Revival!

Somosgyuruska Baptist Camp - 

(Shomosh-durooshka)

Words don't begin to explain what just happened here!  Revival hit the camp! It was a Baptist Youth Camp - the organizers were a Pastor and his wife, Lotsi and Gabriella.  She had had a dream/vision the night before we got there, that the Holy Spirit fell on the camp and left the ground shaking... They were SO expectant for our ministry when we arrived, and this was the reason why - they truly believed God was going to move!

During Devotions that afternoon with the team, I felt led to read Isaiah 61:1-4 over us as a team:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon us, because the Lord has anointed us to bring good news to the poor; he has sent us to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound"

I had no idea how those verses were going to be played out in real time right before our eyes!  Pastor Lotsi gave us total freedom, believing that God had brought us there for such a time as this... but he asked us to please give an invitation at the end for Salvation and Rededication.

The Concert started with a bang!  The first songs went extremely well, audience was focussed and responding.  But then a BIG insect came in and brought a distraction, RIGHT when I came to the punch line of the key testimony.  But we powered through it, rebuked the enemy for distracting us, and did a serious commitment song (I'll Obey And Serve You) and they clapped, stood and sang with!  

Then came the direct invitation - MANY put up hands, and then came forward for prayer. Many were saved (including the hardest, most difficult kid in the camp), many rededicated their lives to Christ - it was like a spiritual grenade went off during "Let It Rain, Open The Floodgates of Heaven" - God seemed to literally open the floodgates of heaven.  Kids were standing four and five deep to get to a councilor, and some were on their knees weeping and repenting before they even got to the front.

When the invitation time was over, we did another praise song, and it brought more Spiritual Explosion!  Our Dancelink team went first, and pulled people onto the front, and then suddenly everyone broke loose, and it wouldn't stop!  They called for us to play God's Great Dance Floor, and a spontaneous "dance-off" started!  

Just when we were running out of songs, their worship band came up, and elicited more dynamite!  The meeting just didn't want to stop!  Their worship band did three songs total, and by this time then entire camp was dancing, including our bus driver.  They ended with We Exalt Thee in Hungarian- we all ended up on our knees, tears, praise, repentance - off the chain. More prayer groups spontaneously developed outside, on the ground, on the dirt roads, more singing and dancing erupted around the campfire, etc!!!  Revival.

Celebrations!

​You are looking at a miracle.  The miracle here is not only that our daughter Sharayah graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors from Liberty University on May 9th, but that Teri was able to attend, and go through a grueling 11 hour day of navigating TWO graduation ceremonies and over 34,000 people swarming the Liberty Campus to celebrate the over 7,000 graduates that day!  This photo was taken toward the end of the day, and Teri, while tired, was still holding up well.  Amazing!

Just 8 weeks ago Teri was in the hospital with Septicemia, and still going through harsh Chemo treatments.  The Chemo stopped on April 2nd, but she was left with 2 large and deep open wounds, debilitating exhaustion, and a pic-line coming out of her left arm.  Today the pic-line remains, but one wound is closed, the other almost closed, her hair is growing back, and her energy is back to where she can navigate graduations, Walmart, and even my busy schedule!  Praise God!

At the end of the last blog, I gave a personal quote that so many of you graciously responded to:  

"To be accepting of God's will and leading, but then not accepting of what the enemy has in store for us once we are there, is a skill in timing and discernment that all who would be abiders and fighters must learn to navigate well."

I promised to elaborate more on that, as Teri and I have been learning and living it out daily.  And it comes down to this truth laced throughout the Old and New Testament:  two things are many times true at the same time:  We are eternal beings, but our flesh is wasting away.  Concerning Salvation, we are Justified if we are "in Christ", but we are still being Sanctified, and we will be Glorified.  And we are feasting on the goodness of God and his provision, and yet we are surrounded by enemies (Psalm 23).  Peace can get "hostile" in Philippians 4:6&7 when it stands ready to take down anything that comes to attack your heart and your mind.  And we can fight, and abide at the same time.

