I'm feeling a bit like Big Kev right now ... well not dead like Big Kev... but excited like he was.
"Excited about what?" you may ask... well If I was to put my current feeling into words it would be something like "I'm excited about having a purpose in life"
Having a vision, having ideas for the future, dreams of the crazy and "impossible"
Sometimes its easy just to look as the current situation, the surroundings where nothing seems to be happening, a job which takes up your precious time and energy, and forget that God is going to be doing something in the midst of it all.
For the past few months here, things have been busy, things have been going ... well just going, nothing really bad, nothing excitingly good... or so I thought. But really something good has been going on. God has been teaching Tuu and I ... thats gotta be good! God has been preparing us for whatever he has for us...thats gotta be good! God hasn't forgotten the plans for He us, even if we have... thats gotta be GREAT!
Now I'm just starting to realize again (hopefully not to forget it as quickly as last time) that God's got something big in store. What?! I'm not a 100% sure. When and How ?!?! I don't have a clue.
The one thing I am sure about is, its going to be great. Thats what I'm excited about.
Right now we're still getting pulled up the first climb of the rollercoaster... looking around just waiting for something to happen, but before we know it we'll be flying headfirst into some exciting turns, some exhilarating heights, and some down right scary "death-loops".
Man I can't wait!!!
December 18, 2008
December 17, 2008
Merry Christmas - Thai Style
Here is a special Christmas Carol for you all... very special =)
and for those that don't know what Tom Yam Gung is check this link
and for those that don't know what Tom Yam Gung is check this link
December 14, 2008
HP Magic Giveaway
This is my entry for the HP Magic Giveaway Entry on the Living in Theory Blog
it is a bit of an essay really =)
If I were to win the HP Magic Giveaway, I would give it away to a whole community, by using it to build an E-learning centre, where the children of this farming community in northeast Thailand could come and learn for free.
The truth is though that this farming community is not exactly a remote community, in fact it is only about 20 minutes drive out of Korat, one of the biggest cities in Thailand. In the city, most children get the opportunity to go to good schools with well-trained teachers. They have great English programs and up-to-date computer labs. Even the poorer government schools still provide the kids with the basis they need in order to “go far” if they study hard. The situation out here though, is a much different story. There is a small primary school; in fact, it is directly opposite my house. Most of the teachers walk into the class, put on a teaching video and then walk out again. While the teacher is gone, the students just cannot resist the urge to change the channel over to something a little more interesting. It is a shame though, because watching cartoons and soap operas is not going to be enough to get them into university. In fact, a mere handful of these kids will even end up starting senior high school.
My wife and I moved to this village this year. It is where my wife was born and raised, and where we are planning to raise our kids in the near future. When we moved out here, we really wanted to give to the community. To really be able to impact this community, we knew we had to start with the younger generation. By teaching them English, we could improve their chances of completing a higher education, and provide them a stepping-stone to obtain a decently paid job in the future. The way Thai society works is that, once a child is working and earning an income, he/she gives a percentage of that back to their parents and family. It is essentially their social security system. If the young of people of this village were to go on to earn a reasonable income, then they would channel that money back into the community, thus lifting the standard of life for the whole community.
Right now, our home is ALREADY an English learning centre. My wife decided to paint a sign one day, she hung it out the front, and within a few days, our living room was transformed into a small classroom. My wife and I currently teach English six days a week, to kids between the ages of six to fifteen. I also have a paid teaching position in town during school hours, in order to provide an income for our family and to enable us to give to the community.
When we were making the move here from Australia, I had a crazy thought “wouldn’t it be cool if we could set up some kind of E-learning center!” I thought about all the different possibilities of using software and educational games to teach the kids English … for free! Research already shows that putting children in a multi-sensory environment like a computer lab accelerates the learning process. Apart from that, it would just be plain FUN. A great number of Thai children do not like to learn English, because they perceive it as too difficult. If you got these kids onto a computer though, they would have such a great time that they would forget they were even “studying”. In addition to teaching English, I would also be able to teach the children many other things, whether it was as basic as using Windows, Microsoft Word & Excel, Photoshop, creating a website or maybe something more advanced. The closest thing that any of them have come to computers is for the few that have played the odd game or two at an online-gaming café in town. Recently I have come across several skilled Thai programmers / developers / graphic artists online. My favourite J2ME twitter application – jibjib – happens to be developed by a brilliant young Thai guy. Whether the kids that come to the E-learning centre end up becoming developers like him, choose a profession where they must use a computer on a daily basis, or merely simply had the opportunity to enjoy learning, it would be worth it.
After a little while dreaming, I eventually resigned myself to the fact that it was not really a possibility… well for the time being at least. There was no way I could afford the hardware to set it up. Then, I saw this competition, and I was inspired to rethink the idea. So whether or not I win this prize thank you for re-inspiring me again. I know that even if it took me a while, I could in fact build up a small E-learning centre, and it would be worth the time and effort. If I were however to win this awesome giveaway, then the dream would become a reality overnight. The package has everything we need to make it happen – minus a few English teaching programs and some headphones. The number of computers in the package is perfect, as the average size of our classes is four children. The fact that they are all relatively compact portable computers is absolutely ideal too, as we have limited space. We could not fit four or five desktop systems and desks into the current living room / classroom even if we wanted to. The possibilities and ways to use the touch screen in the classroom are endless. I would just love to see the look on a kids face as he/she interacts with the characters on-screen. Another huge bonus would be the printer, as I have been intending to buy a printer for a while now, in order to print out worksheets for the students. Taking the files into the print shop in town can be a hassle, not to mention the extra step of wiping my USB thumb-drive clear of viruses every time I come home.
I do apologize for this entry being so long, I am not even sure if you will be still reading this at this point, but a big thanks to you Living in Theory, Microsoft and HP for the great competition. I have uploaded a few pictures of our English centre in its current state.
First picture – me teaching, my wife’s Grandmother is on the left. She comes in from time to time to just to watch this strange white person speaking an even stranger language.
