Curious George

Greg Gilbert over at 9marks.org posted a transcript of a discussion between Don Carson, John Piper, and Tim Keller on priority of sharing the Gospel in our compassion ministries.  I have become strongly convicted that followers of Christ must care for the poor and helpless as an expression of our love for God and people.  In the midst of these ministries, however, there is a subtle temptation to serve the needy in order to improve their life in a temporary way without addressing their eternal destination and need for salvation.

Carson, Piper, and Keller stress the priority of the Gospel and it’s role in motivating us to help those in need.  We must never help someone with the shortsighted goal of improving their life.  We must be driven by the destination of their eternal souls and their great need to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Take a look at Gilbert’s transcription of the discussion here and let me know what you think.  You can follow a link to the original audio after the jump.

Source:  Church Matters: The 9Marks Blog

I love Coca-Cola’s commercial called “Happiness Machine!”  It got me thinking about how much happiness I spread to those around me.  Now, I know what some of you are going to say.  Some of  you think that since we can’t make everyone happy it’s not worth trying at all.  I also know that many Christians seem to think that following Jesus means living a stoic life devoid of any fun or happiness.  What if we lived with outrageous generosity that made people smile in amazement?  What if we served people with no strings attached?  I think it would open many doors of opportunity to share the love of Jesus!  What do you think?

We patched the roof of a woman in our community a few months ago with the help of Westwood Baptist (our parent church).  She is on dialysis and has her daughter and 2 month old grandson living with her. We were able to fix a part of the roof, but the rest of the roof has started to leak. She called today to tell me that the heavy rain caused the roof to leak heavily and the ceiling fell in and nearly hit her grand baby.

The roof needs to be replaced.  We are still too small to tackle a project of this size on our own, but I’m confident that we can work together to make this happen.  Here are the things we need:

• Prayer.  Ask God to work in this situation to draw this family toward Christ.  Pray that God’s people will be moved to compassion for the hurting and take action.
• Money for building materials.  You can donate directly to the church’s Compassion Fund for this project here.
• Roofing materials for a mobile home
• Volunteers with carpentry and/or roofing skills that can help us repair the roof

Here’s an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission right here in Montevallo.  Please let me know if you’re in the area and can help.  Pass this on to someone else you know who might be able to help.  Let’s make this happen as soon as possible so this woman can get her home dry and comfortable for herself and her family.  Contact me at pastor@mountainvalleychurch.net or (205) 304-5445.

We’re raising money to help a widow who is a member in our church. She has a very old car that is on it’s last leg. The air conditioning is broken and the windows don’t work. She desperately needs a reliable used car for transportation.

This woman has been a faithful member of our church and other churches during her life and has served God in many ways over the years.

I hope you’ll prayerfully consider how you might contribue to her cause. Even the smallest donation will be helpful. Thanks!

Many thanks to John Saddington at ChurchCrunch and Moo for the business cards I won last month.  I just placed my order and I can’t wait to get the cards!  I chose a ready made design pack for the cards that features some truly awesome photos from Paul Cooklin Photography.  I really think these cards will stand out from the rest.  I’m going to use them as I meet people in the community.  I included information about myself and the church (location, meeting time, website, etc.).  Check out these unique cards if you’re interested in making a great first impression!

MiniCards $19.99
Buy this on MOO.com