the wave

I watched a movie yesterday called The Wave, it's a German film with subtitles. It's a remake of a film with the same title that I watched over 25 years ago in school.  It was about a high school class who's teacher was demonstrating how quickly fascism can develop and a dictatorship can be born, even in post modern Germany. It's a really good film and I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind reading a movie.

As I was watching, I noticed how some of the characteristics of fascism seemed to be so natural and easy to adopt by the class. Things like self discipline, respect and a club shirt all added to the feeling of belonging to something. It wasn't long that those who did not join in with the "values" of the class were pushed to the outside. The club grew rapidly and those pushed to the outside could re-join, all they had to do was conform.The problem was that those who did not join the club were progressively treated with harsher hostilities until the end of the movie ended in tragedy.

I hate to make the correlation, but, couldn't help but think how easily small groups, youth groups, churches and denominations can quickly isolate others due to a lack of common belief. It's like we all go to the same school, but, because some don't wear the club shirt, they don't belong. Of course as they are treated with increasing amounts of rejection, why would they ever want to join?

The way I see it, is we all wear the same club shirt, it's a shirt called sin. We can pretend it doesn't exist or that because we've repented that we're now in a different club and now that we're in, we must stay away from those who we think are out. However, Jesus came to those rejected by the established club, the broken, the sick and those who don't believe. He came to set the sinners free.

In the parable Jesus told about the wheat and the tares, he said in the night, the enemy came and sowed tares in a wheat field. When they grew up, the workers asked if they should pull the tares out and the Farmer said, "no, lets wait until harvest and then separate them, otherwise the wheat would be damaged as well."

One of the things we want to do as we start a church for people who don't like church is that we want to allow people to belong before they believe. Now, of course this goes against so much we have learned about building a church, but, if we toss 'em out before they make up their minds, then not only will we be making the decision easy for them, but, we'll hurt those who invited them in the first place.

As we continue our work in 2012, please pray that we will always be open to the miracle of redemption, not rejecting those who don't see things the way we do. Please pray that through us God will do great acts of love for people that have been hurt by religion in the past and that he will turn their hearts towards him.

strike back

Blog post by Wendy Kauffman

Merry Christmas! Although we moved to Miami in September we are in Missouri to spend Christmas with our family and to prepare for the wedding of our son. Things are busy so we have not had much time to dwell on what we are missing about being in Miami. We have had a great time seeing family and friends.

For some strange reason, all day long, I have been thinking about lyrics from a song that is pretty old. I think it is one of my favorite phrases to quote, "kick the darkness til it bleeds daylight." 

I don't know much about the song so I decided to research it some. The song is actually titled "Lovers in a dangerous time," written by Bruce Cockburn. It was released during the cold war. I don't know all the lyrics but that line in the lyric is one of my favorite.

I feel like that is what we are called to do. Kick the darkness til it bleeds daylight, but much like the songs title indicates, it can be dangerous.

Then I thought, that is what happened on that day over 2,000 years ago when that little baby was born. The first kick at darkness. A lowly infant child entered, bringing love in very dangerous times.

Today as we celebrate the gift of life and love that came that Christmas day, I pray that we all remember that it was in his lowly sacrifice that we can "kick the darkness til it bleeds daylight" and that we remember to love even in these dangerous times.

derailed

We left Miami just 6 days ago to travel to Missouri for Christmas, our son Jeremy's wedding and for New Years. When we left it was 80 degrees and of course I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. When we got to Missouri, I was scrambling for coats and long pants. The first couple of nights I would wake up in the middle of the night FREEZING! I even had to ask my sister in law for another blanket. However, it seems I'm getting acclimated to the cooler temperatures now. I am no longer walking around the house with big fuzzy slippers, long jons, jeans, flannel shirt, sweat shirt hoodie wrapped up in a fleece blanket with a stocking cap on, all while sipping a never ending cup of hot steamy coffee.


It's amazing to me how our bodies can quickly adjust to the environments around us and we get used to the way things are. The problem with that is our minds can get used to the environments we are in too. We seem to strive to get to a point that is comfortable and then strive to maintain that level of comfortability. Then we develop habits of being more concerned with our environment than with the people we are sharing that environment with. Next thing you know, you're stuck in a rut.


