To the Ends of the Earth

Sick and Thankful for It!

2012-01-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Luke 5:27-32

For our family devotions, we are listening to a chapter of Luke each night, then reading Michael Card's (yes, the singer, he is an accomplished author as well) commentary on the gospel of Luke, then listening to the chapter again with a new perspective. It was an awesome way to get fresh revelations on the Christmas story. It has been a great journey so far and it has really been a boost for our family prayer times as well.

A few nights back, we went through chapter five. I have read this countless times before, I have even preached a few sermons on it through the years, but as the Bible so often does, with this new reading, I was overwhelmed when I re-read the story about the conversion of Matthew. How in the world could Jesus put together this band of disciples. How could you have Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot, and Matthew working together (Luke 6:12-16)? That would be like putting Neut Gingrich, Barack Obama, and Ron Paul on your leadership team. How in the world would these guys work together?

Matthew, a tax collector, working with Simon Peter, a hard working fisherman who had to pay taxes to this guy, and Simon the Zealot, a guy who wanted to forcefully remove all Romans and those who worked with them from the land. Talk about a strange group to bring together to try to build a kingdom with.

What struck me was not the group, or the fact that Jesus called Matthew into the group, but what jumped out at me was Matthew's response to the call. He immediately followed Jesus, he got up and left behind his old life, then he threw a party to celebrate. I think we need to celebrate more whenever someone enters the Kingdom and begins to follow Jesus. Unfortunately, a group of religious guys crashed the party and got upset with Jesus for spending time with "sinners."

I love Jesus' response, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteousness, but sinners, to repentance. (Luke 5:31-32)" Note that Jesus did not say that Matthew was not a sinner. He did not try to defend Matthew at all. I am sure Matthew would have admitted as much as well. After all, when you have been forgiven and throw a party like he was, it's not hard to admit your faults. He was celebrating his new life, I am sure he had no problem with recalling where he had come from. Jesus wanted the "righteous" to remember what it was like to be set free from their former lives.

I am amazed at how we so often forget what we are being rescued from. Jesus is not just saving us from hell, he is saving us from the sickness of sin. The sin that puts a great divide between us and the Father. Not only that, we can easily forget that there are others who are still in the stink that, by the grace of God, has been washed off of us. Jesus gave it all away to spend time with a sick man like me. I want to give my life away to let the sick know that there is a Physician who can heal whatever illness' they have.

I want to spend time with the "sinners" just like Jesus did. I love the gathering of the saints, but is it possible that we can take that gathering beyond the four walls of an organized meeting and party a little like Matthew, Peter, Simon the Zealot, and our Lord? Let's get out among the sick and proclaim the love of the Physician. That is the example that Christ set for us. Let's be bold and follow Him into those places that make us uncomfortable and trust that He will use us to bring healing to those who are sick and need redemption.

Thanks to my good friend, Ross Jones, for recommending the Michael Card book. I pass along this recommendation to anyone who reads this - Michael Card Luke, the Gospel of Amazement.

Wrestling with God

2011-12-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book by my favorite worship leader, David Ruis. The title of the book is The Justice God is Seeking. David is one of those rare worship leaders who can worship, evangelize, preach, proclaim, and challenge all at the same time. If you listen to any of his albums, which I highly recommend that you do, you will worshiping and right in the middle of it all, you might hear that still small voice challenging you to a higher way of living.

I love to be challenged by the Lord. Those of you who know my preaching, know that I also love to pass that challenge along. There are times when you have to wrestle some things out with God (Gen. 32:23-25) by yourself. There are no quick answers and no sermons to listen to help you through it. As I am reading this book, I am in one of those moments; wrestling, sweating it out, trying desperately to get my point across. Just when I thought that I was winning, Jehovah Tricky (to steal a phrase from my good friend Jim Hill), did one of those MMA leg twists on me. As I write this, I find myself laying on the mat, knowing that I am whipped, but still trying to find a way to honorably get up without losing face.

As I wrestle with God's justice on the earth and what that cost is for myself and my family, pray for me. I will let you know what I learn after I surrender.

Run to the Father

2011-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

He sat in the office staring straight ahead. He looked like he had no emotions at all, but I knew that behind those steady, black, eyes he was scared. He did not fidget, move, or answer our questions. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, only someone familiar with the culture could detect the slight tremble in his voice.

I have been working with orphans in Cambodia since 2002. I have been the international director of Heritage House for eight years. I have dealt with many Khmer children and youth and I knew what was going on inside of his mind. He was afraid that he had disgraced himself and he was afraid of "losing face" with the staff and other children. So, instead of asking for forgiveness, he was going to save his dignity and be kicked out of the house.

His name is Dyna. He is 14 years old and he enjoys playing computer video games with his friends at the internet cafe. He is doing an internship at a local moto repair shop while on summer holiday from school. His boss had let him off an hour early and he had gone to play games with his friends. One hour rolled into the next until finally it was 7 pm and he wondering where the time went.

Instead of returning to the house and telling the dorm mothers what had happened, he went to a near-by field and spent the night alone. During the night, we prayed, searched, and worried about Dyna. The next morning he awoke and went back to the internet cafe. Vutha and Srey Oun found him there sometime that day.

So here we sat, trying to decide what to do with Dyna in the Heritage House office. As I look back over how he arrived here, I am reminded of my own life. As you hear his story, you might be reminded of yours as well. It starts with one bad decision. We do something that seems right in the moment, but it is not long before what felt right is now turning out to be, well, not right. It is draining our time, our energy, and taking us away from the things that matter - our Father, our family, our real friends, and our focus. The next thing you know, one hour is two, two hours are three and now it is dark. Its much harder to find your way home in the dark. Instead of going back to the place that is safe, we find ourselves alone in a field. We are cold, afraid, and scared while everyone at home is warm, secure, and sleeping peacefully.

Dyna was afraid of what Vutha and I would think of him. He thought that in his sin, we were going to be harsh with him. The truth is, we were both teenagers once. We know what it is like to make unwise decisions and although we would not excuse his transgression, we were more worried about his safety and would surely forgive him if he asked. The fathers in his life were a safe place. We love Dyna and see the potential in him. Where he saw failure, we saw immaturity. Where he felt hopeless, we felt hopeful. Where he felt defeat, we felt confident that victory was near.

Like Dyna, we have a Father who is a safe place for us. When we make mistakes, when we absolutely blow it, when we find ourselves lost, alone, and cold, we can run to our Father and He will receive us. All we have to do is admit that we sinned and He will be there with open arms to receive us. Jesus told a pretty good story about lost sons in Luke 15. If you find yourself lost, pick up a Bible and read it for yourself. You might be surprised what your Father's response will be if you come back home.

Dyna finally broke down and asked everyone to forgive him. He was surprised at our reaction and acceptance. His "friends" had told him that we would be mad and that he would never be forgiven. He was welcomed not only by us, but also by the other children. We were all worried about him. The other children were thrilled that he was back home as well. If you are away from home, I suspect that you will be shocked at how the "other children" respond to you when you return. The Father sets the tone for that, and as His children look to Him and see His concern and love, they respond accordingly.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Habits

2011-08-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

I have a hole in my right shoe. It is right in the arch between the ball of my foot and my heel. As a matter of fact, I have a hole in the exact same spot in most of my shoes. It's not because I walk funny, although I do have this mix of western and Asian strolling going on nowadays. I have a hole there because of the way that I ride motorcycles.

I got my first dirt bike when I was 10 years old. It was a 1978 Honda XR 75. It was a few years old when I got it, but it shined that first day. I learned how to ride in cow pastures, on dirt roads, and the lake bottoms. I graduated to a XR 200 when I was 14 (that's when I started breaking bones, too many to count). Then to a KDX 200 my senior year of high school. Since then I have had a variety of mopeds, dirt bikes, and street bikes in the United States and Asia. I love to ride. It is my primary source of transportation in Cambodia. In our first five years of living here, I put 20,000 miles on a dirt bike. That's a lot of miles riding primarily on semi-paved roads, dirt roads, and, on occasion, through rice paddies.

Because I have ridden for so long, I have ingrained habits. Because I used to race a little and ride the lake bottoms a lot, I sit a certain way on a motorcycle. I hold the clutch with two fingers, always. When things are getting a little hairy, I slide up on the seat, never worry about the back wheel, just focus on the front, I pull my elbows up, and play the throttle according to the situation. I rarely use my back brake, except to slow for certain kinds of corners. So, I always put my right foot on the edge of the peg and it wears a hole in my shoe.