Second picture – is of my wife participating with the kids in a skit / drama to practice their English.
Third picture – is our current implementation of technology in the classroom. Where would I be without my trusty old iRiver h340!
By some great miracle were we chosen to be recipient of this amazing giveaway, I would definitely send you some more photos of the new E-learning English centre - in use - as soon as possible.
A blessed and safe Christmas to you,
Thomas Beckingham
it is a bit of an essay really =)
If I were to win the HP Magic Giveaway, I would give it away to a whole community, by using it to build an E-learning centre, where the children of this farming community in northeast Thailand could come and learn for free.
The truth is though that this farming community is not exactly a remote community, in fact it is only about 20 minutes drive out of Korat, one of the biggest cities in Thailand. In the city, most children get the opportunity to go to good schools with well-trained teachers. They have great English programs and up-to-date computer labs. Even the poorer government schools still provide the kids with the basis they need in order to “go far” if they study hard. The situation out here though, is a much different story. There is a small primary school; in fact, it is directly opposite my house. Most of the teachers walk into the class, put on a teaching video and then walk out again. While the teacher is gone, the students just cannot resist the urge to change the channel over to something a little more interesting. It is a shame though, because watching cartoons and soap operas is not going to be enough to get them into university. In fact, a mere handful of these kids will even end up starting senior high school.
My wife and I moved to this village this year. It is where my wife was born and raised, and where we are planning to raise our kids in the near future. When we moved out here, we really wanted to give to the community. To really be able to impact this community, we knew we had to start with the younger generation. By teaching them English, we could improve their chances of completing a higher education, and provide them a stepping-stone to obtain a decently paid job in the future. The way Thai society works is that, once a child is working and earning an income, he/she gives a percentage of that back to their parents and family. It is essentially their social security system. If the young of people of this village were to go on to earn a reasonable income, then they would channel that money back into the community, thus lifting the standard of life for the whole community.
Right now, our home is ALREADY an English learning centre. My wife decided to paint a sign one day, she hung it out the front, and within a few days, our living room was transformed into a small classroom. My wife and I currently teach English six days a week, to kids between the ages of six to fifteen. I also have a paid teaching position in town during school hours, in order to provide an income for our family and to enable us to give to the community.
When we were making the move here from Australia, I had a crazy thought “wouldn’t it be cool if we could set up some kind of E-learning center!” I thought about all the different possibilities of using software and educational games to teach the kids English … for free! Research already shows that putting children in a multi-sensory environment like a computer lab accelerates the learning process. Apart from that, it would just be plain FUN. A great number of Thai children do not like to learn English, because they perceive it as too difficult. If you got these kids onto a computer though, they would have such a great time that they would forget they were even “studying”. In addition to teaching English, I would also be able to teach the children many other things, whether it was as basic as using Windows, Microsoft Word & Excel, Photoshop, creating a website or maybe something more advanced. The closest thing that any of them have come to computers is for the few that have played the odd game or two at an online-gaming café in town. Recently I have come across several skilled Thai programmers / developers / graphic artists online. My favourite J2ME twitter application – jibjib – happens to be developed by a brilliant young Thai guy. Whether the kids that come to the E-learning centre end up becoming developers like him, choose a profession where they must use a computer on a daily basis, or merely simply had the opportunity to enjoy learning, it would be worth it.
After a little while dreaming, I eventually resigned myself to the fact that it was not really a possibility… well for the time being at least. There was no way I could afford the hardware to set it up. Then, I saw this competition, and I was inspired to rethink the idea. So whether or not I win this prize thank you for re-inspiring me again. I know that even if it took me a while, I could in fact build up a small E-learning centre, and it would be worth the time and effort. If I were however to win this awesome giveaway, then the dream would become a reality overnight. The package has everything we need to make it happen – minus a few English teaching programs and some headphones. The number of computers in the package is perfect, as the average size of our classes is four children. The fact that they are all relatively compact portable computers is absolutely ideal too, as we have limited space. We could not fit four or five desktop systems and desks into the current living room / classroom even if we wanted to. The possibilities and ways to use the touch screen in the classroom are endless. I would just love to see the look on a kids face as he/she interacts with the characters on-screen. Another huge bonus would be the printer, as I have been intending to buy a printer for a while now, in order to print out worksheets for the students. Taking the files into the print shop in town can be a hassle, not to mention the extra step of wiping my USB thumb-drive clear of viruses every time I come home.
I do apologize for this entry being so long, I am not even sure if you will be still reading this at this point, but a big thanks to you Living in Theory, Microsoft and HP for the great competition. I have uploaded a few pictures of our English centre in its current state.
First picture – me teaching, my wife’s Grandmother is on the left. She comes in from time to time to just to watch this strange white person speaking an even stranger language.
Second picture – is of my wife participating with the kids in a skit / drama to practice their English.
Third picture – is our current implementation of technology in the classroom. Where would I be without my trusty old iRiver h340!
By some great miracle were we chosen to be recipient of this amazing giveaway, I would definitely send you some more photos of the new E-learning English centre - in use - as soon as possible.
A blessed and safe Christmas to you,
Thomas Beckingham
October 13, 2008
kingdoms crashing
Right now kingdoms are falling. Treasures such as superannuation funds, once highly demanded stock, and expensive houses are all dropping in worth to the extent that they're as good as trash. It wasn't that long ago that I preached a sermon about trash or treasure, and only now am I starting to realize how much more I hunt for trash than treasure.
Right now, we have the privilege of witnessing God's promises come true, prophecies are becoming fulfilled before our very eyes. For many people, including myself, we expected that when God said he would make the poor rich, and the rich poor, he was simply talking about in heaven, or simply in some spiritual sense. But God is actually doing some of that right now. The rich really are becoming poor.
I wonder how some of my friends from school are feeling now, those that have spent the last 10 years investing in properties and other things. Some of them I know have done quite well for themselves, now it seems their kingdoms are crashing. I don't profess to know the mind of God, but surely he is trying to get peoples attention. Maybe the only time they will notice God, is when they have nothing left... maybe God wants to give them so much more.
