Moved to Action

I have just spent about the last hour or so "unpacking" this weekends Food for the Hungry Conference. It is amazing how God can use one comment, one situation, one weekend to shift your focus an entirely different direction. For some reason God wanted me there this weekend because I thought about bailing out a couple times and it turned out something kept me there. That is why I want to share it with you because God has dual purposes for what He teaches us and I want to give others an insight into the weekend. I can not possibly pretend to be able to explain everything to you but I do want to give you some of the highlights with a brief thought or explanation.

Bill Clark

• Are we too pre-occupied with life?

Talk about something to think about. I was sitting in the pew that night reflecting even beforehand about sacrifice and what I would be willing to give up. It is one thing to say it and entirely different to act upon it. As he began this session I sat with an EDU-Go pamphlet (talking about a semester of study in Africa, which I seriously considered for a few minutes)sitting on my lap. Wondering if I would ever have what it takes to give it all up for God's glory-everything from my job, my time, my money and go in faith.

• "Your life would never be the same if..."

What would you do for the Lord? Would you do something so radical that it would change your life or will we just stay comfortable? I think about this a lot before I jump into anything and then usually I don't jump. I might tip-toe around a bit but it is like the scene with Jesus walking on water. Would I have stepped out of the boat to follow or would I have held on to the edge and touched the water first with one foot and then the other fearing to trust?

• What do you invest your life in?

Yes, I give some of my time and some of my money to the Lord. But, what do I invest my LIFE in? What do I live for? Often myself. I pursue my desires, my needs, my career, the relationships I desire...Do I live that my name might be known or do I live that His name might be known?

• Fears (1 of 3 given) - That getting involved might have some type of sacrifice.

What would life be if there was not a sacrifice involved. It would mean the commitment level was luke-warm and mediocre. Everything we TRULY invest in will take sacrifice. So maybe that is why people never truly let go in life because we are afraid of sacrifice. I know I think hard before I invest in another ministry, another relationship, giving my money to another cause. What I need to consider here is when I don't decide to invest is it based off the fact that the availability is there but the selfishness and fear decides otherwise?

Scottie Smith

• Profitable worship-is pre-occupied with satisfying the worship consumer
• Prophet-able worship- is consumed with God's glory...by feeding the hungry, working for justice, and pushing back the effects of the fall...offering the "mercy songs" that really are "music in God's ears."
• The Bible calls us to costly living not more liturgy.

How true is this? We know we are called to gather together on a regular basis but the Bible calls us to live in such a way that we pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. Wow! How often do we hide in churches and service when those things are easier then living costly. Living costly is expensive and we live cheap. We are far too easily pleased as I believe Piper may have said.

• "Go preach the gospel and do it in words if you must." -St. Francis of Assissi

Again what a conviction. Use words and proclaim the gospel but don't even hide behind words. Live in words and deed for we spend less time talking and more time "act"ing in the day. It's like when God tells us He desires obedience and not sacrifice. Yes, He wants our lives and everything in them and that is a sacrifice but sacrifice of itself gains nothing. If you fast for the sake of sacrifice what have you gained? If you give to someone in need yet still allow yourself food and other luxuries have you not been obedient as well as sacrificed?

• Care for the orphan and the widow for this is music to my ears.

How is it that we worship? It is not just in song for worship is our life, our song.

• People come to the Lord to get something from Him rather then to give to Him.
• In Eden there was no spot set aside for worship because everything they did was worship.

Jena

Students, Water, and Aids

• a beginning
• Bringing clean water helps. Clean water is better for the immune system. If water is provided it brings time, community and helps with health. Most of the sources of water are far away and so it takes much time from the children and mom's as they must travel to carry buckets of water everyday from unclean sources. Their immune systems are very weak and poor water does not help.
• The mission: to build wells and help with medical efforts in villages in Africa
• $1 will provide water for an African for a year
• http://www.bloodwatermission.com/
• "Our knowledge now demands our action." -Jars of Clay
• "Bloodwater mission rescues people in Africa from dirty water and in America it rescues us from trivia and boredom." -Jena quoting someone else

After spending an hour and a half in the Blood:Water Mission discussion my mind was running with ideas that I am going to help implement in the World Ministries at our church. That is still to follow as there is much more to do before they are concrete and there are several more discussions to have with Mike as well as Lynne J. However, I do have to tell you it stirred me up to move to action and left my mind churning with ideas for about an hour. I am very excited about what is to come and though can not mention it yet know that we can accomplish something with God's help.

Scottie Smith (later on)

Revelation 21:1-5

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

• How do we find ourselves in that story?
• When God tells us to show up what does that mean?
• The tear wiping hand of God reaches into our lives "so that" it may extend to our neighbors and the nations.
• What parts of your story still need to be accessed by the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts?
• God will use your betrayals, abuse, the evil perpetrated against you, and your weakness as one of the primary conduits of His tear wiping hand.
• DON'T WAIST YOUR SORROWS.

There was so much more packed into a span of roughly 28 hours but I hope there is something you can take from this even if you were not there. I know I am excited and changed in thinking- hopefully that will lead me to stronger actions which will further the change in thought. I can not leave out the lyrics of Derek Webb as him and Sandra his wife (also an amazing singer/songwriter) lead the worship for the weekend.

Rich Young Ruler
(vs. 1) poverty is so hard to seewhen it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across townwhere we’re all living so good that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhoodwhere he’s hungry and not feeling so goodfrom going through our trashhe says, more than just your cash and coini want your time, i want your voicei want the things you just can’t give me

(vs. 2) so what must we do here in the west we want to follow youwe speak the language and we keep all the ruleseven a few we made upcome on and follow mebut sell your house, sell your suvsell your stocks, sell your securityand give it to the poorwhat is this, hey what’s the deali don’t sleep around and i don’t steali want the things you just can’t give me

(bridge) because what you do to the least of thesemy brother’s, you have done it to me because i want the things you just can’t give me