Thailand on the Horizon

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Life has been continuing on here at Columbia Bible College.  I have been finishing up my fourth (or sixth depending on how to count it) year and looking to the next stage of life.  I hope to have a season of working, doing music, and being involved in the local church.

As I’m coming to the end of my time I have been encouraged by my own passion, my peace in prayers, and by some of the leaders here at CBC to go on the schools missions trip to Thailand at the end of the year.  I’m not sure what the Lord would have of me on this trip, but through prayer and community support I hope to follow up on this call.  One of my professors decided randomly that he wanted to meet with me and encourage me. I don’t know him all that well, but one thing he sensed as he was praying for me the weeks before was that the Lord desired me to go on one last cross-cultural mission experience before I begin my ministry here in the Lower Mainland.  Little did he know that I had just been asked by one of the leaders of the trip to come and help him with the trip to Thailand the day before.  Now it may sound like they had some kinda secret plan to get Jon on mission with their CBC team, but it is not.  The professor didn’t even know of the the trip to Thailand.  haha! Through prayer and the sense of peace that has been given I have continued to follow up and began taking the steps to going.

The Lord has provided my deposit already!  I have no money but am looking forward to seeing how God will bring it.  If he wants me there he will provide!  I am continuing to pray and rally up some people for the financial and spiritual support for going.

It will be a short-term mission for 3 weeks to Chonburi (I think that is how it is spelled) to support MB missions full time missionaries that have been there for over a decade.  They have been planting a church, running break dancing programs, and running english teaching schools the past years and we get the privilege of coming alongside them at the hottest time of the year to help out (apparently Thailand heat is unbearable).

The cost of the trip with flight included is around 2600 dollars.  We hope to fund raise some of that cost as a team together, but some of it (around 1200-1500) will be personal fund raising as well.  Let me know if you sense the Lord’s nudge to give finances or prayer support.  I have an account with MB Mission that can be given to online, through phone, or through mail-in and you will be given a tax receipt.  Send me and e-mail and we can figure out the best way or if you want more information or I can even show up to your house; I’d love that! Contact me at: jon@familyharris.ca

Blessings!

Jon Harris

 

 

Getting to the Heart of your Desires

What's in your heart?

It seems what is on my heart is how I have so much expectation in my time with the Lord.  I’ve made it this name “time with the Lord” that sure makes it inticing, but what does that really mean?  For I can read my bible and it not be time with the Lord.  I can write a whole bunch… I can sit in silence…  but where does the Lord come in?  The Lord does not want me to have my time with him anxiously expecting to receive a word quickly from him so I can move on with my day and check off my Jesus time box on my schedule.  It is a time to be filled.  It is a time to search the heart and see what its burdens are.  The Bible is good, but I am finding that it can more and more get in the way of actually wrestling through the condition of my heart.  I look to the Bible for correction and wisdom into God’s character…  but what of actually being filled with his Holy Spirit?  Am I really taking my time out to enjoy him and his characteristics that I have learned from the Bible?  Am I actually experiencing my relationship with God?  I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I know that I actually don’t connect best with people through studying them.  I connect best through experiencing life with them.  When we do together, then we have things to talk about.  If all I do is go to the person in hopes of fulfilling my duty, I have lost the big idea.  The big idea in the theme of the Bible…  God wants my heart.  He doesn’t want we to be some great leader, he doesn’t want me to be the best dad above all else, he doesn’t even want me to be the best Christian, but what he is deeply concerned about is what my heart desires.  Does my heart desire money?  God wants that desire…  Does my heart desire a spouse?  God wants that desire…  Does my heart hate?  God wants to heal that and redeem those energies given to hate to turn to energies used in love of himself and his people.

Big question Jon.  What does your heart desire right now?  Honestly…  What desires are not as they should be…  Let me explain why they shouldn’t be there… let me explain why they cause you anxiety…  Let me take your burdens that your desire may be for me and love of the kingdom.  I’ll take care of the rest.  Just ask me and it will be given.

So I pass on the question to you…  What does your heart desire?  What is the deepest desire of your heart?  If you could be given anything in your life right now?  Because if it is not God, he is jealous.  God wants that and will fight ferociously for it…  He has killed millions that his people may give their hearts to him.  He has even given up his own son, that you may know how great his love is…  But really examine yourself.  Let the Lord’s love take over any other desire that your heart may have for it is peanuts in comparison to his great love.  Something so great, yet so overlooked by our hearts is the fact that the God of the universe is willing to care for you…all of it…if you but turn your heart to him and walk with him in pursing his kingdom.