Homeless no more

"I have a home," exclaimed a 60-year-old woman as she gave me a big hug. She had been homeless for much of this year and living in a low-rent motel. Last month she and her son moved into their own home. Her smile and tears of joy said it all. No more wondering where she will stay each night.

"It feels so good to say, 'I'm going home,'" she said. "It feels so good to tell people on the phone who ask me where I'm at that, 'I'm home.'"

Not only did she struggle with homelessness, but she also battled against cancer. Her world was crumbling. She felt hopeless.

"I was ready to give up, and then I came to Love In Action," she said. "When y'all prayed for me, I felt the Lord touch me. After being baptized things started changing."

Jesus saved and transformed her life. She's not the only one. We have seen Jesus save nearly 100 souls this year, and we have seen a number of our friends come out of homelessness.

One Thursday morning in December our devotional time turned into testimony time as six of our friends who were homeless in 2019 shared how they are no longer homeless. Each one said it's all because of God. They gave their lives to Jesus and their lives changed.

When we come to Jesus we realize we are loved by Almighty God. We experience His love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. We start thinking differently and making better decisions. We have seen hundreds of homeless come off the streets over the years, and the No. 1 common denominator  in each one is they gave their lives to Jesus. He truly saves and transforms lives.

Broken Pieces

Broken shells Martha and I picked up on the beach in Panama City, Fla.

Aren't we drawn to beautiful things in life? Vibrant flowers, pristine mountain or beach views. Beautiful people, houses, and cars.

Remember as a kid when playing a pickup game of basketball how you would pick two captains and select teams. The tall kids were usually picked first. Why? Because they looked like basketball players. However, there may have been a Stephen Curry or Spud Webb in the group who were passed over, and they ended up shining brighter than the tall guys.

Thanks to a wonderful couple giving Martha and me their condo for the weekend, we enjoyed a nice walk on the beach in Panama City this past Sunday afternoon. The deep blue sky and bright sun sparkling off the emerald waters of the Gulf made for a perfect day to walk along the shore and look for sea shells.

Most of us look for those perfectly shaped shells with beautiful designs. We were doing that when I spotted a broken shell, and then another and another. A thought came to mind. These shells represent the brokenness all of us have felt at some point in our lives.

I thought about our homeless friends and how they come to Love In Action broken, or we find them in camps with their lives crushed by addiction, mental illness, or situations out of their control. At that moment, I thought, "Isn't that how God finds all of us - broken and hopeless?"

Some of the shells had sharp edges where they were broken off. It reminded me that broken people are hurting people, and hurting people will hurt others, just as the sharp edges of the shells do. Jesus can heal those wounds. He can make straight the crooked and sharp edges in our lives. We just have to surrender to Him.

He doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up. He knows were are incapable of such a miracle. He takes us right where we are at and makes our lives beautiful.

Today, you may find yourself broken, a complete mess, like some of these shells we found on the beach. The waves of life have tossed and crushed you against the rocks and shore. But, you still have hope, and His name is Jesus.

He is picking you up right now and saying, "I see someone beautiful here." Let Jesus enter in and make you a new creation as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Are you broken? Call out to Jesus now. He's there waiting for you. Do you know anyone who is broken? Share Jesus with them today. Let them know He can take the ugliest of life's circumstances and make us beautiful. He can take all of our broken pieces and make us whole.

26 souls saved in two weeks

It's always an honor to be a part of a believer following Jesus in baptism.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

Day after day and week after week at Love In Action we plant and water seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearts of our homeless and needy friends. We can't save them. Only Jesus can. Sometimes it takes a while for a harvest to be reaped. Ask farmers. They know about planting and harvesting.

These past two weeks we have witnessed God bring in a great harvest as 26 people have given their lives to Jesus. Hallelujah! That's why we do what we do day-in and day-out. We enjoy meeting physical needs, and Jesus commands all believers to do so. However, nothing is more important than a soul saved.

