Saturday was one of those extra special days. Love In Action teamed with The Harbor Church for a Christmas outreach. We delivered bags of groceries to about 70 needy families who live in the neighborhood around the Love In Action Ministry Center.
Jesus says in Matthew 25:35, "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink." And in Matthew 25:40, Jesus sums it up by saying, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me."
Today, I saw Jesus in a woman who smiled and hugged me after receiving a bag of groceries. She said, "I didn't know what we were going to do for food."
I saw Jesus in an elderly widow who thanked us for the groceries and for coming to check on her. I saw the example of the "widow's mite" (Mark 12:41-44) when the same elderly widow told me she wanted to donate to the ministry, pulled out her change purchase and gave me a $20 bill. I cried. That might as well have been $200 for her. She's a precious woman whose wonderful husband died earlier this year. She said, "The Lord has been so good to me this year, and I've been saving up to donate this to you. Thanks for everything y'all do for me."
I saw Jesus in a man with one leg who you can always find sitting in a wheelchair on his front porch. I saw Jesus in one of our volunteers who lovingly prayed for him.
I saw Jesus in foster children as we gave them brand new toys for Christmas, and in their foster dad as we handed him a big ham.
I saw Jesus in two homeless men as we visited them in their camp. One of them had been in trouble with the law for something he is very ashamed of. We hadn't seen him in a couple of years because he was in prison. He smiled when he saw us and said, "I didn't know if I'd be welcome after what I did." We told him, "we all have made mistakes. We love you."
I saw Jesus in my wife as she smiled and hugged both of those homeless men. And, when we were reunited with a woman we hadn't seen in a few years. The last time we saw her we had delivered food to her as she was living in an old garage. We never knew what happened to her. Today, we discovered she was living in her own apartment. It was so good to see her. She thanked God for where she is at now.
I saw Jesus in so many people we were honored to serve today and in all of our volunteers. Every time we "serve the least of these" those serving always feel more blessed than those receiving. It's just like the Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35, "In
every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to
help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He
said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Obeying Jesus by making disciples
You have often read my blogs and heard me talk about the importance of making disciples who make disciples. That's because Jesus commissioned all of His believers to do so. It's not a suggestion. Jesus clearly says "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19)
We have great times of discipleship training every Wednesday nights at the Love In Action Ministry Center, and last night (Nov. 9) around 20 people watched the Multiply Gathering simulcast with David Platt and Francis Chan. The Multiply Movement is all about making disciples who make disciples. Check it out at http://multiplymovement.com
It is great seeing the homeless, poor and those who are not in great need all together on Wednesday nights and this past Friday, opening up the Word of God together and discussing it. We all share and help one another learn the Word of God. We share experiences and how God has helped us in different situations.
The discipleship training and events like Multiply are great, and they are needed. However, if we stopped at that we would be missing the point. Jesus taught His disciples, but He also lived life with them. He showed them how He prayed and how He loved and showed great compassion for others, especially the needy.
That's why a number of our volunteers choose to live life with those we minister to and each other. How will they know how to pray or read the Bible if we don't show them. How will they know how to show compassion and love others like Jesus if they don't see it in our lives?
Making disciples who make disciples is about much more than a weekly class. It's a lifestyle. I like what David Platt said, "To be a disciple is to make disciples." If we aren't making disciples, then we're not truly disciples of Jesus and we are living in direct disobedience to God's Word.
It is an amazing transformation when we see people who are hurting for many different reasons decide to surrender their lives to Christ. Not because they prayed a prayer, but because they experienced the love of Jesus at Love In Action. They hear the Word of God and see it in action through our volunteers. The hurting decide to give Jesus a try and He totally turns their lives around.
Those who had no hope, now find hope in Jesus. Those who had given up on life now have life through Jesus. Those who thought they were worthless find they are of great worth to almighty God. After they come to those realizations, we can't leave them on their own. We have to disciple them.
As Platt and Chan pointed out in Multiply, a great thing about discipleship making is God uses it to make us better disciples. So, if you want to be a better disciple of Jesus and live in obedience to His Word, then start making disciples who make disciples.
Also, please keep praying for us as we reach out to those who are homeless, poor and hurting. Please pray for those we minister to. God is doing an incredible work in their lives. Disciples are being made in downtown Dothan, and it's exciting to see God radically change people's lives.
We have great times of discipleship training every Wednesday nights at the Love In Action Ministry Center, and last night (Nov. 9) around 20 people watched the Multiply Gathering simulcast with David Platt and Francis Chan. The Multiply Movement is all about making disciples who make disciples. Check it out at http://multiplymovement.com
It is great seeing the homeless, poor and those who are not in great need all together on Wednesday nights and this past Friday, opening up the Word of God together and discussing it. We all share and help one another learn the Word of God. We share experiences and how God has helped us in different situations.
The discipleship training and events like Multiply are great, and they are needed. However, if we stopped at that we would be missing the point. Jesus taught His disciples, but He also lived life with them. He showed them how He prayed and how He loved and showed great compassion for others, especially the needy.
That's why a number of our volunteers choose to live life with those we minister to and each other. How will they know how to pray or read the Bible if we don't show them. How will they know how to show compassion and love others like Jesus if they don't see it in our lives?
Making disciples who make disciples is about much more than a weekly class. It's a lifestyle. I like what David Platt said, "To be a disciple is to make disciples." If we aren't making disciples, then we're not truly disciples of Jesus and we are living in direct disobedience to God's Word.
It is an amazing transformation when we see people who are hurting for many different reasons decide to surrender their lives to Christ. Not because they prayed a prayer, but because they experienced the love of Jesus at Love In Action. They hear the Word of God and see it in action through our volunteers. The hurting decide to give Jesus a try and He totally turns their lives around.
Those who had no hope, now find hope in Jesus. Those who had given up on life now have life through Jesus. Those who thought they were worthless find they are of great worth to almighty God. After they come to those realizations, we can't leave them on their own. We have to disciple them.
As Platt and Chan pointed out in Multiply, a great thing about discipleship making is God uses it to make us better disciples. So, if you want to be a better disciple of Jesus and live in obedience to His Word, then start making disciples who make disciples.
Also, please keep praying for us as we reach out to those who are homeless, poor and hurting. Please pray for those we minister to. God is doing an incredible work in their lives. Disciples are being made in downtown Dothan, and it's exciting to see God radically change people's lives.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sharing Jesus through education
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| Children sing Jesus Loves Me at the Obadiah Learning & Development Academy. |
A project for Love In Action this summer was building a school for our friends at Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Punta, Philippines. They had the labor and know-how, but no resources. We put the word out and the good people in Dothan, Ala., and other places in the U.S. responded. Now, there is a new school building for the Obadiah Learning and Development Academy. Praise God!
This school provides quality education for indigent children who otherwise would not receive an education. The Philippines is not like the U.S. Education is not provided for everyone. There, if families don't have the money to send their children to school, then there is no formal education for those children.
The Obadiah Academy provides scholarships, when they have the money to do so, to children who otherwise would not be able to attend school. Education is a great way to fight poverty. Therefore, giving a poor child a quality education will help break the cycle of poverty.
But, as with everything LIA does and our friends in the Philippines do, everything we do is to lead people to Jesus Christ. That's exactly what our friends in Punta do with the Obadiah Academy. When parents accept scholarships to the Academy, they have to attend church services each Sunday and allow members of the church to come to their homes every week for Bible study. Entire families come to Christ during the school year. It's an awesome ministry.
We would like to thank all of those who have caught the vision of LIA Philippines and who have joined us to help reach the lost and unreached people groups in the Philippines. Because of your prayers and financial donations, people who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ are hearing it for the first time and surrendering their lives to Jesus. Because of your prayers and support, these precious children are now receiving an education, and entire families are submitting to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Our friend in Punta, Bro. Joel, who along with his sweet wife, who run the Obadiah Academy, sends their thanks.
"Please extend our best prayers, love and regards to Sister Martha, Mama Tuck and the whole family of Love In Action who have been there for the school outreach from the start, in praying and sacrifices," Bro. Joel wrote."On behalf of Obadiah Learning and Development Academy, Pastor we thank God so much for you. You just don't know how truly we humble ourselves to God in your behalf, always giving glory to His Name."
Joel asks that we continue to pray for them.
"Please continue to pray for us and the teachers, too, that God will continue to shower His wisdom and power and strength for these kids," Joel wrote.
It is exciting what God is doing. May we continue to work with our brothers and sisters in the Philippines to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and continue to make disciples who make disciples.
Click here for a photo slide show of the Obadiah Learning and Development Academy.
.JPG) |
| The new Obadiah Learning and Development Academy. |
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Making disciples around the world
We take Jesus' Great Commission seriously at Love In Action. We believe in reaching the lost and hurting with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion in our hometown of Dothan, Ala., and in other parts of the world. That's what Jesus says to do in Matthew 28:19-20. He says to "make disciples of all nations."
In Acts 1: 8, the last thing Jesus told His disciples before ascending to Heaven was, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We consider Dothan our "Jerusalem," the Southeast U.S. as our "Judea" and the rest of the U.S. as our "Samaria." The "ends of the earth" is places like the Philippines, Myanmar and Ecuador.
Wednesdays are a big discipleship night for us as we hold Bible study. I recently taught a nine-part series on the "Full Armor of God" to make sure everyone understands we are in a spiritual battle and God equips us to not only fight, but win the battle against Satan.
