First off, thanks so much for following. I trust this blog will inspire you, challenge you, and provide a place to talk about the Christian life in light of Charleston, South Carolina and the College of Charleston. Second, please feel welcome to comment, challenge something posted, etc. All asked is that if you make a claim, do your best to back it up, and be respectful.
As many or all of you know, I will be in the Middle East this summer. If you have found out, or been told the locations, please keep it quiet. Quite honestly, we just do not know the exact security risk posed. We do know, however, that the message we come to bring is not welcome, to say the least, in many or most of the Middle East region. So, please refer to the location as "The Middle East."
Okay, enough with the disclaimers! It is time to talk about the "naughty word." When it comes to ministry, church life, and "Christianity" there are numerous cliches (sorry I don't know how to do the e with an accent), judgements, and taboos. Try now to think of at least five; I am sure it will not take too long. Try these out: "Jesus loves you," "You need God," "Poor lost souls," "Bless his heart,"or even Biblical words used often and out of context..."Amen," "glory be to God," etc. Certainly there are handfuls more. The most taboo of them all, I would argue in view of both people inside and out of the body of Christ, is the naughty word finance. The moment a pastor mentions tithe, giving, or dare he give a message on the topic, church goers cringe, tune out, make excuses, and by some miracle are more hungry than ever and need to get to lunch. It is a sad phenomenon, but a true one. Surely it is predominantly a Western issue as second and third world countries do not show the same attitude, response to, and love for money we Americans do.
Finance is not mentioned though simply as a discussion point, although I hope this sparks a good discourse, but more specifically in light of this endeavor to share Hope, Love, and Truth to the Middle East. This project in particular costs a minimum of $6200 which does not cover the necessary flight to LA, costs of letters, postage, thank you cards, etc. It is a really daunting task to gather all of this cash. This whole process of raising funds is also very new to me. I am one who saves his money, does not spend it frivolously or with and sense of liberality, and knows the value of a dollar. On the same lines, I am one who hates asking for money or even receiving it if it is not worked for, earned, or a holiday when giving is seen as culturally mandated and appropriate. Needless to say, asking for others who I do not normally converse with, have not seen in years, or do not even know, is ridiculously uncomfortable and disconcerting. I am sure some of you reading, especially you Colin, have been through a time like this. For you, here are a couple of questions for you to answer, if you feel so inclined to do so: how did you overcome the fear to raise support, namely asking for someone to give to you? How did you think outside the box? How did you talk to others when soliciting funds?
This process has been a good one though. I have been forced to truly submit the fundraising to the grace of God. To give another cliche, where God guides, He provides. Reckoning with the Word of God is a process as well, but a good one for it is a part of sanctification, a term really summing up how are lives should look; we are to live lives transformed by the Word of God (Romans 12:2) from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). So, all in all, please believe with me for the raising of $4400 more dollars in roughly 40 days. Also, pray about giving. Ask your friends and family if they would like to give. I have letters which explain, and an e-mail where one can ask questions (ak.kirbs@gmail.com) about, the project. Partner with me in prayer and financial support. I don't ask telling you that God will bless you if you give, or that if you give $100, you will receive a dvd or cd. I simply pray you will take seriously your Biblical duty to pray, intercede, and go to the nations (Matthew 28:19) by financially supporting the project God has called my team and me on. There are so many testimonies about the preparation for this project. I wish I could share them with you now, but many are specific as to naming people and locations. I can tell you that the teammates themselves have been handpicked and, I argue, anointed for this project . There are also people there at the location who are helping out with the project, something totally unexpected. I will give you more in the future as well, so please be excited with me.
God bless you. Thanks for reading. Feel more than free to comment. Pray about how to give and act according to the Word of God. Surely obedience is blessed and is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).
~Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment