Search And See Informational Packet

Dear friends, we have put together an informational packet on Search And See providing a brief historical sketch, a list of current projects, insight into our future dreams, and ways that churches can be involved in these endeavors. Click here and then click on "eDocs." You will find the packet there. Join us in prayer for these projects and pass the packet on to others! In the words of the great missionary William Carey, it is our desire to expect great things from God and to attempt great things for God!

"Earth" Tells of the Glory of God

Last night I enjoyed a special evening with my two children. I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. For some reason, they have wanted to watch a movie with me on my laptop! I promised them that we would one Friday night, and so last night we climbed up into my bed, grabbed a few snacks, and settled in for a movie on the laptop. Just the three of us - it was great!

I had happened to rent a copy of “Earth” by Disneynature Films. Watching this film with my kids made the evening even better. The film is narrated by James Earl Jones. It follows the changing patterns of the Earth through the four seasons, from the North to the South pole, and includes the range of plant and animal life along the way. The film opens with a discussion on how precise the Earth sets in the galaxy and on its axis in a delicate balance so as to support life and result in the various climates and changes. It is an incredible demonstration of how vast, beautiful, and miraculous the 3rd rock from the sun really is! From the breathtaking waterfalls to the massive migrating herds to the varied shapes, sizes, and features of animals, this film is an eye opening experience into the wonders of creation and the Providence of the Creator! The last words from Jones are, “Yes, its full of harsh realities (referring to the food chain), but sometimes its just paradise!” Even though global warming was referenced throughout, it was not forced as an agenda.

I told my children just before the film began, “Remember as you watch this movie now that God is the One who made all of it.” And then we sat back and were amazed! The heavens and the “Earth” really tell of the glory of God! Disneynature is to release “Oceans” in 2010. I look forward to observing how they speak forth the glory of God as well!

Book Review: The Horse Boy

The Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal His Son. By Rupert Isaacson. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.

Horse Boy is an absolutely captivating, fascinating non-fiction work that unfolds the journey of a father who goes to the end of the earth to find help for his troubled and sick son. From start to finish, it was an intriguing tale.

To summarize this adventure, Rupert and his wife, Kristin, learn that their son, Rowan, is autistic when Rowan is about 2 1/2 years old. And as would be expected, their lives completely change and are centered on Rowan. Rowan’s autism caused him to throw unexpected tantrums and fits, which drove away babysitters, drew constant negative stares and uninformed, rude comments of the public, brought suggestions for institutional care, and left his parents frustrated, exhausted, and without any time for marital affection. On top of this, Rowan never learned to potty, and his fits were often accompanied by vomiting and spoiling his pants. Isaacson says, “Our lives were tantrum. Tantrum and the spaces in between” (p. 315). Life was tough!

However, through a series of events, Isaacson discovered that his son made an incredible connection with animals, especially horses, and he seemed to really respond to an experience they had with a group of shamans. This developed into a wild idea that Isaacson just could not shake, and after some time, finally convinced Kristin to go along with. Why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the home of horses and shamanism, and arrange for Rowan to interact with horses in their homeland and meet some of the greatest shamans alive today? If he responds to both horses and shamans, maybe the double treatment would trigger a cure! And thus, they set off on the adventure.

They land in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, take a van as far as a vehicle can travel through the vast territory, and then horseback into Siberia to meet the Reindeer people and a famous shaman named Ghoste. Quite an experience! From the descriptions of the scenery, to the entering of out-of-the-way villages, to meeting new people in new places, to the new experiences and opportunities of discovery, one could not help but envy such an adventure of a lifetime. However, this was no vacation! The journey was challenging, they still had to accommodate Rowan’s behavior, the strange food was difficult, the days were long, the weather was often hot, and there was no way of knowing if it were all in vain.

As it happens though, just before he turned 6, Rowan made a remarkable improvement beginning soon after he met with Ghoste. Before they left for the US, Rowan begin to potty on his own, and his tantrums begin to fade away. He also started making complete thoughts, responding with complex, verbal conversation, and gaining control over his violent reactions. Within months of being home, Rowan had a group of friends (something entirely new!), was completely potty trained, and could sit and ride a horse on his own. Isaacson writes in the final words of the book, “My son sitting up in perfect balance. Riding away from me. Free” (p. 351).