Saying last Thursday was an awesome day would be an understatement as 17 people made decisions for Jesus Christ. Praise God! The Holy Spirit moved in such a powerful way during the devotional time. The Holy Spirit was drawing people to Jesus as I shared Psalm 103, John 14:6 and John 3:16-19, and at the end of the message 16 people gave their lives to Jesus in our coffee house. We don't close eyes and bow heads at LIA, so when people make decisions for Jesus they do so unashamedly.

We shouted and celebrated with the angels of Heaven over these decisions. Luke 15:10 says, "There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." There had to have been a huge celebration in Heaven over 16 sinners repenting. Later on that same day, a man gave his life to Jesus as one of our volunteers talked and shared the Gospel with him. Glory to Jesus!

God is doing a great work in downtown Dothan, and we give Him all the praise, credit and glory. 

Needs Have Doubled

Since the first quarter of 2019, the needs of those we serve have doubled. We went from serving 1,600 hot meals a month to 3,000 meals each month. People who come to Love In Action to receive help from our food and hygiene pantries have increased from 200 to 435.

As needs increase, so do our expenses. Please pray about giving financially to support Love In Action. When you give, you help us proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. So far this year, 79 people have made decisions for Jesus. Hallelujah! We could not reach the homeless and needy in Dothan without people donating financially. Your giving helps us be a lifeline for thousands who are either homeless or living in poverty. In Dothan, 1-in-5 live below the poverty line and 1-in-6 are food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from. Your financial donations help us make sure our friends have food, and give them the hand up they need to have hope that through Jesus their situations can change.

Thank you to everyone who donates financially. We couldn't do what we do without you. If you don't, please pray about giving a one-time gift, or becoming a monthly financial partner. You will be storing up treasures in Heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21)

You can mail your tax-deductible donation to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302, or you may give securely online via PayPal through our website by clicking on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate and then by clicking on the "Donate" button.
Our tax-exempt number is 63-1274627.

Your giving makes a difference

Sharing the Gospel on the streets of Dothan every Wednesday and Friday.

When people financially support Love In Action, they are making a difference for the glory of God. Those who give help us reach out to the neediest people in our community and show them that they are not forgotten; they are loved and cherished by God and by people right here where they live.

For those who are financial supporters, we say, thank you so much. It humbles us to know people want to make a difference for God and are willing to partner with us. We could not do what we do without you.

As the ministry continues to grow and expand, we need more support than ever before. The needs in our community continue to grow. We see it every day.

You may ask, how does supporting Love In Action financially help? I don’t have enough room in this post to explain it all, but please allow me to give you some highlights.

Your giving allows us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion to the homeless and needy in Dothan, Alabama.

So far this year, 60 people have made decisions for Jesus here in Dothan. Glory to God for all of the souls saved and lives being transformed for all eternity.

Thanks to your giving, we are able to meet critical physical needs. We went from helping around 200 people a month with groceries through our food pantry to 435 in August. The hot meals we serve have also skyrocketed. We were averaging around 1,600 meals a month. Now we are serving around 3,000.

One-in-six people in Dothan are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Thanks to people's financial support, they know Love In Action is here to help. We are also able to help those same people with hygiene items and clothes.

Thanks to financial supporters, our homeless friends are able to take showers, and we can wash their clothes. We are able to take hot meals out into the community and homeless camps. The homeless have a safe, cool place to come to on hot days as we open our coffee house to serve them.

There is so much more that people's support does. They help make Love In Action a lifeline for so many people. We cannot say thank you enough.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Thank you for laying up treasures in Heaven. Great is your reward.

If you would like to make a one-time financial donation to Love In Action or become a monthly financial partner, please mail your tax-deductible donation to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. You may also give securely online via PayPal. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate and then click on the "Donate" button on our website.

Thank you and God bless you.

We serve 3,000 hot meals every month.

60 people have made decisions for Jesus this year.

Needs double since first of 2019

We usually see an uptick in people needing help with food, clothing and hygiene items during the summer months. A big reason is because school is out and children do not receive breakfast and lunch during the week as they do during the school year.

School started back in August, but we didn't see the number of people in need drop. They have increased.

We served 435 people (individuals and families) through our food and hygiene pantries and clothing rooms in the month of August. That's the most we have helped in one month through our food and hygiene pantries. We also served 3,000 hot meals during August ... another record month.

