Dear Mission Family,
I was going to wait another week and send my annual Christmas message to you all, something that I promise I will still do. But I wanted to share a current development with everyone so that you can join us in rejoicing over God’s Sovereignty. After all, what better time than Christmas to ponder the Lord’s perfect timing. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ (came into the world and) died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6 NIV).
A very strong weather front swept across the country this past weekend. Our friends up north had to contend with snow, ice, freezing rain, and all the other influences that make me happy to live in the south during the winter season. But we had our own weather issues to deal with. High winds roared across the hills for more than 24 hours straight. Falling tree limbs severed power lines and caused disruptions in many people’s lives. It was a pretty significant event.
I know that most, if not all, of you remember the Heaths. This special family was the focus of much of our home building ministry this past year. You may recall me sharing that, because of resource issues, we had decided not to build any more new homes, focusing instead on repairs and remodeling. However, once I met with the Heaths I knew in my spirit that we must help them move out of their ramshackle trailer into a safe, secure house. “The rest is history”, as they say! By summer’s end, visiting mission teams had completed a Miracle on the Mountain; a beautiful new home for Brian, Amy and the kids.
I stopped by the Heaths today for a short visit. As I began to pass the old trailer that they once called home, I was shocked by what met my eyes. The roof of this rotting structure had been pried off, starting with the area over Dacey’s old bedroom and extending to the kitchen. It looked as if someone had used a giant can opener to sever the metal and then rolled it over to touch the ground, pinning the family truck beneath it. As I entered the new home Amy met me at the door with a huge smile on her face. “Did you see that?” she asked with an anxious voice. “Those winds the other night just ripped the roof off. I can’t believe I didn’t hear it!” (a testimony to the insulating qualities of the new house). What she said next was very powerful. “God knew, in His perfect timing, that we needed to move from that old trailer this past summer. The Lord provided us with a wonderful new home and then showed us again how much we have to be thankful for. If we had still been living in that trailer I’m sure that Dacey would have been hurt by all the falling debris! God loves us SO MUCH!”
I know I don’t need to comment much on this event. We had hoped to demolish the trailer in October, but certain circumstances kept that from happening. I’ve heard from one of the churches who worked here last summer, and they are putting together a team of volunteers to come here shortly after the holidays and remove this eyesore. But for now, the twisted wreckage has provided a strange sense of peace in Amy and Brian’s lives, contemplating the Love that never fails to move… at just the right time.
I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Our thanks goes out to each of you who, in some way or another, followed the calling of God to make this difference in the lives of a poor mountain family. The Heath family will never be the same because of it! Neither will mine!
Until next week, our love to y’all… Jim and Rita
Sunset over the Hills and Hollers
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Realizing Thankfulness
I’m often asked what a typical day of ministry in Appalachia is like. There really isn’t anything typical about our days. But one thing that often engages us is responding to the frequent telephone calls from local folks, asking us to satisfy a perceived need in their lives. Of course, this need is nearly always financial in nature. The cries for intervention are related to a number of things. This time of year a great many people fall behind on their sky-rocketing utility bills. Other times the issue is food or clothing. Many times auto insurance costs become the dilemma in their lives. We do our best to discern the validity of the need that is presented to us, and then respond in an appropriate manner. Please know this; we never simply give money to anyone. While that would certainly cut out hours of effort and miles of driving, our real goal is to help people see the Hand of God in responding to their plight. Simply handing them the cash they request is neither wise nor effective. We always make it a relationship opportunity.
Responding to these cries for help tends to be cyclic in nature. The call comes, we pray over the need, sit with the people and share God’s love. If the need is true we respond as best we can, committing this entire relational process to the Lord. Those who have benefited will often, but not always, express some immediate gratitude, and they promise to join us in one of our church services. But unless we pursue the relationship, these folks usually drift out of our lives for a season- until another need presents itself.
I’ve poured a great amount of prayer into trying to gain understanding of the “cycle of poverty” that we experience in this area. More than one-third of the population of McCreary County attempts to live solely off of a “monthly check” from the government. An “entitlement mentality” sets in and folks actually begin to believe that organizations such as ours are “required” to respond to their need. Coming to the aid of those in trouble is one of the most effective ways of presenting the Gospel of Love, but how do I keep from sustaining this dependency on benevolence?
Last month I received a letter from my youngest daughter, Beth. She had recently been touched by the words to a popular song, and she wanted to share a revelation with me. Beth’s message validated a lifetime of effort as a parent; “I wanted you to know, that thru every day of my life I have completely felt loved!” Those are the words that I hope every father and mother will someday hear. Her note embodied a concept that I believe can change the world; Thankfulness!