Currently, we are in the midst of teaching Discipleship Phase 1, a study written by my and Martha's pastor, Ralph Sigler of Harvest Church. Shaun Cast is helping me teach this 10-week class.
Wednesday nights at Love In Action are great as 20-30 people gather each week to learn and discuss God's Word.
For the past 1.5 years, we have been supporting indigenous pastors and missionaries in the Philippines, and part of that support is shipping King James Version Bibles to them and Discipleship Phase 1-5 books to them. We have shipped thousands of Bibles and Discipleship books, and we need to continue to do so as more than 4.6 million people there have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The newest door God has opened for us is in Myanmar. We just shipped Bibles and Discipleship guides to our new friends at Grace Theological College in Yangon. They do not have resources readily available, so the students were very excited to receive the Bibles and Discipleship books. The goal is to use the Bibles and Discipleship books for the students and also to use them to do outreaches to reach the lost and provide discipleship for new believers. There are more than 40 million people in Myanmar who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Praise God! We are excited about all of these opportunities. Please continue to pray for us and the work God leads us to do in Dothan and in other parts of the world. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines and Myanmar as together we reach people previously unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in both countries.
Please continue to support Love In Action with finances. Your donations help us reach the lost and hurting with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Together, we are accomplishing the Great Commission and doing what Jesus says in Acts. 1:8.
In Acts 1: 8, the last thing Jesus told His disciples before ascending to Heaven was, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We consider Dothan our "Jerusalem," the Southeast U.S. as our "Judea" and the rest of the U.S. as our "Samaria." The "ends of the earth" is places like the Philippines, Myanmar and Ecuador.
Wednesdays are a big discipleship night for us as we hold Bible study. I recently taught a nine-part series on the "Full Armor of God" to make sure everyone understands we are in a spiritual battle and God equips us to not only fight, but win the battle against Satan.
Currently, we are in the midst of teaching Discipleship Phase 1, a study written by my and Martha's pastor, Ralph Sigler of Harvest Church. Shaun Cast is helping me teach this 10-week class.
Wednesday nights at Love In Action are great as 20-30 people gather each week to learn and discuss God's Word.
For the past 1.5 years, we have been supporting indigenous pastors and missionaries in the Philippines, and part of that support is shipping King James Version Bibles to them and Discipleship Phase 1-5 books to them. We have shipped thousands of Bibles and Discipleship books, and we need to continue to do so as more than 4.6 million people there have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The newest door God has opened for us is in Myanmar. We just shipped Bibles and Discipleship guides to our new friends at Grace Theological College in Yangon. They do not have resources readily available, so the students were very excited to receive the Bibles and Discipleship books. The goal is to use the Bibles and Discipleship books for the students and also to use them to do outreaches to reach the lost and provide discipleship for new believers. There are more than 40 million people in Myanmar who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Praise God! We are excited about all of these opportunities. Please continue to pray for us and the work God leads us to do in Dothan and in other parts of the world. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines and Myanmar as together we reach people previously unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in both countries.
Please continue to support Love In Action with finances. Your donations help us reach the lost and hurting with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Together, we are accomplishing the Great Commission and doing what Jesus says in Acts. 1:8.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Maiking disciples in Myanmar
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| First year students at Grace Theological College in Yangon, Myanmar with their new NIV Bibles and Discipleship books. |
Jesus says to make disciples of all nations, which translated means all "people groups." We have to remember, the U.S. wasn't a nation at the time Jesus said this, nor were most other nations we have today.
Love In Action does an excellent job of reaching the lost and making disciples here in the U.S., especially in Dothan, Ala. The past two years we have watched God open doors on the other side of the world to reach previously unreached people groups. The majority of those doors have been opened in the Philippines, but God has opened another door in Asia - the country of Myanmar.
For eight months this year I have communicated with a pastor who helps run a small Christian college in the capital city of Myanmar. I have also researched to validate this contact. What I found was a wonderful man of God with a passion to reach his country, but without the means to do so.
Grace Theological College teaches and trains its Christian students how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.It is not a college like we think of here in the U.S. They rent a building, and some times they have to move and rent a different building. But they keep teaching with the hopes of making a difference for Jesus in their part of the world.
Myanmar is a country that has been closed for years due to a heavy-handed military rule. But the doors have been opening up more, especially this year. So the time to reach Myanmar, also called Burma, is now.
My pastor, Ralph Sigler, has written a very powerful guide to discipleship. It is called the Five Phases of Discipleship. These books have been used here in Dothan to make disciples for years, and we have used them at Love In Action. Now, we can use them overseas. Pastor Ralph is as excited as I am about the opportunity to make disciples in Asia.
We first sent his Discipleship books to the Philippines, and this month we sent the first shipment to Myanmar. Harvest Church donated Bibles and all five phases of the Discipleship books to Love In Action to send to Myanmar.
Late last week, Pastor Siang emailed to let me know the two boxes made it safely to him. Here is an excerpt from his email:
"I have a great pleasure to let you know that yesterday
(September 21, 2012) we received the Bibles and Discipleship books in two boxes
it arrived safely to us. God answers our prayers. Praise the Lord! Thank you
very much for your love and concern for our ministry.
"Today I distributed the Bibles and some of the discipleship books
to our first year students, and some discipleship books to our senior students.
When the students received them they are very much happy and very thankful to
you and Love in Action International Ministries, especially the first year
students over joy with the Bibles because they received very good Bibles."
Praise God! You can hear the excitement in his voice through his email. How often we take Bibles and Christian materials for granted here in the U.S. In Myanmar, just like in the Philippines, they have nothing, nor do they have access to Bibles and materials. This was a huge blessing to them, and will help them not only with the students, but also in reaching their country. Read the following from Pastor Siang's email:
"We believe that the books will be very helpful for us when we organize some seminar for the people of Myanmar, even much more will be useful for witnessing Christ to non-believers and giving them discipleship training."
Praise God! If you can't get excited about this, you can't get excited about anything. Jesus says to reach people groups throughout the world. In Myanmar, 83.4 percent of the country is unreached, meaning they have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's more than 40 million people.
Wow! Talk about a huge opportunity. God has opened an awesome door of opportunity. He has certainly opened Asia up for Love In Action to spread the Gospel. From the Philippines to Myanmar, we are now spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to previously unreached people. We serve an awesome God!
Please pray for all of our brothers and sisters in the Philippines and Myanmar. Please pray for us to know how to best help them. And please pray and ask God how you should be involved. Maybe God is leading you to donate financially to help us spread the Gospel on the other side of the world. Maybe God is leading you to donate King James Version and New King James Version Bibles for the Philippines and NIV Bibles for Myanmar.
We are very excited about everything God is doing here in Dothan and all the way on the other side of the world in Myanmar and the Philippines.
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| Senior students at Grace Theological College in Yangon, Myanmar with Discipleship books. |
Monday, September 3, 2012
'These people have a heart for God'
The Apostle Paul teaches us about Christian humility in Philippians chapter 2. He starts off by saying we should think highly of others.
"Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:3-4
That's the heart and mindset of everyone who serves at Love In Action. We are there to serve and uplift others. To take the homeless, needy, hurting and lost by the hand and lead them to Jesus. We do that by showing the love of Jesus Christ to others.
Over the years we have seen thousands surrender their lives to Jesus. We have seen the hopeless find hope in Jesus.
One person who regularly attends our Celebrate Recovery Inside recently wrote the following on Facebook. I asked for and received permission to copy and republish it.
Lives changed by the power of Jesus Christ. That's what Love In Action is all about. We spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. In reaching people, we also make disciples who make disciples. That multiplies the kingdom of God and does exactly what Jesus tells all of His followers to do in His Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Your prayers help sustain us as we work hard to serve the "least of these." Your financial donations make the ministry possible. We couldn't do what we do without you.
Thank you and God bless you.
"Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:3-4
That's the heart and mindset of everyone who serves at Love In Action. We are there to serve and uplift others. To take the homeless, needy, hurting and lost by the hand and lead them to Jesus. We do that by showing the love of Jesus Christ to others.
Over the years we have seen thousands surrender their lives to Jesus. We have seen the hopeless find hope in Jesus.
One person who regularly attends our Celebrate Recovery Inside recently wrote the following on Facebook. I asked for and received permission to copy and republish it.
"I want to invite you to
Love in Action on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. Whatever your hang up or habit
might be, God can help you. I have met some great people. These people
are my family; there is real love here. You
can be yourself; no one judges you. We lift up each other. I am
learning so much. These people have a heart for God.
"To have a better
life we must change who we hang out with, our music and the kind of
movies we watch. This has really helped me grow stronger
in the Lord."
Those are heartfelt words from a precious soul who has been touched by Jesus at the Love In Action Ministry Center. This person also comes out and serves others and helps any way she can.
Your prayers help sustain us as we work hard to serve the "least of these." Your financial donations make the ministry possible. We couldn't do what we do without you.
Thank you and God bless you.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Helping the homeless through the storm
As I write
this blog entry, those of us here in Dothan, Ala., and along the Gulf Coast of
the U.S. are under the threat of an oncoming storm - Tropical Storm Isaac. It
is expected to become Hurricane Isaac as it enters the Gulf of Mexico.
The current
track his it heading directly toward us. If it stays on its current track, it
will hit us either late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. The effects of the
storm – high winds and heavy rain – could be felt from Tuesday through
Thursday. We have had a lot of rain the past six weeks, so widespread flooding
definitely going to be a problem.
