Giving

"Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them." (1 Timothy 6:17-18)

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out,"Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die." "But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

Mars Hill Church - Mark Driscoll

Sunday's Miracle...

It is really cool when God chooses to show up in a way that leaves no doubt as to His power and influence. Sunday was one of those days when God clearly showed up. I could sense that God was doing something special as we worshipped--the air was electric with anticipation. Without covering all of the ground that was covered on Sunday let me just share that our message came from Acts 11:27-30. The passage says:

"Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders."

I made the point in the message that like the church in Antioch we need to send blessings back to our spiritual parents. Along with other illustrations, I specifically pointed out that West Greeley Baptist Church, from which our church was birthed, is experiencing some financial difficulties. Though I did not necessarily ask for a special offering to be taken on Sunday--we did receive one! I am currently looking at our tithes and offerings report for Sunday. Our budget gifts are better than normal. In addition there are a few special gifts designated which is the norm for our church. The miracle is this: Received on Sunday morning for West Greeley Baptist Church....$9,550.00!!!!

I couldn't be prouder!