We’ve been here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for three full days now. Something I have been pondering is how easy it is to see something as “the norm” just because others accept it as normal. Let me explain….

In America, we are beyond blessed. We have clean water at the twist of a knob, we can flush toilet paper knowing that the sewers can handle it, we get the chance to go to school, we choose which job we want and have hopes and dreams for our future…we plan because we have dreams.

Our tendency though is to not be content. We are always striving for the next thing. We always look to the future and start saving for what’s next whether it’s a new computer, new iPhone, new house, college or any type of dream. This is by no means wrong, it’s just the “norm” and we accept this as normal and so do most of the people living among us. We see nice things and think about what we can do to acquire them ourselves.

Here in Cambodia, some of the “norms” are driving on the right side of the road but ANYWHERE on the right side. You don’t stop at intersections you just know other modes of transportation will somehow get out of your way in time (trust me our prayers have increased significantly just riding in our tuk tuk here). ☺ Stop signs and streetlights are seriously just there for decoration. ☺ Oh it cracks me up….

Other norms, monks walking down the streets in the their bright orange gowns and light orange umbrellas to protect their skin from darkening, bare foot, collecting offerings from people, sometimes stopping to pray with some. Khmer people staring at anyone with white skin (sometimes pointing and laughing…good for our self-esteem). ☺ Children crossing extremely busy streets that Americans would NEVER allow their kids to cross. “Guards” sleeping outside the buildings at night that they are “protecting” (I would feel safe for sure). ☺

Another “norm” here, are women having lunch with a man that has just recently “purchased” them for the next couple hours/night. This lunch is leading up to a time that the woman HAS to attend to with the best actress smile and laugh that she can muster. If her smile and flirtatiousness isn’t enough, she may be beaten later by her pimp because her “customer” complained.

These are just norms, realities of living here in Cambodia.

This country experienced a massive genocide nearly 35 years ago that the people are still recovering from. If you accepted a “norm” of being “deaf and blind” to all that went on around you during this time period, you may have been allowed to live.

Yesterday we visited a High School turned torture chamber/prison from April 17, 1975 until January 7, 1979. It is estimated that 20,000 people were killed here during a 3 1/2 year period. Two million Cambodians were tortured/killed country-wide. Although this was what was happening and expected during this time period it is still NOT a “norm”. This is NOT all right.

The thing is…..there is major spiritual warfare alive and well on earth. God has given Satan full reign for a time period. Does NOT mean that God is not present but it does mean that Satan and his demons will stop at nothing to get our eyes turned from Him. In this genocide case, he used evil leaders (clearly listening to the lies of the enemy). A huge army arose (some voluntarily, some forced) to take over the country, bring everything back to the same type of civilization that existed a 1000 years ago. Every person with an education….doctors, teachers, anyone with glasses or (this one really got me) anyone with soft hands (and in most cases their entire families) were tortured/killed.

In situations like these most people ask either in their heads or out loud, “Where IS God in all this?” We were asking and looking for this answer as well yesterday.

I received a verse from a friend of mine yesterday:

Seeing God’s presence still in the midst of something so horrific….

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually.”
God is always in the “norms” of life. It’s our responsibility to find Him. To look for Him. I have many pictures I could share with you on here that would show you the realities of what these people had experienced….the literal horrors of it all. Instead, I’d like to share with you the HOPE we were able to find on the wall of a prison cell….

Just because people make “norms” in life, does NOT mean they should be accepted as “norms”. My challenge is for you to seek God in every situation (no matter where you are) and make it so evil is NOT accepted. Whether that’s the music that is subtly entering into your mind, the porn that is within a click of your fingers, the shows that are just “accepted” and then swearing and adultery are just now “accepted”, or the “extras” that you just HAVE to have to keep up with your neighbors or friends.

A woman and her baby that were killed at the prison.

We have the privilege and responsibility to honor human life as God would. We can NOT allow it to be diminished because it’s not our next door neighbor that just experienced a tragedy. I couldn’t help but look into the photos of human LIVES that were about to be murdered and not see them as precious lives that GOD created and loves deeply.

Like I said in the beginning, we’ve been here three days, only THREE days and already this culture’s “norms” have begun to feel normal to me. I never want to view anything normal that God would not desire to see as normal.

It all comes down to one quote for me right now….

“BE the change you want to see in the world.”

Today Starbucks was calling my name.  Happy hour from 3 – 5, half off frappe’ and a time to just soak in 2 1/2 hours of time however God leads…

Armed with my backpack full of books to read, notes to write, laptop to communicate and my delicious frappe’ in hand ready to find a comfy spot to unwind for the next 2 1/2 hours.  I survey the room, look for a place that could possibly be enough solitude to get my work/study time in.  Saw that there were two men on either side of a chair that was pretty comfy looking.  Quickly thought they looked busy enough that they would probably just keep to themselves. One was journaling, the other was busy at work on his laptop.  So, I sat down and prepared my workstation to conquer whatever I could in the time allotted.

