A Note From Tom: February 10th, 2012

Hey, Everyone!

Hang on a sec....uhh...

...Sorry...I need to finish something....let’s see..

“...so we pray for you everyday! We hope you have a heart full of happiness today! You are precious to Jesus and we love you!
Blessings!
Tom and Tina”

Let’s see...hit “Send”!...

There!!

Done!!

Sorry, folks! I was in the middle of writing to our Compassion International child in Uganda when I started my email! And I realized I needed to finish it before I started something else or I’d never get it done!

Our Compassion child we sponsor every month, Doreen Akello is the cutest thing in the world! (Not sure what Compassion International is? Check it! compassion.com) She’s growing strong in Jesus and tells us all about it! We sent a little extra for Christmas and she wrote to thank us and tell us she used it to buy some shoes, some meat for her family (know any kids who buy meat with extra Christmas money?) and she made a Christmas offering to her church!

When you sign up to sponsor a Compassion International child, you send a little money a month...like $38...and you make it possible for a ministry of people who love Jesus who are working in an underdeveloped country to provide food, schooling, health care, and spiritual nourishment for that child! And the kids know that someone somewhere who loves Jesus, also loves and cares about them! It gives a child a heartful of hope in a hopeless world! Not bad for a few bucks a month!

And you write to them! They write you back! You become an important person to a child who is learning he or she is special to God because, among other things...well...because of you!

I don’t know what I could ever do to change the oppressive poverty and despair of Uganda. But a child in Uganda has the food and medicine a growing child needs,  she goes to school, and she knows Jesus loves her. And she knows that other people she’s never met love her, too.

And that’s not a little thing.

Sometimes on Sundays, I worry that maybe I said something in church that I shouldn’t have. And sometimes I wonder if I didn’t say something the way I meant to. A few weeks ago, I was worried about both. I had a heaviness in my heart because I had read that much...or maybe most...of the chocolate we consume in the U.S. is made from cocoa harvested by children in the Ivory Coast who work as slaves. They are stolen from, or sold by, their families and live a life of oppression and bondage. Some chocolate companies are trying to change this horrible situation. Some don’t seem to care. I didn’t know whether it was good to speak of it, but I couldn’t help it. I said that it is estimated that as many as 315 children work and live in slavery so we can have chocolate to eat, though they’ll never taste chocolate their whole brief, miserable life.

As I was driving away, I thought, “Should I have spoken of that? And did I say 315 kids?”
I called Tina.
“Did I say 315 kids live in slavery in the Ivory Coast?”
“Yes. 315.”
“Oh no! I wasn’t sure if I should speak of it. But 315 isn’t what I meant. It’s 315,000.”

315,000 kids.
315,000 boys and girls live in slavery in the Ivory Coast. So the world can enjoy it’s chocolate.

What can I do? How can I change a world gone bad? Maybe there are things I can do for the kids of Africa! There are certain brands of chocolate I haven’t touched since then! And I know I want to care about this!

But I thought, “What if it WERE only 315? That is STILL too many! 315 lives lived in misery and pain. What if there were only one?

I can’t change everything. Maybe I can change more than I think if I care more than I do. I know Jesus is coming and children won’t be slaves then! Isaiah says “little children will lead us!”

But I can help one child.

We do. She lives in Uganda. Her name is Doreen. We write to her and we tell her she is precious to Jesus. And we tell her she is precious to us.

Both of those things are true.

Have you written your Compassion child in a while? You can do it online now! It’s super easy! Just go to compassion.com!

 They’re waiting to hear from you!

A Note From Tom: February 4th, 2012

Hey everyone!

Wow! I got tons of stuff to do today! So, I was thinking of what to do for my Friday email...I trrryyyy to come up with something that will be a spiritual “snack”, nourishing and encouraging during your week. But today I felt like the disciples when they didn’t have anything to eat for all the people who came to hear Jesus. “Help, Lord!” All the sudden, I got a link thing from our own Bill Raezer’s post-y thing to our church bloggy thing (I still don’t have the computer vocab down), reblogging one of our emails from this summer. It’s a rerun but I was sitting in the exact same spot where the story happened, so I thought, “Thanks, Lord! On a busy day, I’m going with this...

“Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having a blessed, joy-filled day! That’s what Freddy Smith always wishes us at the end of his shift of bluegrass music from six to nine in the morning on 89.9 WDVX…He plays about three Gospel songs (“…to kindly tune up your heartstrings”) but right before, he always signs off with, “Have a blessed day!”

I’d bet it’s safe to say that pretty much everyday is more blessed (or is it “blessed-ier”?) than we realize! And our days are full of moments that matter more than we ever knew.

Once a mom packed a lunch for her little boy ‘cause he was going on an outing with some friends and would be gone for the day in the country. “As fast as he’s growing, he’ll be starving by eleven!” she thought. She probably didn’t think about it again. But a dude named Andrew somehow got the kid to give up his lunch to Jesus (maybe he promised him that Jesus would autograph his brown paper lunch bag!) and Jesus blessed the few fish and pitas, and miraculously, exponentially, multiplied them, and more than 5000 folks were invited to an unexpected picnic!

Like moms across the globe, a mom packed her boy some sandwiches. Happened to be fish sandwiches. It was thoughtful.  And she probably never thought about it again. We’ve been reading about that lunch for twenty centuries!

You never know how many unforgettably meaningful “meaningless moments” are packed into to your ordinary day!

Here’s one…one morning, Lee, Pottsie, Bill Reazer and I were sitting down at Panera bread, talking about the Book of Romans and other intense stuff. Next to us, this older dude in an open-buttoned shirt (Tom Jones-style) and a big gold chain was chowing down and reading, totally ignoring us. Then, seemingly done, he got up…and left. Not only that but, he left…a big, untouched hunk of that awesome French bread they sell done there.

“Seems a shame to leave that,” Bill said. He looked at me (always hungry). “If I snag it off his plate, will you eat it?”

WITHOUT HESITATION, I answered, “You know it!”

Bill looked this way…then that way…and sloooooowwwwwly leeeaaaned over and just as he reached out to grab that bread with my name all over it….

“Wow! You get up for a second and folks are stealing your food!”

It was him!

“Oops!” said Bill.

“Oops!” said I.

“Ha!” said Pottsie

“Uh…we…uh…thought that you were…um…maybe…uh…gone…”

“Well, my son’s a manager here! I’m calling him over!”

I immediately realized that I didn’t know anything about how that whole posting bail thing worked. Just then, his son came over.

“These boys are so hungry, they’re having to steal food. Could you bring them a whole loaf of that French bread?”

“Sure, dad. No problem.”

As the son threw it down before our unbelieving eyes, the dad looked at us and said, as he was leaving, “All you have to do is ask.”


Y’know I was thinking about that story this week because Bill, now Young Life area director for Cape Girardeau, Missouri and one of the amazing missionaries we support, is giving the “talks” for the first time at a Young Life camp in Minnesota. He is boldly sharing the message of Jesus with hundreds of high schoolers from all over the nation, who have never heard it before. And when he gets to the part about all that Jesus did to make us His own…and what anyone who wants it, has to do to get the Gift…he tells the Panera story.

And he says, “All you have to do is ask.”

Your days are full of moments that mean more than you know.

A Note From Tom: January 27th, 2012

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome and beautiful day! In fact, I hope your day is as amazing as the incredible weather we’ve had the last two days! And I hear we’re gonna have today! I’m predicting bright, crisp, brilliantly and breath-takingly blue skies…just like yesterday and Wednesday! And we can expect gorgeous, sunny skies for the next 24 hours!

“What?! Yesterday was sloppy rainy all dang day!”

Well, I guess. But if you were flying out of McGee-Tyson, headed anywhere, as soon as you hit about 28,000 feet above Big Orange Country, you saw above the clouds, what a glorious, sunshiny day we were really having! It’s just a matter of perspective! If you’re just a “both-feet-firmly-planted-on-the-dirt” kinda dude, you see one thing. But if you see things from an elevated perspective, everything changes! For the sunnier!

“Whatever. And what’s the deal about ‘sunny skies for the next 24 hours’? It’ll be dark by 6:45 tonight!”

