February 14-17 we’ll be at “La Limonada” in Guatemala City to put on a conference.

This also means that to communicate with people, it is getting  easier and easier to just “log in” to our Facebook accounts and type to someone, or just shoot someone a text or email really quickly. Although these forms of communicating are not bad in and of themselves, it is starting to replace some very important things: Conversations, how they were meant to be, and the Word of God.

I admit first and foremost that I tend to glean wisdom from “self-help” books, podcasts, my pastor and mentors, and through blogs.  But the only way to glean the utmost wisdom is to read straight from God’s word. It is so easy to browse Facebook for 2 hours, rather than to stop, in silence, and pray to the God most high, or crack open his Word. It is also easy to “Google” search everything for answers, instead of asking the wisest King of all. Relationships with my computer or my cell phone seem so much less complicated, and it grants me instant satisfaction.

God also loves to communicate, especially to His children.  “The written Word is God’s grand text message to the world,” says author Pam Farrel. Over and over we hear it in Scripture, “thus saith the Lord.” God’s message will never be erased. It lives forever. J

Our first conference was in a little village called USA (that’s right) near the city of Arusha, Tanzenia where we were staying.  Wooden benches and a small cement building housed about 25 women and many children who came to see the Magdalena film and listen to our words about returning to joy even when hard things happen to us. On the last day several pastors decided to join us as well. Taking the theme of the different women who interacted with Jesus in the film, we assigned the people to small groups for the week where they could sing, dance, create a drama, or use art work to practice the principles taught in the conference. Everyone needs: A Place to belong, a place to give and receive, and a place to work through trauma were the main truths that were given and then paralleled with the women in the film. We were so amazed at how the people applied Biblical and counseling information and made it a perfect fit into their life experiences and culture. We left after 3 days of teaching with many of the children in the village running after our car and shouting “Wngooza! Wngooza!” which means “white person” in Swahili. The joy was visceral and we knew that the Lord had met all of us there with His Holy Spirit with more joy and love than we could have ever anticipated. We thought it couldn’t get any better.

But you know how that goes…just when you think something can’t get any better?  It does. At least when you are serving the Lord. We arrived in Dar es Salaam Tanzania to give our second conference. Although there were plastic chairs (we have found that you can find plastic chairs in most countries) we were once again in a very humble cement block building. However, the level of joy and worship was already ahead of us when we drove in. People were dancing and singing praise to the Lord even as we were setting up for the conference.  Our teaching and theme were the same but we had about 90 people in attendance. To our surprise, over half of the people were men. Many of them were pastors, Bishops or deacons of their churches. It was boisterous as they completely entered in to each practice session with excitement and full participation. When it was time for the general sessions to resume we had a hard time getting them to stop talking!

There are many colleagues who do great work as first responders to physical needs after disasters. We have dear friends in ministries that bring much medical attention to the poor. There are organizations who take teams to people who are starving and thirsty. We support and thank God for them. As we partnered with those from Bringing Hope2others we were amazed at the medical, construction work, and resources they gave to help the people of Tanzania. We even had the privilege of teaming with  members of Youth with a mission (YWAM) who shipped an ambulance for the people to use as a mobile clinic.

All this being said, we were blessed beyond boundaries to get to know not only the people of Tanzanian but the people on the team we joined. But please give me a moment more of your time.

Sometimes people ask us, “What exactly do you do when you go travel?” Great question. We join with the Lord to bring healing. Perhaps not to people’s physical needs, but to the soul places where they are starving and thirsty for Biblical counsel. We ask God to touch wounds that have never been dressed with the balm of His word or the truth of the gospel. We construct stairways and rooms and buildings of emotional safety where they can go after we have gone, to meet with their community and their Lord to continue to heal those wounds.  We use the vehicle of the conferences and the personal prayer and counseling appointments as our own mobile clinic of sorts, and when they come we believe they meet the Great Physician, who knows and cares for their deepest needs. “Returning People To Joy” is what we believe God has called us to do. Thank you to each of you for your partnership of prayers and financial support to help us minister healing and truth.

During one of the “practice sessions” where people divide into groups, one of the men came to me and spoke through our interpreter. He said that there was a little Muslim girl who was 8 years old who had been standing secretly at the doorway of the conference during the week. Her mother and older sister wanted to know if they could bring her in for prayer after everyone was gone. Being Muslim, they could not take the risk of coming in publically.

The church was dark and only the people from our team were present. A chair was brought in for 8 year old Salima to sit in so our team could pray with her. Knowing that she had been hiding outside at the back of the church gave me the impression that she was listening to the interpreter’s words as the conference was taught. As we asked how we could best pray for Salima we learned that when she was just a baby she had contracted a cerebral form of malaria and although she was no longer ill, it had left her with no hearing.

You may wonder why she had been standing outside our conference even though she couldn’t hear the words.  Well, there was often a lot of activity. The people acted out stories from the Magdalena film with singing and dancing and a drama they created. They drew pictures, practiced joy by seeing pictures and tossing yarn balls and we passed out candy. All those reasons added up to enough of a visual experience to peek the curiosity of a child, but mostly I want to believe that it was the presence of the Holy Spirit that drew the heart of a little girl to come and see.