There is a special place, a place of no fear, a place of perfect peace, a place full of joy, a place that is forged with an eternal weight of glory in the face of light momentary afflictions, a holy place that is reserved for those who would fully "Abide in Christ".

One of the greatest lessons I will take from this season of life and the front row seat I had in watching a godly woman of God wade through it, is that if one is abiding in Christ, where their identity, their self-esteem, their life, and their very future is hidden in Him, they are safe from the tyranny of the possible and they are protected by a shield of faith and a helmet of salvation.  One who is abiding in Christ is much better positioned to take every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ whilst the temptation to fall into the fear of dying a horrible death due to a degenerative disease stalks their every waking thought.  One who is abiding in Christ sees themselves as already seated with Him in the heavenlies, and therefore understands their very life, and the value of their life, is measured by nothing else except the perfect will of the God who is free to spend them as He will, and nothing will befall them except that which is allowed within His will, and nothing will happen to them except whatever He has already sovereignly decided will give Him the greater glory.  

I find that as I journey through this life and encounter others who are dying or in pain, even the persecuted church that faces far greater dangers than Teri and I have been facing, that those who do not give up in despair are those who have recognized that by abiding in Jesus' words of truth and the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence of power have gained a higher perspective, an elevated level of living, that does not succumb to the decay of this world and the victimizing shackles of self-pity, but rather projects the fragrance of Christ, the economy of heaven, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  

I have had the invaluable privilege of being married to a woman who is doing this, who is living this, who is literally abiding in Christ, and my walk with Christ, even as a missionary, a musician, and a preacher of the gospel, will never be the same, but will forever be impacted by the force of a peace that went beyond all understanding and has inscribed our lives with the autograph of Jesus.

I hope the sharing of our journey has encouraged you.  Thank you for journeying with us, and encouraging us along the way.  Thank you for your love and prayers.  Thank you for bearing our burdens, and thus fulfilling the law of Christ.  May God bless you with all the fulness of what He has in store for you, as you Abide in Him.

Fwd: Complications

"Bill, I think I am developing a fever…"

These are not the words you want to hear from someone who is 'immuno-compromised' because chemotherapy has mostly taken out their immune system.  This is also not something you want to hear from the person on earth whom you love the most, and in that moment, are almost exactly on the other side of the planet.

I was in Thailand for OM's International Leaders Meetings, and Teri was coming home from Washington DC with Shelby.  About an hour outside of Atlanta, Teri felt it coming on, and it was not good.

A few weeks before, Teri's port had flipped (this is the surgically installed device in her upper left chest that delivers the chemo directly into a main vein deep inside her), and they were unable to get the 4th Chemo treatment into her that way.  They had gone for a vein in her arm, and could't find a good one, and while they 'poked and hoped', Teri had passed out, and they had to call 911 because she wasn't coming to… I can't tell you how unpleasant it had been to hear that - when I was in Mexico at a YUGO meeting.  Why is it that the only two times I have travelled away from her during this entire ordeal, is when the enemy decides to pounce?  We all know the answer.

Minor surgery put the port right, but during that surgery somehow, an infection began, which was now manifesting itself as she and Shelby approached Atlanta.  After phone calls, pills, inspection, etc., the port was removed in an emergency procedure while I was still in Thailand, and it was determined it had become septic.  Then started home health-care with IV drip antibiotics, and I arrived home on Friday late evening, just in time to learn how to administer this new treatment to my wife.

But we weren't done the drama yet.

Over the weekend, things got worse.  The wound (where they took out the port) began to get more red and swollen, and her fever never went back to normal.  We called early on Monday, saw the wound doctor, and were referred to the Infection Disease Doctor for Tuesday.  She saw Teri, and in less than 5 minutes, scooted up to her very close, put her hand on Teri's shoulder, and gently and firmly said, "You have Septicemia, and I am admitting you to the hospital immediately."