Not everywhere! Not in New Zealand and China! While you’re snoozing, they’ll strollin’ or sippin’ tea and chattin’ under sunny rays! So, it’ll be sunny at 28,000 feet-plus somewhere in the world, the whole day! If you had a weather balloon, an oxygen mask, and a heavy jacket, hat, and gloves, and could follow the sun on it’s daily global circuit, you’d know what I’m telling you is true! Bright and sunny for the next twenty four!

Maybe not here, but somewhere!

It’s all about perspective!

And what about the rain that comes? We really need it! Our daffodils are starting to push out of the mulch and they’re gonna look awesome! Thanks to all those drops from heaven! “God has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven!” (Acts 14)

Thanks, Lord! We need it!

And the darkness that comes at the end of the day? What a blessing!

When you’ve had just a cruddy day and nothing is going right and you wish you could just hit reset and start over? You can! That day won’t last forever! In just a few, the sun will set (on it’s way to shine over Australia at 28,000’!), and you get to snuggle in, close your eyes, and wake up to a new morning! A new chance! A fresh day! As it says at the beginning of the Book, “And it was evening and morning…”

Sunshine and rain, light and dark…we need whatever God sends!

Maybe that’s why Philippians 2 14 says, “Do everything without complaining…”

The original Greek for “everything” means… “EVERYTHING!!”

Never complain! About anything! Ever!

“Well, hold on! I’m not perfect!”

Totally! Nobody’s perfect! He’s not asking for perfection! He’s just asking us to never complain! In fact, not being perfect is just the reason I should never complain! I mess up everyday, but my Heavenly Dad NEVER stops loving and caring for me! What do I have to complain about!?

“Well, I’m only human.”

Actually, that ISN’T true! When you know Jesus, you’re more than just human! You have powers from God, Who now lives inside you! You’re different from who you were! You’re different from what others without Him, are! You have super-powers from God!

Early yesterday, I was reading (I remember it was a bright, sunny morning…28,000 ‘ above Nova Scotia…) in 1 Corinthians 3. Those dudes were arguing and bickering. And probably complaining tons! And Paul wrote to tell them to knock it off! “When you do that, you’re acting like plain ol’ humans!” (1 Cor 3.4)

You’re not “plain ol’ humans”!

You’re more!

You have super powers! You have the power to never complain! You have the power to praise by the Holy Spirit!

Because of Jesus, you’re “Praise Boy!” Or “Praise Girl!”

By the way, if you’ve already had a messed up day, that started with complaining and grumping, good news! It’ll be dark soon! And you get to start over in the morning!

By the way, forecast for tomorrow?

Bright and sunny!

Somewhere!

A Note From Tom: January 20th, 2012

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome week! In fact a verse from the Gospel of Luke I just read and an email I got recently both told me that you may be having a better week than you could even imagine!

What verse? Well, it’s kinda different but it says, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16.9)

It means, among other things, use your money to help people get in the kingdom so in heaven, you’ll have friends that are glad to meet you and happy you’re there!

I’ve been thinking about this more these days because of the New Year… time passing…another year closer to the “Return of the King”…every day closer, feeling my heart turn towards Home…

I know some don’t EVER think about being ready ‘til the two minute warning (even tho’ the Mayans apparently have some folks freaked out!)…. Reminded me of the two ladies who were talking in their lifeboat after the Titanic hit the iceberg and one of them said, "If I'd known this was going to happen, I'd have had the chocolate pecan pie!"

If you know something about what's ahead, it helps with choices you need to make.

Seriously, one of the people they pulled out of the water when the Titanic sank, was John Jacob Astor. He was frozen and so were his gold watch, his gold and diamond cuff links, his diamond ring with three stones, his $2440 in frozen bills, the  £5 in gold, his ten franc pieces, and his gold pencil. If he knew what was coming, he might have made different choices!

We can’t really be sure about whether or not Jesus is coming sooner rather than later, but y’all at Triple C are helping us make wise choices in the light of what’s ahead!

As we were figuring out the budget for CCC for the next year (which we’ll share with y’all this Sunday in Community group time), we calculated that our church has been able to give away 24% of our budget last year to missionaries we support! Your giving helped you make some friends you’ve never even met…but when you get to heaven, they’ll be glad you’re there!

Oh, the email I got? I almost forgot!