We have seen the number of homeless and those in need continually rise this year. During the first quarter of 2019 we were meeting needs of 200 people through our food and hygiene pantries. The numbers have steadily risen to 435.

We were averaging 1,600 hot meals a month during the first quarter of 2019. Now we are at 3,000. We are reaching more people with our mobile kitchen, and more people are coming to Love In Action to eat a hot meal.

The reach of our food ministry has increased the reach of our ability to share the Gospel of Jesus, which is most important. We have seen 53 people make decisions for Jesus so far this year, and we praise God for that.

As the ministry continues to increase and reach more people with the Gospel and with vital physical needs such as food, our expenses have increased as well. Please help by making a one-time financial donation, or become a monthly financial partner. Your generosity will help us continue meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the homeless and those living in poverty here in our hometown of Dothan, Ala.

You can mail your tax-deductible donation to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302, or you may give securely online through our website via PayPal by clicking here https://www.loveinactionministries.com/donate and then clicking on the "Donate" button on our website.

Thank you and God bless you.

Can a housing development for the homeless work?

This is one of the tiny homes in the Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Community First! Village.

We saw a lot of Grace & Mercy and Goodness in Austin, Texas, at Mobile Loaves
& Fishes' Community First! Village.

Learn, gain valuable insight, plan, pray. Those were our main goals in Austin, Texas this past week.

Thanks to a grant given to the Southeast Alabama Coalition of the Homeless, I was honored to travel to Austin with The Harbor Executive Director Kody Kirchhoff, The Ark Executive Director Jeff Peacock, Genesis Housing Executive Director David Jamison, and Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba.

We attended a symposium put on by Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998. They do this in three different ways:

- Truck Ministry: provides food for the homeless in Austin seven nights a week.
- Community First! Village: A 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.
- Community Works: Provides micro-enterprise opportunities that enable residents of the Community First! Village to earn a dignified income, while also developing new skills and cultivating enduring relationships.

Our main reason for attending the symposium was to learn about the Community First! Village. Our ministries do excellent jobs of meeting many of the needs of the homeless in Dothan. Permanent housing is one major area we have not been able to accomplish as ministries and as a city. In Austin, we saw how they do it.

It's not as easy as copying and pasting, because one size does not fit all. However, we witnessed a true breakthrough in providing permanent housing for the homeless.

The homes are not just given to the homeless. They have to go through an application process and pay monthly for their homes. Those living in the Community First! Village pay for their homes through their disability checks, SSI checks, earned incomes or sponsorships.

Does everyone succeed in the Community First! Village? No. However, their success rate is an amazing 88 percent in the first four years of the village.

Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes the single greatest cause of homelessness is the "profound catastrophic loss of family." They also believe housing will never solve homelessness, but community will.

I can't argue with either of those statements. In most of the lives of the homeless I've ever met, they lost their family at some point. They don't have a support system through family as many of us do. That often leads to poor decisions that furthers the downward spiral.

They have a strong argument about community as well. When you live in true community you have so much support, encouragement and hope. When you live in community through Jesus Christ and how the early Christians did in the Book of Acts, then there will be true transformation and people can overcome anything through the power of God.

Can a community like this become a reality in Dothan? It sure can. It will take a lot of prayer, planning, work, and money. It won't just happen overnight. But, if the Body of Christ can truly come together with the support of our community it can happen.

What are the next steps? Stay tuned and keep us in your prayers.

The Community First! Village has an amphitheater where a Friday night movie is
shown every week. People from Austin and other areas come to attend this fun,
family night.

RV campers are also part of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Community First! Village.

We need each other to reach the lost and hurting

Taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ and food to the streets of Dothan meets two
vital needs. Most importantly, the need for salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
Secondly, meeting the need for food as 1-in-6 people in Dothan are food insecure. 

It takes the Body of Christ to effectively reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meet needs of the homeless and poor. Just one or two parts of the Body cannot accomplish this mission. It takes all of us doing our part.

Romans 12:4-5, explains that we are members of the Body of Christ, "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."

