you” to the angel’s invitation?  Would God have simply found another  young woman?   Would Mary have regretted her choice?  Did she ever regret saying yes? 

If I had said “no,” my life could possibly be very different.  By saying “no” I could have earned a lot more money, and we could now live in a larger home like the ones we walk by -- vaulted ceilings, 5000 square feet, large bay windows, perfectly landscaped, and inside our furniture would be classy and comfortable, without scratches.  Our cars would be new and shiny.  And our two daughters could have the best of everything and attend the college of their choice. 

 

            If only I’d have said “no,” possibly my writing career would have blossomed and I’d be a sought-after speaker, traveling the country, with my photo in magazines and catalogues.

            But I couldn't say “no.”

            “Yes” became the only logical response to a Father above who holds all the good and perfect gifts – and his good and perfect gifts surround us now.  Five lovely ladies, learning together, living life together, each learning to love and learning to love learning, and learning about …….LIFE.

            I know that I learn almost as much as they do as we explore the world, mostly from the comfort of our own simple home.  We study science, math, and grammar, and we investigate explorers and missionaries who were brave enough to say yes.  We find out how they changed the world and consider how things might have been different if they had said no.

I could have said “no”  In fact, I was inclined to do so.  I could have simply ignored the invitation.  “No.  Adoption is too risky.  And where will we get the money to do it?”  I could have come up with 100 legitimate excuses.  “No.  Homeschooling is too hard.  Plus, I have a career (or two) to pursue.”

            But I said “yes,” not once, but many times.  And that has made all the difference.

Let it be done to me according to your word… Mary said.

Today we have to tell our kids over and over again…  Just say NO.

Say NO to drugs.  Say NO to inappropriate relationships.  Say NO to certain movies, books, and more.

But I think the harder lesson to teach them is …. Just say YES.  Say “YES to all he has for you.  Say “YES” to his call.  Say “YES” when it seems too hard.

For in saying YES … like Mary, like Abraham, like JESUS himself … That is where we receive the good and perfect gifts of life  … the fullness of this life .. the joy set before us!

As we approach another Christmas season, I hope that somehow these words will ring louder than the bells and whistles around us:

 “Yes, Lord!  Let it be done unto ME according to your word!”

Dancing with my Lord

This morning at a women’s retreat called Transforming Love, the Lord treated me to a new perspective on dancing with him.  I was eight years old, standing barefoot on the beach, and Jesus approached, ready to dance.   Being only eight, I didn't know anything about how to dance, but the wonder of being only eight, is that it is so easy to just do it.   My adult mind, however, was a little hesitant to simply enjoy the experience.

Here are the Lord’s words to me during that time:    

“Learn the dance from me by dancing with Me.  It’s a joy to dance with you, child.  Don’t worry about getting the steps right.  Just put your feet on my feet and learn of me.  I am gentle; I am humble enough to meet you right where you are.  You don’t need to feel stressed or inadequate.  This is  fun!  In this dance, together we embody fullness of joy, right here, without thought of other dancers who seem to be further ahead.  Your little feet on mine are so pleasing to me.  Your feet are not too heavy for me; you are in no way a burden.  I am not longing for you to grow up and get over this stage.  Just enjoy me right where you are.”

Remember, with each new dance, don’t try to get it right before you move in that dance with me.  Just put your feet on top of mine, look me straight in the eye, and feel the strength – my gentle, firm embrace – holding you, guiding you.

Why not, Lord?

Today is a difficult day for most of us.    Even as I held my children close this morning, holding back tears as I thought of the days of darkness and storm that seem inevitable... that their futures are so much different than what we know now ... I was encouraged that our hope is in Christ alone, and that God's power extends throughout the universe.  

Perhaps some of this perspective will help...

For those who don't have time to read this all, I am copying and pasting the prayer from the bottom here:

Lord, calm my heart right now, and help me to realize that dependence on You, and great awareness of my dependence on You, is a better place to be – the best place to be - better than the comfort of an election won.  Help me to embrace the reality of the times in which we live with eager anticipation of the revelation of your power and glory in the midst of the darkness.   May my hope be found in you alone!

--------------------------------

Why not, Lord?

I spent a lot of time over the past few days (and weeks) asking the Lord for mercy and crying out for leaders to be elected who stood for life and righteousness.  When God doesn't answer our prayers, then what?

Yesterday as I prayed in the early evening hours, prior to any polls closing, the Lord whispered to me, “You know, you don’t deserve it.”  I knew right away what he meant.  America did not deserve a president who would stand for life and morality.  Outside of pockets of praying Christians, there had really been very little in the way of repentance and turning from our wicked ways.  America had not humbled herself and prayed as the Lord requires.  

Now, at that moment, when the Lord said, “You don’t deserve it,” I still held onto hope.  After all, God sometimes graces us with the blessings we do not deserve.

