The outpouring of love to the community of Gassville has been unbelievable! People have simply pitched in to help wherever they can... delivering food, helping to put tarp on roof damage, handing out water and hot coffee... all manner of help from all manner of people.
Churches have stepped up big time, organizing efforts to simply help those who need help.
It reminded me of a sermon I heard a few years back... about the difference between a river and a reservoir...
A reservoir collects water while a river, by its God-spun design, delivers it. Water flows through a river but stagnates in a reservoir. As God's people, we are called to be a river. Nothing we have is ours... and we are arrogant when we 'collect' God's gifts. When we hoard while others hurt, we exhibit the baser and more selfish side of man.
It is only when we allow gifts to flow through us that we begin to imitate Jesus.
So think about it: on a personal level, which do you resemble? And at a group level, which would best describe you? Does your church allow God's blessings to flow through 'it', or are you hoarding up His treasures?
As many churches (and individuals) 'store up' things and money as a 'cushion' while others are in need, I implore us all to take a serious look at the reasons behind this mentality.
One church deacon once told me he believed the church should put back 6 months operating capital 'for a rainy day'...
As I think back on that conversation, I now wonder how misguided it is to 'save for a rainy day'...
Have we forgotten Who makes the rain?
I challenge each of us, individually and collectively, to be rivers... not reservoirs.
blessings!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
in times of Tragedy - Just Do It
So what are we to do when faced with tragedy?
With apologies to the advertising gurus at Nike....
Just Do It!
However, I learned an interesting lesson in the wake of the Tornado that devastated the Gassville community on Tuesday night... there are a lot more people who are happy to tell you how or why something can NOT be done to help than people who will just... help.
I know patience has never been an easy thing for me, but Wednesday I reached the end of whatever little I had....
While we were serving a hot supper to dozens of displaced people and workers... and while others were preparing and using four wheelers to deliver our little care packages into the affected areas... and while still others were making plans for how we were going to continue this aid that night and in the coming days.... in the middle of all that, someone was happily telling us how we couldn't do it that way... he told us how the law enforcement personnel were not letting anyone into the affected areas, yada yada yada...
After explaining that we had already been to all the affected areas providing support and aid and hot coffee, the folks explaining this ran out of steam and decided they didn't need to engage him any further...
And I was reminded of an old saying (one of my favorites, actually): lead, follow, or get out of the way!
So I just smiled and turned away and decided I did not need to listen anymore... and that we needed to continue 'just doing it'...
all this to say... when someone needs help, just help them...just do it! That's all... because standing around shooting down ideas is lazy and easy and worthless...
God Bless everyone who is helping those who are hurting from this tragedy... for the rest: stop talking and take an armload of care packages and hot coffee and wade in... or grab and hammer and help someone cover missing windows with plywood...
OK, I'm better... sorry for the rant...
Blessings!
With apologies to the advertising gurus at Nike....
Just Do It!
However, I learned an interesting lesson in the wake of the Tornado that devastated the Gassville community on Tuesday night... there are a lot more people who are happy to tell you how or why something can NOT be done to help than people who will just... help.
I know patience has never been an easy thing for me, but Wednesday I reached the end of whatever little I had....
While we were serving a hot supper to dozens of displaced people and workers... and while others were preparing and using four wheelers to deliver our little care packages into the affected areas... and while still others were making plans for how we were going to continue this aid that night and in the coming days.... in the middle of all that, someone was happily telling us how we couldn't do it that way... he told us how the law enforcement personnel were not letting anyone into the affected areas, yada yada yada...
After explaining that we had already been to all the affected areas providing support and aid and hot coffee, the folks explaining this ran out of steam and decided they didn't need to engage him any further...
And I was reminded of an old saying (one of my favorites, actually): lead, follow, or get out of the way!
So I just smiled and turned away and decided I did not need to listen anymore... and that we needed to continue 'just doing it'...
all this to say... when someone needs help, just help them...just do it! That's all... because standing around shooting down ideas is lazy and easy and worthless...
God Bless everyone who is helping those who are hurting from this tragedy... for the rest: stop talking and take an armload of care packages and hot coffee and wade in... or grab and hammer and help someone cover missing windows with plywood...
OK, I'm better... sorry for the rant...
Blessings!
This is Love
On Tuesday at suppertime, the little town where our church meets was devastated by an F3 tornado. While none of our Riverside members were hurt, one person lost their life in the storm, and dozens of others were injured... A short tour of the devastated area will make you wonder how more lives were not lost...
A favorite Mexican restaurant was completely destroyed while arguably the best barbecue joint in the county lost it roof...
