One of the hottest weeks of the year last week and our guys living outside were fussing! We sweat for a few minutes and then get back in our air condition cars and go on. Can you imagine not being able to cool off at all! Even at night, the humidity is so high, just makes for unpleasant living conditions. The mosquitoes are causing all sorts of havoc also. We had more friends show up in the camps, but as usual God provides and we had just enough supplies for everybody to get a meal or two.
Ardis and Abbie were hard at work in the kitchen wrapping all our donated bread Saturday morning. Ardis was able to find a bread cutting machine, so now we have sliced bread to give out, what a treat.
Matt led men's Bible fellowship Tuesday evening. The room was full, had to make the circle larger! What a blessing. We read from Romans Chapter 12, talking about being a living sacrifice. Don't just be a sacrifice on Sunday mornings, but every day, giving God the glory in everything you do.
Ardis hosted our family time Wednesday evening. Joey led our discussions on darkness and light. Is God in the darkness? Do we need darkness to appreciate light?
Thursday was again filled with many activities and lots of folks. We had our friends from St Luke's Medical van join us. A meal prepared by Abbey and Abbie. Groceries and bread handed out. Clothes were given away. Children running everywhere. Abbie and Pops singing in chapel. One of our friends George sharing the Word, always a blessing to be apart of the evening.
Lisa said, she and Carl are jumping through some hoops for our Literacy program to get started. The beauracy of life is getting in the way of helping our children. Patience and perseverance will prevail!
Tuesday afternoon, Lauren will open the doors to our neighborhood children for homework assistance. Come and join in on the fun.
Keep my wife, Ginellen lifted up in your prayers. Her fourth surgery this past year, will be September 12th. We are hoping the doctors will be able to remove the fistula that has been causing all her pain this past year. Prayers for William as he goes through life at the nursing home. It is a lonely life and at times hard to bear. Prayers for all our students as they go back to school.
George in chapel talked about a passage from Mark 4 about the farmer sowing the seed. How many times have we read that?! His take on this passage was something I had not thought about before. A farmer sowing seed in one field landing on several different places. George talked about, in his struggles of life, God was sending people to him to help him get out of his addictions but his heart was hard and the words did not take. But God never gave up on him, so he continued to send others and finally at some point in his life, George was able to hear God's Word for him, allowing him to be sober and drug free. We talked about Tuesday evening, living a life worthy of God's glory. Not conforming to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.
We go through life, for a lot of us, thinking, what is best for me. We go to church, thinking we are better than those who don't. We try to work harder, get more money, so we can get more stuff, so we will feel good about ourselves. But how much is enough? As we all know, it never stops. You get that car you always thought you wanted. Then you drive by your neighbors house and they have a newer, fancier model. We buy a big house, maybe one we can't afford, to impress our neighbors. Now we have to work so hard to pay for it, we don't get to enjoy it. The wants go on and on.
We become lost. At some point we begin to realize, everything we have done in our lives has turned to tragedy, maybe there is another way? God never gives up on us and He sends someone our way, just at a time, when our hearts are ready to understand. This time the seed landed on good soil, soil worth growing a good crop and we are blessed and others are blessed.
A life devoted to God eliminates all of these desires of the flesh. We begin to understand, it is not about me but about others. We begin to think of ourselves more humbly, not more highly. We begin to see "stuff" doesn't matters. We find ourselves in a community where others think along those same lines, allowing us to share our struggles with each other. We learn we are not perfect, but sinners saved by the grace of God.
In verse 12 of the Romans passage, it says, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Can't think of a better way to live our lives! Amen.
Hope you have a great first week of September. May God continue to bless you and your family.
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