Jackie, a British woman who went to school for music, felt the call to missions at an early age. In 1966, at the age of 21, she boarded a boat leaving from France and stepped off in Hong Kong. She had been unable to find a missionary organization that would except her (most told her she was too young) so she took the advice of a minister friend and bought a ticket for a boat that was sailing the furthest and prayed about where she should get off.

When she arrived in Hong Kong she worked in the Walled City, a densely populated, ungoverned city, as a primary school teacher. The Lord began to give her a heart for the people of the city, most trapped in opium and heroin addictions, gambling, gangs, prostitution and hopelessness.

Reading Chasing the Dragon really increased my faith as Jackie recounts story after story of boys who were addicted to heroin and deeply involved in gangs coming to a realization of Jesus Christ, receiving the Holy Spirit, going through pain free withdrawals from the drug and renouncing their involvement with gangs.

As I read I was reminded again of the existence of other cultures and peoples and burdened a new to pray for the salvation of all nations. I know this sounds very elementary but it is so easy, living in America, to forget about other people, in other countries, whose lives are so different then my own, people who need Jesus and His love.

This book also reminded me that as a Christian you never know what the Lord may ask of you, what assignment He may give you so that His name will be made known throughout the earth. Jackie, a young woman, with save but one connection in Hong Kong, little money and no knowledge of Cantonese left her country and set out into the unknown because the Lord asked her to. The result of her obedience is that hundreds of people received the Lord, were delivered and changed forever.  Though her obedience was at times costly and not easy the Lord gave her grace because she was walking in His will.

One of the things that Jackie was constantly doing (and probably still does) in her ministry was to pray without ceasing. She recounts that in going about her day she would constantly pray in the spirit under her breath; while walking, riding the bus or waiting in lines. When an acquaintance questioned her constant praying in the spirit she told him that one reason why God was able to use her was because she kept in touch through using this gift of tongues all the time. She offered to take him on a day long tour of Hong Kong while they prayed continuously and during the course of that day they saw two healings and six salvations.

The book was definitely very hard to put down almost every time I picked it up. It is full of testimonies of the Lord’s power to change hearts and lives.  Highly recommend!

It’s interesting to note though that the Bible does not say one word about a potential wife being required to be physically perfect. Even the proverbial description of a worthy woman in Proverbs says nothing about the “excellent wife’s” physical appearance except that she is physically strong and wears good quality clothing (doesn’t say “fashionable clothing” but “fine linen”).

One of the final verses of Proverbs 31 states that “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain” If our culture says that physical beauty is the ultimate indicator that you have scored the perfect wife yet the Bible says that beauty is vain, I’m thinking that most men have their standards a little bit out of order.

Physical attraction is a factor to consider in a marriage partner, the Lord meant for it to be that way. But it’s not the main factor and should never be the main factor. There is nothing wrong with beauty, I love to look beautiful, the Lord created beauty, He’s the author of it and it is good.

Beauty in its purest form is right, it’s only when we allow the quest for perfection in each other’s bodies to rule our lives that beauty becomes simply a cheap, plastic, faux gold plated trophy.

So, you may ask, if physical beauty should not be your primary basis for finding a wife what are you supposed to be looking for in woman? Well, the beginning of Proverb thirty-one’s 21 verse description of a worthy woman states “her worth is far above jewels” and since the 21 verses reference things other than physical makeup that would be a good place to start.

I would say that the bottom line though is to look for a woman with a beautiful heart. The body will fade, grow brittle and eventually die; it will decrease in earthly value for lack of a better term. But the heart set upon the Lord will continue to grow, remain soft and bring forth fruit for eternity.

I’ve set two things before you therefore there is a choice if you have the courage to make it. Remember that marriage is a covenant, not a lease. Choose wisely.

Today while going about my business I came upon a group of people who are in possession of several elements that in the past I would have immediately coveted and said “I wish I could know them and be in their group, have it known that I know them.” I say in the past because when I saw them today I didn’t think these thoughts. Why? Why didn’t my mind, emotions and heart go the way I’ve always known them to go?

