So I left this morning for the National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh. Which is where I am right now. I told the guy I rode with that I would be in all my Cleveland Browns garb. And I am. The first thing the valet guy did...he walks around the car, sticks his hand out to shake, sees what I have on and turns around and walks back around the other side. As I walked around the hotel, I got a number of glares. I was almost denied access to the fitness area. So I guess I'll be wearing my Browns stuff at least until Sunday when the Browns play again. Then I'll pull out my Tribe stuff.
So I'm walking around the hotel looking at the prices of food stuff. $7 for a piece of pizza. ONE PIECE! So I went back to my room. No microwave. So I call to the front desk. Is there one I can use? Nope, we don't have microwaves here. So I brewed some hot water in the coffee pot and made an Easy Mac. Tonight, I'll be brewing chicken broth to make chicken noodle soup. There's always a way around people's rules. I'm considering opening the window and making a fire on the window sill and grilling my hotdogs. My solution there is, I think I'll brew more water and sit the hot dog in the hot water until it's lukewarm. No microwave! Who needs it! It would be very easy to just go get a good meal. But since they've decided that they're too good to have microwaves in the room, I have an added motivation to find alternate means for meals. I already saved myself $10 that I would have spent on lunch. It will be $20 after dinner tonight.
So Monday and Tuesday I was at church camp for a leadership conference. Good stuff there. I get pretty uncomfortable around that many pastors, but the stuff I learned was very powerful. I really got one main thing from the two days I was there. The concept was, every organization has its own DNA. In people, we also each have our own DNA. That DNA determines who we are. What we are like. Our characteristics. In an organization, it has a certain DNA. In that group, their DNA determines what the organization is about. Its characteristics. Our Campus Life groups have their own DNA. I'm not really sure what it is. This is a new concept to me. The chore is to determine what our DNA is and if it is not consistent with what it should be, then begin doing some genetic engineering. There are a number of changes coming in the next 2 weeks. How will things turn out? We'll soon see. But our DNA is going to be becoming much more outward oriented than it even is now. Much more action oriented. I love change. Responsible, future oriented change is wonderful. Here we go!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday...Monday...You're so Good to Me...
Well, another week begins with the woodburner...burning. Back around mid August, I told Jeni, with this not-so-hot weather, I wonder if we're going to have an early and cold fall and winter. Sho-nuff, the cool weather is here. So I got a pretty good stock of wood to start the winter. Heading to Wooster tomorrow to spend the day picking up more wood and hanging out with my folks. Looking forward to that. Yay for mom and dad's house!
So over the weekend I shared with people what God was telling me from John 15 and from St. John of the Cross. This morning, I'm reading a passage from a catholic monk named Bernard of Clairvaux. The passage is called, Four Degrees of Love. He begins the passage with this quote: "True love is precisely this: that it does not seek its own interests." This is exactly the area that God has been working in me. I hate my selfishness. It's so powerful. He says, "Love is a natural human affection...that comes from God...but we are compelled to love and serve ourselves first...we love ourselves for our own benefit...for who truly hates themselves." "People can truly become slaves to our soul's enemy: lust. The love of self is held in check by the command to love our neighbor." That idea that selfishness or even lust is held in check is very essential.
I'm thinking of the clip from XMen 3 where Jean Gray has turned into The Phoenix. She is a raging ball of emotion and passion. Desiring to throw off all control. Professor Xavier tries to help her gain control again and she kills him. I don't think we're a lot different. If left to our own desires, we will purposely act to please ourselves. We don't want people to tell us what to do. We as rebellious humans want to do our own thing. We train our love of others when we choose to cast aside our own selfish desires/lusts and serve them.
But what about me? If I'm always taking care of others, what about my needs? In Matthew 6, Jesus says, "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well." Our choice is to either say, "To heck with God and His way, I'm going to please myself." Or I say, "I'm going to serve God and do things His way. I will give to meet others' needs and I'll wait for God to supply my needs." That may mean that I don't get everything I WANT. But what happens when I start getting everything I want? I start down the path of self-corruption. I am walking away from God and I head toward pleasing my flesh; or my selfishness. God isn't working fast enough! He's not doing things the way I think they should be done! Well, la-de-frickin'-da. I guess you're not God! And neither am I.