Jesus is a guy that likes to break out of ruts. He challenged the things people did regularly with questions of priority. Like, does it really matter if we wash our hands before we eat if our hearts are corrupt? Is it really more important to keep the Sabbath then to save someone or heal someone?  Things that seem important can easily trap us and we lose sight of what we should really be focused on, on what the Father is doing.


When we return to Miami in a few days, please pray that we will not get stuck in ruts and that we will constantly evaluate what we are doing, making sure we are doing it with the right priorities.


How about you? Are you stuck in a rut and can't seem to break out of it? Can you think of ways to reach out to your neighbors and co-workers, maybe God is stirring up stuff in their hearts and they just need someone to talk to? Pray that God gives you opportunities to share his love in practical ways with others.

1000?

The temporary motel we are living at in Miami is owned by a partnership of immigrants from India. They hire other Indian people to manage the motel. It's been interesting getting to know them, they always seem very interested in our kids. Apparently having 5 kids living in an efficiency apartment is an odd thing (???) Come to find out the manager and his wife were only allowed to have two kids and in recent years the law changed in India and now a family can only have one.


The manager (Sonny) is very talkative, if you let him, he will go on and on and on. I think they feel very alone in this strange country and when they find a sympathetic ear, they have no problem letting go. When the neighborhood of motels started decorating for Christmas, Sonny went into a storage room and found an old box of Christmas lights and started hanging them, it didn't take long until Ruthie was right in the middle of helping out. Then they found an old artificial tree and set it up in the office. Ruth was so excited, she just had to go to the store at that very moment and get candy canes for the pitiful little tree.


I think Sonny and his wife were very thrilled to see how excited Ruth got over Christmas coming. Every time Sonny sees Ruth, he asks if he can eat one of the candy canes. We always knew that she would be a catalyst to meeting people and being able to get into their lives, sharing God's love in practical ways. We have found out that they are Hindu and worship 1000 gods. They are strict vegetarians and not only were they limited on how many kids they could have, their marriage was arranged by their parents. Theirs is a very calculated and planned out culture, they do everything with a purpose and even though they love being in the USA they do not understand us.


Getting to share the meaning of Christmas was exciting, I can't wait until Easter to be able to explain the redemptive love of Jesus' sacrifice.

Oceans of wheat

Today was the first day in over 3 months that we did not wake up 100 yards from the beach. We did not wake up in an area with 4.4 million other people living within 30 miles of us. It took over an hour today to see a person that was not related to me.

In the middle of this 800 acre farm, lying in the middle of the continent, life is so different. Very peaceful and quiet. I have not heard one horn honk since being here, I'm thinking of going out to the van to honk the horn just to make the kids feel at home. Here people take care of each other, they might not be super rich, but, they have what they need and they don't mind sharing. They treat others with respect and rarely turn their noses up at those who are down and out.

It's a great reminder of why we're in Miami in the first place, to take a little home town feel to the big city. We could very easily be swept up in being "do gooders" and applying for grants and government subsidies and depend on social services to help us feed the homeless, but, then we'll be beholden to do it the way the government has always done it (and failed at doing it). We would become instruments of the government and end up reaching the same people the government is reaching. All our time would end up being spent on filling out paperwork and counting people. The last time I checked, I didn't see any love in the midst of a grant proposal.

The steps we have taken and the ground we have gained has been nothing short of a miracle. Jesus loved us so much he laid down his life so we can truly live, and in turn we're in Miami for people that may have never experienced love before. One day, the'll turn their lives over to Jesus and maybe even become a miracle for someone else. What's weird is that it won't be a miracle because of anything they do, it'll be a result of Jesus' love in them.

No government program can emulate the love God has for us, it takes other people to embody that love and to emulate it. Love is the reason we're in Miami and very simply put, "God IS Love."

Missouri Bound

So tomorrow is the day that we head back to Missouri for a few weeks. We are all very excited to see family and friends.  We will get to see family we have not seen in a while and we are really excited about that. Jeremy, our oldest son, will be getting married on the 30th of December. These past few months watching our 2 older boys setting out on their own and making lives for themselves has been very rewarding and also very hard. We can't wait for their wedding celebration. Please pray for Jeremy and Sheri, as their life together starts that God will be at the center of their relationship. Their first few months as husband and wife may be difficult as Jeremy leaves for Georgia for basic training in the National Guard. Please pray for them both during that time!

