Convoy of Hope

Yesterday, a large group of area churches locked arms together and reached out to the downtown Raleigh community in an event known as the "Convoy of Hope." Over 6000 people came to the event,and by all accounts, it was a huge success. As I looked out over the masses of people, I could not help but be touched by the fact there were so many people in need, most of which probably did not know Christ. My heart goes out to these men and women and everything within me desires to see them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Many thanks to the men and women who put this event together and were so willing to give of their time, energy and talents at this event to make it possible!

The event offered participants free hotdogs and drinks, free bags of groceries, free haircuts, health assessments, and prayer for any and all who wanted it. The picture to the left is the tent where the health assessments were being done. There was also live music, courtesy of Daniel Renstrom and Shelly Moore. If the participants went to receive the groceries, they had to spend a couple of minutes in prayer with the volunteers, where they would likely be presented with the Gospel.

God blessed me with the opportunity to attend the event for a couple of hours (thanks to my Mom being willing to babysit...:) thanks Mom!)While I was there I was blown away by how many people had showed up and were simply in need of so much. I was also amazed at the sheer kindness of all the volunteers, giving of their time and energy to such a worthy cause in 93 degree weather. I thought "This is how the body of Christ is supposed to work. Meeting the needs of people physically, but also aware of the fact that they have a much larger need....the Gospel. They need Christ." The picture to the left is part of the gang from Providence. These guys were cooking and serving the hot dogs, handing out drinks, and helping in any way possible. Thanks for being such humble servants!

While I was down there I was able to speak with several different attendees. My first conversation was with two young gentlemen by the name of Louis (center) and George (right). Both of these guys were from Ohio and had been in the area for only a couple of months. As we began to talk they told me about how they had grown up in church but had gotten away from going and were hoping to start back soon. As I dug deeper it became clear that they did not know the Lord. They both told me that they were good people and the way that a man gets to heaven is by doing good things and living a good life. I was able to then tell them that about how God was going to judge them not by their good works, but by his moral law, also known as the 10 commandments. As we went through a few of the commandments, it began to become very clear to these young men that they had fallen way short of God's standard. They began to see that their situation was hopeless and that if things continued the way that they were going, that they would die and go to hell. But, (and this is my favorite part!), it was then, once their hearts and consciences' were pricked that I was able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them; how He had come and died upon the cross, taking their sins and their penalty of death and hell upon himself, and paying our fine in His life's blood. I told them how He rose from the dead, defeating death, and how if they would repent of their sins and place their trust in Christ alone, that He would wipe away every sin, and give them a new heart with new desires. They both seemed to really be paying attention and asking questions, but especially George. He seemed to really be thinking about what I was saying and I think that the Holy Spirit was truly working in his heart. I pray that God would grant them the ability to repent and would give them the faith necessary to place their trust in Christ.

By the end of the day, I spoke with several more men, namely Neil, Kenny, William, Vernon, and Joseph. Each of them were unique and had their own certain needs. But, again, I fear that none of them, with the exception of Joseph, really and truly know Jesus Christ. I am constantly amazed by how so many people simply do not have a correct understanding of the Gospel, why Jesus died, what that means exactly, and how that applies to them. Pray that God would open these men's eyes to the truth of the Gospel and would bring them into His kingdom. I trust that seeds of the Gospel were planted and that God's word will not return void. Praise to be Him that He has chosen someone so undeserving as myself to be an ambassador of His. Praise to Him for all that happened at the Convoy of Hope!

A Conversation with Death

Went to a class this morning on sharing the Gospel taught by Dave Owen. He had this conversation between a christian and death by John Piper on one of the sheets he gave us. Be encouraged!
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CHRISTIAN: Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me?

I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. Let me ask you a question, Death. WHERE IS YOUR STING?

DEATH: (sneeringly) My sting is your sin.

CHRISTIAN: I know that, Death. But that's not what I asked you. I asked, where is your sting? I know what it is. But tell me where it is.

Why are you fidgeting, Death? Why are you looking away? Why are you turning to go? Wait, Death, you have not answered my question. Where is your sting?

Where is my sin?

What? You have no answer? But, Death, why do you have no answer? How will you terrify me, if you have no answer?

O Death, I will tell you the answer. Where is your sting? Where is my sin? It is hanging on that tree. God made Christ to be sin - my sin. When he died, the penalty of my sin was paid. The power of it was broken. I bear it no more.

