Today I was so thrilled to apply again for another 10 year Visa to India. I kind of set back as I had to write all the places I have traveled to and ministered in this incredible nation. We call India the land of extremes… extreme heat/cold, extreme poverty/wealth, extreme traffic from bicycle rickshaws to the world's largest train system, extreme population with over 1 billion in this nation alone, extreme mountains – Himalayas, extreme religious groups with severe persecution to Christians, etc… I think you are getting a little picture. But the most incredible extreme is the smells of India. Sandy cringes @ the curry and I cringe in the slums @ times… when you step off the plane to this nation you take in a deep breath of a people that are in desperate need of Jesus. Oh how I love to GO to India!
I remember this guy from my home town that went to India and came back wearing strange clothes… I judged the fire out him from my redneck closed minded attitude. Jesus sure is funny and sure knows how to get our attention to do something incredible with our lives. Now I got all the strange clothes and live a life caught between the cultures of the west and the subcontinent nations around India. I remember sitting in front of my fire place one cold winter night reading the story of the sower and contemplating over the 4 different kinds of seed. In my spiritual pride I pictured myself as the 4th seed producing good fruit, 30. 60 and 100 fold yields. Then I heard that sweet voice of the Holy Spirit say to me not so… you are 3rd seed now. So in a huff I gave out my spiritual resume' and my Lord, Lord accomplishments for his kingdom sake… finally the conviction of the Holy Spirit had me yielding in my miserable self righteous state knowing I had resolved myself to complacency and satisfaction… a very dangerous spot called stagnation. So I bowed my head and whispered, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" I felt this prompting to go to India and immediately jumped up rebuking the devil… Lord do you know how far it is, how dangerous, how much it costs, they don't eat cows, I am so not ready, etc… all my questions and reasoning was falling upon a closed heaven until I yielded my heart in obedience.
Next month we will again be in India, specifically north India, that is hard ground for the gospel. We have meetings scheduled with church planters as a team from Celebration Church in Texas is coming to sow some of their life into incredible India. I am super fired up that my old partner Rusty Domingue is organizing all these 1st timers to take on India. We will preach the good news of Jesus with signs following with our strange clothes on lol… We got some financial challenges for these meetings, but we know he always provides for his work and uses people like you and me .
Come in Incredible India awaits you… sissy baby!
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