Dead Man Walking !

What a great weekend! I had the privilege of speaking at the main service at Immanuel. I asked Ah Jan Winit if it would be OK for me to ask Ting to share his story with the group and Winit readily agreed. Ting's parents were so excited about this opportunity that they traveled from northeast Thailand to be here to hear him. I was so proud as he shared his story of bad choices and drug abuse, and more importantly, as he shared about the redemptive love of Christ and how it turned his life around. Ting is growing more and more each day and I am sure he will be a key leader in the church as he grows older.

Ting shares his story as Ah Jan Winit looks on.

Ting wasn't done there. I spoke on John chapter 11 and the resurrection of Lazarus. The theme was that Lazarus came out of the tomb still wrapped in burial cloths. Jesus commanded that he be loosed. It was not appropriate for a man who was clearly alive to be walking around in dead man's clothes. Too often, we cross that line of faith into a relationship with Christ, but we still walk around bound up in dead man's clothes, the habits and attitudes of the old man. And that prevents us from walking in the freedom God created us to know.

Ting served as a living illustration, playing the part of Lazarus.

After he was loosed, Ting sat and listened to the rest of the sermon, but as he did, he casually picked the wrappings back up and began to play with them. Just as we sometimes do with the old habits and lifestyles.

Until we find ourselves bound up in that mess all over again.

I am so proud of Ting and the great job he did this week. He will be fantastic in working with the church in the US next March when he and Sontaya go serve for a couple of weeks.