KyleGoen.com

While we were in India I had the opportunity to see some very unique forms of idol worship. It is not the first time I had seen this type of display and probably will not be the last. We happened to be there during one of their biggest festivals. In the city we were working there were 300 temporary “official” worship sites erected out of bamboo and colored cloth. The temples were very elaborate and if you didn’t realize it you would think they were real. They were really a veiled attempted at a building. Inside each of these temples were around 5-6 newly made replicas of gods the Hindu people worship.

We arrived on the final night of the festival, by design. We hurriedly drove to the Ganges River to watch the people bring their idols to the river to dump. This is not a “getting rid” of the idols forever, just “baptizing” them into the holiest river in the country. All day, all night and into the next day thousands of people would gather at the Ganges to “baptize” the nearly 3000 idols into the river.

I have often thought about how the Hindus literally have figurine idols they worship and offer sacrifices to each day and in many instances by the hour. We in the USA think we are exempt from idol worship, because we may not have figurines on our mantles or shelves. I know there are some pagan religions that do have these “gods” in America, but by in large that is not the majority of us. But, we do have little “gods” all around us that vie for our attention daily. They drag us away or distract us from worshipping the one, true, living God. What are some of those potential “idols” that you see around us in the USA?

I want to recommend to everyone a new CD. It is by a group called Spur 58. They have just released Sleepwalkers on ITunes and at any Lifeway, Family Bookstore, and possibly any other Christian outlet. You will want to pick up this CD and listen. If you get a chance go see them locally on their tour. Check out their website for more info, theres a link in the side bar.
www.spur58.com

Go to Kyle’s Photos in the Links sidebar and click. This will take you to my Flikr page and then open the India 10/06 set. You will be able to see some of the photos. Thanks for your interest, many have asked about seeing the images.

During our recent trip to S. Asia our team was teaching on Spiritual Leadership. We were teaching on the area of servant leadership and one of the leaders from our group wanted to utilize Jesus’ example of foot washing in the Scripture as a teaching illustration. I was a little skeptical and concerned about attempting to wash feet in the Indian culture. I wasn’t sure of the cultural ramifications and whether it would be offensive to the participants. We asked our host about leading the group in this illustration of scripture and he told us everything would be fine.

After one of the team members had taught on Jesus’ example we then began to wash the feet of the participants. The men we were teaching were very overwhelmed by this act. As we washed the feet of the men we prayed that God would empower them to teach and preach boldly and to serve their villages and families as Jesus would want. They began to cry and to express prayers to the Lord. When we had finished washing the feet of the men they immediately had us to sit and then clamored to wash our feet and pray for us as fellow believers.

The next day the Indian ladies involved in the women’s seminar asked to participate in the washing of feet. Their husbands had shared with them what had happened during our time of teaching and ministering and the ladies wanted to experience this also. While our ladies were demonstrating the servant aspect of foot washing the Indian ladies began to feel the weight of someone serving them. This was extraordinarily humbling for the ladies of the seminar. This is a culture where the women have no position other than what the men allow. The women of the culture in many cases are the servants to the men. So to have an American lady stoop to serve them was very overwhelming at that moment. They began to cry uncontrollably as their feet were washed individually. Some even illustrating Peter in the scripture, “you can not wash my feet.”

Finally, when all of the ladies had experienced this as individuals they rushed to wash the feet of our ladies. Each Indian lady wanted to wash the feet of our 2 American ladies. After washing their feet, many of the Indian ladies would kiss the feet of the women team members. This was a very overwhelming experience needless to say for our ladies. We talked and began to digest what had happened and realized another scripture had been illustrated. When the woman who had been forgiven much, anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment, kissed his feet and dried them with her hair.

This servant act of Jesus with His disciples was a powerful teaching moment in the day that Jesus first demonstrated it to His followers and still is today as we participated with the Indians of S. Asia. I am praying for a movement of servant leaders in S. Asia and in Smyrna, TN.

There are many more exciting and memorable moments from our trip that hopefully I will be able to post about in the coming days.

Pictures will be up in a few days on my Flikr site.

I began my series of musings before going to India about knowing I needed to go to India but really feeling torn. Well…, God grew me in some incredible ways while I was away from my family.

