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MINISTRY FLOWS OUT OF RELATIONSHIPS

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Over the years I have come to see, more and more clearly, that ministry flows out of relationships. - with God and with others. I talk to many people that long to be involved in ministry but don't have a titled role in the church they're a part of, and so sadly they often tend to feel quite useless in terms of their ability to contribute or to use their gifts to minister to people. I believe that, biblically, all of us as believers are called to minister to others as the Holy Spirit leads, since He has gifted each one with specific gifts, though not all have been called by God to lead as elders or the five-fold ministry functions.

Although many more churches are, these days, encouraging all of the people in their congregations to minister to each other and also to get involved in reaching out into the marketplace, it seems that many people are still feeling like 'ministry' can only happen in a 'church' setting. But if we look at Jesus and His disciples, they ministered wherever they went, and we are to 'walk as Jesus did'. They didn't have titles or programs, they ministered out of relationship with God by the leading of the Holy Spirit, and of out relationships - with each other and with those God brought into their lives in His timing and way. I believe that God is bringing increasing release into His Body to move into ministry as He develops godly character through increasing intimacy with Him, which then flows out through relationship and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What a joy it is to be able to grow further in experiencing the reality of this truth that God wants to live out His life through us WHEREVER we are, and that He loves to express His Presence through our increasing passion for Him, through the godly character He is shaping in us, through His love for others through us, through our relationships with them - which may mean crying or rejoicing with them, or praying with them, just listening to them, worshipping God with them through song or poetry or whatever, encouraging them through the Word, or allowing Him to use His gifts through us, etc.

I have found that if I am focusing on the 'goal' of 'ministry' or the goal of 'ministering', I may miss the point - and possibly miss the opportunity in the way God would want to have me be involved at the time (which may be contrary to what I would have thought would meet the need) - because it can then tend to be based on a need to be recognized or a sense of having to perform (or on other things), rather than on LOVE. But when I am just seeking to LOVE someone (agape love - GOD's kind of love) by the power of the Holy Spirit and am open to Him doing whatever He wants, it is amazing how He opens doors and gives insight into how to deal with the situation sensitively or to know what to say when, or how He suddenly will stir up His gifts to operate.

When the focus is on loving Jesus and on loving those around us, I see ministry flow, and there is peace and not the stress of the sense of having to perform - for me, for God or for others.

Ministry flows out of relationships!

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HOME IS MY MINISTRY CENTER

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Because of having been so homebound the past more than 7 years, one of the many valuable lessons I have learned through this is that my most important and vital 'ministry center' is my home! - though He can and does open up opportunities all over the place as I am open to it.

This has been a radical paradigm shift in my mind/heart over the years - from a focus on the church building or our mission office being the ministry center. It seems that this is something God is putting on the hearts of more and more people all the time, especially in terms of reaching out to this post-modern and multi-cultural and multi-religious world.

One of the biggest plagues in our nations is loneliness and lack of vital community where people really feel like they belong and are known and loved as family. Our homes can provide such a place for those that may come regularly, or those that may show up without warning = whether saved or unsaved. Our homes can be a beautiful and natural place for the Presence and Life of Jesus to become clearly evident/manifest.

I have increasingly found it to be a huge joy to see my home as my ministry center, and as I look at the New Testament, I believe that is what happened there, as well - their homes were their main ministry centers and they would also minister to people in the marketplace as they were going about their business.

I would encourage you, too, if you have felt like you would like to become more involved in ministry, to see your home as your ministry center and the marketplace as another open door for you! Allow God to minister to those He brings as He ministers to them out of your relationship with Him and with them! May God bless you greatly in this way! Most people just want someone to listen to them and show they care. I believe that one of the best ways to show love to someone is to listen to them and to seek to understand them. Most people, even in the streets, are also very open to having you pray for them...though not all of them feel comfortable with you doing it WITH them...you may wish to first ask whether they mind if you pray for them...if they are open to that, you can ask if they would feel comfortable if you pray WITH them right then...if they don't feel comfortable, you can assure them that you will pray for them as you leave and as the Lord reminds you.

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GOD'S PROMISES / WORSHIP & THE WORD

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In the past couple of years, and especially this past year, the importance of constantly reminding myself of God's promises, and declaring to God His promises, has made huge changes in my prayer life, my understanding of how great God is, my faith level and answers to prayer, etc. In the past couple years or so He has answered so many prayers I can hardly believe it! Yet there are many I'm still waiting to have answered...many which I've been waiting for for many years...