I have only seen Teri cry twice during the entire journey.  Once, when she was told she had cancer, and now.  I just held her.  The Doctor made the arrangements, and sent her office manager with us into the Emergency Room, where we had to be admitted, cause the hospital was totally full.  So was the ER.  It looked like a triage zone!  2.5 hours later, Teri was given a gurney to lie on in a corridor.  Another hour later, she was given a tiny, tiny room, still in the ER.  And they were taking blood, more blood, and flushing her blood with antibiotics.  And we were crying out to God - from beginning to end.  And He was with us.  

He was with us in the ER waiting room when a woman who didn't even know us came up to us, said she would put us on her prayer chain, and eventually gave Teri a gift bag with some hand lotion, some chocolate, and a beautiful cross.  We eventually put that cross on top of the TV in her eventual destination, her own hospital room, but she didn't get there until 30 hours later.  But that cross ended up being SUCH a blessing, as is became a conversation starter for most everyone who came into Teri's room.

In fact, on the second morning Teri was in the hospital, I called her before I came to visit, and asked her, "Baby, what can I bring for you?" expecting some personal items or comforts from home.  Instead she said, "I need at least 10 of your Broken and Complete CDs to pass out to all the people I have been sharing and witnessing to!"  Why am I not surprised???

All in all, Teri was in the hospital from Tuesday early afternoon, until Saturday late afternoon.  They were not going to release her until her fever went away, and there was no more staphylococcus bacteria in her bloodstream, AND her white blood cell count was up.  Praise God that all came together on Saturday morning.  We came home to a house decorated by our daughters Shelby and Sharayah, and it was awesome.  I even helped by baking a cake the night before (first cake I ever baked in my life!!!)

And what have we learned?  Oh my - I can't put it all here.  But let me leave you with this one thought that seemed to dominate our prayers and thoughts, and I am still considering this in light of God's sovereignty and authority:  To be accepting of God's will and leading, but then not accepting of what the enemy has in store for us once we are there, is a skill in timing and discernment that all who would be abiders and fighters must learn to navigate well.  

Psalm 145 tells us He trains our hands to war.  Psalm 23 says He leads us by still waters.  Philippians 4:6&7 delivers a promise of peace that will protect us like the Praetorian Guard.  And we are to take every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ.  How to be at peace and at war at the same time?

More on that in my next post.  But thank you for your prayers, love, concern, and encouragement.  There was NO DOUBT during the ordeal last Tuesday onward of the presence of the Lord, and the prayers of His people.  That is the only reason we are still standing, and we are eternally grateful.  God Bless

Complications

"Bill, I think I am developing a fever…"

These are not the words you want to hear from someone who is 'immuno-compromised' because chemotherapy has mostly taken out their immune system.  This is also not something you want to hear from the person on earth whom you love the most, and in that moment, are almost exactly on the other side of the planet.

I was in Thailand for OM's International Leaders Meetings, and Teri was coming home from Washington DC with Shelby.  About an hour outside of Atlanta, Teri felt it coming on, and it was not good.

A few weeks before, Teri's port had flipped (this is the surgically installed device in her upper left chest that delivers the chemo directly into a main vein deep inside her), and they were unable to get the 4th Chemo treatment into her that way.  They had gone for a vein in her arm, and could't find a good one, and while they 'poked and hoped', Teri had passed out, and they had to call 911 because she wasn't coming to… I can't tell you how unpleasant it had been to hear that - when I was in Mexico at a YUGO meeting.  Why is it that the only two times I have travelled away from her during this entire ordeal, is when the enemy decides to pounce?  We all know the answer.

Minor surgery put the port right, but during that surgery somehow, an infection began, which was now manifesting itself as she and Shelby approached Atlanta.  After phone calls, pills, inspection, etc., the port was removed in an emergency procedure while I was still in Thailand, and it was determined it had become septic.  Then started home health-care with IV drip antibiotics, and I arrived home on Friday late evening, just in time to learn how to administer this new treatment to my wife.

But we weren't done the drama yet.

Over the weekend, things got worse.  The wound (where they took out the port) began to get more red and swollen, and her fever never went back to normal.  We called early on Monday, saw the wound doctor, and were referred to the Infection Disease Doctor for Tuesday.  She saw Teri, and in less than 5 minutes, scooted up to her very close, put her hand on Teri's shoulder, and gently and firmly said, "You have Septicemia, and I am admitting you to the hospital immediately."