The Riverside building sits just a quarter mile west of the path of the twister (undamaged), and it made sense to organize efforts from our location to try to help the hundreds of families whose homes and lives were torn apart by this unimaginable terror.
Minutes after the storm passed, I was walking down the main street of Gassville... the devastation was unspeakable... there was no power, and the darkness was interrupted only when long flashes of lightning illuminated the surreal scene: 20 power poles were snapped in half along the highway and huge chucks of debris (including large pieces of twisted metal which used to be someone's outbuilding or garage) littered the landscape as it continued to rain sideways...
Hours after the storm, several of us helped set up cots and aid at the Cotter High School gym... this devastated community is pulling together in an incredible display of support... by about 10 pm, a house to house search for survivors was undertaken by local and state law enforcement and, thankfully, found everyone who had been unaccounted for... still only one death... it is nothing short of a miracle that more people weren't killed.
Yesterday, the Riverside family met at the building and put together small 'care packages' consisting of a sandwich and an apple and a snack and a water bottle.... we took our church van closer to the devastated area, set up shop on the front lawn and, by 10 am, were hand delivering hot coffee and the care packages to anyone who needed them. Homeowners were returning to what used to be their homes for the first time to inspect the damage and collect belongings...
It was like every video you have ever seen of such a scene... people milling around in the rubble picking up the occasional special photograph or priceless keepsake...the emotions were as raw as the 5 degree wind chill, and some people simply looked lost.
The small thing we were doing (passing our hot coffee and the care packages) was much appreciated by everyone... those making repairs simply thanked us and put the food in their pocket, while others stopped and spoke about how grateful they were to be unharmed...
Last night we opened our building to anyone who needed a meal or just a warm place to hang for a while...
It is just the beginning... and it is such a small thing... but I think this is what Love looks like...
yep, this is love. This is Christianity. This is God caring for people through his Church.
A favorite Mexican restaurant was completely destroyed while arguably the best barbecue joint in the county lost it roof...
The Riverside building sits just a quarter mile west of the path of the twister (undamaged), and it made sense to organize efforts from our location to try to help the hundreds of families whose homes and lives were torn apart by this unimaginable terror.
Minutes after the storm passed, I was walking down the main street of Gassville... the devastation was unspeakable... there was no power, and the darkness was interrupted only when long flashes of lightning illuminated the surreal scene: 20 power poles were snapped in half along the highway and huge chucks of debris (including large pieces of twisted metal which used to be someone's outbuilding or garage) littered the landscape as it continued to rain sideways...
Hours after the storm, several of us helped set up cots and aid at the Cotter High School gym... this devastated community is pulling together in an incredible display of support... by about 10 pm, a house to house search for survivors was undertaken by local and state law enforcement and, thankfully, found everyone who had been unaccounted for... still only one death... it is nothing short of a miracle that more people weren't killed.
Yesterday, the Riverside family met at the building and put together small 'care packages' consisting of a sandwich and an apple and a snack and a water bottle.... we took our church van closer to the devastated area, set up shop on the front lawn and, by 10 am, were hand delivering hot coffee and the care packages to anyone who needed them. Homeowners were returning to what used to be their homes for the first time to inspect the damage and collect belongings...
It was like every video you have ever seen of such a scene... people milling around in the rubble picking up the occasional special photograph or priceless keepsake...the emotions were as raw as the 5 degree wind chill, and some people simply looked lost.
The small thing we were doing (passing our hot coffee and the care packages) was much appreciated by everyone... those making repairs simply thanked us and put the food in their pocket, while others stopped and spoke about how grateful they were to be unharmed...
Last night we opened our building to anyone who needed a meal or just a warm place to hang for a while...
It is just the beginning... and it is such a small thing... but I think this is what Love looks like...
yep, this is love. This is Christianity. This is God caring for people through his Church.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
email bankruptcy
Yesterday on the Today show, I listened to a guest talking about business etiquette… the subject of email came up, and the host asked about how to handle it when you were swamped with emails in your inbox.
This dude had a very creative answer: declare email bankruptcy!
I thought that was ingenious! According to this guy, if you get completely overwhelmed by emails and cannot see any way to get to the bottom of the stack, you simply set a reply to all emails that reads
“I am overwhelmed by the number of emails in my inbox and am, therefore, declaring email bankruptcy. If your email was important, please resend it and I will commit to responding and will do my very best to keep up with my emails in the future. Thank you for understanding”
WOW! What a great idea… For a guy who gets about 100 emails a day (many of my associates receive 250 or more!), that just seemed like a really good idea… for my part, I have never gotten so far behind that it seemed overwhelming… but a co-worker told me just yesterday that he had worked for 4 ½ hours to pare his inbox down from 975 emails to 225, then fell asleep at the keyboard… only to awaken 6 hours later to find the number had exploded back to 437!