We read in Ephesians 4:15-16 that when we all do our part as members of the Body of Christ, the Body will grow: "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

We are able to reach more people when we all do our part and the Gospel spreads and God's Kingdom increases in number.

For example, last week we saw six people make decisions for Jesus. Hallelujah! This is why we do what we do at Love In Action. We also served close to 1,000 hot meals last week, as well as help close to 200 people through our food and hygiene pantries and clothes. Our homeless friends took showers and we washed their laundry.

All of the work meeting needs led to those six people making decisions for Jesus. None of those could have happened without our staff, volunteers, people who donate financially, people who donate items we use, and people praying throughout the week.

Our volunteers are amazing as they give of their time to show the love of Jesus and share the Gospel with those who come to Love In Action and as we take the Gospel and food to the streets. It's not easy, but they keep coming to serve, because they know they are fulfilling the call of God on their lives.

There are many others who deserve just as much credit and those are the people who support LIA financially. While you may not physically be able to be at LIA every day sharing the Gospel and helping people, your giving makes everything we do possible. Without finances, we cannot do what we do.

We have bills to pay just like a business. We have a mortgage payment, utility bills, insurance premiums, and payroll. We need to purchase fuel for our vehicles, which are used to transport our homeless friends to and from Bible study, Samaritan Clinic, other doctor appointments, social security office, food stamp office, and more, as well as pull our mobile kitchen around town. We purchase items to help meet needs of those we serve, such as tents, restock our food and hygiene pantries, office supplies and more.

Then there are the recent unexpected bills, such as two compressors going out in A/C units, a tire blowout coming back from a food bank run, an electrical disconnect that needed replacing, and someone throwing a brick through a window on our bus. Oh, I forgot about a clogged drain we couldn't take care of ourselves.

Your giving helps in all of these areas and more, and therefore makes it possible for us to share the Gospel with others, see them come to Jesus, and meet their physical needs. Thank you.

Those who donate items for our food and hygiene pantries, clothes, and more help us have the items we need to serve people without having to purchase the items ourselves, which saves on our budget. The food you donate keeps people from going hungry here in Dothan. When 1-in-6 are food insecure what a blessing it is to be able to help people who are struggling. The hygiene items help people who have to decide between paying for medicines and food or purchasing needed hygiene items.

Here is a link to a page on our website showing our ministry needs, https://loveinactionministries.com/dothan/ministry-needs.

Those who pray are bombarding Heaven with prayers for us and those we serve. God hears your prayers and we see Him answering them. We stand in amazement every week as we see firsthand those prayers for salvation, protection, and provision being answered.

You see, it takes all of us. Please continue doing your part. If you aren't involved in any of these areas, please join us. We need you. Those we serve and are trying to reach with the Gospel need you.

We are in real need of finances. The summer months are usually tough as people get out of their normal routine, which includes giving. Summer is also a time when our needs increase. The extreme heat greatly increases our utility bills, and children being out of school pushes the need for more food and serving more food even higher.

We actually started struggling with finances during the month of April, and the annual summer months decline has made this summer even tougher. God keeps coming through, and we praise Him for it. We are currently around $5,000 below our budgeted needs. Please help us catch up and get ahead.

You can mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302 or donate securely online via PayPal through our website by clicking on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate, and then clicking on the "Donate" button.

Thank you for giving. Thank you for volunteering. Thank you for donating items. Thank you for praying. 

Talking with and praying with people is such an important aspect of our ministry,
and baptizing new believers is a very exciting part of what we are blessed to do.

Wired evangelism team touched hundreds of lives

The Wired evangelism team serving with Love In Action were amazing young people.

If the youth attending Wired 2019 are any indication of how the generation will carry on the Gospel message, the Body of Christ has a bright future.

The Wired evangelism team serving at Love In Action last week was amazing. They were not shy about sharing Jesus with others and praying with pretty much everyone they came in contact with. They sat down and talked with the homeless in our coffee house. They ministered one-on-one with the homeless in suite 6 at LIA, which is where we talk with people one-on-one to share the Gospel and help them with physical needs, such as food, hygiene items, and clothing.

