"My Heart Is Stirred..."

  

The Day
She Was Leaving...



Left: The Grump...
Right: The Skump...

My heart is a bit heavy today... Part of it is due to the fact that my super amazing wife is in Texas right now & I miss her like crazy! I knew I would miss her when she was gone, but it's a whole new level when you actually feel the void of her presence. I mean no matter how much you love your stuffed penguin Skumpy & your stuffed horse Grumpy, they could never compare to wifey!

But, another part of my heart being heavy is that it has become very apparent to me how many of our children in the inner-city are struggling in school. It is said that in inner-city high schools there is about a 40%-60% graduation rate! But, it is not just an academic thing. They're struggle in school impacts their lives in every area. They're self-esteem, self-worth, hopes for their future & so many other areas of their lives are affected by what goes on in their schools (grades, socializing, learning, etc.). So many of our kids are so far behind with so little people to help!  

Home Visit. They Wanted A Snack,
You Know How Kids Roll..


 I have been doing home visits with the kids from The Ville, our Satruday kids outreach, & my life has been drastically changed. I'm seeing their joys, hearing their hopes & entering into their struggles. I think about them, pray for them, talk with my wife & friends about them & ask God to give me His heart for them. They are becoming family. And, I'm realizing more & more that if you want to see transformation take place in the lives of people you can't avoid getting dirty, you can't avoid your schedule being changed & you can't avoid entering into their hurts, struggles & weaknesses, as well as have all of your exposed!

"You lead in your strengths, but you connect in your weakness."

Yet, along with my heart being heavy, my heart is stirred. When I went to visit one family the single mother shared with me that one of her sons is struggling really bad in school. He has failing grades in every area on his report card except for one! My heart was heavy & stirred all at the same time. If I truly believe that God has called me to impact the lives of these kids & families then there is no way I could hear this news & not be stirred to action. This young boy has become like a little brother to me. I can't just hear this & do nothing about it. If Jesus came to bring life to the fullest then how can I just hear this & not want to see change happen? If Jesus came to redeem the whole person doesn't that entail every area of our lives, including our ability to learn? I believe so.

Tutoring @ The Ville On A Saturday...

Please join me in prayer because I am stirred to take our tutoring at The Ville to a whole new level (on Saturdays we do games, recreation, crafts, Bible adventures, music, tutoring have lunch, field trips & fun stuff like that). I'm stirred to start a tutorting program at our church during the week. It may start small, two days a week, but I believe that God has called our church, Living Hope Christian Center, to impact the cities & the nations in a wholistic way. But, not our only church, I believe God has called the Church to be the hands & feet of Jesus to the world... It's like Casting Crowns says,

"But if we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

And if we are the body, why aren't His feet going?

Why is His love not showing them there is a way? There is a way..."

My heart is stirred and the love of God cannot but compel me to action... Will you allow your heart to be stirred with me in prayer & through any other way that you can be the hands & feet of Jesus where you are? I can't sit around and watch the kids & families struggle, especially when they are yearning for help... We can't just hear what's happening in our inner-cities, schools & neighborhoods & do nothing about it, can we? My heart is stirred, will you allow yours to be too?