I couldn't hear soft melodic music, nothing moved in slow motion, and the laughing faces of children were difficult to come by. In downtown LA I discovered helping the poor is anything but sexy. The glamor from the movies seemed to be missing from my experience.
Maybe its me, but I think we have this helping the poor thing all wrong. Occasionally Christians will have a service project to reach out to the poor.The motive is to help others but I can't help but wonder if we're also helping ourselves by releasing our guilt and checking off the "service" box in our Purpose-Driven Life. This becomes an act that doesn't get repeated until the next all church service project. What would happen if Christians had a lifestyle of service and demonstrated God's love on a daily basis as apposed to service projects?
I discovered something interesting in the Gospels, Jesus has favorites! It seems He really loves the poor. I've often said that I love the poor but I'm discovering I don't love them nearly as much as Jesus does. I hardly ever spend time with them. I wonder what would happen if Christians spent more time with the poor. Would we continue to label them "the poor"? Would our church language change from reaching out to the poor to reaching out to James and his family? Would we discover what their true needs are? Maybe it isn't money, clothes, or food. Maybe its a relationship. Could it be that their greatest need is having someone care for them and pray for them? Mother Teresa said it best, "If we truly have a heart for the poor we will know their names."
Our new Thursday Night teaching series is title, "The World Around You." This will be a very challenging series. Some of the topics that will be covered are child slave trade, hunger and starvation, Child Soldiers, Slaves, and poverty. I would love to hear your feedback on these topics. Please email me (sosborne@desertspringsfamily.org) with any stories, suggestions, and ideas.
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