I first learned about the Kingdom of Cambodia from my Uncle Phil when I was a young boy. Uncle Phil had visited the mysterious temples of Angkor in the years before the Vietnam War. The temples in this complex are the remnants of what once was the religious, political, and social center of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire. When Uncle Phil visited Angkor, travelers were permitted to make pencil rubbings of the bas-relief figures carved on the temple walls of Angkor Wat. Uncle Phil used large sheets of newsprint to capture the mysterious images. He later had them framed and then hung them in my grandparents’ home. As a kid, I was drawn to and fascinated by the simple yet beautiful images and wondered about who had carved them and what stories they told.
A lot has changed since my Uncle Phil visited Cambodia. Once an exotic and charming tropical tourist destination, Cambodia is best known today as the home of “the killing fields.” Over two million Cambodians were brutally murdered by Pol Pot’s government between the years of 1975 and 1979. The Khmer Rouge killed former military and civilian leaders, the wealthy and the educated, and left the country in economic shambles. The Khmer Rouge also tried unsuccessfully to eradicate all religion, including Buddhism which has been the national religion since the 15th Century.
I am headed to Cambodia today and hope to post from there as my schedule allows. My friend Malcolm McMullen and I will meet with a man named Barnabas Mam. I met Barnabas about a year ago and learned about his work with national pastors and church leaders in Cambodia. I also learned a little about Barnabas’ own story of how he lost his family at the hands of Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge. He survived the infamous killing fields and has worked to sow the seeds of life throughout his country ever since. I am looking forward to learning more about his work with hundreds of national pastors and church leaders. My hope is that we can partner with Barnabas and assist him in training these national leaders.
The Cambodian people, known as the Khmer, make up about 86% of the population, with an assortment of tribal and other groups making up the remainder. The Khmer are largely unreached with less than 1% of the population claiming to be Christian. However, the ravages of war and the bloody legacy of the Khmer Rouge have helped bring about openness to the gospel. Christians, who have been allowed to worship openly since 1990, are diligently working to share the message of Jesus with their countrymen. This is a challenging task because of the hostility of the Buddhist establishment. Many Buddhist leaders would like Christianity banned from Cambodia. Please pray for the Khmer people and for the Christ-followers among them. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matt. 9:37). Let’s “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38) in Cambodia.
In February 2003, I led a group on an expedition down the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh. This trans-Himalayan river has its origin in western Tibet, slices its way through the Himalayas and then tumbles into the subcontinent where it winds its way through the fertile fields of Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal.
My friend Jay and his son-in-law Andrew returned to Bangladesh this month to complete the remaining portion of our 2003 boat trip. They distributed over 5,000 copies of Luke’s Gospel and made some great connections with people in villages that can only be accessed via the river.
Have you ever allowed your fears to keep you from faithfully standing for God? Have you ever avoided talking about your faith or hesitated to base decisions on your Christian worldview for fear of reprisal from others? Do you lack confidence in your ability to confront appropriately those who oppose God’s way? Have you ever been immobilized by fear in the face of Goliath-like difficulties? No one is immune from difficulties or intimidating people or circumstances. When we least expect it, we hear the thundering and defiant voice of Goliath — a voice that can make us feel small and helpless.
As my sister worked her way to the back of the shed she uncovered my old Boy Scout foot-locker. It was exciting to kneel in front of it in anticipation of what I would find inside. I unlatched the rusty hinges and slowly lifted the top. The first thing I saw was my Boy Scout knot board and the hide of a rabbit I had shot with my .22 rifle. Underneath the knot board was a December 29, 1975 issue of Time magazine in mint condition. I had my own subscription to Time magazine during my freshman year of college and had saved several issues. This issue was titled “Living Saints: Messengers of Love and Hope” and featured the image of Mother Teresa on the cover. Even then I was impressed by Mother Teresa’s commitment to the least of these. However, I never would have imagined at that time that I would one day serve in her homes in Kolkata.
Every month, Commander Whitehall would send a package from some far-away place. Each package contained a map and information sheet, a small souvenir item from the country he was visiting, and a floppy record with his narrative about that particular country. It was always exciting to hear Mom call from the mailbox to tell me that my package had arrived. I wish I had all of the items Commander Whitehall sent, but it was fun to find even a few of them in my old trunk — things like pan pipes from Ecuador, a pair of sandals from someplace I can’t recall, a pipe from Italy with a face carved on it, worry beads from Iran, and more.
The book of First Samuel gives us insight into the events of David’s life. David’s psalms give us insight into his heart. David wrote psalms to God even in times of isolation and loneliness. The heading of Psalm 142 relates the psalm to a time when David was hiding in a cave. First Samuel describes a time when David took refuge in a cave at Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1-5) and in a cave in the wilderness of Engedi (1 Sam. 24). First Samuel 22:1-5 certainly describes the type of experience that led David to write Psalm 142. Persons experiencing loneliness will find that this psalm can speak for them as much as it speaks to them.
Simon Peter and another disciple (perhaps John) followed Jesus at a distance (Luke 22:54) into the high priest’s courtyard (John 18:15-16). As Peter entered the courtyard, the girl on duty suspiciously asked, “You are not one of His disciples, are you?” (John 18:17). Her question suggests she expected to receive a negative answer. Peter replied that he was not one of Jesus’ disciples (John 18:17). As Peter warmed himself by a fire (v. 18), another person asked the same question (v. 25). Peter emphatically denied a second time that he was a disciple of Jesus. Finally, a relative of Malchus, the man Peter had injured in the garden (see John 18:10), thought he recognized Peter. Again, Peter strongly denied that he knew Jesus (see Matt. 26:74). At that moment a rooster began to crow (John 18:27) and Jesus “turned and looked straight at Peter” (Luke 22:61).
Samuel Zwemer was born on April 12, 1867 in Vriesland, Michigan. He was the thirteenth of fifteen children born to devout Christian parents. Zwemer professed his faith in Christ at the age of seventeen. In 1887, Robert Wilder, a representative of the Student Volunteer Movement, spoke on the campus of Hope College during Zwemer’s senior year. Wilder displayed a map of India with a metronome set in front of it. He emphasized that each time the metronome ticked back and forth, one person in the Indian subcontinent died who had never heard the gospel. Zwemer was so moved by Wilder’s urgent appeal to serve as a missionary that he responded by signing the Student Volunteer Pledge: “I purpose, God willing and desirous, to go to the unoccupied foreign fields.”
Go Beyond 