Well, I can love people just fine. I don't need God to love people. Yeah? Take a look at your relationships right now. How many of them are built on what you want out of life vs. what you are wanting to give back to God? Anytime there is an arrogant tone to your attitude, just figure there is the presence of the enemy of your soul. And you are cooperating with him as he plants traps in your soul. And you become the sucker that helps him plant them in there.
A higher degree of love is to love God for what He can do for me. As we are baby Christians, this is a strong desire. I see how good it is to be blessed by God. So I want to remain close to Him because of what He's doing for me. An even higher degree of love is to love God for who He is. He has proven over and over how good He is so we begin loving Him just because He's awesome. He's good. He's beautiful. He's holy. He is amazing! There is a much higher state of love, but I don't know if anyone who may be reading this would be able to contemplate this level of love. So if anyone wants to understand it more, I can share it tomorrow. If not, I'll just move on to the next passage. Deep stuff today. 1 John 4 is the scripture passage that goes along with that work. I'm looking forward to Campus Life tonight. Who will be the next Campus Life Idol?
So over the weekend I shared with people what God was telling me from John 15 and from St. John of the Cross. This morning, I'm reading a passage from a catholic monk named Bernard of Clairvaux. The passage is called, Four Degrees of Love. He begins the passage with this quote: "True love is precisely this: that it does not seek its own interests." This is exactly the area that God has been working in me. I hate my selfishness. It's so powerful. He says, "Love is a natural human affection...that comes from God...but we are compelled to love and serve ourselves first...we love ourselves for our own benefit...for who truly hates themselves." "People can truly become slaves to our soul's enemy: lust. The love of self is held in check by the command to love our neighbor." That idea that selfishness or even lust is held in check is very essential.
I'm thinking of the clip from XMen 3 where Jean Gray has turned into The Phoenix. She is a raging ball of emotion and passion. Desiring to throw off all control. Professor Xavier tries to help her gain control again and she kills him. I don't think we're a lot different. If left to our own desires, we will purposely act to please ourselves. We don't want people to tell us what to do. We as rebellious humans want to do our own thing. We train our love of others when we choose to cast aside our own selfish desires/lusts and serve them.
But what about me? If I'm always taking care of others, what about my needs? In Matthew 6, Jesus says, "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well." Our choice is to either say, "To heck with God and His way, I'm going to please myself." Or I say, "I'm going to serve God and do things His way. I will give to meet others' needs and I'll wait for God to supply my needs." That may mean that I don't get everything I WANT. But what happens when I start getting everything I want? I start down the path of self-corruption. I am walking away from God and I head toward pleasing my flesh; or my selfishness. God isn't working fast enough! He's not doing things the way I think they should be done! Well, la-de-frickin'-da. I guess you're not God! And neither am I.
Well, I can love people just fine. I don't need God to love people. Yeah? Take a look at your relationships right now. How many of them are built on what you want out of life vs. what you are wanting to give back to God? Anytime there is an arrogant tone to your attitude, just figure there is the presence of the enemy of your soul. And you are cooperating with him as he plants traps in your soul. And you become the sucker that helps him plant them in there.
A higher degree of love is to love God for what He can do for me. As we are baby Christians, this is a strong desire. I see how good it is to be blessed by God. So I want to remain close to Him because of what He's doing for me. An even higher degree of love is to love God for who He is. He has proven over and over how good He is so we begin loving Him just because He's awesome. He's good. He's beautiful. He's holy. He is amazing! There is a much higher state of love, but I don't know if anyone who may be reading this would be able to contemplate this level of love. So if anyone wants to understand it more, I can share it tomorrow. If not, I'll just move on to the next passage. Deep stuff today. 1 John 4 is the scripture passage that goes along with that work. I'm looking forward to Campus Life tonight. Who will be the next Campus Life Idol?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Chilly Wednesday...
