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?

smashed

I was changing a tire on Friday and using the tire iron to take off a lug nut when suddenly it broke free as I had all my weight behind it. It slammed down on the ground and managed to dislocate my thumb. I thought for sure it was broken. I grabbed my thumb and squeezed it really tight and heard (and felt) a popping sound. I finished changing the tire and went inside where I washed my hands, took some Ibuprofen and grabbed the ice pack.


My thumb swelled and bruised terribly and was very sore. The only thing I could think about was "how am I going to move people with a useless and messed up thumb?"  I figured I'd give it my best shot and try to ignore it and do the best I can, knowing I wouldn't be 100%. It's amazing how important something as small as a thumb is. 


As I help people in Miami move from one condo to another, they often ask why we moved here. Of course I take it as a golden opportunity to tell them we're here because God told us to move and it starts the conversation that gets people thinking about God in a non threatening way. The responses vary from "Oh.....I see", as their personal freak-o-meter goes crazy, to "WOW! God is amazing!" All the responses have a common component, "surprise". 


I think what surprises them is that instead of running away from the poor and the homeless, like normal people, we're running to them. The way I see it, is that the people rejected by society are just injured and bruised members of God's body. Sure, we can ignore them and operate without them, but, we won't be 100%. It's amazing how important something as small as a lonely, broken, homeless person is to God.

Hand Out

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

As the week started I was feeling a lot of pressure. We are in a small apartment and have been here for over 2 months. I don't love the apartment, but I like the fact that it has a bed for everyone and that I can cook meals in it and that it was in an affordable range for us. The other really nice factor about where we are is that it is a block from the beach. At any given time I can be on the beach in just a few minutes, which is really nice when the walls of this little apartment are closing in and I need a break from everyone. The problem we were going to have is that our rent was going up by $800 a month. That made our somewhat affordable apartment unaffordable and we were going to have to find a different place to live. So on Wednesday morning, we got all the kids ready and were just about to head out the door to find something new when the apartment manager and his wife knocked on the door. He came to tell us that we could stay and pay the same price for as long as we needed. I told him that we would need to leave in 3 weeks to head back to Missouri for our sons wedding and we would be gone 2 weeks but would be back and he is going to get us back into something when we get back. He told us that we were a good family and that he did not want to lose us, so he talked to his boss and convinced him to let us stay. The manager told me that his wife even talked to their boss and told him that he needed to let us stay. That in and of itself is a big deal because of the culture this couple comes from. So instead of having to move, we have a stable place to live as long as we need until we can get into our own house. We were all so excited and relieved!

Jeff was sitting outside talking to one of our neighbors shortly after this and as they were talking we found out that many of them were going to be here for Thanksgiving with nothing really planned. So, we decided to throw a Thanksgiving dinner. We planned what we would have, prepped much of the dinner the night before, Ruthie even made up some cute invites to give out to everyone that morning and on Thanksgiving day we cooked a 20lb Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, pies, and of course green stuff. We set up our big table upstairs and brought all the food up. Everyone came up, Jeff said a prayer and we ate. I have been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family at my house for years. Honestly, I was feeling a bit depressed about not being able to make dinner for anyone. So as we sat down to eat with all of these strange people, it felt a bit weird to not be with my family and share that day with them. As I looked around at all the faces, and the smiles and even laughter that I seen, my heart was overwhelmed. I felt true joy! I even started to feel a little guilty. I wanted to be a blessing to these people and in that moment I felt so blessed and so much joy it just seemed kind of backwards.

Then I remembered this quote a friend shared on her blog:

"Our happiness comes not in the having, but in the handing over. God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we yearn for: joy in Him." - Ann Voskamp

Today I am grateful that God provided everything we needed to make it all happen and that he showed me that day what true joy really comes from. Not in what we have but in what we hand out!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100: 4-5

　

　
　

homeless holiday

Happy Thanksgiving!


Usually on Thanksgiving, Wendy is cooking dinner for 20-30 people. However, living in a small efficiency apartment, a block from the beach, with it being over 70 degrees at 9am, you would think the whole Thanksgiving tradition would be a little diluted, if not lost all together. We had talked about going to Golden Coral for dinner and the kids were excited about the whole chocolate waterfall they're featuring. 


Then, we bumped into Gail outside by the pool yesterday afternoon. She's a lady stricken with MS and has a hard time getting around. She's been living at the Pousada Inn and Suites as long as we have. Within minutes, Wendy and Gail planned a full Thanksgiving dinner that we're going to have for all those living at the motel. We're going to have it on the Hurricane deck at 4pm with all the fixings. Ruthie even made invitations that we went around and delivered to all the guests. The reactions we got from the other guests was priceless and we are looking forward to sharing dinner with all of them (around 20 of us all together).