We are also nervous about leaving Miami and the work we have started here. 2 weeks is not  really that long but we are nervous that we could lose ground we have seemed to gain over these past few months.  Please pray that this does not happen and that returning will be smooth.

Today, as I am finishing up the last preparations for our trip, I was thinking about how much has been accomplished in a short amount of time here. One of the things that God really put on our hearts when we first arrived in Maimi was how we needed to just get moving. No matter how small it seemed that we just had to get started serving as soon as possible. We did just that, many times buying a pizza for the homeless when we were not even sure how we were going to make our rent that week.

I was reminded today of a verse. Exodus 14:15

5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

So what was going on here was that Moses was leading the Isrealites out of Egypt and they had come to the Red Sea, the problem was they were being chased by Pharaoh and his men. They needed an escape and they needed it quick. In verses 13 and 14, it says this. 13:Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14: The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

What really got me about ths passage is how the Lord immediately contradicts Moses in verse 15, he tells him to tell them to move on. so many times in our lives we see Faith as this thing where we ask God for something and  then we wait. Many times being still and not making a move til God comes through, but there are times when we just have to move.

So as we come to the end of 2011 and get ready to start a new year, maybe now it is time to Shut Up and Get moving. Where do you find yourself in this. Are there steps you need to take?  Something you need to Just Do?

What God showed the Isrealites in this passage was that He was fighting for them but it was not going to be while they were standing there and doing nothing, it was in the parting sea. It was while they were moving that God would be fighting. So don't be afraid, JUST MOVE.

Tebow time

We are a football family, we all have an NFL team we like to cheer for and for that matter we all have a team we like to cheer against. It's always been that way. I am a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Wendy, who was born in Denver, always followed their divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos, and to this day has a 15 year old John Elway jersey she likes to wear while the Broncos play.

In the 1986 season, Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowl 21, after defeating the Cleveland Browns on a famous possession at the end of the fourth quarter that became known as "The Drive" (in a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, Elway led his team 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation. The Broncos went on to win the game in overtime). That type of exciting come-from-behind win became the norm for the Broncos. Of course since Elway retired in 1999 the Broncos have suffered in the win column, frustrating the fans who have longed for the days of the original come back kid.

The taste of victory after a long struggle is about as satisfying is it gets. We all want to see things turn out for the best and often it does, but, it seems that in many instances it does not. In Revelations 6:10 it describes a multitude of people that were treated badly simply for believing in Jesus. They were beaten, imprisoned and even killed. It says- They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge ..."

They are longing for justice, they long for the come-from-behind win.

As we are working and struggling and fighting in Miami, not only to survive, but to thrive and succeed in all that God has given us to do, so many times we have experienced come-from-behind victories. When it seems like all is lost, God comes through and makes the impossible happen.

Right now is one of those times, it looks like we are going to lose. Our opponent is getting the best of us and it seems impossible to recover from the strikes against us.... In times like these, our faith becomes shaken and our hope seems diminished, we need the impossible to happen. It's only by experience of past victories that we even hold on.

If (and when) God brings us through this latest battle, the victory will be sweet. In fact, each and every time, it seems a little sweeter and one day, after the final victory, it'll be said "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Rev 7:16-17.

Until that time, we could use your prayers that our hope and faith continues while we wait for the come-from-behind victory.

hungry hungry homeless?

On Saturday, we had a food service for the homeless in the park, it was the first time we had 10 people waiting for us to arrive. We had 7 people sign up for the work for food program and we fed 14 people in a one hour time period, more than ever before. It was a huge milestone for us. Our ministry times have been small but great, able to really get to know the people out on the street in authentic, personal ways. Not just "give 'em some food and move on to the next one". Our food expenses have grown to around $125 per week, which is still pretty cheap, to operate all 3 outreach locations. The cool thing is they are all growing slowly, so we aren't being totally over run.What's really cool is that often on Thursday night, we don't have the money to get what we need for Saturday, but, by the time Saturday morning comes, we have everything we need! God has been so faithful to provide what we need, when we need it! Of course, that's kind of stressful way to live, but, still very encouraging.

