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| Let us be honest, don’t most days feel as if we’re going to battle? Most of us get up to grind it out at a “job.” As Soren Kierkegaard says,“We find a level of despair that’s tolerable and call it happiness.”
We spend the first few minutes convincing ourselves that we’re sick and need to call into work. However our conscience reminds us we just called in last week and now we have wasted ten minutes lying in bed. Then we rush off without breakfast. If we do eat breakfast, it’s normally more disruptive to our body than nourishing. That stage is the battle within. Now we face the external battle with others as we enter our urban assault vehicles and get on the “free way.” It doesn’t feel very liberating.
We make it to ground zero: the office. Sometimes we have our souls in tack and other times we leave our dignity on the battlefield of the “free way.” We violently gesture at another warrior who too is late for the daily grind as he sharply cuts in front of us. Now he is one car position ahead to simply be trapped like the rest of the morning warriors.
Entering a temporary neutral zone of the parking lot, we collect ourselves and muster up more energy to walk into ground zero of differing ideas, clashing personalities, and divergent cultures. Depending on the day, we will put on a different mask to hide our true self, in fear of rejection whether our ideas will be heard or potentially losing the false security our “job” gives us.
Does this sound familiar? We may not go to a physical battle like those military soldiers around the world fighting for their country’s freedom. However we go through an emotional, mental, and spiritual battle almost everyday. For those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, He has given us peace in the mist of the battle, “the daily grind”! But why don’t we experience this peace?
“…Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah and they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles 20.21-22
The story gets better, “the men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mout Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.” vs.23
Wow! Did you hear that, “destroy, annihilate, and slaughtering?” Judah never once entered the battle but only collected the plunder. Read the entire chapter to see this miraculous event that is also available to us! If God can do all of this to our enemies as we sing and praise Him before the daily grind, then why don’t we start off our day like this?
If I’m going to be honest, it is due to my “selective” short-term memory. I use to blame my bad memory on the endless drugs I use to take. However, the truth is I forget that His love endures forever. I want a new experience daily without remembering His past faithfulness. Can there be something linked to our new experience in our past familiarity?
What would it look like if we didn’t waste those first ten minutes of the day in bed mentally sabotaging our day? Instead, what if we got up and began to sing and praise God for what He did the day, week, month, or year before? We would focus on Him and His faithfulness and not what we could accomplish in our limited resources without Him.
If we did start our day with singing and praises could Jesus truly redeem our “daily grind”? Could I see myself in different lenses and take the time to feed my wonderful body with food that would bring about life? Would I see the other road warriors as allies on the same journey as myself and give way to those who may be later then myself? How about ground zero, the office? Could we see each differing personality, idea, or culture as an expression of God’s grandeur? Could the diversity be an expression of God’s love by revealing Himself in unusual paradigms so that daily grid would have more color and flavor to it?
I’m not sure if the world would change so dramatically if I started off the day in remembrance of God’s faithfulness in my life through singing and praising Him. However, I know I cannot keep continuing to enter the daily grind in my own strength!
CHALLENGE:For the next seven days start your day off with singing and praising God. Journal throughout the day the difference it makes in your perspective of the daily grind. Start with a worship song, I usually listen to it three or four times before I sing it in my head all day. Try this is the car on the way to “ground zero.” Read one of the below passages then summarize it in your own words or apply your name or circumstance where relevant to make the verse personable.
Jer.32.19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of “Sabastian”; you reward “Sabastian” according to his conduct and as “Sabastian” deeds deserve.
Substituting the pronouns with my name already brings about the fear of the Lord into reality this morning! Write me let me know your experience!
Praising Is due to God on account of
a. His majesty. Ps 96:1,6; Isa 24:14.
b. His glory. Ps 138:5; Eze 3:12.
c. His excellency. Ex 15:7; Ps 148:13.
d. His greatness. 1Ch 16:25; Ps 145:3.
e. His holiness. Ex 15:11; Isa 6:3.
f. His wisdom. Da 2:20; Jude 1:25.
g. His power. Ps 21:13.
h. His goodness. Ps 107:8; 118:1; 136:1; Jer 33:11.
