Update on my marriage

I had hardly shut the laundry room's door when I realized that I forgot to put the next load of laundry in the dryer. Instead of just opening the laundry door again and putting the next load in, my heart devised a plan. I'm ashamed to tell you the thoughts that entered my head. "I can just go upstairs and tell Jody I forgot and then he'll do it." As I walked up the stairs I planned to do just that. Jody responded just like I thought he would. With a smile on his face he told me he'd take care of it. 

I couldn't believe I'd just deceived him. I wanted to run after him and confess but my pride refused to budge. My mind then tried to convince my conscience that I really had forgotten and I hadn't really lied to him at all.

Jody reads the Bible every night to us and that night we were reading 1 John 4. Verses 7-12,19-21 were meant for me that night. 

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Car Wreck

What's left of the Sundance...

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. With the sudden forward jerk of the car, my head flew back. My first thought was "Did the window just shatter?!". One more bang occurred as we hit the car in front of us.  

Jody and I were stopped at a red light on our way to church. Being a part of the 3-vehicle-wreck that ended up being just a fender bender prepared our hearts to think about eternity. The wreck could have been much worse. We could have been a part of the 40,000 souls who die in car accidents each year in the USA. In the flash of a second, your perspective of life changes. No longer was I worried about getting to church on time, but I was thinking about if I was ready to meet the Lord. 

Just moments before I was upset at Jody. He didn't feel comfortable with me spending $63 dollars on a dress for our engagement photo shoot. I wanted to tell him we weren't married yet and that it wasn't his money. It was my money and I could do what I wanted with it! My attitude was utterly selfish. While I hadn't uttered any of those words to him, my mouth had wanted to spew them out. 

If that car had hit us harder, within a second, I would've been standing before Jesus. I would have been standing before Him, the Lord of the universe. The One who told me to give self up and live for others. 

Let me tell you, I'm so glad we didn't die that day. I would've despised myself, standing before the King with the thoughts I'd just had about Jody. The Lord gave Jody and I His protecting grace that evening. 

Are you ready? At any moment you might see the King of kings, suddenly, before His holy throne. What do you want to be doing when you die? Do it all the time and you'll never stand before the Lord with regrets.

Sending Joy back to North Korea

Leaving the apartment building with a cell phone for a flash light

It was past midnight. I felt the adrenaline rush as we quickly and quietly jumped out of our van. With just the light of a cell phone guiding our way, we hurried up the concrete apartment building stairs and into a dimly lit safe house where two North Koreans---a man and a woman---were staying due to the hospitality of a Christian Chinese couple. 

As I sat down on the small bedroom floor, I sensed the Lord's presence with us. This was going to be a meeting I would never forget. 

The two North Koreans whom we were meeting were outside of their country legally on temporary business visas, but it was still forbidden for them to have any contact with Westerners (North Korea's enemies). As we started to listen to the story of the North Korean man, I noticed the North Korean woman quickly get up from sitting in between the Americans and move next to her Chinese friend. She later told us that we were the first Americans she had ever come in contact with. North Korea teaches all of its citizens that Americans  eat their own babies. Right before she  had come to China, she saw a film where Americans were doing horrible things. To put it plainly, she was afraid of us. She would not reveal her name to us, but she did share her story. I'll refer to her as Joy.

Joy arrived at the safe house full of bitterness. Mostly she was bitter towards her mother-in-law, who was in a vegetable state and who lived with her and her husband. Joy hated taking care of her. In her heart, she secretly hoped her mother-in-law would die while she'd be in China. 

Joy had chosen to stay at the apartment we were visiting because her friends and family in North Korea told her to find a safe house run by Christians, even though it would be an illegal residence for her. They told her that Christians would let her live at their safe house for free, and would give her free supplies to bring back to North Korea.

Once she arrived, Joy resented having to join Bible devotions every day. She even thought about reporting the couple who ran the safe house over to the authorities, but because she was a free renter, she decided to just do as they said. 

Even though the safe house "mother" became very sick, she never stopped  making meals or caring for the North Koreans staying at her home. Joy was amazed with her  servant-like attitude. Everyone in North Korea, she said, only looks out for themselves. 

Joy also started to notice how the owners were always praying for other people and rarely for themselves.  Joy couldn't imagine praying for anyone other than herself! The Lord started to soften her heart and convict her of her selfishness. 

One night, Joy was very grieved over her own selfishness and was also very distraught over the safe house "mother's" health condition. Before she knew what she was doing, she started praying for her. She was shocked that she suddenly had compassion enough to pray for someone other than herself!