My prayer
isn’t for it to change directions, because I don’t wish anything bad on anyone
else. I pray for God to weaken the storm, and if we have to go through it, I
have all confidence in God that He will protect us and get us through it. It’s
not unusual for us to get hurricanes living this close to the Gulf of Mexico,
but it has been a number of years since one has directly hit us. For that, I am
thankful.
But, as this
storm approaches, I think about Jesus and the disciples when they were in the
boat and a storm came.
“On that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in
the boat. And other boats were with Him. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves
were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He
was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him,
“Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” He got up, rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this?
Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” - Mark 4:35-41 (HCSB)
The storm hit with a vengeance, but Jesus slept. Why? He was not afraid. He had peace in the midst of the storm. He had all confidence that His Father would keep Him safe. The disciples were terrified. As Jesus told them, they didn’t have faith.
As this hurricane roars toward us, my focus turns even more to the homeless people we minister to and help here in Dothan. These people live in tents in the woods; some sleep in abandoned buildings. This storm could really bring devastation to them.
My prayer is for those of us at Love In Action to show the faith that Jesus did in the boat. I want the homeless to see the peace of Jesus in us. I want them to see that Jesus sent us to them to calm the storm and to be a place of refuge for them.
Please pray
for our homeless friends, and please pray for us as we help them make it
through this storm.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Homeless camps in Dothan
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| A homeless camp in Dothan, Ala. |
The reasons why people are homeless are varied. Some can't find consistent work, while others deal with mental issues and addictions. Some have been down for so long they think living a homeless lifestyle is their lot in life.
It's heartbreaking to see people living like that. But most of the ones living in tents don't complain. They live day-to-day surviving the best they can.
When I see homeless people, I see people who have lost their dreams; people who never planned on being homeless, but somewhere along life's journey they got knocked down and have never been able to get back up.
These are precious people. They need to know they are loved. We all want to be loved. Imagine thinking nobody loved or cared about you. The homeless need to know they are loved by Almighty God and by the people of God.
That's what we try to do at Love In Action. We show the homeless the love of Jesus Christ. It doesn't take most of them long to know we are genuine in our love for them. They know they are welcome at our ministry center. They come to worship, study God's Word, eat, take showers, get food, have their clothes washed, and to just hang out and talk.
We are also welcome in their homes - their camps. It's an honor when a homeless person welcomes you to their camp. That means they trust you. They don't trust many people, not even other homeless people, so earning their trust is the first step to leading them to Jesus and helping them see that God has more for them.
Please pray for the homeless. Pray they come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ if they haven't already, and that they will realize God loves them and has great plans for them like He promises all of us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to reach out to the "least of these." And, when we say "least" we aren't talking about people who are not important. Everyone is important to God. We all have great value to Him. That's why God gave His only Son for us.
I like what Bishop Paul Leeland of the United Methodist Church Alabama-West Florida Conference said about the "lost." Have you ever heard anyone say they've lost a bag of garbage? No. When you lose something it is something of value.
When any of us don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we are lost. God doesn't want us to be lost. He wants us to be found, found in Him through His son Jesus Christ. That includes the homeless. They are not bums. They are people like you and me who need Jesus in their lives.
Pray that they will see they are of great value to God and to us.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Make disciples who make disciples
Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 28:19-20 what He wants us to do, "make disciples of all nations."
In the Greek, the word "nations" as used in this context is "ethne," which means ethnic people groups. There are more than 11,000 people groups throughout the world, and more than 6,000 of those groups - more than 2 billion - have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In His "Great Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus doesn't want us to just go and reach people, but to make disciples. Why? So they can make disciples who can make disciples and so on. This is the only way we will reach the remaining 6,000-plus unreached people groups.
Making disciples starts at home. If we aren't reaching those around us, how can we expect to make an impact throughout the world? But, you ask, how can making a disciple in my hometown impact the world? Allow me to use a personal example.
Over the years, God has used a number of people to disciple and mentor me. My parents have been the biggest influences in my life. They were the first to disciple me. Then there were others like my brother and sister, Mike Alsop, Mike Wondree, Pastor Bob Melvin, Pastor Mike Shroades, Franklin Moore and Pastor Ralph Sigler.
Because these people spoke into my life and have shown me, and some still are, how to live for Christ, I started applying those principles to my life and teaching them to others. They didn't know, and neither did I, that God would use me to reach the world for Him. But, all praise be to God, He is working through Love In Action to touch the nations for His glory- here in the U.S., Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, India, Philippines, Malaysia, and now Myanmar.
Here's another example. There's a young man who volunteers at Love In Action named Shaun Cast. He loves Jesus with all of his heart. I asked God for the opportunity to speak into his life, and God granted that prayer request. Others have provided discipleship/mentorship to Shaun as well.
Today, he spends every Friday night helping to lead a Bible study at Houston County Community Correction Work Release. He preached his first sermon last Tuesday night at Celebrate Recovery Inside at Love In Action. He is also making an impact for the kingdom of God in the Philippines with his giving. One day, he will travel to the Philippines with us.
See, once we take the time to do what Jesus has commissioned every single believer to do, God will use each person to impact their city and the world for His glory. If you are a follower of Jesus, then you should be making disciples.
Teach people the Word of God. Teach people how to live a Christian life. You don't have a choice. Jesus demands this of His followers. So let's all get busy making disciples who make disciples. And, if you need more inspiration, read Matthew 24:14, "This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come." (HCSB)
I want to see Jesus come back, do you? If so, let's get busy. He said He will return when His good news is proclaimed to all nations (people groups). Yes, He could come back today, but until He does that means we have work to do.
Start today by making disciples who make disciples.
In the Greek, the word "nations" as used in this context is "ethne," which means ethnic people groups. There are more than 11,000 people groups throughout the world, and more than 6,000 of those groups - more than 2 billion - have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In His "Great Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus doesn't want us to just go and reach people, but to make disciples. Why? So they can make disciples who can make disciples and so on. This is the only way we will reach the remaining 6,000-plus unreached people groups.
Making disciples starts at home. If we aren't reaching those around us, how can we expect to make an impact throughout the world? But, you ask, how can making a disciple in my hometown impact the world? Allow me to use a personal example.
Over the years, God has used a number of people to disciple and mentor me. My parents have been the biggest influences in my life. They were the first to disciple me. Then there were others like my brother and sister, Mike Alsop, Mike Wondree, Pastor Bob Melvin, Pastor Mike Shroades, Franklin Moore and Pastor Ralph Sigler.
Because these people spoke into my life and have shown me, and some still are, how to live for Christ, I started applying those principles to my life and teaching them to others. They didn't know, and neither did I, that God would use me to reach the world for Him. But, all praise be to God, He is working through Love In Action to touch the nations for His glory- here in the U.S., Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, India, Philippines, Malaysia, and now Myanmar.
Here's another example. There's a young man who volunteers at Love In Action named Shaun Cast. He loves Jesus with all of his heart. I asked God for the opportunity to speak into his life, and God granted that prayer request. Others have provided discipleship/mentorship to Shaun as well.
Today, he spends every Friday night helping to lead a Bible study at Houston County Community Correction Work Release. He preached his first sermon last Tuesday night at Celebrate Recovery Inside at Love In Action. He is also making an impact for the kingdom of God in the Philippines with his giving. One day, he will travel to the Philippines with us.
See, once we take the time to do what Jesus has commissioned every single believer to do, God will use each person to impact their city and the world for His glory. If you are a follower of Jesus, then you should be making disciples.
Teach people the Word of God. Teach people how to live a Christian life. You don't have a choice. Jesus demands this of His followers. So let's all get busy making disciples who make disciples. And, if you need more inspiration, read Matthew 24:14, "This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come." (HCSB)
I want to see Jesus come back, do you? If so, let's get busy. He said He will return when His good news is proclaimed to all nations (people groups). Yes, He could come back today, but until He does that means we have work to do.
Start today by making disciples who make disciples.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Love In Action Compassion Center
Work on the Love In Action Compassion Center is underway. This is the new LIA campus located at 277 & 279 W. Main St. in downtown Dothan. It's just past the Main and Lena streets intersection as you travel east toward downtown on Main Street.
Dakota Coffee's Sweet Shoppe Cafe is a tenant at the front of the complex. They are not going anywhere and we encourage everyone to support them. They have great coffee and food. One of our favorites is the frozen mocha. Delicious on these hot summer days.
The rest of the complex is behind Dakota Coffee. The following will be located at the LIA Compassion Center: headquarter offices for LIA International Ministries, the Samaritan Medical Clinic, and The Harbor House, which will provide transitional housing for the homeless and an in-house drug/alcohol rehab program.
We have already accomplished some work, especially outside where the weeds and vines had taken over parts of the building. Thanks to volunteers from Covenant UMC, LIA VP Martha Tuck, her dad Billy Mills, and LIA volunteer Rick Denney, the overgrowth was cut back and cleaned up.
Rick and William and Gia Hughes have started work on a downstairs' apartment where Rick will live. He is our building superintendent at the LIA Compassion Center.
The top two needs for getting the buildings ready are HVAC and roofing. Our good friends at Bob Woodall Air Care Systems have already begun work to help with the HVAC needs. Thanks Bob! He also took care of our HVAC needs at the LIA Ministry Center on North Foster Street.
Starting the first of August we will go full speed ahead on getting the Samaritan Medical Clinic ready for patients. We are planning a grand opening in September. The clinic will meet health, vision and dental needs for the homeless and those without insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage. What started out as a simple triage clinic has blossomed into a full-fledged clinic. Praise God! Only God could have done that. The many doctors and nurses who are volunteering their time and talents are awesome blessings. Thanks to everyone involved.