As I sat a few minutes later pondering this change I realized what was going on: my standards of what makes a man “worth knowing” had measurably changed, for real. Now before you say ‘Wow Danielle, aren’t you perfect” let me say ‘No, I am not perfect…by far!” I desire to be known just as much as the next guy because it’s a God given desire, He wants us to know Him and us to be known by Him. But, since we are fallen human beings we direct that desire to know and be known in all the wrong directions. If you are an American you only need to look at the magazine covers at the supermarket to see that we are a celebrity obsessed culture. We want to know all about others and in so doing think that we know them.

So what makes a person really “worth knowing”? It’s not the measure of their wallet, wardrobe or following on twitter, the true worth lies in the measure of their heart. Over the past few months I have been endeavoring to focus on seeing people from the inside, trying not to allow their outside appearances or popularity be the bases for establishing or deepening a relationship. It’s been wonderful and difficult but in doing so my desire has actually changed.

I’m not saying I will never again wish I could know certain people just because they are cool and everyone else knows them, that can still trip me up if I let it. But when that does happen I can re direct it to desire to be known by God and hopefully enlarge my heart instead of focusing on enlarging my popularity.

True worth lies in the most unsuspecting people if you take time to seek it out. Kindness, compassion, righteousness and a heart set on following the Lord make one worth knowing. I can without a doubt say that if worth was based solely on the standards above, than the majority of times I am not a person worth knowing. But I humbly desire to be worth knowing for all the right reasons. I want to be known as one who is forgetting that which will fade away and storing up internal treasure that will last forever, worth more than all the money in the world. I want to desire to know people because I know God.

*Note* My goal in this post was to make a point about worth as defined by the world/culture. I want to make clear that every human life on this planet is worth much to the Lord regardless of its state.

Necessity or Toy? I’m actually old enough to remember a time when most Americans did not have mobile or cellular phones. Then when everyone started buying them you could only use them to make a phone call. Then you could make a phone call and text…and that’s all you really need a cell phone for, calling or texting someone.  I must admit that in 2011, this is pretty much a necessity for a lot of us.

However, unless you are a CEO or maybe a CEO’s assistant you don’t “need” an iPhone. And even the CEO and his assistant should put their iPhones on silent for a bit when they spend time with their family. What about GPS or face time? Well, you can buy a GPS unit for $100 or less and Skype for free on your Mac! The ability to make a phone call and text are a necessity. Hey Tell, Angry Birds and Suri are toys.

It’s New. I’ve actually been given this reason before when someone is on their iPhone a lot at a social event and I’ve got to say that this defense is as weak as wet toilet paper. That would be like me buying a new book and bringing it with me to a party and telling everyone that I just bought it so I am justified in disengaging and reading a few chapters. Umm????

Fruit of the Spirit #9. Having an iPhone forces you to exercise Fruit of the Spirit #9, a lot! Realistically, if you already have an iPhone probably no one is going to be able to influence you to “downgrade” to a simpler cellular device. But, there is an alternative and solution to the consuming iPhone, it’s called self-control. If you can’t be in a room with other people for more than five minutes without checking FB, email or football game score you may want to review Galatians 5:22-23 with a focus on verse 23.

Really, even if you don’t own an iPhone you should review these verses, they’re really good and they have eternal value! At the end of the age I guarantee you that the Lord will not ask you how many photos you posted via instagram but he will ask you if you learned to love people.

Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to be hatin on all you iPhone folks out there. I’m just trying to call us back to good, old fashioned, currently out of style face to face interaction as opposed to the current trend of “screen time.”

Though the iPhone is the latest thing, human beings have been, currently are and will always be more important than a $200 electronic.

So, next time, at a social event, before you pull out your iPhone to tell Suri that she’s a loser for the 20^th time resist the urge to slide that little arrow. You never know what you might learn from a live human being, or who you might meet

I had fun playing football even though my team lost both the games we played today. The reason I had fun was because I was playing with a group of awesome girls who played hard and gave 100%. However, even though I had fun it did sting when the girl I was supposed to be guarding caught a pass or outran me. Let me just say it, losing is not fun. I now have more compassion for those NFL teams that play and are soundly beaten almost every week.

However, there are two big differences between me playing powderpuff football and big guys playing NFL football.

First, NFL games are broadcast on national TV so if your team fails or you personally mess up and don’t tackle the guy you are guarding, everyone sees it. The next day you are cut down by radio announcers, sportswriters and fans.

