Love In Action!

This last week I went with our youth group on our annual youth mission trip. Over the years, my pastor husband and myself on been on quite a few trips such as this, with youth and adults. We have always been blessed by these trips and have seen some wonderful projects accomplished, with the help of God and the hard work that comes from loving, determined souls.

This year over a dozen churches came together and stayed at Butler University, in Indianapolis. Every morning we would disperse throughout the city and work on several projects, for The Boys and Girls Clubs, local churches, nursing homes, individual homes of folks who just can't do things the way they used to, and for the Salvation Army.

The group that I was assigned to went to a salvation army location. Their summer program fed the local families in the area lunch,had a devotion time and then open gym time. This gave the children in the neighborhood something constructive to do during the summer and also made sure they had at least one good meal a day.


We went in to help by painting a few walls, clean some carpet and windows. Help cook and serve the lunch and snack. But that was nothing. The most important and fun thing we did was be with the kids in the afternoon and talk about God's love. The theme with this was, no matter what a person did, God would not stop loving them and He would always be there for them when they called out to Him. I could see in some of the young ones eyes how important it was to know that someone would always be there for them. 

The staff at this facility was a wonderful example of God's love in action. They loved these kids with a passion that we don't see enough of. Yes at times some of the youth that came could be a handful, but that did not deter them. They fixed what ever was going on and went right on loving and serving. I know my heart and the hearts of the others that came with me were touched. You could see God shining through these men and women, with an unfailing love that would not stop. They were the epitome of these verses in Corinthians 13..... 

1 Corinthians 13 The Message (MSG)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

The Friday we were there was the last day of this summer program.  Tears could be seen in the eyes of some. It was sad for us too, because it was our last day as well. So you can imagine how upsetting it was for the one's who had been there all summer. But there were smiles too because they had been with, and had been taken care of, by some of the most loving people I have ever met. What a wonderful summer these kids had. 




I thank God for the friends we made there and for the chance to see His love in action.

Blessings!

Spills Gone!

Today we had the carpet in the church and the parsonage cleaned.  There were a couple of spots in both locations that I was positive would not come out. But to my surprise they did. The gentleman who was the carpet cleaner didn't even seemed surprised. He knew he would be able to make the evidence of the mistakes, that caused the spots, go away, like they never even happened.

Makes me think of Christ and what He can do for us. If you ask, He can take away our mistakes too. He will make it so we are clean and sin free. He can do it in a heart beat.

1 John 1:9

Common English Bible (CEB)

9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong.

Our house, with the carpets clean, feels so fresh. It is such a nice feeling. It actually seems like even the air is cleaner. 

Imagine how good it feels when your soul is clean. Imagine how much better you will feel, how much fresher you will feel. 

Unlike carpet, that will get dirty again and need to be cleaned again, our lives, our souls stay clean. God does not see you as a sinner ever again. 
  

Psalm 103:12

Common English Bible (CEB)

12 As far as east is from west—
    that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.

Like the verse says our sins can't rule us again because, just like a sunrise doesn't cross with a sunset, neither will our human, sinful side, be in control of our actions and thoughts again. 

It feels so peaceful to have this promise. It's like taking a deep breath of the freshest air. Peaceful like a walk by a trickling spring. Peaceful like when you are listening to the waves as you drift off to sleep in a room beside the ocean.

I hope with all my heart that you have received this peace. If not, all you need to do is believe and ask our Savior for this peace and it will be yours.


Blessings!!!

Spring Clean

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we are just sitting and relaxing. We usually try to do that on Sunday's. God's plan of a rest day was a wonderful idea.

As I'm sitting here though I can see all the things I need to clean. I am planning on doing some Spring cleaning this week, so I am making a mental list. Windows, furniture, carpet, wood trim, floors, cabinets and of course closets.

Winter is finally over and it is time to bring the clean and fresh back to the house. The sad thing is though, is that nothing ever stays clean and fresh. Everything will need to be cleaned and organized again. It's a never ending cycle. But for those few days everything just feels so good!

Isn't it wonderful that we as Christians don't have to worry about the cleaning cycle.

Romans 4:6-7 The Message (MSG)

David confirms this way of looking at it, saying that the one who trusts God to do the putting-everything-right without insisting on having a say in it is one fortunate man: Fortunate those whose crimes are carted off, whose sins are wiped clean from the slate. Fortunate the person against whom the Lord does not keep score.

Did you read it? If we let God clean us up we don't have to be Spring cleaned again. We stay fresh and clean in God's eyes. As a matter of fact God forgets that He even had to do any cleaning.

Some people think they have to keep coming back to be cleaned. They feel like they are too dirty to come before the Father. The sad thing about this is they miss so much time that they could have had in fellowship with Him. If they just remember the words from Christ in John they would not have to worry....

John 10:28-30 The Message (MSG)

Jesus answered, “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

Remember whose hand you are in. Remember who keeps you from cycling back to the dirty life of sin. Remember who keeps you Spring Clean! 

Isn't it a wonderfully fresh feeling? 

Blessings!