I got an email this week about a new blog that had been started by an 8 year old in our congregation named Alexa. Her Dad emailed me to make me aware of her latest post. How cool is this?

The post is titled, “My pastor and orphans”

Hey guys!  My Pastor his name is David and he has a website you can look to see what he is doing but I can also tell you some of it.  Well let’s get started.  Do you know some Orphans wake up with their stomachs stirring hungry and they try to call but they don’t have anyone to answer because they’re Orphans.  Its very sad because they wake up crying and there’s no mom or dad they’re just all alone like they’re on their own and they don’t know how to do things and they don’t get to go to school.  Does it make you sad?  Well I’ll tell you this.  It makes my Pastor want to help so he is trying to raise money by running a lot of miles,like 26 or something but you can check on his website.  It makes me want to help, too so I am going to give my Pastor some money so I can help him raise money for them.  I found change in cups and my mom’s wallet and my mom’s car plus I earned some but just a little bit.  If you’re wondering how I earn it I earned it by helping put waters in the fridge and cleaning my room.  My mom said that if I count my money that she’ll give me the same amount from her money to give to him.  Okay, well his website is davidsbucket.com.  OKAY BYE!!!

I was deeply humbled to read these words. If you would like to know more about the project that Alexa is referencing, check out Miles for Hope.

A thank you letter I shared in church this weekend…

Brothers & Sisters,

Over the last several weeks, I have invited you to express your thanks and appreciation to the people in your life who have blessed you. If you have taken the time to write those notes, I trust that you have not only richly blessed the recipient of your thanksgiving, you have also experienced a blessing in your own heart and life. I believe gratitude always works that way in our life.

In sharing that invitation with you, I have felt a conviction to share a specific word of gratitude with each of you. As we have moved through Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, I have been reminded of why this stands out as some of my favorite sections of scripture. I appreciate so much the relationship that is always present in the background of this letter. Undergirding each word is the love and joy that Paul has for this community of faith. This letter, perhaps more than any of his others, represents the pastor’s heart within Paul.

I get that because I have the privilege of serving as your pastor and in that role, I know so well the longing I have for each of you, the prayers prayed for your continual growth and nourishment in Christ, and the tremendous responsibility and honor I feel in having the opportunity to share this journey of faith with you.

So today I want to say to each of you, thank you. Thank you for the ways in which you have blessed my life, for your kind words of encouragement and support that you consistently share, but most especially for the way in which you are living out and faithfully supporting the mission of our church to make Disciples of Jesus Christ who love God, love others and serve the world.

A few weeks ago in listening to some teaching, I heard the statement that, “the power of words is that they have the ability to create new worlds.” I found that to be deeply meaningful for me in that language is the currency of my life, but the true joy and blessing is in seeing you step into that new world, engaging and laying claim to a new way of life, and living out the hopes and dreams that God longs to bring into our broken world.

Our journey together is for me the very marrow of my life. Thank you for allowing me to serve as one of your traveling companions.

Grace & Peace,

David

Several weeks ago I shared here the goal that I had set to raise $10,000 for ZOE Ministry by inviting sponsorship for my first marathon on December 5th. While I am not ready to announce the total pledged, I will say that I have been amazed by the response. There is still time to make a commitment if you would like to participate. You can find more information here. I will announce the total raised on race day.

Today I want to share one more way you can join the “Miles for Hope” team.

Several individuals have already pledged an amount with the additional stipulation that they will double their gift if I survive 26.2 miles. It certainly creates an additional incentive for me in my training and preparation for December 5th, but it also encourages me to consider everything I can do to make sure I’m successful. On the day I posted about my fundraising goal, I had someone share this comment on Facebook.

Now, maybe we could figure out a way to start a fan club. Maybe wear our Zoe t-shirts & spread out across the 26 miles to cheer you on. Certainly, you would finish because you’d have fan club braving the cold.

Every person I have talked to who has completed a marathon has told me what an amazing encouragement it is to see your friends and family out on the course.

So here’s my question…

Would you be interested in being a part of the Miles for Hope team by coming out to the race to encourage and cheer on myself and the other runners from our church?

If you’re interested, let me first try to sweeten the deal somewhat. For anyone who signs up to be a part of the team, i will personally provide you with your very own Miles for Hope t-shirt. [See above graphic] All you have to do to sign up is send me an email with your t-shirt size!

Thanks for considering this opportunity.

Remember, it’s all about 1000 kids in Rwanda and the hope we have to bring into their lives.

Today, Mike and I will be heading south to a ranch house just outside Meridian, Texas for one of our quarterly study leaves. The next three days will be dedicated to preparing for our final two series of the year as well as planning out all of our Spring message series.

I also hope to spend some time watching all five videos from Rob Bell’s Poets, Prophets & Preachers conference and considering what the next “teaching” (i.e. Sacred Marriage) I want to invest my time in preparing for the spring or next fall.

Would you consider helping Mike and I in one of all of the following ways?

Would you pray for us? Specifically would you ask God to lead us in our time of reflection and study and provide space for our own spiritual refreshment as well?

Would you pray for our church? Would you ask God to continue to bless our community as we seek to make disciples of Jesus who love God, love others and serve the world?

If there is a teaching, a series or a topic that you would like to see us address in the future, would you let us know? We will have email access and would love to hear your feedback and thoughts.

Thank you for your prayers, your insight, and this time awayt. I’m really looking forward to this time of “withdrawing to the hills” in order to be replenished and renewed for the work ahead.

This past Thursday I posted about my goal to raise $10,000 for ZOE ministry through sponsorship for my marathon run on December 5th. Our church has made a commitment to raise $250,000 for ZOE, a ministry that seeks to empower orphans in Africa, over the next three years.

With those funds ZOE will be able to take 1000 orphaned kids in Rwanda through a three year program that is designed to move them from a life of hopelessness to a life where they are able to care for themselves and their siblings. During that time period they will not only move into a new home which they help build but will also be trained in a trade that will provide necessary income.

It’s an amazing thought… 1000 orphans lifted out of poverty and hopelessness.

Yet, I must confess that I struggle to understand the reality that is beyond these numbers.

Think about it.

Do you know any orphans?

Do you have any concept of a community that is flooded with children whose parents have all passed away?

Today I will get an attendance report from our children’s ministry for this past weekend. Last weekend we had exactly 500 kids participate in one of our weekend children’s programs.

Imagine if every single child was living as an orphan in our community.

Thursday night around 11:30 p.m., my two year old son Jack was stirring in his bed and started crying. He was not fully awake, just enough to need Mom or Dad to come and soothe him for a few minutes as he fell back to sleep. I was still awake and so I walked into my son’s room, placed my hand on his back and began to softly tell him, “it’s OK, daddy’s here, son. Daddy’s here.”

In that very brief and sacred moment, I felt like God said to me, “David, this is the reality of an orphaned child.”

It’s a young boy or girl who cries out in the middle of the night and no one is there to comfort them.

It’s a child that cries not because they are stirring in their bed, but because hunger is stirring in their stomachs.

It’s children’s who have names, boys and girls who were given by God to Moms and Dads who cried the same tears that I cried when their son of daughter was born.

It’s children with hopes and dreams just like my son and my daughter.

That’s the crushing reality that is ravaging the continent of Africa. It’s the reality that breaks God’s heart, and therefore should break our hearts as well.

While I was out for my 14 mile training run the following morning, I was strengthened as I thought about why I’m running this race. I’m running for these kids. It’s a very small way in which I can say to them, “we’ve got your back. God has a dream for your life and we want to help see those dreams come true.”

If you are interested in partnering with me, I’d be honored by your support.

To find out more about Miles for Hope, click here.