Project 58: Life in the Fast Lane

Always remember that the future comes one day at a time.
Dean Acheson

 

Things do not change; we change.
Henry David Thoreau

 

December 2, 2012 we launched Project 58,  Life in the Fast Lane. We have long based our food distribution on Isaiah 58 believing that God has given us a very specific mandate about prayer, fasting and giving. This is the fast we have chosen and we actively choose to live life in the fast lane.  The challenge is to fast one meal each week and donate the amount of money that would have been spent on said meal. The statistics for world hunger are staggering but what is even more staggering is how very effective this type of fast can be:

The United Nations reports that “Every year, 8 million people die because they’re too poor to stay alive.”

• Half the world lives on less than $2 a day

• 30,000 children die every day due to poverty

• 2 billion have no access to electricity (that’s a little less than 1 in 4 people)

• 20% of people in the highest-income countries consume 86% of the world’s resources.

• The poorest 20% account for a minuscule consumption of 1.3% of the world’s resources. 

• More than one in six people worldwide – 894 million – don’t have access to improved water sources. 

• Around 700,000 children die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation – that’s almost 2,000 children a day. 

• Currently, water-borne diseases, caused by unsafe drinking water, result in the deaths of 2 million children and infants each year, almost exclusively in poor populations of developing countries. 

• Over 2.5 times more people lack water than live in the United States. 

We can change that. We can change these statistics by doing this:

·        $8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market. 

·        $30 could buy you a TV series DVD Box set OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti. 

·        $73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda. 

·        $2,400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

·       $20

 

The last half of the year at Word Alive International Outreach has been action packed as we have put the proceeds from fasting just one meal a week to use.  Every Second Saturday  of each month a major food distribution takes place on our main campus and this December 8^th we combined the food distribution with our quarterly Care Fair. Close to one thousand people participated in both events which was driven by our one hundred person volunteer serve-a-lution. Eight stylists and two barbers provided thirty haircuts for school-aged children with one hundred and fifty bags of dental hygiene items distributed, one hundred and ten bags of socks, underwear and t-shirts handed out while our volunteer nurses gave dental, eye and blood pressure exams.  We were even blessed to have a local chiropractor giving adjustments. We could literally set this day to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Our grill masters made sure that everyone had plenty to eat and even though there was a light, misting rain throughout the day no one’s spirits were dampened in the least. There was a festive, thankful atmosphere that seemed to transcend any mention of war or a fiscal cliff.  The next day our tireless volunteers were on hand once again as we opened the doors to our newly launched Project 58 warehouses and Be Be’s Bargain Boutique. For newcomers the experience was nothing short of awe inspiring and we garnered volunteer recruits for well into 2013. The warehouse workers demonstrated how to prepare our resources to get food from the source to the need. The only thing that would have made this experience any livelier would have been to actually unload our trucks which we may incorporate next year.

Now let’s take a look at a recap of last year’s mission’s outreaches internationally that were also sponsored by our congregation choosing to live life in the fast lane and fasting one meal a week then donating that money to feed the nations of the world: Kent and Beverly Mattox traveled to Havana, Cuba May 8^th -12^th, Kent Mattox and Filipe’ De Stafani, took a team to one of the worst slums in Brazil where our efforts built two homes from May 18-21.^st Twenty  people from Word Alive traveled to Kingston, Jamaica to conduct a weeklong Vacation Bible School with an Olympic theme.  There were approximately two hundred children that participated each day.  The Word Alive team also ministered to seventy-five youth at their Friday night Youth service from July 7-14. Our back to school Care Fair was July 28^th and over six hundred bags of school supplies were provided for school aged children. From September 18-26   Kent and Beverly Mattox traveled all over Russia to speak at minister’s conferences and at a Bible College in Moscow. From September 29-Oct 6 several members of Word Alive traveled to Guatemala with Randy Knott, and Scott and Kelly Deardurff to drill the second well sponsored by Word Alive Water Well construction. On October 30^th John Carrette flew to Havana, Cuba with financial aid from Word Alive International Outreach to help with disaster relief from the damage incurred on October 25^th from hurricane Sandy’s deadly force. From November 23-Dec. 2^nd forty people traveled to Israel to experience a spiritual journey. There is no other way to describe life in the fast lane but amazing.