Second, for NFL players football is their career. How well they play in a game may influence how much money they make and what team offers them a job next season.

That’s a lot of pressure! In pondering this I thought of what I have learned through books and speakers about how men would rather feel unloved then inadequate or disrespected or how they are often insecure that their inadequacies will be discovered. Being a man seems like it’s a tough business. Men long for respect and when they feel respect that is how they feel love (See the book “Love and Respect” or just ask a guy who is honest).

Being a man must be tough. Actually, I’m pretty glad I’m not a man. Sure, women have their own issues to struggle with, but if you’re a girl reading this, when was the last time you felt more angst about not measuring up at your job then you did about not being able to fit into a favorite pair of pants anymore? See what I mean?

The point is that in playing powderpuff and experiencing some of the types of feelings guys must have when they get beat at the sport they are playing has caused me to have a greater respect for and understanding of men. And it seems from most sources that respect is just what they crave.

Let’s just say that we lived in a world like this, where we all related to each other on the basis of who we were inside, what we said, our actions, etc and simply had no grid by which to judge outward appearances.

Then, let’s say quite suddenly after we had lived like this for, oh, maybe 20 years we all lost our little fuzz ball forms and were given human bodies of varying shapes and sizes. Suddenly we all looked different. We had different hair styles, straight or crooked teeth, thin or fat bodies, were short or tall and were clothed in garments purchased from Walmart or The Buckle or Banana Republic.

Suddenly, instead of actually needing to take the effort to know who someone was you had the ability to make a nano second evaluation on who they were based upon their appearance. Do you think your friendships would change?

What if you discovered that your best friend of 20 years actually had a body that was less than perfect and in your opinion needed a trip to the mall?

The culture of the reality you had known for all of your life did an about face and reverted to telling you to form friendships, marriages and associations on the basis of outward looks. In this new culture, over time, you and all those you knew began to form connections with individuals based upon what their clothing tags said, how much time they spent at the gym, how much makeup they wore and the taper of their pant legs.

Without realizing it true identity became something of the past. Identity, instead of being based upon what was in the heart and mind transformed, partially, into what brand name you wore, how much chub you had on your body and what phone you had in your pocket. First impressions and clichés were now primarily formed upon what you put on your body instead of who you truly were.

It’s funny but it does not take much imagination to envision a culture like this, maybe it’s because we’ve been living in it all of our lives.

Think about it. We’ve all been guilty of judging others by their outward appearance sometimes (and I’m including myself here!). Now, I am not endorsing human cloning and I recognize the Biblical fact that the Lord created us with bodies. Jesus himself even came to earth in a human body. It is true, the Lord created us with a body, a soul and a spirit.

However, unless I have my math wrong we all have three parts; body, soul and spirit and the body is only  a mere one third of who we are. Then take into consideration that this particular one third of us will be completely renewed and all our clothing and everything else we own will fade away (see Revelation).

After establishing the undeniable fact that all our possessions will fade away and our bodies will be changed we are left with the cold truth; we live so much of our lives forming many of our relationships/opinions based upon one third of who the other person is, the body third. Really think about that. Doesn’t it sound strange and just a little bit trivial to base relationships primarily on one third? One third is simply that, just one third and one third means a part of a whole.

So, I present a challenge: next time you form an opinion of someone based upon the clothes they wear or how small their waist is why don’t you take some time to try and get to know the other two-thirds that the Lord gave them. Pursue the question ‘Who are you really?’ In doing so you might find out who you really are too.

I have thought long and hard about the role of media in relating the truths of scripture. This medium seems vastly different then the pastor who preaches on Sunday morning or the missionary in Africa who goes into a village to share the gospel. Yet, at the same time, it’s somewhat similar. It looks so different on the outside but isn’t it the same gospel?

I think if one seeks the Lord and stewards the gifts he has received the message of truth can go forth from the director who stands behind the camera as well as from the pastor who stands behind the pulpit. I’m not saying that we should do away with church and watch movies for spiritual guidance because that is not wisdom nor is it Biblical. However I do firmly believe that the Lord can move through the medium of film if those whom He has called are faithful to listen for His voice and seek Him.

The Lord has marked people’s hearts to be prophets to the nations and it might look a little different then what we expect it to be. Things may not fit in the box that we think they should. Some of us may not be called to stand behind the pulpit and preach a sermon or lead a congregation in worship. But, is it possible that the Lord can burden hearts with a message that goes forth through the visual art form of flim? I believe it is.