As I wiped the tears of joy from my eyes, I pondered the Love of God that underlies my relationship with my daughter. I considered how desperately I desire this same feeling of peace to permeate the lives of the people that I minister to. It was then that I began to see the implications of this revelation for the people of our community. I responded to Beth’s letter, sharing with her the connection that I feel her revelation has with the folks of McCreary County:
“Beth, what you experienced was not the immediate presence of love, although as you acknowledged it was always there. What moved you was the "thankfulness" for that love, and this type of proper thanksgiving only comes in retrospect; i.e. you look back and see the blessing for its' reality, and realize that it was present throughout your life. Often times embracing this level of thankfulness only comes when we are presented the opportunity to pass the blessing on to someone; in your situation when you became a parent yourself. The feeling of immense love wells up within you as you look at your children, and then you realize that this is how your parents have felt about you all of your life. What an awesome thing to behold!”
“Why do I consider this to be the answer to our dilemma here? People in this area seem to often have no true feelings of gratitude. They look for whatever help they can get, but they never focus, even in retrospect, on a deeper level of gratitude for the love that was extended to them. They usually feel they are entitled to a benefit, either because they are "poor" or because the agency has a "responsibility" as Christians, or do-gooders, to extend the help. They are grateful for temporarily being relieved of their suffering, but they fail to properly see the love that motivated the actions. As a result, they may experience momentary peace in their lives, only to have it immediately followed by a hunger to have additional "needs" met once again.”
I can’t help but wonder! If the people we serve could come to the point of truly feeling thankful for the blessings they receive, might they begin to find their dilemmas dissipating? If they could somehow see the true source of their relief, in the Love of God the Father and through His Son and Spirit, wouldn’t they surly realize healing from their suffering? Providing funds and assistance to those in difficult circumstances doesn’t seem to be enough. How can we help them see the need to “give thanks”?
I would like to ask anyone reading this message to pause for a moment and pray for the people of McCreary County who walk in continual despair. Intercede for them, that they would open their spiritual eyes to the Love of God that manifests Itself in so many ways; in the bills that are paid, in the homes built and repaired by visiting mission teams, and most of all, in the Love that motivates those who respond. I’m convinced that a genuine attitude of thanksgiving would begin to unravel generations worth of hopelessness.
Rita and I continue to give thanks to our Lord for the part each of you plays in our lives. God has blessed us greatly through your love, and we don’t take that for granted. As my daughter shared with me, “we feel completely loved”. Thanks for sharing your love with us as we minister here in the “hills and hollers”.
Jim and Rita
Responding to these cries for help tends to be cyclic in nature. The call comes, we pray over the need, sit with the people and share God’s love. If the need is true we respond as best we can, committing this entire relational process to the Lord. Those who have benefited will often, but not always, express some immediate gratitude, and they promise to join us in one of our church services. But unless we pursue the relationship, these folks usually drift out of our lives for a season- until another need presents itself.
I’ve poured a great amount of prayer into trying to gain understanding of the “cycle of poverty” that we experience in this area. More than one-third of the population of McCreary County attempts to live solely off of a “monthly check” from the government. An “entitlement mentality” sets in and folks actually begin to believe that organizations such as ours are “required” to respond to their need. Coming to the aid of those in trouble is one of the most effective ways of presenting the Gospel of Love, but how do I keep from sustaining this dependency on benevolence?
Last month I received a letter from my youngest daughter, Beth. She had recently been touched by the words to a popular song, and she wanted to share a revelation with me. Beth’s message validated a lifetime of effort as a parent; “I wanted you to know, that thru every day of my life I have completely felt loved!” Those are the words that I hope every father and mother will someday hear. Her note embodied a concept that I believe can change the world; Thankfulness!
As I wiped the tears of joy from my eyes, I pondered the Love of God that underlies my relationship with my daughter. I considered how desperately I desire this same feeling of peace to permeate the lives of the people that I minister to. It was then that I began to see the implications of this revelation for the people of our community. I responded to Beth’s letter, sharing with her the connection that I feel her revelation has with the folks of McCreary County:
“Beth, what you experienced was not the immediate presence of love, although as you acknowledged it was always there. What moved you was the "thankfulness" for that love, and this type of proper thanksgiving only comes in retrospect; i.e. you look back and see the blessing for its' reality, and realize that it was present throughout your life. Often times embracing this level of thankfulness only comes when we are presented the opportunity to pass the blessing on to someone; in your situation when you became a parent yourself. The feeling of immense love wells up within you as you look at your children, and then you realize that this is how your parents have felt about you all of your life. What an awesome thing to behold!”
