Good News Today!

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

“Jesus hates suffering, injustice, evil, and death so much, he came and experienced it to defeat it and, someday, to wipe the world clean of it. Knowing all this, Christians cannot be passive about hunger, sickness, and injustice. Karl Marx and others have charged that religion is ‘the opiate of the masses.’ That is, it is a sedative that makes people passive toward injustice, because there will be ‘pie in the sky bye and bye.’ That may be true of some religions that teach people that this material world is unimportant or illusory. Christianity, however, teaches that God hates the suffering and oppression of this material world so much, he was willing to get involved in it and to fight against it. Properly understood, Christianity is by no means the opiate of the people. It’s more like the smelling salts.”  Timothy Keller

I read this quote by Timothy Keller and it really struck me. I grew up in church. I have attended churches that illuded to better days coming as the sweet ole bye and bye. I think there are hymns where we can even sing about it.

On Monday this week I sat in a local park with some homeless people over a pot of chili. I can tell you right now that our conversations were not about how they know it is o.k. because someday their suffering will be over. We talked about how hard it is to keep someone from stealing their bikes when they go to the local shelters to eat. We talked about where they were going to be eating their Christmas dinner the next day because they have no family to share it with. We talked about how cold it was the few days before and how hard, even in Miami, when the temperature drops to 47 at night, it gets really cold sleeping outside.

The good news of Jesus, when properly communicated, gives hope for people today! The good news of Jesus when properly communicated says I will fight for you when no one else will! The good news of Jesus, when properly communicated offers life today, not in some distant future!

How can we communicate the good news of Jesus today to someone who needs hope, freedom, and even life today?

A Homeless Christmas

Christmas Eve is only 2 days away. Many of us will be celebrating with family and friends in homes decorated with trees, lights and great food.

For some, the lonely streets will be where they spend their holiday. Can you help us today to make their holiday just a little brighter.

On Christmas Eve our family plans to share our annual Christmas Eve chili with those who don't have the warmth of family and friends to share the holiday with. We could still use your help! You can donate by using the donate link on this page or e-mail us for other ways to help.

Take Heart

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

I woke up a few days ago to the news that a homeless man had been killed. He lived behind an auto parts store not far from where we live. Everyone in the area knew him and knew him to be a kind-hearted man that spent a lot of time on his laptop. It was his prized possession, and that is what they killed him for. 2 young men attacked him behind the auto parts store. Fortunately, they were caught, but not before they took the life of an innocent man. My heart broke. I cried.

Fast forward a few days and I was crying again. Crying over the horrific tragedy that happened in Connecticut. No one knows why! It is not explainable! We struggle to understand why life on this earth must be so hard sometimes. I wish I knew! I heard this song yesterday and it reminded me of just how much God Loves Us. It reminded me that God used the ultimate tragedy to bring life. It reminded me that we are not defeated,  That we have overcome.

I hope and pray that no matter what you are experiencing whether related to this tragedy or another, that you will know God loves you so much and He weeps with you and He tells you, Take Heart, I have overcome!

Trash Can Love?

So I was pulling out of the driveway the other day when my neighbor approached me. She wanted to talk about our trash cans. So apparently before moving in to our house our landlord told our neighbor she could have one of our big trash cans for her little recycling can. 

This really took me back. Since moving in, we have not met any of our neighbors. Although we plan to do so, we have been gone and just being back for a week or so, just have not had the time to get out and do it.

I guess it felt heartbreaking to me that the first conversation that I was having with my neighbor is about our trash cans, but this is the reality of living in one of the most unfriendly cities in the country.

I hope and pray we can be a catalyst for change. We moved to Miami to show God's love and grace to those here in this city. I guess we are going to have to get creative and do it, even if it involves trash cans!

Joy to the World

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

I love Christmas. I always have. It is my favorite time of the year. There are so many traditions that our family has had over the years. It always starts with the annual Christmas tree cut down the day after Thanksgiving, trimming the tree with hot chocolate and "The miracle on 34th st", hanging lights, setting up our Christmas village and chili on Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpas.

This year is different. This year we will have a fake tree most likely. We don't even have it set up yet because we are still trying to get settled in our new home. Our village is in green buckets in our son's garage in Missouri and we won't be traveling home for Christmas this year. It is hard for all of us to get into the spirit of the season this year because so many of our traditions are not attainable. We were talking about how we can't let it steal our joy just this morning.

I was thinking about the song, "Joy to the World". What is it that should bring us joy this time of year. As the song goes, "Joy to the World, the Lord has come".
The joy of the season should come in remembering what the season is about. The Joy of the season comes from knowing that Jesus came to free us.

Mark Twain once said,"To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with." This season there is a whole lot of people who don't know joy and don't feel joy. So instead of thinking on the traditions we are missing out on, we are going to start some new ones.

We need your help! We plan to put together care packages for the homeless this year. These packages will include these items. T-shirt, socks, toothbrushes, soap, personal care items and holiday goodies.

If you want to divide the joy with us you can use the donate button on this page or contact us for information on how to donate.

Offline

So for the last few weeks we have been offline. Literally and figuratively. We have spent a few weeks getting things together for our family. After the accident a few months ago, everything seemed to go haywire. It has taken time, prayers, blessings beyond belief and sheer exhaustion but we are almost there.

