Sunday, January 22, 2012

Joyce Meyers Adventure

So, I had to come all the way to Bangkok, Thailand to see Joyce Meyers, and boy was it fun! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a scaredy cat. I don't like to go anywhere in Bangkok by myself and I hate to take taxi's alone. But, I tell you...so worth it! After a week of crazy kid drama and the questioning attitude of what in the world am I doing and telling God I needed to see some action from Him and bossing and pitching my usual fits, He spoke to me in a huge way.
Taking a taxi to the BTS train station to meet my friend Tiffany (so much fun)was smooth sailing. We rode all the way until we couldn't go any further and then we had an hour taxi ride to the IMPACT ARENA in Muong Thong Thani. When we got there I couldn't believe my eyes! I thought for sure this was a joke. There were so many people there it was crazy. And they were mostly Thai! I didn't even think there were that many Thai Christians here. I tell you, that was the best thing I've been a part of and been privy to witness in a long time. I don't know about anyone else in that stadium, but I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was amazing. Joyce talked about legalism and fear and a lot of what she talked about was what I have been struggling with here. Who am I? Why do I not have the gifts that my friends have? What if I plan something and no one comes? Why does God want me? Why did He chose me? All of these questions have been running through my mind lately. I have recently been called crass, loud, obnoxious, not conservative enough, outside the box. Well, obviously I'm here because God not only wants to use me in spite of that, but maybe BECAUSE I'm all those things. I realized last night that maybe I'm the bridge between the the crazy, broken, sad, lonely, sinners and all the ultimate Christian conservatives that I live and work with. Who cares what these people think of me? Thank you, Joyce, for pointing out that it doesn't matter what any of them think of me. WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF ME? That's the only think that matters!
As I felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude last night I couldn't sing, clap or praise and the hair all over my body was standing on end. I watched as the High Society men and women in the front who were dripping with diamonds and Rolex watches were raising their hands and praying, singing and dancing. I watched the little 20ish girl who sang every single word as if Jesus was standing in front of her. I watched the Indian ladies dance around the isles and clap with reckless abandon. I saw the little boys running around in circles with their hands held high saying "PRAISE JESUS." I saw the translator dancing and clapping, clearly out of his comfort zone, but caught up in the love and joy the people had for Jesus. I just praise God that I am here, and I hope I can live free of the fear, peer pressure, and the insecurities of not being good enough or not being who my friends think I should be. I want to live and give all the glory to God. I want to love him and have a relationship with Him, for He has given me much. I am still a gypsy, on an adventure of a lifetime, but the adventure has changed. It's still an adventure on a map filled with treasure, but it's become the adventure of loving Christ and bringing others to Him through my crazy journey. It's amazing how much fun I'm having, and I thank you all for taking it with me!!!!