They prayed with our friends in homeless camps and parking lots of hotels. They knocked on doors in a community with mostly elderly residents to offer prayer and bagged lunches. Wherever we went, the youth were ready to minister.

Three decisions were made for Jesus last week, and the youth were part of helping to lead people to Jesus. We saw many acts of compassion, including one teen taking a lot of time with a deaf homeless person, who was visiting Love In Action for the first time. That personal attention made him feel welcome and loved. Nobody told that young man to do that. He was moved with compassion.

Another youth asked to do a prayer walk around one of the hotels we frequent with our mobile kitchen. She led the prayer walk and stopped at certain doors as she felt the Holy Spirit led her to pray specifically over the people in those rooms.

We even experienced a Love In Action and Wired first ... an impromptu wedding in the parking lot of the Beeline hotel. One of the youth brought his guitar and three others joined him singing praises to God in the parking lot. A couple heard the music and came out. They were amazed and loved it.

After talking with them for a while, I understood they loved Jesus with all of their hearts, and they had known each other for many years. Then they asked if I could marry them, because they want to live right in the eyes of God. I said sure. They asked if I could marry them at that moment. I turned around and said, "Hey, y'all. We're about to have a wedding."

Without missing a beat, the youth joined in and began playing music and singing for the wedding. One of the youth prayed over the happy couple. After I pronounced them husband and wife, the youth started singing another song.

The woman burst into tears and said, "That's our song," as she lovingly gazed into the eyes of her husband. Only the Holy Spirit could have done that, and He could because the youth were willing to flow with Him. It was awesome and so sweet.

Thank you Wired youth and team leaders for an awesome week. Y'all come back anytime.

Wired construction team rocks!

This group of young people filled this 20-yard dumpster to the rim at Love In Action.

Young people nowadays, all they do is play video games and sleep. They wouldn't know hard work if it hit them upside their heads. Aren't those the prevailing thoughts about teenagers?

Well, the group of young people we were blessed to spend last week with experienced very little sleep at Wired and definitely no video games were played.

Instead, they put in six long hours Monday-Friday at Love In Action working in the heat and humidity of our south Alabama summer. Before coming to LIA by 9 a.m., they were having Bible study, worship and prayer. Then after working all day, they had worship services each night, followed by more Bible studies. That's why it's called, "Wired tired."

The goal for last week was for the construction crew to demo two suites at Love In Action. Goal accomplished. They quickly demoed suite 1, and then spent four days clearing out suite 6, ripping out a kitchen, and removing flooring. All of the debris was tossed into a 20-yard dumpster. By Wednesday, it was almost filled to the top.

After finishing the work early on Friday, they moved downstairs to suite 4 to organize the food we had just brought in a week earlier from our food bank.

They worked non-stop until boarding the bus Friday afternoon. They did break for lunch and Bible study each day, two very important parts of each day.

The work they accomplished would have taken us a very long time to do. I seriously doubt we would have accomplished it by the end of this year.

Now, as the Lord provides, we will be able to renovate those two suites to make classrooms for discipleship classes, an area for larger meetings/gatherings, and a karate dojo. That's the part that caught our young friends' attention.

Our goal is to teach self defense for free to women who are homeless and live at the House of Ruth. Some of our volunteers want the training as well. Bro. Dan Levy is an 8th degree black belt and has taught self defense for decades. This well be a very unique ministry that could literally save some women's lives.

Thank you Wired youth and leaders. Y'all rock!

Thank you also to our long-time volunteer, Robert Pedrick, for leading the efforts and showing the youth what needs to be done. Robert was sure enough tired by the end of the week. He started working before the youth arrived and well after they left. For someone in his 70s, Robert doesn't let any grass grow under his feet. We love you, Robert.

Wired 2019 youth simply amazing

Wired Ministries evangelism team that was with LIA during Wired 2019.

Wired Ministries construction team that was with LIA during Wired 2019.

Any adults who worry about the next generation only needs to be involved with Wired Ministries to see the future of the church is bright.