Isaiah 58 Updates

On Saturday April 14th, 2012 Isaiah 58 sponsored prom makeovers for several young women in Calhoun County. The project started with a connection to Becky Cox who is the advocate for students deemed homeless in the Calhoun County school system. Prior to prom day, Becky partnered with the out-of-towner’s life group from Word Alive International Outreach.

They, along with Isaiah 58, helped to provide school supplies and support for several homeless children in the Calhoun County school system. Currently there are over 200+ students who are considered homeless. This may include, but is not limited to, students whose parents are deceased or incarcerated, who have been displaced because of natural disasters, or students who have no family.

Through this connection, Isaiah 58 recognized that there were several displaced teen-aged girls who were trying to finish high school and wanted to attend the prom. Isaiah 58 and Bebe's collected prom dresses and provided those dresses and all the accessories to compliment the dresses including shoes, jewelry, and flowers. On that Saturday the girls were invited to the Isaiah 58 salon for makeovers.  The girls received the royal treatment which included full makeup, manicures and hair. Carmen Helms, who is a Mary Kay consultant, donated free make-up to each girl. These beautiful girls left excited and transformed.

We are still connecting, loving and serving.  The powerful outpouring that is our Second Saturday Food distribution never ceases to amaze all who participate. Over 1,200 hundred families continue to pour out their stories of recent downsizing, transition and change. More and more families from our community are participating in Celebrate Recovery and generational histories are being rewritten. Testimonies keep coming but just like every opportunity we have to serve the volunteers are always the first to give voice to how blessed they are to be a part of what God is doing in so many lives.

This has already been said but it is worth repeating, “Each life story is as unique as the individual living it out but there is very common thread that ties all of us together regardless of where we come from and where we find ourselves economically.  Connecting to God, loving and serving is what brings us all together and creates an atmosphere for His Presence to dwell.”

Revisiting our national history is something we all need to do periodically so I have included the history of our Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence in this month’s blog offering.  Be blessed as you read and know that it is for freedom that Christ Jesus died to set us free.

CARE FAIR
JULY 28th
9:00-1:00 pm
5337 Hwy 78 W
Oxford, Al
FREE HAIRCUTS and School Supplies for K-12th Grades
Call 256-835-0058 to schedule your appointment TODAY!

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.
William Faulkner

I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.  Simone de Beauvoir

Watch silently, without complaint, to see what I will do to establish you in My kingdom and to bless you in ways that you have not even imagined. Let your faith in Me soar like an eagle without restriction or restraint. The breath of My Spirit will bring new life and hope to your soul. All you have to do is release yourself completely into My care, says the Lord.

     With our financial infrastructure in decline, the war in Iraq coming to an end and battle weary soldiers coming home to an almost non-existent job market it may be time to revisit who we are as a nation and what our goals started out as.  As the month of July approaches we are already planning our Fourth of July vacations, picnics and boating excursions. However, there is a rich history of who we are that far too many Americans will not even give a wink or a nod to acknowledge the price that has been paid and will continue to be paid for freedom and liberty. This bit of history and the Declaration of Independence is eye opening and should be in the hearts of every person who lives and breathes in a democratic society that we can choose the lives we want to live because someone took and stand and proclaimed these words: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The History of the Fourth of July:

     On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event. Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."  

    Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on immediately. On June 11, consideration of the resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. However, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Members of the Committee included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

      The task of drafting the actual document fell on Jefferson. On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, New York not voting. Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!

Declaration of Independence:

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration.

CONGRESS July 4, 1776

      The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

      We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.

     Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

     But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

       To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

       He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

      He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences. For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands .He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

       In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.

         We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare,

       That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

CARE FAIR
JULY 28th
9:00-1:00 pm
5337 Hwy 78 W
Oxford, Al
FREE HAIRCUTS and School Supplies for K-12th Grades
Call 256-835-0058 to schedule your appointment TODAY!

Love Notes

By Beverly Mattox

The first attempts to establish a "Mother's Day" in the U.S. were mostly marked by women's peace groups. An early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the American Civil War. There were several limited observances in the 1870s and the 1880s but none achieved resonance beyond the local level. In 1868 Ann Jarvis created a committee to establish a "Mother's Friendship Day" whose purpose was "to reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War", and she wanted to expand it into an annual memorial for mothers, but she died in 1905 before the celebration became popular. Her daughter, Anna Jarvis, would continue her mother's efforts. In New York City, Julia Ward Howe led a "Mother's Day" anti-war observance on June 2, 1872, which was accompanied by a Mother's Day Proclamation. The observance continued in Boston for about 10 years under Howe's personal sponsorship, then died out. In the early 1880s, the Methodist Episcopal Church set aside the second Sunday in May to recognize the special contributions of mothers. Frank E. Herring, President of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, made the first known public plea for "a national day to honor our mothers" in 1904.