My riding style is a habit. When things get really sticky, I have 32 years worth of habit to lean on to get me out of it. My other habits, ones far more important, are prayer and Bible reading. So, when life gets a little sticky, I have something that automatically kicks in and I can lean on and trust to get me out of the situation.

One Woman's Faith

2011-07-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

I stood uneasily as the wooden floor beneath me creaked. It was hot and sweat was dripping off of everyone in the room. I looked around the room at this ragtag bunch of misfits. Here we stood, the banana farmer, the village mid-wife, the cook, the pastor, the single mother, and the missionary. I looked at the woman lying on the bed and knew that unless God did a miracle, that she would be dead soon. We stood, worshipped the One who knew her suffering more than anyone, laid hands on her, prayed for healing, cried, whispered words of love and encouragement from the scriptures to her, and left the room quietly to let her rest. She was a young believer in Jesus, a mother, a nurse, and a survivor. She had lived through the Khmer Rouge, she had survived the rebuilding of the nation. But here she lay dying of cervical cancer. Her husband had left her and her children years ago to take another wife.

She represented to me the young Khmer Church. The struggles that she faced I see daily in the Church in Cambodia. She had given her heart to the Lord several years ago while a group of people met with a missionary weekly for one year. After the missionary was unable to meet with the group anymore, her faith waivered and she returned to her former ways. She was going to the pagoda again. Offering sacrifices to the spirits. Her life was filled with the terrible knowledge of knowing the truth and yet, rejecting it for a lie (Rom. 1:22-23). She was trying desperately to make sense of life, to survive, and to take care of her children and now her grandchildren.

When Vutha moved to Kampot, the group contacted him and asked if he could start meeting with the few who remained. For two years he has been meeting with the small “water fall” cell group. The group remains small, but it is growing in the knowledge of Christ (Eph. 1:17). After the group was meeting again and being strengthened, the lady asked if she could return to join them. She was embarrassed that she had been so easily pulled away from pursuing the Lord and felt that she had failed when there was no one around to encourage her in her walk. The group eagerly embraced her, loved on her, and rejoiced at her return. She was still weak in her faith, like all of us, but she was growing. She had been back for almost a year.

Five days after I stood with the brothers and sisters at the foot of the bed, our sister went to be with the Lord. When I got the phone call, I cried. It was a blow to all of us. I did not cry because she was dead, I knew she was now with the Lord. I cried for her family. She was the only Christian in her family. Her children demanded a traditional Buddhist funeral and refused to let Vutha speak or share the gospel. They feared that it might bring bad luck to the family if Christians were involved in the service.

Vutha visited the family after the funeral and shared the Hope that their mother and grandmother had. He, once again, shared the gospel with the family as he has many times in the past. I am thankful that to have known this woman. Her struggle was our struggle, her strength was our strength, and her Lord is our Lord. I am so thankful that we do not have to mourn her death as others do. Though her body sleeps; she lives with her Savior! Pray for the family to know her Savior and for the young believers here to be strengthened.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as other who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” 1 Thess. 4:13-14

God of the Hopeless

2011-05-31T02:19:00.000-07:00

I pulled out of my gate at 6:30 this morning and saw him ambling down the street a quarter kilometer away. It is impossible to miss his silhouette. Head down, shoulders slumped, and unshaven; he walks on as he does every day. His feet shuffle down the dirt road with the familiar pat, pat, pat of flip flops hitting the dirt and rocks. As I pass him, he refuses to look up, to make eye contact, or to acknowledge my presence in any way. His clothes are familiar; I have only seen him in two, possibly three different shirts. Today it is the dirty, green stripped button up with the small hole in the shoulder.

His look is the same that I see all over the city as I go about my day. It is the look of a man who is hopeless.

He and I are alike in so many ways. We both have two sons that we dream will grow and become men with a future. We both have a wife that we want to provide for, to take care of, and want to shower with love and affection. Our wives are both spiritual people.

We also are very different. He has not job or source of income. He gets up daily with no plan other than to hope that someone will ask him to help them and that he can get enough money to buy food for the day. I get up with a full day and more than I can accomplish on my plate. His sons are undersized for their age. Mine are normal and non-descript by most standards. His wife is a soothsayer. She is paid to summon dead ancestors, to predict the future, and to cast spells on people. My wife is a Godly woman who people seek out for guidance, affirmation, and prayer.

The most obvious difference in our lives is that his wife is HIV positive. Without a miracle, she will be dead in a few years from a disease that has the potential to more damage to Cambodia that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge ever did. She knows she is dead, the children know that she is dying, and her husband knows all too well that the situation is hopeless.

I pray for him often. I ache when I see his face. I see one man among thousands enduring the same fate in this nation. God sees every one of them. His Son is Hope; the only Hope that my neighbor has. I pray that his hopelessness will turn to hope in the resurrected Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3

Missionary Vision

2011-04-12T23:37:00.001-07:00

“Missionary work is church work. It is not a steady stream of glamorous and exciting events, but a slow and steady perseverance in preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and shepherding. ”

Brad White

I took a test before we moved back to Cambodia. It was one of those tests that tell you what your strengths are and how to use those strengths to encourage others. I enjoyed the test and really enjoyed my time with the couple who taught our team. Mark and Melissa Medley, if you are reading this, thanks for taking the time to meet with us and guide us through maze. The test listed your top five strengths and helped you focus on using those things that are natural to you and how not be frustrated by the gifts and strengths that you do not have. Instead of being frustrated by your lack, build on your personal strengths and "staff your own weaknesses."

My top strength was "context." Simply put it means that you learn from the past, yours and others, and view the future through past events. It helps you avoid pitfalls that others have made and to see things that worked and to apply those things to your present situation. The test really helped me understand my personality and probably explains why I was a history major in college. So, the following is my thoughts through the "context lens" of missions; past and present.

I have a great burden for the Church and for the lost. I ache to see the Kingdom of God established in the nations of the earth. While I appreciate the heart and desire of many Churches in western nations to send missionaries and teams to the far reaches of the earth, I am wondering if we ever stop to evaluate the results. Do we stop to listen to the foreign missionaries who have lived on the field for years or to the indigenous brothers and sisters to see what the real needs are. Is our missions for the glory of Christ or for our own selfish gain? Does our going really just make us feel good, or are we going for His name to be lifted up? Do we go to the nations to "teach the heathen," or do we go because we have heard the heavenly calling and must obey it? Are we sent as a part of the Body of Christ or are we on our own mission?

If it is so easy to go and have hundreds or possibly thousands of conversions in a few days, then why is the whole earth not turned to Christ yet? If is it so easy in foreign fields, why are those numbers not reflected in western nations? I am amazed at what I read on social networking sites from people who have only visited a country for a few days, do not know anything at all of the culture of the people, and yet are able to have 1,700 people get "saved" in a week. I do not doubt the sincerity of those who post these things or that they really believe them. However, does the scripture not show us that the greatest missionary who ever lived, Jesus Christ, took time to be with the people and live among them (Matt. 1:23)? Why do we think we can take a shortcut, avoid any real disappointment, discouragement, and disillusionment, and be back in our native land eating in our comfortable homes leaving the long process of discipleship to a few of the "called ones" who have to live with the "savage" peoples? Does anyone ever stop to ask how many times these people have been "saved" and yet, they still worship idols?

Don't get me wrong, I am called to a "savage" land. I want to disciple the people of S.E. Asia. I have ministered in the west and I know there are many disappointments and difficult times there. I do not envy my pastor friends in America, Canada, and Scotland who have to shepherd the people of those lands. I am merely asking, no, begging, when you come for a short term trip, come to serve. Come to learn as much as come to teach. You have much to offer, but you also have much to learn. As Derek Prince said, "God gave you two ears, but only one mouth." Listen to what God is showing the people working there and come to serve that vision.

I have read and heard of reports of the mission agencies stating the numbers of converts in certain parts of the world. Many times when those numbers are added up and totaled together, the numbers of converts often are three times higher than the population of the nation. When you talk to missionaries living and working in those nations, it is obvious that the numbers of true converts do not match the numbers posted by the various agencies. Are our numbers more important than the true work of God?

I am not saying that short term missions is not important to the vision of the local Church and to the missionaries themselves. I am simply saying that in scripture and in Church history, the way that nations are won for Christ is when a group of people (Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, William Carey, Amy Carmichael, James Fraser, Adoniram Judson,etc.) go to a city/nation, live there, and share the gospel. In modern history, 17th century on, it usually takes 50 to 100 years of constant missionary involvement from a group of people before the gospel takes root among the local population. By living and dying there, they build up national leadership that then grows the Church.