But I was starting to get the picture, and the following became clear through the watches of the night (for though I went to sleep not knowing the result – in fact knowing only that it was a close race -- my spirit knew then what was to come and began a dialogue with the Lord.)

These are my thoughts from the watches of the night:

First, I realized as I was falling asleep that we live in an America that is much, much different than the picture I have had in my head as I prayed.  The people are much more interested in their own individual agendas (particularly comfort and entertainment)  than they are in being “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”   For the most part, this America cares little about life and morality and is oblivious to the erosion of our freedoms.  While I have refused to acknowledge it, this nation is under a strong delusion that it does not need God and that holiness and righteousness are irrelevant.  (Ok, I admit it: my picture of America was naïve – a product of spending very little time watching news or tv or movies… but I really liked my picture and it is hard to give it up.)

Second, while this election result naturally makes our hearts mourn, at the same time the result reveals a bigger picture of the times in which we live – a picture that should make our hearts rejoice with anticipation.  We naturally mourn the “could have been,” –  the four years of turning our nation in a more positive direction that we could have had with Romney as President – there is another, more far-reaching agenda here – moving toward the return of our Lord Jesus.   Our hearts should rejoice because the times are closer than we thought.  Of course we don’t have to like these times, because they aren’t going to be easy … but at least we can comfort ourselves that these times are one more sign that the returning of our Lord and Savior is nearer than ever before.

            (Yesterday while we were praying for God to give us a righteous leader, we had a quiet time of prayer in which Grace (age 12) received a picture from the Lord.  In this picture there were many brides, trying on dresses and getting ready for a wedding and she knew that they represented the bride of Christ.  Then, she saw Jesus, the bridegroom, and he was already dressed and ready for the wedding; in fact, he was eager for the wedding!)

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!  Come, Lord Jesus!”

Third, I was reminded that the plans of the Lord cannot be thwarted.  “All these things must happen, and then the end will come.”  I believe that there was a plan A that we could have embraced but have - as a nation- refused.  However,  God's plan B, though harder, will make us stronger.  The reality is that this is good, because we will need to develop that strength more and more, the closer we come to the end times.  The tough times that will result from the next four years will strengthen us in many ways, if we are willing to turn our hearts to the Lord in prayer and surrender to his ways.  

Yes, this result will be hard, but hard will be good for us.   Even though we can hope in our hearts that things won’t be too bad, the reality is that they will go from bad to worse.  We must prepare ourselves.  But we should not be discouraged because being prepared is the right thing for this season – the times in which we live.  If Romney had won, the times would have only been delayed, not avoided – which is clear from the Word.   

Before the election, when I thought about the tough times coming if Obama won, I did realize that it would make us more dependent on God, and I knew that result, alone, might be the deciding factor.  But now that it is reality, I don’t like it one bit.  Right now I am working on calming my heart to admit that dependence on God, and great awareness of my dependence on Him, is a better place to be – the best place to be.

Likewise, our focus on the Lord will be stronger because of the times that are coming as a result of this election, too.  The Lord is longing for a pure and spotless bride who is making herself ready for the wedding supper of the lamb, and this election, and its result, is just one more way to keep the bride focused in this hour.   Before the election I kept thinking, “After the election I will still pray …,” but I realized that if we elected Romney, the temptation would be very strong to slip into self-reliance as a nation rather than realizing our great dependence on God, and continuing to cry out to God for help.

Another thing that became clear through the watches of the night is that this result is actually a blessing in ways that we cannot know - that this result has actually kept us from perils of death and destruction.  While the people of this nation who have voted to keep a president like Barak Obama are, in large part, a people who are innocent in the sense that they don’t know any better (their eyes don’t see the kingdom reality), there are also some people who support Obama who would have done things that could have made our lives in America nightmarish if the election had gone the other way.  In the middle of the night I heard these words, “This result was the only way to keep Mitt Romney alive.”  (Apparently, this was more of a true threat than I realized.)

In the end, the result of this election is for our protection, not just avoiding extreme civil unrest, but also that that the church will have no choice, as this presidency continues, but to cry out to God for mercy – so that we will put our hope in Jesus alone.   If we had elected Romney, we might have put our hope in Romney and the government.  This way we are going to have to be very dependent on God. This result will help us all to mean it when we sing, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”  See song below and in the next post.

“In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm."

Lord, calm my heart right now, and help me to realize that dependence on You, and great awareness of my dependence on You, is a better place to be – the best place to be - better than the comfort of an election won.  Help me to embrace the reality of the times in which we live with eager anticipation of the revelation of your power and glory in the midst of the darkness.   May my hope be found in you alone!

We also pray for President Obama, who now has a second chance.  We pray for his salvation - soon! - and for the turning of his heart toward life and righteousness.   Lord, you are the God of second chances and transformation -- and with You all things are possible.  Let it be!

Where is my hope?

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.