Mother’s Day as we know it in the 21^st century does not carry the same weight that it once did. Recognition of the contributions that mothers make in the world has become more commercialized and is celebrated by giving flowers, candy and perhaps even by taking Mom out for lunch. Yet, honoring our mothers should be an every day observance rather than a yearly one.

 Recently, I watched a movie in which a mother gave her son a watch that had been in the family for several generations.  The inscription read, “A mother’s love can never, never be replaced. Never.”  The love that Ann Jarvis wanted to memorialize is a verb and was demonstrated by action. Webster’s defines love as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties such as the maternal love for a child,  attraction based on affection and tenderness, affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests, an assurance of affection, warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion, the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration, the expression of feeling to a beloved person, unsefish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: concern of God for humankind, brotherly concern for others, person's adoration of God, the personification of love.

The personification of love is what this article is really about. The Bible is called many things, The Word of God, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, and The Truth. In reality the Bible, in my opinion, is all of that and more.  It is a love letter to us, God’s people.  There is everything that we need for life. From Genesis to Revelations the Word of God is an example for us to live our lives by. From hygiene and dietary instruction to moral and financial guidance we have clear instructions as how to live a significant, successful life. However, world systems and culture have replaced biblical principles. The consequences of living by those systems and the dictates of culture are evident in every aspect of our global community. Disease is rampant in the earth, economies are failing in nations all over the world, our natural resources have been depleted, and the environment is in decline. Drug abuse is at an all time high and the sex trade is flourishing. Premature deaths and birth defects leave us with questions that seemingly have no answers. The anguish that accompanies the unanswered often leaves us in despair. The good news is that we may be hard-pressed on every side and we may be perplexed, but we are not to despair. God is good and His plans for us to live blessed lives, with great rewards, has not diminished from the foundations of the earth being laid until now.

 Deuteronomy 11:8-32 describes God’s rewards for us, His people, when we love and obey His commandments.  There are great rewards inherent in our obedience, “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’ “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,  that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

 “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him  then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.  Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory.  No man shall be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.

 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:  the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today  and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. Now it shall be, when the Lord your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.  Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, toward the setting sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the plain opposite Gilgal, beside the terebinth trees of Moreh?  For you will cross over the Jordan and go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess it and dwell in it.  And you shall be careful to observe all the statutes and judgments which I set before you today.

We are designed to demonstrate the love of God.  Children come into the world as light and as we grow our lights should burn brighter and brighter joining our lights to one another so that the darkness of the world system is illuminated.  As mothers we have a clear responsibility to keep the Word of God ever before our children so that their lights continue to burn brightly and their passion for the blessings and rewards of obedience to God’s commands are their constant pursuit. Deuteronomy 11:8-21 reminds us as how to accomplish that goal, “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,  that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”

The key is to know the Word of God for ourselves so that the power and passion of its Truth ignites and releases the potential power within each of us.  Practicing His Presence keeps us Presence driven instead of problem purposed.  We have become far too familiar with God Whom we barely know.  Culture dictates what we eat, wear, and what we worship.  Idol worship of our society, what we see and hear, is far easier to embrace as it is constantly being downloaded to us via the media, marketing and our own lack of discipline to pursue God’s Presence. We have become a nation of culture worshippers. Many religions keep their deity in their homes, on an altar and worship there daily.  Others stop what they are doing three times a day and pray on their face. In our Western culture we expect our schools to educate and our churches to save. Yet, as parents we have an inherent responsibility to keep the light of God’s love alive in our children long before they ever reach school or the age of understanding that their soul needs salvation.

Several years ago I was preparing a message for a conference.  I began to study the Word Holy Spirit spoke to me so clearly that the love of God was to be the topic.  These are a few of the scriptures that stood out to me, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life John 3: 16, the LORD loves the righteous, He loves him that follows after righteousness Proverbs 15:9, Herein is love, not that we love God, but that He loves us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4:10, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him, Hosea 14:4   He will rest in His love, He will joy over you with singing, Zephaniah 3:17, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you Jeremiah 31:3, but God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, by grace you are saved; and He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:4-7, we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him 1 John 4:16.

