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We Got Another Daughter for Christmas...

Amy & I got a new daughter for Christmas.  I know that doesn't surprise you. We've adopted 3 children in the last 3 years (two from China & one from Ethiopia).  Obviously, we love orphans & our passion is to help people understand our scriptural mandate to care for orphans.  So, to hear that we have another daughter probably doesn't shock you.  But, this daughter didn't come through adoption, although we are adopting her as our own.  This daughter will come through marriage.  

Seth Skyped us tonight to inform us that he is officially engaged.  He moved to Bangkok in June because he has a passion to make God famous among the Thai people.  Witt Kaminh, who grew up in Thailand, went with Seth, Brett & Susie when they moved & spent about a month in Bangkok helping them get situated & oriented to thier new home.  Witt wanted to visit the small church he attended while living in Bangkok & Seth decided to tag along with him to make some new friends in his new country.  Obviously, he got more than a friend.

Witt introduced Seth & Taam his first Sunday in Thailand.  They immediately connected as friends & began to hang out with each other daily.  Taam took over as Seth's new Thai guide after Witt returned to Smyrna.  After hanging out for about 6 weeks, they realized they wanted to be more than friends. 

This blew them both out of the water because neither was looking for this & it wasn't their intention when they started hanging out.  Seth had just moved to a new city & his objective was to get settled & learn the language so he could communicate the gospel.  So, this new relationship was a total surprise to him. 

I told Seth before he moved away that he was too old to date for fun.  He is 24 & his reason for dating is simply to find a wife.  Most people wait way too long to get married in today's world.  The average age of marriage is 30 for men & 29 for women.  It has become common for couples to live together before marriage or at least be very active sexually.  As the old saying goes, If you're getting the milk free..." So, the average age of marraige going up isn't neccesarily a good thing.

I told Seth, "Son, you need to be dating to find a wife, not to just have fun.  So, if you're dating a young lady & you realize that she's not the one, break it off immediately.  Don't waste her time or yours.  Dating just for fun is what gets even the most committed people in trouble.  On the other hand, when you know she's the one, then be a man & pop the question.  Don't be afraid to commit when you know she's the one God created for you." 

I've also told my sons that I don't believe in long engagements.  Again, waiting a long time to marry the one you know God created just for you gets even the most committed believers in trouble. 

Well, it's good to know that Seth listens to his dad.  He talked to me after hanging out with Taam for almost two months & dating her for about three months & said he knew it was God's will for him to marry this lady.  After asking many questions to both Seth & Taam, there's no doubt in my mind that she indeed the one God created for Him. 

Taam is 26 years old & loves Jesus with all her heart.  She is so excited about making a lifelong vow, not only to Seth but also to give her life to serving along side him as a missionary for the fame of God. 

I'm so proud of Seth & thankful that God placed her in his life at the very moment He ordained  before the world began.  I look forward to seeing them serve God together & bring many people from all nations into God's Kingdom.

So, we really did get a new daughter for Christmas...

Team Bangkok in Action...

Check out this video of Team Bangkok in action as they ministered to kids & shared the gospel by teaching English in a Budhist Temple over the weekend.  I'm so proud of this team & their committment to "Be the church where there is no church..."

Team Bangkok Nonthaburi Camp from brett clark on Vimeo.

 

Depraved Indifference

This video is almost 8 minutes long...but it's worth every second. 

 

Two "Easy Invites" for Christmas

Can you believe December is already here?  It seems like we just put the Christmas decorations in the attic & now we're already dragging them back out again.  I guess the old saying is true, the older I get the faster time moves.  

I know this is a busy & hectic time for your schedule.  So, I wanted to remind you of a couple of very important events at LifePoint that you need to put on your calendar. 

First is Imagine America's Got Christmas.  This is our annual Christmas production of our Worship Arts Ministry.  It's what I like to call an "Easy Invite."  We try to create several events throughout the year that makes it easy for you to invite your friends to church...an easy invite.  So, don't miss this opportunity to invite your friends, neighbors & family to attend a quality, FREE Christmas production.  You can get all the details & ticket information here.    