“Why do I consider this to be the answer to our dilemma here? People in this area seem to often have no true feelings of gratitude. They look for whatever help they can get, but they never focus, even in retrospect, on a deeper level of gratitude for the love that was extended to them. They usually feel they are entitled to a benefit, either because they are "poor" or because the agency has a "responsibility" as Christians, or do-gooders, to extend the help. They are grateful for temporarily being relieved of their suffering, but they fail to properly see the love that motivated the actions. As a result, they may experience momentary peace in their lives, only to have it immediately followed by a hunger to have additional "needs" met once again.”
I can’t help but wonder! If the people we serve could come to the point of truly feeling thankful for the blessings they receive, might they begin to find their dilemmas dissipating? If they could somehow see the true source of their relief, in the Love of God the Father and through His Son and Spirit, wouldn’t they surly realize healing from their suffering? Providing funds and assistance to those in difficult circumstances doesn’t seem to be enough. How can we help them see the need to “give thanks”?
I would like to ask anyone reading this message to pause for a moment and pray for the people of McCreary County who walk in continual despair. Intercede for them, that they would open their spiritual eyes to the Love of God that manifests Itself in so many ways; in the bills that are paid, in the homes built and repaired by visiting mission teams, and most of all, in the Love that motivates those who respond. I’m convinced that a genuine attitude of thanksgiving would begin to unravel generations worth of hopelessness.
Rita and I continue to give thanks to our Lord for the part each of you plays in our lives. God has blessed us greatly through your love, and we don’t take that for granted. As my daughter shared with me, “we feel completely loved”. Thanks for sharing your love with us as we minister here in the “hills and hollers”.
Jim and Rita
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Be Still...
The other evening I stood on the ridge which my little Appalachian home rests on, looking over the river valley that winds its way through the darkened relief of the hills that surround me. Gazing across this expanse I was deeply moved by the stillness in the air that night. The Christmas holiday season was still fresh in my memory and I recalled the words of a song we had sung during the preceding week, “It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old…” Standing over that river valley, I felt a deep stillness envelope me. There was an immense peace present over the land at the moment. I found myself wondering if the shepherds who were living in the fields nearby Bethlehem had experienced such a moment of stillness prior to the nighttime sky being shaken by an angel of the Lord announcing the coming of the Christ child.
It seems that often in my life moments of stillness precede dramatic events. Sometimes this is because I have completed preparations for an undertaking and find myself patiently waiting for the moment of action. But most times this condition of quiet contemplation seems to come almost unannounced, as if the Lord is silently drawing my attention to the moment at hand, clearing my mind of the clutter that the world would use to distract my thoughts. As I stood on that hilltop, I found myself deeply absorbed in the stillness of the winter evening, recalling the words of Psalm 46:10; “Be still and know that I am God…”
Why is the act of “stillness” so difficult for us? Even in this so-called “laid back” area of the south, I find busyness abounding. So often my requests to meet with someone are met with the familiar reply, “I’d love to, but I’m just so busy right now”. We don’t seem content unless we have a daily schedule that stretches us to the point of distraction. We find ourselves drawn toward continued activity, even in our moments of leisure. Rarely do you find someone who regularly “schedules” a period of stillness in their life. Even our times of daily Bible study, devotions, or whatever you term it, often become moments of accomplishment; how many verses or chapters we can read before scurrying out the door to work.
Reflecting back on the Christmas Carole that I referenced earlier, I considered the scene from that first Christmas evening. As I related, the shepherds had been confronted with a celestial event unlike anything they had ever experienced. The scripture tells us that “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby…” (Luke 2:16). We then see them busying themselves with spreading the news of this amazing event. But notice Mary’s response to all the activity of the moment. “… Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (verse 19). She had just delivered a baby, conceived in an unbelievable manner, in some of the most difficult of circumstances, only to find a group of socially alienated people standing in her birthing room at the direction of an angel. Mary stood on the threshold of the most dramatic event to unfold since the creation of the world… and I believe she found herself in “stillness”.
