The Juárez I Know

Kathy Palomino is one of our Team Casas participants and has built number of homes for families in Mexico.  She recently wrote an article about her experiences for the Dallas Morning News.  We want to share that article with you here.

This week, I was coming home from work and a low, dark cloud bank on the horizon looked exactly like the mountains around Juárez. This happens to me often, and I get a déja vu feeling that I am headed west again. Once again, Juárez is calling me — pulling me to a place that has inexplicably become a second home to me. I am not alone; since 2001, my husband and I have worked with a large nonprofit agency called Casas por Cristo that has answered the call to Juárez since 1993. They began to build houses for the homeless to “provide tangible expressions of God’s love and provision,” hoping to make a lasting change for good in the world. The first time that we crossed the border into Juárez, I was terrified. I had no idea of how the landscape changes once you cross the Rio Grande. El Paso is a beautiful city, but I can only compare Juárez to Baghdad — right down to the bullet holes in the walls. Graffiti is rampant, and abandoned vehicles are everywhere. There is blowing trash and glass in the sand, and feral dogs fight for any edible scrap. 

I didn’t sleep much that first trip, I was too nervous. We were laboring in 100 degree-plus temperatures from dawn till dusk, however, so I put my worries aside during the day. In three days we built a two-room home, fully insulated, stuccoed and wired for electricity. I was too busy cooking, translating and taking care of my 2-year-old son to have time to be scared.  

In those three days, I learned to see a quality in the people that we serve that is not often found in the United States. The people I met gathered together to praise God for what they had, and they spent very little time whining over what they didn’t have. I felt that I had jumped off life’s treadmill and learned to value the things that were truly important: God, family and a roof over your head. I was completely taken by surprise in my wonder at this world, and now I can’t stay away. When we put the keys of the home into the hands of its new owners, the tears of joy that run down their faces (and ours) make me understand that love really does conquer all. 

Casas por Cristo is struggling, because so many people are afraid to cross into Mexico. It had to cancel its intern program because there weren’t enough groups coming to build. Luckily, the interns-to-be decided that they couldn’t bear giving up their mission, and they banded together to raise the funds for the new homes on their own. With a building goal of 10 homes, these 20-something youths have currently raised enough money to build six. We think Juárez is about drugs and violence, but it is about finding beauty and peace in the middle of ugliness. Maybe the words of one of my favorite songs in Spanish explain it better — “Los caminos de la vida, no son como yo pensaba, no son como imaginaba.” (“The roads of life aren’t the way I had thought, aren’t the way I had imagined.”)There is another side of Juárez, and it will teach you that the roads of life aren’t as you had imagined.

Kathy Palomino is a first-grade teacher at Rowlett Elementary. Her e-mail address is kjpalomi@garlandisd.net. For more information about Casas por Cristo, visit casasporcristo.org.

Reaction or Planned Response

1Pe 1:20          He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

1Pe 1:21          who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Eph 1:1           Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Eph 1:2                       Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:3            Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Eph 1:4            even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Eph 1:5            he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Eph 1:6            to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

2Ti 1:8             Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

2Ti 1:9            who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

These three sections are monumental in our understanding of who God is. One of the most common and horrific ways to handle God’s plan for redemption is to make his plan a reaction to sin. I can remember in Sunday school being taught this common layout of the redemption plan:

Lucifer and some angels rebelled against God. Then Lucifer deceived man and man sinned. Then God loving us and needing to bring us back to him, made a plan to save us from our sin so that we could be with Him again.

That sounded great at the time. It is all correct accept for two things:

1.    God didn’t need to bring us back to him

2.    God didn’t make a plan then; the fall was already part of the plan.

If we say that God made a plan after the fall of man, we are being blasphemous to our scriptures and belittling God. If God made the world the way He did and then it went wrong on Him, this means that He failed. If He failed, this means that He is not all powerful, all knowing, all present, and perfect in nature. This means that He is a God that I no longer want to serve because He is not God at all.

