As I write this, my almost-15 year old brother is sitting with me at the computer. We've spent the last three days together...rollerblading, feeding cows, and being thankful. Do you know what I'm thankful for? I'm thankful for a growing-up brother that loves me enough to still want to do things with me. A brother that still likes to wrestle with me on the living room floor and even lets me win. A brother that puts up with his sister and coaxes his sister and loves his sister even when she isn't very nice to him.

Thank you, oh belovedest of all my brothers!

Several days ago, I met up with a member of my church and asked her how her week had been. She thought for a moment, shrugged her shoulders, and replied, "No complaints."

It caught me off guard and made me examine at my outlook on life. How often do I answer that question with, "No complaints" when I should be looking for testimony of God's hand and grace in each moment? Am I looking for problems in my life?

Do I, a sinner, pay so little attention to the grace that is given me and the love and compassion and promises of an Almighty God that I forget to thank Him? Do I, a child of that Almighty God, skim so lightly over the Psalmist's exhortations to give thanks unto the Lord and praises unto the Most High? Lord, help me to change my glasses to see things through your perspective. May I seek to give you praise.

Last night, just shortly after I finished my blog, we got a phone call to pray for a staff person who had been rushed to the hospital with stomach pains. Their kids were doing fine, but I went ahead and went over to their house where I camped on the couch until I left for work this morning. Their mother had returned home from the hospital about 2AM, but her husband was still in the hospital. Please pray for Bro. John who has kidney stones.

My roommate Rach has been here in Texas for exactly one year today! To celebrate, the three of us roommates ate chicken enchilada soup at Chili's. MmmMmm... We topped it off with ice cream and cake.

It is hard to imagine that just a year ago, I was still speaking at churches--Coldwater Assembly of God, Okeene Baptist Church.... As I think back over the past year, I am thankful for each of you who have prayed and given and made it possible to plant more churches in Asia. Just today, I got a card and gift from prayer supporters in OH and was so blessed and encouraged!

There are little boys yelling outside my window as they play cops and robbers. A motorcycle revs nearby, then slows to an idle as the rider yells at the kids. My ceiling fan shakes as the four year old boy who lives above me jumps into his bed. There is silence.

Life in community.

Sunday afternoon naps are a good thing. Computers that error in the middle of a post are a not so good thing. But, as Bro. Terry shared in tonight's fellowship, we must learn to have a Christ-like attitude in all situations, whether with abundance or with little, whether with high social standing or with low social standing, whether the computer works or whether it doesn't work. I wonder if I'll actually get this thing posted.

Today's highlight was having lunch with one of my coworker/supporter's daughter, Kate, for her 15th birthday (we had quesadillas at the Chicken Salsa place). Then I wrestled Kate's three younger brothers-- Daniel, Joshua, and Micah--all at the same time. (I still say I won!)

The not-so-great part of today was discovering the Klez Worm on Kate's family's computer. YUCK! Praise God for ZoneAlarm and SpyBot! Six hours of work later...no, its still not fixed, but atleast it's working (I think). I'll chat with the almost-all-knowing virus-guy at work on Monday. Will the Klez Worm mess up the way the mouse works?

Prayer Request: I have a lot to do before I travel to see my family on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. Please pray that I'll be motivated and God will help me get it all done.

Tonight, as nine of us were watching the extended version of "Two Towers," I was caught by two lines exchanged by the man Aragorn and the lady Eowyn.

Aragorn: What do you fear, my lady?

Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

And I wondered, is that what today's Christians do? Do we feel caged in by the expectations of those around us? As we try to pacify the demands of the world and of our jobs and of the Christian community, do we lose our main focus of following Christ? Our passion for the lost? Our desire to know God and make him known?
At first we chafe at the conflicting expectations of people and God, but we slowly become accustomed to the envisioned constraints of the circumstances until all chance of valor/great deeds/real purpose has gone beyond recall or desire.

God, never let us grow content or accustomed to the world, but let us chafe against our flesh and against the world as we seek to do great deeds for you.