It's just plain old chilly today. I actually considered firing up the woodburner. However, we have a long winter in front of us. We've got a good start on this winter's firewood. But nowhere near enough for the whole season. A better start than last winter, but much to get yet. So I've got the little space heater on and we'll make due.
So I have bible study tonight. Which I really look forward to each week. We're moving through 1 John. On my last post, I went through 1 Jn. 2:12-17. So we'll pick up in vs. 18. "...and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared..." When I was a kid, the study of the book of Revelation was in. Revelation was hip to read and understand. People would get all excited about who the antichrist might be. The rebellious thing was to write 666 on your notebooks or on your hand. The interesting thing is that there are so many people in our culture that are leading people away into destruction. Which entertainers are causing damage through what they support and try to influence? Are they the antichrist? No, but are they types of antichrists? If they are leading people away from God, then yes. Verse 22 says, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son." I would say that our entertainment industry is full of antichrists. They are about themselves and advancing mankind above God.
Who do you allow to influence you? What clothes do you need to wear? Who do you wait to listen to to find out what is hip? Are classmates antichrists to you? Coworkers? Actors/actresses? Athletes?
Time to get busy. Lots to do, little time to do it in! Have a great day, all!
So I have bible study tonight. Which I really look forward to each week. We're moving through 1 John. On my last post, I went through 1 Jn. 2:12-17. So we'll pick up in vs. 18. "...and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared..." When I was a kid, the study of the book of Revelation was in. Revelation was hip to read and understand. People would get all excited about who the antichrist might be. The rebellious thing was to write 666 on your notebooks or on your hand. The interesting thing is that there are so many people in our culture that are leading people away into destruction. Which entertainers are causing damage through what they support and try to influence? Are they the antichrist? No, but are they types of antichrists? If they are leading people away from God, then yes. Verse 22 says, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son." I would say that our entertainment industry is full of antichrists. They are about themselves and advancing mankind above God.
Who do you allow to influence you? What clothes do you need to wear? Who do you wait to listen to to find out what is hip? Are classmates antichrists to you? Coworkers? Actors/actresses? Athletes?
Time to get busy. Lots to do, little time to do it in! Have a great day, all!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Early Thursday...
What a day yesterday was. Needless to say, I didn't get everything finished I needed to. And today is shaping up to be the same kind of day. Appointments at 10:30, 1, 2:30, 6 and then karaoke tonight. Good thing I'm up early. It's a bad feeling when you wake up at 4:30 and your mind kicks in gear. There's no going back to sleep after that. So, time to get rolling...yessss....
So every Wednesday night is Bible study with the older people. There will end up being around 10 of us. Good time. We started in 1 John, which happens to be one of my favorite places to read. In chapter 1, we read, "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
For a long time in my life, there was an area of self-centeredness that was causing me to walk in the darkness. So I read here that if I say I hav fellowship with God, I cannot walk in the darkness. In fact, I'm flat out lying if I try to say this. Which I was for quite some time. There are so many areas that if we were living consistently, we would be operating like a machine. All of the pieces working together. But when we quit trying in this area or that area, or we are hiding in this or that area, all areas suffer. My greatest weaknesses will overpower my greatest strengths everytime.
I want to practice the truth. I'm at peace when I practice the truth. Yet I can't hide if I'm practicing the truth. I can't pretend. I must live in the reality of life. The realities that I have been damaged. That I am afraid. That I am overwhelmed and that I need help. To quit playing Christian and live Christ-follower.
On a lighter note, anyone that looks me in the face and says that cats are smart, I beg to differ. Cats are dumb animals. I just watched my cat use the litter box. Then, as it began trying to cover up it's mess, this stupid animal is scratching the plastic side of the box. This dumb animal doesn't push the actual litter stuff on top of its mess. It scratches the side of the box. With its eyes closed. This cat stinks up my kitchen. Wakes us up in the morning by crying at our bedroom door. Sharpens its claws on our furniture and carpet. It gets outside multiple times a week, which causes my children much panic. I'm really kicking myself that I gave in to my kids to get this stupid animal.
