By Rhonda Nichols, Mission Trip Coordinator
My passion for relief work started in high school with a trip to Hull, Illinois. At the time it seemed like a fun thing to do, and since I did most of the activities held by my youth group, I went along for the adventure of it. That trip led me to go the next year to California and then to Blue Creek, Ohio. Each trip blessed me as I blessed others. Little did I realize that each one was planting a seed in me that God would have blossom in my adult life.
After high school, I let life carry me away from relief work. Nursing school and then the start of my career led me to many excuses to not join in on trips. For awhile I also drifted in my faith and allowed the culture around me interfere with my relationship with God. It's amazing to see God continue to work in someone's life even when they are resistant to Him. I can see clearly the path God led me down to get me where He wanted me to be.
In 2007, I sat in church and heard the announcement for the second trip to Mississippi. When a couple of my good friends decided they were going to go, I let the desire that I had been trying so hard to resist run free. I took a step of faith that work would let me have vacation time for the trip and I signed up. That trip was amazing and reminded me that I LOVE relief work. I love knowing that God has used me to restore someone's hope and help them get back into a home.
The next year, as I prepared to go again I was asked to be a leader. I agreed somewhat reluctantly as I believed that my spiritual gift was not leading. God has been changing me though. You see from that first trip I almost didn't take to the next where I almost didn't lead, God was working on my heart. When Gustav hit soon after we left Mississippi in 2008, I knew that there was no waiting for someone else to form a trip. Pam Grosso was feeling the same way I did and together she and I took a team in January of this year. We did all the planning, preparing and leading, which before we didn't believe we could do on our own. With God we CAN do anything!
An exciting new time is happening with this ministry. The Mississippi effort ended in Pass Christian and so our trips there are over. However, the work God started in me and Pam will continue as we are branching to new sites to take Storehouse members for relief work. This October we will be going to New Orleans. Only God knows where He will send us next, but one thing is certain, I will be letting you know and probably trying to recruit you to go!!!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Taco Pizza
By Jamison Nesta, Children's Ministry & Connections Pastor
I heard someone say recently that he believes there will be pizza in heaven. This man was a missionary to Latin America who also shared that while touring churches in the US to raise support, he was often served tacos. People must have believed that tacos would more "align to his ministry calling". He tired of tacos. He desired more pizza.
Later that same evening I encountered something truly amazing: taco pizza. I'm not sure if you've ever tasted this blended cuisine, but it's an interesting marriage of two vastly different foods. Maybe it was the late hour or the potentially day-long wait my pizza endured before I selected it from its display, but this taco pizza was less than wonderful. I found myself desiring pizza the way it's supposed to be.
Certainly this isn't a commentary on bizarre food combinations. Eat what you like. But this taco pizza got me thinking. In the mind of the missionary, taco pizza was like experiencing the best of heaven and the worst of earth at the same time. Who would choose this option? Once we've tasted even a small bite of what God has offered, why would we attempt to make it better by adding our own dirt to it?
Jesus promises peace, hope, uncondtional love and unfathomable forgiveness. How can we add to that and think we can make it better? Let's rest in the true promise of God and understand that it's His strength, comfort, mercy and grace that gives us remarkable life, not our stress, worry, judgement and selfishess.
How are you trying to unnecessarily add to God's perfect gifts.
I heard someone say recently that he believes there will be pizza in heaven. This man was a missionary to Latin America who also shared that while touring churches in the US to raise support, he was often served tacos. People must have believed that tacos would more "align to his ministry calling". He tired of tacos. He desired more pizza.
Later that same evening I encountered something truly amazing: taco pizza. I'm not sure if you've ever tasted this blended cuisine, but it's an interesting marriage of two vastly different foods. Maybe it was the late hour or the potentially day-long wait my pizza endured before I selected it from its display, but this taco pizza was less than wonderful. I found myself desiring pizza the way it's supposed to be.
Certainly this isn't a commentary on bizarre food combinations. Eat what you like. But this taco pizza got me thinking. In the mind of the missionary, taco pizza was like experiencing the best of heaven and the worst of earth at the same time. Who would choose this option? Once we've tasted even a small bite of what God has offered, why would we attempt to make it better by adding our own dirt to it?
Jesus promises peace, hope, uncondtional love and unfathomable forgiveness. How can we add to that and think we can make it better? Let's rest in the true promise of God and understand that it's His strength, comfort, mercy and grace that gives us remarkable life, not our stress, worry, judgement and selfishess.
How are you trying to unnecessarily add to God's perfect gifts.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Yard Sale for World Hunger
Come support our Yard Sale to raise money to help feed native missionaries working at a Youth with a Mission (YWAM) base in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (East Africa). Money will also be used to help feed the children in their orphanage – The Furaha House – Joyful House - as well as local Massai in the surrounding community.