Each year we have a group of youth who spend the week with us at Love In Action. This year we had two groups. One was a construction team and the other an evangelism team. Both groups were amazing.

The construction team worked hard in the summer heat to demo two suites for us. Their hard work sets us up to be able to start renovating those two suites, which will help us expand our ministries.

The evangelism team showed a lot of spiritual maturity as they ministered to and loved on the homeless and those living in poverty. Whether we were in our coffee house, at a homeless camp, or in a motel parking lot, these young people shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ through word and action.

Three people made decisions for Jesus and we experienced a first, an impromptu wedding in a motel parking lot. The youth served over 600 plates/bags of food, and prepared and gave out special bags of treats for children.

I will write more blogs about Wired 2019, and focus on each group in different blogs. I will also write a blog about the incredible impact of Wired Ministries on Love In Action.

It was the best Wired Week ever for us. I believe that shows the effectiveness of Wired. As the students attend Wired year after year, they are growing in Christ. It's not just Wired. There's a lot of great work being done by youth pastors and leaders throughout our community and region that is producing fruit. Add the amazing impact of Wired Ministries, and there is fruit that remains.

I've never felt better about the future of the Body of Christ in the Wiregrass than I do right now after an incredible week with about 30 amazing youth.

Love in Action's Game-Changer Project

Love In Action is excited about Wired Ministries' Game-Changer project. Wired Ministries brings students from local student ministries together every summer to be the hands and feet of Christ by serving on a ministry team composed of students and adult leaders from different churches in the community.

During the day, each ministry team will do various service projects and have a Bible study with their team. At night, every participant comes together as one body of believers to praise, worship, and thank God for what He has done in and through them each day.

We are excited to have two teams from Wired at Love In Action this summer, June 24-28. One will be an evangelism team and the other a construction team.

This year Wired Ministries is doing a Game-Changer initiative, which involves 10 local ministries, including Love In Action. Wired Ministries asked each ministry to research and develop their own Game-Changer project and submit them to Wired Ministries to review and ultimately approve. These projects will allow each ministry the ability to provide on-going ministry opportunities focused on sustainable change within the community.

Above you can watch a video of Love In Action President Ken Tuck talking about our Game-Changer project. You can view all of the Game-Changer projects by clicking here, https://wiredministries.com/pages/game-changer

You can donate to Wired's Game-Changer initiative online at their website, https://www.serquest.com/Organization/id/988

The disciple is making a disciple

As I chatted with a friend the other day, a question arose. He's a young man I've been mentoring, and he is doing great. He was homeless and doing drugs. Now he's living for the Lord, working and hasn't been homeless for the past eight months.

He now has the opportunity to mentor someone younger than him. I told him this is a great chance to impact a life for God. I asked him how it was going with the young man, and he said good. They've talked about goals and putting Jesus in the center of everything. Then he said, "I don't know what to say. I've never been in this position before."

This is the moment all disciple makers long for; when the disciple steps out to make disciples. Praise God!

I told him part of the Great Commission Jesus gives us says to teach all that Jesus has taught us, so that's what he needs to do. "What Jesus has taught you, teach and share with him," I told this eager disciple of Jesus.

The fear of most everyone obeying Jesus's Great Commission for the first time is usually, "I don't know what to say. I don't want to say the wrong thing." The truth Jesus told His disciples about the coming persecution holds true in this situation as well.

Jesus says in Matthew 10:19-20, "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

That happens when we share the Gospel with others and set out to make disciples. We need to study God's Word, and we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the right words to say. As we step out in obedience to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. He will also bring scripture to memory.

I'm excited to see this taking place. A person being obedient to the Great Commission. Unfortunately, this young man is rare. Not many professing Christians share their faith with others. In fact, studies show 90-95 percent of people don't. We must be obedient to Jesus. We must tell others about Him and make disciples who make disciples. Eternity hangs in the balance.

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (people groups), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

Remember, it's not the Great Suggestion. It's the Great Commission. It's not an event or a class. It's a lifestyle. Start living it today in obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

#Jesus #disciplemaking #discipleship #greatcommission 

God's agenda is always best

Baptism is a very special moment in a believer's life. It's often
the first act of obedience to Jesus Christ.