Ephesians 3:20 demonstrates how we can accomplish being obedient, teach our children and not bow to culture, “To him who is able to do immeasurably more.” There are words in your Bible which have so much power in them that they are more effective than any therapy. God can illuminate a Scripture that goes back into the past and heals your wounds, gives you direction in the middle of despair, and provides hope for the future. Satan will try to fill your mind with so much junk that you do not have an appetite for God’s Word. That is because he knows Scripture unmask him, and releases the potential lying dormant within you. Before Jeremiah rose to national prominence as a prophet, God told him two things: (1) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” Jeremiah 1:5. Your parents did not get the first look at you, God did. Nothing about you surprises Him. In spite of what you have been through, He has not changed His mind about who you are or what you are destined to become. (2) “Before you were born I set you apart” (v.5). You may say, “I have always felt different.” That is because you are. Celebrate it. Stop looking for acceptance where you do not belong. You are on a mission for and from God. That is why the enemy has tried so hard to take you out. Once you understand that, your struggle will begin to make sense. As you study God’s Word you will begin to experience the mind-renewing, life-changing power He has deposited within you. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” We have to be like Joshua and Caleb as they led the other ten spies into the Promised Land.  They are a type and shadow of who we are in the spiritual realm.  They came back with the report that there was more and they were well able to take it.  Every time we enter into the spiritual realm we should come back into earth’s atmosphere with the report that there is more.

 There is more love, freedom, healing, and deliverance.  There should be no limitations placed on what our great God can and wants to do for us. In that meeting I shared that God’s love manifests just like salvation, healing or deliverance.  The powerful download of God’s love that followed that declaration was life changing. Let me remind you of Psalm 71:17-18, “O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.”  God has downloaded only good things in us and as we keep our faith, trust in Him, stay obedient to His Word, teach our children and demonstrate His love those good things will come to the forefront and we will overcome.  Faith is duration of time and what makes us successful is that when we resist the enemy (the world system, the dictates of culture, carnality, and idol worship) and persist in faith we will break through and prevail.

Psalm 77: 2-3 and 10-13 describes what that could, and should look like, “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted.  I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. And I said, “This is my anguish, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?”

Every single one of us mothers, father, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles all make mistakes in life.  We are none perfect and God knows our parenting skills are less than.  It is never too late to renew our minds, pursue His Presence and become godly examples. Moreover, Proverbs 20:3 points out that, “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel.”  The key to that momentum is keeping on hand a memorial and remembrance of what God has already done for, and brought you through, so that we can share our progress with the next generation.  We do not want to find ourselves in the same situation the Israelites did in Numbers 32 because we have forgotten what God has done for us.

1 Corinthians 10:6 is very clear that God meant for us to remember the lessons that the Israelites should have learned, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” Numbers 32:1-31 gives an account of the rebellion that still plagued the leaders of the tribes after all of their forefathers had died in the wilderness, “Now the sons of Reuben and of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead [on the east side of the Jordan], and behold, the place was suitable for cattle. So the sons of Gad and of Reuben came and said to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, the country around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle. And they said, ‘If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.’  And Moses said to the sons of Gad and of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the hearts of the Israelites from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? Thus your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land! For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the hearts of the Israelites from going into the land the Lord had given them. And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day and He swore, saying, “Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed. And behold, you are risen up in your fathers' stead, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. For if you turn from following Him, He will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people. But they came near to him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks and walled settlements for our little ones. But we will be armed and ready to go before the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified settlements because of the people of the land. We will not return to our homes until the Israelites have inherited every man his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on the west side of the Jordan, and beyond, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward? 

Moses replied, If you will do as you say, going armed before the Lord to war, And every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies before Him and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you shall return and be guiltless in this matter before the Lord and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. Build settlements for your little ones, and folds for your sheep, and do that of which you have spoken. And the sons of Gad and of Reuben said to Moses, Your servants will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be there in the cities of Gilead. But your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord says. So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of Israel. And Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man armed to battle before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. The sons of Gad and Reuben answered, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so will we do.