Learning more of her story, we found out that Salima’s mother had brought her to the village where we were presenting to stay at the home of her grandparents. As it was closer to the city, she hoped she would be able to get better medical care for her little girl. She left Salima with her grandparents for two weeks until she could return with her oldest daughter to stay with them also.

But then the unthinkable happened. Salima wandered away from her grandparents’ home and got lost. She was lost for two whole weeks.  Finally, the police found her miles away roaming the streets of the city. Of course you may be thinking what we were as we all know the realm of possibilities of what may have happened to her in a third world country where the molestation and rape of children is tolerated.  Silently I prayed, “Dear God, what has happened to this child?”

She sat in the plastic chair completely dazed and had a fearful look on her face. And why not? She had been lost, could not hear, and about 15 Americans stood around her.   Many of us prayed for her and our interpreter Judy Mwangema spoke the words so Salima’s mother and sister could hear. We prayed for her healing in all areas, mind soul and spirit.

As we were ready to leave, it occurred to one of our team that we were carrying the “Wordless Book.” This is the Gospel told through colors for children or oral learners. We asked if we might share it with the mother and daughter and they agreed.

My brain tends to be cynical at times, so I thought, they might just be showing courtesy to us because we had prayed for them. But no matter, what an opportunity! The Wordless Book was shared and the Gospel was given. Then it was time to ask them if they would like to pray to receive Christ.  I wasn’t sure they would be THAT courteous.

But they weren’t just being nice. Tearfully and with lowered eyes and heads they nodded “yes” they would like to pray. And they did. In their language they repeated every single word. They said phrases like, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God, and He is the only true God.”  Excuse my shock, but please understand that Muslims are not allowed to pray the name of Jesus without great risk of punishment. Adding to that the fact that they were women only brought more risk. When the prayer was finished they were beaming. I looked at Salima and the glazed look of fear and distance was gone. She was smiling a huge smile.

In your prayers, will you please thank the Lord for the new members to our Kingdom family? Will you ask Him to protect and grow them and make sure they get a Bible? The Tanzanian man who brought them to us is going to be staying in touch with them as they will need protection and discipleship.  When we are all in heaven we will introduce you to them. But then, you may already recognize them….

Ah. One more thing. As we were preparing to go I stood some distance from the little girl, making sure she couldn’t see me. I called her name. “Salima. Salima.” I said softly.

She turned her head toward me, smiled a big smile, and nodded at me.

Salima hears.

Life has been difficult lately and most mornings I would wake up early churning all of life’s perplexities over and over in my mind, much like the prop of our plane churning through the air.  The next morning after the flight, I woke up but my mind was not filled with anxiety and wonderment as to what my future would hold. My mind was still soaring, as if playing a video over and over, from our flight. I could still feel that “lighter than air” feeling as if we were birds of flight soaring over the earth at 3,000 feet. I could still see farmer’s fields patch-worked over the earth. I could still envision flying over the many lakes that dot our county. I could still see roads with very small “matchbox” size cars and trucks traveling up and down those arteries to their various destinations.  What a wonderful substitute from other mornings.

After still thinking about this for several days, the spiritual analysis struck me.

If I think my view from the sky was wonderful, just think how much more grander is God’s perspective from his throne in heaven!  What perspective do I have if I am in a boat on the lake versus looking at the entire lake from above? What perspective do I have if I am driving on a highway versus looking at the entire roadway for miles and miles from above? Shouldn’t my goal be as I am traveling down life’s uncertain pathways to soar above the white caps or potholes of life and gain God’s perspective? Wouldn’t life’s trials become less burdensome if I could just learn to have patience and strive for God’s higher perspective? The waves and rough spots are seemingly decreasing in my life now, but I am still trying to retain my view from the window of my son’s plane from 3,000 feet above ground!

 Jeff France

You know that feeling when your driving, and a cop pulls behind you? Your heart sinks. Even if you weren’t necessarily speeding. There is that initial fear of “what did I do,” or “ I have to drive the exact speed limit now.” But shouldn’t we be doing that at all times? Just because a cop is behind me, that shouldn’t change my behaviors, because I should be following the law anyways.

This is how I view my walk with my Heavenly Father. Sometimes it is easy to live as though we are going just a tad over the speed limit, by just barely messing up, but getting away with it. Until the “cop” is behind us. I have a feeling if Christ were to be following us in our cars, or sitting with us in our rooms as we work, socialize, or gather with our families that we would act just a little bit differently. We probably wouldn’t say half of the things that we do, or act on our thoughts as quickly.

We should be living as though “the cop car is always behind us.” We should be acting as though Christ is in our cars, our work places, our houses, and our socializations. I challenge you this week to stop and think about weather or not you are living as though Christ is physically with you throughout your day. Does this change some habbits of yours? It probably does, and should.