Some of you may know that I struggle from time to time with feelings of guilt--times when I feel utterly overwhelmed by my continual shortcomings. Recently I have been reading Brother Lawrence's book The Practice of the Presence of God and was struck by the following quote: "...that when [I] had failed in [my] duty, [I] only confessed [my] fault, saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself; it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss. ...After this [I] gave [myself] no further uneasiness about it."

What joy to remember that when we take sin to the cross and ask for forgiveness, the sins are remembered no more! There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. (Romans 8:1) "This is the great secret...to take sin to the cross, see there its sinfulness, and then put it under the blood and reckon it gone." (Calvary Road by Roy Hession)

Isn't God amazing?

Today was a very typical day in that it wasn't so typical. I baked a batch of cookies this morning before work, so arrived a little after 8:30 at the office. After checking the email for the HelpDesk and routing questions and requests, I walked around the office and made sure that people's computers were working correctly. Answered a few questions and took a few notes. Drove out to Frisco (10 miles) about 10:00 to return some computer equipment we had borrowed (and included cookies to say thanks). Worked on the intranet when I arrived back. Saved my changes only to find out that I didn't do it right so the recent work was all lost. Took a break for lunch at McDonald's with Sam, my high school assistant (and cousin). We discussed censorship, mediocrity, libraries, and the fact that my brother is turning 15 in less than a month. Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the intranet and answering the occasional computer question. After work, I paid bills, wrote some letters, and put off cleaning my room until tomorrow. Sometimes serving God (and being a missionary) is not always glamorous, but called to serve we are. We think serving God is something so complex, but a large part of serving God is simply being a servant to all.

It is such a blessing to be part of a mission organization that focuses on prayer. I always look forward to our weekly Tuesday evening prayer meetings and tonight was no exception. How great it is to be able to serve a living God who invites us to come before Him with our thanksgiving and our requests.

John shared this evening about the enormous need for Christ's name to be known throughout Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Bihar in northern India. He painted pictures of the pilgrims that come to bathe in the Ganges River in hopes of finding forgiveness, of the Buddhists and their prayer wheels, of the Hindus and their search for reincarnation. He shared about a people group in southern India comprised mainly of 50,000 girls who have been or are been subjected to temple prostitution. He urged us to pray and ask for laborers for those areas in particular.

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the enormity and seeming impossibility of the task to which God has called us. But as John urged us to pray, he quote Matthew 9:38 "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." John said, "It is not a 'Pray and maybe I might send workers.' God will send workers. If we pray."

God has given that task to you and I. Praying. Standing in the gap for others. In Ezekiel 22:30-31, God was looking for someone to 'stand in the gap,' to 'make up the hedge.' He found no one, and so his wrath was poured out upon his wayward people.

What if God looked today? Would he find you and I filling the gap?

Pray.

Blog -- (weB LOG) - "A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is 'blogging' and someone who keeps a blog is a 'blogger.' Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly."

Thus a "blog" is defined. Some blogs are thoughts and opinions, others poetry, others are links and commentary. I don't know what mine will be quite yet. I guess we'll see.

Welcome to the Gateway--Dorinda's recordings of thoughts, challenges, and daily news. We'll see how this goes. Maybe it will be a good thing. Maybe it will distract from God's work--in which case we will cancel it.

Today, Brother David shared at Sunday evening fellowship from Phillipians 4:1-9. Several things he shared challenged me. He highlighted standing firm, being reconciled with others, rejoicing in all things, and taking each thought captive. I was challenged by much, especially by my need to take every thought captive.

Pastor John mentioned this morning that there are two parts to a missle that you use in war. There is the warhead (containing the weapons) and the missle (which propels the warhead). Our weapons are the blood of the Lamb, the name of the Lord, and the Word of God. The missle is our prayers, praise, and preaching (speaking the Word). No wonder I haven't been triumphing in my spiritual life. I've been throwing rocks at the enemy instead of aiming powerful warheads.