Friday, November 8, 2013

ACTS of Kindness

Hi Friends!

So many people traverse through life and especially the holidays with little joy, little peace, and little and sometimes no hope. If you read the headlines, listen to sound bites, follow twitter and facebook, or just look into the eyes of colleagues or cashiers, then you know what I'm talking about.

We live in a culture that is filled with countless commercials and cunning campaigns that promise to radically rock and elevate the mood meter in the world. Why? No gurus needed as the answer is pretty straightforward: people lack joy, lack peace, and lack hope.

We tune into Reality TV to fantasize about celebrity to learn that much of celebrity has been nipped and tucked to look and feel worse rather than better with age. We idolize athletes who are payed millions of dollars to play childhood games to learn that some star in racism and vulgarity and even murder.

Do you believe people in the world need authentic hope?

Yes or No?

If so, as we enter into a special season of thanksgiving for God's goodness, fully realized in the incarnation of His Son and indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the church, would you join me in praying the prayer outlined in the Scripture above? Imagine the impact you can have in the world as the Holy Spirit infuses the joy and peace of Jesus through you into others!

Here are some opportunities @ Connections Christian Church to allow hope to overflow...

*Soles-4-Souls: donate shoes for those who have none: November 10th @ 12 PM
*Veterans Day: honor Veterans at Madeira Elementary School: November 11th @ 2 PM
*Connect-2-Adults: Bible Study and Prayer Groups: November 14th @ 7 PM
*Operation Christmas Child: donate gifts for orphaned children: November 17th @ 12 PM
*Senior Citizen Honors Luncheon and Care Baskets: November 24th @ 12 PM

I'm convinced, if you look closely, that you'll see the cry for the hope of Jesus Christ in celebrities and athletes and headlines and tweets. And what's more, if you look closely, you'll see the cry for the hope of Jesus Christ in many of the people you share life with every day.

So let's pray this prayer and allow the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus to overflow into the world. Envision joy in the world. Envision peace in the world. Envision hope in the world. Envision all these gifts of God in Christ Jesus in the world through you (the church) by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace,
Jeff

1 comment:

  1. I am nothing. Through Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I can do all things. I have to decide (and work on) getting myself out of the way.

    I can choose to sit on the throne of my life, deciding that I know better than God how to run my life. And I can point to examples of how badly that has turned out. Or I can choose to Exalt God Only, putting the Lord on the throne, and bow and worship Him.

    The opportunities that you list are worthy - they edify others, and are done in the name of the Lord. They are giving and serving times, not selfish times. They feed others instead of exalting me.

    As we go through these activities and Lead Like Jesus, God's goodness will overflow as our hope does - not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.

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