The next morning, she told the owner's wife she had prayed for her. From then on, Joy became a different person. Her attitude started to change. She had compassion and a hunger to read the Bible. She prayed often with the others. Finally she repented of her sins and turned to Jesus. 

During this part of the story, Joy's eyes began to water. As she wiped the tears away she said, "Now I want to go home and take care of my mother-in-law. I also want to share the good news of the gospel with my family and friends." 

Joy would be returning to North Korea a few days after our visit. Even though she knew the possible consequences for sharing the gospel (death or imprisonment), she knew the power of Jesus Christ and wanted to share it with those around her. 

I'm so blessed to work for Heaven's Family and direct the North Korean Christians Fund. Stories like Joy's make my many hours in the office completely worth it. We are able to shine light into North Korea, one soul at a time. 

I need your help!

As most of you know, I work for the ministry of Heaven's Family, and I love my job. I direct the Orphan's Tear division and also the North Korean Christians Fund. 

Last year, $320,000 passed through Orphan's Tear to help over 1,000 orphans who live in 54 orphanages in 9 countries. We've also been working towards helping all of our orphanages become self-sufficient in various ways, including helping them start income-generating businesses such as pig or chicken farms.

Since the inception of the North Korean Christians Fund, Heaven's Family has provided over $86,000 to assist our persecuted and often starving brothers and sister inside North Korea. We've helped smuggle Bibles to them as well as tons of food. We've also paid for the expenses of helping nine North Korean Christians escape from North Korea whose lives were in danger there.

Probably one of the biggest reasons I'm so proud of working at Heaven's Family is because 100% of every contribution to our various focused funds is used for each fund's specified need. Not a penny is used for administration. If someone sends $20 to meet a need through one of our focused funds, $20 is sent overseas to the need. Thus Heaven's Family pays my salary, and all administrative costs of the ministry, from the general fund. In addition, many of Heaven's Family's employees are completely or partially self-supported by friends and family members who contribute to their personal support funds.

I've said all of that to ask a question. Would you consider supporting me as I serve at Heaven's Family? My desire is to see the ministry of Heaven's Family expand and grow. I'd love to help make that happen by developing my own personal support team, thus reducing what is needed to pay me from the general fund.

Of course, I have nothing to gain by receiving my salary from my own support fund rather than the general fund. I just know that if less from the general fund is needed for my salary, more money is freed up from the general fund, which will ultimately make Heaven's Family even more fruitful.

If you'd like to join my personal support team, that would be great. You can do so by navigating to my personal page at Heaven's Family's website. The exact URL is: https://www.heavensfamily.org/elisabethservant . Everything is self-explanatory there.

Thanks for your prayerful consideration! If you'd like to learn more about all that I do at Heaven's Family, feel free to comment on this post, email, facebook, or call me!

God bless you!

Elisabeth

Even the Irish Need a Savior

Jody and I went witnessing at the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Pittsburgh. Here is what Jody wrote about it! 

Even the Irish Need a Savior

Dear Friends,

There are things that happen that I want to tell you about, but when I wait a whole month to send out updates, my old age sets in and I end up forgetting half the stuff I wanted to mention (it seems as though I am experiencing old age sooner than most). So, I've just decided to send out updates as they happen.

This past weekend, Elisabeth and I had the privilege of handing out gospel tracts at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Pittsburgh. Thousands upon thousands of people converged to see the parade; many of whom had already been there for hours, drinking and partying their brains out. (Who wouldn't want to get drunk in celebration of St. Patrick bringing the gospel to Ireland, anyway?)

There were four of us in our team. We prayed, made sure we each had plenty of tracts, and hit the streets.

Jen, our team leader, had the brilliant idea of getting there before the parade and walking down the parade route handing out tracts (since everyone would already be lined up waiting for the parade).

The tracts that we handed out were printed on trillion dollar bills. The crowds thought that they were a political statement about the country's financial deficit and so most everyone was eager to receive one. By the time we left, Elisabeth and I guesstimated that we had handed out between 1,500–2,000 tracts and the rest of our team probably handed out several thousand more.

We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity of putting yet another call to repentance in thousands of peoples' hands whom we otherwise never would've come in contact with.

Nick

I want to tell you briefly about a young man named Nick who had received a tract. Several minutes after receiving the tract, he approached me, informing me that he had read it.

"I read what you gave me...and...do I really have to repent of my sins to get into Heaven?"

