Plans/Dreams/Visions with each passing birthday…

18 years old – Marry during college, get job, have kids, live it out in America close to home…
19 years old – Marry right after college (had made pledge with God to focus on Him the rest of my time in college and not date until after graduating), get job, adopt kids, live it out in America close to home…
20 years old – Marry right after college, get job, adopt kids, serve church, live it out in America close to home…
21 years old – Marry right after college, get job, adopt kids, serve church, give most of my money to missions, live it out in America relatively close to home…
22 years old – Do college ministry for a few years and then missions probably in China, die as a martyr by 28, be with Jesus in heaven… (I had been growing a lot with God between 19 – 21, but during my 21st year my life began turning upside down for Him… I was sick of the sin and evil of the world and wanted to be with Jesus… not suicidal, just missing Jesus and selfishly wanting to not have to deal with this fallen world and instead just be with Him)
23 years old – Do missions in Japan, pray and break through the strongholds that have gripped the country, die as a martyr at a young age…
24 years old – Do missions in Korea, eventually make an orphanage in North Korea, die as a martyr at a relatively young age (after the orphanage is running okay)
25 years old – Do missions in Korea, direct a ministry that makes orphanages in North Korea and North China, maybe get married, wife and me both die as martyrs at relatively young ages
26 years old – Do missions in Korea, get married, be released in healing ministry, direct a ministry that makes orphanages in North Korea and North China, Spirit falls on kids, wife and me both die as martyrs after we’ve lived out however long God wants us to live
27 years old – Do missions in Korea, be released in healing ministry, get married, direct a ministry that serves all the Korean orphans in North China, North Korea, and South Korea, Spirit falls on kids, have a son with my wife, speak around the world about what God is doing, endure whatever sufferings God has for me, live out however long God has for me and then die as a martyr, son leads ministry through Asia back to Jerusalem and Jesus returns… 

Who knows how I’ll be feeling next year… God is exciting. 

JM Picture Update…

I tend to be the one behind the camera taking pictures of the kids, but here is an entry of pics my kids (and a friend) took of me.  I hope you don’t mind seeing the same person in all of the pictures… I at least changed my facial hair up a few times for you guys…

First pic was taken on New Year’s Day at a Korean League basketball game.  My friend Melissa treated me and four of my boys (my home’s basketball team that I coach) to the game.  Here I am with Myung Mook, Eun Ho, Dae Chul, and Sang Hoon.  We had VIP seats with our own table and free snacks.  Thanks Melissa!

With Jina

With goofy Hae Ran

With Hae Ji, with one hand keeping Hae Ran out of the picture

Soo Yun being goofy

Regular pic

Il Ho attacking me from behind while I was making chip dip for some of the boys

With Kee Baek just before dinner (the home was celebrating January birthdays for the kids by giving them small gifts and a birthday cake)

With Dong Yoon and Kyung Hwan, my Wednesday night worship service partners.  They almost always sit beside me during the hour long service.  Yong Hee jumped behind me for the picture.

Every morning at 11am I go to one of the girls rooms to give English vocab quizzes to a number of the girls (their dorm mothers make them study in the morning during winter vacation)… here I’m giving the quiz to Hae Ji with little Jin Hwa studying in between us

I’m in between Sun Ran and Soo Jin, who each missed a couple words and have to write them 10 times each as a penalty.  Despite this, they managed to smile a little for the picture. 

God bless!

Visions/Prophecies of Korea…

The following was a dream David E. Ross had of Korea in 1979 (quick history, revival came to Pyongyang North Korea in 1907 and soon the nation… when communism began to rise in North Korea many Christians were either martyred or fled to South Korea.  Christianity has been outlawed in North Korea since the 1950s)

North Korea was like a hollow, very dry bone; South Korea like a large persimmon, but it was rotten. There were dust clouds covering the DMZ.

God showed that South Korea had borne much fruit, but it was rotting because Christians there were not interceding for the whole nation, especially for North Korea, whom they considered to be the enemy.

God showed that Christians saw North Korea as Satan’s territory. Christians were intimidated by Satan, and did not believe that God could bring revival to the north.

But God declared that even though North Korea was a hollow, very dry bone, yet it had been the “mother” of South Korea’s fruitfulness, and that we should pray to God realizing that He is unlimited, that it is easy for Him to accomplish His purposes in North Korea.

   But we must pray not only asking God to send His heavenly hosts to revive North Korea, but also first we must repent of our own rottenness of disobedience. Then we will be emboldened to pray as Ezekiel for the Lord to put His Holy Spirit into the dry bones and bring life.

Then God showed me a large tree over both South and North Korea. The roots of the tree were in the sea – which is the water of the Holy Spirit – and in the land – which is the soil of the Word of God.

God revealed that He would send a great revival that would encompass the entire Korean peninsula. The tree was loaded with fruit which was being shaken off into Japan, China, all over Russia particularly the eastern area, into Alaska and as far as the South Sea Islands.

   In recent years God has made it clear that Christians worldwide are called to intercede for His people in North Korea, and that His entire Church, both East and West, must repent of the sin of prayerlessness and begin to intercede for God’s mighty work of revival and restoration on the Korean peninsula.