I learned from a sermon I heard awhile ago that in Psalm 92 it says that “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” I always thought it interesting that this verse talks about a palm tree. But did you know that the palm tree is the only type of tree in the entire world that gets more and more fruitful until the day it dies? God intends for us to have joy, to seek it, and to live it. Joy is something that overflows when you know God and seek Him. It is something that is intended to flourish more and more within us, and as it cultivates, it is easier to find that joy.

If you are having some problems finding joy, do not worry because you are not alone.  It does not mean that you don’t know God personally, or that you are a bad person. It just means that sometimes life has gotten to us, and that we need a fresh start, and a gentle reminder.  Here are four steps to take to help you.

1. Start today!  Finding joy doesn’t have to take days, weeks, months or years!  You can start seeking joy right now.

2. Celebrate- Strategically find time to gather with friends, family, or loved ones and celebrate something!  A birthday, a holiday, or just that you are alive and that Jesus loves you! Gather around people and play games, laugh, eat some food, and rejoice together.

3. Pray- Alot- Give it to the Lord and ask him to refresh you. He will.

4. Find a joy mentor. Do you know of a person who just gives you life?  They just make you feel comfortable and alive? Sometimes people like that are the best people to spend time with, and they will help you return to joy by just filling you up with their joyfullness. If you don’t have that person, pray for one, because our God is a joyful God, and will help you find that person.

If you have any further questions or suggestions, please email us here at: info@lifetouchmin.org. We’d be happy to hear from you.

As young people, that high probably wore off after a while, and life returned to normal shortly after that. You experienced being on the mountain top with God, and then leveling back out to reality. Well I know that is what I experienced.  It seemed as if, even though I was very young, I went from summer camp to summer camp, and high to high. It’s great when you experience it, but after a while, and the older you become, it’s expected that the high will wear off.

This, my friends, is not what it has to be like with Christ.  God desires for us to go from mountain top to mountain top. There doesn’t have to be a slope. Now, don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that we won’t experience trials, and hard times. But that also doesn’t mean that you have to expect that your passion and “high” that you experience has to fade either. Set a higher standard for yourself, and expect that God WILL honor that within you! He WANTS to draw you nearer to Him, every minute of every day. He WANTS to lavish His love on you. Don’t let yourself get caught in thinking that the “high” will naturally wear off. God desires to help you leap from mountain top to mountain top.

Well as the Lord has been laying on my heart lately, and through a sermon I heard on Sunday, sometimes waiting on the Lord, and having faith is the only option. Take King David, for example, from the Bible. As a very young teenage boy, he was selected to be the next king. But that didn’t come into fruition until about 20 years after that promise. That is a long time to wait for such a great promise!

But as you read about David, and the things that happens to him between the time he kills Goliath, to the time he becomes King, it is obvious that God prepared the way for him, and tested his heart and wisdom. Imagine if David would have become King the second it was promised to him!  He would of most likely made foolish decisions, and had not been prepared to lead an entire nation.

Sometimes, we have to realize that our lives as Christ followers mean that we may never see the things that God has promised. This may be a harsh blow to some of you; I know it was to me. But God asks us to have faith in Him. This means that we believe that even if we will never see any results, we still know that God is telling the truth, and that he is using us for greater things in the future.

This means that we are to go forward in our lives, and continue to plant seeds and to live by faith. I know that it is instinctual for us to want to see results, and for us to feel as if our hard work paid off in the end. But realizing that we may never receive that feeling before we pass away may cause us to have greater faith, which is worth it in the end. I want to be a seed planter, and to realize that my life may benefit a plan of God’s 400 years from now. Or it may benefit to it tomorrow. I may never know. And I want to be okay with that.  This is my prayer.

If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes Christianity can feel tedious at times, especially if we are feeling disconnected, or distant from God. Our actions can easily be mistook for chores towards our faith. We catch ourselves reading the Bible out of duty, praying because ‘it’s a good thing to do,’  or we go to church only to find ourselves sneaking many glances toward the clock on the wall to see how much longer we have left. And other times, we are on the top of a mountain with God and our faith, and we feel like we can feel even the slightest whisper from God, and we believe we are connected and loved.

So do we do things for the sake of doing them, or for the sake of ‘being’ them? I have a hunch that what God is checking for in our hearts is an attitude of ‘being’ not doing.  Anyone can tithe.  Anyone can go on a mission’s trip. Anyone can read there Bible every single day. But if we catch ourselves doing this only because we feel we have to and not because we want to, then my friend we have lost our purpose.

God is looking for us to tithe, even when we barely can make ends meet, out of the generosity of our hearts.  He is looking at those who serve on missions trips in hopes that we are serving because we want to give our absolute most to the people whom we are reaching out to. When we open up His Word, he is aching to meet us right where we are and whisper to us His truth and lavish His love onto us.

When we are feeling as though we are ‘in the valley,’ maybe this time instead of giving up, and just doing, take a good look at the areas in your life and change them from doing to being.  Ask God to help you, because I guarantee there is nothing he delights in more when we ask Him to help us change our actions.