This is a prayer request from the base leader, Philip Nasari:
“May i just share some of these needs that you can pray with me - first is 'Hunger' It is a world crisis and our crisis here in kilimanjaro and to the communitie we are trying to reach. There is a huge lack of food in our nation and worse enough we failed to get rain this year so next year it will not be easy for everyone. We are in shortage of even maize and beans in our base and am trying to get help even from my family up the mountain. Now among the Massai's it’s worse. Please pray with me as i trust God to get some food for our base and even to help the surrounding community. Basically buying maize where by 1bag (80kg) ~$50 and beans 80kg ~ $150.”
The Yard sale will be on Sat. June 27th: 8:00-5:00
Location: 413 Penn Rd – Plymouth Meeting 19462
If you have any items you would like to donate, you can contact Deborah Karr here.
Other Yard Sale needs:
- Folding tables to put items on
- Help setting up Sat. Am
Prayer requests:
- A Sunny Day!
- People to come and shop!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Battle is Real
By Josh MacDonald, Worship Leader
Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Over the past couple of weeks, through a number of circumstances, I have become abundantly aware of the reality of the spiritual battle raging around me and those close to me. Often, I tend to relegate spiritual warfare to the fantastical and sensational place that the media puts it. Images of heads spinning, horned monsters and the sounds of creepy violin music, or make believe, in other words, are what I think of and then dismiss quickly most of the time. But, as we learned last year in the Supernatural series, our battles with illness, unfortunate circumstances, relationship issues and the like are far more than coincidence or bad luck. Paul says that we live in a "dark world". We, as God's people, are called to be His light. Our enemy wants nothing more than to extinguish our light, and he will use every weapon in his arsenal, every last one, to do so. I've been reminded this week to never let down my guard, and to know that I'm on the winning side. I should expect trouble in this life, but as we sing in My Glorious, my God will save the day, and all will say, "My Glorious."
Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Over the past couple of weeks, through a number of circumstances, I have become abundantly aware of the reality of the spiritual battle raging around me and those close to me. Often, I tend to relegate spiritual warfare to the fantastical and sensational place that the media puts it. Images of heads spinning, horned monsters and the sounds of creepy violin music, or make believe, in other words, are what I think of and then dismiss quickly most of the time. But, as we learned last year in the Supernatural series, our battles with illness, unfortunate circumstances, relationship issues and the like are far more than coincidence or bad luck. Paul says that we live in a "dark world". We, as God's people, are called to be His light. Our enemy wants nothing more than to extinguish our light, and he will use every weapon in his arsenal, every last one, to do so. I've been reminded this week to never let down my guard, and to know that I'm on the winning side. I should expect trouble in this life, but as we sing in My Glorious, my God will save the day, and all will say, "My Glorious."
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Follow Me
As Christians we are to be followers of Christ.
Jesus used the word “follow” many times in the Gospels. He said “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38). He told the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matt. 19:21) He evangelized Levi the tax-collector with just two words: “Follow Me” (Luke 5:27). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). He also said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). His last words to Peter were similar to His first words: “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).
Following Christ means we make Him Lord of our daily lives. If I could boil this 'crazy love series' down to one theme it would be, 'following Jesus'. Literally, reading His Word and doing what it says. Not doing what we think makes sense, or what other Christians are doing, but actually taking bold steps to listen to God's Word and apply it to our life.
Let me ask you this question, "Are you following Jesus?" Now, I know that you love Jesus. I know that you are committed to doing good Christian things, but my question is, “Are you following Jesus?”
I know many of you are. If so, please share your story. (If not, share the things that are holding you back!)
Click the 'comment' link below and share a story of how you are following Jesus. Where is He leading you? Have you been convicted of something that you are turning from? Are you changing any habits or lifestyle choices in response to God's Word? Have you developed a deeper sense of compassion for something and begun to act on it?
What does it look like (from your experience) to follow Jesus?
Jesus used the word “follow” many times in the Gospels. He said “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38). He told the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matt. 19:21) He evangelized Levi the tax-collector with just two words: “Follow Me” (Luke 5:27). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). He also said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). His last words to Peter were similar to His first words: “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).
Following Christ means we make Him Lord of our daily lives. If I could boil this 'crazy love series' down to one theme it would be, 'following Jesus'. Literally, reading His Word and doing what it says. Not doing what we think makes sense, or what other Christians are doing, but actually taking bold steps to listen to God's Word and apply it to our life.
Let me ask you this question, "Are you following Jesus?" Now, I know that you love Jesus. I know that you are committed to doing good Christian things, but my question is, “Are you following Jesus?”
I know many of you are. If so, please share your story. (If not, share the things that are holding you back!)
Click the 'comment' link below and share a story of how you are following Jesus. Where is He leading you? Have you been convicted of something that you are turning from? Are you changing any habits or lifestyle choices in response to God's Word? Have you developed a deeper sense of compassion for something and begun to act on it?
