More On Effective Church Action

Town turns to prayer to fight pornography
Courtesy of OneNewsNow

An adult entertainment facility in Lavonia, Georgia, has shut its doors, and opponents believe it was due to the power of prayer.

Café Risqué opened six years ago, and the city lost several lawsuits to try to close it or force it to move from its location along the nearby interstate highway. The business was deemed an embarrassment to the city, but residents turned to prayer in order to shut the place down.

Larry Finger is senior pastor at First Baptist Church. "We prayed and hoped and trusted that the Lord would help us, and then eventually a situation came up where the property owner was prepared to sell, and using a third party, the city had someone buy the property," he details. "Then the city bought the property from them and closed the establishment."

Out of all the approaches to try to shut down the business, the only one that worked was prayer, says Finger. "It was a scourge on our community and we knew it, but we had come to the point where we thought we were almost hopeless outside God's miraculous help -- and we finally got the victory, and a great one it has been," says a joyful Finger.

The senior pastor is hopeful other towns with a similar problem -- perhaps that are ill-equipped to deal with the situation -- will not forget about prayer. He notes that Lavonians prayed for six years before there was a solution.

What?! You mean prayer actually WORKS?

Did you notice how long it took?

Have you ever quit before 6 years was finished?

I think that I probably added a couple prayers to theirs without knowing it on trips to Atlanta and Florida. I'm glad that place is gone... just like I'm glad Dockside Dolls in Mebane is gone. I credit prayer with that one too.

It is really amazing what the Church could accomplish if we would simply BELIEVE what the Bible says and act on that belief.

Here Is A Good Example Of What Church Is Supposed To Be

From an article on the Presidential Prayer Team website...

Leadership can be lonely. When you're the mayor, people who talk to you very often want something from you. That's why Portland, Oregon, Mayor Tom Potter was so surprised when one citizen - a prominent international figure - asked what he and his network of local leaders and activists could do for the mayor and the city.

"In all my years of public service," says Potter, "I rarely have people ask what they can do for me - and for our city. My answer, of course, was immediate - please help us solve the problem of homelessness."

The outcome two years later has been substantial. Over 25,000 volunteers have mobilized to tackle not only the area's homelessness but also medical needs, hunger, poverty, school cleanup and more. Their "Season of Service" (www.portlandcityfest.com/season_of_service) includes a dizzying array of projects to connect needy people with those who can help.

Luis Palau (www.portlandcityfest.com/luis_palau), the international Christian speaker who approached Potter, and his team have helped organize local churches to volunteer for the public good. Partnering with government and business leaders, the church coalition is producing impressive results.

Read more...

This is what I am talking about! The church being the hands, feet, and mouth of God here on earth. VERY COOL.

Reward In Full

This past weekend the StillWaters Jazz Band played at the Brian Center in Salisbury. It was a much different show than we had done up to that point.

You see, so far all of our audiences have been very supportive and enthusiastic. The guys at the NC Veterans' home last week were the most receptive and fun crowd that we have played for. The folks at the Brian Center couldn't have been much more different.

I can say this - at least the crowd wasn't hostile. We weren't having stuff thrown at us! However, there was almost no response from the residents. Most seemed unable to respond. It was very sad, and very difficult to play through. I guess I figured that most folks respond to music even when nothing else can get through.

We did manage to talk to a few folks when we took our break. Some were able to converse with us. Justin is so good at interacting with the people that we play for. I am amazed that a self-proclaimed introvert does as well at it as he does. I find myself hanging back far more than I should. He makes it look so natural - and I suppose it is because he genuinely does care for the people that we are serving.

And that gets right to the heart of the thing, doesn't it? We are there to serve and not to be served. We had a real gut check Saturday. Are we playing because we need an ego boost? Are we doing it just for the fun of it? Or are we doing it to serve our community? If we aren't doing it to show Jesus to our community, then we are missing the point.

It reminds me of the story in the Bible where Jesus talks about the Pharisees who enjoy making prayers in public so people will respect them and think that they are spiritual or those that appear haggard while fasting so that people will think that they are holy for their sacrifice. Jesus said that these people had received their reward in full. It is a good reminder.

There were many elements to Saturday's show that were difficult, but in spite of those difficulties we are committed to going back there again. Who needs our ministry more than these folks? We will find a way to make it fun and seek ways to break through, but even if we don't we really must return. I think it is what Jesus would do.

