Something to Talk About

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." ~ Hebrews 1:1-2

As our 3rd week of language school comes to a close, I find myself thinking about communication. Communication, in its numerous forms, permeates much of our lives. Talking, reading, singing, listening, praying, body language, TV, movies, music - just a few forms of communication that fill up our days. Truly, we are communicative beings.

Of course, this only makes sense as we have been created in the image of the Communicative Being. As the author of Hebrews points out, God, the powerful Creator & rightful Owner of the vast universe, has spoken to us. From the very beginning of time, God has intimately & creatively communicated with the people He loves, using a number of means to get His messages across: dreams, visions, angels, prophets, apostles, direct revelation, a floating hand and even animals. Even more amazing is the reality that God has also spoken to us in the Person of His Son, Jesus, the God-Man. During His earthly ministry, Jesus Himself equated hearing the voice of God the Father with believing in & knowing God the Son (see John 5:37-40). Jesus reminds us that the purpose of God's communication is more than simply the transfer of raw information. Instead, God is concerned with relationships. He knows us & wants us to know Him. So, He tells & shows us what He is like, in His Word & through His Son.

What is so personally significant about all of this is that we have come to Thailand in order to communicate with others about this personal, loving Savior. Of course, learning Thai is a huge part of achieving this goal. Yet, alongside understanding & speaking the language comes communicating the love of Christ through our daily lives by allowing the written Word & Living Word to transform us & determine how we live. The truth is people won't want to hear what we have to say about a Jesus who loves them unless they also see this loving Jesus in us. By God's grace, may our communication of Him be authentic & their perception of Him clear.
















Abigail & Chloe talking with their Heavenly Daddy

1st Day

It was a bit unreal sending Matthias off to his first day of 1st grade this morning. As I watched him ride away, a strange blend of emotions came over me: pride, sorrow, excitement, worry, anticipation. But, above all these feelings was an overwhelming sense of joy. I have joy in the reality that my son is growing up into a young man of God. Each day it seems he is maturing physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually. I must agree with the apostle who said, "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." Keep walking, Matthias.