But this isn’t what happened. He was foreknown, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, and grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Christ was a planned response to sin not a reaction to sin. The purpose of creation was the glory of Christ.

Eph 1:5            he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Eph 1:6            to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

2Ti 1:9            who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

The understanding that God had pre-planned the cross of Christ before he even created, for a purpose, is monumental information for us. This will make us raise many questions and change the way we look at almost everything. I know that it changes the way we look at suffering and brokenness. It means that things aren’t spiraling out of God’s hands but that in all things, in all occurrences, in all pain, in all heartache, in all sickness, in all death, in everything, God is in control and He has planned for it for the purpose of his will and glorious grace. Isn’t that incredible news!

We can walk in an incredible amount of freedom from anxiety. We can also walk in such a way that we can glorify God in hardship. I always thought texts like this were inconceivable:

Act 5:40           …and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Act 5:41           Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

But now, I can identify with this text because in everything that happens in my life, God foreknew it because He is all knowing. He has planned for it to lead me to Christ and to lead me to holiness. All of which he has planned for me to be in Him before the ages began.

We can rest assured that God, in all things, is guiding us for the purpose of His will and His Glory. We need to trust Him and seek His face.  We can do nothing by our effort and works alone. We will only succeed and glorify Christ according to what He has planned. We are called to have faith in him and to labor by our faith. Let’s trust in Him and be faithful in our work and effort.

God’s greatest act was not creation, but re-creation. God’s plan was not just making us, but it was the glory of His Son through the cross and the conquering of death and sin. This gives us a giant foundation to build upon our understanding of God.

Take time to think of all the questions this understanding leaves us with about God. Take time to think of all the truths this understanding leaves us with about our life and our ministry. Consider the thoughts of Jonathan Edwards, a reformer in the 18^th Century.

“God has greatly glorified himself in the work of creation and providence. All his works praise him, and his glory shines brightly from them all: but as some stars differ from others in glory, so the glory of God shines brighter in some works than in others. And amongst all these, the work of redemption is like the sun in its strength.”

                                                                     -Jonathon Edwards, “Wisdom of God”-

Training Week 1

Thoughts from one of our summer "interns" on her first training week in Mexico...

So I could probably write a book about this week and the build and about Juarez but I'll try to keep it short and sweet and just include my VERY favorite parts and the brief basics. This was our first training week out of two so it wasn't a normal build. We were with a ton of staff members and we were called aside at times to learn what we need to know about how to lead teams and how to do each part of the house. Next week will be similar but even more intense training because we will be building a two room "single." We will learn how to disperse jobs on the work site and be a good multi-tasker. This week was definitely challenging because I didn't just get to do the jobs that I feel comfortable doing like I normally have done on previous week-long builds. For example, this week I had to stucco. Stucco is a mixture made of sand, water, concrete and lime that we put all over the sides of the house. I'm not gonna lie, stucco is a pain to put up. I've tried on my previous trips and more stucco always ended up on the ground than on the wall so I just gave up. This time giving up wasn't an option, but Janette and Alexis were right there alongside us teaching us the tricks to putting up stucco. After a while I got the hang of it and I'm not nearly as awful as I thought! Today I had to put door knobs in... it probably was just operator error but it was a lot harder than I expected it to be!

This week was definitely not the perfect build either. Aimee forgot her passport in America. I hit two fingers with a hammer on two separate occasions and got two nasty blisters. I had a bloody nose most of the week, and almost passed out the first day because I was just not used to the heat and working that hard. There were some times I absolutely questioned why I was crazy enough to come down here. It's hot, it's hard work, and it's EXHAUSTING. But then my favorite Mexico moments came along and I remembered why I have such a passion to spend my summer down here...

One such moment was working with Ivan (Pronounced E-vaan). Ivan is the one farthest on the right.

