david platt

"The most dangerous place for you to be may be right in the center of God's will."

"God rid us of the idea that that which is the most comfortable and the easiest to accomplish must be the will of God."

"Success in the Church is about the unstoppable uncontrollable Spirit of God, and the people of God, advancing the gospel of God to the ends of the earth."

christmas music is O.K. now.

I know I'm a couple days late. But I hope that Thanksgiving Day was filled with rich conversations and a deeper appreciation for the goodness of the Lord.

As you can imagine, Hong Kong doesn't have an official holiday to celebrate Thanksgiving so on Thursday our team gathered at the Dean's to celebrate. Yes, we even had a Turkey!

A week or so prior to turkey day we were reminiscing and brainstorming over all-too-familiar Thanksgiving dishes, and divided up culinary responsibilities to cover everything. As we brought together different family tastes and traditions, the array of food yielded a feeling of familiarity and a little glimpse of home.

Mom, Dad, Teresa, Carl, Meg [yes, I'm going to name all of you], Ash, Zach, & MC : I missed you so much. Holidays will forever bring memories of each of you. Thank you for celebrating with me what the Lord is doing and for your constant encouragement.

I love and miss each one of you so much.

Of course it was different, but I count it such a blessing to celebrate the Lord's provision here in Hong Kong. When I begin to think back about my journey here and how God has done nothing less than shower goodness upon us, this year's Thanksgiving will be treasured as a day tangibly marked by his provision for a vision.

Looking forward.

Time to turn on Christmas music- my favorite time.

it's almost that day

thank·ful

Pronunciation: \ˈthaŋk-fəl\

Function: adjective

Date: before 12th century

1 : conscious of benefit received 2 : expressive of thanks 3 : well pleased : glad

some of my favorite moments...

...look a lot like this.

white elephant & hot pot

Yesterday we were able to introduce our friends in English class to the ever-so-seasonal game White Elephant. The gifts in our circle ranged from USB key chains to the pieces of a board game. While the game itself is entertaining to play with friends, my favorite part of the afternoon was commentary from Chris. After explaining to him that you try and solicit gifts to others if you don't want the one you unwrapped; he echoed "this (whatever happened to be in his hand) is so useful!" at the start of each person's turn. His efforts were met with a "steal" a few times, but the remainder of the time he brought us lots of laughter. I ended up with a plastic Quaker tupperware container.

Did I "steal" it from someone? Sure did. Twice.

After church, Cat & I met our friends Gillian & Cecilia for dinner. They had invited us over for an authentic Chinese meal at their home. The meal they prepared is called hot pot, and if you've never heard of/tasted it before, the name explains it pretty well. I wish I could tell you what all they mixed in the soup that we cooked our meat & veggies in, but they told us they just made it up as they went. Honestly, I was somewhat nervous about what we would be eating before we arrived. When you experience dining in another culture, you soon learn that things aren't always what they appear to be or seem to be on the menu. But Gillian & Cecilia did an amazing job, dinner was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. I think Cat & I ate 90% of the potatoes on the table, successfully used our chopsticks the entire meal, and laughed a lot.

I'm so thankful to be here.

in transition

This little snapshot is a part of my everyday. {Disclaimer: If you think this is my version of Where's Waldo, you can give your eyes a rest; there is nothing particularly special about this photo. But it does give you a small glimpse into the view that spurred the following thoughts.} This little intersection, like most of Hong Kong, is a place of transition. When I happened to peek over the railing to capture this view, it was early in the afternoon and traffic was low. But as I stood there for a moment I realized that no one stopped. Everyone was in motion, in constant transition: going, coming, to here, from there; and in this particular place, I do the same thing. I don't think about stopping because there is really no reason to. Yet, whenever someone pauses in the midst of the sea of people, my eyes are drawn into what they are doing and I reason that they must have a purpose for taking on a new role as a blockade to the oncoming flow of people. People don't just hit the brakes when life beckons them to do the opposite. But what if there was a reason to stop. Stop moving so fast. Stop talking so much. Stop traveling on autopilot through all too familiar places. What if there was a reason to stop and listen?What if there was life to be gained and love to be known? What if no one took the time to stop and speak truth, how would they hear? What if it meant there was risk involved? My heart sank in my chest as I became overwhelmed with the thought that most of the individuals scurrying past my line of vision were of the ones whom have not heard. As my life continues to unfold alongside them, I don't want to miss knowing who they really are. But what if, what if I stopped, what if they stopped and listened? Not to draw attention to myself or become a blockade, but to speak of the One who loved them before time began. The One who has pursued them relentlessly with his grace. Oh the great privilege it is to tell the story of redemption in Jesus.

If I have lost you in the middle of my analogy, I apologize. If you are worried that I am on my way to the MTR station with a bullhorn and a box to stand on, rest assured that is not the case. The point being that we move ever more swiftly through this life. And as we are equipped with the gospel, we can not continue on in silence. We must take the time to stop and share.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ...

Romans 10:14.

new friends that you should meet.

changing me

psalm 33:13-22

The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees all the children of man;

from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

he who fashions the hearts of them all and observe all their deeds.

The king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

handwriting

I peeked in the mailbox this morning to find a gray envelope & a little surprise from my big sister. I'm not sure what it is about handwritten words, but they get to me every time. I guess it's just the thought that goes into the whole process. It's one thing to think of something that you need/want to say. But it's a whole different ball game to pick up a pen and take time to write them down and mail them around the world. Thanks so much to family & friends who have taken the time to send handwritten words. They mean more than you know.