I have only seen Teri cry twice during the entire journey.  Once, when she was told she had cancer, and now.  I just held her.  The Doctor made the arrangements, and sent her office manager with us into the Emergency Room, where we had to be admitted, cause the hospital was totally full.  So was the ER.  It looked like a triage zone!  2.5 hours later, Teri was given a gurney to lie on in a corridor.  Another hour later, she was given a tiny, tiny room, still in the ER.  And they were taking blood, more blood, and flushing her blood with antibiotics.  And we were crying out to God - from beginning to end.  And He was with us.  

He was with us in the ER waiting room when a woman who didn't even know us came up to us, said she would put us on her prayer chain, and eventually gave Teri a gift bag with some hand lotion, some chocolate, and a beautiful cross.  We eventually put that cross on top of the TV in her eventual destination, her own hospital room, but she didn't get there until 30 hours later.  But that cross ended up being SUCH a blessing, as is became a conversation starter for most everyone who came into Teri's room.

In fact, on the second morning Teri was in the hospital, I called her before I came to visit, and asked her, "Baby, what can I bring for you?" expecting some personal items or comforts from home.  Instead she said, "I need at least 10 of your Broken and Complete CDs to pass out to all the people I have been sharing and witnessing to!"  Why am I not surprised???

All in all, Teri was in the hospital from Tuesday early afternoon, until Saturday late afternoon.  They were not going to release her until her fever went away, and there was no more staphylococcus bacteria in her bloodstream, AND her white blood cell count was up.  Praise God that all came together on Saturday morning.  We came home to a house decorated by our daughters Shelby and Sharayah, and it was awesome.  I even helped by baking a cake the night before (first cake I ever baked in my life!!!)

And what have we learned?  Oh my - I can't put it all here.  But let me leave you with this one thought that seemed to dominate our prayers and thoughts, and I am still considering this in light of God's sovereignty and authority:  To be accepting of God's will and leading, but then not accepting of what the enemy has in store for us once we are there, is a skill in timing and discernment that all who would be abiders and fighters must learn to navigate well.  

Psalm 145 tells us He trains our hands to war.  Psalm 23 says He leads us by still waters.  Philippians 4:6&7 delivers a promise of peace that will protect us like the Praetorian Guard.  And we are to take every thought captive unto the obedience of Christ.  How to be at peace and at war at the same time?

More on that in my next post.  But thank you for your prayers, love, concern, and encouragement.  There was NO DOUBT during the ordeal last Tuesday onward of the presence of the Lord, and the prayers of His people.  That is the only reason we are still standing, and we are eternally grateful.  God Bless

Teri's Smile

I've been waiting for the right time to show you this picture.  It is so very special to me, not only because it shows physical beauty, but also for what it represents:  a garland of joy, beauty from ashes.

Teri is in the middle of her Chemo now.  Two more harsh treatments to go.  There have been three experiences that I have had during this that qualify for the "I never, ever want to do that again", although really, I would do it in a second for the woman I love so much.  One of these would be shaving off half of her hair, after half of it fell out.

Here is the second one:  last Thursday they couldn't attach the Chemo from the IV to her "port", a device which was surgically implanted within her chest, which then feeds the chemo directly into her veins.  It was discovered the port was "flipped", a rare but known occurrence, where the device turns over inside of her, making it impossible to access.  They then decided to use her veins to drip in the Chemo.  Well, Teri is famous for having difficult veins to access, and after a number of minutes of "poking and hoping", Teri passed out - for over 5 minutes.  911 was called, and fortunately they were able to awaken her before the ambulance arrived.  The doctor told us today he was 5 seconds from putting her on the floor, and doing CPR.  Hmm.

All this happened as I was on my way to Mexico.  No one told me, cause Teri et al didn't want to "alarm" me.  Imagine then my "alarm", when I read about this ordeal on Facebook between concerned friends and prayer partners!  I had a "moment".  But God saw us through it, including the minor out-patient surgery Teri had yesterday to put the port right again.  More cutting, more scars, more blood being drawn, more needles, more bruising, more signatures, more insurance approvals, more deep fatigue, more checking your attitude at the door, or better, at the foot of the cross.  We need a category for these things when they assault us, and I can't think of a better filing cabinet for experiences that 'take life' than the cross of our Savior.