At first the kid kinda drove me crazy. He pretended that he was gonna steal all my stuff and asked how much it was worth and kept trying to convince me to give it to him. But he really was a good kid and an awesome help when it came to the house. I don't know much Spanish at all and Ivan doesn't know much English so at first it was really, really hard for us to communicate. Thankfully however, not knowing the same language doesn't stop God from making an awesome connection between two people. I was working on stucco next to Ivan and we started trying to have a conversation. Before I knew it we'd managed to talk about our families and friends and I was able to tell him that I wasn't married and I didn't have children and we talked about how old we are and other basic things. I know it was all really basic but for two people who speak two totally different languages it was a blessing to make a friend. Ivan enjoys working on Casas houses and may come help us other times during the summer since we will be close to his house. 

Something that made me stop in my tracks, smile and pull out my camera was seeing the children of the family use the scrap pieces of our lumber and use them as building blocks.

I overlooked that pile of wood so many times this week, and when I did see it I was normally frustrated because I had tripped over a scrap while carrying something. In the eyes of a child that pile of trash lumber was something so much more though. It was a castle, a fort, a car, a tower... the options are limitless! Oh how I wish that I still had the view of a child. These children with very little found such joy in what they did have.

My absolute favorite part of the build was this morning. I was outside of the house repainting the trim when I started to see Miguel walking around the house. Miguel is the one beside me in a blue sweater. All of the children had been super shy for the first two days that we were building. I tried talking to Miguel multiple times and he always hung his head and walked away. As I was painting I heard the song "We No Speak Americano" come on a Spanish radio station playing next door. From around the corner of the house I saw Miguel starting to dance to the music. Of course I walked a little closer to him and started to dance too. The next thing I knew, shy little Miguel was dancing with me and yelling "Ándale, Ándale!" as I ran around giving him piggy back rides. He stood by me and held my hands throughout the whole dedication ceremony and I can honestly say that my heart broke a little bit when I had to leave him today.

The dedication ceremony always makes the time spent building the house worth it. The more you get to know a family the more you are glad that you spent some of your time helping them out. This week we built for a single mother (Marielena) with 5 kids and many grandchildren also living with her. She has been waiting for a home from Casas for over 2 years. Recently she lost her daughter and son in law. Marielena took in all of her grandchildren along with her own children. I am so humbled to be used by God as a tool to give a family a dependable home.

Other highlights of the week
~seeing the kids run through their new home with the biggest smiles on their faces
~walking to a Mexican grocery store with some local kids and some of the team members
~drinking MANZANA!!!!! (it's an apple flavored soda)

Pray~ That I may have better health and fewer injuries next week. That the family next week may see the love of Jesus through my actions and the actions of the Casas team. That I may be teachable and receptive to learning everything about being a good team leader and that I don't let Satan tell me that I can't do construction because I am a girl or won't be a good leader because I'm not fluent in Spanish.  

Read more from Rachel and her summer building in Mexico here:  http://buildinghousesforjesus.blogspot.com/

The Soldier

2 Timothy 2:1-7

2Ti 2:1                         You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

2Ti 2:2             and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

2Ti 2:3                         Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2Ti 2:4             No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

2Ti 2:5                         An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

2Ti 2:6                         It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

2Ti 2:7             Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

The beginning of 2 Timothy starts with a three-headed metaphor that Paul writes to his close companion in the faith, Timothy. This small metaphor goes deeper than the surface. This is hinted at by Paul when he says to Timothy in verse 7, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” I think that if we can grasp and apply what Paul is teaching Timothy, we can walk in more freedom and more joy with Christ.

2Ti 2:3             Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

What does it mean to be a good soldier?

Soldiers are single-minded. They have one objective in which none of the details will sway them from. Though the plan may change on the battlefield, the objective never does. What is our objective? The most obvious answer here is, “The Great Commission.” But even higher than that, there is an objective that The Great Commission is born from. Consider Hebrews 12.

Heb 12:1-3      Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Our objective is the full on pursuit of the only right and true thing, Jesus Christ; to pursue an ever increasing Joy in his person and in his work of redemption. Hebrews says that we are to run at Jesus; not walk, not jog, RUN.