Once again, another generation found themselves doubting god and willing to forfeit his blessings rather than flowing in the gifts that God had abundantly given them so the entire nation could unite for a common purpose.

Psalm 90:10 tells us, “The years…pass quickly, and then we are gone.” Eileen Silva Kindig writes, “We talk about lack of time…when what we lack is backbone to take responsibility for how we spend it. Instead of coming home, we escape to the office and assembly line to get away from household chores, childcare, and the demands of relationships…work gives us a buzz. Besides money and freedom, it provides the satisfaction of a job well done, an outlet for creativity, breezy, low-demand camaraderie, and intellectual stimulation. All this may be keeping us financially afloat…but the less time we spend with family, the messier our home life gets.” Time is so precious that God gives it to us a moment at a time. “The years…pass quickly, and then we are gone.” So what will you have to look back on? Hours spent working overtime or hours spent with your loved ones? Kindig recommends seven things: (1) Remember who is in charge. Manage your time, do not let it manage you. Think through commitments before you make them. Decide what is important. The urgent seldom is. (2) Schedule in reverse. Put your real priorities on the calendar first, then add the rest. (3) Drop one thing from your schedule and enjoy lunch with your spouse. (4) Be, rather than do. Think. Pray. Relax in a chair. (5) Get your spouse’s perspective on how you are spending your time, and what may be stealing it. (6) Be honest about your limitations. You cannot manufacture time; we all get the same amount. (7) Do not idly commit to everything.  Choose carefully where your time is spent.

If you love God’s Word then you are more than halfway there.  “Matthew 24:35 encourages us to remember, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” One of the first books to come off the printing press was the Bible. It is still the world’s best-selling book. An anonymous author has written: “It contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the fate of sinners, and the happiness of believers. It is a light to direct you, food to nourish you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s road map, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s weapon, and the player’s game plan. It’s a mine of incredible wealth, and a river of genuine joy. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Christ is its grand subject, your good its design, and the glory of God its end. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be spiritually healthy. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. Let it fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your steps. It is given to you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered for ever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and judge those who trifle with its sacred contents.” 1 Peter 1:25 reassures us that, “The Word of our God shall stand forever.”  Most of us respect the Bible; the trouble is we do not read it daily and put it into practice. After hearing a discussion on various translations of the Bible, one man said: “I prefer my mother’s translation, because she translated it into everyday life.” Are you doing that?

The Beginning of Sorrows

Last month when I researched articles for The March issue of The Connection Magazine and focused on tornado preparation and safety I had no idea that February 29th 2012 would become headlines around the world. This heartbreaking excerpt from the Associated Press describes what those twenty-four hours looked like for our state: Tornadoes Batter Alabama With the US braced for more bad weather: Houses were destroyed and the roof torn off of a maximum security prison as bad weather threatens more twisters across US south.

Tornadoes destroyed houses, injured residents and tore the roof from a maximum security prison in Northern Alabama as bad weather threatened more twisters across the region on Friday, two days after a storm system killed 13 people in the mid west and south. Anxiety mounted from Georgia to southern Ohio across a wide swath where forecasters said severe weather could strike later in the day. Thousands of schoolchildren were sent home as a precaution. Meanwhile, residents in parts of Illinois hit hard by storms earlier this week salvaged what they could from damaged homes. In the Huntsville area, at least four people were taken to the hospital on Friday morning and several houses were leveled by what authorities believed were tornadoes. The extent of injuries was not immediately known, while emergency services continued to survey damaged areas.

Local TV station, WAFF-TV, aired video of crushed homes. Authorities are confident the storms that hit Limestone and Madison counties were tornadoes, but it will be up to the National Weather Service to confirm the twisters, said Alabama State Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Yasamie August. "We’re still getting reports of damage pretty much as we speak," she said at midday. Forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms with the threat of tornadoes crossing a region from southern Ohio through much of Kentucky into Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

The devastation was the worst in Harrisburg, Illinois and as First Responders Word Alive International Outreach had a team on the ground with supplies as soon as the area was cleared for relief workers to come in. J.R. Rudy has an article in The Connection Magazine to inform and update our readers to the progress that is being made in that area.

As Kent and I have traveled this year we have participated in many conversations and discussions about everything from politics to poverty. One of the hottest topics is the changing weather patterns we are experiencing globally and the natural disasters that have plagued the natural realm over the past few years.

