Son of
Nia & Chris
Feb 13, 4:16 Plainfield IL
Weight:
7 lbs 12oz
20" long

CLICK HERE for Cambodia TC 010 Annual Report.
There has been a dramatic increase in drug dependence in Cambodia over the last decade with the escalating rates of methamphetamine use and an increasing number of children addicted to sniffing glue. Exact figures differ greatly among UN agencies and NGO's, but the official UNODC estimate is that over 1/2 million suffer from drug addiction.

As they cleaned the property to be occupied by Teen Challenge students, workers encountered a huge anaconda in the undergrowth. It came up from the black waters of the river that flows along side the TC property.

As I looked at the spot where workers found the 5 meter (15 foot long) snake, I thought of areas of life we all deal with. After creation there were snakes in the garden so it should not surprise us if they show up at a TC or our lives. Teen Challenge workers set out with machetes (left) clearing underbrush for the safety of the students. What do we need to...(click for more)

This week in
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Blessings from Hong Kong, China with Dr. Jerry Nance and the GTC team for the meeting of the Global Board and Asia Pacific Conference.

From there I will accompany GTC Pacific Regional Rep James Lowans for the dedication the new TC center in Manila. Launched by Pastor Rey Bernardes with dear friends and TC pioneers Dana & Dr Randy Rowe of San Jose Teen Challenge, we look forward to the miracles to come. Then on to Thailand and Cambodia.

MISSIONARY MOMENT

I wrote to TC China for help to translate the words of 2 songs for the Conference in China. The work was thorough, their answer was ...
Do you want me to translate this two sentence  ..."Thank you Lord for not giving up on me" & "How we  adore the King?"
The Chinese can be like this: 感謝神因你從未放棄我
敬拜你主，我王，敬拜你主，我王！      

Hmmmmm -Though it was a thorough and accurate answer, it didn't really help. I still didn't know the words. When we minister are we sure that we are really communicating or are we just speaking the language of our comfort zone that we know.. See E-votion

Macau Teen Challenge has provided a place where men and women can overcome life-controlling addictions. More than 100 students have graduated from Macau Teen Challenge. About an hour by boat from Hong Kong, Macau is located 40 miles across the mouth of China's Pearl River and covers a 6-square-mile area that includes the peninsula of Macau and the small, adjacent islands of Taipa and Coloane. Ninety-five percent of Macau's 500,000 people are Chinese.

Compared to Hong Kong, many see Macau as a sleepy little South China village, but tens of thousands of tourists visit its casinos each year chasing dreams of jackpots. Those dreams often turn into nightmares. Although residents of Macau are not allowed to frequent the casinos, many have found their own paths of destruction, including illegal gambling, alcohol, drugs and prostitution.

I mean no disrespect or insult to our China Teen Challenge for their response to my request for the Chinese lyrics to my songs. They worked hard, but the response of

Do we rely on language that is familiar to us? Do we use words that may have one meaning for us but not communicate to the people we want to reach? I watch the reaction of people when they hear terms like "Are you saved." Now don't get angry at me. Don't say brother Bernie doesn't believe in "getting saved." I do!

What I do believe in, is saying what is real. Instead of saying "Are you saved?" I am suggesting that we cut to the biblical realities we communicate. The question I would ask is, "Have you given your life entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life?"

I love watching Teen Challenge men when they hear "Christianeze."
"I have a check in my spirit" TC men will tell you, "Well cash it!"
"The Holy Spirit fell"-- "Did he trip over something? By all means someone help Him up."
If you ask a man on the street to come to your "cell group" don't be surprised if they don't attend. If they've been in prison, the things that happened to them in a cell won't quite motivate them to attend your meeting.

They key question is this ... "Is our primary focus to meet the need of the people we are trying to reach ... or are we trying to meet our need to reach people. Outreach is not a means to affirm our worth. Reaching people for Jesus is not all about me, or my needs, The key here is not even them, The key is Him. It is HIM reaching through us to touch them. That means we need to hear His voice and learn the language of compassion without compromise.

In this hour and time, time we must communicate the good news of the gospel with clarity and accuracy. It is not defending our position or our need to be right. Not seeker sensitive! Not fightin fundies! Not Pentecostal rhetoric or unbridled evangelical fire,but passion drenched, biblically accurate truth that cuts past the walls that religion have raised. Around the world I meet people that despise Christians and Christianity ... These same people have an inherent love for the grace and the power of Jesus Christ. We must engage them based on His word, His love, His power, and His ability to set them free. We can do this without compromising biblical truth or ignoring the reality of sin but by bringing the promise of resurrection life in Jesus Christ.