Noken lus tingting lo ples...

Nehemiah Chapter 1:
Nehemiah leads a comfortable life in Babylon as the cup-bearer to king Artaxerxes. He probably had many comforts and luxuries that never would have been afforded him had he been in the land of this fathers. He had a good life in Babylon.
Tasol, emi no bin lus tingting lo ples blo em. Ples blo emi bin stap klostu lo bel blo em oltaim, na oltaim emi bin askim Bikpela God long lukautim ol lain lo ples. Taim emi harim olsem samting nogut i bin kamup lo ples, emi bin beten na singaut long God.
Wankain samting i mas stap olsem lo life blo yu. No ken lus tingting lo ples na lain blo yu. Taim yu stap isi long Babylon, noken larim ol gutpela sindaun mekim yu lus tingting long ol kainkain hevi i save stap lo ples. Tingting long ol! Beten long ol! Askim God i ken lukautim ol, na redim yuyet long go bek na wok lo kirupim Kingdom blong God long ples!
Laikim yupla olgeta! Na hamamas tru lo harim olsem Papua New Guinea i bin kisim gutpela Christian Prime Minister.

Asples

As citizens of Papua New Guinea, you are aliens and foreigners here in America. And as an American citizen, I am a foreigner in Papua New Guinea. But think of this: As children of the King of a Heavenly kingdom, we are actually strangers and sojourners in our own birth country! We are in the world, but not of it. We are of Heaven!

We are children awaiting the day when we shall be brought up to our Father into our true country. Our home here on earth is just a temporary training ground—no matter where it is on the globe. It is a place where we can work to store up treasures in our Heavenly home. It is a place where we are tempted and tried so that we learn to lean on Jesus. It is a place where we cannot--on our own--rise above the filth around us, and therein we recognize our great need for a Savior. It is a place where we can reach out to the ones around us who live in darkness and show them the Light.

It’s easy to say—“In the world, but not of it” though it’s somewhat harder to live. I often find that even though I know the above words are true, I somehow forget to keep things in perspective. Live is busy. There is always something going on at church, at school, with friends and family.

We carry hevi’s and burdens that fill up our minds with too much distraction. But, when this happens it is the best time of all to stop and remember—we are not from here!

When we are feeling out of place in a new land or a new culture, just remember—we are not from here! We don’t have to fit in with everyone else. We don’t have to look like or act like or do the things that everyone else is doing. They are of the world—this is their home. We are of Heaven—THAT is OUR home. I am not ashamed to be of a Heavenly kingdom with the King of all King and the Lord of all Lords as my Father.

So taim yu kisim tumas hevi na kainkain ol samting blo graun i laik daunim yu na paulim tingting blo yu, yu mas tingim asples tru blo yu na noken give up!

Land of the Unexpected

Papua New Guinea is the land of the unexpected. And in it's own right, so is the United States. There is so much here, that you can never take in it all. So many places, so many people, so many opportunities and unfortunately, so many selfish pleasures.
In New Guinea there are plenty of temptations and things to satisfy selfish desires. However, the United States offers an even bigger feast on an even bigger plate! Every day we are bombarded by those who would have us desire their products, religions and causes. Radio advertisements, road signs, newspaper flyers, Internet adds, door to door salesmen, tv commercials and on and on the list goes.
And each one of them will tell you, "YOU need this because YOU will be happier if you have it. YOU deserve this because YOU are number one."
When you live in a society that is completely geared towards selfishness, you must daily seek the Lord in prayer and study his Word diligently to keep yourself in check.
Because mixed up on all the harmless products and events, there will be the false prophets disguised as sheep. Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Planti ol man nogut i laik bugarupim gutpela Christian wokabaut blo yu. Ol bai givim yu liklik trupla tok wantaim wanpela liklik giaman. Nau taim yu harim trupela tok blong ol, bai yu harim gut--tasol nogut yu kaikaim ol giaman blo ol wantaim. Ol trai long paulim yu.
Taim yu harim sampela tok wanpela man i mekim, pastaim long yu kisim dispela tok na putim insait long bel blo yu, yu mas kisim Bible blo yuyet na askim God i ken soim yu tok tru. Na sapos yu paul yet, yu ken go long Pasta blo yu or narapela lain whosait i gat gutpela save long ol tok blo God long buk Baibel.
Satan will always try to find a way into your life, weather you are at home in PNG or here in the US. Raunim yuyet wantaim planti Christian wantok, harim tok blo ol lapun Christian mama/papa, noken lusim lotu na silip nating, maski long behainim ol newpela selfish ideas, na nambawan--ritim baibel na beten olgeta de. Noken ritim nating--askim God lo helpim yu na givim yu tok tru.
With His help, you can be...Stronger than Babylon!

God bai lukautim yu...

God Bai Lukautim Yu

Sapos yu kisim bel hevi
Na aiwara pundaun,
Taim yu tingim ples blo yu
Na ol gutpela sindaun.

Tingim Papa God blo yu
Na kisim bel isi!
Yu pikinini bilong Em
Olsem no ken bel hevi!

