Greetings!
I am writing to you today to share my excitement, I will soon be embarking on a journey to Peru, to dig wells and share the good news of our Lord! While volunteering, donating and praying are wonderful and fulfilling, I am thrilled to be able to make a difference in such a tangible way. It is not often that this kind of opportunity comes, and I am thankful that I can take hold of it and go!
I can't wait to see how God works through me and in me to make a difference to the people around me and to make a difference in my heart. He is truly wonderful and loving, and now I get to show his love to those who need it and I get to care for physical needs so that the people in the villages around Iquitos might have hope for the future. God loves His children so much, and I believe that it is His will that those of us who have much, or even just enough, share with those who have none- in order that we might experience His love working through us.
John 4:14 "...but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
John 7:37-38 Jesus stood and said "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
How wonderful to be able to share both clean water as well as the living water that only Christ can give simultaneously. Please, pray for our team as we go to Peru this September and pray that the hearts of the Peruvian villagers be open to receive the love of Christ.
Thank you, and may God bless you this day.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Give What you are Able
Greetings,
There is a well known quote, "Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something." I think that this is hard to keep in mind, because when you have a heart that desires to make a difference in world poverty, it is hard to understand the continued suffering, even when you are doing something. But I want you to know this; you have made a difference to someone! When you give of your time, money or skills to help someone in need, it has indeed made a difference in someones life. It may not make a global radar, but there might be one less hungry family, one less abused child or one less homeless individual. When we add together all that WE have done together it is making a significant difference!
Of course, we want to continue that trend, so as long as you have a heart to help those in need, and can find a way to do it, keep on giving of yourself! 2Corinthians 8:11-12 tells us "but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so that there may also be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have." My heart breaks every time I think of those who are still hungry today, of the parents who don't know if they will be able to feed their children tomorrow, and by children who will never grow old. BUT it is necessary to realize that because of our gifts, there are fewer hungry people tonight, there are parents who DO know that they can feed their children tomorrow and people who have a home to return to, all because we made a choice to give of what we have to make a small but very significant difference. Thank you for your hearts!
May God continue to Bless you, as you bless others
There is a well known quote, "Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something." I think that this is hard to keep in mind, because when you have a heart that desires to make a difference in world poverty, it is hard to understand the continued suffering, even when you are doing something. But I want you to know this; you have made a difference to someone! When you give of your time, money or skills to help someone in need, it has indeed made a difference in someones life. It may not make a global radar, but there might be one less hungry family, one less abused child or one less homeless individual. When we add together all that WE have done together it is making a significant difference!
Of course, we want to continue that trend, so as long as you have a heart to help those in need, and can find a way to do it, keep on giving of yourself! 2Corinthians 8:11-12 tells us "but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so that there may also be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have." My heart breaks every time I think of those who are still hungry today, of the parents who don't know if they will be able to feed their children tomorrow, and by children who will never grow old. BUT it is necessary to realize that because of our gifts, there are fewer hungry people tonight, there are parents who DO know that they can feed their children tomorrow and people who have a home to return to, all because we made a choice to give of what we have to make a small but very significant difference. Thank you for your hearts!
May God continue to Bless you, as you bless others
Monday, April 27, 2009
Be Doers
Greetings,
In James chapter 1 we are given a lot of information, mostly about how to live as Christians. Just after James tells us in verse 22 "Be Doers of the, and not hearers only, thereby deceiving yourselves." he goes on to say in verse 27 "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble..." I am pretty sure God had James write this in that order for a specific purpose. He first got our attention by demanding that we not just listen to preachers and read our bibles, but to go out and DO what the Bible and the preachers tell us we should be doing. So I am in turn going to ask every Christ-minded individual out there... What have you done to take care of the widows and the orphans today?
Go, Do, make a difference and share the Love of God with His children who are hurting.
May you be blessed
In James chapter 1 we are given a lot of information, mostly about how to live as Christians. Just after James tells us in verse 22 "Be Doers of the, and not hearers only, thereby deceiving yourselves." he goes on to say in verse 27 "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble..." I am pretty sure God had James write this in that order for a specific purpose. He first got our attention by demanding that we not just listen to preachers and read our bibles, but to go out and DO what the Bible and the preachers tell us we should be doing. So I am in turn going to ask every Christ-minded individual out there... What have you done to take care of the widows and the orphans today?