I asked myself just today - is God still good?  Of course I believe it. Am I abiding in it?  Am I walking in it?  I also remind myself, would I think that God was still good if I was being marched down a lonely Libyan beach by "Jihad John" - who would behead me in front of cameras that would show my bleeding disembodied corpse on the global stage?  I am convinced that my faith needs to be large enough for tragedy and horror, not just medical inconvenience.  What this means to me, is that my attitude must never be related to my circumstances, and I don't know about you, but that I find to be very hard.  But also necessary.

And that brings me back to Teri's smile.  Here she is, trying on wigs. This was not an  "…ok, I guess I have to go find a wig…" moment.  Oh no, not for Teri.  It was an "Awesome!  I get to go try on wigs!" moment.  Some dear friends went with us, and got in on the action.  One of them found this one, as the last to try on, and guess what?  Teri loved it!  So now I have a blonde wife!

But the smile…  this is the outward sign of someone who is walking in the deep-weeds with Jesus - so closely, that there is no degree of separation from her faith and her attitude.  And there it is, written all over her beautiful face...

"I Find God In Suffering"

KAYLA MUELLER 

 

COUNTRY: Syria

MARTYRED: 2015

CASE: Kayla had been held hostage by ISIS since August 2013  in Raqqa, a militant stronghold in northeastern Syria.  The Christian aid worker was abducted in 2013 as she left a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders in Allepo, Syria.  United States confirmed on Tuesday 10 February 2015 that the 26-year-old has been killed at the hands of terror group ISIS

 

RECENT NEWS 

 

12 FEBRUARY 2015:  Kayla Mueller, killed at hands of ISIS, drew comfort from 'deep Christian faith 

 

The United States confirmed on Tuesday 10 February 2015 that 26-year-old American aid worker Kayla Mueller has been killed at the hands of terror group ISIS. President Barack Obama said that Mueller represented what is "best about America," while her family revealed that she drew comfort from her "deep Christian faith" while in captivity.

"Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her," Mueller's parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, and her brother, Eric, said in a statement.

The aid worker had been held hostage by ISIS since August 2013, The Guardian noted. Supporters of ISIS said last week that Mueller had been killed during a Jordanian air strike, and though the U.S. confirmed the news, it could not determine the cause of her death.

Mueller was reportedly taken by militants in Syria while working at a hospital run by humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières. In a letter to her family written sometime in the spring of 2014, she asked them not to worry and claimed that she was being treated with respect and was unharmed.

She said that her deep Christian faith gave her comfort during her captivity:

"I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator.  There was literally there was no one else ... + by God + by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall."

The aid worker had travelled to Syria to help provide aid to refugees and those suffering in the ongoing civil war. Before that she also worked for humanitarian initiatives in India, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Mueller said in a 2013 interview with the Prescott Daily Courier, a newspaper from her hometown of Prescott, Arizona: 

"I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine, if this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you."

Fox News revealed further details about Mueller's capture in a report on Wednesday, and noted that she had spent several months being transferring between holding cells — and was held both at a children's hospital in Aleppo, and the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

Mueller became the fourth U.S. citizen to die at the hands of ISIS, following fellow aid worker Peter Kassig and journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in 2014. 

Obama vowed to bring those responsible for Mueller's death to justice.

"Kayla represents what is best about America, and expressed her deep pride in the freedoms that we Americans enjoy, and that so many others strive for around the world," he added in a White House statement. "In how she lived her life, she epitomized all that is good in our world."

Mueller's family said that they are proud of her work, and noted that she lived with a purpose.

The family added: "We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely and who remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria."

