Month: June 2016

Today was the first service in a Revival at our church. The following is what I received from the message this morning by the evangelist, Dale A. Miller, along with what the Lord spoke to my heart.

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? It’s found in Luke 10:25-37.

In short, there was a man who was robbed, beaten, and left on the side of the road to die. Three men happened to see the poor man the day he was left for dead. The first one was a Priest, the second was a Levite, and the third was a Samaritan. Both the Priest and the Levite passed the man up and did not offer to help him. They weren’t moved with compassion or concern. The third man, the Samaritan, had compassion on the man and ended up saving his life.

What is significant in this story is that the Priest (a man of God) and the Levite (a Temple worker) of all people “should have been” the men who would have compassion on the hurt man. They were “church folk” after all.

In Bible times, a Samaritan was a half-Jew. They were the people that came from Jews marrying pagans. They follow their own form of Judaism and were outcasts in Jewish society. Of all people, Samaritans understood what it meant to be rejected, unwanted, unloved, and left for dead. No wonder the Good Samaritan had compassion on the dying man. The Bible says the Good Samaritan bound up the wounds of the hurting man and poured in oil and wine. He then took the man to a place where he could rest, and he paid for someone to take care of him.

The Bible says the Good Samaritan bound up the wounds of the hurting man and poured in oil and wine. He then took the man to a place where he could rest, and he paid for someone to take care of him.

In the Bible, oil represents the Spirit or presence of God. It was also used for healing. Shepherds would pour oil into the scratches on the faces of sheep in order to prevent infection, and to get rid of any fly eggs that might have been laid inside the wounds. Oil is significant. And wine. It represents the joy of the Lord that only comes from the Spirit of God.

Oil = Health & Healing. Wine = Joy.

We all need Oil and Wine from the Good Samaritan, Jesus.

I know. Jesus wasn’t the Good Samaritan. He told the story of the Good Samaritan. But I think the Good Samaritan represents Jesus. Isaiah 53 prophetically describes Jesus as “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” 

Jesus has compassion for our sorrows and griefs. He knows what it feels like to be rejected and hurting.

The Bible describes Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man. His mother was a Jewish girl. His Father, the Almighty Creator.

In a sense, Jesus was a half-Jew. The result of God overshadowing humanity and manifesting Himself into His creation. I think we can say Jesus was a Spiritual Samaritan. Holy, and not of this world, yet earthy flesh.

Jesus sees you as you lie on the road of life, hurt, broken, rejected, beaten, stolen from. He saw that people passed you by, even church people, and didn’t show compassion or try to help at all. He doesn’t care what condition you are in because He cares for you. Jesus loves you, and He has oil (healing) and wine (joy) for you.

 

 

The following letter is from my friend Kailey Bradley, founder of Books for MKs (Missionary Kids). Please take the time to consider donating to this cause. 

Dear Friends,

For the next three days, Books for MKs is holding a fundraiser together with Usborne Books!

Books for MKs is a Protestant Christian not-for-profit organization, dedicated to donating books to Missionary Kids on the mission field. We currently mail books to over 140 missionary children! There is no cost to the missionary family at all, and the books are theirs to keep.  It is a free gift!

Help us reach our goal for donations and Usborne Books will match 50% of donations in free books for the MKs!  This offer expires on Tuesday at midnight, so we need to raise funds quickly!

You can be a part of this amazing ministry, and help send books to children in need! Donate NOW at https://www.youcaring.com/books-for-mks

We desperately need funds to cover the cost of postage and to buy more books. Help us put a smile on these MKs faces and reading material in their hands!

I grew up in Mexico as a young Missionary Kid. I was a voracious reader when I was a kid on the mission field. Of course in Mexico, there weren’t any libraries with English books where I could satisfy that appetite for the written word.

The Lord put it on my heart to donate books to kids on the mission field. It means a lot to me personally, especially from my own experiences as an MK of feeling cut off from the English-speaking world. Books help to bridge that gap, and lets MKs (and parents) know that they are not alone out there!

To find out more about Books for MKs, you can visit our website:  https:// booksformks.wordpress.com/

Receiving a package of books has a huge impact on a missionary family!  Below are some of the emails and letters I have received from MKs and missionary parents on the field.  You can see what a special and needed resource this is for them.

Please consider donating and sharing in this great cause!

God Bless,
Kailey Bradley
Founder of Books for MKs

“Not a day has gone by since that they haven’t wanted to read a book. This is so encouraging to me, especially as I worried about my son not being interested in reading or learning how to read before! They have a renewed interest in reading now, so thank you so much for that!  I think it really helps to have some new, exciting books rather than just the same, few old ones we had before.” – Missionary Mom in Colombia

“One of our sons just started reading with the books you sent and he told me: “Mum, I need to practice reading, so I can become a doctor and help the kids in Papua New Guinea who are sick.” –Missionary Mom in Papua New Guinea

“My boys danced around the books and asked me to read them to them on the same day. I wish I could show you their smiles when they opened your parcel. We are so thankful!”–Missionary in West Africa

“Wow!!!! You should have heard the squealing as they opened the box! Thank you!!!!” -Missionary in Costa Rica

“The books you have sent are their favorite books and they call them their treasures.” –Missionary Mom in Japan

“They LOVED the last books! They got them this last week. It was funny, I was just as excited as they were.  I was delivered the box, and  I saw our name on it. I said FOR ME????????? I never get packages! Thank you so much! It was an encouragement. All the kids loved them.” –Missionaries in Peru

When I was in Texas the Lord spoke to my heart about some situations I was praying about. I was taking a walk at a park while I was praying. I saw a dandelion—the kind that people pick up and blow the seeds into the wind and make a wish with.

The blowable dandelion is the official flower of the Military Child. It represents how a small part of our hearts are left everywhere we have ever lived (I grew up in a military family and we moved a lot).

So, I picked up the dandelion and was praying about those situations. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Walk into my wind and I will blow everything that doesn’t belong in your life out of your life.”

As I walked, the seeds of that dandelion were blowing away with the wind. The flower ended up left with just a few seeds and the core of the stem.

That’s what happens when we seek after God. A lot of our thoughts and ways will be blown away from us as we draw closer to God. He takes us to the core of who we are and says, “I’m going to make something of you. Trust me. I am going to take you places you never knew you could go. I have a plan for your life. But it takes getting down to the core of who you are.”

God bless you.