A Quote For You

I am being pressed forward in the Spirit to assume my position. How about you? Each one of us in Christ has a position that we MUST assume. His Bride must be ready for her Groom! We can't fulfill our life's mission if we don't boldly step into that rightful place He has for us.
- Deborah @ Thoughts Along The Way

Church Went Great

Our gathering tonight was small. My sister woke up sick this morning and another couple decided to celebrate the sale of one of their houses. I can't say that I blame them at all. So there were only four of us - make that five - present. I say five, because it was clear that the Lord did show up too.

We had a great meal and talked about what was going on with each other. We played some jazz. We drank tea and ate Girl Scout cookies. (The coffee pot accidentally got broken.) We practiced some worship songs. Frankly a couple of them were pretty rough.

When we finished singing, we sat back at the table and talked about Acts 2:42-47. We laughed at our hosts' spastic cats. We shared prayer requests and we prayed.

It was perfect. I'd put our night up against anyone out there engaged in the Valentine's Day madness.

We liked it so much we're going to do it again next week too!

More to come... hope you can too!

A Milestone

This is our blog's 100th post - a milestone of sorts. I hope that there will be hundreds more before everything is said and done. We have also recently passed our 1000th page view. There have been visitors to our site from all over the world. I am always amazed when I discover that someone on the other side of the world is reading our blog. Truly the web makes the world a smaller place.

For those of you who have been reading our blog - thank you. We hope that you are blessed by the content that you find here and hope that you find something worthwhile when you come by. That is what we are striving to do.

Our little church is facing some big challenges in the months to come. Your prayers on behalf of our congregation are most welcome. We truly want to impact the people that we encounter every day in a positive way. We want them to know the love of Jesus that we have discovered. Hopefully we will find the anointing and courage that we need to break out of old habits and cultural norms and begin to truly live according to the culture of the Kingdom of God.

May God richly bless you all.

James 2:26

I suppose that it is a little tacky to quote yourself in a blog, but oh well, sometimes you write something that you just don't think that you can improve upon. Not to say that the following quote from my post called The Least Of These is Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, but it really communicates what I want to say in this forum as we are heading towards the big Christmas parties that we have scheduled.

I was talking with my good friend Bruce after the service and we were both feeling kind of low and worn out. We've both been taking a little time in the Lord's crucible lately, and I confessed to him how dry I had been feeling this past week - lonely for the Lord's presence. (Isn't it funny how being lonely for the Lord will often disguise itself as loneliness for other company? But I digress.) He suggested that it was perhaps the enemy's attack. We talked for a little bit longer and in the course of that discussion decided that we should do some servant evangelism together soon. (See Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy Of Kindness.) As we left the church we passed a car broken down in the middle of the road. I stopped to ask if the guy driving needed help, and he could only answer me in Spanish. I went to park the car and looked up and there was Bruce! He was stopping to help too.

Now you need to understand, I am utterly NOT mechanical. I know next to NOTHING about what is going on under the hood of a car - especially if it isn't doing what it is supposed to be doing. However, Bruce is VERY mechanical. We helped the fellow to get his car out of the road and then Bruce went to work on the car. I used the little Spanish I knew to talk to Carlos and before you knew it Bruce had the car running again! We didn't say a word to Carlos about God or Jesus - I probably could have if I had been in practice - but as we went on our way I felt like I had just touched the Lord's fellowship for the first time in the past seven days. Is it possible that we met the Lord broken down on the road? Matthew 25:40 would seem to indicate that we did.

Perhaps God let me get dry and hungry for His presence so that I would sense it so clearly when I encountered it with Carlos this afternoon. If so, may He not let me forget to seek His presence even amongst "the least of these."

This encounter this past Sunday has stayed with me over the past couple of days. I am hungry to do a Servant Evangelism project between now and Christmas.

I actually have one in mind - not nearly as ambitious as the roofing project we did! I was thinking about contacting one (or several) stores at the mall and finding out when their busiest projected time will be one weekend. Then I will ask permission for a group of us to station ourselves around at the exit area cash registers and offer to assist customers with large packages to their cars. It is simple and inexpensive and will give us opportunities to talk with these folks while we are waiting for someone to serve and while we are serving!

