In the next week and a half I am going to spend some time sharing the blessings and challenges of the back2school project, and it is pretty easy to see what God is doing. There are many opportunities ahead for all of us to serve people we encounter.
Psalm 34:8 NLT
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
One of the brightest parts of the upcoming weekend is having Manny and Tracie Ohonme as our special guest. Manny and Tracie started Samaritan’s Feet in 2003 which is an organization serving children around the world and sharing hope in Christ by washing feet and giving new shoes. Like the back2school project the Ohonme’s are committed to sharing the hope found in Jesus with those they serve.
Several years ago a friend of mine, Ron Pegram, worked with Manny and encouraged us to add shoes to our back2school work. The rest is history, as the saying goes. It really has been a huge blessing to partner with Samaritan’s Feet and their great team, and this year we are excited that Manny, Tracie and Bryan Boan will be with us. Actually we will be having a special event on Friday evening August 3rd for our back2schoolleaders and others to hear about our partnership and about the impact that Samaritan’s Feet is having.
If you would like to be part of this special event called a Hope Gathering, please send me an email (pastormh@gmail.com) with your request to attend. It is going to be an awesome night!
Manny shared with us the last time he was here for back2school. He talked about three kingdom principles, challenged us and gave an eye opening look at being a servant. Here are those principles and some verses to go with them.
1. You cannot change what you avoid.
2. You cannot complain about what you tolerate.
3. You cannot impact what you run from.
Joshua 1:9 NLT
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Many people have chosen to avoid things rather than confront them. It is easy to allow things to just happen or to sweep things under the rug. Yet when we compromise, we end up making things worse. If we want to make a difference in the lives of people, we cannot avoid people and needs.
We ought to seek answers when we share problems or issues, but some people are going to complain about everything. When we run from difficult situations, there will be even more difficulties. By digging deeper into tough situations and in meeting needs, we stop running and start facing challenges, big and little ones, wrong and right ones.
My prayer is that we would continue to make a difference in our community. Manny said, “if your community is not a better place because you are there, you better ask why you are there.” God called us to make a difference. The back2school outreach for eleven years has made a difference and will continue. At least five people accepted Jesus as their Savior on Saturday.
To make a difference we have to deal with our challenges head on and ask God to use us to make a difference now and in the future!
1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
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