by BJ | Dec 24, 2017 | Advent
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.- Luke 2:8–14
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by BJ | Dec 2, 2017 | Advent, Christmas, Holidays
What is Advent?
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is:
• the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent.
• the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.
Advent is much more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. Advent is a season of preparation. Not only is Advent about preparing to celebrate the first coming of Christ as a baby, but it’s also about preparing for Christ’s second coming as judge. In Advent we are reminded that the Christmas story began thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, with the people of Israel. In Advent we are reminded that the Christmas story is not over; Jesus will return. (more…)
by BJ | Jun 8, 2013 | South Asia
Reaching India One Girl at a Time
Two years ago I had the privilege of going to India at the request of my daughter, Jessi, to do a conference for girls called Become. God birthed Become in Jessi’s heart for the girls she had under her care as Director of Girl’s Ministry and held it annually for 6 years.
The conference is called Become because the idea is to teach young ladies to “Become” Who God designed them to be. The first year conference, Become, walks through Ephesians 1 and looks at who they are and what they have in Christ. Each year a word was added that summed up that year’s theme.
- Become Still – Resting in the Lord
- Become Free – Forgiveness
- Become Love – Loving God and Loving people
- Become Grown
- Become One – Sexual Purity
Let’s back up a bit and I’ll tell you how Become ended up in India and how it relates to what I am doing there.
The Birth of Become
In 2010 Jessi went to India as part of a team who was doing a Youth Conference with Hope and Help International. While there God birthed a vision in her heart and confirmed it as she spoke with others. She was to do a conference just for girls, many of which without intervention are at risk for human trafficking. Conferences of this type are not done in India. In fact the Director of Veda school had been praying for someone to come and do just that! :)
That vision was multi faceted. It included:
• Taking the Become Conference to girls in India
• Taking some of her senior girls to minister to Indian girls and have the opportunity to see God’s work outside of their context.
• Equipping nationals to make this an annual event that they owned
• Me going as her main session speaker :)
How cool is it, that you daughter wants you to co-labor together? (more…)
by BJ | Jan 30, 2013 | Bible Studies, Life
It was a beautiful day, the rain had stopped, the sky was clear and a magnificent rainbow filled the sky. They were no longer cooped up with all those animals and the fresh air was a sweet perfume to their nostrils. And if that was not enough, God spoke a blessing over Noah and his family, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth”. Noah built an altar and worshiped God. Life was good! (more…)
by BJ | Jan 1, 2013 | Life
A couple of years ago my word for the New Year was Intentional. Although I have a new word for this year (which I will share with you in another post) I learned how important it is to be intentional about life. The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a great time to evaluate where you’ve been and where you are going. In order to be the most effective in 2013 I must: take a look back, ask myself some questions, evaluate the answers, tweak my direction if need be, and move forward according to God’s leading. (more…)
