Jessica's Challenge

Jessica is one of my closest friends.  We both lived in Greensboro, NC, just a couple of miles away from each other, went to the same university, and frequented many of the same places.  How many times had we crossed paths, and never met?  Three years ago, her family moved to Martinsville, VA, and we met soon after.  

 

What I love about Jessica is how ... REAL ... she is.  If she's having a bad day, she doesn't put on a good front to hide it.  If she doesn't agree with something, she doesn't bury her opinion because of what others might think.  And she is very intentional with her kindness.  I mean, who else sees a work crew on the road in front of their home and brings tea home for all of them on a hot day?  

 

Here's me being real.  I'm human, and this adoption can be draining.  And I was feeling very heavily the weight of it all one night.  At the same time, Jessica was feeling very heavily a burden for our adoption funding.  The next morning, I saw an email from the night before, at the same time I had been crying out for help, for provision from God.  These are Jessica's words, her challenge to the body of Christ.

 

"The ultimate rich man, Jesus Christ, became poor for you. That means that we ought to be deeply involved in the lives of broken people in this city. And it means not just giving your charity, giving your money, though that's very important. But it means giving your time, giving your relationship ..." 

~Tim Keller

The time is now. Right now God is calling us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Right now we push our own passions aside and take on our brother and sisters'.  God has spoken and right now it doesn't matter how we each feel, it matters that we each act.  

 

When Danny and I moved to Martinsville, God placed on my heart a relentless desire to find and live out community and fellowship the way it was meant to be.  What I have learned so far is that you must awaken to the needs around you.  You must act. Don't wait.  Let's be a part of something bigger than our church, bigger than our town, bigger than ourselves.  

 

Chandres and Scott are doing something that most of us would never step out and do.  They have been called but being called doesn't mean it's an easy task.   Lets ease their burden.  

 

Here's my thought.  If 50 people would each find 4 people who would be willing to give $100 each for the Pickett's adoption, then they would have the $20,000 they need.  How easy is that? I am challenging the body of Christ today to do something extraordinary.  Perhaps living out the gospel is simpler than we think.  I'm in, are you?

 

All the details of Fifty Envelopes are on THIS PAGE, will you answer Jessica's challenge?