We have found a cute little house, bought a car to replace our minivan and gotten back to work. We also spent some time in Las Vegas with a great group of church planters and pastors who have helped us refocus and revision.

That being said, we will be offline for another week or so. Tomorrow we are leaving for Missouri for about 10 days to see our second son, Jason marry a wonderful, brave(not just for marrying Jason), loving, and courageous young lady. We love Annie and can't wait for her to become part of our family.

So if you follow Operation Miami here is what we need you to do. Pray, Pray, Pray. Pray that God would help us to stay focused on what he sent us here to Miami to do. Pray that our time offline these past few weeks will not cause us to lose momentum but instead will strengthen our resolve. Pray for those that we are leaving for the next few days.

When we return we will be back and in full force. We will update everyone and on all the happenings and all that we are excited to see come for 2013.

We pray you have a wonderful happy Thanksgiving! Can't wait to share all that is happening with Operation Miami upon our return.

What If?

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

So a few weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending Vault in Las Vegas. A group called G.O.(Great opportunities in Global outreach) paid for us to attend. They are a group dedicated to helping people like us impact their community locally and globally! Really impressed with what they are doing and their dedication to those who are less fortunate and bringing the gospel to the most sinful places on earth.

The main theme of Vault this year was, What is your why? Jeff and I both know exactly why we are in Miami. We have felt this call for a very long time. It was a very important reminder for us.

Last week I flew to Tampa for work. I arrived fairly late, picked up my rental car and headed to my motel. I did not get to pick out where I stayed as my employer was taking care of these details. When I pulled up in the parking lot there were emergency vehicles everywhere. I thought maybe the place was on fire. Here it was almost midnight, I had to be up at 3 a.m. to head to the hospital for my event, needless to say I was a little upset. I decided to park and head into the lobby. A short time later the desk clerk came running in, really flustered and concerned. I asked her what was going on and she started telling me the story of this lady who had just tried to commit suicide. She had been staying there at this hotel for a while and was really down and out as this lady described. I just could not help but think: Had anyone told her the good news. Had she ever heard the story about this guy that loves her so much that He actually came to die for her, to save her. Had anyone ever done that for her? Did she know it did not have to be like this? Had anyone ever told her there was hope and peace for her and that a full life was waiting for her?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but I do know one thing. It marked my resolve! My why just got a little bigger and became all the more clear!

What about you? What is your why? Why do you do what you do?

God?

“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the

years when the Most High stretched out his

right hand. I will remember the deeds of the

Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of

long ago. I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God? 

~Psalms 77:7-13

hurricane

After a quick trip to Jamaica, hurricane Sandy is pounding the Bahamas today and threatening the East coast over the next couple days. Usually when a hurricane is set to hit the area, everyone is busy preparing by stocking up on food, water and fuel. They will even close the schools a day or two ahead of time to allow for preparations.

The cities will open up hurricane shelters and the homeless will flock to them. It's a time when they get "three hots and a cot" meaning 3 meals and a bed to sleep in and place to weather the storm.

ReMerge has the dream of opening a center in an old motel on Biscayne Blvd. A shelter for different kinds of hurricanes that people experience.  The storms in peoples lives that destroy, like fires, foreclosures, abusive relationships and addictions. Please pray that God will make this dream a reality soon and that he will provide the perfect location.

criminal offence

Since moving to Florida, we've noticed there are a lot of strange things here that you don't normally see or experience in the rest of the country. The customs and culture are just a little different and if you don't know or understand them, it's easy to offend someone. In particular, there are some state laws on the books that are a little unusual.

So, I thought it would be a good thing to give a heads up in case you plan on visiting Florida soon. You wouldn't want to unintentionally break the law and end up in trouble, right? So, as found on dumblaws.com, here is a small list of Florida laws you may want to be aware of-

• Doors of all public buildings must open outwards. (ok, I guess that's good to know)
• It is illegal to sell your children. (seems a little obvious, though I have had offers)
• One may not commit any “unnatural acts” with another person. (however, sole unnatural acts are ok)
• The law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. (this law has probably ruined many weekend plans)
• Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown. (speedo bikinis are ok, but, no gowns!)
• It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. (hmmm, must be a problem around here)
• It is illegal to skateboard without a license. (wonder if they have a written test)
• It is considered an offense to shower naked. (huh?)
• You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers. (excessive Greek partiers must hate it here)
• Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal. (OUCH!!!)
• If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. (it's only fare, right?)
• You may not fart in a public place after 6pm. (all other times are acceptable)

You can consider yourselves warned!

Wilderness

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman 
   
“This is what the Lord says: “The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.” The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again. 
~ Jeremiah 31:2-4

Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said "Its not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born out of a furnace of doubt."

I am a bit of a pessimist. I don't really like this about myself. I remembered this quote by Dostoyevsky after reading this scripture because I know for myself, sometimes my faith is born out of seeing God's faithfulness to me. I know in my heart that God loves me, wants to have a relationship with me, but I do find myself doubting sometimes.

Living in Miami can be hard. On a day in and day out basis there is so much suffering and with suffering comes a great deal of doubt. There are so many people who struggle in believing there is a God and even more struggle with the idea that if there really is a God, why would he love me and care about me and what I have gone through and where I have been.

I was reading this scripture in Jeremiah last night and it hit me. "The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness." How great is that! God's love for us is everlasting and unfailing and just when we think we can't take one more stab he comes along and gives us rest. I don't know about you but I find great comfort in knowing that God sees all of this and says to us, "I will build you up again and again." 

