For North Carolinians, there is a strategic vote on Tuesday, May 8th, about the nature of marriage. This is what the Amendment says: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” Simple and clear enough. Should be a slam-dunk vote! Right? Not necessarily. Even though that is how most societies have understood and defined marriage since the beginning of time, that definition is increasingly being challenged morally and legally. The necessity of Marriage Amendment One is the legal response to this battle to redefine traditional marriage.
The key legal issue is whether the traditional definition of marriage, as an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman, will stand. Or whether it will be amended to legally validate and protect other “domestic relationships” – specifically between people of the same sex. In other words, will the definition of marriage be widened to include homosexual relationships rather than just heterosexual relationships? Will two homosexuals or two lesbians be granted all of the social and legal marital status of a man and woman?
Dear JLPF Partners…In America and all over the world people are suffering. Here at home thousands are suffering from wild tornados that are coming in unprecedented numbers. In addition to the suffering from natural disasters, there is also the ever-present physical suffering through sickness and disease. Many of you are already aware of the suffering we have been facing as an extended family through the meningitis that my grandson, Luke, has come down with -- which we deeply appreciate your prayers for.
As you know from my recent emails, in Mali, West Africa, our Christian brothers and sisters are suffering at the hands of Radical Islamic groups. They have been forced to flee from their homes, lands, churches, Bible Colleges and towns and become refugees in their own country. In Haiti where I just was for Easter, hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims are still suffering from homelessness and lack of basic essentials. In parts of India, Christians are suffering at the hands of Hindu militants who are destroying their homes and churches. In Sri Lanka, Believers are being persecuted by Buddhist militants -- who were previously tolerant and non-violent. The list of suffering goes on and on...
To help put this into a wider Biblical perspective, I am sharing this timely study entitled "The Fellowship of His Suffering." I believe you will find it helpful. After you read it, please feel free to forward it to other family and friends who might also be facing a particular time of suffering -- whether physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally or financially. If they are not suffering now, it is only a matter of time! None of us get through this life without some level of suffering. So arm yourself with these timeless Biblical truths! Then share them with others.
In His Sustaining Love,
JL
Click here for the full study
As we begin this season of Lent, I wanted to remind folks of a book I published a few years back, The Passionate Christ. It takes you through a detailed accounting of Jesus' last days and hours before His crucifixion. Through this study you will discover afresh His passion for you! The book can be purchased online at our Amazon store.
I also encourage you to review a series I posted online a few years ago, one for each of the 40 days from now to Easter.
Below you will find the links.
Read More/Less
Dear Friends & Partners,
I am writing this quick email to you on this Thanksgiving Day weekend -- actually on 'Black Friday.' That is a bit significant due to the nature of this email! I seldom have or take time to go to movies, but last night Patt and I went to see the movie, "The Help." I had started watching it on my flight home last week from Asia. But the sound was so bad (plus I am loosing a lot of my hearing due to my last bought with malaria!), that I had to stop watching it. However, I saw enough to want to clearly hear and see the whole story in a theatre when I got back. Patt readily agreed to go with me even though she had already seen it with our daughter, daughters-in-law and friends. It was showing at the Graham Cinema -- where all movies are just $3.00 and popcorn comes with free refills! What a deal!
For me it was a powerful, painful and poignant movie! It was like stepping in a time machine and going back to the early days of The New Directions. As a ministry, we were born in those tumultuous days of segregation and integration. Some of our earlier ND members came out of the kinds of homes that were reflected in 'The Help.' Some were from more privileged 'white homes' that had 'domestic help' as the norm. Others came from the 'colored homes' of those same domestic workers. Both our Black and White members had grown up in largely segregated communities and spent most of their earlier education in racially segregated schools. So for us to be working together -- singing together…praying together...traveling together…witnessing together…living together...eating together -- was radical!
Because of our interracial profile, we were thrust into the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in Alamance County where we were based. And everywhere we traveled with our "Action Experience in Christian Love," we sought to model authentic reconciliation. As a group of excited young Christians, we were just naively seeking to be a positive incarnation and demonstration of the reconciliation that we were finding in the Lord Jesus! We believed and taught that "Racism is not a skin problem -- but a sin problem!" And only the Lord Jesus could forgive the sin and transform the heart to the degree that racism and prejudices could be laid aside for authentic reconciliation in Christ!
As I watched the domestic workers in the movie get on and off their buses that were taking them 'across town' to the 'other side of the tracks,' I could not help but reflect on our weekly bus trips -- first on the old YMCA bus, then later, on our refurbished Greyhound bus. But we didn't get on and off the bus as a segregated group. Nor did our Black members ride on the 'back of the bus!' We traveled together as an enthusiastic group of young people who were on a journey of falling in love with the Lord Jesus and with each other! And most of those covenant interracial friendships exist to this very day and hour!