Mark 13:8 clearly describes the times we are living in, "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."

This is not the end but for those of us who are paying close attention to the changing climate, natural disasters, wars around the globe, nations rising against nations, shortages of food, oil and basic necessities, and governmental crises we understand that this is the beginning of life as we have known it changing. In Bobby Conner’s article Awake, Arise, Advance the author says this: "In 2 Chronicles 16:9 God is looking throughout the entire earth searching for the upright in heart to them God will prove Himself strong and sure.

The prophetic trumpets must make a clear call in these extremely crucial days in order to prepare a strong confident leadership according to 1 Corinthians 14:8. In numerous encounters the Lord has summoned me saying; "Sound the alarm!" "Awaken the warriors!" Prepare to advance the King in His kingdom. This is the time to walk with true goal aim and purpose, not drift about in an endless circle."

It is time for us to awaken, arise and advance so we can become the army that God has designed us to be. Recent events in the natural are signs for us to prepare for the King of glory Who is returning to the earth.

Revelations 22:6-17 tells us that the time is near, " Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

Challenges come so we can grow and be prepared for things we are not equipped to handle now. When we face our challenges with faith, prepared to learn, willing to make changes, and if necessary, to let go, we are demanding our power be turned on.

Iyanla Vanzant

“The winds of change are always blowing and every time I try to stay. The winds of change continue blowing and they just carry me away.”

Willie Nelson

A renewed commitment to the freedom and opportunity of our people is the touchstone of our time. In this new century, where tests are many and challenges change with the shifting of the wind, we must hold fast to the principles that have made our nation the envy of the world.  

Bill Owens

It has been almost a year since the estimated sixty-two tornadoes touched down April 25-28, 2011.  The cleanup is ongoing and the recent spate of even more tornado activity January 23rd, 2012 heightens, for those of us who live in this state, the awareness that we are heading into tornado season. Isaiah 58 was prepared and ready to go when the last warning siren finally ended. Our First Responders team was on the ground with truckloads of supplies as soon as the all clear was given to head into the ravaged neighborhoods. What has become clear is that it is imperative that we educate ourselves about tornadoes and how to respond to them. Our community, locally and globally, needs to be better informed as to how to best protect possessions, property and their person. Questions we have been asked as First Responders is how does a tornado form, what causes a tornado, and how can we best protect ourselves and our families? This research from Kris Kridler is really informative:

Tornadoes occur just about everywhere in the world, from India to Australia, and all over the United States, but the most famous and active breeding ground for tornadoes is Tornado Alley. It extends from Texas up through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to the Dakotas. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with cold air from the north and fuels storms that form there. Tornadoes can form any time of year, but many occur in the stormy spring, when these warm and cold air masses collide. Storms often are triggered where two different kinds of air masses meet, such as dry and moist air masses, or cold and warm air masses.

We don't know all the reasons a tornado forms, but scientists have a general idea of the weather ingredients that need to come together.

Tornadoes can form out of many kinds of storms, but the type most likely to produce tornadoes is the super cell. A super cell has an area of rotation within the storm called a mesocyclone that can spawn a tornado. The storm itself can rotate when winds at different levels of the atmosphere come from different directions. If the winds are lined up just right, with just enough strength, the storm turns like a top. Air circulations within the storm combined with a strong updraft contribute to tornado formation. Under the rain-free base of a super cell, look for a wall cloud to form. Out of this lowered area is where you are likely to see a tornado. But if you ever find yourself near a storm like this, watch out. Quick tornadoes can form out of other parts of the storm.

Big hail is another danger posed by super cells and other storms. You may notice what looks like a rain shaft that is very white falling from a storm. You may be looking at hail falling. Because hail is made of ice and is usually white, it reflects more light and can look bright as it falls. Big hail can batter cars, damage homes and injure people and animals. Hail consists of particles that gather layers of water that freeze into ice as the hailstones are cycled multiple times through a storm's updraft. You are likely to see several layers of ice if you cut open a grapefruit-size hailstone. Just don't get bonked in the head by one.

A tornado is only a tornado if it's in contact with the ground. Otherwise, it's a funnel. Some tornadoes don't have a visible funnel, but if debris is visible at the ground, it is considered a tornado. Because big storms can suck up dust or kick up dust even when there's no tornado, sometimes they can be confusing to observers. If there is rotation in the cloud above the dust, then it may very well be a tornado. Most tornadoes last only 5 or 10 minutes, but some have been known to last more than an hour. Close to 1,000 tornadoes are reported every year in the United States. Most, but not all, tornadoes in the northern hemisphere spin counter-clockwise, or cyclonically. In the southern hemisphere - for instance, Australia - the opposite is true.