Especially as I have been in the midst of major faith challenges healthwise, financially, relationally or whichever way, as I have taken a step of faith, by the power of God, and just started praising Him in the midst of the circumstances - since HE doesn't change and since He is always good, and since He is greater than all of my problems, etc. - I have increasingly experienced His Presence and then a rising faith level and reminders of His promises, which I then declare back to Him, because it says in 2 Cor. 1:20 - 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" ('so be it') is spoken by us TO THE GLORY OF GOD." So, basically, it glorifies God when we are in agreement with Him about His promises. (Of course His promises all have conditions on them, too, so we need to make sure we're in line with those). So when we are in line with the conditions and declaring AMEN - SO BE IT, in agreement with His promises, we can have CONFIDENCE that we are praying ACCORDING TO HIS WILL and that those prayers will be answered! (maybe not how or when we want, but they will be answered in HIS BEST way for us).

Hebrews 10: 35So do not throw away your confidence; it WILL be RICHLY rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you WILL RECEIVE what he has promised.

The Bible, and especially the book of Proverbs, has a LOT to say about the power of our words and how they affect our lives and the lives of others, etc. They have the power to bring LIFE or DEATH! I find I have to keep checking my words - do they agree with the TRUTH in the Word of God, or am I repeating the lies of the enemy?? and thereby calling God a liar? Am I speaking from my feelings/what I see/am experiencing in my circumstances or from a 'renewed mind'?

So when I pray, by God's grace and patient teaching, more and more I am quoting God's promises so that I am in line with God's truth and not praying what I'm FEELING (which is SUCH a big temptation! but usually in disagreement with God's TRUTH.) But just SAYING the words isn't going to do it...God says we must speak out of a heart that BELIEVES... we either speak out of belief in the TRUTH or belief in the lies of the enemy, but we will speak what our hearts BELIEVE...whether we realize it or not...so may God give us hearts that BELIEVE His TRUTH so that when we speak we are in agreement with HIS TRUTH and HIS WILL.

I'm not talking, here, about the 'word-faith' movement or the 'prosperity gospel'...I believe there is some truth to that but that that teaching has gone extreme and so many of us have tended to throw out the baby with the bathwater rather than becoming familiar with what the Bible really DOES have to say about this very important reality!

The following passage also reminds us that praising God in the midst of all of our circumstances honors Him, and in so-doing prepares the way for His salvation in whatever area we have need!

Ps 50:23 - 23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him [2] the salvation of God."

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HE IS OUR STRENGTH IN OUR WEAKNESS

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The more we go through the wilderness, the more God enables us to see how truly weak we really are and how deeply in need of Him we are - without Him we really can do NOTHING! Once we are willing to give up our pride and acknowledge this, it is incredible the freedom that we begin to receive as we recognize more and more it's all about HIM as we trust in HIS strength in the midst of our weakness! It totally takes the pressure off of us to 'perform' because it's about learning to rest in HIS abilities in us - and it's not about OUR abilities. The Bible says I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME... The Bible says HE HAS MADE ME COMPETENT because HE is CHRIST IN US, the Hope of Glory!! HE is the Overcomer in us! Col. 2: 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and YOU have been given fullness in Christ..." INCREDIBLE!!

2 Cor. 12:9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So WE don't have to strive to make things happen! - again, back to RESTING IN HIM!! WHAT FREEDOM!!

I used to think this thinking of Paul's was unreal!! But I have come to experience, especially because of my health situations over the years, and limitations in other ways, that this is indeed a GREAT and LIBERATING TRUTH!!! The more weakensses we realize that we have, the more we offer them to Him in exchange for HIS STRENGTH, the MORE HE is able to do in and through us because we are less and less in the way! How cool is that?!! Instead of being paranoid by fear of weakness and failure as the world is, so they always try to cover up and so are usually presenting masks to the world, we can readily admit our weaknesses because we know the TRUTH that CHRIST IS IN US and therefore NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!! - AS WE TRUST IN HIM!!

HEALTH: In my last update to you, I had mentioned a number of leg infections over the past couple years, and again recently - one in Oct., one in Dec.03 and one in Feb.04 which erupted 4 times since then and which I'm still in the process of getting over - my last round of antibiotics just finished a couple weeks ago.