   As the Church worldwide repents of our many sins against God’s people in Korea, both North and South, God will once again show His face to His precious people and use them mightily, as one people, in world evangelization.”

The vision was in 1979 and later shared in his book “God Loves North Korea” in 1998. 

Next is part of a prophecy given at a Che Ahn/Bill Johnson crusade last week…

<<
“I will develop boldness like never before. A new spirit of boldness is coming on you. I will be rearranging many things in this nation over the next three months. I will start shaking the present church and will bring a new anointing on the pastors of this land. For three months I will shake! I will shake. I will shake again! This is a nation that I have chosen. This is a people I am raising up for this hour. Beginning by June this year a different move of God will begin. There will be a freedom moving among My people. A new wind of deliverance is coming into the Church of Korea. A new move of healing will come into your midst. For two years you will explode in My Spirit. There will be a sound that comes forth from Korea that will move across Asia. Korea will become a worshipping, warring nation. At the end of those two years, this nation will be one I send into the nations of the world. Develop those who will go! Develop those who will go! Get ready! Korea will be dispersed into nations that no other nation could enter in. For the move of God will enter in and cross borders of many nations.

Korea will take their stand with Israel in three years. Because of that, you will move in and experience one of the greatest harvests known in the earth realm. Stadiums in ten cities in Korea will be filled with power-packed prayer meetings. I have brought you here this week to announce that which I have shown you I will do. Prepare yourself, for My eye is on you. When other nations arise in Asia to move against My Spirit, you will rise up with power. A new season is beginning in Korea!”
>>

If you were over here attending my church you would already be feeling the tremors in the Spirit.  I claim those words in faith.  They only confirm what God has been speaking both to me personally and to other people at my church.  I believe there will be a shift in the church and only the prayerful and submitted are going to make it through.  The call for prayer, repentance, and obedience are strong. 

God bless!

Here are the last two videos I will post from our 2008 Thank You Night.  The first is of the boys from Shalom Room (one of the seven dorm rooms) playing Indonesian chime instruments while their dorm mom plays on the piano and some of the other kids from Geon play Korean recorders in the background.  The youngest boy in the room is “conducting.”  Cool stuff.

And here is some cuteness.  Four of our elementary kids playing bells.  They were playing near a microphone at the beginning.  Woops. 

God bless!

More Thank You Night Performances…

Koreans love choreographed dances… including dances with moves that are kind of humorous I think to people of other countries.    The following video is our middle school boys’ “Worship Dance.”  They are dancing to the Korean version of Israel Houghton’s song, “You Are Good.”  One of our dorm fathers (Sa Rang, the glasses wearing dancer to the far left) made up the dance for the kids.  The boys were a bit embarrassed, but this I think ended up being the best received performance.  Enjoy!

Next is some of our girl “cheerleaders.”  They had to come up with “cheers” (aka dances) to perform during Seoul’s annual Children’s Home Olympics, which was held a couple months ago.  Again, Koreans love to dance.  At the 15 second mark you can hear some “Konglish” (he says “cheerleader” in Korean).  At the 4:30 mark is the really popular “Nobody But You” Korean pop song.  A lot of the famous Korean pop songs have simple English choruses.  Enjoy…

Last, here are the two English skits again, in case you missed them.  First up is the Good Samaritan (yes, I play the donkey).  These are my elementary school English students at the home.  I apologize for the poor sound quality.

Next is “The Fiery Furnace”.  These are my junior high English students at the home.  Again, I apologize for the poor sound quality.

God bless!

Fearless…

God has been revealing more and more to me the importance of having my identity fully in Him… stuff like having true revelation and complete confidence in being a son of God, a Kingdom worker, more than a conqueror, redeemed, holy, a prince and heir to the throne, a minister of God, anointed, chosen, not of this world, and others…  Today another identity trait stood out to me while reading Philippians, and it is that we should also be known as:  FEARLESS.

Philippians 1:27-28(ESV) – “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.  This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

As we understand that we are spiritual beings who are of heaven and not of earth, then the lies and grips this world has on us lose their strength and are overcome.  As we grow in this confidence, we should fear nothing of this world, whether it be people, circumstances, or even the devil himself.  We are redeemed and saved and nothing can separate us from God’s love.  So why should we fear evil?  Its when we are able to confront evil with full confidence in who we are in Christ that the enemy has no choice but to run.  He can’t touch a man walking in God’s promises.  His lies and deceptions don’t stand a chance. 

Fearless!

The English Skits!!!

First off, I apologize for the poor sound.  This year the voices weren’t picked up well, especially in the Fiery Furnace skit.  For more information about each skit, click on the video box and go straight to the youtube site.  On the right side of the video you can click “more info” and read a full description of the video and also see the script.  I wasn’t able to put up subtitles this time because the videos were saved as MOD files, which most video editors can’t open.  Do’h!  Anyway, enjoy the skits!

The Good Samaritan – Starring my 5th and 6th grade students with 9th grader Jin Seul as the narrator

The Fiery Furnace – Starring my 7th – 9th grade students… the lines were harder and the script not as funny here, so please don’t expect as much…

God bless!