Ten minutes in, I look up to find Mr. Journal pointing to my “softball” shirt (I say that with quotes because I’m simply a cheerleader for our awesome His House team).  :)  He says, “So, was that your husband that was here with you the other morning?  (My first thought…”How did he know I was here the other morning and ummmm….creeper.”) I’ve been to His House.  I haven’t been back because I feel a little old to be hanging out there.”  (He looks to be about 50).

This simple question began our two hour, scattered conversation where I learned that he is homeless.  He likes to call it, “currently living outside”.  He gets paid minimally through some government aid, but other than that, is living on borrowed time with credit cards that are about to be maxed out and a few college loans.

I asked him the basics, such as; where do you sleep, how do you shower, where will you go once it’s cold, etc.  He has a lot figured out to help him get by but what troubled me most though was how often he said, “I’m sorry, I know I’m talking your ear off.”  No matter how many times I would tell him that he really was not a bother and that I enjoy learning about people and hearing their stories, he could not wrap his mind around that fact.

His past tells him that he’s not worth anyone’s time.  He’s a waste of space.  He never follows through on any advice that’s given to him, so why should people continue to try.  He questions everything about what he does and says.

I looked up the words “identity crisis” in the dictionary tonight and found this:  ”a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society.”  BINGO…this is EXACTLY what he has been experiencing.

He kept telling me how he has “tried” God.  He’s been to church and they always want him to do more.  Then he’s excited to “try” what is being taught.  His hopes rise and then he falls again.  Blame game….let’s blame God.  God didn’t want me to experience success.  Let’s head back down to level ZERO again and believe we have to start completely over.

Every experience God gives us is an opportunity for growth.  We can learn something new, we grow.  We can work on character traits within us, we grow.  We try opportunities we have never had before and sometimes we may fail.  That just means there is a small “dip” in our growth.  But then God gives another experience, another idea, we work hard and grow some more.  NEVER do we drop back down to zero on our growth scale.

Soooo….back in January I went to a life-changing conference in Atlanta, GA.  The ministry focus of the 3-day conference was FREEDOM from modern day slavery.  Little did I know that God was doing a freedom work IN me at the same time of His working AROUND me.    I just want to share the bookends though in this post.  The beginning bookend was the morning of January 1st in our church in Saginaw.  The last bookend was the final conference talk that Louie Giglio spoke to bring the conference to a close.

The morning of January 1, our pastor was offering the chance to come forward to FULLY live alive in Christ.  I’ve been a Christian for 20 years now and have not had that heart-pounding experience of coming forward since that day 20 years ago.  I knew God was calling me to make this decision in front of all these new faces that we hardly knew yet.  Despite only attending this new church for three weeks, I knew it didn’t matter – it was between me and God.  This was the start of God’s movement in my heart during this life-changing week…..

The next morning I boarded a plane southbound to good ole’ Atlanta, GA.  All throughout this three-day conference God was speaking to me in SO many ways.  One post could never do justice to all the things God was stirring in me during those three days, but Louie Giglio’s message on the last night was a HUGE component of what God was speaking to me about….

Louie shared a story about Paul:  In Ephesians 6:19 Paul was literally IN CHAINS for Christ.  He asked the church of Ephesus to pray for him.  What did he want prayers for???  Most of us would agree that if we were in chains we would ask for quick deliverance….”Pray for me that these chains will be released, I’ll be able to come back and minister to YOU, the people I miss so much.”  NOPE….not Paul.  Paul asks for a different request, “Pray for me that WHENEVER I open my mouth that words may be given to me that I may FEARLESSLY and BOLDLY make known the mystery of the Gospel.”

When I went forward on January 1st our pastor mentioned that this is no trivial response that God is looking for.  If you come forward you will have a target on your back that Satan will be thrilled to aim at with his fiery darts.  FEAR and  LACK OF BOLDNESS were the reasons I was being held captive all of Fall.  Fear of failure, fear of being too busy for my family, fear of what people thought of my advice or how I spoke…..fears, fears, fears.  I have had a FEAR of public speaking FOREVER.

Through these two experiences, God has delivered me of this and given me boldness to CLAIM this verse.  It does NOT mean that my heart doesn’t still pound right before getting up in front of large numbers of people, but He has given me the boldness to do my best and speak THROUGH my initial nervousness.    Being in ministry for the past 12 years has given me so many speaking opportunities that I would instantly think, “NO”.  Over the past 5 months, countless opportunities to speak have been presented before me – over and over again, God gives me the courage to say, “YES”.   Warning: God has a sense of humor….when one speaking opportunity is over within the next 24 hours someone asks about the next one….

Next chance….Mother’s Day at Abundant Life Church.   But I’ll be praying and claiming, yet again….Eph. 6:19 – yes!