In Jesus Name.

   I had the amazing chance of going to the north of Thailand.  The first leg of the trip was just up to a town did not know its name but it was on the ocean just south of Thailand.  We stayed at a retreat for missionaries called the Juniper Tree.  It was very relaxing and much needed for us all.  I met missionaries from India, and Pakistan.  There were many other countries represented but those were the ones I remembered the most.  Unfortunately I really did not get to talk with many of them for very long, as we only stayed for a few days and I just did not have the chance.
  Then we went to Bangkok for a church conference.  We got to stay in a hotel that was alright but after the Juniper tree it just seemed a little on the dive side.  The location however was the best because it was just a few steps from the church where the conference was.  The worship leader was so cool, had so much joy.  Though I did not know the words or songs it was easy to worship with.  The conference was good as well.  After the conference on the first night we were hungry.  Walking around the immediate area we found that nothing was open. Nothing except one bar which none of us wanted to go to because it was a real shady bar. Plus it was next to the hotel and the church so on top of not wanting to be in the bar we were hoping that no one from the conference would see us there.
  After a little debate on whether or not we should go in there hunger won out.  It was James Jordan and I, for the girls were tired and wanted to go to bed. The bar did have food but it proved to be everything we had expected.  It had bargirls and ladyboys loud karaoke music and just felt really oppressive in there.  We ordered are food and waited and waited.  The longer we waited the less I wanted to be in there.  Finally the food arrived.  The music was so loud that when we prayed for the food we had to pray really loud just to hear it.  Just at the end of the prayer the song stopped and all you could hear was a really loud "IN JESUS' NAME." I am not one to super spiritualize everything but it really changed the atmosphere in there.  When the music came back on the turned it down, it just felt different in there.  As we were eating though the music came back up and things resumed as they were before we got there.  I know that if only for a minute maybe more the name of Jesus changed the spiritual climate in that bar.