One thing that we try to do is let the ones we are serving know what God does for us. It's one way of bringing glory to God and a great way to go into how much God loves them.

So, what's God been doing for you?

bad conditionals

So why is it we feel like giving in one instance is more noble than another? When we justify giving to someone but avoid giving to someone else, are we not judging those asking for help? We think nothing of giving $20 to a kid collecting for the school band, but, the panhandler won't get a buck because we're convinced he'll use it for beer.


We recently found a third location for homeless outreach. There's a closely knit group of homeless people that take care of each other. They all sleep under a bridge at a park near the beach. They care for the park, keeping it clean and are not harrased by the police. They don't get drunk and stay away from drugs. In fact, when someone else shows up drinking heavily or with drugs, they end up running them off, for fear the police will run all of them off.


Joel and I took three pizzas to them last night for dinner. When we walked up to them, a lady was in shock. She said to the others with a laugh, "didn't we just talk about pizza?" Then she turned to me and said, "it started to rain and we didn't want to venture out and were talking about how nice it would be if we could have some pizza delivered." I told her that God received her take-out order. It was a great segway to God hearing our prayers and how he loves us and wants to take care of us. I think I will enjoy getting to know this group, with substance addiction not being as big an issue as with other groups.


Another group we feed hangs out at a centralized park in the middle of town near the hustle and bustle of the city. They're always drinking and drunk or stoned or both. We feed them pizza in the late afternoon. They are rude, crude and filthy and I could see how easy it would be to avoid this group because of their addictions. I mean, how much good will it do to feed people that won't remember it in the morning?  Our time and effort would seem to be better served and more affective if directed to the other group.


As wise as that would be, the problem with this line of thinking is that it's simply wrong. When Jesus told the parable of the sower, he said the seed was cast wide, falling on all different types of soils. The focus is often on how much seed is sown, but, perhaps the better way to read it is that all different types of soil had an equal amount of seed. The sower didn't determine what soil would get the seed, he indiscriminately threw it everywhere!


If we hold back from serving the addicts, then in essence, we are judging them unworthy of God's love. I'm sure that God has a purpose for the addicts and some day, one of them will turn to God for their fix. It might take longer and more work, but, someday that hard rocky soil might become fertile with the right cultivation.


So, are you avoiding the rocky soil? Or, are you cultivating it, hoping new life will spring out of it?

Throw your pebble!

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

So this next week marks the end of our 3rd month here in Miami. It feels just like yesterday we were making preparations to pack up our family and move here. I think that it is safe to say that most people thought we were crazy. The thought crossed our minds a time to two as well. What are we thinking going into that situation in that town with what little we had. Still today with all the struggles there are, the question can be asked, What are we doing here?

Well I have been reading about this guy in the Bible named David lately. God called David a man after his own heart, so I really want to know as much about this person that I can. Today my reading was in 1 Samuel 17.

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

I truly love power statements like this. You know the ones where the little guy is going to beat up the big guy and he means it and truly believes he can do it and in doing it is going to change the face of the world as we know it.

When we moved to Miami to start an outreach to the poor and a church for people who are really far from God the whole idea of it gets very overwhelming. The problem is so big and we are so small. It feels ridiculous at times showing up to the war with what we have.

Of course that is how David did it. Just a Shepard boy who showed up to bring some bread for his brothers, and was good with a sling shot. He chose for battle, not a sword or massive armour but 5 smooth stones and he WON.

A few days ago I was feeling pretty discouraged, thinking I showed up to this yielding just a loaf of bread, but today I know God is going to give us exactly what we need when we need it.

So pick up your pebbles and throw it.  You just never know what might happen.
We might change the face of the world as we know it!

"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Hi everyone!

Well, it's been 3 months since I left my job of 17+ years at Boyd & Boyd, Inc., put all of our belongings in storage and Wendy and I packed up the kids and pets and moved to South Florida with the ultimate goals of starting an outreach to the poor and starting a church for people very far from God.