At that point, you can’t help but rejoice with the author!

Horse Boy has some outstanding strengths. Isaacson is an incredibly gifted writer. He has the gift of describing events and places and feelings in such a way that the reader is there! Within the story itself, Rupert and his wife, Kristin, are to be commended on several accounts. First, they remained committed to each other and to their marriage in the face of a draining, trying, difficult life - an autistic child. Statistics abound that the rate of divorce increases dramatically when a couple has a special needs child. The Isaacsons refused to let their marriage end, and for this, they are to receive a loud applause!

Second, they not only loved each other through this, they loved their son! Day after day, enduring his fits along with the public shame, cleaning mess after mess in his pants, they never failed to show him love. That is not to say they didn’t get frustrated and lonely and tired and unsure if they could keep going, they did all of those things. But - they never quit caring for Rowan, showing him constant affection, and caring for him as best they could. Again - loud applause!!!!

A final strength is Isaacson’s brutal honesty. He doesn’t hold back in any area of this life story. He opens up his heart, his wife’s heart, Rowan’s condition, and all the ups and downs of the adventure. This is not a shallow, surface-level book. This is a gut-level, transparent tale of commitment to an autistic child. For example, Isaacson holds nothing back in vivid description of Rowan’s tantrums. He even says himself on several accounts that the violence, projectile vomiting, rage, screaming, and agony appeared demonic, like something off of The Exorcist (pp. 14, 19, 23, 320). Imagine a father describing his son and his feelings that way. That is what I mean by gut-level honesty!

Approaching this true story from the standpoint of a believer in Christ caused other reactions within me as well. First, there is the whole issue with shamanism. The description of the religion itself is that there are 99 gods which are connected with the 99 pillars that hold up heaven. There is one main god, Tenger, and the other gods are white or black gods. These, however, really are just different aspects of the one god, which also represent the different ways humans can be. (p. 197) There you have it, a religion where the gods are mere reflections of humans!

Then the whole shaman healing rituals were bizarre. Isaacson, his wife, and Rowan experienced everything from strange concoctions (including drinking feces!) to being beaten (not Rowan) to dances, predictions, and prayers to (?). The purpose of these healing rituals was to contact the spirit world and discern the spiritual energies. In all of this a glaring tension arose which seemed overlooked by the author. At one point the shamans connect Rowan’s autism to a negative energy in Kristin’s belly and a negative energy from a female in her ancestry. Ghoste, however, said that Rowan’s autism simply meant he was to be a shaman. It was his destiny. He was to be able to contact the spirit world. As with the structure of shamanism, it seems that anything is taken as true and should be done if it comes from the lips of a shaman (even to the consuming of feces!).

The final observation is that Isaacson himself seems to be a jumble of spirituality, or more correct, he seems to embrace pluralism with no questions, tension, or evaluation for true or false religious ideas. Everything goes and everything is true. For example, his wife is a committed Buddhist, he often prays to “God” (pp. 36, 290), he embraces the beliefs of shamanism (p. 32), acknowledges a god who created the world (p. 71), believes in a spirit world, prayed to the Lords of the Mountains and the Lords of the Land, and wonders if in another life if he will carry Betsy like she has carried him (pp. 38, 335, 356). (BTW - Betsy is the neighbor’s horse that Rowan first connected with and learned to ride on.) Isaacson’s spiritual worldview seems to be that there is a mixture of truth in all religious ideas. It’s all out there somewhere and can be experienced from reincarnation, to a Creator, to enlightenment, to folk-type religion. But of course, the question for Isaacson, and everyone else who embrace all religious ideas is “Where will all this end?” “What happens when you die?” When one begins to trace this question, it becomes clear that every religious system cannot be true.

