One thing you should know about me by now is that I love India.
I'm not talking about "oooh, I love Bollywood and the beautiful clothes, the elephants, and exoticism of it all!" I am talking about a love that goes beyond worldly explanations. I mean, yes, I get a kick out of Bollywood, I enjoy the vibrant colors, I love the oddities on the city sidewalks. I love the variety of skin tones and the diversity of subcultures and languages. I love staring out the train window and watching children fly kites in the countryside. I tolerate getting shoved on the metro in Old Delhi. I love exploring alley ways and traversing up steep, death-trap staircases to find the perfect saree. I love the beauty of the women and the mustaches of almost everyone else.
God gave me a love for this country and her people. He gave me a love for it that goes beyond the rats, the mosquitoes, and the men who jeer at me. He gave me a love that lets me laugh at the traffic, the lack of timeliness, and the non-Western common sense.
I love India. It's not logical, it's just a God-given love, and that's all I know.
India is a beautiful place. It's vibrant and loud and way too sunny. But there's also a darkness here, an eerie silence. I experienced this on my trip in 2012. In so much of this land, in so many hearts, there is a total disregard for who the Father is. There are a lot of churches, and an ever-growing number of believers, but there is still much darkness.
But this weekend, God's glory shone here in India, a reminder that He is King.
Saturday evening, I took 5 of my girls to Passion in Hyderabad. Chris Tomlin, another guy I didn't know, and Louis Giglio were there, leading 5-6000 Indians in worship. It's beautiful to hear that many people singing to the Lord no matter who they are, but when it's in a dark land, when it's in a culture that has the military and police doing security because it's a Christian event, it is truly, truly beautiful. People were being moved, hearts were changing, (and yes, the cell phones were taking video, in true Indian fashion).
At one point I looked up to the apartments on our right. I saw the silhouette of a woman with her hands pressed against the window, her husband visible in the next window, sitting and reading the newspaper. The woman stayed there for a long time. She was visibly intrigued. And while I believe God was moving in the hearts of the masses below, I believe He was also reaching out to that one.
I intended to write this post about my children's trip, their experience at Passion, their excitement for McDonald's, their love for the little Hyderabadi SCH babies. But I just can't.
I know God was moving that night, that the Holy Spirit was working in big ways. I know that because I saw the Enemy try to keep his footing and show himself. He tried his very best to cause a distraction (which he kind of succeeded at doing). He tried his best to do who-knows-what, and it was evil, and it was disturbing. But you know what? He didn't win. I don't have answers or explanations for what happened, or what he was hoping to happen, but I know God reigns.
I know that, although we left the conference a little early, with goosebumps and thoughts running through our minds at 90 mph instead of pure joy and excitement, it was still God's night.
He reigns. He is powerful, He is glorious, He is above all, He is King, and He reigns.
Over India, He reigns.
I'm not talking about "oooh, I love Bollywood and the beautiful clothes, the elephants, and exoticism of it all!" I am talking about a love that goes beyond worldly explanations. I mean, yes, I get a kick out of Bollywood, I enjoy the vibrant colors, I love the oddities on the city sidewalks. I love the variety of skin tones and the diversity of subcultures and languages. I love staring out the train window and watching children fly kites in the countryside. I tolerate getting shoved on the metro in Old Delhi. I love exploring alley ways and traversing up steep, death-trap staircases to find the perfect saree. I love the beauty of the women and the mustaches of almost everyone else.
God gave me a love for this country and her people. He gave me a love for it that goes beyond the rats, the mosquitoes, and the men who jeer at me. He gave me a love that lets me laugh at the traffic, the lack of timeliness, and the non-Western common sense.
I love India. It's not logical, it's just a God-given love, and that's all I know.
India is a beautiful place. It's vibrant and loud and way too sunny. But there's also a darkness here, an eerie silence. I experienced this on my trip in 2012. In so much of this land, in so many hearts, there is a total disregard for who the Father is. There are a lot of churches, and an ever-growing number of believers, but there is still much darkness.
But this weekend, God's glory shone here in India, a reminder that He is King.
Saturday evening, I took 5 of my girls to Passion in Hyderabad. Chris Tomlin, another guy I didn't know, and Louis Giglio were there, leading 5-6000 Indians in worship. It's beautiful to hear that many people singing to the Lord no matter who they are, but when it's in a dark land, when it's in a culture that has the military and police doing security because it's a Christian event, it is truly, truly beautiful. People were being moved, hearts were changing, (and yes, the cell phones were taking video, in true Indian fashion).
At one point I looked up to the apartments on our right. I saw the silhouette of a woman with her hands pressed against the window, her husband visible in the next window, sitting and reading the newspaper. The woman stayed there for a long time. She was visibly intrigued. And while I believe God was moving in the hearts of the masses below, I believe He was also reaching out to that one.
I intended to write this post about my children's trip, their experience at Passion, their excitement for McDonald's, their love for the little Hyderabadi SCH babies. But I just can't.
I know God was moving that night, that the Holy Spirit was working in big ways. I know that because I saw the Enemy try to keep his footing and show himself. He tried his very best to cause a distraction (which he kind of succeeded at doing). He tried his best to do who-knows-what, and it was evil, and it was disturbing. But you know what? He didn't win. I don't have answers or explanations for what happened, or what he was hoping to happen, but I know God reigns.
I know that, although we left the conference a little early, with goosebumps and thoughts running through our minds at 90 mph instead of pure joy and excitement, it was still God's night.
He reigns. He is powerful, He is glorious, He is above all, He is King, and He reigns.
Over India, He reigns.
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