To say the least it's been an absolute adventure with shocks, surprises, horrors, victories, education and "Ah-Hah moments" behind every twist and turn of the road. We realized going into this that it would be the hardest thing we would ever do and have not been let down. We also knew that it would be the most amazing thing we would ever do and that God would have our back and we have not been disappointed with that either.

So far God has allowed our accomplishments to be as follows:

1. Establishing "ReMerge, Inc., a Florida non-profit corporation", which is the umbrella of our outreach to the poor, by helping South Floridians transition from a hopeless life to a productive, healthy and generous one, breaking the cycle of hopelessness by promoting personal responsibilty, education and activity;

2. Establishing a weekly feeding program for the homeless on Saturday mornings at a local neighborhood park;

3. Establishing a street ministry where we "hunt down" homeless people and feed them pizza where they are. Spending time listening to them, instead of trying to "fix" them and praying with them, asking for God's grace and providence in their lives;

4. Establishing relationships with our neighbors and fellow temporary housing residents at the long term motel we are living at, showing Jesus' love by doing random acts of love and kindness to addicts, drug dealers, prostitutes, strippers, alcoholics and other people that feel very far from God. We served Thanksgiving dinner to them and made huge leaps and bounds in relationship building.

5. Establishing the weekly "Work for Food" program that enlists the help of the homeless to clean up neighborhoods, parks and business districts by picking up trash. All in an effort to win the hearts of the community while providing gift cards, good at local businesses, to the homeless, helping provide for some of their daily needs.

You may have noticed that all of these accomplishments have one word in common: "establishing", they are all active works in progress. We are learning and growing all at the same time and it's been exciting every step of the way.

If you have been reading the blog, you may have seen Wendy's post the other day about helping a battered lady get to a safe place. Her husband had threatened, choked and held a gun to her head the night before and while he was at work the next day, we helped her get to her family. He found out (by intimidating someone) that we helped her and confronted me about it last night. He's a bit bigger than me, but, I knew that I was right and he couldn't deny it. Surprisingly, as he threatened and spat and cussed me, I felt calm and confident that God was in control. Standing firm in the truth had a different meaning last night. Please pray for "Alma's" safety and that her abusive husband will find Jesus. We have learned that sheltering abused women is a powder keg that will take a lot of prayer, sneakiness, confidence and wisdom to make sure nobody else gets hurt.

My lifelong friend, Matt Geil, came for a short visit at the beginning of November and it was a true blessing to see him. He brought his 11 year old son, Dawson, who got along with Samuel, Jacob and Ruth like they had been friends all their lives. Reminded me of how Matt and I used to get along when we were kids. I value that friendship so much and can't imagine what it would be like to not have friends like Matt.

Many people in Miami are so lonely and broken, we hurt when we see them and are glad to meet them. People do not want to be alone and Jesus does not want them to be alone either. Reaching out to people and being their friend is an extension of Jesus' love.

Wendy's work has tapered off to almost nothing and I did a temporary job with Bank of America that ended after 7 work days. We were able to get our large van operable and have started moving people again. This has been a lot of fun, as we are getting into peoples lives when they need help. We have been able to share what we are doing and have even garnered a little support. Our monthly support has been low and we seem to live day by day, trusting that God will provide. This has been very difficult for us and we become discouraged often, however, God always does provide and many of you have been the answer to our prayers. Please pray that God continues to provide for all of our needs.

Our friend Joel Anderson has been here since the beginning and has been an amazing help in all aspects. He is encouraging when we are down, a helping hand when there is work, a friend when we feel alone, a fresh wind of ideas when we run out of them and a true testament of how God can change people. He also needs your prayers for safety, housing, income and health. He has truly forsaken all to follow God and I've yet to hear him complain when times get tough. 

If you have commited to help support us monthly, please do so now, we only had two people give last month. We rely upon every penny that's been commited and when it does not come in, we end up spending more time trying to make ends meet than we do ministering to the poor. We don't mind working, but, every donation helps us to minister to more people.

