Biggest Prayer Request at the Moment

I’ll make this brief! Our two-year work visa is up MARCH 31. We are about to re-apply for another two years and waiting on some paperwork to get returned so we can submit our applications. We’d appreciate your prayers for FAVOR from the immigration offices as they review our application in the coming weeks. Please pray protection over us and that nothing would hinder us from staying.. and that there are no complications with our papers (and no mistakes on our end, so that we get accepted the first time! Some of you may recall we were rejected the first time we applied in 2009 because of a tiny error on our end).

We are not expecting any problems, but prayer doesn’t hurt! We know God has us here and will make everything work out as it should. Every time you think of us in the coming weeks please pray over this issue! We should have an answer by mid March! THANKS sooo sooo much!

The other morning while flipping pancakes I got to thinking about “the star”. You know, the one that hung over the manger where “little-baby-Jesus” was born? I was struck by the fact that a band of Iranian magician-astrologers were lead to Jesus by tracking a mass of burning gas in outer space.

Now, I know it’s not your average breakfast prep topic, but it hit me in a way that it never had before… the “Three Wise Men” were not a bunch of tame, sheet-wearing, camel-riding FedEx men delivering presents in a cute children’s story, but rather were intense and ritualistic magicians deeply engrained in pagan star-reading, celestial interpretation and fortune-telling (I doubt the 700 Club would be having them on for an interview).

We’ve become so accustomed to the story of “The 3 Wise Men and the Christmas Star” that we can easily overlook their gritty profiles, as well as the historical significance of their journey across Iraq and Syria to Bethlehem. I don’t know about you, but I don’t typically picture the wise men as being a bunch of self-mutilating pagan magicians who spend their evenings gazing at the stars in hopes of unlocking the signs of the times, but that may be exactly who these guys were. In fact, these folks were neither Jews, no Greeks, but most likely Zoroastrians from the area that is currently Iran.

The Zoroastrians were (are still) an interesting bunch. They believed in one God (Ahura Mazda) “the Lord of light and wisdom”. They had their eye out for a guy they called Saoshyant – a “messiah” of sorts (the greatest and the final in a series of three). They believed this man would appear at the end of time to bring renovation to the world, raise the dead, and to lead humanity into the final battle against falsehood. It was prophesied that the Saoshynat was to be born of a “maiden” via an immaculate conception (bathing in a lake that contained the “seed” of their prophet Zoroaster himself) and that he would begin his decisive battle against evil at the age of 30.

This, of course, all sounds very familiar, doesn’t it?

The interest thing is that what started out as a collection of pagan astrologers in Iran watching the stars and anticipating a Zoroastrian savior suddenly intersected with the nice, tame, baby-Jesus story in an incredible turn of events… demonstrating in a unique way that Jesus is not just the savior of the Jews, but of the whole world.

What struck me most of all was the simple fact that the God of the universe used a ball of burning gas several million miles away to direct a band of astrologers on a thousand-mile trek across the desert to worship Jesus.

Which leads me to my question…

If God can draw a crew of camel-riding pagans to Jesus through a star and Zoroastrian prophecy – how might He be drawing you?

What is the “star” that will lead you to Jesus this Christmas?

—Partnering with community initiatives for earthquake recovery and cleanup

—Hosting families, teams and individuals

—English tutoring and school volunteering

—Participating in/sometimes facilitating prayer gatherings

—First nation-wide organic church gathering, held in Waikanae in April

—Helping start a university aged missional community

—Helping plan and facilitate organic church forums/training gatherings

—Helping to organize several corporate worship and teaching events

—Teaching at YWAM Oxford

—Organizing a YWAM National Gathering prayer tour of Christchurch

—Volunteering and donating to the Grace Vineyard New Brighton food distribution center

—Meeting and networking with some of Christchurch’s finest

2011 Personal Highlights

—Receiving love and encouragement from friends and partners here

—Receiving words and revelations from God and witnessing His faithfulness

—Seeing new places on the South Island

—Adopting Indie! (our cat)

—Being snowed in not once, but twice (unheard of in Christchurch)

—Witnessing the joy that the ALL BLACKS brought to the country with their championship win

—Meeting new friends and building relationships

—Transitioning from employee to freelance graphic artist (Noah)

—Witnessing our friend’s newborn son enter the world

—Surviving four earthquakes between 5.9 and 6.3 magnitude (not including the 7.1 in 2010)

—Sponge baths and using a chemical toilet for 3 months (stinky on both accounts)

—Getting pregnant, hearing heartbeat, feeling baby move!

I just have to give some props to the Lord for being stunning, and thank Him for being faithful to His word He spoke so long ago.

We live in this ministry house. We’ve put a lot of work into this place from massive cleaning projects to redecorating, refurbishing, etc., to get it nice for not only ourselves but incoming teams. We’ve spent many hours praying here and praising God. Many people have come through our doors and prayed for this city, have worshiped God in these rooms. We have asked God to dwell in this place, to make His presence felt in this house. And I just want to praise Him for doing just that.

We have had several people over the last 20 months tell us about how they can feel peace when they come into this house, and that it feels restful and they can connect with God. It is so wonderful to hear that. God is beautiful, and He does make His home with us when we serve Him and invite Him to be a part of our lives.

Tonight a young lady dropped by who is uni student we meet with. She was amazing to look after our place while we were gone, along with a few others. She mentioned that they had a wonderful time and that they could sense God’s peace in this place and that it felt so safe. It makes me so happy to hear that. We want that. We want everyone who walks through our doors to feel the presence, peace and love of God. When she mentioned that tonight, it reminded me of something I wanted to share a few months back.

When we were housing a girl from the street for a few weeks, she had also mentioned that when she was in our house she didn’t have nightmares or see demonic visions that she usually experiences. God is so good. She actually slept well and felt safe. I am so thankful to our faithful God! He is HOLY! His presence can be with us if we ask, if we love Him, if we serve Him!

I am amazed. It is nothing we can do. We are imperfect, sinful creatures. We mess up all the time! It is His beautiful mercy that amazes me. Despite our junk, He dwells among us when we are willing to love and serve Him!

We’ve been personally encouraged this month to see a few things happen.

One: Noah and some other men meet regularly to brainstorm around the topic of multiplication and training anyone interested in planting a church. Recently they’ve been working on some ideas for upcoming training sessions and are nutting out the details and dreaming up what it could look right now in this season and what it would look like long term. The first training gathering is this week!

Two: Several people have raised their hands in interest to plant churches in their homes in different areas of the city. It’s been a long journey of relationally and prayerfully getting to this point… so it’s exciting to see some fruit. We hope this is just the spark that will set off a wildfire of multiplication throughout the region.