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!

Family

This last week, as you know, we spent a week with Rodney's family. Everyone of us is so different from one another. but even though we are, we still love each other. We do not always think the same and we have our own way of doing things, but that is OK. We still are a loving family in name and by birth, and no matter what, that will not change.

That is the same with a church family. We all come together from our own homes and think about things in hundreds of different ways but through all of that we are a family. We share the same name, Christian. We are followers of the one who gave all. 

While we were in Michigan this last week Rodney, Riley, Mom and I visited a Methodist church, on Sunday. They were in the midst of getting ready to welcome a new pastor. The week we were there was their last Sunday before he came.  Their former pastor had been a female and had been there for 8 years. You could tell that they had really loved her and that the change that was coming was going to be difficult for some of them. 

As their worship was getting ready to commence their staff parish chair got up and spoke with the congregation. She discussed the part in the Methodist Book of Discipline, that spoke of the ways to welcome a new pastor. She admonished them to not compare, not to expect that things would be the same as before. To give him a chance and be loving and accepting to him and his wife.  

I really appreciated the way that she was acted like everyone was family that needed some reminding. We are a big family. There are times when we do need to be reminded of this. I love the way it is stated in Romans.

Romans 12:4-13

The Message (MSG)

4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

We as a family in Christ are so lucky to have one another. One thing about being a family is that it is always growing and changing. Rodney's family has two more babies in it than it did the last time we were all together. Just made for more fun and excitement. 

You are always a part of Christ's family, even as it grows and changes too. There will be times when we do not agree and there will be times when we wonder about each other but as we continue to work and grow together, please remember this.....we are all so loved by the Heavenly Father who makes us all, family, together!!! 

Blessings!!!

In God We Trust

Jeremiah 48:17
17 Grieve for this nation,
you neighbors of Moab,
all you who know his name.
Proclaim how its mighty scepter
and magnificent staff are shattered!

Every time we turn on the TV we hear of something that is wrong. Sometimes it is about a bomb, sometimes it is about abuse from a teacher or a student, at other times it is about our government and the fighting going on amongst the parties. The news is full of things that make us think that this world is falling apart at the seams. I think we as people love to hear about the gruesome and the sad. I don't know, but maybe it makes us feel better about our lives and the minor things that we just can't seem to figure out. 

But for sure, our nation is changing. We are becoming more and more numb to the things that would have bothered us just a few years ago. Even we as Christians are more excepting of things we know are not of God. The verse from Jeremiah does say it so perfectly. We should grieve for the ways of our past. We should grieve for what our country was founded on and seems to have forgotten. "In God We Trust", that is what is on our money. But do we?

All is not gloom though. Spring has sprung. The flowers are blooming . God with all his grace still loves us and wants the best for us, everyday. He wants to bless us and make it so life is sweet and good. All we have to do is let Him.

Here is a prayer we should all lean on

Psalm 67:1
Let God grant us grace and bless us;
let God make his face shine on us, Amen.

Then maybe the next time we turn on the TV we can see how good this world really can be!

Blessings!