5 days till back2school

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

This week will mark the 11th year that back2school has been going on, and I am as amazed as ever as well as excited about all that God is putting together.

Every day I get a text, a call, a Facebook message or something else from a new person that wants to help us serve more students. Just like last night an email hit my inbox just before I went to bed from a lady I have know for a couple years, and she shared her excitement about being part of one of the locations. She wants to know what to do to help that location.

Why does back2school take place? Good question. Yesterday at church we had a few people share, and the answers were once again inspiring to say the least.

We want to share the hope that God gives us.

We want to provide supplies to help students that might not have what they need for a successful school year.

We look forward to washing each student’s feet and talking to them about their dreams for the future and letting each know they are important.

Do you get where I am coming from? You got to be part of this!

Austinville, Virginia. Stuart, Virginia. Ferrum, Virginia. Ridgeway, Virginia. Mayodan, North Carolina. Danville, Virginia. Bassett, Virginia. Martinsville, Virginia. Collinsville, Virginia. And beyond. Each of those has at least one site for back2school. Some have two sites.

Pray.

Pray for the students and their families that will be served. Pray for the servants who will serve. It takes lots and lots of volunteers, and there is a place for everyone that wants to serve.

Serve.

Tuesday when we pack backpacks. Friday when we serve students with special needs. Friday evening when we celebrate our partnership with Samaritan’s Feet. And Saturday when every location will join together to serve almost 3,000 students.

I will stop there. But I will share more through this week. I do want to say thank you to a mission team from South Carolina that is in town to help us get ready for the event. All I can say is wow.

God put this together, and it is awesome to watch God work!

Luke 5:26 NLT

Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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