Another type of tornado is a waterspout - a tornado over water. Waterspouts form out of quickly growing cumulus (puffy) clouds or storms. They are sometimes weaker than their land cousins, but they can still cause damage or flip boats. A dust devil, however, is not a tornado. If it's a warm day, and light winds at the surface cooperate, you may see one of these whirling columns of dust in a farm field, a parking lot or the desert.”

This excerpt from the Alabama News is a reminder of how devastating tornado activity can be:

“Even now, almost nine months later, it is hard to grasp the enormity of the destruction from the killer storm systems that roared through Alabama last April, spawning three waves of twisters over 18 hours.

Sixty-two tornadoes touched down that day -- 25 more than struck Alabama during all of 2010. They killed 248 people and hurt more than 2,200 others, and damaged or destroyed almost 24,000 homes. The wreckage extended across 35 of the state's 67 counties, with damage estimates in the billions of dollars.

Understand the awesome fury of those storms and the degree of devastation -- and that more killer tornadoes will attack a state ranked No. 1 in tornado deaths over the past three decades -- and you will understand the importance of the council's recommendations and the need to put them in place as soon as possible. That is particularly true after tornadoes raked the state Monday, January 23, 2012, killing two people and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses.

Last August, when the governor appointed 19 civic, community and business leaders from across the state to the tornado council, he said: "By deepening our understanding of this tragedy and its effects, we can improve our ability to prepare for and respond to a broad range of potential disasters."

Bentley's charge to the council, co-chaired by Pam Siddall, president and publisher of Birmingham News Multimedia, and Johnny Johns, president and CEO of Protective Life: Find ways to save lives, increase cooperation among agencies, improve the delivery of services and reduce the economic harm from future storms. The council's 20 well-reasoned, common-sense recommendations meet that charge. (Read the report at the "Cultivating a State of Readiness" link above.) They are a call to action for state and local governments, emergency responders, utilities, nonprofits and businesses and, most important, Alabama residents.

While much went right in the aftermath of April 27 -- heroic first-responders, fast-acting state and local officials, utilities quickly restoring services, massive volunteer efforts -- there are lessons to learn that will allow Alabama to do better in the next major disaster. Everything starts with being well-prepared.

"In hoping for the best but getting ready for the worst, better preparation might be the strongest defense against future tornadoes," the report said. "Better preparation can lead to fewer deaths, less property loss, a smoother transition back to normal and hopefully fewer 'what ifs' to consider after the next serious storms."

Toward that end, the council recommended: increasing the number of storm shelters in Alabama, including requiring them in new mobile home parks and apartment complexes; tax incentives for safe rooms in new home construction; a new, tough, statewide building code for new, rebuilt and extensively remodeled homes; tax incentives to encourage businesses to buy generators; a campaign to raise public awareness; and an annual sales tax holiday on severe-weather emergency supplies.

The report also called for integrated and more geographically precise storm alerts than the current county wide warnings, which can promote complacency among residents who hear repeated warnings but are never threatened because they are not in the storms' direct path. The council also said state and county governments and non profits should promote the use of weather radios, which need better technology to send area-specific warnings. Too, tornado research at Alabama's universities should be expanded to help better understand the storms' patterns and help people better prepare, the report said.

To improve disaster response, the tornado council suggested minimum training standards for local emergency management directors; updated communication plans and testing to ensure they work; unannounced mass casualty drills for emergency responders and hospitals; and better coordination of volunteers through the governor's office and the state Emergency Management Agency.

The report also includes recommendations on post disaster recovery. Among them: low-interest loans, grants and other help for rebuilding homes and businesses; and for local governments to approve pre-event contracts for debris removal and disposal.

Some recommendations may be viewed as controversial, such as putting into place a statewide building code with inspection and compliance requirements and enforcement teeth in a state where 60 of its 67 counties have no code. Plus, there will be concerns about cost. Yet, some storm fortifications add just several hundred dollars to the cost of new-home construction.

Tougher standards for building more storm-resistant homes would lower homeowners' insurance costs, but more important is that they would save lives.