They're thirsty but they just don't know it."
We've all heard the saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". Well I heard a Thai pastor say the other day. "you can't make a horse drink the water simply by pushing it head into the trough, but you CAN put lots of salt in its mouth so that it will take a drink." Sounds true enough! Could it be what God is doing now? So many people refusing to drink from the well of life, from the water that quenches our thirst once and for all!! He has to put some salt in their mouth, for them to realize how much they need a drink. We know that there are a lot more hard-to-swallow things to come. the Bible calls them tribulations.
The weird situation that I find myself in now, is that God has placed me in a full-time position for the next year. I didn't like that idea at all, I resisted and I still slip back into times of unsureness about my job. But really the unsureness comes from being scared of falling into the trap to build up earthly treasures. I'm not sure if I will be able to practice what I preach. If I build up my comforts will I forget to listen to God... God knows though.
God you placed me in this job, I pray that You would not let me fall into temptation.
If I go to drink from other wells, strike those wells dry. If I bury the blessings then cause them to fade away. Lord thankyou that you're destroying the earthly kingdoms so that yours would be established. SO BE IT
Right now, we have the privilege of witnessing God's promises come true, prophecies are becoming fulfilled before our very eyes. For many people, including myself, we expected that when God said he would make the poor rich, and the rich poor, he was simply talking about in heaven, or simply in some spiritual sense. But God is actually doing some of that right now. The rich really are becoming poor.
I wonder how some of my friends from school are feeling now, those that have spent the last 10 years investing in properties and other things. Some of them I know have done quite well for themselves, now it seems their kingdoms are crashing. I don't profess to know the mind of God, but surely he is trying to get peoples attention. Maybe the only time they will notice God, is when they have nothing left... maybe God wants to give them so much more.
They're thirsty but they just don't know it."
We've all heard the saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". Well I heard a Thai pastor say the other day. "you can't make a horse drink the water simply by pushing it head into the trough, but you CAN put lots of salt in its mouth so that it will take a drink." Sounds true enough! Could it be what God is doing now? So many people refusing to drink from the well of life, from the water that quenches our thirst once and for all!! He has to put some salt in their mouth, for them to realize how much they need a drink. We know that there are a lot more hard-to-swallow things to come. the Bible calls them tribulations.
The weird situation that I find myself in now, is that God has placed me in a full-time position for the next year. I didn't like that idea at all, I resisted and I still slip back into times of unsureness about my job. But really the unsureness comes from being scared of falling into the trap to build up earthly treasures. I'm not sure if I will be able to practice what I preach. If I build up my comforts will I forget to listen to God... God knows though.
God you placed me in this job, I pray that You would not let me fall into temptation.
If I go to drink from other wells, strike those wells dry. If I bury the blessings then cause them to fade away. Lord thankyou that you're destroying the earthly kingdoms so that yours would be established. SO BE IT
September 26, 2008
September 23, 2008
August 30, 2008
August Newsletter
We have been rather busy, and don't have an always on internet connection so it can be hard to blog, so here is our last newsletter, and there should be a new one soon.
momentum
in the swing of things
Its been almost 2 months since our last update. The past 2 months have been jammed-packed full of good things. God keeps opening doors here, and we always seem to be doing something. We've been in Ratchaburi for 3 months now, and we love being a part of the ministry here. We're learning so much, and getting inspired to use English teaching as a way to impact the lives of young people in Tuu's hometown. When we go and teach English we're able to give so much more. They want to know why we're different. Praise God that in the places that we go regularly we have complete freedom to share a great deal about Him, and praise God in other places as others learn more about us doors keep opening. In just one month we will be heading back to Korat, and will be trusting God to show us exactly what he wants us to be doing there in the future.
fun
changing attitudes
Our leader, P'Noiy once "hated" English. He failed continuously and skipped class any chance he could. He was sure he would never be able to learn English, yet today he speaks English confidently and competently. What happened? God changed his thinking towards English. After spending some time with foreigners he realized that English can be fun. There are many kids in Thailand that feel the same way as P'Noiy. "It's too hard", "I can't speak it", and " I don't understand." It is those students that we have a heart to help the most, to help them to overcome the mindsets that are holding them back. A method we use to help the students to enjoy English is to run English camps. So far since being here, Tuu and I have been involved with 3 English camps which the kids just loved so much.
The first camp we ran we had almost 500 students, and there was only 5 of us to lead the whole day. Because of unseen circumstances we were forced to cram 500 kids into one hall, which meant when divided into "rotations" there was 4 of us rotation leaders all competing with our voices, not to mention the 500 noisy kids. It was tough, and it didn't help that Tom was dealing with a nasty bout of tonsillitis. Praise God though we got through the day with His strength, and it was a huge success, with the head of Education here in Ratchaburi giving us free reign to do camps whenever we want. Our next English camp will be very different as it in is for adults, in fact many of them will be around the age of 60 year olds!
slum
burmese community
We have also had the opportunity to go and share in a poor Burmese community that is located close to P'Noiy and Bronwyn's house. They had been previously with teams to play with the kids and outreach. Just a few weeks ago we decided to make an effort to go there on a regular basis. We sang songs, played games, shared about what Jesus has done for us. The adults were all hiding off to the side watching and listening to everything.
There was a great response from the kids and amazingly almost all of the young men raised there hands too. Praise God that so many were prepared to to take that bold step, not worrying how "uncool" they might look. P'Noiy is now meeting the adults every Sunday afternoon to spend time with them, to disciple them, to listen to their questions, even to teach guitar so they can play worship songs. Tuu and myself are running Children's church for the kids for the next month. We have only met them a few times, yet we have been able to make a big impact on them. I heard today from there teacher that they're always talking about P'Tom and P'Tuu, and the things we've taught them. Please pray that God will send someone else here to continue the work with these special kids after we have gone
About a week ago we did an open air outreach in the middle of their community. We invited everyone to come along including the adults, many of them decided to come as they saw we had brought things to give to them.. We played, sang, and shared some more. We gave out daily essentials such as toiletries and cooking ingredients to help them. After P'Noiy shared his testimony, he asked if there was anyone that was serious about knowing God more, and wanted to follow Him.