In the end, therefore, I both rejoiced and felt crushed by this story. I rejoiced over a saved marriage, an unforgettable journey, and a healed boy! I am troubled though that for all Isaacson has encountered in his spirituality, he never once hinted at any experience with Christianity. And indeed, the message of Christianity, that is, salvation from sins and eternal life with God through faith in Christ, is the only permanent path to true, lasting freedom! (John 8:32, 14:6). The very last word of Isaacson was that his son was “free.” How I pray he and his family come to Christ, and truly, really, eternally, be FREE!

I Read the President's Speech - It's a Good One!

The President will address most of the nation’s schools today at 12 pm. So what is all the fuss about? If you have seen any news at all the past several days, you know that there is a big discussion taking place right now over the legitimacy of the President’s speech to school kids. This is not the first time a president has addressed the schools, but it is the first time for such a backlash. Why?

To be completely fair, if you are conservative, you can’t help but be a little suspicious, because thus far, in his presidency, Barack Obama has given us plenty of reasons to be suspicious. From appointing an unheard of number of czars, to the questionable beliefs of those who surround him, to the continued skirting of the issues by reverting back to crafted rhetoric, to the driving of a health care reform that , in its present form, will inevitably lead to governmental control of the system - just to name a few. Given his ideology and associations, there is legitimate concern for conservatives whenever our President does anything! Couple all of this with a strange YouTube video of celebrities pledging to do “good” things and ending with a pledge “to be a servant to our President,” an initial draft of today’s speech including a follow-up assignment for the children to write about how they can help the President reach his goals, and that tomorrow he is addressing Congress to gain favor for his health care reform, all of this adds up to a very questionable and/or untimely series of events.

HOWEVER - the speech, in its final form, is actually a great speech with sound advice and encouragement for the children of our public schools. Laying all the conspiracy theories aside, I think it a good, profitable event for the President of the United States to encourage children to work hard, stay in school, and to not let their circumstances stop them! That’s a good message, and many children will benefit from hearing their President tell them such today! If the very same speech came from our former President, I don’t think there would have been such an uproar of suspicions, at least from conservatives.

Take these three sentences from the President Obama’s speech for example.

1. “If you don’t do that (that is, stay in school and try hard) - if you quit on school - you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.” (That is a great lesson - one must learn that his bad choices not only impact his life, but the lives of those around him!)
2. “Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.” (Sounds like great encouragement to me for a lot of kids who come from less than healthy homes and situations.)
3. “You can’t let your failures define you, you have to let them teach you.” (My favorite sentence of the entire speech! Quality counsel for anyone!)

Now of course, this is not a theological speech, this is a motivational speech for education and career success. As far as that goes, it is a good one, and I hope it inspires many children to dream big and work hard instead of becoming lazy, dropping out of school, and doing nothing with the life God has given them!

Meet Josiah - Myanmar Missionary!

This report is from Pastor J. The photo is Pastor J. baptizing Josiah!

The Lord inspires our student boy

Josiah is one of our student boy who has finished three years or B.Th final year. His father committed him to me since 2006. At that time he did not know even how to pray.
Nevertheless when he has been studied day and night and listen the message, the Lord changed his life and he had shared and confessed that Christ is my Savior and Lord.
And then I gave him water baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit according to the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.After one year passed, he is whom I brought toward Irrawaddy delta and he helped me much better for ministering the victims with the Gospel.

His Mission field and Goodbye Stone and Tree

After three years passed of his study, he is sent into the Lord' harvest where the Gospel has never been heard toward the Kamplet which is near by Bangladesh. Formerly we the Burmese people called this tribe was lost people because they did not know even how to wear the cloths. And they have clothed under their waist only and their are like the animals even till to day.When they saw the people who is clothed properly, they afraid and look like animal, it is like when we went into the jungle and meet the animals.
They have had no worshiped god and they often sacrificed under the tree and stone. At the time a monk is sent into this place since last year and now some of the peoples are became Buddhist and some are free in having no god. They can not eat rice food because of poor and they eat only corn.
When Josiah first reached to them, he afraid too much them because these peoples are who often shoot another peoples whom are not known very well by arrow.
Nevertheless he forms their positions and he make himself a servant to all that he might win more. As Paul said I became a Jew that I might win the Jews to those who are under the law.(I Cor 9:19-22)
And then he teach their children concerning school subjects and the highest leader of council help him for his safety from rivals. Then he shared freely about Christ is the Savior of the world today to them and now 11 peoples believe and accepted Jesus for their Savior and Lord. And their is a woman who was paralytic and he often prayed for her but not healed. After that he specially fasted for her and now she can walk and goes where she want to go.

