A Matter of Perspective

     I had the privilege of meeting with a really cool couple last night over coffee. They were curious about Forever Fed and we met to discuss how their Church can get involved in what we do. Now I could have done my whole "Forever Fed Pitch" over the phone but in the last year I've learned that it's hard for folks to hear and see our sincerity and passion when we're not meeting face to face.

     Ministry leadership is filled with meetings and to be painfully honest I usually look upon them as a ‘necessary evil’. But through the numerous meetings I attend I'm abundantly blessed. When ideas and knowledge are shared with the Body of Christ everyone wins!

     Some days I wish I could just take a wet soapy rag to the blackboard list of our American "Religions" and just wipe the slate clean of all the different labels we've given to different Christian denominations. We're all on the same team so why is it that those religious and denominational labels seem to divide the Body of Christ us instead of uniting us?

     Forever Fed is celebrating our first year of service tomorrow. (August 13th, 2011-Scott Mill Chapel, Canton 6-8 PM) It's been amazing to see a ministry birthed and progress through its infancy and I've no doubt there will be many changes and new growth this coming year as well.  Yes we've had a successful first year filled with feeding many needy individuals, praying with many guests, and serving the Lord with all our hearts but I wonder if one of our greatest successes has been bringing the Body of Christ together while meeting the needs of our neighbors.

    When we first started this ministry I was hoping to fulfill the Isaiah 58 scripture regarding feeding the hungry and helping the oppressed.

“And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach.” (Isaiah 58:10-12) 

     Having completed our first year of service, I'm discovering that through giving ourselves to the hungry we are in some small way, rebuilding the ancient ruins of the Body of Christ. Could it be that the "age old foundations" and "breaches" being repaired are actually the breaking down of denominational walls that seperate rather than unite the Body of Christ?  Generations of Christians before us have spent lifetimes defining what makes thier denomination different from others. Perhaps our generation can change that by helping everyone see we are all on the same team!

     I think it's ironic how we quickly assume the Isaiah 58 passage is about helping the physically hungry and afflicted. In the last year I'm discovering how this passage may actually be more about fulfilling the needs of the spiritually hungry and afflicted, it's all a matter of perspective. 

Have a blessed weekend everyone and if you have a chance, drop by and join our birthday party!