More news from Myanmar – both good and bad.

Junta Forcing Villagers Back To Ruined Villages Without Aid

Burma’s military government is forcing cyclone victims out of refugee camps and “dumping” them near their devastated villages with virtually no aid supplies, the United Nations said on Friday.

Eight camps set up earlier by the government for homeless victims in the Irrawaddy delta town of Bogale were “totally empty” as the clear-out continued, UNICEF official Teh Tai Ring told a meeting of aid groups.

“The government is moving people unannounced,” he said, adding that authorities were “dumping people in the approximate location of the villages, basically with nothing.”

Camps were also being closed in Laputta, another town in the delta, a low-lying area that took the brunt of Cyclone Nargis nearly a month ago.

Centralizing stricken people in the centers had made it easier for aid agencies to deliver emergency relief since many villages in the delta can only be reached by boat or over very rough roads.

Aid workers who have reached some of the remote villages say little remains that could sustain the former residents. Houses are destroyed, livestock have perished and food stocks have virtually run out. Medicines are nonexistent.

Karen Refugees Forced Back To Villages

Nearly 500 cyclone refugees from the Irrawaddy delta taking shelter in Christian missionary compounds in Rangoon’s Ahlone township have been ordered back to their villages, according to aid workers.

Most of the refugees are ethnic Karen Christians from villages around Labutta township area in the cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta. They were brought to Rangoon by the Yangon Home Mission Karen Baptist Association and were kept in the group’s compound in Ahlone township. An aid worker said the refugees were ordered by Rangoon divisional chief general Hla Htay Win yesterday to go back to their villages within 24 hours. “The Rangoon divisional chief said the refugees were to go back to the Irrawaddy delta by tomorrow – he said there were refugee camps to give them shelter,” said the aid worker, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But in reality, there is nowhere for them to stay.”

Cyclone Death Toll Higher Than Junta Estimates

The death toll from Cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma on 2 May, is likely to be greater than the military regime’s official estimate, according to a volunteer team from Mandalay.

The team said villagers in remote areas had told them the toll was higher than the government had estimated. “The government has stated that 77,738 are dead and 55,900 missing from the storm,” a team member said. “We haven’t so far heard of anyone who was missing arriving back home so let’s assume those missing are dead and that 133,638 were killed altogether,” he went on. “But we have been told by villagers that the death toll they experienced exceeded the government figures.”

The villages were on the far outskirts of cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta’s Bogalay, Dadaye and Phyar Pone townships.

The team witnessed the bodies of people and animals floating in the water during its ten-day trip. “We first arrived in one place on 15 May and saw 71 dead bodies floating around. We also saw dead cows and buffalos,” the team member said. “At first, we tried to arrange funerals for the people but we couldn’t do it as there were too many so we donated money to monasteries and asked local abbots to organise it.”

Myanmar Junta Condemns “Chocolate Bar” Aid

Myanmar’s junta lashed out at offers of foreign aid on Thursday, criticizing donors’ demands for access to the Irrawaddy delta and saying Cyclone Nargis’ 2.4 million victims could “stand by themselves”.

“The people from Irrawaddy can survive on self-reliance without chocolate bars donated by foreign countries,” the Kyemon newspaper said in a Burmese-language editorial.

As with all media in the former Burma, it is tightly controlled by the army and is believed to reflect the thinking of the top generals, who until now have shown signs of growing, albeit grudging, acceptance of outside cyclone assistance.

The editorial also accused the international community of being stingy, noting that the United Nations’ “flash appeal” was still a long way short of its $201 million target nearly four weeks after the disaster, which left 134,000 dead or missing.

Pray for the people of Myanmar!

Short Rounds is back – and is 90! Wow! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Myanmar Offering Site

Follow the link to give online to our Mission to Myanmar! We’ve raised a fair amount of money so far, but want to raise a lot more! If you can help please do!

More On Myanmar Support

Check out this site, we give to Myanmar through NMSI.

Summarizing the Purpose Driven Community Gathering

Last week my Associate Pastor Brian and I went to this great event. Follow the link to a site that has a ton of links to notes taken, etc.

Some Silly Things For Friday:

Favorite Super Hero Songs - not necessarily mine – but not bad either!

A 1930′s Marriage Test - Boy have things changed!!

Great Blog Posts

Some Sundays Are Better Than Others – Chris is taking a break from blogging for a while, but this might help hold us over till he gets back!

A Way To Do Life - thoughts about what discipleship really means.

Description of a Disciples Life - more thoughts on discipleship.

What Is Deep? What Is Shallow? Great thoughts about what deep teaching really is.

22 Questions - Questions about our devotional time, from John Wesley.

Two From LaShawn Barber:

Write Makes Right - Interesting thoughts on the writing life.

Synesthesia - I had never heard of this, but it’s interesting!

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11 (ESV)

Something happened to me yesterday that was not only really encouraging, but reminded me of the above verse.

I had two different people say the same thing to me. They said it at different times during the day, and both times it was golden to me!

What did they say”

“Thank you for coming to Kingman.”

That’s all – but that was more than enough!

Of course I thanked them for letting me come to Kingman.  If the church hadn’t called me then I’m not sure what would have happened, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be here right now.

So thanks for the encouraging words. Oh and, you are more than welcome!

As usual with Myanmar, things aren’t what they seem to be on the surface, and both good and bad happens, often at the same time! That sums up today’s news!

Junta Article Attacks Open Access

Several Rangoon newspapers sanctioned by the Burmese junta blasted the idea of “opening up” to foreign aid workers and criticized refugees who lined the roads leading to the cyclone-stricken area, saying they made the country look bad.

The same commentary appeared in two newspapers, Myanma Alin and Kyemon, on Thursday. The article claimed that “free access” for foreign aid workers meant they could do whatever they liked in the country without limitations.

Newspapers in Burma are tightly controlled by the military government and are used by the ruling generals to publicize their views and changes in official policy.

The article also criticized the World Bank, which provided a $23 million loan to aid Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami, for its refusal to provide monetary aid to Burma.

The World Bank refused to offer Burma a disaster loan, citing the military junta’s failure to repay previous bank loans since 1998.

The article attacked the United States’ latest economic sanctions against the junta that were handed down in early May. The US is a powerful country and it knew the tropical storm would hit Burma, but it increased economic sanctions anyway, the article claimed.

Fish paste curry and vegetables are delicious and offer enough nutrition for farmers in the Irrawaddy delta, the article said.

Burma Approves All UN Visa Requests

The UN said Thursday that Burma’s isolationist regime has approved all pending visas for UN relief workers to enter the country, nearly a month after a cyclone left more than 2 million people in need of aid.

Greater numbers of barred foreign aid staffers were also entering the Irrawaddy delta, the low-lying region that took the brunt of the May 2-3 cyclone, the United Nations said in a statement.

Cyclone Nargis left an estimated 2.4 million people in desperate need of food, shelter and medical care, according to the UN The government says it killed 78,000 people and left 56,000 missing.

The ruling military, apparently fearing that direct foreign participation in the aid operation could undermine its security, slapped a cordon around the delta for weeks. It only allowed foreign aid workers in after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe last weekend.

Since then, the regime appears to have kept its promise to allow humanitarian workers from all countries into the country and allow them access to the delta.

Junta Cracks Down On Internet Service

Technical changes have been made to prevent Internet users from using proxy servers to get around government controls, according to an announcement from Myanmar Teleport, one of the country’s two Internet service providers (ISPs).

In a notice to customers that was obtained by The Irrawaddy on Thursday, the company, formerly known as Bagan CyberTech, said that it had upgraded its service to remove the need for proxies.

When contacted, a technician at Myanmar Teleport confirmed that the move was intended to tighten control over access to unauthorized Web sites.

Burma has some of the world’s most restrictive Internet policies, banning blogs and exiled news providers critical of the country’s ruling junta. However, access to prohibited Web sites is often possible through use of proxy servers.

US Invited Burmese Officials To Ride In Helicopters

The US invited a Burmese government delegation to visit its aircraft carrier USS Essex off the coast of Burma and check on the humanitarian purpose of its mission to the region.

Burmese officials were even told they could ride in US helicopters or landing craft delivering aid to the cyclone survivors, Admiral Timothy J Keating, commander of the US Pacific fleet, told reporters at the Pentagon in Washington on Wednesday.

Keating assured the delegation the US only wanted to provide humanitarian aid to cyclone survivors. He told reporters at the Pentagon that he had assured the Burmese: “Once you tell us we’re done, we will leave. You will not know we were here.”

Keating said he had also told the Burmese delegation: “We’re not in the business of reconstruction; we’re in the business of supplying relief supplies.”

The US admiral said he had also offered to send his fleet’s hospital ship, Mercy, to the region, but he doubted whether the Burmese regime would accept.

Keating flew from Thailand for the Rangoon meeting on May 11, aboard the first US relief flight, together with Henrietta Fore, director of USAID, and Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Keating said he, Fore and Marciel had gone to “great lengths” to convince the Burmese delegation “that we had no military intentions here. We wanted to provide relief. And we were capable of doing that already.

“The delegation accepted my comments and said: ‘We understand, we acknowledge, but we cannot approve. This decision has to be made at the very highest levels of our government, and we will take your recommendation to the highest levels of our government.”

I’m continuing this week’s exercise of thinking about the “homework” I assigned to everyone on Sunday, meditating on seven of the benefits found in the New Covenant.

In The New Covenant God Has Promised…

4) POWER TO LIVE thru the Spirit

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

I know that a lot has been said about this, in writing and in countless sermons on the topic. I ought to know – I created an entire Spiritual Growth Campaign about the Holy Spirit and this topic took up a pretty large part of it! Here’s part of what I wrote on Day Nineteen of that campaign:

What’s the purpose of being filled with the Spirit? Is it to make us feel better or perhaps to meet all our needs and comfort us in our troubles? Should I seek the Spirit’s fullness in my life to boost my self-esteem? Or could it be that God has something more in mind when He commanded us to be filled with the Spirit?

You can be sure He did – because He always does! The Holy Spirit has always been associated with power in the Bible. When Samson and others had the Spirit come upon them they had great power (Judges 14:6,etc). When predicting the coming of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit was also spoken of as being upon Him, The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—(Isaiah 11:2). One of the Spirit’s title’s then is Spirit of Power.

The Lord Jesus told us how this power would become ours just before He ascended into heaven, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you,” (Acts 1:8a) This particular Greek word for power is the one we derive dynamite or dynamo from, it means the raw power of God! This is the kind of power the church today desperately needs if it is to survive the flood tide of secularism and other challenges to our faith that are sweeping the west today. This is the type of power that individuals now and always have needed if we are to overcome our personal problems and our old sinful nature.

How desperate is our need for this power in our lives if God has told us over and over again we need it? It’s not just needed in our personal lives either – we all must have this power in our ministries as well. Look at how Paul ministered. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, (1 Cor. 2:4) because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. (1 Thes. 1:5) The hallmark of Apostolic ministry was being filled with the Spirit’s power! Could it be that is why they turned their world upside down, and we’re barely being noticed?

Perhaps now Paul’s command for us to be filled with the Spirit makes more sense. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18) Religious people tend to find this statement a bit naughty. My goodness! Why would Paul compare the effects of alcohol with the Holy Spirit? People like us never would! That’s true, and that’s why religious people like them never experience any of His power either!