What do you think? We would only go for an hour - two at the most. I believe the impact would be tremendous! All I need now is some volunteers. The two dates that I have in mind are the 8th or the 15th, but we could do it later too. I am leaning towards the 15th to give me a little time to promote the outing and to do all the planning. Please respond in the comments if you would be willing to help.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:31-40

Happenings

Please note that there are some changes this week and with our holiday plans!

This week, in lieu of the usual Oasis Diner we will be caravaning over to the Carangelos' home in Mooresville for their decorating party in preparation for the first annual Carangelo Christmas Party. Please note that the time is from 3:30-7:30 instead of the usual 5:30-7:00.

Coming up next Sunday is the annual joint Thanksgiving service between Back Creek Presbyterian, New Hope Presbyterian, and StillWaters. The service is at 6:30 PM at Back Creek Presbyterian. There will be a fellowship afterwards. Please bring finger foods. Click HERE for a map and directions from Kidsports.

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Kirkers are sponsoring their decorating party. The time is from 3:30 - 7:30. Dinner will be provided.

Finally, the big events, yes, EVENTS on December 2. You already know about the Kirkers' drop in party from 4:30-7:30, but the Carangelos have moved their party to the December 2 as well from 5:30-7:30. Please mark your calendars!

It is an exciting time in the life of our church. Please be praying for the success of these events and for our neighbors' hearts to be open to the gospel. Even if you can't host a party this season, be praying about ways that you can serve your neighbors and show them God's love in a very practical and tangible way as we enter the holidays.

I Know What He Meant

Some years ago a thoughtful friend and colleague peeled back a portion of his soul's veneer to provide me a fuller, more insightful glimpse into what made him tick -- and delight. The revelation came in the form of a pithy comment almost off-handedly embedded in a dialog we had engaged concerning our shared vocation of "Church Planter."

I will not soon forget the whimsical ease with which John delivered his gift of self to me that day, as in a mere moment he provided the easel, canvas and hues to produce in my mind's eye the vivid picture which summarized his humor and expectations, as well as our profession. With casual aplomb Rev. John Montgomery (Lake Mary, Florida) invited me into his inner world when he simply stated, "Sometimes I like to go down to the airport and just sit in my parked car at the end of a runway. It thrills me no end that something is getting off the ground with absolutely no effort on my part."

This Blog represents a marvelous means of intimate communion with one another, and it has "gotten off the ground" with absolutely no effort on my part. Hallelujah!

Church Planters, you see, come outfitted with a closet full of hats that must adeptly be worn and interchanged with regularity. On one hand, we are tasked with various duties and challenges which can be wonderfully fulfilling and novel, it is true. Yet, at the same time the sheer volume of (often) quite diverse activities and demands on our ministerial plate seem laughable and mutually exclusive to the point of ridicule.

Dealing with people can be "messy" as you already know, since you are one. It can also be gratifying to the point of tears. Either way, and at any given moment, it is consuming of time, energy, and emotions. Nevertheless, I did volunteer. Twice.

I would do it again.

All that to say that this Blog represents a "take-off" for which I was unnecessary. Excellent! And, as I stare towards the cyber skies into which this vessel has launched successfully, I settle into my virtual 1960's vintage muscle car and smile with amused and relieved delight.

Thank you, Cephas, and all those who contributed to erecting this forum for hearts and souls to connect. May it be said in the days to come that many folks of the Salisbury Piedmont community of North Carolina -- and, perhaps, kindred spirits in the Siberian tundra; Tibetan highlands of Asia; tropical climes of sub-Saharan Africa; glacial antiquity of Antarctica; watery expanse of Oceania; vast interior of the Amazon Rain Forest; verdant forests of Western Europe, and all the concrete jungles here on our home planet -- are blessed and served by this powerful blogging tool called "Conspiracy of Kindness." Fly high and far, C of K!

Dreams, hopes, passions, fears, failings, prayers, questions, answers, real life -- all are welcome here. Stay tuned and you will become more acquainted with my own. Warning: mining the depths of the human soul can be scary. Enter into this communion with caution -- and with confidence that the Maker, and re-Maker of that soul is God.

I wish I had said what John said.
I guess I just did.
I know what he meant.

God's best to you, now and always.
Cameron, (a.k.a. SouthernViking.)

From The Gatekeeper...

Cephas here, I hope you are doing well today. As things are getting up and running here on Conspiracy Of Kindness, I decided that it would be a pretty good idea to cover the bases with everyone about what we are trying to accomplish.