Are we single minded in objective? Is our ultimate in everything that we do the full on pursuit of Him, despite a change in our situation or opportunities? Is there any objective proof in our lives outside of church that shows that we are seeking after Him above all else? Outside of “church activity,” do you hope in Christ? Is He in your conversations? Is He in how you spend your money? Is He in the things you take pleasure in? Is He in the way you look at the world around you? Take a moment to examine your life.

Paul gives us a little bit more.

2Ti 2:4             No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

No soldier gets entangled in CIVILAN PURSUITS. Hebrews 12 talks about entanglement.

Heb 12:1                   Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

God states in Hebrews that it is not only sin that entangles or hinders us but that it is also “everything” else that keeps us from our objective. It seems like when we think of the things that keep us from growing in Christ, it is always the sin in our lives. “If only I could overcome my lack of self-control.” “If I just got over being lazy.” "If I could just get a grip on my lust issue…" I would contend that the things that primarily keep us from our intimacy with God are not necessarily the bad but the morally neutral things in our lives.

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world.”

                                                                                                -John Piper, “A Hunger for God”-

Morally neutral things keep us from becoming the men and women in Christ that we want to be. Television, food, money, friends, nice houses, entertainment, music, athletics, etc. in and of themselves are not bad things. But when they take the place of our objective, we wrap ourselves up in these civilian affairs, and the focus on our objective blurs and fades away.

Take time to think through some of the civilian affairs that you take part of that may be robbing you of your joy in Christ Jesus. What must you do to grab hold of our objective as believers?

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

                                                                              -The Apostle Paul, “Philippians 3:8”-

Catalyst

We're at Catalyst in Dallas, TX this week with a booth representing Casas Por Cristo. As we write these words there are thousands of people filing in the doors to hear Christian leaders from around the US speak. People have come to this conference to be challenged in their faith, and to return home with a renewed fire for their churches and ministries. This is a great conference for networking and growth and to hear about the latest causes in social justice from around the world. However, hidden beyond the hoopla of a huge conference and people dressed in crazy costumes is so much more.

What is masked beneath free give aways and flashing neon lights are exhibitors and speakers that have given their lives to fight for the causes that we believe in.  We have traveled across the country to share the burning message that Jesus has burdened our hearts with. We are here on behalf of a world that is crying out and begging for you to care.

Every speaker has stepped out boldly with challenges to do more. They are reminding us that God's message on our lives is not to be comfortable, but rather to give everything and to risk it all on the crazy belief that God is enough. They are begging us not to live easy lives but to live better stories.  His call is to die to ourselves, to give everything we have so that someone else might find life in Him. It is about suffering and sacrifice spurred on by an unapologetic and selfless love.
 

Attendees are adorned with buttons and t-shirts that proclaim boldly, "I am courage" and "LEAP." Every time you walk out of that auditorium, you are presented with opportunities to follow Him. Within the four walls of this conference are photos of starving women, families desperate for housing, children without shoes, young girls being sold into slavery and people that have never even heard the gospel. We are praying that you can hear beyond the DJ's mixed beats to the cries of the oppressed that fill these halls. 

 

As exhibitors, we pray that when you view our organizations you can see past our big screen TVs and large displays to our hearts.  We hope that you see lives willing to be sacrificed for the gospel of Jesus Christ and His children around the world. We pray their stories will break your hearts as they have broken ours. We hope that the inspiring words that are re-tweeted from speakers are lived out.  Honestly, we pray that this conference changes everything; that you can't leave here and go back to your church or your ministry and be safe. We hope that you leave here to live reckless, unsafe lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ and it turns your worlds upside down.
 

Stories from Mexico

Have you been on a trip to Mexico?  Then you have a story to tell.  The whole world is looking at Mexico right now as we hear reports of despair and heartache daily.  But there is so much more happening in this country.  There are homes being built, families being saved, children being reminded that there is a God that loves them.  In a time when all we hear are the negative reports coming from  Mexico, we need to stand up and share our stories now more than ever.  Here are some of those stories.  We encourage you to share your own.