Most of the great missionary "hero's" of the past would not make it in today's missionary climate. Many of them saw little fruit in their lifetimes. But by their faithful sowing, a harvest has been reaped in the nations where they served. The "Lamb that was slain is receiving the reward of His suffering" because they refused to be moved from the vision that was given to them. They suffered beyond what most of us could imagine. They buried wives and children in foreign lands and yet endured for His glory to be revealed to the people.

The quote at the beginning of this blog says perfectly what I am trying to communicate, "Missionary work is...a slow and steady perseverance in preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and shepherding." I pray that the western Church has the patience and willingness to endure to see a glorious bride prepared for Christ.

Pleading With False Gods

2011-02-25T01:55:00.000-08:00

But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been down!” Judges 6:31-33

This is a very familiar story found in chapter 6 of the book of Judges. Gideon had torn down the altar of Baal, under the cover of darkness because, “he feared his father’s household and the other men in the city too much…. (v.27)” In the morning, the men of the city wanted to kill Gideon and the other men with him who had torn down their altar and idols.

Usually in this story I focus on Gideon’s fear. I can easily identify with him because I am not sure, but I probably would have done what he did. I would have really wanted to please God, but would have been really afraid. So, I would work out some sort of compromise in my mind where I could obey God and minimize the cost. Honestly, I am not sure what I would do if God told me go to the pagoda next door to my house and to destroy it. I know the cost to me and my family would be huge!

The other night in our family devotion time, we read this story again. I found myself focusing on a different aspect of the story for the first time. As we were reading, I found myself in the place of the men of the city. What do I do when others tear down the idols and altars in my life? Sure, the places that I find myself worshipping are not as obvious as the people where I live. I do not get up and burn incense to deceased relatives every morning. I do not go to the pagoda and offer sacrifices to the spirits in order to have good luck. But I do have idols in my life just the same. I am sure you do as well. Some are obvious: sports teams and television. Then there are those subtle ones that I worship at: my doctrine, my style of worship, my view of righteous social agendas, etc.

Like the men of the city, I find myself defending my idols. In my Church circles it is easy to push aside most of the assaults on my idols. I just say something like, “Hey brother, you need to watch out, your letting a religious spirit creep into your thinking.” That works for those challenging your time, how you spend your money, what entertains you. Another common defense of my idols is to say, “Wow, you are really letting the culture influence you. You have watered down the truth.” That one works on the assault to my motives on social agenda issues. After all, my agenda is righteous, so I can hide my motive to be right behind that, right?

I find that the subtle idols are dangerous because they can most easily be disguised as ___________ (fill in your Christian jargon here). Doctrine is important, worship is important, social agendas, and the rest are important, but sometimes we can find ourselves letting these take the place of relationship with this amazing, holy, loving, Christ.

I find that the idols in my life, even the “holy” ones, keep me away from the God of love. The Holy Spirit has challenged me this week to lay down my idols and to see if they can defend themselves. If they can’t, then they need to go. I want to get to that simple Christianity that just lives to the glory of God daily by loving Him and loving my neighbor.

Joash was a pretty wise man. Will you follow his advice this week and let your idols defend themselves if they can?

Empty Money Box

2010-08-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

As I opened the money box, I was surprised to see that it was empty. It was the first Monday of the month and I had gone into the office early to get the staff salaries and rent ready. I looked into the box in disbelief. I called for Tola and Coy, two of the young men from Heritage House who work at the school as security guards, to come. Tola came around the corner and I asked where Coy was. He told me that Coy had not been there all weekend long. I stood in disbelief as my mind whirled and I realized that Coy, one of my Khmer "sons," had robbed the ministry.

Coy's father, an ex-Khmer Rouge solider and cadre leader, was murdered when Coy was 10 years old. His father was a shaman for their village and had made alot of enemies in his past. Coy and his siblings heard the gun shots from a few hundred yards away, but he was dead by the time they reached him. His mother immediately abandoned the family and moved to Thailand. Coy's sister, the oldest of 11, had married a pastor and tired to care for the younger children, but they did not have the resources to care for them properly. So, Coy, and three of his younger siblings, Krum, Yaht and Srey Ma, came to live with us at Heritage House. They have been a part of our family for over six years now.

For a week, Vutha and I tried to contact Coy. All of our attempts failed and we grew more and more frustrated. We spent a week on the emotional roller coaster of guilt, "how did we fail him?," to anger, "how could he do this to us?", to prayer, "Father, help us and protect Coy!", and over and over again. Finally, Coy's brother-in-law, the pastor, got ahold of him and called us. We scheduled a meeting and prayed that he would return.

I finally got the call from Vutha saying that Coy, his brother-in-law, and two other men were at his house and wanted to meet with me. As I walked into the room, every eye was on me and I knew that the first few words were critical. Coy stood as I walked in and bowed in Asian respect. My emotions were overwhelming and I really did not know what to say or to do, so I did what came natural, I hugged him and told him that I loved him and that, more importantly, Jesus loved him and wanted to forgive him. The tension in the room immediately lifted as the presence of the Lord filled that place.

We talked for over an hour and Coy returned the money that he had not spent (about 80%). We have scheduled a payment plan for the other 20%. One of the men who was with Coy was not a Christian and could not believe how we reacted to the situation. In Khmer society, things would have been much different for Coy. I was excited to see how Vutha handled the situation as a Khmer Christian, a pastor, and a father to the Heritage House children.

As we finished our meeting, we prayed for Coy. When we were done praying, Coy fell into my arms and wept openly asking for forgiveness. This is against everything in Khmer culture, he is a young man, and they do not cry and no one here asks for forgiveness without the grace of God coming on them. I wept with Coy and I rejoiced in his humility and the fact that he was once again right with the Father.

Coy is living with his sister and brother-in-law again. We all felt that was best for him at this point. He called Sterling last week, they are good friends, and talked for awhile. Before they hung up, he asked that Kristen or I call him sometime. I was out of town, but Kristen called and they had a good talk. I will call him tomorrow to check on him.

"...love will cover a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8), and I am thankful for that. I am thankful for the love of Christ that forgives and covers my sins, I am thankful that he can pour out in my heart an attitude of love toward a young man who made a bad choice. I know that this is part of the dealings of God in Coy's life and that Coy's future is going to be a good one as long as he continues to humble himself to His Savior.

This orphanage thing can ripe your guts out at times, but I praise God for His goodness and faithfulness in my life, in Kristen's life, and in the lives of the children at Heritage House. He is good!

Slum Dog Millionaire

2010-06-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have put off watching the movie Slum Dog Millionaire for a long time now. It is not because of the reviews or that fact that I rarely like foreign films. I have heard nothing but rave reviews of the movie. I have friends who have lived and worked in India for years and they said that it was a very real account of life there. I have simply not wanted to watch it because it would force me to look deep into myself and examine places that I like to keep, well, unexamined. Things like attitudes, motives, the way that I spent my time, energy, and money, and my attitude toward the poor.

You can watch a movie like Slum Dog Millionaire and do one of two things: first, say something like, "Wow! Praise God that I was not born in a situation like that, or secondly, wrestle with why you were not born in a situation like that. I tend to fall into the second category. Now, if like me, you fall into the second category, then you have to do some soul searching and come to some conclusions. If I was not born into a situation like those children in Slum Dog, then what is my responsibility toward those who were? What was it that Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48)" What is required of me? Why was I given much (if you are reading this and come from a Western nation, you were given much too)? How do I respond to those who were not given much?

I watched the movie, now I am wrestling. It is a good wrestle, the kind that I need from time to time. If you have not seen the movie, pray about it, and if you feel like a good wrestle with your soul, watch it. I pray that it impacts you the way that it has me. If you need a good first hand look at life for the majority of the world I will tell you what Mother Theresa told everyone who wanted to know what was going on in Calcutta, "Come and see." Our doors are always open, we will make a spot for you and you can see what God sees in millions of lives around the world every second of the day.

The Orphans Cry

2010-03-24T02:59:00.001-07:00

The older girls from Heritage House had a sleep over at our house a few weeks back. Kristen and Elizabeth LeMarr had them over to play games, eat popcorn and watch a movie. We like to do icebreakers with the kids from Heritage House just to see what they are thinking about things.