\i. His mercy. 2Ch 20:21; Ps 89:1; 118:1-4; 136:1-26.
j. His loving-kindness and truth. Ps 138:2.
k. His faithfulness and truth. Isa 25:1.
l. His salvation. Ps 18:46; Isa 35:10; 61:10; Lu 1:68,69.
m. His wonderful works. Ps 89:5; 150:2; Isa 25:1.
n. His consolation. Ps 42:5; Isa 12:1.
o. His judgment. Ps 101:1.
p. His counsel. Ps 16:7; Jer 32:19.
q. Fulfilling of his promises. 1Ki 8:56.
r. Pardon of sin. Ps 103:1-3; Ho 14:2.
s. Spiritual health. Ps 103:3.
t. Constant preservation. Ps 71:6-8.
u. Deliverance. Ps 40:1-3; 124:6.
v. Protection. Ps 28:7; 59:17.
w. Answering prayer. Ps 28:6; 118:21.
x. The hope of glory. 1Pe 1:3,4.
y. All spiritual blessings. Ps 103:2; Eph 1:3.
z. All temporal blessings. Ps 104:1,14; 136:25.
A. The continuance of blessings. Ps 68:19
New Topic Textbook
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| Hi,
Sorry for the long pause between updates. We have been “modeling” our life as we have been with endless visitors, roommates, and our local community the last couple of months. In addition to I, Sabastian, have been in the States the past month discerning if and when we should be moving back, more detail in our next update. Instead of us telling you what modeling looked like, here are two excerpts of letters we received from our guest:
Thinh
“…as I show up at the Huynh’s condo. Donna sits me down, makes me feel at home, one of her many gifts, and shares that she’ll probably have a tough time adjusting back to life in the states because out here, “I’m on vacation.” She shares that the boys, Kaleb, Josh & Seth get to see more of their dad and that they’ve really begun to understand just how blessed their family is while out in Bangkok. On a few of the nights I am with them, I invite Sabastian and Donna out for a late night massage and to the best noodle stand ever, to which Sabastian replies “Thinh, we will suffer with you for The Kingdom.” It’s funny, now that I think of it. How many of us, if we closed our eyes and imagined our life as a missionary, would picture a very meager existence? And with this small bit of sarcasm, I finally get it. God desires mercy, not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 12:7, Matthew 9:13). So as the Huynh’s enjoy AC, wireless internet and a live-in maid, they go about their lives showing love and mercy to the security guards at their condo, taxi drivers, ex-pat families and prostitutes. Mental note, you can show mercy no matter where you are or how much you have.
God continues to teach as Sabastian and I connect on everything from parents, Wild at Heart (a must read) and the church without walls to leading change and growing up in conservative Vietnamese churches. My ears perk when he mentions that the worst thing I can do is take a job at a non-profit. “They can’t afford you and will struggle to pay you, while you struggle with what they can pay you. The best thing you can do is to volunteer so they can get you for free.” I mentally cross off one of the questions on my list. He leaves me with this “I am so excited and fearful for you Thinh, because I see that you want to connect with people, but to connect, you’re going to go through a lot of pain.” Then you can say to those around you who are hurting “Hey, we’re going through the same stuff, but I’m still standing because of God and this wonderful community. I’d like to invite you into that community.” So, in preparation for the pain, we decide to go to Healthland and get massages.”
Hanah
This year has been quite a journey for me and I praise God so much that I was able to have true family here to bear the burdens, share the laughs, and really do life together! Even before I moved into your apartment, I praised God for every time you, Donna, and I got together. I still remember at the coffee shop by UTL when you said, “Our little girl is growing up.” From that point on, I really do believe I grew a lot, but I could NOT have at the extent I did if you weren’t here to challenge me in so many ways. From being true to myself, to seeing things in such different perspectives, you have taught me so many lessons that I couldn’t have possibly learned on my own.
Whenever people asked me where I go to church in Bangkok, I would just reply that, “I meet with Sabastian and Donna.” To me, every time we met up, it WAS church! I probably learned more about serving, God, and loving people during our “church” than I would have in a year inside of a building. I am SO excited for if/when you do your church plant in California. You know I’m there all the way!! ….