I hope today that no matter what you are going through, you know God sees it! He does care and He will build you up again! 

As we reach out into the suffering we see in our city please pray that we can be the light that proclaims to those people that God can bring rest in the wilderness.

all alone

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;

 ~ Psalms 68:5-6

In a family as large as ours, it's easy to take for granted always having someone around for companionship, it's hard to be lonely. Rarely is there a moment when something you do or say goes unnoticed. With pre-teen boys, that can be good or bad.

However, not everyone has this luxury. Often times people feel like an island and that they're the only ones that understand whats going on with them. This feeling of isolation often leads to depression and outright loneliness.

In a city like Miami, where there are millions and millions of people everywhere you go, you would be surprised how many people feel all alone. At ReMerge, we're finding people that are all alone in an ocean of people and sharing Jesus' love with them. Our hope is to draw them into community with others. Creating a place where they belong and can start sharing life with others and more importantly, sharing life with Jesus.

Who in your life is lonely? What can you do to make them feel loved?

re-group!

Wendy and I were able to attend an amazing conference this week that totally rejuvenated us. It came at a time when we needed it the most and was a gift from God! It was called Vault and was a conference for church planters, hosted by Verve Church in Las Vegas, NV.

We took away so many great new things and were able to refocus on things we have learned in the past, but, somehow have overlooked in our daily operations. Not only was it a great conference, but, it came with the added bonuses of starting on our 24th wedding anniversary and allowed us to not only spend time alone, but allowed us time with our son Jason, who has been living in Vegas for over a year now.

conform or die

“Place Your Life Before God- So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you,

always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God

brings the best out of you, develops well-formed

maturity in you.” ~ Romans 12:2

I love Eugene Peterson's take on not conforming to the things of this world. Entwining God in every thought, action and feeling we have on a daily basis is absolutely revolutionary! It goes against everything this world stands for.

If you really want to make a difference in this world, practice living Romans 12:2, not only will you change from the inside out, so will your home, neighborhood, school, town.........

conform NOT and live!

10,000 Reasons

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

It has been a long week! There have been many ups and downs. We have felt defeated. So many of you have been so encouraging, praying for God's direction and wisdom in all of this for us. We have felt those prayers. We have prayed for clarity and direction ourselves.

This past week I have been reading the book "Radical" by David Platt. There are some things about the book that I don't agree with but one thing that I do know is true is that God calls us to live a radical faith. It is hard to do though. Every thing in our human nature wants to live that comfortable American life that we have been sold into believing is what we deserve. But, do we? In this book, Mr. Platt points out that we(mainly Americans) believe that there are certain things that we feel entitled too. Things like a big house, nice car, nice things to fill our houses with. He then quickly points out from Scripture what Jesus says we can expect when we follow him. He reads from a passage in Luke 9
57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![l] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.

As Mr Platt so eloquently puts it, "Plainly put, a relationship with Jesus requires total, superior, and exclusive devotion. Become homeless, Let someone else bury your dead, Don't even say good bye to your family."

That's rough! Most of us don't want to read the scripture like that but when we give our lives to Christ and say that we will follow him. That is the life we are committing to. A life that to most, looks very Radical. But WHY? Why is this a must for followers of Christ? There may be many different opinions as to why, but for me personally it boils down to one thing:
What is the cost if I don't follow Christ with everything I have? Who might come to the end of this life without ever knowing the Love that God has to offer. I believe the cost of one person not knowing is far greater than what it is costing us.

We are not giving up! We are seeking God for clarity and refocusing but we are not giving up.
Please pray for us over these next few weeks as we move forward, that we will do so with clarity and perseverance.

Last night I was listening to the song 10,000 reasons. I have listened to this song so many times this past week. It has brought me comfort. I hope it does for you too!

Care Packages

These are care packages that we hand out to the homeless when we head out on the streets, to their camps and at our Saturday morning breakfast.

Every week it costs around $80 to prepare the breakfast, hand out pizzas and put together care packages. Interested in partnering with us...click the donate button on this blog or contact us at remerge@hotmail.com and we can give other options to help. Help us turn Miami upside down with God's love!

In Disguise

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

Mark Twain once said "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that scare me, but the parts I do"

Maybe this is why Jesus says to the religious folks "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you"(Matt 21:31).

A couple of days ago I was talking to a friend who I reconnected with for the first time in a few years. She has stopped going to church, pretty much put God on the back burner. She has been through a lot. She had really felt like God had abandon her. Towards the end of our conversation, she realized that it was not God who had abandon her, but her Christian friends. Those who could not or did not understand what she was going through. Those who instead of lovingly wanting to guide her through that dark time in her life and just be there for her, walked away. I was one of those Christian friends!

We reconnected on a facebook page that both of us frequent. She seen a comment that I had posted about doing an outreach in Miami for girls working in clubs and on the streets. There was a group here last weekend doing a training with people who are interested in doing outreach to prostitutes and to girls working in strip clubs. They were asking for suggestions on the kinds of outreach that would minister to and help these girls feel like God really loves them. I suggested we offer free childcare to these ladies. That we start putting together a list of ladies that would be interested in offering this kind of support. As a former childcare provider, I know just how difficult paying for childcare can be for a single mom. Many of them have to make the choice to leave their children in dangerous situations because they can't afford to pay for childcare. Many of them make the choice to work the job they do just to be able to afford to pay for quality childcare.