On another lighter note, the fundraising process for our Chicago trip next year is still going strong. We're up to $1450 from candy sales, Change for Change and pop cans. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE, keep bringing cans in. Just had a small load yesterday, but I've got a jump start on next week. And I've got people donating other scrap metal to help out. So, please keep them coming. Later, y'all!
So every Wednesday night is Bible study with the older people. There will end up being around 10 of us. Good time. We started in 1 John, which happens to be one of my favorite places to read. In chapter 1, we read, "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
For a long time in my life, there was an area of self-centeredness that was causing me to walk in the darkness. So I read here that if I say I hav fellowship with God, I cannot walk in the darkness. In fact, I'm flat out lying if I try to say this. Which I was for quite some time. There are so many areas that if we were living consistently, we would be operating like a machine. All of the pieces working together. But when we quit trying in this area or that area, or we are hiding in this or that area, all areas suffer. My greatest weaknesses will overpower my greatest strengths everytime.
I want to practice the truth. I'm at peace when I practice the truth. Yet I can't hide if I'm practicing the truth. I can't pretend. I must live in the reality of life. The realities that I have been damaged. That I am afraid. That I am overwhelmed and that I need help. To quit playing Christian and live Christ-follower.
On a lighter note, anyone that looks me in the face and says that cats are smart, I beg to differ. Cats are dumb animals. I just watched my cat use the litter box. Then, as it began trying to cover up it's mess, this stupid animal is scratching the plastic side of the box. This dumb animal doesn't push the actual litter stuff on top of its mess. It scratches the side of the box. With its eyes closed. This cat stinks up my kitchen. Wakes us up in the morning by crying at our bedroom door. Sharpens its claws on our furniture and carpet. It gets outside multiple times a week, which causes my children much panic. I'm really kicking myself that I gave in to my kids to get this stupid animal.
On another lighter note, the fundraising process for our Chicago trip next year is still going strong. We're up to $1450 from candy sales, Change for Change and pop cans. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE, keep bringing cans in. Just had a small load yesterday, but I've got a jump start on next week. And I've got people donating other scrap metal to help out. So, please keep them coming. Later, y'all!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wednesday morning... So much to do, so little time to do it in!
So I've been up early all week. However, the day that I have the most to do, this is the day I choose to sleep it. That was a bad choice. Oh well, such is life.
On Monday night at Post Grad Campus Life, we had an awesome discussion about shame. How powerful the emotion of shame is in our lives. Think of things that you absolutely hate about yourself. How deep do those hates go? I think often times, they go to the depths of making us ashamed of ourselves. To feel ashamed of ourselves is such an awful emotion. Mainly because we can't get away from ourselves. If we face up to the truth, there's something about us that isn't perfect. That doesn't match up to others. Or, there are things in our past that we can't change that we've done. This I know. The more I try to avoid the truth, the deeper I will go into emotional hurt. And oftentimes, continue unhealthy behaviors.Yet if I face the truth, I'm facing my shame. There's no more avoiding it. Which is less painful, since neither is good? Well, it depends on whether I want to continue the negative behaviors. I either become addicted to my pain medications or I pull the roots out and do away with my shame.
How do I do this? Well, shame is the ultimate self-focus. So to move past it, is to put my focus on loving God and loving others. If I can do this, I start seeing myself with value because I am seeing myself as others see me and as God sees me. Normally, others don't see me as negatively as I see myself. And I know God doesn't view me as negatively as I see myself.
I'm thinking of the Prodigal Son parable. As the young man is walking home after taking his inheritance from his father and blowing all of it, all that his father had worked for to present to his children when he died, I can't imagine the shame he was feeling. Then to stand before his father and have his father look him in his face. When we're ashamed of ourselves, it's hard to look someone in the face. Particularly when we have hurt someone we love greatly. I absolutely believe that's why God came to us in the person of Jesus. We weren't going to go to Him in our shame. So He comes to us in our shame offering us His love back. Amazing. Don't let your shame keep pushing you away from God and His love for you. His love overcomes our shame.