Blogging is a fairly new phenomenon, and for those who have never been around it before, it may seem a bit foreign. Perhaps you are wondering what the word "blog" means. Well, "blog" is sort of a contraction. It derived from the words "web log" which were eventually contracted into just "blog." A blog is really an interactive web site. Around the ones where there is a lot of audience participation (by way of comments) a real community tends to spring up. How much easier it should be to develop this community when many of the people reading are already in community at our church!

Blogs have a tendency to take on a personality of sorts. Some blogs are humorous, some can be quite acerbic, and some can be downright contentious! As the gatekeeper or editor of this blog it is my job to determine the personality of the blog and to maintain that personality by editing comments and posts and by soliciting and writing posts that will contribute to that personality.

My intention is for this blog to radiate kindness - just like the title suggests. I intend for it to be a forum where the members of our church can come to share the things that God has been teaching them through their time in the Word, their time in prayer, their times of fellowship with each other, and their time in the laboratory of life. It is a place where we can report on and chronicle our efforts to reach out to Rowan County and where we can come for encouragement and information and perspective. The whole point is edification.

To this end here are some rules that will govern all posts and comments on this blog:

1.) This is not a forum for arguing. Debate is OK - to a point. There is a fine line between arguing and debating, and I will determine that line. Just remember that any dialogue in this forum must be done in love, "seasoned as with salt," as the Bible would say it.

2.) 99.999% of the time all correction of individuals should be done offline (i.e. not on the blog). In cases of debate it would be allowable to show scriptural evidence (up to 2 or 3 examples) that support your perspective. But remember, this isn't a contest. Correction should be rare and it MUST BE DONE GENTLY IN LOVE.

3.) This isn't a forum for pointing out the errors (or perceived errors) in other ministries, pastors, teachers, evangelists, Christian literature, brothers or sisters. We're not in the stone-throwing business.

4.) It is OK to be transparent here, but remember that this is a public blog. Most of the people reading it will be from our church, but there may very well be people from all over the world reading. If you don't want anyone (or everyone) to know about it then don't publish it here.

5.) This isn't a place for us to try to fix each other. Don't write a preachy post (or comment) about someone who is bugging you. This blog is about unity, friendship, and kindness. The biblical model if you have a problem with someone is to first go to them one on one and discuss it. If you can't get a resolution you take someone else with you. If that doesn't resolve it, then the church gets involved. It shouldn't be played out here in the blog for the world to see.

6.) I think that it is reasonable to have a policy of no profanity and no bedroom talk here. I really probably didn't need to say it, but better safe than sorry.

7.) This is ABSOLUTELY NOT a forum for gossip.

8.) This forum should not be used to speak of any ruling authority (or even a candidate) in a derogatory fashion. Information can be shared about stances that candidates have taken or policies that a leader is pursuing, but no rhetoric here. This isn't a place for Democrat versus Republican or right versus left debate.

9.) This is not a forum for church business.

10.) This is not a forum to criticize.

I'm sure that these are rules that we can all live with, and I am sure that you understand why I have put each of them in place. If I find a comment or a post that violates these rules, I will either delete it or edit it. I am confident that I won't have any problem.

I want you to each use and enjoy the blog. So far the posts have been very edifying, and I expect that to continue. For those of you who haven't blogged before, the real fun and the real community comes when you begin to comment on the posts and comment on each others' comments. It's a lot of fun! I think that you will find it a great venue for ministering to each other, getting a deeper understanding of each other, and perhaps even being challenged in your walk with the Lord. If you contribute posts it is a great way to share what God is teaching you and a great way to express yourself.

If you are interested in posting either ask Jonathan at church, call him, or send him an email. If you have any questions about how it all works, you can do the same too. He'll be glad to help.

Happy blogging!

Quote Of The Day

In order to prepare Israel for the gospel that Jesus would preach, John (the baptist) was chosen to break up their hardened spiritual soil through both his austere lifestyle and his cutting message. John experienced amazing results, but this is not always the case.

Some of you are not only in a hard place, you are having a hard time too. No matter how much you pray or how hard you preach, no one responds. You invite people to your Bible study or to church, and they don’t show up. Everything in you wants to quit. Let me tell you right now that this is no time to give up....

No matter how hard your task may seem, God is at work to change the very place you are laboring. It may take five months or five years, but that is not the issue.