Another thing I’m so grateful for is how you and Donna love and believed in me even more than I could in myself. Sometimes I even thought, “When they get to know me better, they’ll change their minds.” I’m crying even now as I write this because I really thought that. But even after living with you two, you haven’t thought of me differently. If anything, I feel like you’ve loved me even more.”
Can you correlate the long pause with modeling? That’s right, modeling takes time and it is not a simple formula. Instead it is getting messy and doing life with each other. Walking along side one another, in the good and bad times. How about you? Who are you “modeling” your life with? Or maybe you’re at the stage where someone is modeling his or her life for you. If so, make a commitment to model what you have learned to others.
1 Thessalonians 1.2-10 “..We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ….You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the massage with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers…The Lords message rang out from you..”
Please pray for us as we are seeking God’s direction and timing to return back to the States to “model” a grace filled life in the mist of authentic community, details to come!
Sabastian, Donna, Kaleb, Joshua, Seth Huynh
• The boys’ new hobby is to play Chess
• Kaleb turned 8yr in Feb, Joshua is 7yr and Seth 5yr this month
• Sabastian is making time to read fun books
• Donna is exercising daily
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| “Can 30 days change a person?” It has been a month since we arrived in Bangkok. How can 30 days change or impact anyone? I think the change began before we even moved. I personally struggled with my ability to provide financially, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually for my family. Donna questioned if we could ever have the same authentic community we were leaving. The boys well I think they had more faith in us than we did in ourselves. So what got us past these initial insecurities? For me, my fears began when I realized I would not be able to afford to have a traditional retirement plan for my family as I started my own non-profit and left an established organizational structure. Then God reminded me that I could not have better security for my family than trusting in the Creator of the Heavens and Earth rather than trusting in any organizations that are here today and gone tomorrow. I had placed my security in my own abilities; my capability to work within an organization which would provide for my family’s long-term security. I have come to understand that this mindset can prevent me from living out the life for which I was created. A life that is not limited by traditional boundaries, but a life lived beyond conventional means as I follow my Creator’s lead. If I truly believe Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Heavens and Earth and that He has uniquely created me to trust and fellowship with Him, why would I not live out my unique gifting that has no limits except those which I impose? After conquering these initial concerns and taking our steps of faith, we experienced tremendous blessings. Donna had some unexpected confidence in the first three days; she explored the city on her own to find the necessities for our home, food, and the boys’ schooling. This is not characteristic of an introvert, especially one who would rather stay home for a week than leave for a night out on the town. The boys are becoming more other focused then self focused. They are debating amongst themselves about giving all our money to the street people who beg for money so they can have a house to sleep in and food like us. One says to give them all our money, the other asks then what would we live off of, and then the first child says we can use our credit cards. (We know we can’t live off our credit cards, well not for long.) Their child-like faith is exciting to hear as they trust that we will be okay if we take care of others. Wow, how convicting it is when God speaks through our children. There is so much more I want to share with you that God has done in our lives in these short 30 days. Instead, I must close with this final question. How about you? Is personal security an issue for you? Do you think of how you will provide for yourself in the areas of relationships or finances? Are you at the end of your self? If you are, can I encourage you to journey with us? List your wildest dream! Then list what excuses you have that would limit you to live out this fantasy. Finally, give these limitations to Jesus and see what He reveals to you, what boundaries He removes, and what new possibilities He opens up that you could never have dreamed. We hope you will keep us updated if you choose to journey this adventure with us, and we will definitely update you on the next chapter of our escapades. Love and miss you | | |
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Here the kids are taking a Tuk Tuk to school. Safe -- don't you think? Good thing the school is not too far from our home. | | |
| Our New Home!!! I just wanted to give you a glimpse of our new home. 
This is the front of our building. We live on the 24th floor!!!!  Our living room, TV room and dinning room. 
1-2-3-----3 boys in a room. 
Your room-- when you come to visit.  
The view from our window. Isn't it beautiful!!! We're having to adjust living in a big city. | | |
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