So I told my friend about this email bankruptcy thing… and he got tears in his eyes! It was the first real ray of hope he had seen in several weeks!
And it made me think… how much more overwhelmed are people everyday by the weight of the world… how much more stressful is the burden of sin on your friends and coworkers? They need to know about the liberty that comes through declaring spiritual bankruptcy.
It is only then that God can begin to fill us up with Him... when we admit our own inability to cope or deal... when we finally, completely admit our own emptyness.
Blessings!
This dude had a very creative answer: declare email bankruptcy!
I thought that was ingenious! According to this guy, if you get completely overwhelmed by emails and cannot see any way to get to the bottom of the stack, you simply set a reply to all emails that reads
“I am overwhelmed by the number of emails in my inbox and am, therefore, declaring email bankruptcy. If your email was important, please resend it and I will commit to responding and will do my very best to keep up with my emails in the future. Thank you for understanding”
WOW! What a great idea… For a guy who gets about 100 emails a day (many of my associates receive 250 or more!), that just seemed like a really good idea… for my part, I have never gotten so far behind that it seemed overwhelming… but a co-worker told me just yesterday that he had worked for 4 ½ hours to pare his inbox down from 975 emails to 225, then fell asleep at the keyboard… only to awaken 6 hours later to find the number had exploded back to 437!
So I told my friend about this email bankruptcy thing… and he got tears in his eyes! It was the first real ray of hope he had seen in several weeks!
And it made me think… how much more overwhelmed are people everyday by the weight of the world… how much more stressful is the burden of sin on your friends and coworkers? They need to know about the liberty that comes through declaring spiritual bankruptcy.
It is only then that God can begin to fill us up with Him... when we admit our own inability to cope or deal... when we finally, completely admit our own emptyness.
Blessings!
Friday, February 1, 2008
It feels good to feel good!
This crud that has been going around afflicted Cassie for a few days, and then it hit me! After First Day sang at a benefit event in Fayetteville, I started to feel it, and yesterday was a lost day with fever and aches and coughing, etc... I'll spare you the details... you get it.
Anyhow, thank God for making me feel better...
I just want to encourage you to do something for someone today. That's it... just find someone who needs something and fill the need!
God Bless!
Anyhow, thank God for making me feel better...
I just want to encourage you to do something for someone today. That's it... just find someone who needs something and fill the need!
God Bless!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Moses' Faith in God
The Bible tells of one of the biggest arithmetical miracles in the world...
Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was Moses going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 or 3 1/2 million people requires a lot of food. According to the Quartermaster General of the US Army, it is reported the Moses would have had to have 1,500 tons of food each day. In order to carry that much food, two freight trains – each a mile ling – would be required!
Besides, remember – they were out in the desert, and they would have to have had firewood to use in cooking the food. This would have taken 4,000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains – each a mile ling – just for one day. And just think… they were forty years in transit!
Oh, yeah…they would have to have had water. If they had only enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000 gallons each day… and THAT would require a freight train with tanker cars 1,800 miles long, just to bring the water!
And then there’s this: they had to get across the Red Sea at night. Now if they went on a narrow path, two abreast, the line would have been 800 miles ling and would have required 35 days and nights to cross… So, there had to be a space in the Red Sea 3 mile wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night.
But then there was this problem: each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground 2/3 the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square mile long. Think of it! This much space was required just for nightly accommodations!
Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not!
You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of those things for him.
Let us take courage – - we have the same Awesome God! We think our problems are so big. Remember what God can do! What He has done! Team up with God and your problems will be His.
Let Him run your life!
Blessings!
Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was Moses going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 or 3 1/2 million people requires a lot of food. According to the Quartermaster General of the US Army, it is reported the Moses would have had to have 1,500 tons of food each day. In order to carry that much food, two freight trains – each a mile ling – would be required!
Besides, remember – they were out in the desert, and they would have to have had firewood to use in cooking the food. This would have taken 4,000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains – each a mile ling – just for one day. And just think… they were forty years in transit!
Oh, yeah…they would have to have had water. If they had only enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000 gallons each day… and THAT would require a freight train with tanker cars 1,800 miles long, just to bring the water!
And then there’s this: they had to get across the Red Sea at night. Now if they went on a narrow path, two abreast, the line would have been 800 miles ling and would have required 35 days and nights to cross… So, there had to be a space in the Red Sea 3 mile wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night.
But then there was this problem: each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground 2/3 the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square mile long. Think of it! This much space was required just for nightly accommodations!
Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not!