After our chat back and forth. Another lady chimed in, I am sure in her mind her intentions were good, but were they?  I almost started to get into an argument with her on facebook(If you know me you know I can do that pretty easy and without thinking). One comment she made really hit me, she said, "you know that this is how the enemy(The devil) infiltrates our lives, when we become intermingled with people who are living that lifestyle.  This is how the enemy disguises himself!"

My friend had chimed back to her that this is how she had come back to God. A few ladies at a local church  had volunteered to help single moms with childcare while they worked. I did not have to say anything after that. Having experienced God's love in action made all of the difference in this lady finding her way back to God. I hope that it resounded with the other lady on the other end.

Yesterday, I was thinking about this conversation again. Knowing how I acted so wrongly towards my friend, how "Christian" I was with her, made me wonder if that is how we really think? As Christians do we believe that by steering clear of that area of society, it will keep us away from evil? Will it keep us out of the enemy's trap? I don't know?

I do know this is what Jesus said about it in Matthew 25:
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

So could it be that these ladies are Jesus in disguise?

Showing God's love to these women in practical ways is something that has been on my heart for a while. Please pray for our housing needs. The sooner we are in a more suitable place the sooner we can get going on the things God sent us here to do!

All or Nothing!

Post by Wendy Kauffman

These last few weeks have been a real test for me. We knew coming to Florida and starting an outreach to the poor and a church for people who don't like church would be the hardest thing we would ever do. We were not expecting an easy ride. We knew there would be challenges. That being said, there was a certain way I expected this to go and it has not gone that way at all. I did not expect to be here a year and not be able to get my belongings from Missouri. I did not expect to lose my car. I did not expect the day to day financial hardship it would be. I honestly don't know how the average person manages to survive here in South Florida. Living here is so expensive. So many of these things have really had me thinking if we are really doing the right thing by being here.

I was listening to a pastor the other day who was preparing his organization for their upcoming annual conference. He wanted to let the participants know what to expect. He opened up his Bible and read these verses from Matthew 13 that Jesus spoke:
44 “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. 45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

I have read this scripture many times but in the last few weeks it keeps coming up. I know that Jesus came to this earth to save us because what He saw was great treasure. He was willing to do whatever it took to get that treasure, all the way up to giving his life for it.(for us).

Jesus also said this in Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

One thing is clear. We are very important to God! He gave up everything to be with us! Is it possible that He is asking the very same thing of us. Is it possible that in order for us to get the best things God has for us, we have to sell everything that is important to us to get it? I know that it may not mean that we have to sell our houses, our cars and all of our personal belongings, but is it possible that to get the life we really long for and desire means we have to walk away from what we hold valuable to US?

For many years I have put value on things that I know now don't matter. I know this may sound funny, but if you know me you know hard this is for me. A few months ago, I gave away my washer and dryer. I loved that washer and worked very hard to get it. Before we left Missouri we were trying to decide what we could part with. My washing machine was not one of those things. I left it in storage there with the full anticipation of being united with it again some day(I know your laughing right now but this is true). That did not happen! Instead of leaving it in storage and hoarding my washing machine for myself, I decided that my son and his new wife needed it for their house more. I am glad it is being used and that someone else can reap the benefits of it, but I was sad.

Here is the thing, after just a year of living here and everything that we have gone through and all that is still uncertain about us being here, I can't imagine us ever leaving. The people we have met, the many pearls out there who have no hope, who feel like they are living in desolation, those who have not been able to meet the man(Jesus) who loves them so much and wants to have a relationship with them so bad, the many people who just need someone to say, YOU ARE WORTH IT! For all of that we will keep fighting. For all of that we will say ALL OR NOTHING!

Please pray for us as we move forward. There are many needs. Listed below are some specific prayer requests that we have. If you follow what we are doing please pray for these things.

Quick settlement on our minivan. Right now we have a rental and that has been a blessing this week but in the next week or two we will have to buy a new car. Please pray for a fair settlement and that we can find the right car for the right price.

Pray that Jeff's business continues to be profitable. September was one of our worst months. He really needs to have a job that is flexible so that time can be spent in ministry.

Pray for our work van. Right now it needs new tires and some exhaust work. Pray that we can get these things done soon so the van runs optimally.

We are planning a trip back to Missouri the week of Thanksgiving for our son's wedding. Please pray that God provides the money for the trip and replaces work missed while we are gone.

Pray that Wendy can get more health screening events. This has been a very slow fall. Normally her busy time. Please pray that this picks up.

We are currently living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apt in Hollywood. It is very doable for us, but on November 9th, we have to be out of this apt. They have a smaller 2 bedroom but it will be very difficult. We had to give up our storage shed because of the cost. We really need the extra space. Pray that God provides the money for us to get into a house in the North Miami area. That is the eventual goal. Continue to pray for our housing needs.

Joel will be returning to Missouri in a week or two. Please pray for his safe travel and that God will bless him for all the time he has given. We will miss him.

Pray for the Saturday morning breakfast. Finances have kept us from having this these past few weeks. Pray that we can start this back up and that we can get the work for food program off the ground by the first of the year.