It was from Paul and Karen Davis! They are sharing Jesus in a town in southeast France. They’ve been in France forever doing this and they’ve started a new thing in this town where folks have never had the opportunity to hear about the One Who “makes all things new” in a world where some things are really getting old!  Before the most recent email, they were talking in the one from November about all that had happened in this last year.

Check it…

“November 29, 2011 -- This week marks our one-year anniversary in Pontcharra. …

* Last year we were the new arrivals in the neighborhood. Now we are involved in multiple community activities and feel at home!

* Last year we hardly new anyone in Pontcharra. Now we have lots of contacts and people know why we are here!

* Last year a few believers in Pontcharra were meeting together irregularly. Now we have two home groups meeting regularly for Bible study and prayer!

* Last year the believers in Pontcharra expressed their desire to have worship services in their city. Now we have monthly worship services in Pontcharra!...”

Then after Christmas, we got this…

“Our family of believers in Pontcharra got together on December 17 for a special Christmas worship service . We reviewed the scene in Bethlehem with the sad news that their was no room for Joseph & Mary in the Inn. We asked, "Is there room for Jesus in our hearts today?" We are so thankful for our spiritual family in Pontcharra!...”

If that just blew by you, take a sec to reflect…

A town where almost no one knows Jesus.

Almost everyone is without God.

Lost.

Dead in the heart.

Yuck.

Add…

Two people.

Plus one year.

Plus God working invisibly.

Result?

People worshipping Jesus! Folks reading the Holy Scriptures!  Men and women and kids asking themselves, “Am I that inn keeper? Why don’t I have room for Him? Maybe I can!”

Sacre Bleu! It’s amazing!

Next monthly worship time for the folks in Pontcharra, France who love Jesus, together with those who are learning more about Him?

Tomorrow!

Seeing how it’s budget time, I just wanted to say…Thank you so much for giving to all God is doing at Triple C! God is soooo faithful! Through your generous hearts, He met all of our needs at Christ Community in 2011 and your giving was to Him was “like a sweet-smelling sacrifice…filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus!” (Philippians 4. 18-21)

And whether you know it or not…or better, whether you know them or not…around the world…in Spain, Kenya, Italy, Morocco, India, Missouri, Chicago, Anderson Co., TN, and in Pontcharra, France… you and your generosity have made new friends who’ve come into the kingdom! What could possibly be better…or wiser…than that!?

Won’t it be awesome when we get finally Home with Him and those you’ve never met call out your name?

 “Hey! There you are!!!”

A Note From Tom: January 13th, 2012

Hey, everyone!

How ‘about this SNOW DAY!? Well, it’s not really much of one, but it’s a start! And here’s the forecast for the weekend…

“Snow flurries early this morning, otherwise decreasing clouds becoming mostly sunny, breezy and staying cold with highs only in the middle 30s… Lows Friday night dip into the middle to upper teens… Saturday night there could be a few flurries with that system, but no problems anticipated…”

Actually, a lot of people have anticipated more problems today than they really will have…

You know, Friday the 13th and all…

The National Geographic estimated that $900,000,000 will be lost today in business because some won’t fly, travel, or go to work because of the date. They suffer from  “paraskevidekatriaphobia” (fear of Friday 13th). Nobody knows where it came from, but it’s the most widely believed superstition in America!

Isn’t that crazy?

People just expecting the worst for no reason at all!!

Sometimes I think that this is a big difference that Jesus makes in the heart! Because of Him...because He reigns over all as King of kings and Lord of our hearts, we can expect good things to come to us, instead of seeing the bad in things all the time!  And always expecting the worst!

Check this out from Psalm 31…
“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you!”

Good things, stored and on the way!

Even if we have to go thru hard times, He is doing something amazing in and thru them that couldn’t happen any other way!

Just think of the good things you can expect to happen to you this week!

Let’s make a list!

1) Today, all things will work together for good for us who love God (Romans 8.28)

2) And with the snow, it’s good to remember that He has made our sins “white as snow!” (Isaiah 1.18)

3) And He’s in control of everything that happens! Even the “snow, clouds and winds do His bidding!” (Psalm 148.8)

4) On Sunday, we’ll meet together and sing praises to Him! And our hearts will be filled with love for Him for the week ahead! That’s a beautiful thing to look forward to!

5) And also we ……just like I was hoping it would! See? God has good things for us! Expect ‘em!