On Monday night at Post Grad Campus Life, we had an awesome discussion about shame. How powerful the emotion of shame is in our lives. Think of things that you absolutely hate about yourself. How deep do those hates go? I think often times, they go to the depths of making us ashamed of ourselves. To feel ashamed of ourselves is such an awful emotion. Mainly because we can't get away from ourselves. If we face up to the truth, there's something about us that isn't perfect. That doesn't match up to others. Or, there are things in our past that we can't change that we've done. This I know. The more I try to avoid the truth, the deeper I will go into emotional hurt. And oftentimes, continue unhealthy behaviors.Yet if I face the truth, I'm facing my shame. There's no more avoiding it. Which is less painful, since neither is good? Well, it depends on whether I want to continue the negative behaviors. I either become addicted to my pain medications or I pull the roots out and do away with my shame.
How do I do this? Well, shame is the ultimate self-focus. So to move past it, is to put my focus on loving God and loving others. If I can do this, I start seeing myself with value because I am seeing myself as others see me and as God sees me. Normally, others don't see me as negatively as I see myself. And I know God doesn't view me as negatively as I see myself.
I'm thinking of the Prodigal Son parable. As the young man is walking home after taking his inheritance from his father and blowing all of it, all that his father had worked for to present to his children when he died, I can't imagine the shame he was feeling. Then to stand before his father and have his father look him in his face. When we're ashamed of ourselves, it's hard to look someone in the face. Particularly when we have hurt someone we love greatly. I absolutely believe that's why God came to us in the person of Jesus. We weren't going to go to Him in our shame. So He comes to us in our shame offering us His love back. Amazing. Don't let your shame keep pushing you away from God and His love for you. His love overcomes our shame.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Relaxing at Panera on a Tuesday morning...
So I'm sitting here at Panera just relaxing after a great night of Campus Life. At least I enjoyed it. I'm listening to a cd that was left on my desk. Over these last couple weeks, I've had a Mr. G's blue raspberry slush, a Snickers bar and this sweet cd left for me by a wonderfully loving anonymous person. I'm going to begin calling you friend. Thank you, friend, for your generosity.
For several months now, I've been living in some very entrenched self-centeredness. It's turned me very numb. Very emotionally dead. Very little feeling. Very much hiding. God has been leading me out of this state of sinful isolation. As He's done this the last couple days especially, I've been an emotional basket case. I'm listening to the cd that my friend made me and the second track on it is very emotional. Not Hawk Nelson emotional (wink wink), but meaningful emotional. I had to skip the rest of the song because I'm bawling at my table in Panera. It's like all these emotions have been bottled up for months and months. Now the doors are being opened and they are beginning to spill.
So many difficult events happen in our lives. Often they are events that we bring on ourselves because we don't want to handle things the way God wants us to. After everyone left last night, Megan got a call that she lost a friend of hers. Please keep her in your prayers the next couple days. Much sadness. Sometimes while I'm out driving, I look around and wonder what's going on in the lives of those folks I'm driving past. I started doing this 3-4 years ago when Jeni and I were driving back and forth between our home and the hospital when Kaela was in with her tumor. I wondered how many other moms and dads were driving from their home to the hospital to sit with their child who had cancer. Or was in some kind of accident. When we don't deal with the sadness and frustrations in life, they kind of function like blisters. In July, we spent a week with my parents in Wooster. I spent 5-6 hours over a couple days cutting firewood. Much of that time was swinging my splitter. I got a couple blisters on my hands. The blisters really hurt for awhile. However, if I keep rubbing the blister over and over, it gets hard and callouses over. If I let it rest, it will heal and soften back up. Our hearts do this too. If we don't get healing from the things that hurt us, our hearts will callous. Our emotions get stopped up and our eyes turn inward. Self-focus and self-centeredness takes over. The longer we stay like that, the more we choose to quiet the voices that are calling for us to do something. To get healing. So many medications. So many more self-inflicted hurts that weren't necessary if we would just work through the pain.