Go, Do, make a difference and share the Love of God with His children who are hurting.
May you be blessed
Friday, April 17, 2009
Get Used by God
John 9:1-3
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a blind man who was blind from Birth.
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus Answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."
in verse 6 Jesus gives sight to the blind man.
Wow, did you get that? Have you ever avoided helping someone because you thought that maybe they brought bad times into their own lives? All over this planet there are people suffering, who have not brought calamity upon themselves... I think that they may simply be waiting for God to use them to reveal Himself through US, thats right, you and me. Just as Jesus revealed God through His work in the blind man, we have been called to reveal God through His love- evident in us as we care about those less fortunate than us.
Many Christians have been trained to reproach certain people- we can't deny it- AIDS victims have such an ungodly stigma around them that churches are loathe to offer support to those inflicted with a "sin-based disease" but what about the children born with AIDS?
I beg you to go and find a way to Reveal God in someone. Make a difference in a life so that when they are asked their story they can say that "I was broken, hungry, wounded, depressed and without hope, but GOD showed love to me and now I am whole. The void in my life has been filled. Do you not see Him?"
Go, and Bless someone today - reveal God in an unexpected way.
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a blind man who was blind from Birth.
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus Answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."
in verse 6 Jesus gives sight to the blind man.
Wow, did you get that? Have you ever avoided helping someone because you thought that maybe they brought bad times into their own lives? All over this planet there are people suffering, who have not brought calamity upon themselves... I think that they may simply be waiting for God to use them to reveal Himself through US, thats right, you and me. Just as Jesus revealed God through His work in the blind man, we have been called to reveal God through His love- evident in us as we care about those less fortunate than us.
Many Christians have been trained to reproach certain people- we can't deny it- AIDS victims have such an ungodly stigma around them that churches are loathe to offer support to those inflicted with a "sin-based disease" but what about the children born with AIDS?
I beg you to go and find a way to Reveal God in someone. Make a difference in a life so that when they are asked their story they can say that "I was broken, hungry, wounded, depressed and without hope, but GOD showed love to me and now I am whole. The void in my life has been filled. Do you not see Him?"
Go, and Bless someone today - reveal God in an unexpected way.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
All or Nothing
Greetings,
I have been thinking about why American Christians don't do as much as we should be doing. And it boils down to this; we have too much. Like the Pharisees and rich of biblical times, we show up at church in our fancy cloths and turn in our tithe checks, and every great once in a while a poor widow shows up, gives ALL that she has to God and knows that it will be used in a great and powerful way because her heart is in it. We figure that we can't fix all the problems so we don't even bother to try, but if each one of us chooses to make a difference in one other persons life, we can change the world. More than likely God will not ask us to give all that we have, unless it is too hard to give a portion, then we need to be broken so that we can be saved. There are several relief organizations out there, all willing to help, some of them have a faith based foundation, some do not, but they are all following God's will by helping the least of these. Please choose to make a difference and share some of your excess.
May God bless you so that you can in turn, bless others
I have been thinking about why American Christians don't do as much as we should be doing. And it boils down to this; we have too much. Like the Pharisees and rich of biblical times, we show up at church in our fancy cloths and turn in our tithe checks, and every great once in a while a poor widow shows up, gives ALL that she has to God and knows that it will be used in a great and powerful way because her heart is in it. We figure that we can't fix all the problems so we don't even bother to try, but if each one of us chooses to make a difference in one other persons life, we can change the world. More than likely God will not ask us to give all that we have, unless it is too hard to give a portion, then we need to be broken so that we can be saved. There are several relief organizations out there, all willing to help, some of them have a faith based foundation, some do not, but they are all following God's will by helping the least of these. Please choose to make a difference and share some of your excess.
May God bless you so that you can in turn, bless others
Friday, March 6, 2009
One Life to Live, So Many to Save
Welcome, I have been reading a book by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, which is a non-profit Christian relief organization. The title of the book is "The Hole in our Gospel" and highlights the poverty, need and corresponding hopelessness of the poor around the world, it also announces that the Church has failed in helping to overcome this dire need and encourages you to do what you can to save the many desperate lives around the globe. This is part of my response to the call. I would like to unite churches and those who want God to use them to make a difference and save lives, one child, one family, one community at a time.
Thank you, may God Bless you life so that you can bless another
Thank you, may God Bless you life so that you can bless another
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