AUGUST NEWSLETTER

Last summer I had the great opportunity to do an internship at my home church, Discover Christian. During my internship, I traveled with junior high and high school students to Louisville to work with Crossroads Missions. For a week, we worked along side Crossroads at Jefferson Street Baptist Center. During my time at Jeff Street last summer, I gained a great appreciation for the ministry that they were doing. At the same time, God had been convicting me of the injustice that goes on in our own country and around the world. God was changing me from an apathetic, materialistic teenager, to a man striving to seek justice and compassion in a world that desperately needs it. So God was changing my heart and he had also laid out this great, practical opportunity for me to put my faith into action. I had no choice but to sign up for HOPE and start seeking justice in a tangible way.

As this summer comes to an end, I am incredibly glad that I decided to serve here at Jeff Street. It has continued to shape me into the man God would have me to be. I am so thankful for the great opportunity that was laid before me, and it certainly has been a beneficial one. I have no doubt that this is where God wanted me to be for the summer. Over that past 12 weeks I have had wonderful opportunities to build relationships, witness to others, and grow in my own faith. It has been such an amazing blessing.

Building relationships is really what HOPE is all about. We are strongly encouraged to be relational in everything we do, and use relationships to reach people for Christ. Being the task-oriented person that I am, this is sometimes very hard for me. So often I find my success and identity in accomplishments. This summer God has shown me that though getting things done is great, ultimately pouring into peoples lives and building relationships is so much more important. As a result, I have developed great relationships with the residents here, day shelter guests, Sojourn Church goers, the Jeff Street staff, and my team. I am so glad that I was able to form these relationships this summer.

Witnessing to others is such a huge part of our Christian walk. We have been commanded to do it, and honestly we are extremely selfish if we don’t. Being here at Jeff Street has allowed me to share my faith over and over again with people. I am so thankful for this place that has decided to place the gospel of Jesus Christ as their first priority. It has been so great to be here this summer and be able to share with others what Christ has done in my life. From simple conversations to teaching bible studies, God has laid so many opportunities at my feet to share that gospel, and for that I am so thankful.

I have also grown in my own faith this summer. God is continuing to change my heart, to soften it and make it more like his own. Really, if I’m honest, I think I have gained more from this summer than anyone I talked to or shared with. God is just doing so much in my life. I am excited to see where God leads me, and how he continues to use me to reach lost people for him. Thanks to God for using us, especially when he doesn’t need us at all.

Thanks to you all for supporting me. I am eternally grateful for my support network that encourages me so well. God has placed some incredible, gracious, and loving people in my life. Thanks for giving. You honestly have been changing people’s lives this summer because of your generosity. Thanks for praying and encouraging me; I don’t know what I would do without all of you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I mentioned above that JSBC is a gospel-centered place. Because of their commitment to the gospel, Jeff Street has made the decision to step out in faith and sever ties with a government organization that had been supporting us with $40,000 a year. As you can imagine, we are now extremely below budget. I know that many of you have already given so much. But if you feel that this is a place that you want to continue to support, I humbly ask that you would continue to give to this great place. We believe that because we have stepped out in faith and cut this funding, solely for the freedom to share to gospel, that God will bring about the necessary funds for us to continue to serve the urban poor and homeless. I encourage you to pray and consider being a part of keeping this great ministry alive.

KROGER

Here's how it works:
1. Provide us with your contact information.
2. You will receive a Kroger gift card in the mail already credited with $5.00.
3. Next time you go to Kroger to get groceries, simply ask the cashier to put money on your card before they begin to ring up your items. 4% of what you purchase comes back to JSBC.
4. Keep your card and reuse it over and over again just like the above. It's important to keep the card because that's how your donation is tracked.
5. You've just loved the homeless!

If you want to sign up go to http://www.jeffersonstreet.org/

STILL THIRSTY

In his book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer writes, "O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made thirsty still."

So often we think that we have found God; that we are complete in our faith; that we know what we need to know about God. But the pursuit of God should be a continual thing. We should long to know Him more, with the same passion we longed for Him when we were first saved. Have some of us lost God?

We were asked this question in last Sunday's sermon at Sojourn. It's a very interesting concept. Have we lost God? The sermon was on II Chronicles 14-16. Daniel Montgomery, the teaching pastor, shared with us three results that come from seeking God.

-If we seek God then we will experience a time of peace
(14:2-7)

-If we seek God then we will experience victory over our enemies (14:9-15; 16:1-10)

-If we seek God then we will experience God's presence again (15:1-19)

We were challenged to, again, seek God in our own lives. To long for Him, to pursue Him, and to know Him better. It is so important that we become thirsty again; that we long for Him. Daniel challenged us to get up early for 20 days and just seek God. To set apart time simply to long for and pursue God.

II Chronicles 15:1-4 says, "The Spirit of the God came upon Azariah son of Obed. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, 'Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.' "

I pray that we will not be described as being without the true God, but as a people that have sought Him, and found Him.

Let's become thirsty again.

TENT CITIES IN LOUISVILLE

The local ABC news channel here in Louisville, WHAS 11, did a report on homelessness and tent cities in Louisville. Check it out.

http://www.whas11.com/video/whas11video-index.html?nvid=379002&shu=1

JULY NEWSLETTER

It is hard to believe that I have already been here in Louisville for over a month. The time here has flown by. In about a month and a half I will be back at Johnson. Even though it is going so fast, I am absolutely enjoying my time here, and God is teaching me so much.

This past week, I was able to attend the North American Christian Convention. It was so great to see so many of my friends and family. It was such a good time. I also had the great opportunity to help lead worship during the morning main sessions. That was an amazing experience and fun to be a part of. The NACC was a great week, and God did a lot of awesome things. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of such a wonderful convention.

Another good part about my time here is being involved with the Sojourn Church community. Sojourn is an incredible church. It has been good to get to know a lot of people and fellowship with people my age here in Louisville. The church is doing a lot in the community and is very intentional about reaching out to the neighborhood in which they live. This is something that has been very convicting to me. I need to be intentional about being Christ to those who are around me on a daily basis no matter where I happen to be living. Being here in Louisville has made me begin to really think about living in an urban setting in the future.

I also have been able to get to know the residents here at Jeff Street a lot better. It has been challenging to do so at times, but ultimately has been a great blessing. Getting to know these guys and being able to relate to them was one of my biggest fears coming into the summer. But honestly, that has been one of the easiest things for me to accomplish in my time here so far. God is incredible. He has enabled me to get past my fears and insecurities and truly be able to reach out and relate to the residents. I Corinthians 12: 9-10 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." God has certainly been using me despite my weaknesses.

One of the best ways to get to know the residents is to spend time in the “butt hut.” The “butt hut” is an awning type shelter behind the Jeff Street building. Most of the residents spend a lot of time out there so that they can smoke. I have had a lot of good conversations with the men, and have just been able to hang out with them. One afternoon I spent three hours out there. These men are so different from me, but in so many ways we are the same. It has been such a blessing to get to know the residents and be a positive influence in their lives.

I am excited to see what else God has in store for me the rest of the summer. He has already blown me away so many times. He continues to convict me about what we allow to continue to go on in our own country and communities. The HOPE team is currently reading the book, Beyond Charity, by John Perkins. The book is a call for Christian community development. It has challenged me to move beyond simply enabling people to truly seeking development and permanent change.

Thanks again to all of you for your generous support. It has enabled me to serve here without worrying about money at all. That is such a blessing. I ask that you would continue to pray for me. I am so thankful for all of your prayers.

Thanks again for all you are doing for the Kingdom. It has certainly not gone unnoticed.