This past Saturday baptism and hitting the streets with our mobile kitchen were not on our list of things to do. Notice I wrote they were not on "our list."

The key to following Jesus is setting our agenda aside and being open to His. The agenda we set for each day may well be what Jesus wants us to do, however, we better be ready and willing to change as His Spirit leads.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

A man we have known for a about eight years came to Love In Action on Saturday. It had been a a month or so since we had seen Jeff. The last time he came to LIA he finally surrendered to Jesus. Different battles have consumed Jeff over the years. He knows God's Word very well. It's putting His Word into action that's the key.

He finally got to the point of where he was tired living life his way, so he surrendered to Jesus. He asked me then if he could come back to LIA and be baptized. Well, that day was Saturday. After a rough couple of weeks, Jeff said he needed to be obedient to Jesus. "Can I get baptized today," he asked me. "Of course," I replied.

We close LIA at 2 p.m., so I started filling up the baptismal trough around 1:30. Some of our volunteers stayed to witness Jeff's baptism. It was one of those very sweet and yet powerful times. Baptism is a very special moment in a believer's life. It is often our first act of obedience to Jesus, and an outward witness of our decision to follow Jesus.

It's also a special moment for the person blessed to be doing the baptism. I don't take that honor lightly. To carry out my Lord's Great Commission always humbles me. Baptizing believers is part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. It's one of my most favorite things to do.

After baptizing Jeff, we figured we would finish cleaning up and go home after a long, hot week. Then I received a phone call from a friend who works with the Dothan Fire Department. He said the Dothan High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes had some hotdogs to donate to us from the Dothan High spring football game. Bro. Dan drove to Rip Hewes Stadium to pick them up. He should have driven our truck.

There were hundreds of hotdogs and buns, 17 cases of water, and around a dozen boxes of potato chips. Wow! What a blessing!

Now what were we going to do? That decision was easy for Martha, Dan and me. God just blessed us with a lot of food, and the hotdogs needed to be used right away. So, we hooked the LIA Mobile Kitchen to our pickup truck and hit the streets with hotdogs and chips. We served hundreds of hotdogs. People were very happy and thankful to receive all of those bagged meals. We also blessed our friends at The Harbor Church will a bunch of hotdogs, buns and chips.

God's agenda is always best. As God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Let's always remember that and be open to everything He has for us to accomplish each day.

Here I am with my beautiful bride and Bro. Dan as we spend the second half of
Saturday afternoon serving up hundreds of hotdogs to those in need in Dothan.

Your support makes a big difference

Team LIA serving up delicious food through our mobile kitchen outreach.

People often ask where does our financial support come from? It comes from individuals and some churches and businesses, but the majority comes from individuals.
For those who give, we can't say thank you enough for supporting Love In Action with your prayers and finances. We couldn’t do this ministry without you. 

What does your giving do? In short, you help us proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. We are able to have a facility for our homeless and needy friends in Dothan to come to for Bible study and discipleship classes; to be baptized; to enjoy hot, delicious meals; to take a hot shower; to have their laundry washed, dried and folded; to receive food and hygiene items from our food and hygiene pantries; to find nice, clean clothes; and more. Our facilities also host the Samaritan Clinic where the homeless come for free health, dental, and eye care. 
Your support helps us take food, hygiene items, and Bibles to the homeless at their camps and other locations, and to those living day-by-day in low-rent hotels.

Your giving helps provide hope to the hopeless through the love of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for caring. Thank you for your generosity. You are storing up treasure in Heaven.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:19-20


If you haven't been a regular financial donor, we ask you to prayerfully consider doing so. You can mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302, or you may give securely online via PayPal by clicking on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate


Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you and God bless you all.

'Somebody is praying for me'

Don't underestimate the power of prayer or what it means to stop, take time and pray with someone.

Case in point, during a recent mobile kitchen outreach we met a man we had never seen before. We gave him a plate of food and offered prayer. As most people do, he welcomed the prayer. I asked him if there was anything specific and he just said, "everything." So, Martha and I began praying about "everything."

