The last couple of months have been pretty hard on Courtney and me. Her dad and my mom have been in and out of the hospital and do not seem to be getting any better. As I sit here in Washington DC, Courtney is in Denison sitting with her dad because he is now in full leukemia and we believe he could go home to be with the Lord any day now. (Her dad passed away on Monday) My mom has been slowly declining in health for over a year. The strokes and high blood pressure have taken its toll on her brain and she does not recognize us most of the time. Still not sure if the damage to the brain is irreversible.
The boys have been busy. They both are playing baseball and I have to blow my daddy horn and say are turning into some pretty good baseball players. They are also both in cub scouts and Austin will get his arrow of light tomorrow night. Blake has started the I am a Christian now class at The Ridge and is learning the disciplines needed to grow in his faith.
As a family we continue to pray, seek, serve, and wait on the Lord in our ministry around our neighborhood, and with AIM in Dallas and Washington DC.
Dunbar ministry
On March 17th we invited our Lifegroup to come with us to Dunbar Elementary/Terry Park in South Dallas. Since it was St. Patrick’s Day we carried that theme into our planning. We used craft time to teach them about the Trinity like St Patrick did, with the shamrock. They also got to decorate their own cookies with green icing and sprinkles. As usually we spent most of the day just hanging out with the kids and building relationships. Matt got to sit down with one of the new faces (Eric) and hear how things are at home. Larry, Larika, and Lamar are still around as well as several of the regulars. Many of the kids were away visiting family for spring break but we met a few new faces. Thanks to Larika we found a new housing development and apartment complex. We will be going back in May to continue to invest in their lives and build relationships.
Dallas Ministry and prayer requests
South Dallas ministry is alive and well. World Impact has a new leader named Ted Smith. He has been prayerfully seeking God’s will for the ministry and for South Dallas. Through this seeking God has really opened up the ministry. The Hispanic church that meets at WI is seeing as many as 90 people in service and Ted is leading up a church plant team to start a multiethnic church as well. God has also kept Ted busy with people and ministries contacting him to join in what God is doing at WI. We will be partnering with WI this summer to help them continue to train and raise up Disciples with the elementary age children from local neighborhoods and apartment complexes.
Pastor Chris and Cornerstone are also staying busy and active in the community. We had a group from Canyon Creek Christian Academy come to South Dallas in February that worked at the shower house and soup kitchen. Sadly there are so many people needing assistance that they have to offer two consecutive times of meals and showers. Praise God they have the resources and volunteers to accomplish this. We had an awesome moment where a young man who was working the shower house was partnered with a homeless man to take him through the clothes closet. While he was walking him around the man was looking for shoes and there were none that would fit him. God opened the young man’s eyes to how blessed he was and stirred him to give up his brand new shoes to the homeless man. We pray that the young man continues to find ways to serve God with the resources God has given him and that the homeless man see Christ by this young man’s love and sacrifice.
Prayer Requests
Unity of the ministries in South Dallas
Workers for the new church plant
Missionaries for Word Impact
More Churches from around the area to partner and serve with Cornerstone and World Impact.
Washington DC ministry and prayer requests
This weekend I traveled for the first time to Washington DC to meet with our ministry partners and try to gain an understanding of the need and the heart that God has for Washington. I was amazed at the sheer amount of people that were walking around places like the Lincoln memorial and the Korean War Veterans memorial, and if I had to guess most of these people probably have no clue that just 5 or 6 miles away in ward 7 there is a place called Lincoln heights. This is a place of severe poverty with a near 40% unemployment rate. A place where most of the apartments are single mother homes full of drugs and violence. A place were when you trust in Christ as your savior you have to return to a house of darkness. A place where they need more believers to come alongside ministries like Daybreak and encourage and disciple new believers so they can continue to break this bondage of sin.
There is also a homeless shelter called Central Union Mission that is reaching out to men that are trapped on the streets without a home. A place where people like Daryl Vaughn is growing in his relationship with Jesus Christ and is being discipled and working towards reconciliation with his family.
Prayer Requests
A reading coordinator at Daybreak
More churches from around the area to come alongside the new believers at Lincoln heights
Strength for Daryl to move onto the next stage in the spiritual transformation program and to be reconciled back to his wife and 5 year old boy.
Support Update
Support Needed $700 a month
Support Raised
One time gifts $765
Monthly Total $15
We thank God for His provision and for your willingness to support us with your prayers and financial gifts
Are you planning on going to camp this summer? What if you could allow God to change your life and open your eyes to what he sees and what His heart feels? What if you could truly be the hands and feet of Jesus? The video below talks about how we at AIM think this can happen.
Well as I continued to ponder the question of are we to safe I remembered a video clip I saw of Francis Chan a couple of years ago and decided he could say it better than me. So here you go
Here is a quick video of what God has done the last couple of summers in South Dallas. He continually amazes me He uses His people to see His Son Jesus Christ. We pray the He continues to bring in workers for the harvest. Please pray and see if He is asking you to join us.
I was having coffee with a friend the other night and we are reading 2nd Samuel and he posed a question of why David seemed to screw up around age 37. He continued to ask why people at around 35 that were once on fire are now just nominal Christians. At first I took offense because guess what I am 35, but I began to reflect on some of my experiences and people I had met and unfortunately I think he is right.
So I ask you
Do you think this is true?
If so why do you think this happens?
Over the next couple weeks I want to continue to seek this out and see how we can prevent this from happening.
For now meditate on these verses
Psalm 119:36Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
A quote from the book Radical by David Platt
“I invite you to simply let your heart be gripped, maybe for the first time, by the biblical prospect that God has designed a radically global purpose for your life. I invite you to throw aside gospel-less reasoning that might prevent you from accomplishing that purpose. I invite you to consider with me what it would mean for all of us-pastors and church members, businessmen and businesswoman, lawyers and doctors, consultants and construction workers, teachers and students, on the go professionals and stay at home moms- to spend all of our lives for the sake of all God’s glory in all the world”
The definition of Safe
To be Free from harm, injury, or risk; untouched or unthreatened by danger or injury; unharmed; unhurt; secure; whole; as, safe from disease; safe from storms; safe from foes.
