We are but a mist ... here today, gone tomorrow

I shed tears today hearing the reports that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died today in a helicopter crash in California. Such a tragedy. Reports now say nine people died in that crash. The tragedy is horrible for the family, relatives and fans of all of those who died. Most of us focus on the tragedy of Kobe’s death because ... well, he was Kobe Bryant, the “Black Mamba.”

Why the tears? I didn’t know him. I usually cheered against him and his Lakers. But I loved watching him play. I’m truly heartbroken over the news of the loss of one of the greatest basketball players ever. 

My tears are for his wife, three surviving children, family and friends who are in total shock right now as their world has been shaken to its core. The death of his daughter compounds the sadness. My tears are for the loss of such a young man who provided millions of us 20 years of enjoyment with his unbelievable, god-given talent that was superior to everyone else during his NBA era. Michael had his era, and then Kobe took the game over. We don’t know these superstars, but we admire them and follow their careers to where it feels like we know them. 

My tears and heavy heart are for not knowing if Kobe, his daughter, and the other seven who died were saved or not. Did they trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior? That’s the most important question for all of us. When we leave this earth, and we all will die one day, where is our eternal destination? If we deny Jesus and never surrender to His Lordship, eternal Hell is our destination. Eternally separated from God. But the good news is if we do give our lives to Jesus, surrender to His Lordship, live for Him here on earth we will be with Him forever. Eternally in the presence of the almighty, all loving God. Where is your heart today? With or without Jesus? If you aren’t sure you still have time. But none of us, like Kobe, Gianna and those on that helicopter, know how long.

If you aren’t sure or have questions, please ask me. I’ll do my best to provide answers. Here’s a link to a page on our Love In Action website that may help as well, https://loveinactionministries.com/t4t/follow-jesus

May God comfort Kobe and Gianna’s family, relatives, friends and fans, and those who mourn the other seven who died. May all who mourn find peace in the love of Christ. May Kobe’s infant child grow up and learn what an amazing athlete daddy was and how he made millions of people smile, cheer and cry. May this help all of us remember how short life is and focus on eternity. 

Thank you, Kobe Bryant, the “Black Mamba.” We will never forget all of those amazing moments you gave us on the basketball court. You inspired so many people, including a little kid who grew up to be called “King James” and moved past you last night to become the No. 3 scorer in NBA history. And, you graciously congratulated him immediately. I hope you knew Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I’d love seeing you play on a golden court for eternity. I’d love to play you one-on-one, because it would be so cool being dunked on by one of the greatest of all-time.

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” - James 4:14

Record number of patients

Thanks to medical professionals giving of their time and talents, we meet physical
needs of the homeless every Thursday at the Samaritan Clinic.

Every Thursday the Samaritan Clinic is filled with the homeless, people living in group homes like The Ark, and men and women from Houston County Community Corrections Work Release. In 2019, the clinic helped a record number ... 1,166 patients.

We praise God for the opportunity to help so many people. It's another way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. When our homeless friends are sick or have a tooth ache, what an incredible blessing this clinic is to them. They know without a shadow of a doubt that we love and care about them. Most importantly, they know that God has not forgotten them, and is here to meet their needs.

Each Thursday we begin the clinic with a prayer. When we ask for prayer requests, hardly a Thursday goes by that one of our friends doesn’t say, “Pray God will continue to bless the Samaritan Clinic and Love In Action. That's a blessing for us to hear them say that, because it shows us they know we are here all because of God.

We thank all of the doctors, dentists, eye doctor, nurses, pharmacists, dental assistants, receptionists, ACOM students, Wallace College Nursing students, those who bring food and pray with the patients when they leave the clinic, and those who donate financially. The Samaritan Clinic would not exist without any of you.

Please continue to pray for the clinic, and please consider giving financially. You can mail your tax-deductible donations to: Samaritan Clinic, 279 W. Main St., Suite 3, Dothan, AL 36301. Or, you may give securely online via PayPal through our website. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate , and then click on the "Donate" button. Please note in your PayPal giving that the gift is for the Samaritan Clinic.

Thank you and God bless you.

Record numbers in 2019

Love In Action's food ministry hit record numbers in 2019. More than 38,000 pounds of food was distributed through LIA's food pantry, and more than 28,000 hot meals were served at LIA's coffee house.

We have always used food as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says He will make us fishers of men. To fish you need bait. Food is our bait to draw people in to hear the Gospel.

People also experience the Gospel through the food ministry. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish, He showed that He cared about the people's physical needs. When people are hungry and you can meet that need, they realize you care about them. Therefore, they will listen to what you have to say. We have seen tens of thousands come to Jesus through our food ministry over the past 19 years.

The need for food is real in Dothan where 1-in-6 people are food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from. Love In Action is thankful to be able to help meet some of those needs.

We couldn't do it without the wonderful people who live in Dothan and the Wiregrass. People donate non-perishable foods, perishable foods we can keep in a freezer and give out through our food pantry, cook casseroles for us to serve and so much more.

A local high school and businesses also play a big role in LIA's food ministry.

Rehobeth High School's FFA grows crops for LIA during the spring and summer. Longhorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Dante's Pizza, and Olive Garden all donate food to LIA. CAE USA cooks 90 meals for us every Thursday and Friday. Flying J donated food and sandwiches for half of 2019.

It's a huge help to us, and I like the fact food is not being thrown away. We see a lot of people who are genuinely hungry. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the people here in our community, we are making a dent in the hunger problem here.

Love In Action receives its food from the Southeastern Food Bank, which is headquartered in Orlando. AMX Trucking hauls the food to Dothan.

Southeastern Food Bank has been a huge blessing to us. We receive all of the food free. The requirements to receive the food is to share the Gospel and keep records, which we were already doing when the food bank approached us over two years ago. And, for AMX to truck the food to us for free is amazing. We can't thank them enough.

LIA's food ministry will continue to expand in 2020 as the needs continue to rise.

We will soon be constructing a warehouse for food, therefore we will be able to accept more food from the Southeastern Food Bank. That will be a huge blessing to many more people here in the Wiregrass.

We also hope to expand our hot meals ministry with the expansion of our kitchen and taking the mobile kitchen out more. That will require more funds and volunteers, but we know God will provide in His timing.

If you would like to give financially to help LIA spread the Gospel through its food ministry, please mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Or, you may give securely online via PayPal through LIA's website. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate , and then click on the "Donate" button.

Thank you and God bless you.

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.