The suite that will house our offices is in good shape. A little work on the carpet and decorating and it will be ready. Praise God!
The Harbor House will be our greatest challenge, but it's nothing like the work we had to do at the LIA Ministry Center. We know God will provide for our every need.
Financial donations for the work to be done is greatly needed, and we will be ready for more volunteers to come in and help with the labor in August.
Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks and God bless.
Dakota Coffee's Sweet Shoppe Cafe is a tenant at the front of the complex. They are not going anywhere and we encourage everyone to support them. They have great coffee and food. One of our favorites is the frozen mocha. Delicious on these hot summer days.
The rest of the complex is behind Dakota Coffee. The following will be located at the LIA Compassion Center: headquarter offices for LIA International Ministries, the Samaritan Medical Clinic, and The Harbor House, which will provide transitional housing for the homeless and an in-house drug/alcohol rehab program.
We have already accomplished some work, especially outside where the weeds and vines had taken over parts of the building. Thanks to volunteers from Covenant UMC, LIA VP Martha Tuck, her dad Billy Mills, and LIA volunteer Rick Denney, the overgrowth was cut back and cleaned up.
Rick and William and Gia Hughes have started work on a downstairs' apartment where Rick will live. He is our building superintendent at the LIA Compassion Center.
The top two needs for getting the buildings ready are HVAC and roofing. Our good friends at Bob Woodall Air Care Systems have already begun work to help with the HVAC needs. Thanks Bob! He also took care of our HVAC needs at the LIA Ministry Center on North Foster Street.
Starting the first of August we will go full speed ahead on getting the Samaritan Medical Clinic ready for patients. We are planning a grand opening in September. The clinic will meet health, vision and dental needs for the homeless and those without insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage. What started out as a simple triage clinic has blossomed into a full-fledged clinic. Praise God! Only God could have done that. The many doctors and nurses who are volunteering their time and talents are awesome blessings. Thanks to everyone involved.
The suite that will house our offices is in good shape. A little work on the carpet and decorating and it will be ready. Praise God!
The Harbor House will be our greatest challenge, but it's nothing like the work we had to do at the LIA Ministry Center. We know God will provide for our every need.
Financial donations for the work to be done is greatly needed, and we will be ready for more volunteers to come in and help with the labor in August.
Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks and God bless.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
'Fruit that remains'
It was a homecoming for Martha and me. The pastor of the church is Mike Shroades. Mike and I are the ones who founded Love In Action. Martha and I have many friends at the church as we served there as leaders for many years. Martha served on the praise team and was praise and worship leader for several years. I was an elder and minister of outreach.
The most exciting thing about today was seeing those four people come forward to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and especially seeing one young man make that decision. Van was a small child when I served as minister of outreach there. We had a wonderful Adopt-A-Block outreach every Saturday and his mother and grandmother were two people we reached early on. We would pick them up every Sunday morning for church, and Van was in children's church each week.
Van is now in middle school, and he, his mother and grandmother still come on the church van to worship every Sunday. They were there this morning, and it was so good seeing them. I couldn't believe how much "little" van had grown.
There were others still attending who we reached many years ago through Adopt-A-Block. Bro. Justin Swasey always helped me pick up the people in the van back then and he still drives the van and picks the people up. You will not find a more faithful servant of God than Bro. Justin. I knew every Saturday he would be there for Adopt-A-Block and every Sunday to help with the van ministry. He has touched countless lives for the glory of God, and all it took was obedience and faithfulness to God.
Pastor Mike has taught and preached the importance of outreach and discipleship for more than a decade. He has a huge heart for the lost and a great desire to see real changes in people's lives through the power of God.
Seeing those we reached years ago still coming to church really blessed me today. Jesus tells us in John 15:16, " I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain ..." (HCSB). Seeing fruit that we produced years ago remaining today was awesome. I praise God for those precious souls and for my great brothers Mike and Justin. They are faithful and a great blessing. If all Christians had their hearts and desire to win the lost, we would have already reached all of the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by now.
Thank you Christ-Life Church for a great day, and praise God for the souls that were saved today and for the fruit that remains.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Pregnant and homeless
Being homeless is tough enough, but imagine being pregnant and homeless. That's the situation Becky found herself in when we met her.
She would try to find a place to stay, but would bounce around from place to place, then she didn't have anywhere else to go, but the streets. Martha and I couldn't let that happen. Love In Action helped her with a hotel room, and then found an apartment for her that was safe and reasonable - two rare qualities put together in downtown Dothan, Ala.
Being lazy isn't a problem with her, neither is drug or alcohol use. She tried to find work when we met her more than three months ago, but nobody wanted to hire someone who was pregnant. Now, she's only a couple of months away from giving birth to a baby boy.
Our desire is to teach her about Jesus and show her the way she should live. In other words, make a disciple of Jesus Christ. Martha is a very strong influence in Becky's life. She listens to Martha and respects her. Mama Tuck and another one of our volunteers, Vicki, are great influences on her as well.
We don't always know why people end up homeless. The reasons are many, and does it really matter? The fact is when you are homeless, you are homeless. The key is surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and allowing Him to make the changes to deliver you from the streets. That's what we pray happens to Becky.
She's been doing good and is taking care of herself and her unborn baby. She's experiencing the love of Jesus Christ through her family at Love In Action, and it's making a difference in her life.
Next month Love In Action will host a baby shower for her, and is she ever excited about that.
Love, compassion, understanding, and genuine caring is what makes the difference. When people experience the true love of Christ like that it will change their lives.
Please keep Becky and her baby in your prayers. We believe this child will be a precious baby and will experience the love of Christ from the very beginning of his life. He already has. They have proven babies hear and recognize voices while inside their mother's womb. In that case, this child has already heard the name of Jesus hundreds of times. He has experienced love and kindness and praise and worship music.
He's already off to a good start. Let's pray that Becky will totally surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and thus, raise her son in the fear of the Lord.
She would try to find a place to stay, but would bounce around from place to place, then she didn't have anywhere else to go, but the streets. Martha and I couldn't let that happen. Love In Action helped her with a hotel room, and then found an apartment for her that was safe and reasonable - two rare qualities put together in downtown Dothan, Ala.
Being lazy isn't a problem with her, neither is drug or alcohol use. She tried to find work when we met her more than three months ago, but nobody wanted to hire someone who was pregnant. Now, she's only a couple of months away from giving birth to a baby boy.
Our desire is to teach her about Jesus and show her the way she should live. In other words, make a disciple of Jesus Christ. Martha is a very strong influence in Becky's life. She listens to Martha and respects her. Mama Tuck and another one of our volunteers, Vicki, are great influences on her as well.
We don't always know why people end up homeless. The reasons are many, and does it really matter? The fact is when you are homeless, you are homeless. The key is surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and allowing Him to make the changes to deliver you from the streets. That's what we pray happens to Becky.
She's been doing good and is taking care of herself and her unborn baby. She's experiencing the love of Jesus Christ through her family at Love In Action, and it's making a difference in her life.
Next month Love In Action will host a baby shower for her, and is she ever excited about that.
Love, compassion, understanding, and genuine caring is what makes the difference. When people experience the true love of Christ like that it will change their lives.
Please keep Becky and her baby in your prayers. We believe this child will be a precious baby and will experience the love of Christ from the very beginning of his life. He already has. They have proven babies hear and recognize voices while inside their mother's womb. In that case, this child has already heard the name of Jesus hundreds of times. He has experienced love and kindness and praise and worship music.
He's already off to a good start. Let's pray that Becky will totally surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and thus, raise her son in the fear of the Lord.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Praise God for new LIA Dothan campus
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| Ken and Martha Tuck sign papers to close on the new property for Love In Action. |
God continues to blow our minds. Today, Thursday, June 7, 2012, was another historic day for Love In Action International Ministries as Martha and I signed papers to official purchase Love In Action's second campus in Dothan, Ala.
This property is located at 277 and 279 W. Main St. in downtown Dothan. If you know where Dakota Coffee is located downtown on Main Street, then you know where our new property is located. Dakota is our tenant at 277 W. Main St. They will remain there and we encourage all of our friends to stop by and enjoy a great cup of coffee and food. The two buildings behind Dakota is where Love In Action is expanding.
There is more than 18,000 square feet in which God will increase the ministry of Love In Action. The new property will be called the Love In Action Compassion Center, and a lot of great ministry will take place there.
We will expand our medical clinic at the LIA Compassion Center. When the suite is ready to move into, the clinic's new name will be the Samaritan Medical Clinic. We have more volunteer doctors, PAs, nurse practitioners, and nurses who are volunteering their time, and our client base is expanding. Many physical needs are being met, and that is opening the doors to meeting more and more spiritual needs.
In the near future, the Samaritan Medical Clinic will be home to health, eye and dental care for the homeless, women from the House of Ruth, inmates from Houston County Community Corrections, and the needy.
The LIA Compassion Center will also be the home of the Harbor House - transitional housing and an in-house drug rehab for men who are ready to make changes in their lives, come off the streets and get back on their feet again. What an incredible opportunity to not only lead people to Jesus, but also to make disciples and see God radically transform lives.