The Holy Spirit and His power are like alcohol when they fill your life - they take over! Suddenly you can find yourself doing things you would have never done before, because the Spirit not only empowers you but softens your heart as well. Under the influence of the Spirit I’m now willing to do the frightening things God is calling me to do, and thanks to the Spirit I’ve got the power to do to it as well!

Tank up on the Spirit and see what things God can do in your life! All of God’s fruitful, faithful servants, from the first to the last, have been filled with the Spirit. God’s first purpose in this filling is to give you the power to do His will, carry out your ministry, overcome sin, and stand up for Jesus!

Lord, give us Your Power – now!

You might not know it if all you do is watch or read the Lame Stream Media, but there’s news from Myanmar, and sadly much of it isn’t good. But let’s start with some good news at least!

Foreign Aid Workers Enter Delta

International aid workers have finally begun entering Myanmar’s cyclone-devastated delta area after being blocked for more than three weeks by the country’s military junta, officials said Tuesday.

“International aid workers are starting to move to the delta,” said Richard Horsey, a spokesman in Bangkok for the United Nations’ humanitarian effort in Myanmar. Helicopters also began shuttling high-energy biscuits and ready-to-eat meals into the hardest hit area, he said.

But the U.N. stressed that an estimated 1.5 million people in the Irrwaddy River delta were still in dire need and had not received aid. Official government estimates put the death toll at about 78,000 with an additional 56,000 people missing.

“We don’t want to lose any more time. We don’t want to lose any more momentum. We don’t want to lose any more confidence,” said Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the regional bloc acting as the middleman between Myanmar and the international community. “We will not fail the victims of Cyclone Nargis who are waiting for our help.”

French aid agency Doctors Without Borders said its teams had entered remote villages around the delta town of Bogalay, where people hadn’t eaten for three days. “Thousands of people have not seen any aid workers and still have not received any assistance,” the group said

Survivors bullied by Soldiers

The flimsy bamboo hut built near a road is all Aye Shwe has to keep his family of eight dry. They lost their home to the cyclone and fear they may soon be uprooted again by soldiers ordering them to leave.

Burma’s reclusive government has opened up slightly to the world in the past week, allowing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to meet with the country’s ruling general, Than Shwe, and inviting 50 countries to a donors conference in Rangoon to raise money for victims of the May 2-3 storm that killed at least 78,000 people.

But survivors in the ravaged Irrawaddy delta say the junta and its soldiers are as iron-fisted as ever, making some victims return to their flooded, collapsed homes and forcing others to work. Even some Burmese volunteers donating food and supplies to survivors are being prevented, and the government has started impounding cars.

“Where my house used to be is still filled with water up to my waist,” said Aye Shwe, who was ordered by soldiers to leave the hut. “How can I build a new house there?”

In the nearby town of Bogalay, about 120 survivors were crammed into the Sanchaung monastery, filled with the sound of rattling coughs and wailing children.

They heat up food delivered by donors, mostly meals of rice and vegetables, about twice a day. But abbot U Kawvida said no aid has been provided by the government.

Those stuck outside aren’t as lucky. Bodies line the monastery walkway lying atop tarpaulins and rattan mats. Plastic sheets strung from the roof provide limited shelter from the daily rains, but some able-bodied survivors are being forced to leave to work.

“Some of the survivors were sent to Maubin last week to build roads now that reconstruction has started,” said the monk, adding he has heard they are being paid about 1,000 kyat (less than US $1) a day. “They have told me that they are being exploited by certain generals.”

Nargis, A Cash Cow For The Regime?

Many villages in cyclone affected areas in the Irrawaddy delta are still waiting for food, shelters and supplies, according to Burmese aid workers who visited villages in the Kyungyangone, Nyaungdone and Dedaye areas.

“People who were begging there are now being forcibly removed form the roadside,” said a Burmese aid worker who returned from Dedaye. “It’s really a depressing situation there.”

The aid worker said access to the hardest-hit areas is still a major issue. Most small villages close to the sea haven’t received any assistance yet. “People are just dying,” she said.