1)I was reminded that we are to be led by the Holy Spirit. When He calls us to follow, the proper response is to follow. Know matter how I feel, my response of obedience is essential. God let me see Himself moving in a region of the world that is hungery for truth, peace and freedom.

2) My obedience was part of God’s movement to strengthen followers in a region that has few followers of Christ. The believer’s who do follow are young in there faith. They want to know how to folllow God in spite of not having Bibles or the ability to read them if they have a Bible. My physical act of obedience gave encouragement to local followers of Christ. I became a living testement to the people of how to follow Christ.

3) I was reminded that God’s grace is sufficient for all my needs. In times of loneliness, He gave me partners who were there. In times of sickness, he provided health and strength. In time of weariness He provided focus and drive. He was truly my all in all.

4) I was allowed to watch our team members grow in ways I normally would not, had I been at home. I am so proud to see people grow in the Lord when they obediently follow Christ. I had to move in obedience, just as they also followed Christ, I also had to follow. God was glorified through our community of obedience. Though each of us had to individually obey, our community was strengthend through our obedience.

Thank you Lord for letting me grow through my experience with you. Your Word is so wonderful.

From reading the dateline on the post I see that it actually dates in USA time. This post will probably read Thursday, but it is actually Friday morning 7:15 am. I am about to check out of the hotel and go teach our last sessions on Spiritual Leadership with the training seminarians. We will then fly back to Delhi and then leave on Sat. evening for a flight back to the USA. We will arrive on Sunday morning at 11:30 am in Nashville, how sweet that will be for us.

The training has been wonderful. I have once again seen people who have never led groups of people step up and take leadership roles and do great. God has really moved in the lives of the FBCer’s as they have submitted to His leadership. We are all amazed at how He chooses to use us in His plan. We are conveying His message not our own. We came to encourage and yet we seem to be the ones who are the most encouraged.

Steve and I have seen wonderful growth in the people who were involved in the training in March. They are very confident in the Word and the churches are growing from all accounts. We are so thankful for our church in Smyrna that is willing and ready to involve themselves in God’s global plan for the nations of the world. What God has called us to as a church is making a difference.

Keep praying for us. We are not home yet. We look forward to seeing you in a couple of days.

Amy, I love you.
Jordan, Peyton and Evan, daddy can’t wait to see you and give gifts. (maybe)

Kyle

Our team began training last evening at a local Catholic Center. It is the only location that can be rented that is large enough to hold the conference. There are around 50 fifty participants. We have need an area where the men and the women can break into separate groups and this facility works well. Everyone shared their testimonies and sang songs of worship together. What a great time of fellowship and sharing everyone experienced.

This morning we start teaching on Spiritual Leadership. We are using J. Oswald Sanders book by the same title as our material. We will teach all day and possibly into the evening. Pray for our words to translate into what they need to hear. I know the Holy Spirit will use what He desires.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your words of encouragement. I do not get to respond to the comments here in this country because I am on a time limit with the computer, know they are read and we are very encouraged by your words and your prayers.

Today we had a wonderful time in a nearby village worshipping with believers in one of the house churches. What a wonderful sight to see people jamming themselves into a home (stopped counting @45) to gather to worship the one living God. People were gathering to have our team pray for their health, many are sick and dying. God has chosen to reveal himself to these people many times through healing. We sang, we prayed, and then we offered words of encouragement from the Word of God.

It has been a real joy to watch those who are with me who have never been on mission speak and pray from a leadership standpoint. To see them begin to understand the lost state of the world and see their heartbreaking for this culture and these people is awesome. I know they will never be the same.

Please pray for one of our partners, Wilson, he is very sick. I am not sure of the illness but we need him to accompany us and he is not able to right now. He is a new M and only been here for a short time. Continue to pray for our health, stamina, and sensitivity to God’s movement.

I am now in the far reaches of India. We are about to begin training the national house church planters. It is festival time in India. (surprise) Tonight they will burn the devil god. We have been to the Ganges River to watch them dump idols in to the river. We did not stay very long since we were the only people like us around. They were getting a little excited and we thought it best to get back to our hotel. We have had an incredible time learning and praying for the people of India.

I have 6 other people with me on this trip. Four of the six have never been to India. One of the couples with me will be returning as M’s in a year. I also have a college student who feels God calling to India. Obviously God is doing something incredible in our people as it relates to joining him in kingdom growth.

Please pray for us as we begin our time of training in the next days.