Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Rich/Poor
I feel spiritually poor a lot of times and this was a wake up call to me as well. In America we have been blessed in so many ways and yet many of us are poor...poor in the area that matters the most. True richness is found in Jesus Christ and in him alone!
This is a post from Without Wax blogging from India with Compassion.
"This morning before we left for a day of visiting Compassion projects I read this verse during my quiet time.
Revelation 3:17 “You say, “I am rich, and I have become wealthy and do not need anything. But you do not know that you are really miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
Less than two hours later I met this young man at the Kestopur project here in India
As I heard him sing I felt God’s convicting spirit rush through my body. “Pete, who do you think you are? You think you’re here to simply write about poverty and child sponsorship, and you are, but there is more. I want to remind you that you’re the one poverty stricken. Pete, you’re spiritually poor.”
In the midst of everything I’ve been blessed with I’ve started to live with a delusional sense of self-sufficiency. Somehow, I’ve missed what this 7 year-old boy could fully grasp. This is the day. This is the day I should rejoice in Him.
Not because I’m rich.
Not because my relationships are going well.
Not because I’m enjoying a season of success.
Not because I have a secure job.
Because, this is the day. This day. With all of it’s potential troubles and unexpected crisis and interruptions is the day for me to be spiritually rich.
You and I can do a lot to change the lives of these kids (and I believe we should), but we could never replace the richness they’re finding in Christ. Just one more reason I’m such a fan of what Compassion and so many other great organizations are doing to take a bright light into a dark world.
Anyone else need a reminder that “This is the Day”?
This is a post from Without Wax blogging from India with Compassion.
"This morning before we left for a day of visiting Compassion projects I read this verse during my quiet time.
Revelation 3:17 “You say, “I am rich, and I have become wealthy and do not need anything. But you do not know that you are really miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
Less than two hours later I met this young man at the Kestopur project here in India
As I heard him sing I felt God’s convicting spirit rush through my body. “Pete, who do you think you are? You think you’re here to simply write about poverty and child sponsorship, and you are, but there is more. I want to remind you that you’re the one poverty stricken. Pete, you’re spiritually poor.”
In the midst of everything I’ve been blessed with I’ve started to live with a delusional sense of self-sufficiency. Somehow, I’ve missed what this 7 year-old boy could fully grasp. This is the day. This is the day I should rejoice in Him.
Not because I’m rich.
Not because my relationships are going well.
Not because I’m enjoying a season of success.
Not because I have a secure job.
Because, this is the day. This day. With all of it’s potential troubles and unexpected crisis and interruptions is the day for me to be spiritually rich.
You and I can do a lot to change the lives of these kids (and I believe we should), but we could never replace the richness they’re finding in Christ. Just one more reason I’m such a fan of what Compassion and so many other great organizations are doing to take a bright light into a dark world.
Anyone else need a reminder that “This is the Day”?
Monday, April 27, 2009
So a few months ago we had dinner with Jeff and Abby and Ross and Erin and I am just now posting pics ....look at all those kids. We had a great time!!!! Thanks Abby for being so brave!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
NEW BAGS AND A BROCHURE!!!!!!!! From now on when you receive your coffee they will be in this bag with this nifty brochure.....even though the bags are smaller they are still 1lb bags. We would LOVE it if you would get your churches involved in buying Gobena Coffee. Most churches serve coffee, why not serve coffee that helps orphans . We offer bulk discounts....
DRINK COFFEE. HELP ORPHANS.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
update on Gobena Coffee projects
This is an update of what is going on in Ziway, Ethiopia, by our friends that are working over there.....Gobena Coffee and Lifesong are partenering to help with the advancement of this project. We plan to take a vision trip in Sept. and then a work team once a year in the winter starting in 2010
This Ziway local church has a great vision. In faith they have stepped out
and begun building a much larger church building. As they receive funds
they continue construction. At this point in time, the cement block walls
are up and the steel trusses are in place. They have raised the money to
place the purloins on the trusses. After that is done they need to cover
the building with a metal roof.
Their priorities include pastor training and evangelism. Practically, they
are reaching out to the nearby Muslim village of Bochessa. Bochessa is only
accessible by crossing the Ziway River by rowboats operated by young boys
for a small fee. It is very difficult to get across the river to get to
Ziway for trading, to attend school, to grind grain, for medical care, etc.
There are repeated stories of people falling out of the boats and drowning
or at least losing some of their items which they are ferrying across the
river.
There are also cases of hippos getting upset in the evening and attacking
the boats. It is a big hardship and very dangerous to get back and forth to
their village. To reach and evangelize the village of Bochessa, the local
Ziway Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) wants to build a bridge over the river.
This would have to be a bridge which is strong enough to carry truckloads of
cement blocks, rebar, or other building materials to facilitate future
development down the road.
Once the bridge is built, we hope to build schools, group homes for orphans,
a small clinic, and churches in the area of Bochessa.