You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of those things for him.
Let us take courage – - we have the same Awesome God! We think our problems are so big. Remember what God can do! What He has done! Team up with God and your problems will be His.
Let Him run your life!
Blessings!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Who is Jesus to you?
A friend of mine preached a sermon a decade ago in which he quoted, from memory, the following word portrait of Jesus entitled "Who is Jesus to You?"
I happily share it with you again, here:
to the Architect, He is the Chief Cornerstone
to the Baker, He is the Bread of Life
to the Carpenter, He is the The Door
to the Doctor, He is the Great Physician
to the Evangelist, He is the Master Teacher
to the Florist, He is the Rose of Sharon
to the Geologist, He is the Rock of Ages
to the Horticulturalist, He is the Lord of the Harvest
to the Injured, He is the Balm of Gilead
to the Jeweler, He is the Pearl of Great Price
to the King, He is the Blessed & only Potentate, King of kings
to the Lawyer, He is the Counselor, Lawgiver, Righteous Judge
to Mankind, He is the Compassionate Savior
to the Navigator, He is the Straight & Narrow Way
to the Oppressed, He is the Friend of Publicans & Sinners
to the Philosopher, He is the Wisdom of God
to the Questioning, He is the Sure Foundation
to the Restless, He is the Lord of Security
to the Sheep, He is the Good Shepherd
to the Teacher, He is the Rabbi, Teacher sent from God
to the Undertaker, He is the Resurrection of Life
to the Vinedresser, He is the Branch of the Living Vine
to the Writer , He is Good Tidings of Great Joy
to the eXaminer, He is the Truth
to the Young, He is the Ancient of Days
to the Zoologist, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
So...Who is this Jesus? Who is Jesus to you???
To the SINNER, He’s the SAVIOR
To the CHRISTIAN, He’s EVERYTHING
To ALMIGHTY GOD, He’s the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON
But who is this Jesus to you?In Acts 9:20, we read of the transformation that occurred in the life of Saul of Tarsus… “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”Notice the last few words… “that He is the Son of God”
Who is Jesus if He’s NOT the son of God?
HE’s NOT worthy for you to bow down and worship Him!
BUT… IF He is who He claims to be… then every knee in this room should bow before Him, and
every tongue should be loosed to confess His Deity
FOR… IF Jesus Christ is who He claims to be, He is Worthy of our worship, and He is
Worthy of our Praise!
As I sit in Chicago's Midway Airport waiting to board my flight, I just wanted to share these "ABC's" of who your Savior is...
God Bless!
I happily share it with you again, here:
to the Architect, He is the Chief Cornerstone
to the Baker, He is the Bread of Life
to the Carpenter, He is the The Door
to the Doctor, He is the Great Physician
to the Evangelist, He is the Master Teacher
to the Florist, He is the Rose of Sharon
to the Geologist, He is the Rock of Ages
to the Horticulturalist, He is the Lord of the Harvest
to the Injured, He is the Balm of Gilead
to the Jeweler, He is the Pearl of Great Price
to the King, He is the Blessed & only Potentate, King of kings
to the Lawyer, He is the Counselor, Lawgiver, Righteous Judge
to Mankind, He is the Compassionate Savior
to the Navigator, He is the Straight & Narrow Way
to the Oppressed, He is the Friend of Publicans & Sinners
to the Philosopher, He is the Wisdom of God
to the Questioning, He is the Sure Foundation
to the Restless, He is the Lord of Security
to the Sheep, He is the Good Shepherd
to the Teacher, He is the Rabbi, Teacher sent from God
to the Undertaker, He is the Resurrection of Life
to the Vinedresser, He is the Branch of the Living Vine
to the Writer , He is Good Tidings of Great Joy
to the eXaminer, He is the Truth
to the Young, He is the Ancient of Days
to the Zoologist, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
So...Who is this Jesus? Who is Jesus to you???
To the SINNER, He’s the SAVIOR
To the CHRISTIAN, He’s EVERYTHING
To ALMIGHTY GOD, He’s the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON
But who is this Jesus to you?In Acts 9:20, we read of the transformation that occurred in the life of Saul of Tarsus… “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”
Who is Jesus if He’s NOT the son of God?
HE’s NOT worthy for you to bow down and worship Him!
BUT… IF He is who He claims to be… then every knee in this room should bow before Him, and
every tongue should be loosed to confess His Deity
FOR… IF Jesus Christ is who He claims to be, He is Worthy of our worship, and He is
Worthy of our Praise!
As I sit in Chicago's Midway Airport waiting to board my flight, I just wanted to share these "ABC's" of who your Savior is...
God Bless!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