If you are faithful to fulfill the task God has given you, sooner or later, your harvest will come.

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

Coming Soon To A Neighborhood Near You...

Stillwaters' first Christmas party of the season has been scheduled for December 2 at the Kirkers' in Windmill Ridge. As details become available and needs are made known we'll be reporting on it here.

The rest of the church was challenged to schedule their very own Neighborhood Christmas party. Different families will host the events in their homes and other church members will supply food, help in making preparations, help in staffing, and help cleaning up. Cool, huh?

Initial sign ups were this morning, but I haven't seen the list yet. As we have information about additional parties, you'll be able to find the details here.

Please be praying for each party and for each host. Please pray that the parties will be well attended and that there will be opportunities to share God's love and grace with our neighbors. Most importantly pray for our neighbors. We want to make it hard for our neighbors to go to hell. As we show them God's love in practical and fun ways we'll do just that.

It's going to be a great holiday season!

(A shameless plug for the Stillwaters' Jazz Band: if you need the SJB for your holiday entertaining, please let Justin know! Book now ahead of the Christmas rush!)

MORE (10/8/07)

The Carangelo family has entered the fray! Their neighborhood party will be on December 15th. Mark your calendars! More details as they become available.

Global Cooling . . it's a comin'

"Christians are to be in the world like ice-cubes that never melt - always a means of grace that transforms the world in which we live. In Christ, we break away from the security of our ideas, programs, and traditions like an iceberg breaking away from the frozen caps. We are sent by being caught up in the current of Christ's life. In His current we are free to ebb, flow, and go where He goes. As we float along together, propelled by the wind of the Spirit, Christ touches others through us for God's glory. With contact, everything He touches changes, and contrary to the ways of the world, even some frozen hearts are melted and others made harder. (There is no middle ground) The change is either towards or further away from the Savior and whether the change is temporal or eternal, there must be contact. " rc

"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father,
he will testify about me. And you also must testify,
for you have been with me from the beginning."
John 15:26-27

Stillwaters Jazz Band

This is Justin Dickson from Jonathan's church... long time listener, first time caller. Anyway he asked me to write on this blog about the jazz band we have started. So here is the story.

About two months ago, our pastor hosted a sort of "family meeting" with we who attend the church regularly. He spoke on a few subjects, but the one that caught my attention was our role in the surrounding community. He asked questions to the effect of, "what are we really doing to help the people out there we don't know?" and "if we ceased to exist as a church next week, how much would the community of Salisbury really be affected?"

For some reason these questions stayed with me for the remainder of the day (I blame the Holy Spirit), and my wife and I discussed them afterward. I am an introvert by nature and the idea of helping out at a soup kitchen or something like that really bothers me... and yet I felt like I needed to do something to make a difference and do some ministry out there in Salisbury.

Now a few weeks earlier, we played a song or two in our church worship band with a sort of New Orleans jazz feel to them. We really enjoyed playing like that together and thought it would be fun to do it again some time. Personally, I have always loved playing traditional jazz and blues more than any other kind of music.

So eventually I had the idea to put together a small jazz band for the purposes of music ministry. The idea is not necessarily to preach from a soap box and ask for an alter call in the middle of every performance, but rather to show the Gospel to strangers by giving our time and talents to them for free. The hope is that people will turn their heads when they see a group of people give up their Saturday afternoon to come play fun music for the sick and lonely in retirement homes, hospitals, etc.

I hope the conversation comes up at least once every time we perform.
"So you're not getting paid for this?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"We don't really want to do it for money."
(blank, confused facial expression)
"This is just our way of showing that someone out there is thinking about you and cares. We're based out of Stillwaters church in Salisbury and we thought you might enjoy a little music today. That's all."

After four years of being a camp counselor at a Christian summer camp, I've learned that most people don't want to hear about the Romans Road or what is going to happen when they die if they don't get down and pray right now. Most people just need an honest hug, about 10 minutes of our time, and for us to just shut up and listen to them. They don't want a tract or a clever slogan on a church marquee, they want help and understanding as they deal with their dying little sister or divorced parents. They need to be honestly loved from someone who doesn't have an agenda or a pre-written script full of cliches.

