Grace in Action USA

Are you serious?

2008-07-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

“It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue.” —John Adams

Are you serious, Mr. Adams?
Elevate and exalt?
Accelerate and animate?
Excite to excel?
In this day and age? You can't be serious.

Recently, we've listened to a biography of John and Abigail Adams. John Adams (our second president) was a deep thinker; Abigail a visionary. She was truly the "wind beneath his wings." They were apart much of the time because it took days to travel by coach from their home to Philadelphia, the capital city. Abigail stayed home, ran the farm, and raised the children. Mr. Adams' salary was so meager, he couldn't afford a house while Congress was in session. Enough history, already!

What I was intrigued with was the challenge of Adam's powerful statement. You and I should care enough for the children in our worlds to elevate their minds and exalt their courage. We ought to make it our purpose to accelerate and animate the industry and activity of today's youth, creating in them the wonder and joy of life and the satisfaction that comes with doing an honest day's work.

It takes special effort to excite today's children about much of anything, to say nothing of passing on the desire to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. And on top of that to help them have a "contempt for meanness and an abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity..." Tall order, right? Wow!!

Thank you, Mr. Adams, for stating the vision of grace in ACTION usa so beautifully. This is exactly what we want God to do through GiA.

Will you pray? Will you teach? Will you challenge today's children who have no one to care enough to excite them to excel?

The flip side of trust

2008-07-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

Got trust? Great! Me, too! Trust in the Lord. But I'm learning ~ isn't there always something more to learn? ~ that there's a flip side to trust that may be harder than the trusting. The other side of the trust coin is wait.

For me, trusting isn't difficult. God gave me a trusting nature. I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to. I know that's not true for many who find trusting a very difficult thing to do.

And that's even true when it comes to the waiting if I'm waiting on the Lord. But!! Waiting on the Lord often involves waiting on people. That's where I have a problem. (Acknowlege - confess) I gladly wait on you, Lord, but I don't want to wait on Jim, Mike, Dan, Sandy, Doug ~ and the others you've put on my trust path! You're dependable; they may be dependable but they're too busy to do what I'm waiting for. You're never on overload; they've said yes to one too many people ~ and I'm the last one on the list. You're . . .

So, are you going to trust me, or not? If it means I have to wait another week? Well, truthfully, I don't want to. I want to take things in my own hands and just do it!

Wait on the Lord; don't give up hope. I repeat~ wait on the Lord. Wait on Jim; don't give up hope. I repeat! Wait on Jim and Mike and Dan and Sandy and....

Got Trust?

2008-06-30T04:56:00.000-07:00

Got milk? the ad asks. The implication is if you drink milk you'll enjoy all it's benefits.

Got TRUST? The same applies. Here are just a few examples. . .

Joy & peace - Rom 15:13 ~ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you TRUST in Him... . Anyone out there who doesn't want joy and peace?

Refuge - Nahum 1:7 ~ The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. Are you in some kind of trouble. TRUST him; he's the best refuge.

The Future - Ps 31: 14-15 ~ But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!" My future is in your hands.

Freedom from fear - Ps 56:3-4 ~ But when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. O God, I praise your word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

Eternal security - 2 Tim 1:12 ~ ...I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

There isn't much you can put your trust in today. But when you trust in God and his word, it's a sure thing. So ~ are you going to trust him ~ or not?

grace in ACTION usa application: the curriculum is still in the hands of the layout/graphics people...it must be printed and ready to ship to conference in a few days. Am I going to trust Him, or not?

What Difference Can I Make?

2008-06-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had lunch with friends who minister among people in poverty in the Dominican Republic. "Pilotage International is a nonprofit, faith-based organization that teaches culturally relevant, economically sensitive and holistically integrated Biblical principles to help individuals discover their place in the world, develop their resources and positively impact their culture." Whew! The short version is they're trying to help them learn the value and use of money from a Biblical perspective.

As we shared our hearts for the poor, it was evident that at times, we each wonder, "What difference can I make?" The needs are so great and so overwhelming!

Then Charles told the story of a woman who served in the Dominican Republic for ten years. She was never able to learn the language or find ways to impact the lives of many of the nationals. But she faithfully taught the scriptures to three men who wanted to learn the Bible and English. Now those three are spiritual leaders in the D.R. "What difference did she make?"