I was scheduled to have eye surgery in the beginning of January to have my cataract removed because I'm now blind in that one eye - but due to my last leg infection, had to postpone it. I've since had bronchitis and other strange health issues which have prevented me from being able to re-schedule, but I recently re-scheduled and so am hoping that I can finally go through with the eye surgery Apr 26, Lord willing, unless God closes the door. It is getting worse so I would really like to have it done unless God has a better plan, cause it causes a lot of headaches and stress cause all the pressure to see is now on my one good eye (though it also has a growing cataract).

I've felt God impressing on my heart several passages in the Gospels which talks of Jesus healing the blind eyes, and in the past several months had two dreams that God healed my eyesight WITHOUT SURGERY, so am not sure what to make of this...so at this point I'm planning on going through with the surgery but asking God to close the door for that if He indeed wants to heal me without the surgery...I would be THRILLED if He did it that way!

Also because of the delays with my health, I've not yet been able to try the stuff from my naturopath or my rheumatologist which is supposed to enable me to begin to reduce the cortisone - but supposedly I should be able to begin to do that once I've recovered from my eye surgery, now that my leg infection seems to have settled down yet again.

I told you about the miracle SCOOTER that I was given at Christmas!! My younger brother recently showed me how to use it and I finally test-drove it in the back alley when some friends were over a couple weeks ago!!

I also mentioned to you the SHOES that I was hoping to have made for me - unfortunately the company that it seemed would be able to custom-make them says they aren't able to do them for feet like mine, but a friend recently told me about a possible place in New West. which sounds like they may be able to make some for me for about $900, so we'll see how the Lord leads : ) Never a dull moment, hey? : ) Some GOOD NEWS about shoes is that a dear friend found some sandles that fit me and are comfortable and which should work for me for most of the year until the snow - and they are very inexpensive so this is VERY encouraging!!!! PTL!!!!!

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MINISTRY DEVELOPMENTS
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CHRIS ARRIVES: Early 2003 Chris (from Kansas), who had interned with me (and the team here that works among M___s_s) the summer before, came back for several months to intern with us longer. It was another wonderful time - and very busy!! Chris is currently back in Kansas but we're prayerfully discussing the possibility of his co-leading a team from his KS church with me here perhaps summer of 2005 to work among local M___m refugees and re music/arts aspects, etc. Chris would eventually like to come work here with us longer term - we would LOVE to see that happen as well and are praying to that end (unless God has a better plan)!

++HOT OFF THE PRESS! Chris is planning on coming to visit again for about a week this summer!!!, so please pray that God would lead us, too, as we prayerfully consider potential ways that God may be wanting us to partner together again in the future - such as us co-leading local and/or overseas summer teams/short term teams/interns, etc. (he'd do the trips and I'd stay here, until I'm healed :) - then I want to go too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :), or doing arts camps for local refugees, as we potentially work on recording a CD together, etc. +++

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G___ HERE FROM .T (a Eurasian nation): During the time that Chris was here, G___, one of our long-time missionary ethnomusicologists, was here for a couple of weeks. B__, the former director of the mission that he and I have worked with all these years, who works with M___m refugees here in Surrey/New West., etc., and G__ and I have worked together with the same mission/s for about 14 years and have shared much similar vision over the years. Many years ago we began to talk about potentially working together to create a God-honoring business that would help to provide income for M___m background believers overseas, for church planters working among M___ms overseas and locally here, for perhaps local ethnic believers who are musicians/artists, and for us, etc., while also providing wholesome ethnic music/arts (especially ethnic worship music) for those that needed it, etc. We also hope that this is a business which God can use to impact the Gateway/Whalley/Surrey region and beyond with the Gospel as we seek to live out His life in the marketplace - and that this can happen wherever God opens our int'l offices overseas in the future (which we hope to do in conjunction with other church planters in M___m countries - especially those with the mission I'm with).

Early last year when G__ arrived, she was in need of another visa to enable her to remain in (the country she works in overseas) - this has always been so hard to get through the years. So when she came here, discussing a visa option for her was a priority and the business idea was one of the things we were going to prayerfully consider very seriously this time.

