PhotoServe

Trip Dates: April 18th-21st, 2011.  Juárez, México.   DEADLINE IS THIS  FRIDAY, MARCH 25TH!!!  Registration is now open!  We still need 10 volunteers to make the trip a go. Announcing PhotoServe, a new division of Casas por Cristo. We're bringing together photographers with a passion to serve.  2011 marks the start of this new program, and through the lens, an opportunity to offer back a story of images which will benefit the mission of Casas por Cristo and the people that they serve. LEARN MORE HERE!

Project:  As a team, we will be funding and building a home for a family living in a "house" made of cardboard and pallets, and surviving on less than $50 per week. Throughout the build, there will be ample opportunity to photograph the process and capture the hardships of life on the border -- all the while telling the story of the dichotomy that exists between the first and third world.

Email contact@photoserve.org for more info, or call Tony at 414.617.3178 to register.

The Farmer

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.

A farmer must have one of the most frustrating and stressful jobs out there. His whole life is dependent upon factors that he cannot control. He cannot make it rain. He cannot make the winds not blow. For the most part, he can’t keep birds away from eating the seed. He cannot keep it from flooding. He cannot keep it from frosting. The farmer is completely dependent on God to let his crops grow. The God-dependant farmer will be on his knees everyday asking God for help so that he does not toil in vain.

We could talk about the faith of the God-dependant farmer, but this text isn’t necessarily speaking of the faith of a farmer. Paul says the “hard-working” farmer. This must mean that there are factors in which the farmer can control.

The hardworking farmer does not get up and pray, “Lord, protect the seed I have sown, and please bring the right amount of rain  and the right amount of sun,” and then just sit on the couch hoping that God takes care of it.

Pro 20:4                The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

The hard-working farmer prays that prayer and goes out to the field pulling weeds until his hands are torn, all the while begging God to make it rain. This farmer should share in the first share of the crops. If we look in scripture for “first share” or “first fruits”, you will see in Galatians:

Gal 5:22                But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal 5:23                gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Personally, are we cultivating the things we should be? Are we working as hard as we can and asking God to help us, or are we just asking God to do something about it? Are you content with your walk with Christ? What aren’t you content about? What are you actually doing about it?

Take time to think over your life and ask yourself these questions.

Too many of us just tell God that we hate the sin in our life and we want him to do something about it but we are not actually working hard at the things in our control. We need to be like the hard-working farmer and we will reap the reward of growth in the things of Christ. I want more love. I want more joy. I want more peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. I think that we will find that these things will grow together rather than just being good at 1 or 2 for a short period of time.

 Pray that God will help you become the servant that he desires, not necessarily what you desire. Ask Him to encourage you to be the hard-working farmer, and then go out and do something about it!

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”
-The Unknown James, “James 5:7”-

Guatemala

Have you heard? We're expanding to Guatemala!!

Taming the Tongue

Jas 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be

            judged with greater strictness.

Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is

            a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

Jas 3:3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole

            bodies as well.

Jas 3:4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are

            guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

Jas 3:5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is

            set ablaze by such a small fire!

Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our

            members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on

            fire by hell.

Jas 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been

            tamed by mankind,

Jas 3:8 But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Jas 3:9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the

            likeness of God.

Jas 3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to

              be so.

Jas 3:11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

Jas 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt

              pond yield fresh water.

The dangers of teaching

Jas 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach

            will be judged with greater strictness.

I think that James is touching on a fine line here. He is saying that being a teacher is a very dangerous position. It is dangerous because people teach out of correcting and informing other people. But many men teach out of arrogance. They cast judgment on all others and begin to look down on people. Then their teaching subject reflects the way they view everyone else.

Mat 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

Mat 23:2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,

Mat 23:3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do

               not practice.

Mat 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they 

                themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

Mat 23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their 

                fringes long,

Mat 23:6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues

Mat 23:7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Mat 23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Jesus here teaches that instead of striving to be teachers, we should teach with the humility and spirit of learners; not to censure one another, as if all must be brought to our standard. We have one teacher, we are just messengers. No one is wise on his own or better than anyone else. James continues with this idea.

The dangers of teaching

Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

James wants us to know that we are to strive to be Christians who are not only messengers of what is right, but we are also to practice what we teach. If our conscience doesn’t war against what we tell others to do, we have attained a level of maturity that is precious and rare. It means that we are able to bridle or have control over what we do on the same level of what we profess.

Prayer for Juarez

One of our faithful friends and supporters recently sat down and wrote out their prayer for us.  We were humbled and honored to read this.  We want to echo that prayer.  Will you pray with us?