Right now, we are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, drinking coffee with eggnog and getting ready to devour Wendy's most delicious stuffed french toast, all to the smells of turkey and ham cooking.


so, I guess the tradition continues..... :-)

stong man - weak man

As a kid, we didn't have an awesome video game system. Many beautiful summer days were spent outside from 8am until dinner, then after dinner dishes were cleaned up, back outside until it was time to get ready for bed. We were not forced to use our imagination, it was something we just did. My older sister Lana was a great leader in using our imaginations, she would organize backyard carnivals and talent shows that all the neighborhood kids would get involved in.


One of the talent show skits my brother David and I use to do was "Strong man - Weak man" where David was the big muscular man and would walk over to a large dumb-bell and after lots of grunting and struggling was able to lift it  almost all the way up until his strength got the better of him and the weights would fall to the ground with a big crash. Then I, being the scrawny skinny weakling, would be eating a pb&j sandwich with one hand and walk up to the weights and pick up the dumb-bell with the other hand, without hesitation, and thrust it high over my head while finishing the sandwich all to the Oooos and Ahhhhs of the neighborhood kids.


I think God enjoys the simple unexpected irony of strong man - weak man. The more we rely on our own strengths the more difficult life becomes. We use the knowledge we have gained to try to accomplish great things and end up falling short. Just like when Peter and some of the other apostles were wondering what to do after Jesus was executed and risen from the grave, they did what they knew how to do best, they went fishing. 


After laboring all night long and not catching a single fish, they were gathering the nets and cleaning them and this guy on the shore (Jesus) yelled out to them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat. They hesitantly did so and as soon as they did, the nets were filled to capacity with large fish.


With that in mind, my prayers lately have included "what side of the boat Lord?" Each time I pray that way, something strange and a little bizzar comes to mind during the day. Not that it's weird, it's just a little different than the way I would have done something. Then for some reason, there is great success. I believe it's just another way for God to get me to rely on him every single day. To include him every single day in everything I do. When that happens, things flow easier, smoother and with less stress. 


It's so much easier to accomplish things when God tells us how to accomplish them. However, if we don't ask him, I don't think he'll tell us.

risk

For many years my favorite board game was Risk and in high school my friends and I took it to a different level. We took a full sized map of the world and mounted it on foam core, had navies, air forces and armies. The idea was to build up the forces big enough to conquer neighboring countries and expand our borders. We had all night Risk parties all on the quest for world domination. They were good times for sure.

Little did I know that the idea of risk, to lay it all on the line with the possibility of absolute failure, would be something God would require of me as a way of life. We face judgment and condemnation from society and harassment from the police for just being down on the street with the homeless, the addicts, the alcoholics and the prostitutes. Every day we lay it all on the line, in the hopes of advancing God's kingdom.

　

At one point, Jesus had escaped the clutches of the Pharisees who wanted to stone him for blasphemy. He left Jerusalem and traveled around the countryside healing the sick and teaching. He then started talking about going back to Jerusalem, but, the disciples were resistant, except Thomas, in John 11:16 it says: Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Now, I don't know if he said it sarcastically or not, regardless, that's what they did, they got up and followed Jesus back to Jerusalem where he was ultimately executed.

It seems a small amount of risk that we take compared to what Jesus did and what's funny is he took that risk for you and me. As Jesus' representatives here on earth today, we should be ready to jump up and go to Jerusalem, into the heart of the city where the scum of the earth cry out for help, risking all to reach them, despite the greater society's rules against such compassion.

Yesterday, as Joel and I were giving pizza to some guys, they were in absolute shock that we even stopped and talked to them. They stated they had never seen any Christians or churches ever do that before, that usually they were ignored by people or harassed by authorities. We were able to pray for one of them (after being ran off from a parking lot we were all standing in). By the time we left, they were all thanking God.

As we continue risking all, please pray that the seeds we sow grow deep roots and that we win the hearts of the community and ultimately turn South Florida up-side-down.

giving up

We have now been in South Florida for two months, enduring all kinds of hardships for the purpose of reaching people that have lost all hope. It's been very exciting, but, at the same time, very very hard. One of the hardest things has been adjusting to the speed of Miami.

What I mean is that we have always lived monthly. Many things in life happen monthly, the full moon, the mortgage, the car payment, the utilities, etc., however, since we have arrived here, we have not been able to rent a house because we could not prove steady income. Could not prove steady income because I didn't have a job. So, I started looking for a job, which has been much harder than I ever though it would be. So, I in order to make money to survive, I moved people in our large van. It was not great money, but, it helped. Then the van broke down, but, I got a temporary job at Bank of America and before I've even received a paycheck (they owe me two partial paychecks now) my position was eliminated.....