There was a great response from the kids and amazingly almost all of the young men raised there hands too. Praise God that so many were prepared to to take that bold step, not worrying how "uncool" they might look. P'Noiy is now meeting the adults every Sunday afternoon to spend time with them, to disciple them, to listen to their questions, even to teach guitar so they can play worship songs. Tuu and myself are running Children's church for the kids for the next month. We have only met them a few times, yet we have been able to make a big impact on them. I heard today from there teacher that they're always talking about P'Tom and P'Tuu, and the things we've taught them. Please pray that God will send someone else here to continue the work with these special kids after we have gone
August 28, 2008
June 17, 2008
Befriended
lyrics by Matt Redman
Befriended, befriended by the King above all Kings
Surrendered, surrendered to a friend above all friends
Invited, invited deep into this mystery
Delighted, delighted by the wonders I have seen
This will be my story
This will be my song
You'll always be my Savior
Jesus You will always have my heart
Astounded, astounded that Your gospel beckoned me
Surrounded, surrounded but I've never been so free
Determined, determined now to live this life for You
You’re so worthy my greatest gift would be the least You’re due
This will be my story
This will be my song
You'll always be my Savior
Jesus You will always have my heart
June 08, 2008
heavens opening
June 03, 2008
Salty
I love food ... especially food that is full of intense flavors, whether it be Somtam (Spicy Thai Papaya Salad), or Sushi with a load of punishing Wasabi. Something though that I miss from back home is a good dose of greasy salty chips (thick cut fries). Its REALLY dissapointing though when get some food and it doesn't come with the full flavour you were expecting... its just not what its supposed to be... its a letdown. Chips just don't taste any good without salt. One time I ordered chips and the cook must have had a real moment and had put sugar on instead of salt. It was disgusting... I mean it just wasn't salty. That batch of perfectly good chips had been spoiled forever.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm not salty, after all we were called to be the salt of the earth. We were supposed to give this earth the flavour that it needs. Are we being salty or are putting other flavours into the recipie. Sometimes we feel like adding something we add it, sometimes we feel like doing something we just to do it. but what this earth really needs is salt. Guess what we as believers are called to be that salt... but how... maybe by going and helping the poor , or standing up for what is morally right ... well maybe. But when I was reading Mark 9:50 I realised that we can't be salty "out there" until we're salty with each other.
Mark 9:50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.
We shouldn't go slagging off at our Pentecostal or Catholic brother one day and try to share the love of God to someone at work the next... it just doesn't work.
You know why I think we're supposed to be salty, because when you eat something that is salty it makes you thirsty!
We as salt should be making others thirsty for the living water, REALLY THIRSTY for Jesus Christ, not just leaving a bad taste in their mouth.
May 30, 2008
Eph 2:4-6
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us
(even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),
and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
May 29, 2008
Upcoming Newsletter
We'll be sending out another email-newsletter soon, but there are many of you that might not get it as we don't have your email. Please let us know if you'd like to receive a newsletter with our updates. You can let me know at my hotmail address. nearlyasian@....
Tom
May 17, 2008
Rejecting help
There has been a whole lot of outrage as of late with the Burmese government rejecting help from the outside world, the obstacle has been the military government's pride to accept help from the "outside world". While they won't let us in, lets pray that the people will let God in. We might not be able to break through the walls of hard-hearted military regime, but God's love can, the Holy Spirit can, the Gospel can.
After all it wasn't long ago that we had set up barriers in our heart, we were too proud to let anyone help, but God's love broke through!
May 02, 2008
when not perfect is perfect
I will agree with anyone when they say we should give God our best. But sometimes we just get things around the wrong way, we're so wrapped up in making our praises perfect that by the time we give them to God there's nothing really of substance left... it might look good, sound good, but the heart is gone.
One of the key pioneers of the 24-7 prayer movement, went from getting her friends at school into drugs to getting them into Jesus. She started up a gathering at her school, and it was described like this.
The music was terrible, the teaching was worse, the meeting was way too long, and people just kept becoming Christians.
It doesn't really make sense ... but that's God!
Would we give up our professional music, articulate messages, and 1.5 hour services?
April 30, 2008
Tom's haircut
Tom's new haircut, Tuu's was cheap but not as cheap as Tom's seen as he did it himself. The heat called for drastic measures.
Tuu's haircut
April 28, 2008
Child of God
3 days ago Tuu and I heard a squeaky little "meow". After following the calls, we saw the head of a little scrawny kitten poking out from under the door of the upstairs storage area (Its like an attic). A little bit later I went up and found it hiding away up there in another room. It was so shaky on its feet, and extremely scared of me. It was so small maybe a little malnourished, we figured its mum would be back to get it soon though. Later on that night we heard the repetitive squeaking noises again. There were no lights up there so I used my phone light, all I could was its little head peering out to see who these strangers were. We opened the door incase the mum had been trapped out and hoped by morning that its mum would have rescued it. The next morning however it was still there by itself. It looked so hungry we got it some milk, I had to put some milk on my finger to get it to try it. He was still quite scared of us, but eventually hunger got the better of her and she started to lick it up. It had enough milk to last it till yesterday, but today with no milk left it ventured down the huge steps. So we made her a little place to stay with a comfortable bed. She was so funny though. She looked kind of weak and dirty, and she couldn't go very far from her little spot she stayed. but with no mum we couldn't help but care for her. By the end of today she had grown quite attached of us, as we had of her. Whenever we'd go over to where she was she would wobble towards us to get some attention, then as we walked away she walk give us those sad eyes, as well as whining meows, which made me feel bad about leaving her, I must have checked up on her 15 times today. She was small, she was helpless, she was weak, she was lonely, she was cute.