3 months ago, we had a large sum of money debited from our checking account at our doctor's office fraudulently. After spending the last few months trying to get the bank to take care of it, last week we found out that we are going to have to fight the doctor's office for it. Please pray they will release this money back to us and that it will happen very soon!

parched in a flood

Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.

Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
and the floods overwhelm me.

I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
waiting for my God to help me.

Psalms 69:1-3

Sun Stand Still

Sun stand Still, Seems impossible, huh? Well it happened once, can it happen again?

We have been reading in the book of Joshua with our kids. Last night we read chapter 10. It is one of my favorite chapters in The Bible, simply because it shows just how much God cares about what we need! Joshua needed a big thing to happen to win the battle he was fighting. He basically needed time to stand still.

Joshua 12-13 The day God gave the Amorites up to Israel, Joshua spoke to God, with all Israel listening: “Stop, Sun, over Gibeon; Halt, Moon, over Aijalon Valley.” And Sun stopped, Moon stood stock still Until he defeated his enemies. (You can find this written in the Book of Jashar.) The sun stopped in its tracks in mid sky; just sat there all day.

God heard Joshua and that day provided for him exactly what he needed and when he needed it.

Our kids decided to use their logical minds to think through how making the sun stand still could happen. Talking through how impossible something like that would be. Yeah, in our human thinking it is impossible, but with God nothing is impossible.

We wake up everyday wondering how we are going to get to the next step in what we are doing. Wondering how we are going to make it happen. One of the hardest things for us as humans to grasp and remember is that WE can't do it. WE need help! Our human brains think that if we can't do it, then it can't be done. In this chapter in Joshua we see that if we put our trust in God and if we believe he is on our side and has our best interest at heart, the impossible can happen!

It has seemed lately that this is a sinking ship, there are days I sit around and feel sorry for myself waiting for the final blow to send us to the bottom.  After we were done reading last night we talked about the command God gave Joshua after taking over as leader of the Isrealites.

Joshua 1:
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

”What about you? Is there something going on in your life where you need a "Sun stand still" moment. You know God can make that happen?

Our new family motto:be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Scars

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

"We all have scars, but as we run our fingers along their rough edges may we not have bitterness or self-pity or guilt; may we feel redeemed." - Mike Donehey

This is a quote from the lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North. I am kind of partial to this band because they are local boys here from Florida. I love this quote! There are so many times that I feel like my life has been defined by the scars that I have. For me, the scars come from Health Issues I have had, From mistakes that I have made, and from the many ways that I have hurt or been hurt by others.

We all have them, Scars that is. They may not be visible to the naked eye but they are there. A few days ago we were reading in the book of Joshua with our kids. We were talking with our kids about faith and believing that God is on our side and that he never leaves us. For the first time in a year, they have seeds of doubt, they are wondering why it feels like God has left us and why it is so hard right now. They are suffering from the scars that the last few weeks have brought. I just want them to know that scars, as awful as they feel, look or seem at the time, are signs of Hope! It means we have been healed of something! Our scars are a sign of Grace and Mercy!

Then I thought of this song by Gungor.

No matter who you are, where you are at in your journey, that you can see your scars and be filled with hope. Know that God makes beautiful things!

shadow boxing

I was driving home from dropping the girls off at school one day this week and as I was sitting at a red light, out of the bushes, on the other side of the road, next to a bridge, a guy that looked like he was about 45-50 years old crawled out onto the sidewalk. He was wearing muddy clothes and his hair was going in all directions. He brushed himself off, to no avail, and looked around on the ground until he found a small cardboard sign. He picked it up just in time for the traffic to allow him to cross over to the median to start panhandling. As he was crossing the street he started punching, jabbing and swinging at the air in front of him like a boxer approaches the ring.

That picture stayed with me all week. Not because some dirty homeless guy with some crazy antics crawled out of the bushes and started asking people for spare change. But, because this guy slept in the mud, did not have coffee or anything to eat yet, looked like he would be spending the day out in the rain and yet he was ready to fight another day.

If ever there was an underdog, it's him. I'm routing for him and I hope you do to. Please pray for the homeless, that God will meet their needs and next time you see one, go ahead, give 'em a high five (bucks).

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those

who close their eyes to them receive many curses. 

~ Proverbs 28:27

Joel Anderson

Hello, my name is Joel Anderson. Those of you who know me know that a couple years ago I longed to leave the safety net that nearby friends and family were willing to offer as well as my comfortable, mundane, droll, boring, dull, fly swattin', watchin-the-grass-grow way of life behind me in Missouri, in exchange for the teeth gritting, hair raising, action packed adventures in the urban jungle of South Forida's (SoFla) palm tree lined, zombie walking, bad-driver-riddled streets, relying on God to provide for me all along the way. And for those of you who don't know me... That's exactly what I did and I haven't looked back. It's been a wild ride and I can't imagine how boring I'd still be if I hadn't come to South Florida and met these people who's impact on me has sparked fires in my heart that have forever left an indelible mark on who I am today, who I will become in future days. And these fires will continue to burn brightly as long as I have the breath of life in me.