As Rita and I began the New Year by praying for the part we play in Hills and Hollers Ministries, I sensed the Lord saying, “This will be a year of definition!” We have been through a prolonged period of preparation as we have settled into this Appalachian region and watched as the Lord established our ministry within the community. I have gained a new understanding of what “Church” is really supposed to be and watched as God brought various people into our lives; some joining us in our ministry and others heading off to follow their own pursuits. These have been times of trial and difficulty, but I now find myself standing before our King… in stillness. I sense that this really will be the year in which we see the larger purpose for abandoning our past lives of relative comfort and undertaking this mission. I find myself pondering in my heart the events of the last three years and treasuring the experiences we’ve had; even the heartbreaks.
Of course, activity is ever present in our lives. Our calendar is completely booked with summer mission teams joining us in ministry. We continue to reach out to the impoverished of this area, using the resources that the Lord has brought to us to bring a fresh understanding of God’s Great Love to a people who so desperately need it. We are providing improved housing, food, clothing and relationship to those in need of these things. But through all this we are taking precious moments to be still before the Lord and ponder the manner in which He is moving. When things get a little too hectic, I find myself standing on that ridge behind my home again and gazing over the river valley; breathing in the stillness and breathing out a prayer of Thanksgiving to our Great God!
I hope that this New Year brings a special revelation of God’s purpose in each of your lives. Thank you for your continued interest in what we are doing here in the Hills and Hollers. Your support and encouragement gives us great strength. We pray that the year that lies ahead will be filled with wonderful moments for you to treasure, and ponder in your hearts.
Love, Jim and Rita
It seems that often in my life moments of stillness precede dramatic events. Sometimes this is because I have completed preparations for an undertaking and find myself patiently waiting for the moment of action. But most times this condition of quiet contemplation seems to come almost unannounced, as if the Lord is silently drawing my attention to the moment at hand, clearing my mind of the clutter that the world would use to distract my thoughts. As I stood on that hilltop, I found myself deeply absorbed in the stillness of the winter evening, recalling the words of Psalm 46:10; “Be still and know that I am God…”
Why is the act of “stillness” so difficult for us? Even in this so-called “laid back” area of the south, I find busyness abounding. So often my requests to meet with someone are met with the familiar reply, “I’d love to, but I’m just so busy right now”. We don’t seem content unless we have a daily schedule that stretches us to the point of distraction. We find ourselves drawn toward continued activity, even in our moments of leisure. Rarely do you find someone who regularly “schedules” a period of stillness in their life. Even our times of daily Bible study, devotions, or whatever you term it, often become moments of accomplishment; how many verses or chapters we can read before scurrying out the door to work.
Reflecting back on the Christmas Carole that I referenced earlier, I considered the scene from that first Christmas evening. As I related, the shepherds had been confronted with a celestial event unlike anything they had ever experienced. The scripture tells us that “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby…” (Luke 2:16). We then see them busying themselves with spreading the news of this amazing event. But notice Mary’s response to all the activity of the moment. “… Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (verse 19). She had just delivered a baby, conceived in an unbelievable manner, in some of the most difficult of circumstances, only to find a group of socially alienated people standing in her birthing room at the direction of an angel. Mary stood on the threshold of the most dramatic event to unfold since the creation of the world… and I believe she found herself in “stillness”.
As Rita and I began the New Year by praying for the part we play in Hills and Hollers Ministries, I sensed the Lord saying, “This will be a year of definition!” We have been through a prolonged period of preparation as we have settled into this Appalachian region and watched as the Lord established our ministry within the community. I have gained a new understanding of what “Church” is really supposed to be and watched as God brought various people into our lives; some joining us in our ministry and others heading off to follow their own pursuits. These have been times of trial and difficulty, but I now find myself standing before our King… in stillness. I sense that this really will be the year in which we see the larger purpose for abandoning our past lives of relative comfort and undertaking this mission. I find myself pondering in my heart the events of the last three years and treasuring the experiences we’ve had; even the heartbreaks.
Of course, activity is ever present in our lives. Our calendar is completely booked with summer mission teams joining us in ministry. We continue to reach out to the impoverished of this area, using the resources that the Lord has brought to us to bring a fresh understanding of God’s Great Love to a people who so desperately need it. We are providing improved housing, food, clothing and relationship to those in need of these things. But through all this we are taking precious moments to be still before the Lord and ponder the manner in which He is moving. When things get a little too hectic, I find myself standing on that ridge behind my home again and gazing over the river valley; breathing in the stillness and breathing out a prayer of Thanksgiving to our Great God!
I hope that this New Year brings a special revelation of God’s purpose in each of your lives. Thank you for your continued interest in what we are doing here in the Hills and Hollers. Your support and encouragement gives us great strength. We pray that the year that lies ahead will be filled with wonderful moments for you to treasure, and ponder in your hearts.
Love, Jim and Rita
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