To make a very long story short, we spent a lot of time while she was here praying about what God wanted, because just as she arrived she felt God put a vision in her heart. When she shared it with B__ and I, it encompassed so much of what had been on all of our hearts for all these years, but it was a much larger vision than any of us had anticipated!! So we spent much time during those weeks praying, seeking the Lord's guidance, and meeting with potential business partners that share similar vision, to see how the Lord might be leading. It was an incredible time, and God seemed to keep confirming that we were heading in the right direction!

GAT*EWAY CREA*TION ARTS CENTRE LTD.

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Although I can't include too much about this on the internet, due to se*cur*ity reasons, to make a long story short, in Feb. of 2003 we incorporated the Gatew*ay Cre*ation Arts Centre Ltd. -

"...providing multicu*ltural training and resources in culture and the arts in international settings..."

It is an incredible story in itself of how God has brought this into being so far..and how He indicated to us where it was to be situated and why it is called GATE*WAY Crea*tion Arts Centre.

For years I had felt that Surrey is where I was to be situated for the Great Commi*ssion Worship & Arts Center/Ethnic Wor*ship & Arts Focus, because I felt for about 10 years that this was a strategic place for something God had up His sleeve in the future. So this is where I have been located. Over the years God seems to keep unveiling more and more of His plans for this region, and they just continue to confirm the things that have been on my heart! It has been increasingly mind-blowing!! And continues to be more and more so as the days go by!! I feel like the snowball is beginning to pick up speed, and I think in about a year or so things are going to really start moving pretty fast out here in the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland region!

Why this region? Here are some reasons: http://disciplethenations.org/rield/index73.html

But specifically the GATEWAY/WHALLEY region is where we felt God wants us to eventually set up the Gate*way Crea*tion Arts Centre - this is the region just on this side of the Patullo Bridge. Interestingly, the more we prayed about this, the more God began to reveal the history of this region and some of the spiritual roots/strongholds and how some of them came into being in this region - and as He keeps unfolding things, they keep being confirmed in various ways! It has been absolutely incredible to keep meeting so many very gifted and experienced/qualified people (many with PhD's or other expertise, etc) which share the vision/heart and want to partner with us as the Holy Spirit leads!

As I said, the vision God put on our hearts is FAR bigger than we had ever dreamed!! Isn't this just God's way!!! We have a dream and He goes - "uhmmm, you're thinking tooo small again!!" And then He lays something on you which is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE except for the fact that HE IS THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE!!! Many times I have been overwhelmed by the vision and asked God if I could back out, but then He'd ask me who I was trusting in - Him or me?

I have to laugh uproariously when I think that He is seemingly wanting me to head up the CDN Headquarters of this international business (our first int'l office was incorporated in a country in Eurasia in the summer of last year) - especially considering the fact that I've been almost entirely homebound for the past 7 years!! But God has reminded me again and again of His SUDDENLIES and of the story of Joseph and how God SUDDENLY moved him out of his prison into a very responsible position!

The interesting thing is that all of the work that we've been doing in the past (B__, G__ and I are the 3 directors), all has been foundations laid towards this, and we didn't even know it!! All of the resources and networks and databases that I've been developing over the years are necessary foundations for this new and additional direction as well! and all of their work has helped to build towards what we now believe God is leading us into more and more.

And all of this is something that He has been developing out of the context of all of the themes I shared with you earlier which I have felt Him drilling into me in the past years and especially this past year!

So anyway, G__ was here about 2 whirlwind weeks and then she was back in (the country she is working in)... I was left to lay the groundwork here legally and to begin to build a local team and continue to develop potential partnerships and so forth, etc.

And both of us felt that before we really move forward with this as our focus, we needed to spend the remainder of the year, at least, tying up loose ends in other areas of our lives, because we feel that once we begin to focus on this and it starts to roll, there will not be any turning back!

Slowly but surely God seems to be removing some of my other former responsibilities from me, as well, as this is progressing. Such as quite a bit of my administrative role with the Canadian House Church Resource Network - but more about that next time...

We also both felt that it was important to see God raise up a strong prayer base for this region and for us as we are involved in this, and so it seems like in some ways He's put the brakes on somewhat for some months in order to see some of those things develop further...we just want to take it one step at a time as He leads us...

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STEVE & THEO's 'SCOUTING TRIP'

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Shortly after G__ left, I had a visit from a British couple of Ghanian decent - from London, England. Theo is a singer/songwriter/worship leader/legal secretary and Steve is an Information Technology guy and they both love the Lord and shared a lot of similar vision (Gate*way Crea*tion Arts Centre).