And then something happened that rocked both Tuu and myself. Tuu's dog which is a rather large dog, crushed this little things head, it wasn't a pretty site, in fact it was really disgusting. But even more than that it was sad was because it was so helpless and hopeless, it had no mother to rescue it, we were the only ones that could have, had we known. It hit us hard, we felt intense emotions such as sorrow and pain, seems kind of silly for a little kitten we'd known for 3 days. As Tuu and I cried we saw God soften our hard selfish hearts. In the midst of the sorrow we asked God to teach us something. We realized that this kitten was God's little baby, He had created it, it wasn't an accident, even though it had been abandoned and it looked funny, God still loved it. And if this is how special a kitten was to God, then how much more is each individual human life He created. If the death of a kitten made us feel this way, then what huge sorrow God must feel every time someone dies without knowing him. He loves them so much!
God doesn't want to helpless to die. It is not his plan that the weak be crushed, It is His will that they would have a Father. And I realized tonight that unless I wake up from my current state, I might be the reason why one helpless soul dies without having a rescuer. Because He wants to use US to rescue weak, to care for those that have no one to take care of them. We've been too busy doing our own things worrying about our own problems, which I'm too embarrassed to even call problems now. He wants us to intercede on behalf of those that the enemy wants to crush, but I've been too busy conquering the world in a computer game. Lives are too important, in fact all of sudden these lives seem like the only thing that is important.
I believe one way or another God sent that little kitten to us, and this was the wake-up call we needed. To realize how precious the children of God are, to realize that there's no time to waste because the enemy is prowling ready to snatch those that are helpless. For the kitten that was once without a name, we have called her "luuk khong prajaw" which is Thai for "child of God". We're sorry that this poor defenseless "child of God" had to die, for us to learn these things, but I don't want to see a helpless human "child of God" die without help, before I realize what this life is all about.
April 18, 2008
LIFE WORK
I've been thinking a bit lately about where God is taking Tuu and I, and the plans that he has for us. When I look at what he has told us so far, I feel like that we're not very missionary like. I mean we don't have a specific ministry, we don't have a specific target group such as orphans or prostitutes, "working" whether paid or unpaid will make-up most of our efforts for the next year or two. I have even been wondering whether we deserve the titles of missionaries ... we might not be doing that much in Korat except for spending time with Tuu's family and teaching English.
I realized though that YES what we are doing really does make us missionaries, in fact its the type of missionary that God has called us ALL to be. When we hear that we're ALL missionaries we know its true, yet it is something that is hard for us to really believe and live out. The problem is that we've made the equation and qualifications for being a missionary way too complicated. MINISTRY + TARGET GROUP + MONETARY SUPPORT = MISSIONARY. God's equation though is LIFE = MISSIONARY. The truth is that God's presence and glory are with us wherever we are. That is all we need to be missionaries.
Rob Bell puts it this way in his book
"This is why it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job. If you follow Jesus and you are doing what you do in his name, then it is no longer secular work; it's sacred. You are there; God is there. The difference is our awareness"
Tuu and I really believe that God has a specific ministry for us, and one day we will have a target group. We may or may not have a regular support commitment from multiple churches, but these things don't make us missionaries, having God in our lives and being aware of it is what makes us missionaries. It is our hope to live as Paul encourages us "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus."
In whatever we do here in Korat or Ratchaburri or wherever we are, our mission is to LIVE LIFE in the name of Jesus, so that all may see His glory.
It's all about His GLORY
April 10, 2008
wonderous mysteries
God is awesomely mysterious ... and mysteriously awesome.
The things I thought as going forwards really were going nowhere, and the things I thought of as going backwards really are going forwards.
I'm realizing that being safe in my faith is actually a very dangerous place to be.
Its been a long while since I've desired to be challenged in the way I think, to have my world shaken up a little bit.
Normally I really enjoy hearing a sermon that fits my ideas and doctrines, it makes me feel good ... well I can't be that far off the mark if other people think the same way I do. Its been nice to read books where I feel like "they're right on the money". Mysteriously being comfortable has lost its appeal again. Just knodding my head and "Amen'ing" everything a pastor says without having my boat rocked doesn't get me anywhere except maybe build my pride.
What good will it be if I keep reading books that are "safe and easy"
I had forgotten what it felt like to be hungry for understanding, but I'm getting a glimpse of that again. Its strange but I actually desire to find out that some things I accepted as correct are in fact not. Its better to find out than to be ignorant and wrong all my life.
I long for more mysterious, so I can wrestle with them and be stretched as I attempt to grasp the ungraspable. Its like for a while I've been trying to flex my faith muscles and then I see just a fingerprint of the Almighty One and I'm put back in my place. But its the scare I needed to realize there is an infinity amount of mysteries that I'm yet to grasp about God, about his greatness, about his love.
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell is the book that God has used to bump me out of my rut a little, and to give me a passion to wrestle again, even to lose in order that I might win.
God's mysteries are worth the chasing even if my uderstandings of Him get battered and bruised.
The things I thought as going forwards really were going nowhere, and the things I thought of as going backwards really are going forwards.
I'm realizing that being safe in my faith is actually a very dangerous place to be.
Its been a long while since I've desired to be challenged in the way I think, to have my world shaken up a little bit.
Normally I really enjoy hearing a sermon that fits my ideas and doctrines, it makes me feel good ... well I can't be that far off the mark if other people think the same way I do. Its been nice to read books where I feel like "they're right on the money". Mysteriously being comfortable has lost its appeal again. Just knodding my head and "Amen'ing" everything a pastor says without having my boat rocked doesn't get me anywhere except maybe build my pride.
What good will it be if I keep reading books that are "safe and easy"
I had forgotten what it felt like to be hungry for understanding, but I'm getting a glimpse of that again. Its strange but I actually desire to find out that some things I accepted as correct are in fact not. Its better to find out than to be ignorant and wrong all my life.