It's with a sort of bitter sweet sadness that I must now leave these incredible people here in SoFla to return to Missouri and the familial duties that I believe are my obligation, having learned the things I've learned along the way. Now that this time here is drawing to a close, it becomes increasingly evident to me that this is the right thing for me to do at this time in my life based primarily on the health of close family as well as the trends that are becoming obvious in the geopolitical landscape of our nation. Will I be back to SoFla one day? I don't know. But I DO know that this has been an amazing life changing experience and those I've encountered along the way have been wonderful sources of encouragement for me through the hard times that have been all too frequent. They have helped me to keep my focus aimed on the positives and have lifted my spirits so that there were just as many wonderful awe-inspiring times as there were hard. All of them in one way or another made it easier to bear the hardships that go hand in hand with such amazing adventures.

So, with my life forever changed and the decision to return home decided, these past few months flew by. As my self imposed departure date has steadily approached, I have planned routes, packed belongings, made check lists, checked those lists, double checked them again, and rushed around to accomplish all the little things that are required to achieve the perfect move. All with the smooth efficiency of a four star general running a flawless campaign. Then, about a month ago I hit a snag. Sort of. Not a snag exactly, more of a hiccup really. The family that has been providing the lions share of the support I receive were asked to leave the house that they'd been renting. I don't know all the details of the events that led up to it, just that all of a sudden and without much warning we were all without a roof over our heads.

Somehow though, we were able to just barely get into a two bed hotel room. Most of us slept on the floor and all of us felt the sting of uncertainty as we prayed our way through the next week or two. The moving jobs that Jeff and I rely on for money slowed down, clients that Jeff's wife rely on for income turned away from us and to top it all off, the family van that she uses was totaled in a freak accident on I-95 after Jeff dropped the older children off at school. So, with fewer moving jobs, a cleaning business incapable of operating, extra time now required by the moving van to pick up the slack from the totaled van thus eating into the work day at a peak business times, money got tighter than we thought was even possible. And then just when things couldn't get any worse it became painfully obvious that it was much more expensive to use the moving van with it's 10-12 miles per gallon twice a day for the round trip to get the kids to and from school, than it was to use the van which got a significantly better fuel to mile ratio. Oh, and with the moving van, that 10-12mpg is on a good day. On the rough days it gets as little as 6 miles to the gallon.

With our patience for each other running low from being cooped up in a tiny hotel room along with the stress of our finely tuned and well oiled yet fragile system crashing down around us. We reached a breaking point. Something had to change. So, we packed everything in the van and headed south because the one thing that we could change was how many miles were in each round trip to the school. We found a room through the same hotel chain much closer to the school. But when we got into the room and saw that it was just ever so slightly smaller and the appliances functioned at a slightly diminished capacity... we reached our lowest point. Ever. Of all time. With morale below it's lowest possible point, unable to feed our community famous breakfast for the homeless and no promise of work tomorrow the people who loved me the most and did more for me than anyone else on my adventures, gave serious and deliberate consideration to packing everything up and some how some way getting back home to their family in Missouri. The only reason they didn't give up was because even that was financially impossible. Giving up, literally was not an option.

So, instead we just accepted what we could. The small things. Things like the fact that the wifi worked better in this room. The fact that somehow every day we made at least the bare minimum in moving jobs to pay for the room for the next day. The fact that even though we couldn't put hot food in the bellies of the hungry hungry homeless we could at least give them a dollar when we pass them by, if not a dollar fifty. Our outlook slowly shifted to one of acceptance relating to our circumstances. As we let go of the demoralizing fear that accompanied our seemingly uncontrolled free fall into the lowest possible moment of our year, we began to get what God was teaching us. That no matter how difficult or impossible things appear to be, God will not fail us. Because even though we reached our lowest low, the kids had food in their bellies each night and a roof over their heads. Things have been slowly improving. We got out of the tiny hotel room and into a small two bedroom apartment. It feels like a palace. I'm sure all of us have a pretty keen appreciation for the space we have now. Oh, and it's right smack dab in between our two homeless hot spots where we do most of our work.

In the aftermath of this period of darkness things are getting better. Slowly. I'm sure that Jeff wishes we had more jobs than we know what to do with, the same as myself, but it IS the middle of the month. A notoriously slow time for the moving business. It should pick up pretty soon and there is the possibility that we might win the bid for a big job that's scheduled for the end of the month. And my plans for exodus? Delayed by more than a month but still in the works. If I put my foot to the pedal and the pedal to the metal, I just might make it out of here at the end of the month.

But here's the thing.

The Kauffman family has embodied the very essence of love in action and I myself have been a major beneficiary of that love.

Yes, I could save up the rest of the money I need to bounce and leave them behind to fend for themselves, and with no small amount of gratefulness in my heart. But... what if I could give back to them some how?

I have witnessed with my own eyes the amazing life changing results of the Kauffman's ongoing efforts to reach the unloved of Miami and their efforts to love them like they've never been loved before. The Kauffman family and their non profit organization ReMerge accept the rejected, feed the hungry and comfort the hurting. The homeless, the unemployed, the broken hearted, the lonely. These are the people who need the Kauffmans so very much more than I ever did. Now I may not be able to replace their totaled van. I may not be able to improve the gas mileage on the moving van, or get them into a house with four bedrooms and a fenced in back yard. I may not be able to do much to cover their needs, but two things I can do. I can give them my support and I can spread the word about what they're doing to make this world a better place for all of us.

Please join me in praying for the Kauffmans and ReMerge as they press forward in their mission to love South Florida's social rejects. And a donation of any amount would be an awesome way to show your support for the work that they do.

help wanted

I've been reading through the book of Psalms the last couple of weeks and found that many of the Psalms were written by David when he was running for his life from King Saul. Every day was a struggle for David, every day he had to rely totally on God just to stay alive and exist.