Kayla Mueller 

Mueller, 26, had a long history of volunteering to help women and children, having worked for aid groups in Arizona before setting out for other countries.  She spent her life moving quickly — earning a college degree in five semesters, helping at hometown AIDS clinics and embracing overseas struggles between hope and hopelessness.  She saw the need for humanitarian aid in the mountains of Tibet, in tiny Palestinian villages and, finally, in Syria, where she is believed to have died after being taken hostage in August 2013. 

After attending Northern Arizona University, she worked with aid groups in northern India, Israel and the Palestinian territories. She returned to Arizona in 2011, where she worked at an HIV/AIDS clinic and volunteered at a women's shelter. Late that year, she moved to southeastern France and worked as an au pair while learning French in preparation for a planned move to Africa.

But the plight of families fleeing the violence in war-torn Syria drew her to Turkey in December 2012. She worked with the aid groups Support to Life and the Danish Refugee Council, assisting women and children who crossed into Turkey as refugees.

She also ventured into Syria to help families separated by the fighting. Her trips into the country took her to Aleppo, where she was eventually kidnapped.

She was abducted as she left a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders and was being held in Raqqa, a militant stronghold in northeastern Syria.

The family statement included letters Mueller wrote to relatives, including one on her father's birthday in 2011.

"Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love," she wrote. "I find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering."

In correspondence to her family, which she slipped to other detainees who were being freed, Mueller was contrite and seemed to be trying to assuage her family's worry. She told them she was being treated well and was not in harm's way.

She said in the letter that she was willing to wait for her freedom if it meant that her family would be absolved of the burden of negotiations.  "I DO NOT want the negotiations for my release to be your duty, if there is any other option take it, even if it takes more time," she wrote. "This should never have become your burden."

Her family described her as relentlessly optimistic. Even while held hostage, Mueller said she found reasons to be grateful.

"By God and by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall. I have been shown in darkness, light (and) have learned that even in prison, one can be free," she wrote. "I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it."

She closed her letter with a song she wrote while captive, once again making a plea for hope against hopelessness.

"The part of me that pains the most also gets me out of bed, (without) your hope there would be nothing left."

SOURCE:  

http://www.christianpost.com/news/american-aid-worker-kayla-mueller-killed-at-hands-of-isis-surrendered-to-god-during-captivity-drew-comfort-from-deep-christian-faith-133898/

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-captive-kayla-mueller-saw-relieving-suffering-as-her-lifes-work/ar-AA9eJth?ocid=ansLATimes11

"Embracing The Journey"

​Settling Teri into her new surroundings, I glanced around at the room - a fairly "clinical" looking space, a nurses' station in the middle, and quite a number of specialty chairs made for long sits, and hurting bodies.  Next to each chair was an I.V. tower, and a small multi-storage unit for putting your personal belongings whilst chemicals are slow-dripped into your bloodstream.  Surreal...

Thinking through this one more time, I could have never imagined that we would be "here".  Cancer of course took my mother, but that seemed like a lifetime ago, and certainly before Jesus began healing my broken life.  Disease, War, and other maladies of life of course afflict myriads of people every year.  And we follow a Savior who can empathize with us in every way except in sin.  Should I therefore be surprised that part of the walk with Him should entail footsteps that take us through suffering?  No one who sets out to follow Christ gets through this life without scars, nail prints, crowns of thorns, and ultimately the cross - "as the Master so the Servant shall be…"

I turned to say goodbye to Teri, as she prepared for her first 5 hour date with Chemotherapy.  She flashed me one of those beautiful smiles, and said with anticipation, "I'm on a journey Bill, to a destination that has yet to be fully revealed!"  I started to weep, but didn't let the tears fall - 'till I got to the car and...  The beauty of this woman, her heart, her attitude, her response to this ugliness - this all has to be coming from the beauty of the Savior, and to stand in its wake is to be overwhelmed by it's glory.  

None of us know where our particular journey will take us in the short-run.  But we can know where it will ultimately lead!  I'm experiencing this journey with Teri and her attitude of anticipation. What God is doing in and through it, and what it will ultimately produce - is an "ever eternal weight in glory" last time I checked… (2 Corinthians 4:17).  And we are tasting it even now...

In my next post, I'll update you on how she is doing to date...

​