I long for more mysterious, so I can wrestle with them and be stretched as I attempt to grasp the ungraspable. Its like for a while I've been trying to flex my faith muscles and then I see just a fingerprint of the Almighty One and I'm put back in my place. But its the scare I needed to realize there is an infinity amount of mysteries that I'm yet to grasp about God, about his greatness, about his love.
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell is the book that God has used to bump me out of my rut a little, and to give me a passion to wrestle again, even to lose in order that I might win.
God's mysteries are worth the chasing even if my uderstandings of Him get battered and bruised.
pp. 68-69 Velvet ElvisThe rabbis even say a specific blessing when they don't understand a portion of the text. When it eludes them, when it makes no sense, they say a word of thanks to God because of the blessing that will be theirs someday. "Thank you, God that at some point in the future, the lights are going to come on for me"
The rabbis have a metaphor for this wrestling with the test: The story of Jacob wrestling the angel in Genesis 32. He struggles, and it is exhausting and tiring, and in the end his hip is injured. It hurts. And he walks away limping.
Because when you wrestle with the text, you walk away limping.
And some people have no limp, because they haven't wrestled. But the ones limping have an experience with the living God.
April 09, 2008
I don't need the instructions...
Tonight in our discussion at small group, our focus was on faith, which also led to talking about controlling our lives. Derek made an interesting point that for Aussie blokes it is quite tough for them to give up control of their lives to another, because we love to be in control and to be right.
At first I thought he might of made a bit of a generalisation, but actually it is very true... us guys, especially us Aussie guys just love to think we can do everything ourselves, we don't need any help. When it comes to building something we don't need to read the instructions, we know how it goes together. When it comes to directions we don't need the map, we've got it all sorted out. When it comes to how we should live our lives, we don't want to be told by anyone that we're doing something wrong, whether it be by our wives or by somebody else...
Our pride says that we can do it...
I pray that we don't let that pride stopping us from letting God control our lives,
I pray that we don't neglect to seek God for instruction, because we think we know best how our lives should be put together.
I pray that we don't forget to consult God for directions, because we already know where we should be going and the way to get there.
I pray that God turns our Aussie male stubborness into determination, grit, and stickability that he will use for his Kingdom when give him the reigns to our lives.
At first I thought he might of made a bit of a generalisation, but actually it is very true... us guys, especially us Aussie guys just love to think we can do everything ourselves, we don't need any help. When it comes to building something we don't need to read the instructions, we know how it goes together. When it comes to directions we don't need the map, we've got it all sorted out. When it comes to how we should live our lives, we don't want to be told by anyone that we're doing something wrong, whether it be by our wives or by somebody else...
Our pride says that we can do it...
I pray that we don't let that pride stopping us from letting God control our lives,
I pray that we don't neglect to seek God for instruction, because we think we know best how our lives should be put together.
I pray that we don't forget to consult God for directions, because we already know where we should be going and the way to get there.
I pray that God turns our Aussie male stubborness into determination, grit, and stickability that he will use for his Kingdom when give him the reigns to our lives.
April 05, 2008
Full of Excuses
Sermon preached on 30 March 2008
FULL OF EXCUSES
Like the guy in the commercial, we're all full of excuses. When God calls us we have excuses why we can't, why we shouldn't, why we won't do what he's called us to do. Jonah ran away, his excuse being God would ruin his reputation. When Jesus called a couple men to follow him their excuses were, they had stuff to do, family commitments etc. There's 1000's of excuses and God's heard them all. However, when Jesus was called by God to do the biggest, toughest, greatest thing in all of history, he did not make an excuse. His response was "not my will but yours be done" Surely we can learn from him. When will we stop making excuses?
INSPIRATION
Leeland - Opposite Way Click to Listen
TEXTS
Jonah, Luke 9:57-62, Luke 14:15-20, Mat 26:36-44
LISTEN
Online
Download
FULL OF EXCUSES
Like the guy in the commercial, we're all full of excuses. When God calls us we have excuses why we can't, why we shouldn't, why we won't do what he's called us to do. Jonah ran away, his excuse being God would ruin his reputation. When Jesus called a couple men to follow him their excuses were, they had stuff to do, family commitments etc. There's 1000's of excuses and God's heard them all. However, when Jesus was called by God to do the biggest, toughest, greatest thing in all of history, he did not make an excuse. His response was "not my will but yours be done" Surely we can learn from him. When will we stop making excuses?
INSPIRATION
Leeland - Opposite Way Click to Listen
TEXTS
Jonah, Luke 9:57-62, Luke 14:15-20, Mat 26:36-44
LISTEN
Online
Download
Trash or Treasure
Sermon preached on March 3, 2008
TRASH OR TREASURE
We all are after treasure, all you need to do is look at Antiques Roadshow to see that - the joy and excitement of those that are told by the evaluator that they own treasure. However there are many pieces that dont make it to air on TV, because they're trash. There will be a day when we too meet an evaluator, and we will be told whether we have trash or treasure. Thankfully Jesus is pretty clear about where real treasure is. Why would be have trash we can have real treasure?
MAIN TEXT
Matthew 6:19-33
ADDITIONAL TEXTS
Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:13-14, James 5:3, Ezekiel 7:19, Matthew 13:45
LISTEN
Online
Download
TRASH OR TREASURE
We all are after treasure, all you need to do is look at Antiques Roadshow to see that - the joy and excitement of those that are told by the evaluator that they own treasure. However there are many pieces that dont make it to air on TV, because they're trash. There will be a day when we too meet an evaluator, and we will be told whether we have trash or treasure. Thankfully Jesus is pretty clear about where real treasure is. Why would be have trash we can have real treasure?
MAIN TEXT
Matthew 6:19-33
ADDITIONAL TEXTS
Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:13-14, James 5:3, Ezekiel 7:19, Matthew 13:45
LISTEN
Online
Download
April 03, 2008
April 02, 2008
March 16, 2008
THE WEDDING STORY (Part 2)
Sorry to everyone that was waiting for the rest of the wedding story, I guess the day-to-day rush got the better of me.