We usually do one serious one and one lighter one. On this night, Kristen asked the girls a light one to start off. The question was, “If a genie granted you one wish, what would you wish for?” The girls started around the room and the answers ranged from, “I would wish for a good job,” to “I would wish for a nice moto,” until finally it came to Churp. Chrup is a 14 years old and is a very serious young woman. When it was her turn to answer the question, she sat quietly for a few seconds and then said, “If I had one wish, it would be that my entire family really knew Jesus.”

Chrup’s older sister, Srey Neeung used to live at Heritage House. When she was sixteen years old, she decided that she wanted to move out and live her own life. Their mother had died in child birth with their younger sister, Srey Night. Their father had left them with their grandmother and remarried. Srey Neeung went back to live with their father and work in a sweat shop. Chrup prays daily for her older sister and father.

Srey Neeung gets married this week. When we asked Chrup if she wanted to go, she said, “No, I cannot go because Srey Neeung is going to marry a man who is not a Christian. She knows the truth but is choosing to disobey God. I cannot go and say this is alright.” In this culture, it is a huge step to not go to a family function. Chrup is really taking a stand for righteousness . She is putting the word of God and the truths found there ahead of her culture and ahead of her family (Luke 14:26). It would be easy for her to go and say, “I am going to be a witness.” However, she is letting her older sister know that she loves her, but will not sit by while her sister chooses to disobey God. For this, I applaud Chrup.

Churp has a burden for souls. However, it is not the burden that says there is an easy salvation out there; just say this prayer and then live however you want. Her burden is for a true, soul saving, life changing salvation that brings freedom in Christ. Chrup, as evidenced by the answer to the question that Kristen asked, is also not concerned for the things of this world. She has fixed her eyes on the eternal and cares for the things that really matter. She is burdened for her family, her friends at school, and her country.

I am convicted as I write this because I see in a 14 year old young woman what should be the burden of my heart. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be the “unction” in my life for what really matters. I pray for a fresh burden for souls.

What I Saw The Other Day

2009-11-18T01:21:00.000-08:00

One of my constant prayers has been that the Lord would allow me to see what He sees and to feel what He feels. I know that I cannot handle all of what He sees and feels, but I also know that He will not put more on me than I can stand. I pray this way so that I can stay sensitive to the needs of a lost and broken world. Since living in Cambodia, I must say that at times, it has been overwhelming to see the needs around me.

I was riding back on my motorcycle to the house that we were staying in last week when the Holy Spirit just gave me a small glimpse of what He sees every second of everyday. As I left Heritage House, I felt that small voice inside whispering for me to "open my eyes." This is what I saw on my five mile ride home:

A woman craddling an infant in her arms bowing down in front of two monks as they chanted "blessings" over her. I cannot imagine how desperate a mother must feel in this society. She was just wanting to know that things would be alright for her child in this life.
A girl on a bridge just staring off at nothing. Her face was etched with sorrow and hopelessness. Yesterday an 18 year old girl here hung herself beside Heritage House because she could not handle the sorrow any longer. Did she ever hear the Message?
A poor city. Poverty that most of us in the west cannot imagine. Boys playing in the open sewers, small thatch "houses" with multiple families living in them, and filthy children playing in the streets. I wish that I could put into words what the scene was like. I ached as I rode and thought that could my children.
A young child (possibly two) playing in the middle of the street as cars, motos and bicycles pass by on all sides.
A row of restaurants that serve as brothels. I saw teenage "beer girls" standing outside with the look of someone who has already given up on life on their face. At 16,17,18, these girls have lived lives harder than you or I will if we live to be 80 years old.

As I drove, I could sense the Holy Spirit speaking to me of the needs all around and that He wanted to meet each person individually. God does not see us as a mass of humanity, some nations rich and some poor. He sees individuals, men and women, boys and girls as we are - all created in His image, all broken from the sin in our own lives, all in need of a Savior.

I see these images, ones forever impressed upon my heart, and I want to scream, I want to cry, I want to give it all away so that others can know how much Jesus loves them. After these experiences, I usually make it home and all I can do is pray. Pray for God to use my family as His voice. Pray that we will not talk about being the hands and feet for Jesus, but that we will be His hands and feet.

That was my ride home. What was yours like? Did you ask the Holy Spirit to allow you to see the needs around you? Have you really listened to those that you work with? Have you talked to your neighbor in awhile. Please don't just invite them to Church. Be the Church for them. Let them see Jesus living in you. Cry when they cry, hurt when they hurt, rejoice when they rejoice, and let them know that Jesus loves them. He loves you, he loves me and he wants to use us to reach a world that is dying without knowing Him.

Pray for me and I will pray for you as we journey together on different parts of the earth.

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke - Romans 8:31

Kampot - Week One

2009-11-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing trip to Cambodia. Southwest Airlines is hands down the best airline that we fly inside of the United States. The lady at the check-in asked where we were going with our unusual luggage and when I told her, she asked if we wanted our parents to go to the gate with us. She then gave us a pass so that Kristen's mom and dad and my dad could walk us all the way to the gate. Not to mention the free bags they allow you, always fly Southwest if given the option.

We arrived in Cambodia after 23 flight hours fresh and ready to take on the world. We arrived at midnight, so we spent the night in Phnom Penh. Vutha took us the next day to buy two motorcycles (can't live in Cambodia without them). Needless to say, Sterling was excited about getting his Honda AX1 250. He will be sharing with Kristen while Benjamin and I will be riding the other one.

After spending a long, hot day in Phnom Penh, we drove down to Kampot. Vutha was following on one of the motorcycles and I was driving the orphanage truck. Right as we left, it started raining. Now driving in the rain in the states can be a hassle, but here, it can be dangerous, especially when your windshield wipers don't work. So, our three and a half hour drive turned into a five and a half hour drive. I am still not sure why we did that, but between the jetlag and rain, it is the grace of God that we arrived.

Our first few days in Kampot were tiring, but wonderful. Our first service at Hosanna was encouraging. We shared communion together and just to look at all of the Khmer brothers and sisters sitting there and thinking how diverse heaven will be oneday brought a smile to my face. I am so grateful for the blood of Jesus that brings every tribe, tongue, nation and people together under His Lordship. That afternoon I went to a cell group where former enemies from the war sat together fellowshipping because of Prince of Peace.

As always, seeing the children at Heritage House humbles us. To see what this society views as worthless, not only surviving, but thriving, is amazing. God truly is the Father to the fatherless. He takes those that the world disregards and sets them in places of honor. Kristen comes alive when she is at Heritage House. The boys were really excited to see their old friends and to play with them also.

During the week we reconnected with some missionary friends here and met some new ones. We went to a cell group of ex-pats this past Sunday. It is exciting to see what God is doing with the diverse groups here. We meet a French brother and he offered us his guest house for the week until we move to house sit for another couple. He lives on the river and we have had a great time. The boys get up and get school done so they can swim. This morning we took a swim before school started.

We are having trouble finding a house for our family. We have the house sit for two months before the couple returns and trust that a house will open up for us by then.

This afternoon, Vutha and I are taking the Heritage House kids swimming and fishing. I assume the much more of the former. I praise God for His faithfulness! I am really excited about all that the next few years will hold for the nation of Cambodia. I sense great things are around the corner.

Thank you for your prayers!

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Rom 8:31

Kampot, Cambodia

Passion for Souls

2009-09-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

Something happened to me in a tent in the Middle East in 1991. I cannot explain it in words really. I just knew that Jesus was real and that I wanted everyone that I came into contact with to know Him. It was not just a wanting, but a burden.

After the war, my enlistment was up and I left the Air Force and went to college. My first two years were at Walter's State in Morristown, TN. I had two goals entering every class; first, to tell everyone in the classroom about Jesus and secondly, to make an A in that class. Well, at least the first one I was able to accomplish. I carried a backpack full of tracts. I had a tract for every occasion. I promise you, everyone in that school knew who the crazy Jesus guy was.

Since that time, I have had many opportunities to share Jesus with others. I have been in many countries sharing the love of Christ and have shared Him here in the states. However, as the years have gone by, I lost the backpack. I put the tracts up and used methods less brash.

A few years ago, our friends from a neighboring country in S.E. Asia came to visit us in Cambodia. Their country is a closed country. This family has known hardship when it comes to serving Jesus. Many of their family members have been imprisoned for the sake of Christ. They live under constant threat of being caught as Church leaders and being put in prison themselves.

