To the Church, God’s
Beloved Children:
I write these thoughts from inside my tent after spending
hours on end listening to the pattering of rain against its side. Anxiously procrastinating through an attempt
to fall asleep tonight, I have been trying to do everything but write this
letter. It’s been quite beautiful to
realize, however, that God wouldn’t allow me the quiet rest until this was done. So allow me the fancy to start this letter by
echoing the thoughts and words of the apostle Paul when he quoted the prophet
Jeremiah “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” for He exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on the earth. With
that being said I would like to boast in His unfailing provisions and kindness
through all of your prayers, words of encouragement and sacrificial
giving. He has raised a little over a
thousand dollars in a month’s time. Praise God!! This most certainly is the start
of a glorious journey.
I would also like to share with you what the Lord has
been doing in my life over the course of this last month. The idea of loving your neighbor is nothing
new to me but asking the question, “Who is your neighbor?” has been the burden
placed upon my heart. When trying to
answer the question, the term “social justice” comes to mind. This term seems to have caught more wind in
the last couple years with the aid of celebrity stars. Granted some celebs do it for the press, I
feel that others do so because of their desire to contribute to the bettering
of humanity. To
this I would ask the question, “For what purpose”?
I believe the answer lies in two words found in the Greek
language: Imago Dei, the Image of God. In the beginning, God created humanity, man and woman in His own image,
then something terrible happened. Man
and woman thought their way was better than their creators’ and chose disobedience. This act became the first crack in the now
countlessly cracked mirror called Imago Dei. Since the Fall, humanity has been looking for ways to fix this
brokenness. Social justice seems to be
the world’s way to fix something spiritual without relying on something
spiritual to fix it, i.e. the Creator, the God of the Universe.
With all that in mind, my point is to tell you that the
Spirit of the Living God is certainly moving and fixing this “cracked mirror”
in Greenville, SC. A small group of us
living downtown, close to downtown, or even having a heart for downtown,
started a project to share the Love of Christ to our “neighbors”, those we meet
and see daily while on Main St. If
Greenville is going to be won over with love, to further the Kingdom of God and
be a city known for “loving its neighbor”, it should start at the very
epicenter and heart of the beloved city. Our goal is to start out small and allow the Spirit to move us, in hopes
that others would catch on to the vision and join the movement. This is how the Kingdom of Love works; it
starts small and grows and grows and grows until Love conquers all. It’s a remarkably beautiful thing.
As we, both you and I, seek to love our neighbors with
the Love found only in Christ, I would like to ask you to continue to support
me in the journey God has laid before me. As I mentioned before, God has been blessing me more than I ever thought
possible. The struggles of preparing for
this journey, however, are continuing to hound me daily. As I continue to love my neighbors in
Greenville and prepare to love those around the world come October, the areas I
ask you for prayer are: continual guidance in daily devotion to my first love;
support financially, spiritually, and emotionally; boldness to go where I may
be afraid to go; and selfless humility to not only ask for help but to accept
it graciously. As I said in my last
letter please feel free to contact me via any of the ways mentioned at the top
of the page. You can also check out my
blog page which will be the main area that I will post daily/weekly updates, on
top of sending out monthly newsletters.
Now “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being
rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know
this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all
the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19
Faithfully in Christ,