Almost four weeks after Nargis slammed into Burma, the conditions for refugees have improved only in small, incremental steps. The majority of survivors have yet to see aid of any kind.

After the international donors and high-ranking officials who attended the donor conference in Rangoon on Sunday left, a senior diplomat based in Rangoon shared his pessimism.

“Even if they get aid in cash, they (military leaders) will build roads and bridges—it won’t reach down to people,” he said.

The aid worker who returned from Dedaye said aid is reaching there but starvation in nearby towns is visible.

“We have seen many traumatized people,” she said. “Some people received some onions and potatoes and two nails for each family (to rebuild houses),” she said.

Burma Censors Cyclone Coverage

Burma’s press censors are closely vetting local newspaper reports on the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, according to journalists in Rangoon.

The chief editor of one journal said in-depth reporting from the cyclone-devastated areas was being cut by the censorship board.

“Three of my stories which describe the hard-hit areas and the plight of survivors were censored,” he said.

Another Rangoon journalist told The Irrawaddy: “It is very shameful that the real story about how people need help cannot be told. The government doesn’t want people, especially the international community, to know that so many survivors are still waiting for aid.”

I’m continuing this week’s exercise of thinking about the “homework” I assigned to everyone on Sunday, meditating on seven of the benefits found in the New Covenant.

In The New Covenant God Has Promised…

3) The INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:27 (NIV)

Does this one seem like an odd benefit to point out or encourage people to ponder? I admit that I spent the least amount of time on it Sunday when I preached the sermon.  It’s a fairly obvious point isn’t it? I mean almost every Christian alive knows this don’t they?

I still think it’s worth pondering, and that I need to think about this as much as anyone else.

Here’s why. Paul tells us that because the Spirit dwells within us we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). This shows us a several important truths. First of all it points out how superior the New Covenant to the Old. Every believer has the Spirit dwelling within, and not only that, the Spirit works to enlighten us and to reproduce his character within us.

Beyond that the presence of the Holy Spirit changes us.  We are a temple, we are set apart for God to dwell within. The presence of the Spirit makes us important to God, beloved of God, and people who God chooses to use!

That’s not bad – and it’s not warmed over self-esteem either! We are all these things (and many others) not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us in the New Covenant. We are special, chosen and used by God through grace!

In the end, it always comes back to grace doesn’t it?

There’s something to think about today.

The new Thor continues to push forward in the story line that has been slowly and lovingly developed over since it’s reboot last year. I have loved this series, and this issue is no exception, but I do have a quibble with how it ends.

Several things stood out to me as I read it. First of all, nothing new on Sif or Jane Foster, so we left in suspense on that storyline! Secondly, this issue has almost no action in it, but is in reality a psychological thriller, that builds on seeds planted in the past.

It’s very well done as usual, and we are beginning to see how difficult having Asgard on earth. Thor is trying to control things that cannot and will not be controlled. I suspect that down the road he will be eating a large slice of humble pie!

Loki begins to manipulate things this issue, Balder in particular. And it’s here that my quibble shows up. I don’t want to totally spoil the ending, but let’s just say that considering that these characters are supposed to be thousands of years old, how on earth could they not know everything there is to know about their own background, parents, etc.?

Still, it’s furthers the tension between Thor and Balder, which could turn into an amazing story! Will it? We’ll just have to wait and see!

One of the guys I was most looking forward to seeing and hearing from last week was Mark Driscoll. Driscoll is one of the young lions of the church, a leader in the Missional Movement, and one heck of a funny guy to boot!

Here’s what he wrote in his blog today about being there, and his view of Rick Warren. You can read the whole thing here.