First, we have work to do to get the buildings ready. The work will not be as extensive as our Love In Action Ministry Center at 320 N. Foster when we first moved into it, but there is a good amount of work that needs to be done. HVAC work, a new coat of sealant on the roof, replacing a couple of windows, plumbing, electric, and a lot of cleaning, plus other work. So, if you would like to join us in getting our new facility ready, please help us.
We are so thankful, humble and excited about this opportunity. Please keep us in prayer as we will now be operating two campuses. We will need more prayers, more volunteers and more finances. Our God is more than able to provide.
Please join us now as we celebrate what God is doing right here in Dothan, Ala. To God goes all of the praise, honor and glory.
Click below to watch an audio slideshow of a work day at the LIA Compassion Center on Monday, June 4, 2012. I'd like to thank the Covenant UMC youth group, Martha, Mom and Dad Mills (Martha's parents), and Rick Denney for all of their hard work. There was a lot of overgrowth that needed cutting and trimming back, and they all did a great job.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Baptism at the Park
Sunday afternoon, May 27, 2012, will be a day I remember for a long time. It was special in so many ways, and most importantly, God was glorified by what took place.
We held our first Love In Action baptism service and nine people were baptized. We don't have anywhere at the LIA Ministry Center to baptize people, so Martha and I sat out to find a place. We settled on the small lake at Chattahoochee State Park near Gordon, Ala. It has a small beach area that looked like the perfect place. As it turned out, it was.
This service was also the first time I've baptized anyone. I was ordained in October of last year. I had wanted to baptize people, but since we didn't have a place, I referred people to other churches. Then on a recent Adopt-A-Block, a barber, Rev. Redding, talked about a creek he once baptized people at. That got me thinking. Martha and I looked for the creek and it was close to the state park. The park had more room, so we quickly got the word out that we would hold a baptism service and we had a great response as 28 people came out for the service and day of fun.
Those baptized were people we have ministered to at Love In Action, some for the past couple of years. Two are former mentees of mine from Houston County Community Corrections Work Release, and two are current mentees. Seven of the nine were either current or former inmates from Work Release.
I even had the honor of baptizing a child, who is the son of one of the inmates. Praise God! That one was a surprise. I didn't know I'd be baptizing a father and his son. Talk about something special.
What made the baptism even more significant was Doug Sommers assisted me. Doug is a good friend, and he is the one who introduced us to the men at Work Release three years ago. So to have Doug with me was great. I know it meant a lot to him as well.
A man who lives near the LIA Ministry Center was also baptized. Praise God! We are reaching the community.
Following the baptisms, we grilled burgers, hotdogs and deer sausage and enjoyed the rest of the day like one big happy family. It was so good to see families enjoying the sunshine and water together; something many of them haven't done in a long time.
Most of the people we minister to at the LIA Ministry Center rarely, if ever, leave downtown Dothan, because they have no transportation. So to be out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by God's beautiful creation was something special.
I can't tell you how many "thank yous" I heard Sunday. It was humbling to hear that, and I tried to convey to everyone how thankful I was for them. They made mine and Martha's weekend. It was an incredibly amazing day.
We will return to the Chattahoochee State Park for more baptisms. It's quiet, beautiful, and those in charge of the park are very friendly and helpful. They even joined us to watch the baptisms.
The day ended with a beautiful sunset. We had different views of it as we drove back to Dothan. Everyone remarked about what a great artist God is. "Nobody can paint a picture like God." Amen! To be honest. I don't know if I've ever seen a prettier sunset.
I thank God for such a wonderful day, and for the awesome opportunity to minister to so many wonderful people. The homeless, those incarcerated, and the needy are very close to my heart. They are good people. They just need to be given a chance, and told how important they are to God and to others.
When we show people the true love of Jesus Christ, their lives change. This baptism service is more proof of that. All praise, honor and glory to God.
We held our first Love In Action baptism service and nine people were baptized. We don't have anywhere at the LIA Ministry Center to baptize people, so Martha and I sat out to find a place. We settled on the small lake at Chattahoochee State Park near Gordon, Ala. It has a small beach area that looked like the perfect place. As it turned out, it was.
This service was also the first time I've baptized anyone. I was ordained in October of last year. I had wanted to baptize people, but since we didn't have a place, I referred people to other churches. Then on a recent Adopt-A-Block, a barber, Rev. Redding, talked about a creek he once baptized people at. That got me thinking. Martha and I looked for the creek and it was close to the state park. The park had more room, so we quickly got the word out that we would hold a baptism service and we had a great response as 28 people came out for the service and day of fun.
Those baptized were people we have ministered to at Love In Action, some for the past couple of years. Two are former mentees of mine from Houston County Community Corrections Work Release, and two are current mentees. Seven of the nine were either current or former inmates from Work Release.
I even had the honor of baptizing a child, who is the son of one of the inmates. Praise God! That one was a surprise. I didn't know I'd be baptizing a father and his son. Talk about something special.
What made the baptism even more significant was Doug Sommers assisted me. Doug is a good friend, and he is the one who introduced us to the men at Work Release three years ago. So to have Doug with me was great. I know it meant a lot to him as well.
A man who lives near the LIA Ministry Center was also baptized. Praise God! We are reaching the community.
Following the baptisms, we grilled burgers, hotdogs and deer sausage and enjoyed the rest of the day like one big happy family. It was so good to see families enjoying the sunshine and water together; something many of them haven't done in a long time.
Most of the people we minister to at the LIA Ministry Center rarely, if ever, leave downtown Dothan, because they have no transportation. So to be out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by God's beautiful creation was something special.
I can't tell you how many "thank yous" I heard Sunday. It was humbling to hear that, and I tried to convey to everyone how thankful I was for them. They made mine and Martha's weekend. It was an incredibly amazing day.
We will return to the Chattahoochee State Park for more baptisms. It's quiet, beautiful, and those in charge of the park are very friendly and helpful. They even joined us to watch the baptisms.
The day ended with a beautiful sunset. We had different views of it as we drove back to Dothan. Everyone remarked about what a great artist God is. "Nobody can paint a picture like God." Amen! To be honest. I don't know if I've ever seen a prettier sunset.
I thank God for such a wonderful day, and for the awesome opportunity to minister to so many wonderful people. The homeless, those incarcerated, and the needy are very close to my heart. They are good people. They just need to be given a chance, and told how important they are to God and to others.
When we show people the true love of Jesus Christ, their lives change. This baptism service is more proof of that. All praise, honor and glory to God.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
God is expanding Love In Action in Dothan
"“The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says: I
know your works. Because you have limited strength, have kept My word,
and have not denied My name, look, I have placed before you an open door
that no one is able to close." - Revelation 3:7-8 (HCSB)
God led me to these verses 12 years ago when Love In Action began. I was struggling, wondering how would we accomplish all that God had called us to do. He gently led me to these verses. I was nervous as I turned the pages of the Bible to the back where the Book of Revelation is located. I knew there was a lot of judgement and scary stuff in it. My heart raced as I turned to chapter 3 to see what the Lord wanted to tell me. Then I cried tears of joy as I read His loving words in Revelation 3:7-8.
I have held on to those verses for the past 12 years, and time after time I have seen God stay true to His Word. Now we're seeing it again. God is once again expanding Love In Action's borders. This time in the way of more property to do more ministry.
As many of you know, Love In Action's free health clinic has been a huge success. More doctors and nurses have come on board, and now we have funding for a dental clinic. We have outgrown the Love In Action Ministry Center in only seven months.We have seen people come to the Lord at the clinic and hundreds of medical needs - health and eye care - met.
We have also prayed for years about having a place for transitional housing and for an in-house drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.
God has placed before us another open door.
We have signed a letter, along with the owner, to purchase a wonderful building complex in downtown Dothan on West Main Street. It's not far from the LIA Ministry Center, which we are keeping. This will allow us to do even more ministry there as we move the medical clinic to the new location.
The building we are purchasing once housed medical offices. There will not be much renovation needed, with the exception of air conditioning work, to be able to move the clinic. We will use a little "elbow grease" to polish things up, move in the exam tables, and we'll be ready for our patients.
There is also a building with two stories that will be perfect for transitional housing and an in-house drug and alcohol rehab program. And, the property is already zoned exactly for our needs. Praise God!
I will go into all of the details and even more of how we so clearly see God's hand in this in blogs to follow. I just wanted to get the great news out there so all of you can rejoice with us and pray for us. Prayer is so vital.
Also, we are praying to put down the best down payment possible, so if anyone would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help us with the down payment please do so. Please email us at loveinactionministries@hotmail.com to let us know, or call us at 334-494-4995.
Donations can be mailed to: Love In Action International Ministries, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302.
Thank you and God bless each of you.
God led me to these verses 12 years ago when Love In Action began. I was struggling, wondering how would we accomplish all that God had called us to do. He gently led me to these verses. I was nervous as I turned the pages of the Bible to the back where the Book of Revelation is located. I knew there was a lot of judgement and scary stuff in it. My heart raced as I turned to chapter 3 to see what the Lord wanted to tell me. Then I cried tears of joy as I read His loving words in Revelation 3:7-8.
I have held on to those verses for the past 12 years, and time after time I have seen God stay true to His Word. Now we're seeing it again. God is once again expanding Love In Action's borders. This time in the way of more property to do more ministry.
As many of you know, Love In Action's free health clinic has been a huge success. More doctors and nurses have come on board, and now we have funding for a dental clinic. We have outgrown the Love In Action Ministry Center in only seven months.We have seen people come to the Lord at the clinic and hundreds of medical needs - health and eye care - met.
We have also prayed for years about having a place for transitional housing and for an in-house drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.