2010 Projects!

The following are a list of projects that Search And See Ministries will undertake this year to fulfill our mission of taking the message of Christ to ALL people, in ALL places, by ALL means, at ALL costs so that the Gospel may be heard and God may be glorified!

1. Completing the worship/ministry facility of Search And See, Kenya in Tiriki, Kenya. We are 2,000 away from completion!
2. Hiring a part-time Executive Administrator.
3. Producing a Facebook group.
4. Producing a quality, interactive website.
5. Sponsoring the seminary students of Emmanuel Ministries in Kalay, Myanmar with 1,800.
6. Sponsoring the work of Pastor Antonio in the Philippines to establish healthy churches with a working library. 1,000.
7. Mission trip to Kenya - October 2-15, 2010. This trip will include bringing a working library to Search And See, Kenya, bringing study Bibles to the pastors and students, children ministry, evangelism, pastor training, men and women Bible studies, crusade meetings, possible medical clinic, possible Jesus Project, clothes for the church members, etc.

We are anticipating and exciting year of ministry and expansion! Please keep these projects in your prayers and stay tuned for updates!

Book Review: A Lifting Up for the Downcast

A Lifting Up for the Downcast. By William Bridge. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth. Reprint, 2001.

The first thing that caught my attention about Lifting Up is that it is actually a collection of sermons by William Bridge. I am certainly not versed enough in Puritan literature to know whether or not this is a normal or unusual pattern. Whatever the case may be, I found it to be a rewarding read, especially because it was sermons. Lifting Up contains 13 sermons based upon Psalm 42:11: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (ESV)

The first three sermons develop the following themes; (1) the people of God are ordinarily endued with an inward peace, (2) it is possible that this peace may be interrupted, and (3) the people of God have no reason for their discouragements whatever their condition may be. Now before you think that his third premise is too harsh, he develops it upon the promises of Scripture regarding God’s will and care of His people and all that is ours through Christ our Lord!

The following nine sermons are discussions of specific circumstances which may give rise to discouragement and why believers need not give way to discouragement under these trials! The nine instigators of discouragement Bridge identifies are great sins, weak grace, miscarriage of duties, lack of assurance, temptation, desertion, affliction, unserviceableness, and discouragement itself. The final sermon is entitled “The Cure for Discouragements by Faith in Jesus Christ.”

I appreciate Bridge’s contribution to this subject because it seems to be a widespread issue today. A lot of people are depressed and being diagnosed with chemical deficiencies. I am not suggesting that it is impossible for some cases of emotional mood swings to be attributed to a physical cause. However, it seems that the spiritual element is completely ignored in this discussion today. Believers may find that dealing with discouragement from the Word of God offers a more permanent solution! Bridge’s work is of great help for those who are struggling with depressing thoughts or those who want to be equipped with how the Bible addresses this issue. The first three chapters provide a general, biblical approach to discouragement. I would recommend these chapters for every believer. Whether you battle with discouragement or not, the content of these chapters is very encouraging and informative. The final chapters provide biblical answers to very specific circumstances and many of the excuses, questions, or reasons that accompany these situations. These chapters would be excellent resources for believers struggling under these particular issues.

Bridge is very comprehensive and illustrative. His thoughts are progressive in that he builds each answer upon the previous one until he has methodically moved through a range of thoughts that illicit depression in these instances. He was a master at taking the very ordinary things of life and using them as eye-opening illustrations for the material at hand. The way he dialogues through each sermon and illustrates as he answers each question holds the reader’s attention while providing revealing explanations. However, by far, the greatest strength of these sermons is that they are built upon Scripture, especially the promises of Scripture. This is a faith-building work that will find a faith-seeking people very receptive!

I would commend this book to those dealing with depression and to those who may have opportunities to encourage a discouraged brother!