EVENING GATHERING
The party at night was a little tiring as it had already been a long day, but it was still was an awesome time. Its quite different to what a "western reception" is like. There were seats and tables behind Tuu's house for 300-400 people. Tuu and I spent the first 2 hours of the night standing at the front of Tuu's house welcoming everybody that came. Being on our feet that long after already being on our feet for most of the day was quite a challenge. We just kept smiling though as we greeted everyone, it was good to see so many people coming to enjoy themselves. Some fo them would sit down, eat and leave before others would even get there. People come and go, not like a western wedding where everyone is expected to be there at a certain time. After we had finished out the front we were called straight up on stage to answer questions and do speeches. We had our friends P'Noiy and Bronwyn help us by doing interviews/game/translation. It was especially an amazing effort from them as Bronwyn was 7 months pregnant and they had only a couple hours of sleep the night before because of the long distance they had to travel.
I think it was about 9:30 by the time things started wrapping up, which felt like 12:30 to us. Tuu and I were happy as we could finally get off our feet and eat the yummy food that everyone else had been eating. Normally a wedding party would've run for another 2 hours or so, but as the King's sister had recently passed away, the country was in a period of mourning and there was a ban on having louds music / parties, so this meant that there was no entertainment for the Thais to party-on into the night.
It was an awesome day it really was, we have to thank God for his goodness, in helping us firstly get to the day. Some things we just couldn't see how it would work out, but God knew! and a big thanks to everyone else that was involved in our wedding...those that came so far to support us simply by being there, and those that were at home praying for us. It really gave us so much encouragement and joy!
HONEYMOON
Tuu and I decided to go somewhere other than Thailand for our honeymoon, even though the south of Thailand does have some of the nicest beaches in the world, we wanted to go somewhere outside of Thailand, so we decided to go to Penang and Langkawi. I had already lived in Penang for 3 months so I knew my way around, especially the great places to eat and shop. So we flew from Bkk to Penang and had one night in the luxurious E & O (thanks to Jared, who gave it to us as a wedding gift). Its a very flash hotel with an a long history. It was very cool, but almost too much, I felt rather weird having our own personal butler.
After that we went across on the ferry to Langkawi, and spent a few days there in a pleasant resort called Mutiara Burau. This resort was on a nice beach where there weren't lots of other hotels, so we were quite happy about that. it was a big difference from coming from a 5star hotel to this, but we both liked the atmosphere and the surroundings. It had everything we needed... oh and it fitted into our budget ;) But honestly we'd recommend it to anyone. The pool was nice, and the service was excellent, so definitely worth a look. One day we hired a car and went for a drive around the island, that was interesting but still there isn't a whole lot on the island. The highlight though was going on the cable car up to the top of the mountain, the photo just doesn't do the view justice.
EVENING GATHERING
The party at night was a little tiring as it had already been a long day, but it was still was an awesome time. Its quite different to what a "western reception" is like. There were seats and tables behind Tuu's house for 300-400 people. Tuu and I spent the first 2 hours of the night standing at the front of Tuu's house welcoming everybody that came. Being on our feet that long after already being on our feet for most of the day was quite a challenge. We just kept smiling though as we greeted everyone, it was good to see so many people coming to enjoy themselves. Some fo them would sit down, eat and leave before others would even get there. People come and go, not like a western wedding where everyone is expected to be there at a certain time. After we had finished out the front we were called straight up on stage to answer questions and do speeches. We had our friends P'Noiy and Bronwyn help us by doing interviews/game/translation. It was especially an amazing effort from them as Bronwyn was 7 months pregnant and they had only a couple hours of sleep the night before because of the long distance they had to travel.
I think it was about 9:30 by the time things started wrapping up, which felt like 12:30 to us. Tuu and I were happy as we could finally get off our feet and eat the yummy food that everyone else had been eating. Normally a wedding party would've run for another 2 hours or so, but as the King's sister had recently passed away, the country was in a period of mourning and there was a ban on having louds music / parties, so this meant that there was no entertainment for the Thais to party-on into the night.
It was an awesome day it really was, we have to thank God for his goodness, in helping us firstly get to the day. Some things we just couldn't see how it would work out, but God knew! and a big thanks to everyone else that was involved in our wedding...those that came so far to support us simply by being there, and those that were at home praying for us. It really gave us so much encouragement and joy!
HONEYMOON
Tuu and I decided to go somewhere other than Thailand for our honeymoon, even though the south of Thailand does have some of the nicest beaches in the world, we wanted to go somewhere outside of Thailand, so we decided to go to Penang and Langkawi. I had already lived in Penang for 3 months so I knew my way around, especially the great places to eat and shop. So we flew from Bkk to Penang and had one night in the luxurious E & O (thanks to Jared, who gave it to us as a wedding gift). Its a very flash hotel with an a long history. It was very cool, but almost too much, I felt rather weird having our own personal butler.
After that we went across on the ferry to Langkawi, and spent a few days there in a pleasant resort called Mutiara Burau. This resort was on a nice beach where there weren't lots of other hotels, so we were quite happy about that. it was a big difference from coming from a 5star hotel to this, but we both liked the atmosphere and the surroundings. It had everything we needed... oh and it fitted into our budget ;) But honestly we'd recommend it to anyone. The pool was nice, and the service was excellent, so definitely worth a look. One day we hired a car and went for a drive around the island, that was interesting but still there isn't a whole lot on the island. The highlight though was going on the cable car up to the top of the mountain, the photo just doesn't do the view justice.
February 02, 2008
THE WEDDING STORY (Part 1)
Its now been 3 weeks since that wonderful day, and we've both had time to think and reflect about how good God was to us. I will try to fill you in on as much as possible. It was a day that didn't necessarily follow our plans exactly, but better than that it followed God's plan.