I was a little taken back by his frankness but hopeful about the opportunity.

"That's correct." I responded.

He replied, "Going to church every weekend isn't enough, is it?"

He went on to express his need and desire for Christ but his unwillingness to turn from his sin.

"I know what I need to do...but I just can't do it...not today."

One of his buddies cut in and started mocking me about all the Jesus stuff. Nick told him to shut up and his friend responded quite soberly, "I will never claim to be a Christian until I am ready to live it out."

Sure, I appreciated his honesty, but he can acknowledge his sinfulness till he turns blue in the face and it won't do him a lick of good when he is standing before a righteous and just God without an Intercessor on his behalf. What grieves my heart the most is that I saw the sincerity in Nick's eyes when we talked about his need for Christ. I've been agonizing in prayer over Nick.

The Lie

Nick has bought into the same lie that millions of people around the world have bought into: that God's forgiveness and grace will always be at their disposal.

Ah, it's ok if I sin today, I can always run back to God tomorrow.

Only one problem: tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.

Mark Cahill (a well-known evangelist) says, "There is one thing you can't do in Heaven: you can't witness to a lost person."

Sometimes we get so caught up in the constant drag of our day-to-day routines that we forget that the majority of the people around us are in rebellion with God and are on a straight course to hell. (Even some of the sweet old ladies at the grocery store!)

A Few More Words

In closing, I just want to leave us all with two reminders:

1.) There is a fairly good chance that wherever your busyness takes you today, you will most likely come in contact with at least one person who doesn't have a true relationship with the Lord. There may even be someone like Nick who faithfully attends your church but is living a life of sinful rebellion. Do them a huge favor and point them in the right direction (even if they're Irish).

2.) Don't put off what you need to do today until tomorrow. I once read somewhere that delayed obedience is still disobedience. If you're like me, you naturally tend to take the path of least resistance, pushing off the hard things for at least a decade. Don't do that. It only ends in painful regret. Remember, tomorrow is not a guarantee.

Revealed in Scripture

This is what I got from reading the word of God a few days ago. I hope it encourages and challenges you!

Matt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”^[a]

⁴ Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ⁶ and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Okay stop now at verse five. Take note, these people were coming to get baptized and they were confessing their sins while they were getting baptized. Okay continue... 

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Hold up now! That wasn't a very nice thing to say to some people who want to get baptized!

⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 

Now it makes a little more sense to me. Obviously the Pharisees and Sadducees were just coming to just get baptized, but they weren't feeling the need to repent. They were just going through the motions, without having their heart changed! Why wouldn't they feel the need to repent?

⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

I guess they were thinking that since they were children of Abraham that they were fine with God. They were "saved". Every time I see something in the Bible about the Pharisees and Sadducees, I think about religious people today. What if the verse said something like this:

and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have been saved and grew up in the church, we were once on fire for God.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up "Christians" from these stone". 

In other words, God doesn't need you. He doesn't want people who are just going to have the appearance of being "good". He wants people whose hearts, minds, and souls are completely His. God calls for complete abandonment.

¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

If we don't bear fruit, we are good for nothing. If our words don't have action, they mean nothing. We can say we love God, but unless our actions show it, we will be thrown into the fire.

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.^[b]

So often, I realize that I don't have a clue of how Holy God is. Have you ever gone into a museum and touched something and then got yelled at for it? Jody just got too close to an artifact at an art museum and got a tap on the shoulder for it. Those people are pretty much saying "Wo! Don't you realize how much this artifact is worth? There is no way you'd be able to pay for it if you ruined it. You aren't worthy enough to touch it"

Do you realize we aren't worthy enough carry God's sandals for him? That is how Holy He is. We are nothing. We can't do anything for God. We can't even approach God. He let's us approach Him, but we are never worthy enough to. 

I take that for granted all the time. Just like a painting I have at my own house. I can touch it, move it, even brake it if I want. I don't value it like I do a painting at the museum. I most of the time do the same with God. I don't value Him as if He was Holy and Sacred. I think of that I can just approach Him anytime I please to, just like a painting at my house. If I don't want to talk to Him or am too busy to, I don't have to.

¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

He is coming. Even though the wheat the chaff come from the same plant, they are two different things. One is useful, the other is worthless and will be burned. Even though there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, only the ones who show fruit of repentance. 

Read verse 11 again. John baptized into repentance. But you also need baptized by Jesus. He is the only one who can give you the Holy Spirit and passion to bear fruit.