God has placed before us another open door.
We have signed a letter, along with the owner, to purchase a wonderful building complex in downtown Dothan on West Main Street. It's not far from the LIA Ministry Center, which we are keeping. This will allow us to do even more ministry there as we move the medical clinic to the new location.
The building we are purchasing once housed medical offices. There will not be much renovation needed, with the exception of air conditioning work, to be able to move the clinic. We will use a little "elbow grease" to polish things up, move in the exam tables, and we'll be ready for our patients.
There is also a building with two stories that will be perfect for transitional housing and an in-house drug and alcohol rehab program. And, the property is already zoned exactly for our needs. Praise God!
I will go into all of the details and even more of how we so clearly see God's hand in this in blogs to follow. I just wanted to get the great news out there so all of you can rejoice with us and pray for us. Prayer is so vital.
Also, we are praying to put down the best down payment possible, so if anyone would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help us with the down payment please do so. Please email us at loveinactionministries@hotmail.com to let us know, or call us at 334-494-4995.
Donations can be mailed to: Love In Action International Ministries, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302.
Thank you and God bless each of you.
Monday, April 23, 2012
A miraculous healing
I have heard of people being healed and walking away from wheelchairs, but I've never witnessed it firsthand. I've read about it and watched it on TV through skeptical lenses over the years. Not that I didn't believe God could heal people, but I didn't trust the preachers on TV.
What I saw this past Saturday will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a life-changing experience. One that elevated my faith to heights its never been before.
Many of you either know or have heard about Rick Denney. He's one of my favorite people in the world. He's a dear brother in the Lord and friend. I love this man. He's been a very faithful volunteer at Love In Action for several years, even the past two years as he was bound to a wheelchair.
When I first met Rick he was homeless and an alcoholic. Little did I know he had been watching us at Love In Action. He observed to see how we treated people. He wanted to see if we were real as he had been hurt by "church people" in the past. I guess he liked what he saw, because he walked up to me one day when our ministry center was located on the Montgomery Highway in Dothan, Ala. He was a very humble man, and just a good guy.
He came around often, but every time he came drunk his head was down. He was ashamed. We loved him anyway, and eventually our broken down bus became his home.
Late one Friday night the unthinkable happened. He was run over by a freight train. Yes, a locomotive. The engineer wouldn't get out of the train, because he had seen what happened to people when they were in cars and got hit by a train.
With both hips totally separated, many ribs broken and his left foot nearly ripped off, he laid motionless in the hospital bed. He had large gashes on his face and head. He looked horrible. I remember what he told me that Saturday morning at the hospital. "Bro. Ken, the old Rick died under that train. The new Rick came out from under it." He gave his life totally to Jesus, and he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since. He tells everyone he meets about Jesus.
I've called Rick our evangelist on wheels. Praise be to God, I can't call him that any more.
Rick called Saturday morning. Martha answered the phone and he said, "I believe God touched me last night. Y'all need to come pick me up." We had all been believing with Rick that God would let him walk again. In fact, he had told us a while back we didn't have to pray for his healing any more, because he believed God had healed him. He was just waiting for God's timing for when he would walk again.
Driving to Rick's Saturday morning, Martha and I both said, "He may be walking when we get there." Nothing prepared us for the miracle we saw.
When we pulled up in the parking lot I called Rick and told him we were there. We got out of the truck and waited. I heard his hotel door open and close quickly, which was different. Then, we saw him walking around the corner. Words can't appropriately describe what Martha and I felt at that moment.
Rick said Martha screamed and ran to him and hugged him. I immediately fell to my knees crying and sobbing out loud worshiping and praising our Heavenly Father who had just miraculously healed my friend.
When Rick walked around that corner, all I could see and feel was the awesome power of God. That has to be why I instantly hit the ground on my knees. I made it back up to my feet and hugged Rick. We cried tears of joy and thanked Jesus for this answer to prayer.
For nearly two years Rick was in a wheelchair. For nearly two years Martha and I and some other LIA volunteers picked him up for Bible study, church, Celebrate Recovery Inside, LIA coffee house, and to pray with people at the LIA health clinic. Many nights I prayed, "God, please let Rick walk again."
Rick went to a tent revival last Thursday and Friday nights with Bro. David Terrell. Rick has told me many stories about Bro. Terrell's tent meetings back in Florida from years ago. When I saw he was in town I told Rick. I knew he'd want to go.
Rick said as he sat there Friday night, he heard Bro. Terrell talk about miracles that he'd seen happen. Rick said he was present for a number of them. Then there was a time for prayer, but Rick didn't go up. He said no man was going to get the glory for his healing.
That night back in his room he prayed to God and asked God when was his miracle going to happen. Early Saturday, Rick woke up and he said God spoke to him and said, "Do you believe I've healed you? Rick said yes. Then God said, "Then get up and walk." So, Rick stood up and walked for the first time in nearly two years. And, he hasn't stopped walking.
No doctor has touched Rick since he was released from the hospital nearly two years ago. No physical therapist ever worked with him. Nobody touched him, but God. And God healed him. Rick even bent over and touched his toes and put his hands flat on the ground while standing up. I can't do that.
Yes, God still performs miracles, and this is one I'll never forget. You can believe it or not, but I believe it, because I know my God. And, I know Rick very well. I know he had no strength in his legs. He couldn't stand, much less take a step until Saturday morning.
God is awesome, and there is no other God but Him. Jesus says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is, and He healed back in the days when He walked the earth with His disciples. He still heals today, and He will continue to heal as long as people believe and receive what He has already done.
I thank God for healing my friend and my brother. To God be all of the praise, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
What I saw this past Saturday will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a life-changing experience. One that elevated my faith to heights its never been before.
Many of you either know or have heard about Rick Denney. He's one of my favorite people in the world. He's a dear brother in the Lord and friend. I love this man. He's been a very faithful volunteer at Love In Action for several years, even the past two years as he was bound to a wheelchair.
When I first met Rick he was homeless and an alcoholic. Little did I know he had been watching us at Love In Action. He observed to see how we treated people. He wanted to see if we were real as he had been hurt by "church people" in the past. I guess he liked what he saw, because he walked up to me one day when our ministry center was located on the Montgomery Highway in Dothan, Ala. He was a very humble man, and just a good guy.
He came around often, but every time he came drunk his head was down. He was ashamed. We loved him anyway, and eventually our broken down bus became his home.
Late one Friday night the unthinkable happened. He was run over by a freight train. Yes, a locomotive. The engineer wouldn't get out of the train, because he had seen what happened to people when they were in cars and got hit by a train.
With both hips totally separated, many ribs broken and his left foot nearly ripped off, he laid motionless in the hospital bed. He had large gashes on his face and head. He looked horrible. I remember what he told me that Saturday morning at the hospital. "Bro. Ken, the old Rick died under that train. The new Rick came out from under it." He gave his life totally to Jesus, and he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since. He tells everyone he meets about Jesus.
I've called Rick our evangelist on wheels. Praise be to God, I can't call him that any more.
Rick called Saturday morning. Martha answered the phone and he said, "I believe God touched me last night. Y'all need to come pick me up." We had all been believing with Rick that God would let him walk again. In fact, he had told us a while back we didn't have to pray for his healing any more, because he believed God had healed him. He was just waiting for God's timing for when he would walk again.
Driving to Rick's Saturday morning, Martha and I both said, "He may be walking when we get there." Nothing prepared us for the miracle we saw.
When we pulled up in the parking lot I called Rick and told him we were there. We got out of the truck and waited. I heard his hotel door open and close quickly, which was different. Then, we saw him walking around the corner. Words can't appropriately describe what Martha and I felt at that moment.
Rick said Martha screamed and ran to him and hugged him. I immediately fell to my knees crying and sobbing out loud worshiping and praising our Heavenly Father who had just miraculously healed my friend.
When Rick walked around that corner, all I could see and feel was the awesome power of God. That has to be why I instantly hit the ground on my knees. I made it back up to my feet and hugged Rick. We cried tears of joy and thanked Jesus for this answer to prayer.
For nearly two years Rick was in a wheelchair. For nearly two years Martha and I and some other LIA volunteers picked him up for Bible study, church, Celebrate Recovery Inside, LIA coffee house, and to pray with people at the LIA health clinic. Many nights I prayed, "God, please let Rick walk again."
Rick went to a tent revival last Thursday and Friday nights with Bro. David Terrell. Rick has told me many stories about Bro. Terrell's tent meetings back in Florida from years ago. When I saw he was in town I told Rick. I knew he'd want to go.
Rick said as he sat there Friday night, he heard Bro. Terrell talk about miracles that he'd seen happen. Rick said he was present for a number of them. Then there was a time for prayer, but Rick didn't go up. He said no man was going to get the glory for his healing.
That night back in his room he prayed to God and asked God when was his miracle going to happen. Early Saturday, Rick woke up and he said God spoke to him and said, "Do you believe I've healed you? Rick said yes. Then God said, "Then get up and walk." So, Rick stood up and walked for the first time in nearly two years. And, he hasn't stopped walking.
No doctor has touched Rick since he was released from the hospital nearly two years ago. No physical therapist ever worked with him. Nobody touched him, but God. And God healed him. Rick even bent over and touched his toes and put his hands flat on the ground while standing up. I can't do that.
Yes, God still performs miracles, and this is one I'll never forget. You can believe it or not, but I believe it, because I know my God. And, I know Rick very well. I know he had no strength in his legs. He couldn't stand, much less take a step until Saturday morning.