If you have not commited to help support us as "missionaries to Miami", please pray about it. Taking into consideration that everyone we feed, pray for, put to work, love and care for is someone's son or daughter or brother or sister and someday someone in your life might be in their shoes. Wouldn't you want someone to be there for them? You can be somebody's miracle. I don't expect you to give, but, I do hope you will pray about it. If you do decide to give, we have a convenient PayPal option or if you want to send a check, please send me an email and I will give you some options on how and where to do so.

Thank you all for being there for us, your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. We could not do this without you,

Love Jeff, Wendy and kids

sad sack

According to Daily Mail Online here is the top ten list of the saddest cities in the USA:

1. St. Petersburg, Florida
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Tampa, Florida
5. Louisville, Kentucky
6. St. Louis, Missouri
7. Birmingham, Alabama
8. Miami, Florida
9. Reno, Nevada
10. Las Vegas, Nevada


Note that Florida has 3 cities in this top ten list, which adds to the challenge of bringing the light into the darkness. Please pray that we will be able to bring the joy of knowing Jesus to others.

If you could rescue? Would you?

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

So yesterday Jeff and I spent the afternoon helping a lady who lives in the same small apartment/motel complex that we do. She has been living here since the end of September. I have had several points of contact with her and from the very beginning could tell that it would turn out to be an interesting story.

On Friday evening, she asked if we could drive her to her godmother's house so that she could get away from her husband. She has told us on many occasions about how he violently treats her and how she loves him and just does not know how to get away. They have 3 very beautiful children who do not live with them because of her illnesses and how she can't take care of them by herself. I don't know how much of everything she told us was true. I just know that she was very afraid of him and that usually  comes from a bad place.

So yesterday we loaded up her things and drove her to a place where we hope she will be safe. Jeff had to have a long talk with our kids about not saying anything to anybody about what we were doing. If they were asked they were told to say they had no idea where she was.

It really hit me last night as I was sitting outside on the patio talking on the phone. As I was sitting there, her husband pulled up in his car, walked into the office and talked with the manager for a bit. He came back out drove off and about 40 min later drove back up with another lady in his car. They got out and carried a bunch of her stuff into the apartment. My heart broke! I was mad, mad that we moved this lady out and here he was moving another lady in. It felt like we almost gave him what he wanted!

Then today, I remembered the story of Jonah! Sounds weird huh, but what I remembered was how Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah, not because he was afraid, but because Jonah knew the very nature of God. He knew he would go and tell the people they were wicked and God would have compassion on them and not wipe them from the face of the earth like Jonah wanted. Jonah wanted them to get what they deserved, like I find myself doing many times. Jonah got angry with God because He did not wipe them out. It says in Jonah 4:2
“Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

Then it hit me, who am I to question God. He did not only care for this lady that we helped yesterday. He cares for the husband that we rescued her from. It is God's nature to have compassion on them and not wipe them from the face of the earth. In my finite human thinking, this ticks me off a little bit, well probably more than just a little bit!  I want to feel like Jonah, I just want God to get rid of them or in this case him, BUT God loves the people he made, even the ones who are SO lost if life. Let's face it, I'd rather have a God who abounds in love and compassion. Where would I be if He weren't.

God is awfully good to put up with me thinking I can give Him a hand in running the world. There is so much I don't get about this world or even really get about God, but I know He knows every person who is suffering.

Last night I was mad that we may never see this lady again, and what we were left with was her husband, but today after remembering Jonah, I know God knows why!

If you could rescue? Would You?

Disturbed!

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman
I ran across this prayer that Sir Francis Drake wrote...

"Disturb us, Lord, when

We are too pleased with ourselves,When our dreams  have come true

Because we dreamed too little,

When we arrived safely

Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision

Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

We ask you to push back

The horizons of our hopes;

And to push back the future

In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,Who is Jesus Christ."

As I was reading this I thought to myself, well I think I am pretty Disturbed already. Most everyone I know thinks that I am pretty well crazy and would probably say that I am very disturbed! So I am just writing this blog to say that you should probably watch out then, because I am going to ask God to disturb me some more. I am going to keep asking Him to help me push the borders and boundaries of how I show love to others. I am going to ask him to help me dare more, and dream bigger and take bigger risks by sailing a little more off shore.

What about you? What do you think will happen if you ask God to push back the horizon of your hopes and your future? What do you think He will do?