The problem with not having a house to live in, is that we get to live in a motel. The seven of us, a cat and a dog all jammed into a 600 sq.ft. efficiency motel room. The biggest problem with living like this is the rent comes due every week. We are now moving into the busy tourist season and prices for motels are doubling. So, we may have only been here for two months, but, it feels like 8 or 9 months. That is the speed of Miami we are having a hard time with and we are stuck at that speed.

We often feel like just giving up, this past couple days has been one of those times. We need stability for our family and it feel hopeless....as hopeless as the people that we're here to serve.

We have a small base of spiritual support and our re-charging times seem to be further and further apart. We need another miracle today to sustain us for another week, and we ultimately need a house to be able to live more efficiently. We need to get un-stuck from this rut we are in. I can now really see how easy it is for so many people to slip into hopelessness.

If you have some time today, please pray for us, we really need it. Also, please pray about helping us stay on mission by supporting us regularly. It's a worthy cause that is changing people for all of eternity.

low lows

- John 7:37-38
"On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'"

Seems like when I get down, I get really down..... My new job at Bank of America ended abruptly last night, it was a temporary job, but, I didn't expect it to be THAT temporary. I thought I would have it for a few months while looking for something that paid better. I guess that no matter how hard I try, I rely on things that are not God and those things continuously prove to be unworthy. Problem is, there are still bills to pay, kids to feed and homeless people to help. So, please help us out by praying that God will provide and pray that we will always rely on him when we are hungry, thirsty, etc.

Why Care?

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

So today I have been thinking a lot about these "Occupy Protestors." You should know that I don't really know why they are doing what they are doing. I have not really taken the time to dig into their political stance. I guess because it really does not seem to matter. Who are they helping anyway? What is the end goal of their protest? What do they hope to achieve? 

As Jeff and I planned and prepared for this journey we are on (as much as anyone can plan and prepare for something like this), we heard from many church planters and outreach pastors who have said over and over, you have to know what you want to achieve to reach that goal. It may take years to get there but you have to know. You need to write it down so that you can share it with other people.

The one thing that has upset me the most over these protestors is that they have been allowed to inhabit the public parks in our cities the way they have. Now, don't misunderstand, I fully believe that they should have this right, but we all should have this right. In most of these parks if a homeless person came in, pitched a tent and decided to stay in the park for an undetermined amount of time, that person would be ran off, fined and most likely even arrested. I just think it should be fair for everyone!

That being said, I still don't know what they hope to achieve, but it made me think about how if I had a bull horn, like many of these protestors, what I would say and then I remembered this passage in Isaiah 58:

6“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
   Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
      lighten the burden of those who work for you.
   Let the oppressed go free,
      and remove the chains that bind people.
 ⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
      and give shelter to the homeless.
   Give clothes to those who need them,
      and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
 ⁸ “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
      and your wounds will quickly heal.
   Your godliness will lead you forward,
      and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
 ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
      ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
   “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
      Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
 ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
      giving you water when you are dry
      and restoring your strength.
   You will be like a well-watered garden,
      like an ever-flowing spring.
 ¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
      Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
      and a restorer of homes.

Imagine if that was our focus, truly our focus, and not just using a bull horn so that our voice would be heard, but that we could actually be the ones that were rebuilders of walls and restorers of homes. I guess that is the message I would want people to hear far and wide.

choc full o nuts

As we have been reading through the new testament this year, I've noticed that one characteristic of Jesus, that is not discussed very often, is the "crazy" Jesus. Now, before you label me a heretic and pick up blunt objects to make an impression upon my head, hear me out a little.

One time he was at a wedding and all the wine at the wedding party was gone and we all know that after the booze is gone, the party is over, right? So what's he do? He turned 150 gallons of water into wine. Not grape juice, but, wine - good wine!

Then a few days later, he's in Jerusalem and makes a whip and goes postal on the merchants set up around the temple courts, driving the sellers, the cattle and the sheep from the courtyard, turning over the tables and making a huge mess in a fury of emotions.

Then there is the time he was teaching a huge multitude and told them that if they wanted real life, they had to EAT him!

I am convinced that Jesus' crazy actions are more the norm than we would like to think.

What kind of God would have a family move 1300 miles away from their home and start a church for people that don't like church? Leaving their career of the last 20 years and do outreach to the poor in a strange town and in a strange state? Having them drag their kids away from their family and friends and live in a 1 room apartment so far away from anything they have ever known before?

I don't mean this in a bad way, but, I think Jesus is a little nuts. The funny thing is, I think he causes us to be a little nuts too! It's all to easy to settle into life and just try to get by or prosper or conquer the world all in the name of sanity, but, is that really what Jesus would do?

I think about the Moravians, you know, the ones that went to Africa to minister to those dying in a cholera plague. They built their own coffins to ship their stuff in, knowing they would not come home alive.

They were radical people that served a radical God.

Some of them actually sold themselves into slavery so they could get close enough to the poorest of the poor and minister to the other slaves......