God is awesome, and there is no other God but Him. Jesus says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is, and He healed back in the days when He walked the earth with His disciples. He still heals today, and He will continue to heal as long as people believe and receive what He has already done.
I thank God for healing my friend and my brother. To God be all of the praise, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
'Nobody has ever done what you do'
Adopt-A-Block is a radical weekly outreach that is changing lives in Dothan, Ala. I say it's radical, because it takes a commitment to live life with others. We know that in today's society, especially in the U.S., finding people committed to doing God's work is hard to find. Unfortunately, commitment isn't everyone's favorite word.
The idea came from the L.A. Dream Center in Los Angeles , Calif. There, Pastor Matthew Barnett and the staff and volunteers at the Dream Center are transforming thousands of lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by serving the people. They serve the homeless, poor, prostitutes, and all of the people our society counts as losers and those they don't want to associate with.
Jesus showed us a totally different way throughout the four Gospels in the New Testament. Those are the types of people Jesus hung out with as He said in Mark 2:17, "Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Then we read in 1 Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
Every Saturday at Love In Action, we go into the neighborhood where the LIA Ministry Center is located to serve the people. We pray with them and help them in various ways. Yesterday (Saturday, April 15, 2012) was another amazing day of outreach with Adopt-A-Block.
The morning began with one of our teams leading an elderly man to Jesus. He questioned if he would go to Heaven when he died. Now, he has no doubts. Praise God!
Across the street from him we sat on a porch with two more elderly men. They are both Christians, but not in good health. However, that doesn't stop them from praising Jesus, especially Mr. John. What a blessing he is. Though he has to stay hooked up to an oxygen tank, he still finds the breath to sing praises to Jesus. Yesterday, he sang one song after another. It was beautiful.
The other elderly gentleman thanks us over and over again each week. Yesterday, he told us twice that, "Nobody's ever done what you do in our neighborhood. Thank you." What an incredibly humbling statement. That man has lived in that neighborhood for years and years, but he said nobody has ever served the people like Love In Action.
That's not bragging on LIA, that's thanking God for working through us to touch lives. It's also a sad statement for the churches throughout that neighborhood. Churches will never have the impact on their communities that God intends for them to have if they don't get outside of the walls and serve the people.
Later in the morning we made our way to Mrs. Smiley's house, a sweet 80-year-old widow. She waits for us each week. Her daughter told us Mrs. Smiley won't go anywhere on Saturday until our visit. She is such a blessing.
Our wonderful volunteers did some work around Mrs. Smiley's house. We cleaned out and fixed the gutter on her front porch, repaired a leaking water pipe, and planted some beautiful flowers in some empty flower pots around her front porch.
All-in-all, I'd say it was an awesome day. An elderly man gets saved, we sang God's praises with another elderly man, and we blessed a precious elderly widow. That's not to mention all of the others we prayed with, and the 30-plus we served lunch to.
God is so awesome and we give Him all of the praise, honor and glory. Thanks to each of you for your prayers and financial support, and thanks to those who come to the LIA Ministry Center to volunteer your time. Together, we are all making a difference for the Kingdom of God.
The idea came from the L.A. Dream Center in Los Angeles , Calif. There, Pastor Matthew Barnett and the staff and volunteers at the Dream Center are transforming thousands of lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by serving the people. They serve the homeless, poor, prostitutes, and all of the people our society counts as losers and those they don't want to associate with.
Jesus showed us a totally different way throughout the four Gospels in the New Testament. Those are the types of people Jesus hung out with as He said in Mark 2:17, "Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Then we read in 1 Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
Every Saturday at Love In Action, we go into the neighborhood where the LIA Ministry Center is located to serve the people. We pray with them and help them in various ways. Yesterday (Saturday, April 15, 2012) was another amazing day of outreach with Adopt-A-Block.
The morning began with one of our teams leading an elderly man to Jesus. He questioned if he would go to Heaven when he died. Now, he has no doubts. Praise God!
Across the street from him we sat on a porch with two more elderly men. They are both Christians, but not in good health. However, that doesn't stop them from praising Jesus, especially Mr. John. What a blessing he is. Though he has to stay hooked up to an oxygen tank, he still finds the breath to sing praises to Jesus. Yesterday, he sang one song after another. It was beautiful.
The other elderly gentleman thanks us over and over again each week. Yesterday, he told us twice that, "Nobody's ever done what you do in our neighborhood. Thank you." What an incredibly humbling statement. That man has lived in that neighborhood for years and years, but he said nobody has ever served the people like Love In Action.
That's not bragging on LIA, that's thanking God for working through us to touch lives. It's also a sad statement for the churches throughout that neighborhood. Churches will never have the impact on their communities that God intends for them to have if they don't get outside of the walls and serve the people.
Later in the morning we made our way to Mrs. Smiley's house, a sweet 80-year-old widow. She waits for us each week. Her daughter told us Mrs. Smiley won't go anywhere on Saturday until our visit. She is such a blessing.
Our wonderful volunteers did some work around Mrs. Smiley's house. We cleaned out and fixed the gutter on her front porch, repaired a leaking water pipe, and planted some beautiful flowers in some empty flower pots around her front porch.
All-in-all, I'd say it was an awesome day. An elderly man gets saved, we sang God's praises with another elderly man, and we blessed a precious elderly widow. That's not to mention all of the others we prayed with, and the 30-plus we served lunch to.
God is so awesome and we give Him all of the praise, honor and glory. Thanks to each of you for your prayers and financial support, and thanks to those who come to the LIA Ministry Center to volunteer your time. Together, we are all making a difference for the Kingdom of God.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
An incredible night
To say last night's Celebrate Recovery Inside at Love In Action was electrifying is about as close as I can come to describing it. What an incredible night!
From the moment I walked through the doors of the LIA Ministry Center I felt the Holy Spirit. The smiles on the faces of our volunteers serving dinner radiated throughout the place. Those being served smiled and expressed their thankfulness and happiness to be there.
When worship started, I knew it was going to be an awesome service. Alan Watson is so anointed and talented. I love it when he leads worship. With arms raised and people singing loud, our praise and worship rose toward Heaven and God responded by flooding the sanctuary with His Holy Spirit. It was one of the most incredible times of worship I've experienced, and I've been in some wonderful worship services. There's just something about it, though, when a room of nearly 100 people who are hurting at every level come together and worship God with all of their hearts.
Then Radica Quakenbos shared her testimony. You won't hear many like hers. Not that there aren't others who have experienced what she went through, but because not everyone makes it out alive. And, in many cases, people are ashamed. Never be ashamed to share what God has delivered you from.
I won't try to share everything she did, but in a nutshell, Radica was born in Yugoslavia (now known as Serbia), and her parents abandoned her. She lived on the streets as a child. She was raped, and then sold to a family in the U.S. by her own father. She was beaten and treated like a slave when she arrived in the U.S.
She didn't know God; they didn't teach about God in Yugoslavia. But, God showered His love upon her and when she gave her live to Jesus, she's never been the same. Through His forgiveness and her giving forgiveness to all of the people who hurt her, Jesus set her free.
I encourage you to purchase her book, "In My Father's Hands." It's available at bookstores and online at Amazon.com and Crossbooks. Her website is www.inmyfathershands.com
Tears flowed throughout the sanctuary as her testimony hit home with many people. Some who have experienced similar situations, and others whose family members have. The hurt, the pain, the unforgiveness ... it's all very real.
The response to the altar call revealed the hurt that was in that room. People hit their knees and literally cried out to God. At least five accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there may have been more. Others prayed for healing for their life that's been filled with hurts, and people forgave those who did the hurting.
Praise God for all of the lives He touched last night. Our job now is to continue teaching the people, in the church it's called discipleship. Jesus tells us to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)
So teach them we will through CRI, Wednesday night Bible studies, and mentoring.
God is so awesome. Last night made me think of Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"
Indeed, great is Your faithfulness my God, my redeemer.
From the moment I walked through the doors of the LIA Ministry Center I felt the Holy Spirit. The smiles on the faces of our volunteers serving dinner radiated throughout the place. Those being served smiled and expressed their thankfulness and happiness to be there.
When worship started, I knew it was going to be an awesome service. Alan Watson is so anointed and talented. I love it when he leads worship. With arms raised and people singing loud, our praise and worship rose toward Heaven and God responded by flooding the sanctuary with His Holy Spirit. It was one of the most incredible times of worship I've experienced, and I've been in some wonderful worship services. There's just something about it, though, when a room of nearly 100 people who are hurting at every level come together and worship God with all of their hearts.
Then Radica Quakenbos shared her testimony. You won't hear many like hers. Not that there aren't others who have experienced what she went through, but because not everyone makes it out alive. And, in many cases, people are ashamed. Never be ashamed to share what God has delivered you from.
I won't try to share everything she did, but in a nutshell, Radica was born in Yugoslavia (now known as Serbia), and her parents abandoned her. She lived on the streets as a child. She was raped, and then sold to a family in the U.S. by her own father. She was beaten and treated like a slave when she arrived in the U.S.
She didn't know God; they didn't teach about God in Yugoslavia. But, God showered His love upon her and when she gave her live to Jesus, she's never been the same. Through His forgiveness and her giving forgiveness to all of the people who hurt her, Jesus set her free.