While they were visiting us, we took them to visit a school that our friends ran. As we were taking a tour of the school, a man from their country was there. He worked as a general maintenance man for the school. During the war, he could not handle all of the things that he was required to do, so he deserted the army. He was living in Cambodia as a traitor to his country.

For two days, our visiting friends were such an encouragement to us. We had prayed together, had wonderful fellowship and enjoyed our time together. What happened after meeting this man at the school forever changed my life though. The lady who was visiting us, saw the man and went after him. She asked him his story, why he was in Cambodia, and what his life was like. He shared his entire story, as she stood listening intently. When he was finished telling his story, she said, "I forgive you for deserting our country." She then went on, with tears in her eyes, to tell him about Another who would forgive him if he asked. She stood, with tears rolling down her face, telling him about the love of Jesus Christ.

She had the burden. Love, passion, desire, and boldness, they all came out of her. It was the love of God for a lost soul flooding out of her as she shared about Jesus. When we left, she did not come back to the house for fellowship, she went to her room to pray for that man's soul. She was not going to let go with a simple, "Jesus loves you." She was going to storm heaven until that man was rescued from hell.

I don't know if I will pick up the backpack full of tracts again or not, but I do know that I will never worry about being comfortable when telling others about Jesus. He is worth talking about and He loves the lost. I will, by His grace, share with everyone that He allows me to. I pray that I will love as my S.E. Asian sister does - loving God and loving man.

In case you are wondering what the lost think about us Christians, take a look at this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w

Pray for me and I will pray for you. "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!"

Servant of a Passionate God

Lewis Burke

Rom 8:31

Fighting with the Monks!

2009-05-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

When had been in Cambodia about six months or so when I went out to visit our friend's family. Lyda had been living with us for most of the time that we had lived in Cambodia and we had been out to visit her family a few times. They live in Kampong Cham province. It was one of the 50 Khmer holidays (Second most in the world I am told. I wish I knew who had more) and she was back in the village visiting her family.

Her village is about two hours on a paved road and three hours on a dirt road. I was excited to get out in the countryside and spend some time by myself on the motorcycle. The directions to Lyda's village are quite strange. After you pass the Muslim complex on the paved road, take the first right dirt road. On that road, go straight until you hit the Mekong River. Take the boat across the river and stay straight on the dirt road until you go through the little section of wooden houses and take the first left. After the left, you go for an hour or so, following the river until you see a little village area, at the tallest coconut tree, look for the really small dirt road and turn right on it. You run right into their house a little ways up that road.

I love Lyda's family. Her father used to stay with us whenever he visited Phnom Penh. He is one of those wise old farmers who knows just about everything there is to know about living off of the land. Everytime he came and stayed at our house, he asked to watch the Jesus film. He loves that movie. As a matter of fact, when his wife was old enough to shave her head and go serve at the pagado, he said no. He had decided that Jesus was the real thing, so he did not want his wife serving at the Buddhist place of worship. It caused a real stir among the village elders, but he held strong. There are no Churches in his village, or even within three hours or so, but he still felt like Jesus was the true God, so he was willing to serve Him the best that he could out there in Kampong Cham.

While visiting Lyda's family, I heard that the neighbor next door had suffered a stroke. Lyda asked me to go and pray for him. As we walked into the house, there were 10 Buddhist monks sitting all around the man, fanning and chanting so that when he died, his spirit would blow out of the area not haunt the village. The man was lying on the floor with his wife sitting beside him. He had a pool of spit running down his face and chin. I have been in alot of situations that seemed hopeless, but I am not sure that I had ever been in one like this.

I laid hands on the man and began to pray. Of course, being the great man of faith that I am, I started out the prayer something like this, "Oh Lord, if it be your will, please help this man's family after he dies, etc." It was the weakest prayer that I could have prayed in the moment because I was intimiated. However, as I prayed, faith began to rise up in me. My arms began to burn and I knew that God was going to heal this man. I started to pray in true faith and proclaim that Jesus Christ was Lord of the situation and that He was healing this man. I began to shout out the prayer and as I did, the monks began to shout louder. Pretty soon we were in a shouting contest. My prayers to the living God and theirs to demon spirits. It was like something in the old testament being lived out right before my eyes.

I really knew that God was healing this man and that he was going to be alright. I was afraid to open my eyes, but told Lyda to tell the man and his wife that Jesus Christ, the true God, was healing his body and that when he was well, he was to give his heart to Christ and serve Him. I slowing opened my eyes expecting the man to jump up and testify. When I opened my eyes, the man had not changed at all. He lay on the floor, drool sliding down his chin, not able to speak.

I left the village right after that for my long, lonely ride back to Phnom Penh. I cried all the way, feeling like I had disgraced the name of Jesus. I wrestled with the thoughts that now the entire village would think that Jesus is not real, but merely another weak god. I told the Lord that I would contact our home Church and let them know that we would be returning to the states because I was a failure as a missionary. I begged God to forgive me and to send people back to the village who could proclaim the gospel effectively.

When I got back to Phnom Penh, Lyda called from her village. She told me that when I was gone about two hours, the man had gotten up. He was totally healed and had his wife fix him something to eat. The monks had all left. The man could talk, his speach was clear, his body was fine, and they wanted me to come back out there. I went back out the next day and the man and his wife gave their hearts to Jesus. They told me how their children had left for Phnom Penh and never came back to visit them. How they were lonely and had noone to help them on the farm. They rejoiced to hear the amazing news about Jesus dying for their sins and gladly received Him.

I learned alot on that trip. Mainly, that God really does love people and that He can use anyone to deliever the message of His Son. Even us faithless, at times, missionaries. That He is the same yesterday, today and forever. That He can heal those in hopeless situations. That we do not war against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). I was not fighting monks, I was fighting a demonic system that wants to enslave the Khmer people.

God is moving in that little village in Kampong Cham. We have prayed for years for a Khmer pastor to be raised up and sent out to plant a Church there. The field is ripe, the laborers are few. We are praying to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into that field (Matt. 9:37-38). We are also praying for a real move among the "spiritual" leaders in Cambodia. That God would reveal Jesus to the 50,000 monks working in Cambodia.

Releasing Your Children to the Will of God

2009-03-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."

Matthew 19:29

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting someone that I had heard about for years. Paula (I am withholding her last name because of where she minsters) is a missionary who has lived in Russia for many years. I heard about Paula through the Prices, Jeff Oakes and Russian friend, Maga. Everyone who told me about Paula said what an incredible person that she was and how powerfully the Holy Spirit was using her to reach out to people for Jesus. Maga is not a Christian and yet and is amazed at Paula's faith and courage. Maga does not give out praise easily. So, when he was telling me about Paula, I knew that I had to meet her.

Paula has lived in a war zone in the former Soviet Union for many years. When she first went to Russia, it was as a college student. She knew that God was calling her to missions, but felt like she would live in Africa. After being in Russia for her studies, she knew that God was calling her to stay and minister there (Acts 16 - Macedonian Call).

She had visited a war zone on a short term outreach and felt the Holy Spirit tell her that she would be ministering there and that her confirmation would be when her mother told her that it was alright. Now, what kind of a mother would tell her single, 25 year old daughter that it would be alright to move to a Muslim area of the former Soviet Union in the middle of a war?

Well, I got to meet the type of mother who would. Paula, her mother, Jo, their friend, Connie, and another Russian friend were traveling through the states and called the Church to see if we had a place for them to stay. Jeff was out of town and asked me to meet them and help them get settled in.

Benjamin and I took them out to dinner (Kristen was out of town and Sterling was staying with a friend). After dinner, we took them to a cell group so that they could share their testimonies. Connie shared how she was called to serve the team in Russia and had been there for almost three years. Amazing stuff! The Russian lady told of how she came to serve the Lord and how He had faithfully taken care of her family during difficult times. Remarkable stuff! Jo, Paula's mom, shared about how she had lived with Paula in Russia for six years and I was blown away. What a way to spend a retirement! Then Paula shared how the confirmation came to move to the war zone.

Paula's mom had visited Paula with a team of five men from their home Church in England. They were ministering in a refugee camp in the war zone. On the last day, Jo was leaving to go back to England and said, "Paula, I know that the Lord is calling you to minister in this place. I release and bless you to do the work of the Lord."

What a thing for a mother to do. Again, Paula was 25, single, and a woman. She would be living in a war zone caught between Muslim extremists and Russian soldiers. She was willing to lay down her life so that others could know about the love of Jesus. Here was her mother willing to not only release her daughter to the will of God, but to bless her in what Jesus had called her to do.

