I'm not much on "titles," but when Steadman Harrison, our CEO/Mission Director, gave me the title of Director of Intercessory Prayer and Outreach, it was a wise move.
Why? I needed the Outreach part to survive the Prayer part.
Unless you've done the work of intercessory prayer for an extended period, you might not know this surprising fact: It's harder work than being a physician.
You can still practice medicine when you're grumpy or tired or have a little sin you secretly enjoy. Not so with prayer ministry.
A little unforgiveness won't stop you from treating a patient, but it will knock you out completely for the work of intercession. A little anger, bitterness, covetousness, or lust are not barriers to effective management of diabetes or hypertension, but they will stone-wall effective prayer.
It's not just repentance-requiring work, it's emotionally exhausting to labor over some of the toughest needs in our world on a non-stop basis. Intercession is a lifestyle that persists around the clock, and it can easily wear you out.
Doing outreach is a welcome break.
One of the projects I've worked on privately for the last several months is the Personal Care Pack Project. When I led a prayer retreat a few months ago, I asked the participants to bring supplies for the packs to use with the homeless. The idea was that the Sisters of Strength, a group of Christ-disciples with whom I do life, would exchange the packs for an opportunity to share the gospel when they do mission.
Over time, I've realized that our short-term mission teams could use the packs in the same way. They'd be helpful for 8 Days of Hope to hand out when people use their shower trailer or for Salvation Army when they open up the showers on Saturday.
There are lots of places these packs can be used, but they're only helpful if we have them on hand when we need them, not after we wish we'd had them.
I'm asking the body of Christ in our area to work together with me on this project. If we all do a little, we can accomplish more than we can imagine. Here's what I'm asking us to do... collect hotel-sized soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. We'll add it all together and use it to make packs.
No one person needs to do everything. Just do what you can. Do what God puts in your heart. Consider recruiting your small group or church to join in the effort.
There's no fun in working alone, so let's have a party with a purpose. Join me in a few weeks at the Global Outreach office for pizza and stuffing packs. One Saturday in late June, we'll take time to put it all together.
This project only works if we get started now.
I'd like for us to assemble five hundred packs. That's not too hard, is it?
We're currently collecting the following items: (You can bring them to the Global Outreach Home Office or contact our office and we will arrange for pickup)
74 Kings Highway, Pontotoc MS 38863 or call: 6620842-4615 and ask for Christian Putt
Even better, just bring your collected items when you come to the Party With a Purpose!
Suggested items include:
- hotel-sized soap
- hotel-sized shampoo
- tooth brush
- small tube of tooth paste
- small pack of band-aids
- comb
- “hot hands” packets of hand warmers during cold weather
- knit gloves that stretch to fit all sizes during cold weather
- knit caps
- deodorant
- potted meat, etc. if you can find some with pull tab openings
- crackers (small packs)
- any snack they can just open and have on hand (protein bars, etc)
- socks (clean socks are a big need)
Street folks can’t handle full-sized items because they normally carry ALL their belongings in a backpack. Our goal is to fill either a gallon-sized bag or a quart-sized bag for each person.
If we all work together, we can make a difference for the kingdom of God that has an eternal impact. Along the way, the body of Christ will work the way Christ intended, and we'll have fun doing it. You never know... God might just do something IN us while He does something THROUGH us. (I think He will.)
If you want in on the fun of mission and the fun of the body of Christ, why not join in this project? It's easy and it's a great way to make a difference. Comment below or message me if you want to be part. Of course, you can also just show up when the party day is announced.)
"When you have done it for the least of these my brethren, you have done it for Me..." Jesus (Matthew 25:40)
-----------------
Please like and share to extend our digital reach.
In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: Guest Blogger Sem Beasnael: Amazing Tales of the Thompson Bible
If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841
Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.
No comments:
Post a Comment