Isaiah the prophet said, "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
I'm understanding more what this passage means. I grow weary and tired when I operate in my own strength. But if I truly wait on Jesus, my strength will be renewed. It takes awhile for my roots to grow deep into God's soil and really suck out His power. But once I do, mmmmmmhmmmmmm....
For several months now, I've been living in some very entrenched self-centeredness. It's turned me very numb. Very emotionally dead. Very little feeling. Very much hiding. God has been leading me out of this state of sinful isolation. As He's done this the last couple days especially, I've been an emotional basket case. I'm listening to the cd that my friend made me and the second track on it is very emotional. Not Hawk Nelson emotional (wink wink), but meaningful emotional. I had to skip the rest of the song because I'm bawling at my table in Panera. It's like all these emotions have been bottled up for months and months. Now the doors are being opened and they are beginning to spill.
So many difficult events happen in our lives. Often they are events that we bring on ourselves because we don't want to handle things the way God wants us to. After everyone left last night, Megan got a call that she lost a friend of hers. Please keep her in your prayers the next couple days. Much sadness. Sometimes while I'm out driving, I look around and wonder what's going on in the lives of those folks I'm driving past. I started doing this 3-4 years ago when Jeni and I were driving back and forth between our home and the hospital when Kaela was in with her tumor. I wondered how many other moms and dads were driving from their home to the hospital to sit with their child who had cancer. Or was in some kind of accident. When we don't deal with the sadness and frustrations in life, they kind of function like blisters. In July, we spent a week with my parents in Wooster. I spent 5-6 hours over a couple days cutting firewood. Much of that time was swinging my splitter. I got a couple blisters on my hands. The blisters really hurt for awhile. However, if I keep rubbing the blister over and over, it gets hard and callouses over. If I let it rest, it will heal and soften back up. Our hearts do this too. If we don't get healing from the things that hurt us, our hearts will callous. Our emotions get stopped up and our eyes turn inward. Self-focus and self-centeredness takes over. The longer we stay like that, the more we choose to quiet the voices that are calling for us to do something. To get healing. So many medications. So many more self-inflicted hurts that weren't necessary if we would just work through the pain.
Isaiah the prophet said, "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
I'm understanding more what this passage means. I grow weary and tired when I operate in my own strength. But if I truly wait on Jesus, my strength will be renewed. It takes awhile for my roots to grow deep into God's soil and really suck out His power. But once I do, mmmmmmhmmmmmm....
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Hot Tuesday night at the Franks' Pad....
I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Our room gets really hot when it's been toasty outside. Jeni's all snuggled up under the covers and it's 75-80 degrees back here. I don't get it. So I sleep on the couch in front of the air conditioner.
So I just finished watching the Republican National Convention. I've begun taking more interest in world events and political things. It was very interesting. A former congressman named Joseph Lieberman was the keynote speaker tonight. Lieberman is a lifelong Democrat, only just recently has switched to an Independent. He talked about why he was breaking ranks to lobby for a Republican to win the White House. He said he wants to see things get done. Now, I didn't see the Democratic National Convention, so I don't know what the mood was. The mood at the RNC was one of optimism. Of service to country. Self sacrifice. Put the country before your own self interest. Lieberman echoed those sentiments.
People get excited when they have a strong cause to rally behind. Something to get involved with. I believe our world is so void of good, righteous causes. So many live in the swamps of self-serving motives. How sad it is for our world. And we are suffering for our self-serving attitudes.