On Monday a dear friend and I flew to Los Angeles to spend a few days participating in a conference for Rick Warren at Saddleback Church. It seems like everyone Christianity Today has written an article on over the past few years was on one of the teaching teams. I got to see Tim Keller, Erwin McManus, Jonathan Falwell, Miles McPherson, Rick McKinley, Dave Gibbons, Dave Ferguson, Greg Surratt, Bill Cornelius, Joel Hunter, Jud Wilhite etc. etc. etc. It was a great honor to be included and I learned a lot through side conversations with so many pastors.

And, I learned a lot watching Rick Warren behind the scenes and over meals. Not being part of the Purpose Driven Network, I was humbled by how eager he was to bring in leaders from many networks and denominations to share ideas and help influence in his Purpose Driven Network pastors for the cause of Jesus Christ. After spending some time with Rick I am convinced for four things. One, a lot of Christians are jealous of his success and they account for a good percentage of his critics. Two, he really loves the Jesus of the Bible. Three, he really loves pastors. Four, he really loves the church of Jesus in all of it’s expressions, even those who are not doing the Purpose Driven methods he extols.

To be honest, Rick has a brilliant mind that shines even when he sits down and simply lectures from a chair for an hour as he did at the conference. But, what really struck me is how much he loves pastors and churches and how much he wants to serve pastors and their churches by giving away resources and encouragement lavishly. And, it is his affection for Jesus, pastors, and churches that has in my observation endeared him to so many Christian leaders. For those who criticize his methods, it would behoove them to also share in his effort to do something to help pastors other than criticize those who are trying to help. I do not agree with him on everything. But, I also find him to be a servant leader who is willing to learn which is rare among those who are very successful and in that I rejoice.

Out of all I learned, one story he shared over dinner was particularly insightful. He explained that their large ministry campus needed to expand and in God’s providence a large adjacent piece of land came available for sale. After meeting with the land owner a very good deal was struck for the church. The problem was that to purchase the land required a congregational vote. But, if the terms of the deal were announced to the congregation they would undoubtedly leak and instigate counter offers from other developers thereby driving the price up. So, Rick stood before his church members and told them he found a good piece of land for a good price and could not share any of the details with them and so he asked the people to trust him and vote for it. And, they did…unanimously.

So few pastors enjoy any real trust or support among their people. Still others erroneously believe they have it only to see distrust and division reign when they need trust and support the most. Rick attributed the vote to, in part, the fact he has been at that church since he founded it nearly 30 years ago. Now being in my 11th year of ministry it gave me hope that if I continue to mature as a leader giving my life to Mars Hill Church perhaps the day will come when that kind of trust and support is built.

I’m continuing this week’s exercise of thinking about the “homework” I assigned to everyone on Sunday, meditating on seven of the benefits found in the New Covenant.

In The New Covenant God Has Promised…

2) FORGIVENESS OF SIN.

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. Ezekiel 36:25 (NIV)

I’m sure that everyone has difficulty at time accepting the forgiveness that Jesus gives to us so freely and fully when we give our lives to him. But why does it seem so difficult for us to do this?

I believe that beneath all the usual reasons given, there is one real reason, and that reason is pride.

I want to be punished for my sin because then I can feel that I’ve done or suffered something to deserve the forgiveness Christ gives! And the only name I know to give that is pride.

It’s pride, the human ego and desire to achieve and earn our way into God’s good graces that causes us to either reject or reduce God’s grace. After all if I’m just given all this, what does that say about me? Not much. To accept this “hand out” from God makes me a spiritual beggar, a loser, and an object of scorn in our achievement oriented world.

Which is exactly what I am! (Oh, and for the record, so are you!)

That’s why forgiveness can be so hard to accept, and that’s what keeps us in bondage. God says he’ll cleanse us from our idols. But he can’t do that unless and until I accept the forgiveness that Christ bought for me on the cross.

Until then I’m trapped in my sin and my shame. My hurts, hang ups and habits continue to rule over me, regardless of what I say I believe, and there’s no way out other than humbling my self at the foot of the cross!

Whew! I don’t know about you, but that’s plenty for me to think about for one day!