The second event is our annual Christmas Eve Communion Service.  This is another "Easy Invite."  Almost everybody is open to an invitation to church at Christmas.  Most people are even looking for a place to attend on Christmas.  So, we're providing two opportunities for you to bring your friends to celebrate Christmas & hear the gospel as we observe communion on Christmas Eve.  Our two services are at 3:30pm & 5:00pm, leaving plenty of time for you to celebrate the real reason for Christmas & then go home & party with your family.  

I hope you don't miss these two "Easy Invites" to introduce your frineds to the gosepel.       

Secret Church

I admit, I have a love/hate relationship with blogging.  I love it because it provides an incredible communication outlet.  We have a lot going on at LifePoint and blogging is one of the best ways to get the word out.  It's also a great way to communicate vision, both personal & corporate, as well as inspiration.  So, I love the communication outlet provided by blogging.  But, I have to admit, there are some things I hate about blogging.  I hate having one more thing on my "to do" list.  I hate the always present reality of being misunderstood with every post.  Words are such a small part of communication.  So, every post presents an opportunity to be misunderstood.  I do a good enough job with this on the weekends.  The last thing I need to do is give people more ammunition to shoot in my direction.  But, the positives far out weigh the negatives.  So, after a several month sabbatical from the blogosphere, I think it's time to wade back into the blogging waters.

If you've read the book Radical by David Platt, then you're familiar with Secret Church.  Platt is the Senior Pastor of Brookhills Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  They do an event a couple times a year called Secret Church.  There are thousands of churches all over the globe in places that are hostile to the gospel.  Unlike American believers, these believers can't publicly gather for worship on Sunday morning.  Rather, they have to meet in secret, usually in late hours, to avoid be arrested.  They might not get to meet every week.  So, when they do gather, they might meet for several hours in less than ideal facilities, to study the things of God.  

Secret Church is an event started by Platt to teach the Word while helping American believers somewhat identify with believers in places that are hostile to the gospel.  I say somewhat because there's no way we can truly identify in our comfortable seats, air conditioned buildings, image magnification & sound systems.  But, it's a great way to identify with our brothers & sisters around the world by meeting for several hours to study the things of God.

We're doing our first Secret Church gathering, Friday, November, 12th from 7-11pm.  This is obviously a high commitment level event as we're going to spend four hours teaching theology & praying for the persecuted church & our Sending Church campuses.  If you have this level of commitment & have the evening available, I challenge you to be a part of this event so you can grow in your knowledge of God. 

A great old Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?"  Then answers: "Man's chief end is to glorify God & enjoy Him forever."  John Piper says, "Enjoying God is the way to glorify God because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.  But, to enjoy Him, we must know Him.  If He remains a blurry, vague fog, we may be intrigued for a season, but we want be stunned with joy. I really believe that clear knowledge of God from the Bible is the kindling that sustains the fires of affection for God.  And probably, the most crucial kind of knowledge is knowledge of what God is like in salvation."  I agree 100%!  So, we're going to spend four hours talking about salvation.   

So, don't miss this wonderful opportunity to grow in your knowledge of God so you can enjoy HIm greatly because He is most glorified in you when you when you are most satisfied in Him and, I promise, studying about His wonderful gift of salvation will greatly increase you awe of & satisfaction in God.  I hope to see you at our first Secret Church gathering.  You need to bring a journal & a pen with a lot of ink.  We'll have the Cafe' open for you to purchase snacks, coffee or drinks during the breaks.  See you tomorrow.

Our Music Video Career Takes Flight...

Amy, Jadyn, Aly Kate & I are honored to be a part of this new Steven Curtis Chapman Video.  Check it out & listen to the lyrics...incredible.  But what else would we expect from SCC? 

Jet Lagged...But Still Radical

We've been back in the states for 5 days now & I've still got an unreal travel hangover.  I've traveled the world & I don't think I've ever felt this bad for so long afterward.  It must be because of the length of the trip combined with the emotion of the trip combined with the fact that we all got head colds in China.  I think the combination of these things make for prolonged jet lag.  But, I think I'm on the verge of topping the hill.  Let's hope....

I hope you've been doing your devotionals from week 2 of the Radical Journal.  I know, if you are, you're being challenged like never before about God's global purpose & your role in His purpose.  If we can come to the realization that life really isn't about us, then everything will begin to make much more sense. 

Here are some questions for thought for this week:  How does it really make me feel to know that nothing is really about me?  If my money & stuff isn't about me, but about God's glory to the nations, does that change what I do with my money?  Does it change the way I feel about how I spend my vacations?  How does that change your thoughts about purchasing a new house or car? 