As we prayed, he started weeping, then he squeezed the to-go plate that held his hot meal. At that moment, the food didn't matter to him. God and the fact someone was praying for him were his top priorities.

His weeping increased as he said over and over again, "Somebody is praying for me. Somebody is praying for me." He was moved by the fact we were praying for him. He was at a point in his life where he didn't think anyone cared, so he was in awe there was a group of people who cared enough to come to where he was and pray.

Without any prompting from Martha or me, the man started crying out to God, "Forgive me God. Forgive me. I've sinned against you. Forgive me." The Holy Spirit was moving so strongly upon this precious soul that he had to cry out to God.

When we finished praying, I opened the Bible on my phone and showed him 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

He understood God had forgiven him, which made him start weeping again. While wiping the tears from his eyes, he thanked us. We all hugged and he started walking off. He made it about 5 yards and he started crying again. He thanked us again and slowly walked away.

That was a very powerful moment. We all thanked God for moving on that man's heart in such a mighty way. When we step out of what the world calls ordinary and live out the Great Commission, it's amazing what we see God do.

Let's stop trying to live an ordinary life as the world defines it and start living an ordinary life as God defines it. That life is living in obedience to Him under His Lordship. It's living out the Great Commission, understanding that it's not an event or specific outreach, but it's a lifestyle.

Living a life totally committed to God shouldn't be looked at by believers as out of the ordinary. It's what God expects. It's what He deserves, and what we should desire.

Don't miss what God is doing downtown

God is doing something very unique in downtown Dothan. It's something Martha and I have prayed for since first traveling overseas and experiencing powerful moves of God. We saw people so hungry for Jesus that nothing else mattered. Daily people thirsty for the truth received Jesus. Christians who desired nothing more than to bring glory to God and reach the lost. We experienced Acts 2:42-47.

We always return home praying that the fire, desire, hunger and thirst we saw there would come here. We are beginning to experience it here now. We are seeing people saved almost daily. Nearly every week we are baptizing people. We aren't seeing yet what we experience when spreading the Gospel among unreached people groups in Third World countries, but we're seeing the beginnings.

It started last year and has increased through the first three months of 2019. People we have long ministered to and prayed with have turned to Jesus. New people we just meet are giving their lives to Jesus. People who were never interested in Jesus are now seeking.

We've baptized hundreds of people over the years in oceans, lakes, ponds, swimming pools and 55-gallon drums. We've also borrowed baptistries at churches. But as more people started coming to Jesus, we needed to be able to baptize on our LIA campus. Now, thanks to Covenant UMC, we have our own baptismal trough, and people are following Jesus in baptism.

We shouldn't be surprised God is moving so mightily among the homeless and poor. Just read what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

More of the Body of Christ is seeing that being a believer is more than going to a worship service once a week. We must get outside the walls and reach people for Jesus, and that includes reaching out to the "least of these" as Jesus describes in Matthew 25:35-40.

We have some awesome volunteers who are so faithful and dedicated to serving every week. Some on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Others on Wednesday and Friday for the mobile kitchen outreach, and some for the Samaritan Clinic. Some serve multiple times.

We praise God for each one. It's life-changing. As Pastor Matthew Barnett of the LA Dream Center said, "Once you put your feet in another man's shoes you will never be the same." That quote has stuck with me for nearly two decades. It's so true.

We need more volunteers; more believers who want to love on people and serve the homeless and needy in Dothan. We need more volunteers who want to go through our discipleship method Training for Trainers (T4T) and help us disciple more new believers. We need more volunteers who are willing to mentor those we reach.

If God is leading you to do any of that, please come. Feel free to email me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com or call us at 334-494-4995.

The Holy Spirit is moving on hearts and drawing people to Jesus. Come experience it and be part of what God is doing. We read throughout the Gospels how Jesus chose the outcasts to do mighty works to and through. He picked fishermen and a tax collector to be His disciples. That's not what people were expecting.

He's doing the same today. The homeless and poor are considered outcasts by society. Jesus doesn't think that way. He's changing hearts and transforming lives, and bringing people out of darkness into His marvelous light.