Just getting to the wedding day itself was a real challenge, there were many things, such as not being able to find someone to do the Western Ceremony, but God had the perfect person in mind, we asked the people we thought might be able to help but no one could. Even when had given up looking, God still had someone specifically in mind, the father of a very good friend just happens to work in Thailand and I had met him a few times before. I felt like I should ask him, after him and his wife praying about it they agreed to come. I'm so glad they did, I couldn't have thought of it turning out better than it did. Other people that we needed such as translators / MC's, we struggled to find in our own strength but God had it all in control. Once the day arrived we had everything we needed, all we had to do was enjoy the day.
11-Jan-2008
3:00am - Tuu woke up nice and early, to begin getting ready and to go get her makeup done. She only slept 2 hours because of all the excitement. I, Tom, woke up at around 5:00, I really could have slept longer except I was just too excited so I just got up and got myself ready. Proceedings were set to start at 7:39 (not a typo, but that was the time is auspicious). I was ready long before then, and had to do something to stop me from worrying so I played a couple games of Winning Eleven soccer with some mates.
THAI CEREMONY
7:30am - all my family and friends rocked up at the house where I was staying, we waited for the Khan Mark (different items given as gifts) to be prepared, then when everything was ready we proceeded to make a loud noise as we walked to Tuu's house. It wasn't a long walk as the two houses were next door to each other. There were three gates that I had to pass through before reaching Tuu, each gate was a thin chain or necklace held by a few of Tuu's relatives, who I had to give money to before being allowed to continue. After the 3rd and last gate, then I finally got to see Tuu, she washed my feet and then we entered the house. We sat down while the elders counted the sinsot (dowry).
What happened next was a little unexpected for both Tuu and I. We had already talked over how the wedding would go with Tuu's parents. Praise God there were many things that they agreed we would not have to have, even though a traditional Thai wedding would have them, such as monks present at the wedding. They had also agreed that when they did the ceremony of offering gifts to the ancestors and telling them of our marriage, that we would not have to be present. However on the day someone else made sure that it happened while we were all sitting there along with my family and friends. At first Tuu and I were not really happy with what was going on, but we knew that we should just trust God that he was in control. Then what happened next was what I would class as one of the highlights of the whole wedding ... all of my family and our Christian friends started to pray for us, our marriage, and the household. It was AWESOME, God was right there with us. I don't know how long it will before that many Christians gather in that house and pray together again, its something that was really special. If it had gone according to our plans, the wai phii (praying to the ancestors) would have happened secretly while everyone was eating breakfast. I believe the enemy thought he could disrupt our wedding by throwing this at us, but instead God totally used it to bring about his plans, and his plans were PERFECT.
Next we both were lead upstairs to Tuu's room where we sat on our new bed, and we had to eat some plain rice with banana, We didn't necessarily understand much about that part of the Thai ceremony, but we just followed instructions and knew God was with us. After returning downstairs everyone ate lunch.
When we came back from lunch it was time for the rest of the morning ceremony. First we had this string placed around our heads, which symbolised the connection we have a married couple. Then came the water blessing, where everyone came one-by-one and poured water on our hands as they gave an encouragement or blessing. This was the longest part of the thai ceremony, so I was really glad that we were sitting down for this. Our hands ended up looking like raisins by the end of it. Then there was gift giving where Tuu and I gave presents to our parents and grandparents, and they in return gave us an envelope with money in it. Still after this there were a few other things that stopped is from finishing the ceremony, such as waiting for one lady to tie our wrists with "special string". At first it was frustrating because we just wanted to be able to leave and get ready for the Western ceremony, but we just had to stop being impatient and trust God again that he was still in control. The ceremony finished at about 11:30, and then Tuu rushed off to get her makeup done and her changed ready for the Western Ceremony.
WESTERN CEREMONY
1:00 - Everyone, including me, was at the hotel ready for the Western Ceremony ... we waited and waited, and wondered if the bride was ever going to arrive ;) But Tuu had about an hour less to prepare than we originally accounted for so we knew she would be there eventually.
1:30 - The wedding began, started by the lovely bridesmaids walking down the aisle, followed by the even lovelier bride with her parents next to her. There was a Bible reading, and 2 worships songs. The English song we chose was "You are my strength" by Reuben Morgan (My favorite Hillsong songwriter). Through the whole of the wedding process God really was our strength. There were many trying and testing times that we couldn't have got through with him. As we sang that song while we were up on stage, the truth of the song hit me again, God's goodness was undeniable. His greatness was untouchable. His strength was unbeatable. His love had reached us.
It was the first time that Tuu's family had heard anyone worshipping God, so I praise God for that opportunity. Then we had a slideshow, and I also washed Tuu's feet. God had spoken to me about doing this a few months back, I really felt that I should do it following Christ's example. I wanted it to be clear to everyone that I wanted to not only lead Tuu, but to also serve her - quite opposite to the way of the world.
Finally there was the vows, pledges, ring giving, and the charge. During the vows many of Tuu's family and friends were brought to tears, not because we had come up with some really special words, but because they saw the love we had for each other, the love God had given us. Above anything else, Tuu and I wanted God to be given the glory in "our day" because really it was His day, we know that if it wasn't for his goodness we wouldn't have each other, nor would have been able to get married. Though we haven't been able to talk to everyone, we have heard reports from many how they were really impacted by the wedding, we PRAISE GOD for that. We pray that God will keep using our lives to impact people, keep using the love he has given us to touch others. And we will always need Him to be our strength as we go through every new challenge
Next post: Evening gathering & Honeymoon
January 26, 2008
The Wedding Pics
Here are a selection of pictures from our wedding, be sure to hover over the "notes" to find out what was going on at the time. You can also browse those pictures here if you find that easier.
January 25, 2008
The Memories
Add to My Profile More Videos
This is the slideshow we made to show at our wedding with some memories of our childhood and also some pics of when we were getting to know each other =)
January 21, 2008
Married
Praise God we're married ... in a week after I'm home hopefully I'll have all the pics up as well as all the details
Thanks everyone for their prayers and best wishes and everyone that was there to make it so special.
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