What does it look like (from your experience) to follow Jesus?
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Crazy Love
Posted by Chris Paredes, Associate Minister of Community Life
Last night in House Church we watched a video that challenged us to think about our homes not really being our homes and the silliness of our possessions. A difficult but good discussion. My Young Life leader used to say this about stuff, "in the end, it's all gonna burn."
Tonight, Sheri and I had just returned to her house after a relaxing dinner when I heard a siren in front of her house. Down the street, smoke was billowing out of the roof of the house on the corner. In minutes the roof and upper level of the house were in flames. Thankfully everyone made it out safely. Across the street stood a sobbing mother and two teenage sons as they watched their possessions burn. They were devastated. A crowd of friends, neighbors and family gathered and comforted them.
I can't say enough about the firefighters and police of King of Prussia and Bridgeport. They were amazing. Smoke had been coming out for maybe 30 seconds before they arrived. And they arrived in full force. They heard the alarm and there was an immediate response of obedience, it is expected, it is required.
How are you doing with responding when God is sounding an alarm? When He has told you a path you are on is the wrong one? How do you respond when He brings you someone in crisis? When you feel that nudge or conviction on Sunday, how good are you at making the change come Monday? I'd love to see some comments on this post so blog away...
Last night in House Church we watched a video that challenged us to think about our homes not really being our homes and the silliness of our possessions. A difficult but good discussion. My Young Life leader used to say this about stuff, "in the end, it's all gonna burn."
Tonight, Sheri and I had just returned to her house after a relaxing dinner when I heard a siren in front of her house. Down the street, smoke was billowing out of the roof of the house on the corner. In minutes the roof and upper level of the house were in flames. Thankfully everyone made it out safely. Across the street stood a sobbing mother and two teenage sons as they watched their possessions burn. They were devastated. A crowd of friends, neighbors and family gathered and comforted them.
I can't say enough about the firefighters and police of King of Prussia and Bridgeport. They were amazing. Smoke had been coming out for maybe 30 seconds before they arrived. And they arrived in full force. They heard the alarm and there was an immediate response of obedience, it is expected, it is required.
How are you doing with responding when God is sounding an alarm? When He has told you a path you are on is the wrong one? How do you respond when He brings you someone in crisis? When you feel that nudge or conviction on Sunday, how good are you at making the change come Monday? I'd love to see some comments on this post so blog away...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Subtle in message but not in heart
By: Rachael Clarke, house church co-leader
Writing mass e-mails used to make me nervous. Am I being grammatically correct? Does that paragraph make sense? Is this sentence lame? Not to mention the foot tapping and drumming of the keys without actually typing. These questions whirled in my mind because, 1. I’m an editor (and therefore a perfectionist to a fault—with stubborn red pen and White Out on my hands to prove it), and 2. I overanalyze too much.
Then I became the official mass e-mailer of my house church (HC). Okay!, I thought. I can do this. Just get the info out there, don’t think about it, and send it. During our first gathering I scribbled down notes on every video, every thought shared, and all my own personal inklings throughout the night. I figured that if I recreated the evening on paper, then it’d be easy to write the HC email.
After returning home that night I found that I was actually excited to write the e-mail, and to share what just happened that evening. I signed onto gmail, got out my horribly scribbled notes, and the words just flowed from thought, to fingers, to keys, to screen. And this process, so mundane to all of us, was invigorating to me, and I felt more alive and fulfilled as I wrote each sentence.
The next day I received several heartening, and humbling, e-mails, and I was so thankful to be a part of my HC in this way. This past HC I still wrote down a synopsis of the evening, but I did it because I didn’t want to miss anything we shared—not because I wanted my email writing to go smoothly. So many insightful discussions and thoughts have risen out of only two HC gatherings. And peoples’ willingness to be open and share has been very humbling and encouraging.
Here are a few thoughts in particular that were shared at our last HC:
"True love is revealed with actions."
"Charity is about giving without expecting anything in return."
"God puts people in your life for a reason."
At our last HC I also shared something personal in my life, and after sharing I had doubts that I had shared too much. At the time I had a strong feeling that I needed to share what I did, and I listened to God as he put the urgency in my heart.
After writing my weekly e-mail I received a response from someone that revealed to me why I had shared what I did. She told me that she, too, is dealing with the same issue, and that my sharing my thoughts was very encouraging to her. I felt so humbled. And on top of that, days earlier I had come across a quote that I wanted to hang on to, but didn’t know why. At the time I copied and pasted the quote, and sent it in an email to myself with the subject, “good quote.” After hearing from this woman I knew why I had saved it, and I sent her the quote:
"It is comfort--seeing others are missing the pieces that we, too, are missing. And it is hope--seeing others have found the pieces we seek. We will find them, too." -Jen Lee (poet)
God has been working in subtle ways, yet the feeling in my heart and the encouragement I feel is not subtle at all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