What is it that would cause people to do such radical things? I'll tell you, it's radical love. God loved us so much he let a bunch of religious zealots sacrifice his son. Jesus loved us so much, he willingly allowed them to do it, knowing all along what was going to happen. Thing is, that love doesn't stop there. It's like a river that flows, once you experience it, it flows out of you like a river and affects others around you.

What's really crazy, is we try to suppress it, we hold it back. We try to act normal when compassion is welling up inside us. How many times have you been at a park or a mall and had this sense of compassion for someone, a total stranger, and didn't act on it? I can tell you that it's happened to me many times!

So, let me challenge you.....no.... I double dog dare you...Next time you get a strange feeling of compassion for someone, just walk over and start a conversation. See what happens. I know it sounds crazy, but, what if that person has been crying out to God and just asked for a sign? You could be that sign...crazy huh?

The News!

Don't forget to check out "The Daily News" tab above! (it's only viewable if you actually go to the blog site - for those who only read the email alerts). We aren't exactly daily with the news, but, we are trying to update it very frequently to let everyone know what we're up to, what's working, what's not and what we want to accomplish.

Will Work for Food

So tomorrow, like every Saturday, we are setting up in a local park here in Hollywood to serve breakfast to the homeless. This time we expect it to be a little different. We are moving forward with our Work for Food program. If you have not heard us talk about it or would like more information on it, we would be glad to send you some or talk with you personally. Just e-mail us and let us know how to get in touch with you and when. 

Last week we had our first participant, one guy who helped us clean the park. He was paid $10 in cash after helping with clean-up. We told him to tell his friends that we would be doing this every week. We paid him with cash, but the plan all along is to pay them with gift cards from local restuarants. We told him that we could work with 10 guys next week. We fully anticipate that there will be 10 more people who will show up. 

The idea is that we would encourage them to help build up the community and build healthy relationships with the businesses in the community and therefore turn the tide of opinion of the homeless here. So many need just one person who can and does believe in them. There are many organizations here who take advantage of the homeless and the community who wants to help them.

The Work for Food program that will exist without governmental support and will need community involvement. That is where you come in. We need partners who will be willing to help us to continue to serve the breakfast every week and that will help in purchasing the gift cards. We are currently negotiating with a local business who would be willing to sell us the gift cards at a discount if we purchase in bulk quantities. Would you be willing to help?  There are many ways you can donate. Click on the donate button on this website. You can also contact us for other options. All donations are tax deductible.

If you live in the Miami area and are interested in getting involved in Operation Miami we would love to talk to you too! Help us turn Miami upside down with God's Love and Mercy!

Rock Bottom

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman

So once again it has been so long since we blogged.

Our internet here has been so bad. They had some people out yesterday to look at it, so we are hoping we can stay online.

It has been an unbelievable week since we last posted. So much has gone on. You can read about the daily happenings in "The Daily News," so I won't go through all of it here.

Through all of the ups and downs this past week, There was a point where Jeff and I were talking and He asked, "Has it ever been this bad"?

This was on a day where we were feeling pretty low. The big van was sitting

at a mechanic with a big bill required to fix it, I had no work in site and our

rent was due the next day and we had $3 in our pocket. We truly wondered

if we had hit Rock Bottom. There have been many times in the past few years

that we have been in that place of wondering if we have truly hit the low of lows.

Today, I was reading a blog by Matthew Barnett. I find his blog to be a source of

encouragment when I am feeling low. Simply because I know he has gone through

so much to see so many blessed and restored through the Dream Center in L.A.

The quote I read today was "ROCK BOTTOM IS WHERE GOD TAKES US TO RECREATE US."

Most of the time before many of us will even cry out to God, we have to hit that rock bottom point, but how many of us as Believers will admit that it happens to us. For the last year it seems that success has been hard to come by, or at least what our idea of success is. What God has showed me today is that we don't usually have the same idea of success that He does. Success can be dangerous, many of us know that, but what God showed me today is that we can't really ever measure success because we can't measure everything according to our plans. We can succeed in our own strengths and still miss badly in God's plan.  So today I have decided that I am not going to focus on success but on just being a blessing. God can do so much if we live in the simplicity of this revelation. That way, even if we do become successful we won't know it because we are going to be to busy blessing others! Now don't get me wrong, success is a good thing, but I think we get so consummed with what successful looks like that we forget about what happens with the in between. I don't want to get consummed with the end point anymore, just what happens in the dash of the beginning and the end. For me today, instead of focusing on getting out of this apartment into a bigger house, I should focus on how to be a blessing to those around me here. How many times do we say, just as soon as? I know God has taken us to "Rock Bottom" so that we can see His plan for success in what we are doing here, so that He can recreate us! How about you, What are you going to do with the dash in-between the beginning and the end? Who can you bless today?