Karen Kasson:

We recently returned from Juarez from building a house for a needy family. Everyone said, "Don't go! It's dangerous down there!" We went anyway. We had no difficulties with violence and did not feel in danger at any time during this trip. This was our third trip & for some others on our team this was their 5th trip. With only 12 people, and four of them age 16 or under we thought, 'How can we get this done? We don't have enough people. Our best big guys aren't coming!'  We went anyway because the family needed us. Every day, friends and relatives of the family came and helped us out. We got to know these people. We were able to help this family. They touched our hearts and we in our own way were able to bring Jesus to their lives and hopefully touch their hearts as well. We had at least three other families stop by and ask, 'How do we get a house?'  For the other families who stopped by we pointed them to the church and gave them the pastor's name so they could go and fill out an application. There are many families in Juarez who still need homes. We'll go back again. We hope many others will join us. It will not only change the life of a family in Mexico, it will change yours too.

Adam Black:

Back in Feb I built my 8th house with Casas, this time in Acuna because it was a much, much shorter drive from Atlanta, GA.  I love CPC and even though I've seen just a few lives changed by what I've participated in on these trips I know the story is much bigger. We always pray that the people in the surrounding community will stop in and ask 'Why?' when a family gets a new home. The second half of our prayer is that the family will answer with a story about some folks from far away who love Jesus, love them, and wanted to change their lives.

Owen Young:

The first time I got to go on a build was for a couple that were in their 70's and raising a grandchild (they had lost their daughter). They also had their son and his family living with them. I couldn't beleive how many kids were around while we were building. Most of the 'houses' surrounding us were just pallets and cardboard. The first night that we were there it rained a downpour with lots of thunder and lightning. I layed there all night thinking about those kids in their cardboard houses. Everytime that we have been back we have gone by that house and Socorra (the mother of the family that we built for) has run out praising God and hugging our necks. She always insists on praying for us and I have never left there without tears in my eyes. We have been back every year since. We are planning on being there again next month. Don't miss a chance to go if you can.

Terry Higginbotham:

I built with Casas for the first time in 2004. I was a new Christian and wanted to serve God.  Right before I was to leave I was told of the possibility of kidney cancer. I was scared but my wife told me to go anyway. Quite honestly it may have been my last opportunity. I got very sick on the build and while resting in the shade of the truck a young boy squatted and looked at me. I asked him if he knew Jesus. He said, 'Yes. Do you?' This young man did not see the reflection of my King in my face. This hurt me and humbled me to my very core. I have built many houses with Casas since and am lucky, privileged and honored to serve on their board. This affords me the opportunity to be associated with some to the bravest, most loving, sincerest, most diligent young people I have ever known. They are my heroes. I know that God smiles and heaven fills with laughter every time they lace up their boots. God knows more are coming home by their efforts, both temporally and most important, eternally. I love you guys, Dios bendiga!

Thoughts from a Former Intern

my heart is wandering.

Well, my goal tonight was to finish these portfolios, one for block 1 and one for ESL, but my mind and heart just aren't here.

It's been almost a year since I left for Mexico and God has done some amazing things in my life since then. I've cried, doubted, sought, laughed, remembered, learned, cried some more, crawled, run, faked it on the hard days, and pushed through two semesters of college that I thought I'd never see the end of. The first thing I want to say is this: to everyone at Casas, thank you. To the Roth's for taking us into your home, feeding us, playing games with us, teaching us. To my prayer partners (you know who you are :)) for praying for me and walking with me. To every woman at Casas for helping me see who God really desires me to be and not what the world desires me to be and for showing me what women are capable of. Each of you women has inspired me in a way that you will probably never know. I know that I left and said, "Thank you," but I don't think you realize how much my life has been changed by last summer. I saw things that broke my heart and I had times when I was ready to walk away. I made friends who are now like family to me. I know people from last summer on a deeper level than I know many of my good friends here.