We initially connected through the internet - one of those amazing 'divine appts' which we're all still totally amazed at (thank you Lord!!). They had felt, for some time, that God was wanting them to move to Canada because He had plans for them here, and when we connected, things all began to fall into place! When they came out here we had an awesome time together and God just seemed to keep confirming to all of us (including G__ and B__) that they were to move here! As a result, after their week or so here, they immediately began to make plans to move them and their two little girls here as soon as possible!! - and they in fact moved here (a very long and amazing story of how God got them here!!!) several months later!!

It has been WONDERFUL to have them here, although, as is usually the case, whenever we move forward with the things God is moving us into, the enemy is there big-time trying to throw as many monkey wrenches into things as he can!. And so for them, once they arrived here, many of their best-laid plans were severely messed up and have caused them/us (but especially them) incredible faith challenges, which, even now, are preventing us from being able to do much work together AS YET - BUT we also believe God loves to turn what the enemy means for evil, for good, and that it's all a matter of God's timing, too! - and through the process He is once again teaching us to continue to WAIT ON THE LORD and to TRUST HIM! My health, also, has been poor ever since they moved here so I've hardly had a chance to see them since they moved here - except for while G__ was here - during which time God once again gave me additional strength so we saw each other quite a bit during that time!). I expect that is about to change again before long and that I'll be able to see them a lot again - thankfully there is email!! : ) in the meantime!

Anyway, God is in the midst of building a wonderful team here!! More on that later…

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G____ RETURNS:

No sooner had Steve & Theo and family moved here, when G___ returned here for 6 weeks in order for us to begin to lay more foundations for Gateway, and to develop more potential partnerships, and for her to hopefully get some reworking of some of the sound tracks done which she had been recording in the country she's in in Eurasia, of some of the ethnically-styled, contexualized worship songs/singers/instrumentalists there. This CD was one of the first products we were hoping to market once our web site is functioning (hopefully it will be functioning within the next couple of months or so- we need to find a reliable online payment plan that works for us to use so folks can buy products through the internet-know of any which you'd recommend?)

Well, once again, though it was an incredibly exhilarating time in many ways, and very spiritually intense positively, it was also a very faith challenging time in many ways - financially, for ALL of us, healthwise, and all kinds of other ways! There was lots of spiritual opposition - including weird things which happened healthwise to G__ and I that neither of us had ever experienced before - and she was never able to get her recording project done while she was here - although in hindsight it looks like that was part of God's plan - (or else He turned what was meant for evil around for good and for HIS glory - something we have been asking Him to do a lot with these obstacles).!

We didn't get too many more legal foujndations laid while G__ was here, and we didn't meet too many additional potential partners this time round, BUT as we prayed about what God wanted us to focus our time and attention on while she was here, several things came to light.

1) He was having us spend some good time together with Steve & Theo - so developing the team, and G__ and I spent a lot of additional time on our own together as well, and much of it praying and talking through various issues that we needed to consider for the future, etc. She also was doing daily prayer walks into the Gateway region and asking the Lord to give guidance and clarity on what/how He wanted us to proceed there. Through this He was revealing many things to her about the region and I'd be at home praying, and when we'd discuss what we'd been sensing as we'd prayed, it was so amazing to keep having Him saying the same things to both of us, which He often confirmed through other avenues, sources and people and Scriptures as well! So praying was another major focus. Through this a couple of possible buildings have also surfaced, which we are praying about...not sure yet what this means, but praying...possible arts/ministry center in the future? - not sure yet...if so, it will take miracle! :)

2) We also spent time with some local friends that also share a vision to reach out to the people in that region of our city - which is basically the armpit of Surrey - but God loves to see the last becoming first - We don't yet know how everything is going to fit together, but bit by bit things keep coming together more and more as we continue to pray and WAIT and keep laying foundations as He leads one step at a time.

3) We're currently developing the web site, laying other foundations, continuing to develop potential partnerships, in the process of developing databases and products, etc. etc. It's going to be several months, yet, perhaps, before we are going to begin to make an income for the company, but probably a lot longer before any of us as directors will begin to make any personal income through Gateway.

GOD BE WITH YOU and may He do FAR MORE than you have asked or imagined this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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