Farewell, Death. You need not show up here again to frighten me. God will tell you when to come next time. And when you come, you will be his serant. For me, you will have no sting.

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Praise God that Jesus defeated death making death something not to be feared but joyfully anticipated. Jesus conquered death. Our hope, Christian, is in this!!

More Easter Pics

Easter Day

Easter was a great day...Worship our Savior who defeated death so that we could live forever...Brunch at Winstons...Egg hunting with Halie. We praise God for the awesome life He has given us. Here are a few pics from the day.

Evidence for Easter

The below is an excerpt from the blog "The Constructive Curmudgeon," which is authored by Douglas Groothuis:

Millions of Christians celebrate Easter every year, a day commemorating an event that distinguishes Christianity’s founder from all other religious leaders—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s not about colored eggs or cute bunnies. It’s about one who claims authority over all creation as the living Lord. Is there good reason to believe this?

In a pluralistic culture, diverse religious ideas are often viewed as merely products of subjective faith. A religion is “true” if it “works,” if it gives a sense of meaning to life and a connection to a community of faith. Matters of objective fact are dismissed in order to avoid controversy and strife. However, Easter makes no sense apart from the reality of a historical event. The Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christians, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (I Corinthians 15:14).

In a free society every religion is allowed to make its case publicly without fear of censure. All have the constitutional right to practice any religion or none. But this does not answer the question of what faith—if any—one ought to embrace. Easter offers an answer based on the compelling evidence that the story of Jesus coming to earth to redeem his people from their failures is vindicated by his space-time resurrection from the dead.

No blind leap of faith is required to believe that the resurrection of Jesus is more than a nice religious idea. The Gospel accounts that attest to the resurrection were written by people in a position to hunt down and check out the facts. They were either disciples of Jesus (Matthew and John) or individuals who carefully interviewed those closest to the event they described (Mark and Luke). These accounts were written shortly after the events they narrate; there was insufficient time for such mythological additions as a resurrection. The Apostle Paul, writing sometime in the 50s, spoke of Christ publicly appearing to many people, many of whom were still living at the time he wrote (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Had there been no resurrection, this kind of statement would have been suicidal, since hostile witness could have refuted Paul’s claim. We have no record of a refutation.

Moreover, all the New Testament books have been accurately preserved over time. Scholars have access to thousands of ancient Greek manuscripts from which to translate our modern versions of these books.

The earliest record of the Christian movement (the Book of Acts) reports that the church proclaimed a resurrected Christ as the source of its courage and drive. The first Christians weathered intense persecution for their resurrection-faith; yet they persevered—some even unto death. Had the notion of the resurrection been fabricated, it would have unraveled under the relentless social and political pressures it faced. As former Nixon aide Charles Colson has pointed out in his book Loving God, he and the other White House conspirators could not pull off the Watergate cover-up, despite their unmatched political clout. When the crunch came, the truth was quickly flushed out. The early Christians had no such power to obfuscate or intimidate; but they never recanted. Their resolve is best explained by their knowledge of the resurrection.

Those hostile to these determined followers of Jesus could have easily refuted the nascent movement by simply exhuming the dead body of Jesus and displaying it as the decisive evidence against any claim to his resurrection. Both the religious and the political authorities of the day had reasons to resent these Christians and to stop their evangelism. But there is no evidence that anything of the kind occurred. The tomb was empty.

Belief in the resurrection of Jesus is entirely different from the fascination many people have in supposedly supernatural events (of "The X Files" variety) that have no logical support. When Christians observe Easter they stand on the solid ground of history, looking upward with rational hope for a better life in the world to come.

The BIG Question?

Perhaps the biggest question of them all......watch the following video.

EASTER EGG HUNT!!

Ok so I know Easter is totally not about the eggs and bunnies, but how cute are these little blessings looking for their eggs. Thanks to Ryan and Angie for a fun time for all the kiddo's!!

A few pics from our trip to DE last weekend

Ready for the rain to go away!!

Thoughts for the day...

Read this in a Max Lucado book and thought it was a great reminder...

The John 3:16 Promise:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

A 26 word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions. If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. If you know everything in the Bible, return here. We all need the reminder. The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human. And God's treatment is prescribed in John 3:16.

He Loves

He Gave

We Believe

We Live

Be encouraged,

Kim