Monday, August 17, 2009

A Personal Call for Prayer & Support

Dear Friends,

It’s not everyday that an opportunity such as this one comes along, but in faith, I’m answering God’s call to go to Asia. In fact, our team of 13 men and women are traveling to Cambodia from October 28th-November 7th to lead a conference for the leadership team and the families of World Relief.

Now in its 14th year in Cambodia, World Relief is committed to working alongside the Church of Cambodia in building its capacity to serve the poor in the name of Jesus Christ so that the healing and transforming power of the Kingdom of God is manifested in all its fullness in Cambodia.


The goal of our team is to provide spiritual refreshment and encouragement for these leaders, and in doing so, I know God will do a powerful work in our lives as well.

While I've always been passionate about missions in the past, this is my first time to actually experience it in the "going" role. I'll be leading the children, ages 4 to 12, in teaching, worship and activities, along with some of my other team members. After being a kids’ praise and worship leader for almost 20 years in my own country, I am leaning on the Lord to translate that passion and knowledge to kids who love the same God in a different language and culture. If you have any suggestions for me, I would love your input!

The events that led up to my going on this trip are a blog post in and of themselves, if not more than one. Empty hands held high, I'm trusting what God has for me, though I confess to being wayyyy out of my comfort zone. Stretch time.

If the Lord leads you, I would love to have prayer support and/or financial support for our trip. Asking for prayer is easy for me. Asking for money is not. But we’ve been encouraged as a team to give others an opportunity to be a part of our missions journey. By doing so, we expand the missions experience to a wider array of people. It is up to the Lord to prompt others to pray or give as He chooses, and I know He'll provide in His creative way and time.

Each of us has been asked to raise $2800, which covers all meals, accommodations and airfare (our biggest expense.) All donations are tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt that you can use for tax purposes. All support raised is considered team support, so any funds I raise over and above what I need will be put into our team fund to cover costs for the entire team.

Whether or not you feel led by God to support financially, I hope you will pray for our team. We long to be unified, effective, surrendered and flexible as we work together, and we ask for protection and provision for the families we leave behind while pursuing this call.

For His Glory,



If you feel led to give, checks should be made payable by October 1st to Bent Tree Bible Fellowship with “Cambodia 2/L. Shaw” in the memo line and sent to the following address:

Bent Tree Bible Fellowship
Attn: Outreach Ministry
4141 International Parkway
Carrollton, TX 75007


"But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way,
who can't see where they're going.
I'll be a personal guide to them,
directing them through unknown country.
I'll be right there to show them what roads to take,
make sure they don't fall into the ditch.
These are the things I'll be doing for them— sticking with them,
not leaving them for a minute."

Isaiah 42:16, The MSG

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Deactivate the Hyperdrive

I'd love for you to join me at Internet Cafe Devotions today. But I'll warn you, I'm a little bit hyperactive...


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Anticipation Proclamation

As a young girl, I remember the start of a new school year being so exciting! The first day of school for me was as New Years was to the grownups I knew. It was a time for vows and resolutions: THIS would be the year to make perfect grades. THIS would be the time for me to make new friends. Yes, THIS would be the defining year of my talents as well as my personality. I would even be a better Christian witness, and EVERYTHING would be more exciting than the year before….


The cherry on top was the blessing of new clothes (or even someone else's handmedowns), cool school supplies and all the other “stuff” that was required for a student to get a good start to the new year. Cha ching! Christmas in August!!!!

On the other side of the beaming and scheming, though, was Anxiety, just waiting to rear her ugly head. What will I wear? Which teachers will I have? Who will I sit next to? WHERE did these pimples come from? Before the first bell had even rung, Anticipation, Aspiration and Anxiety had become inseparable friends of mine.

Nonetheless, now that those days are over, I wouldn’t mind having that feeling of great expectation again. Sometimes I get so distracted in the dailyness of life, even anxious about what's around the corner, that I miss the renewal and hope the Lord is offering me each day. The Bible is filled with promises to anticipate:
Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

2 Corinthians 4:16
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”


Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Colossians 3:10
“…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
So what does this mean for us? It means that we can be like school kids at the end of summer each and every day, but without the worry. No matter what fruit we are lacking, the Lord will be faithful to provide it as we put our hope in Him. It is a daily (for me, hourly sometimes) process….it is a “giving over” of ourselves with the exchange of renewed eagerness for the great things God can do in and through us as we let Him. We can choose to serve ourselves, our anxieties and our desires; or we can start the day with dependence on our Lord, who will faithfully show up and keep His promises. Let’s decide to proclaim our anticipation in Him alone this very day!
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….
But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:15

Monday, August 10, 2009

Kindred Spirit Encouragement

I'm always amazed how the Lord brings about encouragement at the perfect time. Filled with the blues of getting ready for school to start on top of coming down from the mountain of my She Speaks high, the Lord put a beautiful greeting card in my mailbox from a very special sister in the Lord.

Have you met Darlene from Kindred Spirits Greetings? She's a humble lady and probably will be embarrassed that I mentioned her in this public way, but she blessed me so much!

Here's how. She sent me this custom made card just to encourage me in the ministry God has given me. I had no idea how beautiful her cards were, WOW. And because God has gifted her with the ability to write content as well, she wrote me a special message:


"LauraLee...a heart filled with desire for true intimacy with her beloved.
A woman of compassion sharing the love of our Creator~
by reaching around the globe to strangers along the way.
A bridge of love built by one.
Kindred of the Most High, through the blood of our Savior.
One mind, one people, one nation.
Set apart from our once unrighteous state of being.

By touching His throne from the depth of our hearts~
the beauty within each of our individual relationships with Him unfolds.
As our passion to know Him grows we begin to understand
how each trial, each heartache and each loss
lovingly reconstructs our thinking, our desires, our will, into His dna
heirs to HIs throne indeed; through the Blood of our Salvation.
You touched my heart, LauraLee."
(c) Copyright 2009 Kindred Spirits Greetings
by Letha Darlene



I had to share this powerful act of encouragement and sisterly love by a kindred spirit in Christ. May we all remember when the Lord prompts us to bless another with our gifts and talents to do so, like Letha Darlene. And if you want to see the incredible variety of creativity she has with her greeting cards, visit her website, Kindred Spirits Greetings.