My hearts prayer is that Kristen and I will be parents who are able to do that, regardless of the cost. To release our sons to the will of God and to bless them in it. I do not know all that the Lord is calling our boys to do, but I know that in these days, the cost could be high.

I thank God for the Paula's and Connie's who are out there at the "ends of the earth." I also praise Him for the Jo's who will bless their children in the calling. I was privileged to meet these women of God.

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Romans 8:31

http://www.lightinseasia.org/

Back in the States!

2009-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

We made it back to the United States. It was an incredible trip and we praise God for all that he did during our time in Cambodia. Right now we are still fighing jet lag pretty bad. Kristen and Benjamin are staying at the house in Johnson City while Lewis and Sterling go to a leadership seminar at Heritage Fellowship in Jefferson City. On Saturday the boys have their last basketball game and then next week we go to Strong Rock Christian School in Georgia and Faith Community Fellowship in Alabama to share about the vision of the English School. No rest for the weary!

As soon as we are over our jet lag, we will update everyone on the trip.

Muslim Village in Kampot Province

If you would like to see more photos from the trip, you can visit our website:

http://www.lightinseasia.org/

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers during the trip! We witnessed the hand of God during the entire time that we traveled.

Servant of a Passionate God

Lewis Burke

Rom 8:31

Phnom Penh

2009-02-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

We have had a really great time in Phnom Penh. God has truly given us the desires of our hearts to see everyone that we needed to see. In a third world country, it is often difficult to connect with people.

Friday night we arrived in Phnom Penh after, in Kristen's words, "The most peaceful car ride that I have ever had in Cambodia." The driver went slow and did not take any silly chances. We also never got more than five feet from another car, water buffalo, cow, child, chicken, cat, dog, or old man in a wheel chair. It was amazing! I did not know these drivers existed. Praise God for answering prayer.

After we arrived in Phnom Penh, we had dinner with our good friends Sonja and Tola Kim. On Saturday morning, we came down from the lobby of our hotel and there was Pastor Siani. He was picking up a mission team from Singapore who were staying at our hotel. Kristen had prayed that if we were suppose to run into him that we would. It was great seeing him and hearing how everyone from Banteay Meanchey is doing. After spending a few minutes with him, we had breakfast with Daren and Jodi Beck. Friends of ours who have lived in Phnom Penh for years now.

After spending the morning in Russian Market, we stopped by the new "mall"and had Swenson's ice cream. I had heard a rumor they were here now, but wanted to see for myself. Again, praise God for answered prayer. It is good to know that I can get real ice cream every few months when we move back to Cambodia. HA!

Last night we went to see our dear friend Lyda. Her mother and father were in from Kampong Cham and it was an incredible time. Her father used to stay with us when he came to Phnom Penh and we spent many nights and days out in his village. He is 72 years old and his health is holding up. He used to love to watch the Jesus film at our house and would watch it over and over. He is one of those special people in our lives who have touched us deeply through the years. I never have time to visit him on one of these trips and it was so good of the Lord to let us run into him at Lyda's house here in Phnom Penh. We sat on the floor for over an hour with them catching up. It truly felt like we were visiting family. I really cannot express how thankful we were to see them all. God is so good!

We leave tonight for our long trip back to the states. We have over 36 hours to get back to Knoxville. Please pray for safe trips, our luggage to arrive with us on time, smooth airplane rides, our health, and for no delays. We really hope that we can check our luggage from Phnom Penh to the states. We do not have want to have to pick up our luggage in Korea.

We are very thankful for all that God has done on this trip. We are blessed. Thank you for praying for us during this trip. We pray that the Lamb that was slain would receive the reward of His suffering through His Church in Cambodia!

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Rom 8:31

For Prayer Requests for the Trip;

You can Visit our Website:

www.lightinseasia.org

God is Faithful in All Things

2009-02-18T21:33:00.001-08:00

We are constantly amazed at the faithfulness of God. Why this is, I have no clue. God continually amazes with everything that He does. To see all that He has accomplished during the seven years that Lighthouse Ministries has been on the ground here in S.E. Asia is, at times, overwhelming.

In meeting after meeting with Vutha, he continues to show wisdom way beyond his years. In dealing with the other staff, the children, the government, the culture, etc., Vutha continues to walk in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Just this morning, he was telling Kristen and I about how his heart was to let the children go back to their home villages for a day or two every year so that they can share how Jesus has changed their lives. It is his desire to see the children ministering to their lost relatives. We have several children who will be 17 and 18 years old this year, Vutha is passionately seeking the Lord for direction for their lives and is coming up with Spirit inspired plans.

Pheakadey's little restaurant is truly a Lighthouse in the city. She recently led a 65 year old foreigner who was visiting the city to Christ by sharing her testimony. A young 24 year old girl next door to the restaurant is a bonded slave to a rich family. The young girl has tried to commit suicide twice in the last few years. The family she is indebted to will not feed her enough or give her even a few hours off to visit the Church. Pheakadey sneaks her food from the restaurant and gives her tracts to read. Many poor and forgotten in the city know that they can find a place to sit for a few minutes, get a free meal and hear Pheakadey's testimony one more time. She is truly one of Phillip's spiritual daughters - a new testament evangelist. I am always convicted when in Pheakadey's presence because she is so in love with the One who saved her life (she was saved from child prostitution) and soul and is so passionate about sharing His love with others.

In the morning, the bread seller walks the street calling out for customers. Mary, Vutha and Pheakadey's daughter, will run to her window when she hears him calling out and sing at the top of her lungs, "Jesus Christ is the bread of life! " So, everyone every morning, the street they live on hears a child teaching them the truth of God.

Seeing Somnang, our oldest boy at Heritage House, in his right mind, leading worship, teaching computer skills to another student at his school, and talking about his future is a miracle. When Somnang came to live with us, he was 12 years old, and he had never been to school. He was really rough and we were reluctant to take him in. After prayer, we knew that he was suppose to live with us. Watching him relate to the other children and to see the work of God in his life is amazing.

Our new cook, Heng, was a demonized woman living in the village. Her father had nine children and was completely insane. He walked the roads seeing visions of Satan and terrorizing the others in the village. Heng was married to a drunkard who abused her and her two sons. She was soon following in her father's footsteps and the other villagers were afraid of her. One of her sisters gave her heart to Christ and shared the gospel with Heng. Now she is a Christian and growing in Jesus. She lives with Vutha and Pheakadey with her two sons and they are being discipled.

I could go on and on about the faithfulness of God. He has been working here in Cambodia and around the world and will continue to do so. We are blessed to serve Him. Our prayer is that Jesus Christ would be exalted in the nations and that His kingdom would truly come through His Church here in Kampot.

We will be leaving Kampot to head to Phnom Penh tomorrow. It will be difficult to leave our Khmer family here. We spent the morning with the staff of Heritage House. We praised the Lord together, prayed together, studied His Word together, washed each other's feet, and had communion. We laughed, we cried and we were moved by the love of God.

Tonight we will have a meal with the staff at Pheakadey's restaurant, spend the evening talking with the older children about their future, have devotions with all of the children, and spend the night at the guest house with Srey Roth and talk about her future. Please pray for us as we prepare to leave, it is always hard to leave the staff and children, for our safety traveling to Phnom Penh (really dangerous road) and for our time in Phnom Penh to be as fruitful as our time in Kampot has been.

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Rom 8:31

To see Prayer Requests for this Trip,

You can Visit our Website:

www.lightinseasia.org

God is so Good!

2009-02-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

The trip has been amazing so far. God has blessed us in so many ways already. We made it to Kampot, after leaving Tennessee only 57 hours earlier. After some really bumpy plane rides, we were thankful to have a very peaceful van ride down. We praise God for the safe trip here.

Seeing how well the staff and children have adapted to their new home and city is a real treat for us. They are really flourishing in every area. The children are all doing well in school. In almost every grade, one of the children from Heritage House is first in their class. The Church is moving along and having an impact in the area. At our guest house yesterday, a lady who works there said that she can hear the children singing and praising Jesus everyone day and that on Sunday mornings they seem to be so happy. Sisters Restaurant Two (Pheakadey's restaurant) is going well. Some of our older girls help cook and waitress when they are not in school. Yesterday, Mari and Chrup made our lunch and last night served us dessert. It is great to see how God is moving here and using the staff and children to make an impact in the city.