Taim yu lusim lain blo yu
Na go long ples longwe,
Noken ting yuyet i stap,
God stap wantaim yu tude.

Wasman save lukautim
Ol sipsip bilong em,
Na God tu bai lukautim
Yupela wankain olsem.

Sanap strong na holim pas
Long han blong Papa tru!
Mari mari bilong Em
Bai no inap lusim yu!

--J.R.

Yu wanim kain graun?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a sower planting seeds. As he throws the seeds to the ground, some fall to the wayside on hard ground and are snatched away. Others fall into shallow, rocky soil where they begin to grow; but, because their roots are not deep enough they cannot withstand the storms. Then still others fall into the thistles and tho' they begin to grow, they are soon choked out by the weeds around them. And of course, there are the seeds that fall into good ground, take root, stand the test and produce good fruit.

My question is this: bel blo yu i gat wanim kain graun? Taim yu bin harim gutnews blong Jesus Christ, yu bin kisim dispela tok na putim insait tru long bel blo yu or nogat? Did the seed of the gospel take deep root in your heart and life?

God's Word tells us that if your heart is like the shallow, rocky soil tho' you received the good news of Christ joyfully, your commitment to Him is not deep enough and when trouble and persecutions come you will not be able to withstand the pressure. Your roots will come up and you will fall.

If your heart is like the ground with thistles, your desires for the pleasures of this world will choke out your desire for God and you will slowly drift away. The very things you desire will be the end of you.

Only the heart with good ground will produce good fruit, making more seeds to spread the Good News to others. My prayer for all of you is that your heart is gutpela graun!

Taim yu lukim ol getpela samting blo displea graun, noken larim dispela samting i pulim yu. Ol mani na bilas na pati na planti wantok em samting blo amamas nating. Sapos yu behainim pasin blo dispela graun, bai yu kamap olsem seed i pundaun long graun nogut. Noken pasim ai na stap nating!

Sapos yu ting olsem gutnews blo Jesus i no stap deep insait long bel blo yu, yu mas askim Papa God long helpim yu i ken painim gutpela graun, na tok blo Em i ken kamup strongpela tru insait long bel blo yu.

God wants YOU to be strong. And HE will help you! Askim Em nau tasol!

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego na yuyet

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were taken from their country and brought to Babylon as captives, they were only youths. They had been brought up by their parents to follow the Lord their God. Their parents and teachers had schooled and mentored them well in the ways of Jehovah. But now, for the first time, their faith and commitment would be put to the test. Not just once, but continually.
They suddenly went from being surrounded by the holy city of Jerusalem, to living within an evil, idolatrous country. All around them was that which appealed to the greed and pride of man. Pressure to blend in with this new culture must have been great. And now, with no support from their spiritual guides, these three young men had to make their choice; to go with the ways of Babylon or to stand up and be set apart as children of the Most High God.

We all know the story. They chose to stand for what they knew was right--at the king's table and then again before the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had built for all to worship.
I don't imagine it was easy for them. Perhaps they may have even paused to count the cost before making the decision to follow God no matter what.
But, do you think the Hebrew children did this alone, on their own strength?

NO! Only with the help of God were they able to be stronger than Babylon!

My dear friends, you are in a foreign land--sent here to learn and become better servants for the Lord. But, in this land you will find temptations much like those the Hebrew children faced in Babylon. Temptation to blend into the popular culture of America, pressure to conform to a lower standard of conduct in order to fit in with some of your wantoks who have not stood fast, and finally confusion over what is even right or wrong.

It is easy to get lost in a world that is focused on pleasing yuyet. You will soon find that if you keep looking at yourself, you will loose sight of Christ. In a culture that bombards you with worldly pleasures, you will need to stay grounded in the Word of God, surround yourself with Godly influences and above all: go directly to the God who loves you and wants nothing more than to help you be stronger than Babylon!

Tok "helo" tasol

Hello, ol wantok blong mi! Mi amamas long yu bin kam na lukim liklik blog blong mi. Laikim yupela olgeta!
In the last couple of years God has put a burden in my heart for Papua New Guinea. I remember with great fondness the years I spent there as a child and teen, but as I grow older I find that I want to return those blessings.
The timing of God is perfect--in all things. I don't know what the future holds, but TODAY I will do God's will for TODAY. And that brings me to this blog...
It is always such a joy to see my PNG friends here in the US--to see your smiles, to hear tok Pisin, to sing songs together and to hear about the great things the Lord is doing in your lives and in PNG. It brings me such joy.
Tasol wanpela samting i givim bikpela bel hevi long mi. Mi lukim planti ol yangpela i lusim God na wokim kainkain pasin nogut. Ol samting blong graun i pulim ol, na ol pundaun long sin. Dispela tasol i givim bel hevi long mi.
And that is why I want to have this blog. To encourage those who are walking close to God, to strengthen those who are struggling, and to call back those who are falling away. Without the help of God, mipela olgeta bai lus, tasol sapos yu holim pas long han blong Bikpla, bai yu sanap strong na stap gut long dispela graun na long ples Heaven!