It mustn't go unnoticed that Bentley received the report Tuesday as he toured tornado damage in Center Point from predawn storms that swept across Alabama Monday. We don't have the luxury of waiting years to put into place the tornado council's recommendations, nor should we use the excuse of saying some of them will cost money that state and local governments can't spare.

The governor's Tornado Recovery Action Council has come up with 20 strong recommendations that will ensure a better outcome the next time a major disaster strikes. The council said Bentley should create an ad hoc committee that would design a framework for putting its recommendations into place, "including projections of costs, funding sources, personnel and time lines."

With tornado season starting in earnest in March, time is of the essence. We mustn't waste it, or this opportunity.”

This prophetic word from SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns--01/30/12 is very encouraging to those of us who are watching the changing winds in everything from our weather patterns to politics: Pay attention to what is happening in your immediate environment, and look beyond the natural to see the spiritual significance. In this way you will begin to understand the opportunities you have to make decisions that will elevate you in the Spirit. Watch and be amazed at the spiritual perspective that I will bring through natural means. However, your life is not bound to the things of the earth, but is heaven-bound, says the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

God is introducing a new administration and the earth really is groaning for the sons of man to be made manifest according to Romans 8:17-22, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.   

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors, with birth pangs together until now.” We must be prepared for change and shifting patterns as we embark upon the rest of the year. Pay attention to what is happening in the natural realm and the spiritual realm and be ready in season and out of season to proclaim the good news of the gospel.

Connect Love Serve

When your life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday life, something magical happens: ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul! 

Rabbi Harold Kushner

...Spiritual opening is not a withdrawal to some imagined realm or safe cave.  It is not a pulling away, but a touching of all the experience of life with wisdom and with a heart of kindness, without any separation. 

Jack Kornfield

Connect. Love. Serve.  Those three words were demonstrated at our Second Saturday Food distribution in an incredibly beautiful way. The testimonies keep pouring in but one of our favorites comes from the couple who until recently have always been ones who others have been counted on to give. Due to a change in their circumstances they came Saturday morning to pick up groceries. 

Before they ever got to the end of the line to actually receive their supplies they were so enveloped by the Presence of God they were just downloaded with appreciation and thankfulness. Each life story is as unique as the individual living it out but there is very common thread that ties all of us together regardless of where we come from and where we find ourselves economically.  Connecting to God, loving and serving is what brings us all together and creates an atmosphere for His Presence to dwell.

I love this prophetic word by Bill and Marsha burns, “Beloved, I have made a way for you to come higher by way of spiritual progression. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, you must let go of everything that has become an anchor and a hindrance. You must release all things that have become a source of agitation, irritation, or conflict in your soul. Hear My voice as I call to you. Allow My nature to be developed in you that will bear the fruit of My Spirit. Let your light shine in the darkness of difficult and disturbing circumstances, for I am with you, says the Lord.

Live Galatians 5:22-23 to the fullest, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’ ” These are difficult times that we are living in but if we stay connected to the Source of life and live as Rabbi Harold Kushner suggests, “When your life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday life, something magical happens: ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul,” we will love and serve the way He designed us to.

One hundred plus volunteers demonstrated this revelation to over twelve hundred families on Saturday, January 14, 2012.  It was our first monthly distribution in several years and the energy was high. For those of us who have been at Word Alive International Outreach since the first distribution on December 10^th, 2000 it was like coming home. 

We have come full circle after outgrowing every venue that we have undertaken in the past four years.  Our property is now large and functional enough that we can accommodate the twelve hundred cars that came through. We distributed twelve hundred bags of dried goods and bagged groceries, two pallets of meat, three pallets of dairy products, four pallets of hygiene items, fifty-five buckets of candy, seven pallets of drinks and eight bins of fresh produce in a little over five hours. All of that is amazing and we are so blessed to be a part but the really exciting part of this outreach is how many families are having their lives radically impacted and changed. 

Each week there are more and more families from our community who are coming to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  They are connecting to God and experiencing His love through our service to others. Our desire is to touch as many lives as possible to share the Good News of the gospel by connecting, loving and serving. 

Spiritual opening is not a withdrawal to some imagined realm or safe cave.  It is not a pulling away, but a touching of all the experience of life with wisdom and with a heart of kindness, without any separation.  Jack Kornfield