Salt and Light

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world, A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven." Matt 5:13-16



Finally got some kool seal on Melissa's roof! Boom!



This morning before the crew headed out to work on some jobs, we prayed through the verses above. This was one of the very first times Christ spoke to the disciples and the crowds. Please pray with us as Christ instructed back in the day, that we recognize that passion for what Christ did on the cross should continue to manifest in our lives and in turn effect the lives of believers and non-believers alike around us for the Gospel. Pray we seek to leave our comfort zones so Christ can realign our priorities from what we think is important, to the fire of true life He has lit in our hearts and that we have a fire under our butts to get out and proclaim Him through our whole being. It doesn't matter whether it is roofing or cutting trees or eating together or playing soccer or sewing or talking. These are all good things, but with passion for the cross and resurrection channeled into God given passion and experience, they can become great things as they point back to Christ alone. That was our prayer today in our hearts, please pray we continue to know the depths of God's heart and character more deeply. Pray we have real hearts for what Lecrae says in the lyrics below and recognize the truth in those words.

Small railings, small task, Christ's love is known. Ain't much better in life than that.

Go Hard or Go Home

Lord Use Me Up

Lord kill me if I don't preach the gospel
I'm still in my 20's, but I'll die if I got to
Already dead, so forget my flesh
I done been crossed over, see the full court press
I'm a full court mess if the Lord don't use me
Running from my trials thinkin everythangs groovy
If the Cross don't move me then I don't wanna breath no mo
If I ain't seeing Christ partner I don't wanna see no mo
Rep every day withouth worrying about bruising
I been to China mayne I seen some real persecution
If you didn't know em would ya life look the same
Can they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep his name?
Man what's the point of living if I'm living for myself
Lord empty out my life before I put you on the shelf

So for God I got Hard I don't' wanna die tonight
It's too many people living who ain't heard about my Christ

 

Go Hard or Go Home

Lord Use Me Up

Just Do It

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galations 6:9

Man, the past weeks have been interesting. We have been all over the place, attempting to take a step  back and reflect (which is still needed), but God has been clearing saying, Just Do It (hopefully Nike doesn't copyright infringe us). Continue to work and strive to know me more deeply and share it with everyone around you. "Do not fear them, remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, fight for your brothers, your sons and your daugthers, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14. The fight is continuous and the enemy does not rest. How to fight and maintain continously? Go all out in confidence in Christ. We really  haven't found any other way and don't know any other way.


Lance cutting rafters to jack up and level a roofline

We have been blessed to have done some random tasks like running a ropes course for Rockbridge Young Life Camp two weekends in April and even had the blessing to bury a dog for a homeless woman (ask me later about that story), beginning to see how to use something as strange as that as love. All this while God has blessed us to be able to continue to do home repairs through the hearts and hands of willling brothers and sisters. Two weekends ago Lance was able to repair soft spots and a door for Miss Pearl in Newport. Just this past weekend we were able to partner with a great young kid named Hunter putting up a fence at Family Promise shelter for his eagle scout project, giving the kids there a safe place to play outside! And we tore off 2 layers of plastics and 3 layers of tarps (yes, it makes no sense) from Melissa's roof to begin prepping to put a whole new roof on her trailer in the next weeks.



Crew doin it big fencing at Family Promise (That is Lance's favorite shirt apparently)

Crews from the Hart's and the Gjertson's community groups has spent two weekends serving Chad and Regina who are moving to Texas, but need to get their remodeling done so they could rent their home. God lined up willing workers, loving friends, and wisdom in His perfect plan. Praise God, Regina saw something that those people had in Jesus that she did not. She surrendered her life to Christ today as she prayed with Jim and Jenni (who by the way happened to sit with us at church and are marriage counselers, way cool). Oh and did I mention, they are moving to Galveston, TX where we have connections with a church there. GOD IS SO GOOD. If possible, there would be tears on your computer screen, cause they are on mine, too bad technology can't express that adequately.



Some gentlemen (I use that term loosely) getting ready to help kids safely through the ropes course

Our God has and is currently reconciling this world to Himself through the blood of the Cross. Buildings, communities, families, and individuals. He claims it all. Praise Him with us.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20