Word for Today, Tue, 13 Sep 2005: Building Hope
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
In today's devotional message that follows, Larry Davies, in his
weekly Sowing Seeds of Faith message, writes about some practical
ways to build hope in those who have very little hope.
I personally believe in meeting needs of people when there are
obvious needs. I also believe that God uses such times to
provide a window of opportunity to share our faith. I am not one
that believes things like: "In order to get this help, you must
come to my church and hear my pastor preach", but I do believe it
is a great opportunity to ask a person if they have ever thought
about what happens when we die.
Questions like, "If you were to die today, do you know for
certain that you have a home reserved for you in heaven?" are not
unreasonable to ask. In fact, failing to meet spiritual needs as
well as physical needs, to me misses what God has called me to
do.
Some people, of course, will reject any overtures whatsoever when
it comes to matters of faith. That's fine, God does not force
anyone to do anything. However, I pray that those who I speak to
are receptive to hear God's Word, the Word that saves people from
sin and separation from God.
One last note: my own hope, in terms of our physical needs, is
nearly complete. Today I started my new job, working under
contract for a large financial investments firm. The manager,
on my very first day, mentioned to me that there is the
potential, down the road, to obtain permanent employment. Though
there are no promises at this juncture, the mere fact that he
mentioned this to me and that he has been favorable throughout
the interviewing process and my first day of work is a great
source of encouragement to me. Then again, I shouldn't be too
surprised. I requested prayer about this and many people have
prayed! God answers prayer!
Yours in Christ,
Brian
___________________________
Sowing Seeds of Faith...
Sowing Seeds Ministry Website set up a way to donate for Katrina
relief. The money will be transferred to Timberlake United
Methodist Church to be used for supplies. Over the next few
months there will be a need for medical and building materials as
our church will send physicians and nurses as well as
construction crews. No money will be used for overhead, only for
supplies going directly to the area. Our website address is:
sowingseedsoffaith.com/s-cart/form.phtml?g_intCatID=1
Katrina and Mission Mississippi: Building Hope Larry Davies
Katrina ripped through southern Mississippi and Louisiana with
the fury of an atomic bomb but at first, no one noticed the storm
surge that came behind the wind: The twenty plus foot wall of
water submerging cities and towns throughout the coastal area.
The carnage of Hurricane Katrina will surely be recorded as the
most horrific in our country's history. The question now is: "How
will we respond?"
For days afterward communities and churches reacted by donating
tons of supplies. Financial donations across the country are
reported as the highest in history exceeding even the response to
both the Tsunami and September 11 tragedies combined. In our
area: Two women came out of a store with two full shopping carts
and headed toward our donation area. We expected them to hand us
one or two items but instead one lady reached into the cart,
pulled out a paper back book and handed over everything else
saying, "They need these items more than we do. Please hurry!"
My mother was born and raised within five blocks of the beaches
at Gulfport, Mississippi the nearest city to the full fury of
Katrina. None of mother's immediate family lives there now but
there are many close personal ties to the area. In addition, one
of our church members has family in the area and helped us make
contact with a local church in Pascagoula, Mississippi just a few
miles away. Rev. Jim Fisher invited our church to send a team to
the area to assess the damage and deliver supplies.
Our team was made up of seventeen people: two from the local
newspaper, two from our television station plus two nurses, two
pharmacists, one mission building trip coordinator, one deputy
sheriff, two truck drivers, four all purpose folks and myself.
Later, I would find out how urgently each of them and their
various gifts and talents were needed. In our fifty-four foot
tractor trailer we carried, water, baby supplies, cleaning
materials, flood buckets, medicine and food. We also carried cash
to give directly to several aid agencies. Plus, we were to
deliver two police cars donated by our sheriff's department.
The Apostle Peter wrote: "God has given gifts to each of you from
his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that
God's generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a
speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through
you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength
and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in
everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to
him forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:10-11)
God has given us all gifts so that God's generosity can flow
through us. For me this meant using my gifts and those of our
team to trust God's will and do God's work. Our team was called
to bring help to the people of Mississippi. If we are willing to
take risk and make the journey, God would do the rest.
One person suggested we purchase beds to replace the thousands
ruined in the flooding. Calling a local retailer, I received a
special price on twenty complete twin bed sets plus employees of
the store pooled their money together and bought sheets for all
twenty. While driving to Mississippi I questioned the wisdom of
spending so much money on beds and wondered if they would
actually be used.
We drove all night and arrived early the next morning at a
Mobile, Alabama distribution site managed by the Red Cross and
various churches. In a short time our truck was unloaded and we
began looking for places to send the materials. We knew God was
guiding our mission when the first church we called in Biloxi,
Mississippi expressed a need for cleaning supplies and then asked
if we could procure beds for the relief workers. Almost choking
with emotion, I asked: "How many do you need?"
"I'm not sure... maybe twenty?"
My exhaustion vanished immediately, replaced by newfound hope and
enthusiasm as I excitedly shared the story with the rest of our
group. Within hours the beds and materials were loaded onto
another truck. Later that same afternoon we would visit the
church and help unload those very beds.
Rev. David Cumbest, the pastor accepting the beds gave us a
church tour. The kitchen and halls were converted to storage and
feeding areas. Sunday school classes became bedrooms. In the
sanctuary, pews were moved to the back so beds could be set up to
house relief workers. David said, "More than forty percent of our
congregation lost their homes. Many more lost their jobs at least
temporarily." But at the same time he talked excitedly about
helping thousands of people receive supplies and comfort.
At the front entrance was a lady responsible for greeting those
needing aid and helping them fill out paper work. Many in this
position simply do their job but this lady considered herself a
missionary of comfort. Each person was greeted with a tender, "Hi
sweetie! May I give you a hug? While you're filling out the
forms, please tell me what happened and how you're doing?" She
would listen to each story carefully with tender compassion as if
this family was her most important job. She personally escorted
them to receive aid and then cheerfully walked with them back to
their car.
In just one short day, we saw God's miraculous hand at work
bringing beds exactly where they were needed, showing us a church
on the front lines helping others despite their own severe losses
and we witnessed the tender witness of a woman who offered God's
extraordinary encouragement and love.
Next week: More of "Mission Mississippi: Building Hope"
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Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine
for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)
"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" now on sale only through our website.
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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