I am realizing lately how blessed I am by the people around me. My Casas family, my family, my friends. My parents are also such an inspiration to me. Again, I remember the morning I was leaving for my internship, and I suddenly didn't want to go. I was all of a sudden terrified. And I came to my mom's bathroom, and I said, "I can't go." My mom hugged me, and we both cried, and she said, "You can do this." I will always remember that moment.

I miss the feeling of dirt under my nails, sore muscles, and rough hands. I know, you're like, "Um, that's weird." I remember once in youth group Brian told us we'd better get used to being weird if we wanted to follow Christ. I'm okay with that.

I miss holding those beautiful babies in Juarez and praying that God would use their new home to brighten their future and lead them to Him.

I miss a lot of things...and I am realizing when I look back on these things how much God has given me. And I'm ready to give back. And now that I have gotten all this off my chest...it's time to finish those portfolios. Because I can't go anywhere until I have this degree. One year and counting.

by: Aubrie Wright

read more from Aubrie here: http://aubrielyn.blogspot.com/

Hindered

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

1Pe 3:7            Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

1Pe 3:8            Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1Pe 3:9            Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1Pe 3:10          For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

1Pe 3:11           let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

1Pe 3:12           For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

This scripture is a big deal. It is a big deal because Peter states that our prayers can be hindered. What? This scripture so different than what we normally hear because Peter is saying that it is not that praying helps us live right, but that living right helps us pray. It is true that prayer is a way to help us live (Colossians 1:10). But Peter is saying that there are ways to live that hinders our prayer and there are ways to live that helps our prayers. Look at what he says later in this letter.

1Pe 4:7            The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

1Pe 4:8            Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

From these two sets of scripture, we can pull out truths about how we should be living.

1Pe 3:7            Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

First, Peter is telling husbands that your prayers can be hindered if you do not treat your wife in a right manner. If we as husbands are not treating our wives in an understanding way, trying to understand her and being sensitive to her needs, our prayers will be hindered. If we as husbands, do not hold her honor on the same level as ours, belittling and demeaning her, our prayers will be hindered. Husbands, are you living this way?

Second, Peter continues to tell us in verses 8 and 9 that it’s not just husbands, but all are to have “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind,” and that we are not to repay evil for evil but to bless. Then he backs up what he is teaching by quoting Psalm 34.

1Pe 3:10          For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

1Pe 3:11           let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

1Pe 3:12           For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

It says in Psalms 34 that God listens to the prayers of those who keep their tongues from evil, who do not create dissention among the brothers with their mouth, who look for peace and pursue it, and those who do righteousness.  Again, Peter is telling all believers how to keep their prayers from being hindered.

1Pe 4:7            The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

1Pe 4:8            Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Third, Peter calls us to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of our prayers, self-controlled to keep from evil, sober-minded so that our minds are not drunk with the intoxicating pull of the things of the world. Look at this quote from John Piper.

“Jesus does not kiss a drunk wife. He may carry her off the street and back to bed. He may be utterly patient with her, and set before her hot coffee and fresh starts. But he will not kiss a drunk wife. What do I mean? I mean that when the bride of Christ, the church, is drunk with the world, she may turn to him for a brief kiss of prayer, but her breath wreaks so bad of worldliness that he turns his face away.”

                                                                                    -John Piper, desiringgod.org-

We cannot have our prayers hindered. This should be non-negotiable for us. If our prayers are hindered it means that we are not connecting with God. If we are not connecting with God, He will start to feel far away, unapproachable, and fake. This is devastating. This cannot be in our lives. This should be our greatest fear.

Corriendo por Ciudad Juarez

Check out what one man is doing to help families living in poverty in Mexico! He's using his talents to raise money to build homes with Casas por Cristo. What are your gifts?  What are your skills? What can you do with what God has given you to bring attention to the families living in poverty across the border and help make a change? Maybe you're a runner or a writer or an artist. We want to encourage you to use your skills right where you are in your town to save lives in Mexico. Let us know what you're doing and we'll help you get the word out!

Support Corriendo por Ciudad Juarez | Jeff Wyrick's Fundraiser on Crowdrise