Lord, God I lift up Casas por Cristo to you right now! God continue to give them strength as they help the people of Juarez. God let them feel hope for the people that they serve. God I pray for the people of Juarez to be freed from the drug cartel. I pray that you would rain down on them right now in the name of Jesus. Lord you are bigger and I know that you can free them. God please help families to be able to live in this city without fear. Lord I pray for jobs for the people of Juarez that are without, so that they may have a way to make a living in this world. I pray that you would continue to use Casas por Cristo to provide families with homes and share Christ with the people of Juarez. I pray that we would all remember that there is no poverty in heaven and that one day we will all walk the streets of gold. Lord help us to continue to persevere on this Earth. We are only here for a short time and Lord I pray that you would remind us of that. God I pray for peace for Juarez, I pray for rest, safety and hope. I pray for Casas as they continue the amazing work they do. Help them to stay positive, encouraged and hopeful. God you are awesome and you love us all. Break our hearts for what breaks yours and help us to love people like you love them. Help us to give everything we can for your kingdom. It is in your son's holy and precious name, AMEN.

Proverbs 3:5-6 " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (not easy)

Juarez, Mexico

Defining Faith

Hebrews 11:1-16

Before reading Hebrews, read these two verses from Ephesians.

Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If you have been attending church for any number of years, you’ve heard this section from Ephesians before. It is so important that we know what ignites faith inside of us. It’s faith. It starts with faith. When faith is produced inside of us, it is faith that starts the first spark of grace to transform us into men and women of God. All of the benefits of Grace begin to become ours and we walk in freedom and joy. Without faith, there is no grace or the benefits of grace.

There are so many Christians who can talk about the logic and concepts of grace from God through Christ, but so many church goers don’t walk in it; Grace through faith. Let’s look at Hebrews.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

So many definitions about faith are found in the dictionary. In verse 1, we have a biblical definition of faith. Most of us get the last half of this verse. Faith is believing in something that we can’t see, like Santa. But it’s also an assurance of things hoped for. Ask yourself this question, “Where does hope come from?” Why do people hope?

If you hope, there is something good coming into your life in the future that your life currently doesn’t have. You are going to receive something that benefits you. In a way, hope comes from a discontentment with your current situation; discontentment with either something that’s bad or discontentment because you’re lacking something. Your current situation isn’t enough and something in the future will make it better. So what does this mean then in regard to faith? If faith is the beginning of grace (Ephesians 2), and hope is a part of faith (Hebrews 11:1), perhaps discontentment is what sparks faith. Maybe discontentment leads us to faith in Christ because He has something to offer us that is better than our current life situation.

What does this discontentment look like? Well, for one, I’m not content with the final destination of hell. “Turn and Burn” preaching may not be the best way to lead someone to Christ but it gets people’s attention. The fear of hell alone is insufficient and can soon be laced and covered by the pleasures of this world. So what people truly need is to pair a fear of hell with discontentment with the pleasures of this world. The promises from Christ are not just promises of the escape from wrath but also the inheritance of pleasures greater than anything here. It’s revolutionary. Not only does Christ save us from wrath but will gratify us greater than anything that we currently experience.  In fact, the pleasures of this world are fleeting, incomplete, and lead to eternal separation from God. For those of us who follow, Christ is a no-brainer.

So what does this mean for church-going, grace-understanding people who don’t walk in grace and experience the benefits of it? These people are “Christians” who doubt, don’t have joy, feel ashamed, take pleasure in things of this world, are arrogant, prideful, don’t respect scripture, etc. These Christians don’t understand Christ when He says that He is a “never-ending stream of water” to our souls. Or when He says that in Him are pleasures forever more.

Maybe the problem for them is their contentment. I’m sure they have found discontentment with hell but maybe they haven’t found discontentment with the things of this world. Because of this, their faith is shaky at best and they don’t experience grace in their lives like the bible says they would. They don’t hope for Christ but rather use Him as their fall back plan when things go wrong and they think of Him as their free pass into heaven.

Heb 11:2              For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Heb 11:3              By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Heb 11:4              By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Heb 11:5              By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

Heb 11:6              And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Heb 11:7              By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Heb 11:8              By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Heb 11:9              By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

Heb 11:10            For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

Heb 11:11            By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.

Heb 11:12            Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

Heb 11:13            These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Heb 11:14            For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 

Heb 11:15            If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.

Heb 11:16            But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Do you hope for God in assurance that you will receive Him? Is this the vision you cast to others when you are witnessing to them about Christ? He is better. He is greater. He is a better country on the horizon that we will do anything to get to, even if it means giving our lives.