Fan into Flame!
March 14, 2009 5:41 pm“But you, O Lord, are exalted forever. For surely your enemies, O Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’” Psalm 92:8-15
The Parlours (from left) Brittany, Kama, Joel and Roger
Several weeks ago, while my 21 year old son Joel was rummaging through some old cassette tapes that I keep in the attic, he came upon a message simply entitled, “The Bombay Report.” Since the Chicago Church is presently very involved in the support of our dear brother and sister Raja and Debbie Rajan in Chennai, India, this tape caught his eye. He called me several days later and told me it was imperative that I listen to it. I agreed, but never did. A month later, I was having a discipling time with one of my best friends, Chris Broom. He pulled out a portable tape player and insisted that I listen to it and tell him what I thought. I turned on the tape player and immediately a young, excited, fired-up disciple came on and proceeded to give an update on the ministry and work going on in Bombay, India in 1987. Initially, I didn’t recognize the young preacher who was speaking. After a few minutes I thought I recognized his voice, but I couldn’t put a name to it. At the 10:06 minute mark in the tape, he mentioned the names of his wife and son – Kama and Joel – and I was shocked! The speaker was me! That young, fired-up, zealous, reckless, unhindered man of God was me… over 20 years earlier! A flood of memories rushed through me of the month I had spent in Bombay back in 1987. It was during a campaign, where people from all over the world came into the city of Bombay to do nothing but eat, drink and sleep evangelism for one month – to help that young church move forward powerfully!
The Parlour family in the early 1990s
It was one of the most exciting times in my life! Kama and I had just had our first child a month earlier and the opportunity came to go to India. India missions had been on my heart ever since I was converted in 1980 in a campus ministry on the University of Montana in Bozeman. One of our elders had traveled to India and developed connections with missionaries there. He had gotten me really interested in the work, and we often spoke of traveling there together. I remember sending flyers, care packages and letters to help people I knew were less fortunate than myself. Through the “World Bible School,” I had studied with many people there via mail. I remember the letters that would come back from those with whom I was building long distant relationships. They would repeat over and over the gratitude and desire they had to study God’s Word and to know Him. In many ways, I gave part of my heart to India. I remember the excitement of hearing the missionary reports from those who were living there.
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