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As I write this I have not yet closed out the facts and figures for the month of June. Even so, I am confident that once tabulated those numbers will illustrate how our God has again provided over and beyond anything we could have hoped for or imagined. Already through May we are ahead of where we were last year regarding the number of individuals and households we’ve served and in the amount of food we’ve distributed. And last year was record high amounts.
It is to God’s glory that even in the midst of all the chaos He has remained faithful. In the early stages of the COVID panic-demic we could see some of our traditional sources of food and monetary support slowing down. A few completely stopped. But, God opened other means. And then, just as things seem to be calming down, our nation became gripped by civil unrest and bedlam. Was God overwhelmed? Certainly not. Was God caught off guard? Hardly.
In fact, as if to reinforce His sovereign authority, God began to pour out His blessings. During the summer months we normally struggle to have enough food and/or monetary support to meet the increased demand. This year however, even with all the additional families finding themselves in need due to early school closings and loss of wages, we have been able to give far more than normal to those we serve. God has provided an abundance. God is good.
June first marked the 20th Anniversary of Here I Am, Inc. (HIA), which we established to meet the needs of those in our community in a variety of ways. From home and auto repair to the transportation of medical items, we simply said, “Here I am, God. Send me.” And send us He did. We gained our 501 c 3 status in 2003 and began the Care Mission in 2005.
June 25th marked the 15th Anniversary of the Care Mission Food Pantry. We had planned to celebrate what God has done through both HIA and the Care Mission with our 15th Annual Day of Praise in June, but with the effects of COVID still here we’ve decided to push that back to sometime in September. We’ll let you know more details on that later.
We are closing for all of July. While COVID-19 didn’t slow us down, my bad hip has. For the past 3 years or so I’ve experienced serve pain in my left hip joint. I am scheduled for a hip replacement July 7th. Hopefully I will finally have some relief once I get through all the rehab. We plan to re-open Wednesday, August 5th. We regret having to close but we feel this is best in the long run. I will still be far from 100% when we re-open, but I should be able to handle working in the office and all the paperwork.
Please be in prayer for my quick and full recovery; for Kendra, my “Nurse Goodbody” during all of this; our volunteers, Board members, our clients, our supporters, and our nation.
Food for thought;
As I have watched all the chaos unfolding throughout our nation I have wrestled to understand what is really going on. As a Christian I try to always look at life through spiritual eyes since I know that we are spiritual beings wrapped in flesh, created in the image of God by God.
For several weeks I have prayed for God’s wisdom and understanding and tried my best to be still and listen. Over and over again I’ve felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to read and ponder the story told by Jesus regarding sheep and the Good Shepherd found in John 10:1-21. I’ve heard the story preached or read studies on it numerous times. This is not a text unfamiliar to most Christians. And after re-reading, pondering on, and listening to the Holy Spirit I began to see how it relates to what we are witnessing now. Allow me to share.
The turmoil in our world, in our nation, today is nothing new. It is as old as time itself. We may see a struggle between political parties, gender groups, racial groups, institutions, or social ideologies, but at its core this battle is between good and evil. It’s as simple as that.
In His story Jesus illustrates the players involved, and their characteristics. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. His sheep are the church, the Body of Believers who have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, they know His voice. Not to be confused with the “make believers” who seek self-righteousness. In addition there are some today who have not accepted Christ but will stand with the church based on their common set of values.
The thief is the enemy, Satan, the Prince of Darkness. Some of his sheep have outright chosen to be part of this camp with eyes wide open. Others find themselves there by default having rejected both Christ and the values He promotes.
The Good Shepherd, Jesus, has come to give life and life more abundantly. His sheep know that an abundant life is not void of hardship. Instead they wear the Armor of God to defeat the weapons formed against them. They realize they are blessed with opportunity through grace and mercy. It was the church that lead the fight against slavery and pushed for the civil rights of all, they elevated women and children, created hospitals, began the education of the masses, first formed universities, organized charitable given and benevolence as a life style, it was the first to defend the unborn and the elderly, all while promoting a higher sense of justice unlike anything the world has ever known.
By contrast the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. His sheep seek to figuratively and at times literally steal what they have not earned, kill anything or anyone they cannot control, and to destroy anything they cannot steal. Their ultimate goal is to destroy the church. All other activities are simply a means to that end. It is the church, with Christ as its head that stands against the evils of the thief and his flock.
Once we understand that evil is not the opposite of good, but rather the perversion of good, we can see why the Social Justice Movement is so important to the thief. Social Justice is the perversion of actually justice. It changes with the whim of the society. It has no set moral standard. It promotes the notion that one generation can be held responsible for the sins of past generations. This is in sharp contrast to the teachings of Christ which holds the individual responsible for their own sins. We are all born sinners, but the sin we bear is ours not those of others. We cannot repent on behalf of others nor can we accept forgiveness on behalf of others because their sins are not ours. The sins of the collective cannot be laid upon the individual any more than the individual can repent and receive forgiveness for the collective. Sin and forgiveness don’t work that way. Justice doesn’t work that way.
In the story of the Good Shepherd Jesus points out another group often overlooked. They are the hired hands, or hired workers. They do not own the sheep so they will not lay down their life for the sheep as Christ has. When danger comes they will not defend the sheep, they will abandon the flock. When they are attacked, having no shepherd, the sheep will scatter.
Unfortunately there are many in leadership within the church today that are little more than hired hands. In an effort to appease the Social Justice Warriors they have bowed down or abandoned their flocks out right. They are preaching the Social Justice Gospel rather than the true Gospel and the justice of scripture. The sheep who have placed their faith in the hired hands do not know the voice of the Good Shepherd and will be scattered.
As the church we must stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and rebuke the thief. Those we love are depending on us. Our nation is depending on us. We must seek actual justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Thanks and Be Blessed,
Deon and Kendra