Many things have burdened my heart these past few weeks. Being in Haiti affected me greatly. My heart was broken in ways it has never been broken before. It wasn’t the poverty of the Haitians as much as my own poverty I discovered there. I realized anew that the securities of life are not found in financial freedom, but the freedom found only in Christ. I learned anew that the goal of life is not have more, but to give more. My heart was broken by God to remind me that all I need is Him, not more stuff. I am also greatly burdened for the beautiful people of Haiti as the Cholera outbreak continues to spread. As I write this, the death count is over 900 men, women, and children and rising. Join with me in praying every time you drink a glass of clean water and eat non-contaminated food. I pray that God will break our hearts today as we encounter numerous people all around us in desperate need of His grace and mercy.
Looking ahead, I am excited that IMB missionaries Joshua and Amy Bowman will be sharing with us on Sunday, December 12 during our Missions Celebration. The Bowman’s recently finished up eight years in Africa and will leave for South-East Asia in April 2011. They will share some of their missionary stories during the Sunday School hour and Joshua will preach during morning worship. Be in prayer for the Bowman’s and all our missionaries spreading the gospel across the world. Be praying how you will give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year to support their mission.
This past Sunday, I shared a message on Christian Stewardship. We saw in the first chapter of Ephesians that we were adopted into God’s family through the blood of Jesus Christ – We are His! All that we are and all that we have belongs to Him. In the sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that we do not belong to ourselves – Christ bought us with His blood. This Sunday I will share how this truth should affect how we use what God has given us. I hope to see then!