I shared at Hosanna Church Cambodia yesterday morning. We had five of the school teachers who had visited during the Christmas outreach return to visit the sevice. All five of them came forward to pray during the ministry time. They all prayed and opened their hearts to the Lord. In this culture, I am hesitant to say that they "prayed the sinners prayer." I do know that they prayed and asked Jesus to reveal Himself to them, confessed their sin and need for a Savior and asked the Holy Spirit to teach them about Jesus Christ the true God. So, we know that He is faithful to move in their lives and that the door has been opened for God to move. Please pray for them to truly encounter Jesus and for them to become true disciples.

The children from Heritage House led worship at the service. As always, Kristen and I sat and cried as we saw the goodness of God being lived out before us. To see these children who were orphaned, cast out by society and hopeless now being living epistles to the glory and goodness of God before our eyes. To see them singing and praising Jesus with all of their hearts lets us know that He is alive and still moving throughout the earth.

Please join us in praying for Coy, Somnang, Tola and Mari. These are our oldest children and we are seeking the direction of the Lord in what to do with them next year. We are praying about vocational schools or for them to continue one more year in public school. We need to be preparing them for their future and none of them will be able to finish all of high school due to their ages. We are trying to see what will fit each of them best.

Yesterday afternoon, Kristen and I spent hours with Vutha and Pheakadey and it was so refreshing to see all that God is doing in their lives. In the late afternoon, we played and talked with the children from Heritage House. It was a great day and we are thankful!

As strange as it seems, we only have four days left in Kampot. We leave for Phnom Penh Friday afternoon. We will visit friends there on Friday everning and Saturday and then start the long journey back to the states on Sunday. We did get seven hours sleep last night (our most so far) and may be getting used to the time here about the day we leave to head back to the states.

Thank you for your prayers!

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Rom 8:31

for prayer request for the trip,

you can visit our website:

http://www.lightinseasia.org/

Korea

2009-02-13T01:42:00.000-08:00

We are at the Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea. It took us over 36 hours to get here and we still have a 6 hour flight ahead. We have had some really rough take offs and landings due to weather. Kristen's cold was getting worse on the flights, but getting 6 hours sleep here has helped. We are praying for a smooth flight from here to Phnom Penh. We arrive at almost midnight there, spend the night and catch a bus in the morning for our 4 hour drive to Kampot where we will see the staff and children at Heritage House. Yeah! That is worth the trip for sure!

Will update more as I can!

Servant of a Passionate God
Lewis Burke
Rom 8:31

www.lightinseasia.org for prayer requests for the trip

Off We Go!

2009-02-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

Kristen and I are traveling to Cambodia to visit the orphanage from February 11th - 23rd. We are really looking forward to seeing all of the staff and children at Heritage House in Kampot, to meeting the new members of Hosanna Church Cambodia and to seeing old friends in Phnom Penh.

We did not intend to visit again before we move back in the fall of this year, but the Heritage House staff and children kept asking and God provided the funds for us to be able to do it at this time. It is great for Kristen to get to see Kampot before we move there. During our first move to Cambodia in 2002, she moved sight unseen. She claims this was the best way for the Lord to get her there. I say, she is an amazing woman who is willing to follow Jesus anywhere regardless of the living situation.

We have 20 hours of layovers, 26 hours of flight time, cross the international date line and arrive in Phnom Penh at midnight to spend the night and take a four hour bus ride the next day to get to Kampot. So, we leave for Kampot on Wednesday but do not arrive there until Saturday. Pray for the trip!

Speaking of prayer, we have a prayer list on our website:

www.lightinseasia.org

We will do our best to keep everyone updated on the trip as we go along. We will certainly miss our boys while we are gone. They are staying with friends and grandparents until we return. We trust that they will be refreshed and encourged during our time away.

Servant of a Passionate God

Lewis Burke

Rom. 8:31

Prince of Peace

2008-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

I was watching a football game the other day with Sterling and Benjamin and we saw this commerical for a new video game. Ozzy Ozbourne is in it and arguing with the main character of in the game about who is the true "Prince of Darkness." Of course, this brought back many memories of my high school years and the music that I used to listen to, but, more importantly, it reminded me of the war going on around us for the souls of men. It also reminded me of the Prince of Peace moving in a man's life in the jungle of Cambodia.

Christmas 2002, Kristen, Sterling, Benjamin and I went with our language teacher into the jungle of Banteay Meanchey on the border of Thailand. We went to visit an orphanage that our language teacher's husband ran. It was a 14 hour van ride on a dirt road. Because the boys were five and two years old, we broke the trip up and spent the night in Battambang. Due to stopping in Battambang and the road condition, we arrived at the orphanage later than expected. I knew that I was suppose to share a message at the Church, but I did not know that the service was starting about 10 minutes after we arrived.

Once we arrived, the service was filling up and we had to hurry and enter the building. During worship, I kept seeing a man sitting in the front row who looked like he was familiar with a life of suffering. Banteay Meanchey was one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge. The area had seen much war during the past 100 years (before the Khmer Rouge, there were warring factions in this part of the country). As we worshipped the Lord, I kept sensing the Holy Spirit encouraging me to share on Jesus Christ - the Prince of Peace.

As I stood up to greet the Church; I begin to share on Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From the moment that I opened my mouth, the man sitting in the front began to tear up. As I shared how Jesus came to give us peace not only in our physical circumstances, but also peace in our souls, the man began to cry. I shared that although they had suffered from war in this area, the real war was in their own spirits. I declared how that Jesus Christ died for us so that we can have peace with God, and the man began to sob.

When I gave the alter call, this man rushed forward. After we had prayed with many of the people there that day, the pastor of the Church asked this man to share. He introduced the man as the village leader. He stood before the congregation with tears of joy as he declared that he was a former Khmer Rouge commander and that his entire life he had only known war. He shared how that from a young man, all he had known was killing and violence, but that he had always truly desired peace. He said that when he heard how that Jesus, the true God, could bring peace to his heart, he knew that he had to repent of his sin and ask this Prince of Peace to enter his life as his Lord.

My family was blessed that day in the jungle to see Jesus moving in the lives of many. It was amazing to see this man of position in this village humble himself and to show earthly weakness in the eyes of the village in order to allow Christ into his heart (men, especially leaders, are not allowed to show emotion or weakness). The last that I heard of this man, he was involved in the Church and serving the Lord.

As you celebrate this holiday season, I pray that the Prince of Peace will rule in your heart and give you the only true peace that any of us can have - the peace that comes through Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Settling Back Into "Life"

2008-10-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have been back in the states for three weeks now. Bouncing between our two homes, America and S.E. Asia, can be overwhelming at times. Thankfully, the grace of God is over us in both places and we can rest in the Prince of Peace wherever we are.

Kristen and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. We were blessed to stay at Locust Springs Christian Retreat in Baileyton, TN. We were in a little cabin built in the 1830's for five nights (two nights with just us and three nights with the boys). It was such a refreshing time. The cabin was updated in the mid-90's and the caretakers of the retreat were great. If you need a get away from the cares of this world, I highly recommend this place. There is no cable TV, your mobile phone may or may not work, and no internet connection. It was wonderful!

All of you who know us, know that Kristen is amazing. I am blessed to have a wife who is passionately in love with Jesus. One who is commited to walking out His will regardless of the cost. She is an incredible mother and a wonderful wife. I am grateful to the Lord for blessing me with Kristen. I look forward to what the next 15 years hold for us.

Heritage House is doing good. They have a new dorm mother and cook. They continue to plug along. Hosanna Cambodia had four visitors this week. Vutha was really excited that they actually had a man visit the Church. Please pray for Jesus to pour out His Spirit in the city of Kampot and for all to know of His great mercy.

Bangkok!

2008-09-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well Sterling and I made it to Bangkok. He is a trooper hobbling around the city. You have to walk alot in a city this size and he has hobbled through it without a whimper. I keep telling him that he is going to have these huge arms by the time that we get back to the states.

I went to the doctor yesterday and it goes down as the most unusal birthday that I have ever had. I head back to the doctor for some follow up on Wednesday and then we fly out on Thursday morning at 1:20 am. Please pray that we will get a bulk head set so that Sterling can stretch his leg with the cast on it.

This trip has been such a blessing for us. Jesus has been faithful to lead and direct us along the way and we trust that new and increased vision has been set for Lighthouse Ministries. We sure miss Kristen and Benjamin and look forward to seeing them Thursday night.

I will send a complete trip update after we are back and have a few days to get over the jet lag.

and Then There Were Two!