We musically invaded every venue that would open its doors to us from 'Maine to Miami!" We traveled and ministered in all of the bastions of racial segregation from West Point, Mississippi…to Charleston, SC…to Myrtle Beach…Lynchburg, Virginia. We also penetrated the ghettos and inner cities of the North. In most places we traveled and ministered, we were the very first integrated group to ever be in that town…church…school…prison…mall. Frankly, it is a wonder that we did not get arrested or killed! God was gracious beyond our comprehension -- even to this very day!
So as Patt and I watched 'The Help,' we did so with both pain and praise. We still are pained by the lingering scars of those awful decades of prejudice and segregation. In those earlier days, none of us fully realized just how radical and revolutionary we were! We were definitely 'ahead of the times' we were living in. As such, we often found ourselves out-of-step with parents, siblings, friends and church members -- Black and White. But we were in-step with a great spiritual and cultural wave of the Holy Spirit!
So if you haven't seen 'The Help.' I hope you will do so. And while the language is very raw at times, I would even recommend that you take your teenage children to see it for their edification -- depending on their level of spiritual and emotional maturity. Sadly, their generation is almost totally ignorant of the horrible realities of that era in American history. And as we often preached: "He who is not aware of his history is condemned to relive it." Because millions of Americans today have still not honestly dealt with their racial prejudice, our nation still struggles with the legacy of latent racism -- always lurking just beneath the surface and ready to raise its ugly head of hate! And it seems to especially do so during times of political activity leading toward congressional and presidential elections -- like the 2012 political season.
Finally, watching the movie only strengthened my desire and resolve to try and capture some of the history of our ministry. It is not 'my story' -- but 'our story.' At my request, many of our ND Alumni have written significant chapters about their involvement in the NDs. They have been a blessing and encouragement to read and reflect back on. We hope to make all of them available in book form sometime in 2012.
Thanksgiving Blessings to each of you…JL & Patt
Read More/Less
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
(Ps. 95:2)
Dear Friend & Partner,
I have just returned from two weeks of travel and ministry in Nepal and India and will send you my usual pictorial report in the next few days. But since this is "Thanksgiving Week," I wanted to share the outline of a message I preached in Nepal. It was for the 40th Ministry Anniversary of Pastor Man Bahadur Tamang, one of our oldest partnerships in Nepal. As one of the pioneer spiritual patriarchs of the country, he experienced much opposition, persecution and imprisonment for his faith and fidelity. His wife and sons experienced the same. When I asked him what theme he wanted me to preach on for his anniversary, he joyfully said: "Thanksgiving!" When he said that with his usual big smile, my heart was convicted and challenged!
It was also significant to me that I was with Pastor Man for this special Thanksgiving Service on the same weekend as the "International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church" (IDOP) -- November 13th. We began the day with the baptism of 17 new believers in a local river -- something Pastor Man had been arrested and imprisoned for in past years. Then we went to his church, the Bijay Church, for a day of services -- a church we had built for him through New Directions back in 1994.
Since they were building a larger worship hall on the second floor of their old church, I spoke on the importance of a "Strong Spiritual and Physical Foundation of Thanksgiving." Here is the brief outline of my message that I hope will add special praise to your Thanksgiving Day and weekend. Due to time and space, I am only giving representative verses without commentary (except #8) -- which the Holy Spirit will give to your heart as your prayerfully read this outline.
Thanksgiving is the foundation of our…
1. PRAISE:
-
"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song" (Ps. 95:2).
-
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all generations" (Ps. 100:4-5; 107:1).
2. PRAYER:
-
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Phil. 4:6; Eph. 6:8).
-
"I urge…that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (I Tim. 2:1-2).
-
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thess. 5:16-18).
3. PARTICIPATION:
-
"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me'" (I Cor. 11:23-24).
-
"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (I Cor. 10:16-17).
4. PEACE:
-
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Col. 3:15).
-
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith…and overflowing with thanksgiving" (Col. 2:6-7).
5. PARTNERSHIP:
-
"I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now…" (Phil. 1:3-5).
-
"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 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" (I Thess. 1:2-3).
6. PROCLAMATION:
-
"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name, make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts…Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise" (I Chron. 16:8-9; 24-25).
7. PROVISION:
-
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proven yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift" (II Cor. 9:7-15).
8. PLEASURE:
-
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons…They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received withthanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer" (I Tim. 4:1-5).
-
"Eat anything…without raising questions of conscience. For the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it…So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (I Cor. 10:25-26; 31).
-
So enjoy your Thanksgiving Dinner!
9. PERFUME:
-
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in trimphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?!…in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God" (II Cor. 2:14-17).
10. PERSPECTIVE:
-
"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken -- that is, created things -- so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (Heb. 12:26-28).
-
"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 15:57).
On that note of victory, Patt and I wish you a blessed Thanksgiving filled with His praise!
JL & Patt
Read More/Less
Page 1 of 17 pages 1 2 3 > Last ›
I am primarily an evangelist and teacher who travels around the world in apostolic ministry as God leads and enables me. In addition to preaching and teaching the Bible, I mentor our key partners to be more strategic and impactful for the Gospel in their countries and cultures, just as they continue to mentor me. I am relationally focused rather than program or project focused in ministry relationships and partnerships. 
