Back At It? Maybe...

After a bit of a gap in posts I have made the commitment to keep at it. I have recently been in a "writing funk." I have been in a period of just reading the Word and listening to God speak many things in my life through it, but haven't had a whole lot to say...

Maybe the next couple of weeks and months I will be inspired to sit down and write a bit more, but until then I will just write as the Spirit leads and if there is no prompting to say much, then I will remain silent.

There has been so much joy in writing this blog over the past several years and I am excited to see where it goes. The desire is there. The ideas are there. I just get tripped up when I sit down to write and feel like I am falling over my words... not sure if that makes sense!

Feel free to browse around and read through some of my older posts.

Blessings,
Keith

Revolution In World Missions

America… the land of the free and the home of the most wealthiest people on the planet. Even amongst the Christian population, there is more wealth here than in the entire under developed countries in the rest of the world combined. What feeds a family of four for one dinner in the typical American household is more food than an impoverished village family sees in more than a week.

And when it comes to the knowledge of Jesus and the Gospel, we are filled to the brim. We have access to Jesus 24/7 via the internet, podcasts, church services, and Christian radio… But is it making a difference?

I am currently reading the book “Revolution In World Missions” written by K.P. Yohannan. Today I want to share just a snippet from this amazing perspective of world evangelism from a man who understands poverty and the transforming power of the Gospel.

He writes,

If the affluence of America impressed me, the affluence of
Christians impressed me even more. The United States has
about 5,000 Christian book and gift stores, carrying varieties
of products beyond my ability to imagine—and many secular
stores also carry religious books. All this while 4,845 of the
world’s 6,912 languages are still without a single portion of the
Bible published in their own language! In his book My Billion
Bible Dream, Rochunga Pudaite says, “Eighty-five percent of all
Bibles printed today are in English for the nine percent of the
world who read English. Eighty percent of the world’s people
have never owned a Bible while Americans have an average of
four in every household.”

Besides books, 8,000 Christian magazines and newspapers
flourish. More than 1,600 Christian radio stations broadcast
the Gospel full-time,5 while many countries don’t even have
their first Christian radio station. A tiny 0.1 percent of all
Christian radio and television programming is directed toward
the unevangelized world.

The saddest observation I can make about most of the religious
communication activity of the Western world is this: Little,
if any, of this media is designed to reach unbelievers. Almost all
is entertainment for the saints.
The United States, with its 600,000 congregations or groups,
is blessed with 1.5 million full-time Christian workers, or one
full-time religious leader for every 182 people in the nation.

What a difference this is from the rest of the world, where more
than 2 billion people are still unreached with the Gospel. The
unreached or “hidden peoples” have only one missionary working
for every 78,000 people, and there are still 1,240 distinct
cultural groups in the world without a single church among
them to preach the Gospel. These are the masses for whom
Christ wept and died.

I encourage you read this book. Audio (MP3) and print (pdf) versions of this book are available for free @ http://www.gfa.org/resource/books/revolution/

I believe that when we come to the realization that our wealth in the western world could and should be used for proclaiming the Gospel message to the world, then and only then will we experience true and lasting change. Not only in our own lives but in the lives of every person that walks this planet.

May you be blessed today as you proclaim His name.
Keith

Village2Village Project - Sam and Ester

Back just a couple short years ago I shared a story of three young children in a post on my personal photo blog. It was the story of a young girl caring for her two starving siblings in Uganda. The compassion little Jane had towards her brother and sister was beyond anything I have ever seen from such a young person.

Recently their story has been on my mind and I decided to follow up and see how little Sam and Esther were doing. Before I discuss the most recent update, I would like to share the two videos that touched not only my life, but the tens of thousands around the globe who have been able to experience such a thing due to the advances in technology.

For those of you who missed the original video that I first encountered 2 1/2 years ago, I would encourage you to watch it.

And the follow up video a year later is quite encouraging as well.




So now the update:
Here is a quote from the Village2Village Project website:

Sam and Esther continue to be well cared for and receive physical therapy twice a week and a specialized diet. Recently, Sam was thrilled to try standing! They remain very weak, though, and require tender care in the House of Love in Kampala where they live with two loving staff, their sister Jane and two other children.

Children like Sam, Esther, and Jane are just a small glimpse into the lives of millions of children and adults around the globe who go every day without clean water and adequate food supplies. I know that the problem seems insurmountable at times, but there is always hope when you put your faith in the Creator of the universe.

What can you do to help today? Is God calling you to sell all you have and give to the poor? Is he calling you to give up a cup of Starbucks each day and send a little bit of money each month to help someone who can't even get a cup of clean water? Or maybe he is calling you to mentor a child in your own community or walk through your neighborhood and tell about the transforming power of Jesus. Maybe he is even calling you to leave the comforts of the States and travel half way around the world and serve... Only you know what He is calling you to do.

Whatever it is, are you willing to trust and obey? Give whatever it takes to follow Him?

I pray today that the story of Sam and Esther penetrate your soul so deeply it moves you to action. I pray that you, me, and the million of Americans who have so much can begin to sell all that we own and be willing vessels to help those who need not only their physical needs cared for such as food, medical care, and water, but to show them their need to know Jesus as well.

Blessings,
Keith

Verse Of The Day...

Have you checked out our Verse Of The Day yet?

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Come on by and check it out!

Blessings,
Keith

WWJD...

WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?

If you have been a Christian for awhile you will instantly know what this acronym stands for. These four words became such a part of the Christian culture that I believe they have almost lost their punch. But as simple as this question is, it packs a plethora of truth.

1Cor 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

What would Jesus do? Do you still ask yourself that question every moment of every day? If we are called to imitate Jesus then we surely must know what He would do in any given situation shouldn't we?

Thankfully we were given a helper to guide us. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit to tickle our minds in situations where it is imperative to know how to respond like the Savior. Now listening to Him is another story altogether.

So today I ask... WWJD?

I hope you will ask the same...

Blessings,
Keith

Whoever Practices Righteousness is Righteous

1John 3:6-7 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

The word of God is full of wisdom. In this verse I thing it is pretty simple to understand the first part from verse 6. If I keep walking in a lifestyle of sin and satisfying the flesh then I probably don't know God. But what does it look like to "practice righteousness?" Matt 6 tells us not to practice righteousness before men so it appears that it is something we do in private. Isaiah 64 tells us our righteousness is as filthy rags. Therefore, it looks as though we ourselves can not produce our own righteousness.

Righteousness starts at the cross of Jesus Christ. 1Cor 1:30 tells us that Jesus Christ is our righteousness. In Him we receive our righteousness. We can not earn it, buy it, or borrow it from someone else.

The practice of righteousness begins and ends with me making a decision to live in Christ. To walk by faith in Jesus with the understanding that He is my everything. Spending time in the Word and in prayer, falling in love with the Maker of the universe. Practicing righteousness means accepting, walking in, and loving the Savior Jesus Christ. It also means that we put away the practice of sinning and repent from our ways of the flesh.

Are you practicing righteousness today?

Blessings,
Keith

Verse Of The Day...

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