Thanks for your support

I was at the Day Center today dropping off the abundance of food, toiletries, and even some money that you have been donating for the folks we serve at the Day Center. I was struck by how the help was both necessary and appreciated. As I heard from the people staffing the pantry that they were so very grateful to see me (or at least the many bags full of food I was carrying ;-)) I realized I haven't passed their gratitude on to you.

Today the shelves in the pantry were a bit sparse prior to my arrival with your generosity. The three staff in the pantry quickly grabbed the bags out of my hands and put the food on the shelves. As I went out to get other bags still in my car, I saw a line forming outside the pantry. When I brought in the second and third loads of food to the pantry a few more folks had gotten in line to get food.

Your gifts to these folks are deeply appreciated. I bring in our special bags (thank you SS) and I am immediately identified. They empty the bags and give them back to me so that we can bring them again with more food.

God has given me a trusted place with our friends, who know we at CPC care for them. He has opened doors for gospel conversations. Even today I had another conversation with one of my friends. We talked about Jesus, and how our love for Him drives us to care for her and for the folks at the Center. We have had good times of prayer together, and I believe God is using our work to honor Him. He will use our labors to build His kingdom and reach His people.

So, thank you. Your sacrifices and prayers are making a difference. I am proud to represent you at the Center and to share with you how God is at work through you.

Steve

Living In Tumultuous Times

I have been thinking a lot lately about our economy. President Obama and his team met today to work on their plans to stimulate the economy and do whatever is necessary to rebuild our economy and lead us back to prosperity.

The difficulty is that there are many things beyond our ability to “fix.” As I work in Celebrate Recovery I am constantly forced to face the many ways we live in denial. Last week as I taught I dealt with the topic of POWERLESS. One theme recurred over and over again as we looked at this acrostic. That theme was the choice between living in fantasy or in reality.

We are in a very tough time economically for our world. Global Financial markets are declining. Banks are at risk of failing. President Obama has undertaken responsibility to focus our government on the task of rebuilding. I am sure he will do his best to manage country’s massive resources in this endeavor. But all of those resources and all the wisdom of our country’s finest minds won’t be enough to solve this.

So I ponder all this and ask myself “Where is your hope?” We are tempted to live in the fantasy that denies our troubling circumstances. We can also live in the fantasy that says that we have to fix our problems and it is up to us. Or, we can live in the reality that God really does exist and that He really is in control. He is accomplishing His good purposes and the truth is that I don’t control Him. I can’t tell Him what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. In my more sane moments, I don’t want to find hope by living in a fantasy.

As a child I was taught to pray “…give us this day our daily bread....” Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will supply our needs. That truth hasn’t changed as the economy falls apart. It is true for believers, individually and corporately. I am called to trust the sovereign God of the universe who holds the created order in His hands. When I falter in my faith, I am called to recognize that, repent of it, and return to trusting Him. He died to redeem me, to redeem us. He has demonstrated His love for me on the cross, and His power to save in the reality of an empty tomb.

When I think of the needs we have, my mind moves to think about the stewardship we have as well. God has entrusted to us material goods, spiritual gifts, talents, health, experiences, and all sorts of other things. He has entrusted them to us with a purpose. Contrary to what I sometimes think, this trust is all about kingdom. Jesus tells us that He is not only able to meet my needs, and our needs, but the needs of the entire world. He is using us and our limited resources to do that. This economic turmoil doesn’t endanger His kingdom building. We are still called to be part of building His global kingdom. As Allen preached Sunday Jesus calls us to build the kingdom in our Jerusalem (“home”), our Judea (nearby), our Samaria (different and fairly nearby), and to the uttermost parts of the earth. I am thinking a lot about what that means, and I look forward to how God will, through this month of missions, continue to challenge me in how to use the investments He has made in me to build His kingdom.

I hope you will pray as well that God will show you His presence, power, and purposes in this tumultuous time. We have a great and awesome God!