What difference can you and I make in a world full of sin and poverty? Ask the Lord to give you a young person to invest your life in; teach him/her their value and purpose as a child of God; and help him/her acquire the life skills they need to "make a difference" in their world.

Let grace in ACTION usa help you make a difference.

Want to live "the good life?"

2008-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

. . or A good life? Many choose THE good life.

In his second book, Peter describes the way to experience both. As I read this passage I thought, "I need to include this in the Leader's lessons on Character and Morals." Leaders are teens raised in poverty, for whom grace in ACTION usa is preparing the LifeTime Learning curriculum. But before we teach the teens, we must tell the Discoverers (5-8 year olds) how to become "Kids with Character" and then help the Achievers (9-12) see the benefits of living a good life so they can live the good life in the "Character Counts" lessons.

Here's how it works, according to 2 Peter 1:2-8. May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better. As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness. And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.

So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patience endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Father, help us teach these precious children how to live a really good life." Amen.

You go, girl! Dream Big!

2008-06-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

Louisa MayAlcott said, Far away, there in the sunshine, are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.

I say ~ You go, girl! Dream big!!

Those words encouraged me this morning, at a time when I'm a bit discouraged by the struggle to reach the high aspirations of grace in ACTION usa. There is a force at work against me, stronger than gravity, and pulling me down ~ away from the big dreams. It's whispering, "Give up ~ you'll never make it."

How will we prevail against that pull? Keep looking up at the beauty of the goal...preparing children to become productive citizens.

Thank you, Miss Alcott, for the reminder. But here's an even better one, written by Paul, the apostle in Romans (15:13). May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hop by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, today, I'll look up at our high aspirations and see their beauty in the sunshine!

Under My Radar

2008-05-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

What poor? I don't see any poor people around here. Certainly, not in our community!! Well, now that you mention it, I know there are some agencies in town that help people who need food and housing from time to time. But those people are just temporarily down on their luck, aren't they? I wouldn't call them poor ~ like ~ in poverty.

Poverty! Now that's another story altogether. People who live in poverty have brought that on themselves. Most of them could go out and find a job if they wanted to, but they'd rather live off my tax money than work. They all live in the south somewhere. There aren't any really poor (as in poverty) people in this town, are there?

It wasn't long ago that I had these very thoughts. Now I have friends who live in poverty ~ and guess what ~ they're house is hardly a mile from my home. They've been there for years; just under my radar.

Now I know where they are and what they need, I have no excuse. What am I going to do about my responsibility toward them? Scripture is replete with admonitions about how you and I should care for the poor. Do you care? Do I care ~ really care? Proverbs says; The wicked don't care about the rights of the poor, but good people do! And I thought I was one of the good people. Hmmm!

grace in ACTION usa cares about those caught in poverty's trap. They exist to make a difference in their lives by connecting the church to the community. . . the poor in our community who don't need more of our money; they need to know there's another way for them. . . a way out of poverty.

They need to know they're not under your radar.

The wicked don't care about the rights of the poor, but good people do.
(Prov 29:7)

Where's the ACTION?

2008-05-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Are you wondering what happened to the ACTION in grace in ACTION usa? I hope so! I want you to say, " When will we see some action from grace in ACTION?" I hope you assume that something must be happening! And ~ just in case you've wondered ~ let me fill you in.

Think about it! A structure that's going to endure must have a really good foundation, right? We've been laying the groundwork, drawing plans, sinking pilings, and pouring footers. Much thought, prayer, and preparation are going into being really ready when we go public.

The behind the scenes action presently taking place is preparing the way for you, Church, to go into action ~ and step onto the bridge into your community with the LifeTime Learning curriculum being prepared. The time you will spend lovingly teaching poverty's children the Life Skills and Job Skills they need to change their worlds, is the action GiA is eager to see.

Until then, (July, 2008 ~ God willing) please take action by praying for these last two months of groundwork.

Bridges

2008-04-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Have you thought about bridges lately? Ever? Let's state the obvious:
~ bridges are a way to get from one place to another
~ bridges have to be built
~ bridges should be used
~ bridges must be maintained or repaired or they'll collapse

You know where I'm going with this, don't you? grace in ACTION usa is all about building bridges. Our slogan says it best, "Bridging the church to the community." But the bridge we're trying to build ends up in a part of the community where most of us would rather not go.