It's not that any of these things are bad, but it does mean we should think differently about them.  It means I probably shouldn't think about my vacation time as for my benefit alone.  It means I should think about my house & car & all my stuff as tools given to me to build God's kingdom.  It means I should think about every purchase in light of how it's going to affect my ability to tithe & give to build God's kingdom.  It means I should think about every relationship in terms of making God known.  If we really get this, then everything changes.

By the way, if you're not in an on-campus or off campus Small Group, YOU NEED TO BE!  We have a Super Group that meets on Campus in Cafe' 1 at 9:30 AM for the next several weeks.  I challenge you to give it a shot so you can ring all you can out of the series.

The Day We've Been Looking For!!!!

Today's the gay we've been looking for since we received Isaiah...the day we head home!!  We're about to head out the door & hop a cab to the Hong Kong Airport & board a United flight to San Francisco.  We love China dearly, but we're so ready to be home.  This trip has been very long & stressful.  I think this trip has been so hard because we've been away from our little girls...and Zac :) for so long.  So, I can't tell you how excited we are knowing we're only hours away.

We land in Nash Vegas at 8:00 PM on Saturday night and we can't wait to see our family & friends at the airport.  Pray for us today as we make this long trip with a 2.5 year old little boy that will be more than a little anxious to be cooped up in a confined space for 24 hours.  We'll see how this goes...

See ya in a few hours.... 

 

Making Our Way Home

We're packing up & getting ready to leave Guangzhou.  We head to the train station at 8:20 & hop a two hour train to Hong Kong.  We should arrive around 12:00 pm local time giving us about 24 hours to explore the city.  As ready as I am to get home and, given the choice, would much prefer boarding a plane to the states, I'm excited about seeing this city.  Everything I've read & heard is amazing.  Glad I get the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Isaiah is doing AMAZING!  God has answered our prayers as he has attached & dealt with everything MUCH better than we expected.  We expected it to be a long & hard process.  Don't get me wrong, we've got a long way to go, but he seems to know we're mom & dad & his personality had begun to emerge.  He's so funny...loves to laugh & make you laugh.  He mimics everything we do.  If we're watching TV...he watches it like he knows whats going on.  If we laugh at something...he laughs.  He watches everything we do & then tries to do it.  He even picks up the camera & squints his little eyes & tries to push the button to take a picture.  And, just like Jadyn & Aly Kate, when we're eating, he would rather eat our food than his own. 

I better sign off for now...gotta leave myself time to run by Starbucks before we leave.  I'll try to do a final post from Hong Kong before heading out in the morning.  I can't tell you how excited we are to be making our way back to the US.  We've been looking for this day for about two weeks.  

Ge Ge (Big Brother) Has Arrived

Seth Arrived late last night, made it to the hotel about 1:45 am.  He & Isaiah have had a blast together.  Isaiah woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever from all his shots yesterday & heard Seth snoring & looked at him & then looked at us & back at Seth as if to say, "Are you guys not worried about this joker sleeping beside me?"  But, when we all awoke this morning, they hit it off from the beginning & haven't stopped playing & having fun.  It's so good to see them bond since Seth won't see his little brother again, at least in person, for probably a year.  I'm so glad they get to have this time to get to know each other.  Hopefully, Isaiah will remember this time when he talks to his Ge Ge (big brother) on the Skype regularly. 

I'm sure he's still grieving & will continue to do so for a while, but he seems to know we're his parents & is doing phenomenal.  He is beginning to mimic almost everything we do & say.  About the only time he cries now is at nap time...he hates nap time, like most other 2 year old boys I know. 

I know that God has answered many prayers for his emotional & psychological health during this transition.  We're literally amazed at how he's doing.  He hasn't had a sad cry in over two days now.  I know there will probably be more to come, but for now, he seems to be OK with his new family.  I can't wait for him to meet his sisters who are eagerly awaiting his arrival in the US to "teach him all the things," as Jadyn says.   

Here some more pics...

The first is of him sleeping on Amy's lap on the van ride to the airport in Changsha. 

The second is the view out of our hotel window.

The third is the lobby in our hotel.

The next two are of Isaiah in his stroller as we're heading out to see the sights this morning & the last is he & Seth.