2008-09-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well most of the team is offically back in the United States. I cannot begin to express how grateful we were for each of them. The example that all of them set for the Khmer Church through their service was incredible. They all cheerfully served in whatever task they were given. They scrubbed dirty bathrooms on their hands and knees, prepared walls to be painted, cleaned windows, washed floors, painted, mixed concrete, and anything else that was asked of them. They also prayed through the city and sat in the floor with the kids during worship and devotion times. Vutha has said over and over again that the example they set is a real boost to Heritage House.

Sterling got his cast on yesterday. Thankfully, they have a new hospital in Phnom Penh and it was actually clean and the doctors were excellent. He got a cast halfway up to his knee and some new crutches (the old ones were really heavy). Pray for him to be able to keep it dry and clean during our remaining time here in Cambodia and Thailand. We do not leave until Oct 2nd.

We made it back down to Kampot today and will be spending the rest of our time here with the staff and children. Vutha and I are going to visit a few villages in the area to see about starting a cell group or two. We are also checking on a building to rent for the new Church plant. Please keep us in your prayers.

Exciting Few Days

2008-09-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, true to form, the last few days have been rather exciting. S.E. Asia always offers up suprises. On Saturday, Sterling and Krum were playing in a tree at Heritage House when they both fell. Krum landed on Sterling's foot and broke it. We had an x-ray in Kampot, but they were not able to put a cast on it. Today I took him to the hospital in Phnom Penh and they confirmed that it was broken but that it was too swelled up to cast as of right now (not to mention the orph. doc was not on duty), so they will cast it tomorrow at 4 pm.

Last night the team went out for pizza (a good Khmer meal) and afterward planned to go to the internet cafe. We could not find two tuk-tuks, so we took moto taxis. Sarah and Katherine were on one, Maria and Heather on another, Sterling and Lewis on one and the rest of the men on one. In the confusion of traffic, we were separated. All of the men made it to the internet cafe, all of the ladies had a tour of the city. Thankfully, everyone was able to make it back to the hotel safely. The ladies actually seemed to enjoy the adventure.

It is these little things that make living in a third world country quite different from living in the developed world. Thankfully, the grace of God is over us at all times. The little adventures do not detour us from our main purpose of being here - to spread the message of Jesus Christ to those who are perishing.

The team leaves this afternoon at 4:30 to start their journey back to the states. Sterling and I will get the cast put on tomorrow afternoon and then head back to Kampot to spend a week there before heading to Bangkok. The team has been more than a blessing to the ministry. They have all served and gone the extra mile over and over again. We will truly miss them.

Please pray for the team as they travel and for Sterling as he navigates the dirty streets with a cast on for a week and a half more.

Two Have Left Us

2008-09-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well part of our team has left us. Shane Lilly and David Butler just got in a taxi heading to Phnom Penh. They have a really long trip ahead of them - four hour taxi ride to Phnom Penh, one hour flight to Bangkok, eight hour layover, six hour flight to Seoul, seven hour lay over, eleven hour flight to LA, four hour lay over, five hour flight to DC and then a three hour drive back to Fishersville, VA. Please pray for them!

Both of them were a tremendous blessing to the team. They painted a huge amount of the house, David lead the crew putting up the clothes line, Shane led devotions several days and they both were true examples of servants. The Heritage House kids prayed over them before they left and it was a great time.

Sarah, Matt and me (Lewis) are all back to normal, but now Robert is feeling a bit under the weather. This climate, the food, the jet lag, etc can all wear your body down.

We had a great prayer time at Vutha and Pheakadey's house yesterday. We also went to the school where most of the Heritage House children will be going and had a prayer time. This afternoon we will be going to the market to pray for the economy of the city and for righteous business owners to arise.

Thank you to everyone who is responding to the blog. I do not have time to respond back, but truly appreciate your prayers for the team and Heritage House. We also appreciate Sheila Atchley being persecuted and standing for Light of Heaven to shine in this dark country.

The House is Painted - Yeah!

2008-09-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

We have finished painting all that we can in the house so far. The rest will have to wait for the dry season and the gutters to be fixed. The house looks great! It is amazing what a little fresh paint on the walls can do.

Today we will be cleaning up all of the trash on the outside of the house. Getting the yard in shape and putting up a new clothes line. It takes a pretty sturdy clothes line to handle 25 people's laundry.

We have a few people with stomach problems - Sarah Atchely, Matt Spencer, and myself (Lewis). Please pray for us to get healthy. Nothing serious, but stopping to hit the bathroom five or six times per day slows us down.

All of the team have done an incredible job of serving. It has been neat for the Khmer to see the Americans working like they have. This morning's devotion was on the example of Jesus in coming to serve mankind and I have to say that this team has truly followed the example of our Lord. I am thankful for each of them.

Moving Ahead

2008-09-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday morning here in Kampot and we are heading to work. We should finish all of the bedrooms this afternoon. So far we have painted three dorm mother rooms, the girl dorm room, and the office. Today we will finish the two boy rooms if all goes well.

The team is working really hard and everyone is taking part. It has gone really good so far. What a blessing everyone has been. Everyone has been health so far and there have been no major illness in the group. I praise God for that!

This afternoon, we are going to do our first prayer walk through the city and prepare for the children to arrive tomorrow. We plan on having a communion service this evening together as a team.

This morning I was up on the roof of our hotel at 5:00 am and felt the Lord speak to my heart and say that it was important to remember what really matters. As the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, the wat started "the monk chant" and a young man who works at our hotel walked out with food offering to two spirit houses in front of the hotel. There is always "work"to be done, but the most important thing that we can do in this city is pray for Jesus to pierce the darkness of men's souls.

Tomorrow the Heritage House children arrive and we begin to get them settled. The next few days we will be painting all of the common areas.

Thank you for your prayers!

Clean at Last!

2008-09-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

Our bags arrived from the United States last night and Matthew and Robert were actually able to get them for us. They spent the night in Phnom Penh and caught a taxi van down today with the bags. It will be nice to have a clean change of clothes and a shave tonight. It will also be good to hopefully get a full night sleep for the first time on the trip.

Today we were able to get two of the rooms painted at Heritage House. Maria picked out some nice colors for the rooms (she has a gift for it). Vutha headed back to Sihanoukville to pick up some more supplies and will be back tomorrow with another load for us to unpack.

The new house is great for the needs of the orphanage, but needs alot of TLC. Thankfully we have a great team with us here and everyone is eager to work. Tomorrow we will finish painting the children's rooms and continue to clean up the place.

Our new landlord is a recent widow and a serious Buddhist. She is mourning her husband and has shrines all over the place. Please pray for her families salvation. Tonight she, her sister and grandson sat in on our worship time. She sat as we prayed for her salvation and did not understand a word that we prayed. Thankfully, there is One who heard the prayer and loves her soul. It is our sincere desire to see Heritage House be a blessing in this woman's life and that our testimony would lead her to Christ.

We Made it to Bangkok

2008-09-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone

We made it Bangkok after 28 long hours. However, (for the 9 of us from TN) our luggage was still in LA. We head to Cambodia this afternoon at 3:00 PM. Vutha will pick us up and drive us to Kampot. Matthew and Robert will stay in Phnom Penh to collect our luggage which should arrive tonight at 11:00 PM.

Please pray that our luggage actually arrives as all of the men really stink and the ladies are not so fresh themselves. Seriously, we all do need our clothes for this two week trip.

Our flights were uneventful, just the way that we like them. Other than leaving Knoxville two hours late and making the flight in LA by seconds (we had to run from one building to another).

Heading to the Ends of the Earth
Lewis and the team
Rom 8:31

Heading to Cambodia!

2008-09-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

We have a great team traveling to Cambodia to help Heritage House move from Sihanoukville to Kampot. We will be helping to set up the new house for the children and praying through the city as Vutha and the Khmer team prepare for the new Church plant.

Please pray for the team, Heritage House staff and children and the city of Kampot. It is our desire to see the name of Jesus Christ being exhaulted in every area of S.E. Asia.

Cambodia Team - Sept 9th - 23rd

Hosanna Fellowship - Johnson City, TN

Lewis Burke - Sterling Burke

Robert Read - Matthew Spencer

Harvest Church - Knoxville, TN

Sarah Atchley - Jonathan Trentham

Maria Kear - Katherine Kear

Church on the Hill - Fishersville, VA

Shane Lilly - David Butler

Trinity Chapel - Knoxville, TN

Heather Jones

To learn more about Heritage House and Lighthouse Ministries, you can visit our website:

http://www.lightincambodia.org/