There are two spans on the GiA bridge ~ education and economic development. The education girders are being put in place. They are the strong supports needed in every child's life. Included are the Life Skills of understanding themselves, their relationships, their potential and value, and how to live a life of integrity in today's world. Beside these go the Job Skills necessary to become productive citizens.

Church! Will you join us on the bridge to the community by tutoring a child? The bridge will be paved with the love of Christ you show each deserving child.

Reflections on the Road Less Traveled

2008-04-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

The road is lonely ~ that should be obvious ~ unless you don't like people anyhow and would rather be alone. For me, the road is lonely because I'm beginning to realize that very few are even looking for the road. I don't think it's even on a GPS or google.

The road is bumpy! Since this way has so few travelers, why should anyone spend time and money to pave it? So you'll have to climb over boulders, navigate the twists and turns, struggle past the ups and downs, and often stop to rest.

Is this road going nowhere? I don't see anyone up ahead to ask.

What road? The road that leads out of poverty.

Someday, I'm going to look behind me and see a few children and young people. And, God willing, they'll look back and see even more kids. By then, the road won't be quite so rough and long, praise God!

The road less traveled; I didn't choose it, but I'll stay on it as long as possible. As for a GPS, the Holy Spirit's navigating, thank you very much!

I'd love to have you join me.

But, what if. . . ?

2008-04-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

The New Living translation of Proverbs 22:6 says, Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain on it.

Good advice, Solomon! But, what if a child is born into a home where his parents hadn't chosen the right path? What if this child's parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol? What if the path they've chosen is one of laziness and dependence? What if the child is an orphan? What if. . . ?

How would you answer these questions? Is there a way to solve such enormous problems?

Every ministry to the poor must find answers to these and dozens of others questions facing them as they try to help. Do you provide funds when the money runs out before the next welfare check arrives? Should you continually give food and clothes to everyone who shows up at the door? Will you travel many miles each week to pick up the kids for Sunday School and AWANA? Is it enabling those who live in poverty when you give them what they need without requiring anything from them?

grace in ACTION usa wrestles with such questions, and we're asking . . .
What if . . . we show impoverished children another way?
What if . . . poverty's kids learn how to make right and good choices?
What if . . . they learn about morals, manners, and good personal care?
They deserve to know about the right kind of love! They ought to understand the value and use of money. They'll love discovering how God made them and beginning to dream about what they could become.

What if you got involved?

Dark as a Pocket

2008-04-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

Have you checked your pockets lately?

Dark in there, isn't it? Dirty, too. Mine are often full of trash ~ mostly gum wrappers, and used tissues ~ stuff that I'll throw away when I find a trash can. There's probably lint in the corners. That's dirty, too.

Pockets of poverty are that way. . . dark, dirty, full of trash. . . not a place you'd want to go. Maybe that's one of the reasons we ignore them. I was really surprised to find just such a place five minutes from my house.

Poverty's darkness is often spiritual, even demonic, or drug and alcohol induced. Hope has long since faded, like the light once seen in their children's eyes. The prince of darkness has a grip and doesn't want to let go.

One mission of grace in ACTION usa is to teach the children who live in a "pocket of poverty" that there is another way; they don't have to live in a dark and dirty place when they're grown.

Want to help? Pray for GiA each time you shove your hand in your pocket! Thanks!

Oh, yes! Once in a great while, you'll reach in your pocket and find a $20! That rarely happens in a pocket of poverty!

Compassion is hard work!

2008-04-08T04:01:00.000-07:00

It was Desmond Tutu who said, “Frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action.”

Action ~ I'd like to add some other words: Hard work, difficult, frustrating, disappointing ~ and let me quickly add rewarding, fulfilling, and joy.

How do you show Christ's compassion when it's hard work? By his grace. As you go into action, you find you're empowered and strengthened by his grace! And you begin to know the joy of compassion.

grace in ACTION usa is all about compassion for those trapped in poverty's grip ~ and the very hard work of doing something to help them find ways out. It starts with education; showing the children another way.

Are you up for some difficult, frustrating, and sometimes disappointing work ~ come join us. Put grace into action; it's rewarding, fulfilling and brings great joy!Want to know more about grace in ACTION? Check us out at http://www.graceinactionusa.org/ .

grace in ACTION usa~ Bridging the church to the community through education and economic development.