So I've been thinking about something. We now have $1150 in our account to send people to Chicago. That doesn't count the can depost which will happen tomorrow. We'll add another $40 or so. After this trip is over, what if we were to continue collecting cans and change and we choose to put that to building wells to provide fresh water to villages in African nations that are ravaged with drought and AIDS. It only costs $1500 to dig a well. We're almost to the point where, just by collecting change and turning in pop and beer cans, we could sponsor the digging of a well to provide clean drinking water to an African village. We've raised almost $1200 in four months. Doing that math, that's $300 a month. Know how much it costs to sponsor a child? Yep, about $30 a month. That means at this clip, we could be sponsoring 10 children around the world a month. On what? Recycling aluminum cans and the change people use for coffee or Pepsi. I'm just now beginning to wrap my mind around this. For the money we're raising in people's aluminum cans and change they don't really want to carry around, we could be providing clean water. Which we just go to our faucets for.
Or let's keep things closer to home. What if there were 20 people doing what I'm doing to get cans. Promoting it among those they know. Getting others to respond. What could we do? What if 10 people cared enough to bring in $300 a month in pop cans? Could we do something like the Extreme Home Makeover and find people in our own community that are living in awful homes? Could we begin after school programs to build into our own Holland/Springfield children. Preparing them for futures in college? Providing scholarships for underprivileged students? Shoot, one of our church members is asking her place of business, which has two branches, to put garbage cans out next to their pop machines and give the cans to us. Could we fund other Youth for Christ chapters to open up in other schools?
I'm particularly fond of an after school program where churches could work together to help tutor children in our community. From there, we begin investing also in the lives of parents who have significant needs. Teach families how to be strong, values based families. Teach them how to handle money. Hold down a job. Train in basic job skills. Geesh! What a vision! This transforms our community!
So I just finished watching the Republican National Convention. I've begun taking more interest in world events and political things. It was very interesting. A former congressman named Joseph Lieberman was the keynote speaker tonight. Lieberman is a lifelong Democrat, only just recently has switched to an Independent. He talked about why he was breaking ranks to lobby for a Republican to win the White House. He said he wants to see things get done. Now, I didn't see the Democratic National Convention, so I don't know what the mood was. The mood at the RNC was one of optimism. Of service to country. Self sacrifice. Put the country before your own self interest. Lieberman echoed those sentiments.
People get excited when they have a strong cause to rally behind. Something to get involved with. I believe our world is so void of good, righteous causes. So many live in the swamps of self-serving motives. How sad it is for our world. And we are suffering for our self-serving attitudes.
So I've been thinking about something. We now have $1150 in our account to send people to Chicago. That doesn't count the can depost which will happen tomorrow. We'll add another $40 or so. After this trip is over, what if we were to continue collecting cans and change and we choose to put that to building wells to provide fresh water to villages in African nations that are ravaged with drought and AIDS. It only costs $1500 to dig a well. We're almost to the point where, just by collecting change and turning in pop and beer cans, we could sponsor the digging of a well to provide clean drinking water to an African village. We've raised almost $1200 in four months. Doing that math, that's $300 a month. Know how much it costs to sponsor a child? Yep, about $30 a month. That means at this clip, we could be sponsoring 10 children around the world a month. On what? Recycling aluminum cans and the change people use for coffee or Pepsi. I'm just now beginning to wrap my mind around this. For the money we're raising in people's aluminum cans and change they don't really want to carry around, we could be providing clean water. Which we just go to our faucets for.
Or let's keep things closer to home. What if there were 20 people doing what I'm doing to get cans. Promoting it among those they know. Getting others to respond. What could we do? What if 10 people cared enough to bring in $300 a month in pop cans? Could we do something like the Extreme Home Makeover and find people in our own community that are living in awful homes? Could we begin after school programs to build into our own Holland/Springfield children. Preparing them for futures in college? Providing scholarships for underprivileged students? Shoot, one of our church members is asking her place of business, which has two branches, to put garbage cans out next to their pop machines and give the cans to us. Could we fund other Youth for Christ chapters to open up in other schools?
I'm particularly fond of an after school program where churches could work together to help tutor children in our community. From there, we begin investing also in the lives of parents who have significant needs. Teach families how to be strong, values based families. Teach them how to handle money. Hold down a job. Train in basic job skills. Geesh! What a vision! This transforms our community!
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