I encourage you to purchase her book, "In My Father's Hands." It's available at bookstores and online at Amazon.com and Crossbooks. Her website is www.inmyfathershands.com
Tears flowed throughout the sanctuary as her testimony hit home with many people. Some who have experienced similar situations, and others whose family members have. The hurt, the pain, the unforgiveness ... it's all very real.
The response to the altar call revealed the hurt that was in that room. People hit their knees and literally cried out to God. At least five accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there may have been more. Others prayed for healing for their life that's been filled with hurts, and people forgave those who did the hurting.
Praise God for all of the lives He touched last night. Our job now is to continue teaching the people, in the church it's called discipleship. Jesus tells us to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)
So teach them we will through CRI, Wednesday night Bible studies, and mentoring.
God is so awesome. Last night made me think of Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"
Indeed, great is Your faithfulness my God, my redeemer.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Beautiful day of ministry
Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun shined brightly in the backdrop of a deep blue sky and the temperature was a near perfect 75. But what was even more beautiful than the picturesque scene of sunshine, blue sky and blooming spring flowers was the ministry that took place during Love In Action's Adopt-A-Block.
The entire morning we prayed with people and handed out bread that is donated every week to us by the Atlanta Bread Company. We were also able to help a couple of elderly women.
One of the women needed some heavy bags of clothes taken to the road. The bags were in her back yard and were soaked after the most recent rains. She never could have moved them, so we were thankful to do it for her.
Then later in the morning we visited one of our favorite people in the neighborhood - Mrs. Smiley. She is a sweet 80-year-old widow who lives at the end of a street. Each week we pray with her and just talk. She enjoys our visits and always greets us with her infectious smile. She has the perfect name.
During our visit, she mentioned how much she loves the old hymn "Old Rugged Cross." George, one of our volunteers, started singing it, then Ms. Smiley joined in. I couldn't help but raise my hands in praise of Jesus as I could feel God's Holy Spirit moving on Ms. Smiley's front porch. It was a beautiful moment.
As we were leaving we noticed grass was overtaking her flower bed, so we told her we would return to clean it out for her. She was so happy. When we came back one of her daughters was there, and we all had a great time talking and singing. Yes, another song of praise was sung as her daughter sang an old hymn, then George sang "I can only imagine."
Before going to see Ms. Smiley, we stopped at a house across the street from her where three people were sitting outside in chairs, and two of them were drinking beer. They weren't drunk, but were kicking back a cold one. The woman lives at the house and the other one with a beer was a former work release inmate who attended our Celebrate Recovery when we were located on Montgomery Highway.
When he saw me, he put his beer down. He apologized and said he wished I hadn't seen him drinking that beer. I told him I wasn't there to condemn him, but to remind him that God loves him. We had a good talk, and then we all prayed. At the end of that prayer, tears flowed down his face. Another seed planted, and I pray it takes root and grows. He knows where we are located at now, so hopefully on nights he isn't working he will come to the ministry center.
The other young man there, who wasn't drinking, is a soldier in the U.S. Army. He has served in Afghanistan and is going back in August. What an honor it was to pray for one of our brave men who fights for our freedom. We thanked him for his service and he thanked us for the support.
Many other great moments took place on Saturday as God poured His spirit out on that community. What an honor and privilege to serve such a great and loving God.
Adopt-A-Block takes place every Saturday, beginning at 9:45 a.m. with prayer at the Love In Action Ministry Center. The outreach lasts from 10 a.m. until noon. For those who can stay longer, we go back into the neighborhood and do projects like we did for Ms. Smiley.
It's all for the glory of God, and we praise Him for all of the opportunities He gives us to serve Him.
I invite you to join us. It is a life-changing outreach, and the more volunteers we have the more people we can reach.
The entire morning we prayed with people and handed out bread that is donated every week to us by the Atlanta Bread Company. We were also able to help a couple of elderly women.
One of the women needed some heavy bags of clothes taken to the road. The bags were in her back yard and were soaked after the most recent rains. She never could have moved them, so we were thankful to do it for her.
Then later in the morning we visited one of our favorite people in the neighborhood - Mrs. Smiley. She is a sweet 80-year-old widow who lives at the end of a street. Each week we pray with her and just talk. She enjoys our visits and always greets us with her infectious smile. She has the perfect name.
During our visit, she mentioned how much she loves the old hymn "Old Rugged Cross." George, one of our volunteers, started singing it, then Ms. Smiley joined in. I couldn't help but raise my hands in praise of Jesus as I could feel God's Holy Spirit moving on Ms. Smiley's front porch. It was a beautiful moment.
As we were leaving we noticed grass was overtaking her flower bed, so we told her we would return to clean it out for her. She was so happy. When we came back one of her daughters was there, and we all had a great time talking and singing. Yes, another song of praise was sung as her daughter sang an old hymn, then George sang "I can only imagine."
Before going to see Ms. Smiley, we stopped at a house across the street from her where three people were sitting outside in chairs, and two of them were drinking beer. They weren't drunk, but were kicking back a cold one. The woman lives at the house and the other one with a beer was a former work release inmate who attended our Celebrate Recovery when we were located on Montgomery Highway.
When he saw me, he put his beer down. He apologized and said he wished I hadn't seen him drinking that beer. I told him I wasn't there to condemn him, but to remind him that God loves him. We had a good talk, and then we all prayed. At the end of that prayer, tears flowed down his face. Another seed planted, and I pray it takes root and grows. He knows where we are located at now, so hopefully on nights he isn't working he will come to the ministry center.
The other young man there, who wasn't drinking, is a soldier in the U.S. Army. He has served in Afghanistan and is going back in August. What an honor it was to pray for one of our brave men who fights for our freedom. We thanked him for his service and he thanked us for the support.
Many other great moments took place on Saturday as God poured His spirit out on that community. What an honor and privilege to serve such a great and loving God.
Adopt-A-Block takes place every Saturday, beginning at 9:45 a.m. with prayer at the Love In Action Ministry Center. The outreach lasts from 10 a.m. until noon. For those who can stay longer, we go back into the neighborhood and do projects like we did for Ms. Smiley.
It's all for the glory of God, and we praise Him for all of the opportunities He gives us to serve Him.
I invite you to join us. It is a life-changing outreach, and the more volunteers we have the more people we can reach.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Two souls saved
In my last blog I wrote about how much I love seeing God show His power through miracles of healing. Not long after posting that blog, I saw Jesus do something I love to see the most ... save souls.
Thursday night is when we have our free Love In Action Healthcare Clinic. It was a great night as Dr. Steve Stokes and Steve Mashburn saw 22 patients for heath care reasons and Dr. Ron Sealock saw eight patients for eye care needs. Those 30 patients and more were served a delicious dinner as well by volunteers from Greystone UMC.
Afterward, six of us were sitting in the foyer when a homeless woman and man walked up to the ministry center. She said a man named Butch told her we could probably help them. They needed food. Another organization had paid for a hotel room for them, but they didn't have any food. Butch was right, we had food and shared it with them.
The great thing about Butch, is he didn't believe in God and didn't want anything to do with Jesus when we first met him more than a year ago. Now, he loves Jesus and Love In Action. He always tells us he loves us, and now he is sending people to LIA to get help. Praise God!
After giving this couple food, hygiene items, a New Testament and Christian tract, we prayed with them. After the prayer, I asked them if they had a personal relationship with Jesus. He said he did, but had strayed away and she said she had been to church. We talked some more about how God wanted a relationship with us and Jesus made the way through His dying on the cross, then rising from the grave to give us eternal life.
We talked some more, then they said they were ready to ask Jesus into their hearts. Glory to God! To see God bring in the harvest is awesome! I never get tired of seeing people get saved.
Now, it's time for discipleship. We told them about Celebrate Recovery Inside and Wednesday night Bible study. We invited them to church this Sunday, and offered them rides.
Please keep Paula and Vincent in your prayers. We give God all the glory for what He did in their lives tonight.
"... there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) We are rejoicing as well over these two who repented of their sins tonight and asked Jesus into their hearts.
Thursday night is when we have our free Love In Action Healthcare Clinic. It was a great night as Dr. Steve Stokes and Steve Mashburn saw 22 patients for heath care reasons and Dr. Ron Sealock saw eight patients for eye care needs. Those 30 patients and more were served a delicious dinner as well by volunteers from Greystone UMC.
Afterward, six of us were sitting in the foyer when a homeless woman and man walked up to the ministry center. She said a man named Butch told her we could probably help them. They needed food. Another organization had paid for a hotel room for them, but they didn't have any food. Butch was right, we had food and shared it with them.
The great thing about Butch, is he didn't believe in God and didn't want anything to do with Jesus when we first met him more than a year ago. Now, he loves Jesus and Love In Action. He always tells us he loves us, and now he is sending people to LIA to get help. Praise God!
After giving this couple food, hygiene items, a New Testament and Christian tract, we prayed with them. After the prayer, I asked them if they had a personal relationship with Jesus. He said he did, but had strayed away and she said she had been to church. We talked some more about how God wanted a relationship with us and Jesus made the way through His dying on the cross, then rising from the grave to give us eternal life.
We talked some more, then they said they were ready to ask Jesus into their hearts. Glory to God! To see God bring in the harvest is awesome! I never get tired of seeing people get saved.
Now, it's time for discipleship. We told them about Celebrate Recovery Inside and Wednesday night Bible study. We invited them to church this Sunday, and offered them rides.
Please keep Paula and Vincent in your prayers. We give God all the glory for what He did in their lives tonight.
"... there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) We are rejoicing as well over these two who repented of their sins tonight and asked Jesus into their hearts.
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