In one sentence he would be asking why God was nowhere to be found, the next sentence he would declare that his enemies had surrounded him and were attacking relentlessly, the next sentence he would be thanking God for being his fortress and fighting his battles for him.

No time in my life have I related so closely to David's Psalms as I do now. All except being hunted down by a demon possessed king and quite frankly, I don't want to experience that at all. However, at every turn the enemy IS attacking. He steals at every opportunity and any chance he gets to destroy what has been built he does. Often it seems God is nowhere to be found and that he's far off taking care of things that matter, like protecting people in the midst of war, famine and pestilence. But then, out of nowhere he shows up and fights our battle and we survive another day.

Truth be told, we totally rely on God just to stay alive and exist every day here in South Florida. In Psalms 55:11 it says "Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets." We are in a seemingly never ending battle and well, battles make a person battle weary. We are wearing out and need rest.

Please pray that God will fight our battles harder, quicker and more effectively and that he will set us on solid ground. I'll be updating our specific prayer requests in "The Want Adds" section above, please take the time to join us in praying for these things and share them with your friends and family.

Psalms 55:22-23 -

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you.

here I am

Is not this the fast that I choose: 

to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rearguard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and God will say, Here I am.

- Isaiah 58:6-9

I love this passage because it shows that our actions are meaningless, unless they are rooted in love and compassion. 

out of the dark

We knew a year ago that this leg of our lives would be the hardest thing we would ever do. It's proven to be even harder than our wildest imagination. It's seems pretty close to being the Texas Two Step, but, instead of going two steps forward and one step back, it's one step forward and two steps back.

It's not working with people that are totally hopeless that gets us down. It's the constant struggle of trying to make ends meet while reaching out to the homeless. We are at any given time, one day away from being homeless ourselves.

One of the hardest things has been empty promises. So many have said they were going to help support the work we are doing, but, never do. It has given us a realization of how we as humans are so unreliable. It makes me think of how God feels when we tell him we'll do something and then not follow through. But, of course, he's God and already knows when we are making promises we won't keep. Yet he continues to love us no matter what.

In fact, God's love is so deep, that it makes this whole struggle worth it. Witnessing first hand the miracles of God is amazing and no matter our earthly struggle, our peace lies in him.

Last night I dropped Wendy off at the laundry mat and went to go change the oil and clean the van. Apparently the old work van is much to dirty for her and the kids to ride in. Since we lost our family van to an accident almost 4 weeks ago they've had to ride in it anytime we need to go somewhere and they decided it was time for a forced intervention.

Doug (center top, in black) 

As Joel and I were finishing it up at a car wash vacuum station, out of the shadows we heard a voice. No, it wasn't God, it was Doug. One of the guys we've fed on numerous occasions. He was really glad to see us and wondered where we had been. We told him times have been pretty hard and we had to move out of the house we were living in and move into a motel that didn't have a kitchen we could cook in. He was shocked.

He said he'd gotten out of jail a month or so ago and has gone to the park every Saturday morning to see if we were there. When we told him we want to start it back up this week or maybe next week, if we can work it all out. He said "no rush! make sure you take care of you first."

He then said, with heart felt compassion, that he wanted to pray for us because we had helped more people than anyone he'd ever seen before and that God knew it and would bless us for it. He went on and on about how we had helped him and others to the point it was a little embarrassing. So, of course we said we would love his prayers and so that's what we did. Right then, right there, in the parking lot of a gas station car wash, Doug prayed for us. The earnest prayers of this broken, homeless man made me cry.

Yes, sometimes feeding biscuits and gravy and spending time with a bunch of societies rejects seems pointless. However, to often in life we don't see the miracles God is doing in other people because we are focused on the problems we have. Then at the perfect time, in the perfect place, God reveals what he's done. Out of the darkness God brings light.

Please pray that God will continue his work in Doug's (and others) life. Please pray that we continue to have the will to fight for this rag tag group of vagabonds for another year.

lost treasure

I've spent a lot of time lately, wondering why God hates me so much to put me and my family through such hard times. After watching this video, I realized I've been believing a lie. I don't know when it started, but, it did and it's gotten bigger and bigger and it's time for it to stop.

I hope this affects you as much as it has me.

You are the Treasure Opener from Vineyard Creative on Vimeo.

A Wrecked Mess!

Wow! It has been a long time since we last blogged. We had computer issues and was unable to keep in touch but we are back in business now.

So much has happened these past few weeks and one thing is perfectly clear. We have a real enemy and we fight a real battle. When you move into enemy territory the battle gets real hard real fast!

A quick update: We had to move out of the house we were in, due to some pretty difficult cirmcumstances, and had spent the last month basically living in a hotel room. Talk about testing your resolve. Everyday was very close to the day that we were giving up and getting out of dodge, but everyday, once again God would show his faithfulness in some way. Some days I think we tried to ignore it so that we could justify giving up and walking away, but the one thing we have always said is that God is faithful! NO MATTER WHAT! So now we are living in a pretty small apartment but it does have 2 bedrooms and 2 BATHROOMS. With 8 people living in such a small place, having 2 bathrooms was reason for all of us to rejoice. It is a temporary place but hopefully we will be able to take the time we need to establish ourselves in a house in the area we want to be in. It seems everytime we get away from this area, God seems to find a way to pull us back here. After living in a few different areas of the city these past few weeks, I know this is exactly where we are supposed to be!