My new term is called “Patch and Pace”.  A patch and pace run is what I do in hot weather, “patch” means that I run in the shady patches of road and “pace” simply means that I pace myself by running slower and taking walk breaks. When it’s sunny and 90 some degrees out, patch and pace running is the only way to run.

Patch runs are best done on Sunday mornings when there is less traffic, enabling you to do a zig zag pattern if necessary and also run on the wrong side of the road without being hit by a car. I would not advise doing a patch run while wearing an iPod. Actually, I would advise not wearing an iPod at all when you run, if you can help it, but that is for another day. Patch and pace runs are also invaluable in hot weather if you are not a fan of incurring a whopping headache or seeing your breakfast all over the road.

So, there you have it, a new running term that will soon be used by runners here and abroad. Now all I have to do is submit it Runner’s Magazine

Today these ideas seem so foreign. The very thought that all dwelled in unity and peace is incomprehensible. Over the past couple of days I have been thinking upon the enmity and cruelty of man. The other night I watched an episode of a TV program that is fictional. However, the plot of this particular episode was based upon a historical event; the attack on an Indian (First Nation) village at the hand of Lt Col George Armstrong Custer in November of 1968.

Though the historical details of how many died in this event are not agreed upon it brought back to my memory what I learned in history class about the treatment of the group of people who lived in America hundreds of years before us European immigrants came from across the Atlantic.  I began to think of other injustices throughout history; enslavement of African Americans for over a hundred years, the murder of 6,000 Jews during the 1930’s and 40’s and modern atrocities such as sex trafficking, abortion and even treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay prison.

Even simple things like everyday enmity between friends and family go against the grain of the original plan and were never meant to be. Even the way we interact with ourselves in our heads and hearts, our thoughts and mindsets are not the way they are supposed to be. I believe that very, very little of what we know today was ever part of the original plan.  In the beginning, even after sin entered the world, men lived to be hundreds of years old, animals were larger and the earth looked very different.

So, how do we resolve this huge difference from the beginning and the way things are now? The answer is, the end. The end of this world will bring about a new beginning that I believe will look a lot like the beginning, when Jesus will reign upon the earth from a mountain city, we as Christians will receive perfect bodies and animals will no longer be in conflict with man. If the Lord had a perfect plan in the beginning I don’t think He will need to re-invent the wheel (though He is God so He can do whatever he wants) but for this reason I believe the way things were in the beginning are an indication of what the plan is for the end. And this is how we will spend eternity, basically our whole lifetime when you consider how short our life in this age is in comparison with the unending time span of eternity.

If the end is going to look a lot like the perfection of the beginning it makes complete sense to study the beginning, Genesis, creation and the time before sin entered the world.  Give it a try, it’s exciting, it was perfect and it’s the future.

Check out:

The Bible (read Genesis 1 and 2)

In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/

Psalm 37 was written by King David. One of the most well known sections of this psalm is verses three through four.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:3-4

I love the last part of verse four. I don’t look at the “desires of your heart” as specifically things that I want for my life but rather as what the Lord wants for my life. Why do I think that? I believe that as I delight myself in the Lord He will begin to speak to me, giving me His desires for my life. He is the perfect leader, He is on my side and He has my best interest in mind. I have to give all my hopes and dreams to Him. It is only; when I lay everything down that I find true life and begin to know His desires. He knows just what I need and I want what He desires for my life.

So how do you delight yourself in the Lord? Well, I will be honest, it is a challenge sometimes. There are so many things in life that pull at us, aspects of our culture, entertainment or even just plain old busyness. Dialing down and setting yourself to delight in the Lord is something that will most often take work. But the results are well worth it.

Start with His word, the Bible. In order to delight yourself in the Lord you must believe and know that He delights in you. Reading scripture about how He feels about us is a good place to start, I like Ps. 139. Next ask Him how He feels about you! You don’t have to block out a two hour time period to begin delighting in the Lord. Begin with thirty second prayers asking the Lord what He thinks of you and what His desires are for your life. Once you begin to feel His delight in you, you are able to hear what He is saying over your life. When you hear what He says about your life you begin to desire what He is saying.