We will be partnering with other U. S. organizations and individuals on
these other projects. We want to try to make it all look like a seamless
integrated project, providing many badly needed facilities and services to
the people of this area.
In summary, here is a list of projects we are preparing to undertake in the
Ziway area:
In the town of Ziway:
1) finish the construction of their church building
2) relocate and enlarge the school which they have already
started
3) implement a school feeding program
4) pastor training and teacher training
5) evangelism
In the village of Bochessa:
1) construction of the bridge over the Ziway River
2) group homes for orphans
3) a school going up through at least 10th grade
4) a small clinic
5) a church
6) evangelism and education.
As we mentioned, one of the first things that needs to be done is to build a
bridge over the Ziway River. I have attached some pictures showing the
river and one of the little rowboats used to ferry passengers and their
goods across the river. The river looks very wide in this picture; however,
once the original channel is dug out and cleared of the debris, the water
should fit back into that channel. We think the bridge may not actually
have to be more than 60 feet (20 meters) long. By the way, these rowboats
are the means by which we go back and forth across the river each time we
visit.
Your continued support in Gobena Coffee is helping to make this possible....Thank You!!!!! ! 100% of the profits are being used to help those in need.
This Ziway local church has a great vision. In faith they have stepped out
and begun building a much larger church building. As they receive funds
they continue construction. At this point in time, the cement block walls
are up and the steel trusses are in place. They have raised the money to
place the purloins on the trusses. After that is done they need to cover
the building with a metal roof.
Their priorities include pastor training and evangelism. Practically, they
are reaching out to the nearby Muslim village of Bochessa. Bochessa is only
accessible by crossing the Ziway River by rowboats operated by young boys
for a small fee. It is very difficult to get across the river to get to
Ziway for trading, to attend school, to grind grain, for medical care, etc.
There are repeated stories of people falling out of the boats and drowning
or at least losing some of their items which they are ferrying across the
river.
There are also cases of hippos getting upset in the evening and attacking
the boats. It is a big hardship and very dangerous to get back and forth to
their village. To reach and evangelize the village of Bochessa, the local
Ziway Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) wants to build a bridge over the river.
This would have to be a bridge which is strong enough to carry truckloads of
cement blocks, rebar, or other building materials to facilitate future
development down the road.
Once the bridge is built, we hope to build schools, group homes for orphans,
a small clinic, and churches in the area of Bochessa.
We will be partnering with other U. S. organizations and individuals on
these other projects. We want to try to make it all look like a seamless
integrated project, providing many badly needed facilities and services to
the people of this area.
In summary, here is a list of projects we are preparing to undertake in the
Ziway area:
In the town of Ziway:
1) finish the construction of their church building
2) relocate and enlarge the school which they have already
started
3) implement a school feeding program
4) pastor training and teacher training
5) evangelism
In the village of Bochessa:
1) construction of the bridge over the Ziway River
2) group homes for orphans
3) a school going up through at least 10th grade
4) a small clinic
5) a church
6) evangelism and education.
As we mentioned, one of the first things that needs to be done is to build a
bridge over the Ziway River. I have attached some pictures showing the
river and one of the little rowboats used to ferry passengers and their
goods across the river. The river looks very wide in this picture; however,
once the original channel is dug out and cleared of the debris, the water
should fit back into that channel. We think the bridge may not actually
have to be more than 60 feet (20 meters) long. By the way, these rowboats
are the means by which we go back and forth across the river each time we
visit.
Your continued support in Gobena Coffee is helping to make this possible....Thank You!!!!! ! 100% of the profits are being used to help those in need.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
This is part of the Good Friday Service at Buckhead church in ATL. My friend Carlos is the creative arts pastor and does a GREAT job at what he does....check it out
Good Friday 2009 - Ending from buckheadchurch on Vimeo.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Rise and Shine
I am a night owl that wants to be a morning person.....so how to make that work, i don't know?
Do you have any ideas?
What time do you go to bed and rise and shine?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Some of you know that Gobena Coffee partnered with Lifesong for Orphans on a project in Ethiopia....we are very excited about this and are planing a vision trip to Ethiopia in July. None of this would be possible without YOU the Gobena Coffee drinkers....Thank you for continued support in Gobena Coffee. Every time you buy Gobena you are a helping hand in the worlds orphan crisis. Shortly you will be receiving a brochure with your coffee that will explain a few things and talk more about our projects...we would LOVE it if you would continue to spread the word about Gobena. Again 100% of the profits go directly to help orphans....100%!!!!
Thank you!!
Steve and I are going to the Orphan Summit this year. Gobena Coffee is serving the conference......so if you want to learn more about Orphan care and experience AWESOME coffee going to an AWESOME cause then come join us.
Are You Going?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
"Your life is to be lived in such a way as to reflect Him, to show the world the character of God- His love, His peace, His mercy, His gentleness. You are to live for Him, to accomplish His will. To miss this purpose is to miss fulfillment. It is to have existed rather than to have lived."
-Kay Arthur
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