A few weeks ago Jeff was in a pretty bad car accident. He walked way, Thank God, but our car was totaled. We have been without family transportation for a few weeks and I feel like our life is at a stand still. We are praying that this is a blessing in disguise and not a way for the enemy to gain ground. Please pray with us as we make a decision about what vehicle to buy and that will provide the most perfect, most dependable vehicle for our family. Since the accident both of us have been unable to work at the pace we both were before. I don't have transportation and Jeff found himself primarily responsible for getting our girls to and from school. It has made it hard for him to schedule work around that responsibility and then to compound that he has had to make time to go to the chiropractor 3 times a week to get his back and neck worked on because of misalignment since the accident. It has been hard, but again, God has been faithful. We know God works all things together for the good, that is our hope!

What would you do if you KNEW you could not fail???

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman            

So this post is going to be brutally honest. Please bear with me.  I love the city we live in. I love everything about it. There are some people that I find easier to love more than others in this city but I really love it here. Even our kids, who say for effect, that they hate it here, really are starting to love it here too. Ruth has even proclaimed that she is not going back to Missouri no matter what. We can leave her here.

But, for the last few weeks I have wished that I was not here. I wish that I had not packed up my family to move here to start an outreach to the poor and a church for people who don't like church. I have told my husband several times over the last few days that I just want to go back to Missouri. I want to go where I feel like I can keep my kids safe from all the uncertainties that we face here.

We literally live day to day right now. One day can be great and the next day can come close to being the worst possible day I have ever experienced. I hate living like that. Everything about our life here is so uncertain. I really thought I was getting used to it and o.k. with it but these last few weeks I have realized that I am not used to it and my mind is not o.k. with it. My heart tries to tell my mind that I am o.k. with it, but it has not gotten to the point of convincing my very controlling mind that living with no certainty of tomorrow is o.k.

I had so many ideas of what coming here was going to look like and honestly, not one of those ideas has become a reality. There are many things we wanted to do when we came that we are doing, but none of them are near where I thought we would be 10 months into this adventure. I wanted to be so much further by now. I wanted to be doing so much more than what we are. Instead I find myself grappling with the idea that this is one big failure. We moved here almost 11 months ago and ended up living in a one bedroom, 700 sq ft. apartment for 4 months, lived in a 1,200 sq ft. 2 bedroom house infested with an insane amount of mold and then finally we ended up in a $1,700 sq ft, 2 bedroom house. It does not even really fit our family because it lacks a 3rd bedroom but it felt like a dream come true for us and was very easy for us to get into. Now, we are faced with the very real reality of having to move out of it. For a few reasons, that really have been beyond our control, we may have to move. It means we would have to start over again. I just don't know if I can do it!

Today, a friend of mine posted a status on her Facebook wall that said this: What would you do if you KNEW you could not fail??? She posted it with the passage from the Bible, from the book of Joshua, chapter 1 next to it. Here is what the beginning of Joshua 1 says:
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— ⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea^[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

I have been trying to convince myself of how God is with us and how He will not fail us, but to be very honest, I have not been able to this week. Please pray for us as we make tough decisions about what to do in moving forward that we will see what God's will is in this and that we can rest in knowing that with God's help, we will not fail!

peace out

Kevin ("Kev-O"), a 5 foot tall, 95 pound scrappy 50 year old guy that thinks he's a 7 foot tall 280 pound monster with nothing but time.  When he talks, you can't get a word in edgewise. If it's been done, he did it, if it's been played, he played it, if it's been kicked, he kicked it. He is a master of "one up-ers", his story is always more brutal and always more funny. To know him, truely is to love him.


The only time I've seen Kev-O quiet and respectful is when he would sit and talk with our 10 year old daughter Ruthie. I think talking with her took him back to a simpler time when he didn't have to act bigger than he was.


Kev-O was hit by a truck this week and died on the scene. 
Saturday morning breakfast will have a huge void for a while.


You gotta love 'em while you got 'em........

circus tricks

One of the guys that gave me inspiration early on was Jay Goldinger in Hollywood, Ca. He started a Homeless outreach called "food on foot". I sent him an email once (fishing for a little encouragement), asking a couple of questions about how he got to where he was and what things were successful. To my surprise, not only did he answer, but, he called me back. We had a 10-15 minute talk and what he drove home was that it's not about food for the homeless.... It's now a 100% full time job about raising money. That's all he does and he told me that if I wanted to be successful at this, that it has to be all I do too.


I found it very interesting, but, if you know me, that's not really my style. Personally, I would rather just be out feeding people, hanging out with them, praying with them, laughing and crying with them, putting them to work, getting into their lives all in an effort to show them that God loves them and uses ordinary normal people to help share his love.


However, the reality is that we do have needs and it does cost money to buy food, clothes and supplies for the poor, it costs money to operate this outreach and it costs money to live. With that said, we could use some help in the money department. Giving has been low and we've been feeling the hard pinch. 


If you haven't given lately, now would be the perfect time to help out. If you have never given, we would really appreciate it if you would consider it and pray about giving generously. If you are not able to help, please pray for us, our needs are huge but our God is HUGE-ER!