They need to be loved the way that Jesus loved the poor and needy people he encountered. He didn't throw theology and a list of church membership requirements at them; he immediately diagnosed each individual's greatest needs (spiritually or physically) and met those needs through selfless acts of love and miracles. This is ministry, and it will never lose its power.

I hope ministry is exactly what we accomplish with our music. We have been blessed with enough talent and time to make it happen. We already have a good sound together, we're having a lot of fun in practice, and I hope to start getting out into the community in November. There are four of us right now: myself on trumpet, my wife on piano, Jonathan on guitar, and Gillon Jones on bass guitar. Gillon was a senior at South Rowan last year and played bass in the school jazz band for me, and he is now starting his career in the ministry. I hope you get the chance to meet him soon.

I will close with the verse from 1Peter that really explains the heart of this whole thing.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10

Why The Name "Conspiracy Of Kindness"?

So, perhaps you are wondering about this unusual name, "Conspiracy of Kindness." What does it mean? Why did you pick this for the name of the blog for Stillwaters church?

Well, there are a couple of different reasons. I had originally thought to name the blog Philadelphia, after the church mentioned in the book Revelation, because the name "city of brotherly love" matched the mission that our church has identified here in Salisbury. I also liked the message that Jesus gave to the church at Philadelphia. However, and not unexpectedly, the address that would have contained simply "Philadelphia" was already taken.

As I was pondering another name that would convey what we believe that we are supposed to be doing, I thought of Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy of Kindness. Here is a picture of the book with a link to Amazon:


I don't remember where I discovered this book, but when I read it, I was totally captivated by a church's plan to show the love of Jesus to Cincinnati, OH with no strings attached. They were going to follow their plan with no hidden agendas. If no one came to their church it was OK. If they didn't see anyone get saved as a result of their outreach that was OK too. They were going to intentionally continue to share the love of Jesus with the people of Cincinnati in practical ways regardless of the outcome.

They call it "Servant Evangelism" because their modus operandi is to do practical things to let people know that Jesus loves them. The first project that they came up with was to go door to door in downtown Cincinnati and offer to wash the businesses' toilets for free "to show them God's love in a practical way." The effect was electric. Not everyone would allow them to serve them, but it sure got people talking.

As they expanded their program, not everyone got saved. Not everyone came to their church. But because they had been laboring, many people (even some that they hadn't served) DID get saved. Many people DID come to their church (although many of them had never been served by them.) And the city of Cincinnati became a much friendlier place.

Ever since I have read this book, I have been convinced that its methodologies are worth emulating. What better way to be relevant to the society in which we live? What better way to help people understand who Jesus is and what He is about than by trading words for action?

The beauty of Servant Evangelism is that it doesn't require a head full of theology to be effective. Even the newest believer can be involved in it. Even the most shy can be a servant evangelist. Oftentimes, the people that are being served don't even know that something has been done for them until long after the person serving them has left, but the effectiveness is not lessened one iota by the lack of direct contact.

There is also a serendipitous benefit that derives to the one doing the Servant Evangelism: their courage and boldness to actually talk to others about the gospel is increased.

So, in the near future you will be hearing about plans for Stillwaters to "Show God's love in a practical way." One is in the works right now. Start thinking of ways to serve your neighbors. How would you like to be served? What would make your day if someone did it for you out of the blue? With a little planning, a little work, and a little money we will see our city transformed by the love of Jesus demonstrated through our hands.

Quote Of The Day

"When the gift of God in us is manifesting, we profit in new ways (1 Cor. 12). Many people are clueless to the Gift of God within them. The Lord has given each of us a destiny. He has also given us a unique mix of gifts to fulfill that destiny. I believe that you will experience life at its fullest and display His glory at its richest when you passionately walk in the callings and gifting that the Lord has imparted to you."
- Chuck Pierce

Reminds me of something John Piper said:

"One of the saddest feelings in the world is the feeling that your life is going nowhere. You're alive, but you feel like there is no point in being alive. You get a little daydream - a little flicker - of what it might be like to be a part of something really great and really valuable, and what it might be like to have a significant part in it. But then you wake up and everything looks so small and insignificant and pitiful and out of the way and unknown and pointless.

We were not made to live without a destiny. We were made to be sustained by a meaningful, purposeful future. We were made to be strengthened each day by this assurance, this confidence: that what is happening in our lives today, no matter how mundane and ordinary, is a really significant step toward something great and good and beautiful tomorrow."

and

"God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him."