Ripple Effect

As you all know, God moved BIG TIME recently at the Hearts and Pockets event at the Earth House. Poverty - both physical and emotional - were discussed and made more aware by the grace of God. Well, God has been moving big time with this event... further than I had expected it could!

I am a part of a scholarship program at IUPUI called the Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholars. Just this passed Friday we had our orientation. We did a lot of fun activities and discussed a lot of topics like Social Justice. During the Social Justice part of the day, we were asked to write down two things that are social injustices that we feel are very important to us...

I wrote down the Water Crisis and Emotional Poverty. Then, our mentors picked a social injustice out of a hat that we had all written down. (mind you, there were around 25 people in the room) - and so mine was picked out first: Emotional Poverty.

Then we were asked to stand in one of four groups. The first group was designated as the group that didn't have a clue what the social injustice we were talking about even meant, and the fourth group was for people who were actively involved in eradicating that particular social injustice. The two others were meant for people that were in between the first and fourth.

I moved down to the fourth group while the ENTIRE rest of the room was down with group number 1. Great... "Here we go, God," I remember saying. "Do your work."

And He did.

The group asked, what emotional poverty is. I explained to them that emotional poverty is just like physical poverty - being without, lacking... but with an emotional twist to it. People who are physically hungry are most likely emotionally hungry too. And no material possessions are going to fill that void. Including food! - that gap in your heart and soul. Faith and relationships and hope are the only things that can help restore what has been lost.

Immediately after I explained what emotional poverty is, the entire room shifted towards me. Everyone has dealt with emotional poverty at some point in time. You don't have to live on the streets and live off of food stamps to suffer from something like this.

Everyone can relate.

After the exercise was over, my mentor asked me, "So, how did you become so familiar with something like emotional poverty and how are you helping to eradicate it?"

So, I shared Ode to him - how we are putting together works of art of all shapes and sizes to publish a book and donate the money. I gave him more detail than that, but you get the picture...

But after I was done telling him, he looked intrigued and excited! He encouraged me to keep going with the project, and to keep working. To quote him directly he exclaimed, "That $%@! [selling a book and donating the money] works!"

God shows up in the most random, wonderful places - not for your glory, but for His. To share, to encourage, to inform, to listen, and help. Be available to Him. I know I'm not all the time... but it's times like these that make me say, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for letting me do your work. I should probably take you up on your leading more often."

God is moving. Move with Him.

Yours in service,
Joe Spaulding

Hearts & Pockets Update

So the Lord blesses! He is so good! Oh there was warfare, but He beat it! Up until the event, Satan had been working his hardest, but there is victory in the storm:)

Saturday night was beautiful. Thank you thank you to all who came! We are turning cold hearts to the Lord. About 65-80 people showed up for the performance and experience, and even though i didn't get to see the performance seeing as everyone was getting ready for their part, even just talking with people afterward was such a blessing. There were so many instances where God brought amazing people to meet and share with and learn from- an artist from Lafayette, two Taylor University graduates who heard about it on KLove, a representative from the Andy Project who happened to be at the Earth House hanging out.... God has so many fruitful appointments for us daily, if only we are open to them. Whoever was there was who God wanted to be there! He is good! He has such good connections! If you think about it, he made everyone, and he has given everyone different resources, so if you ever need anything, just pray for God to bring you the right person who can help provide it or show you how to get what you need. He's so connected! Praise him for the people and hearts we encountered that night!

We are praying about where to go next, definitely! My personal desire is that Hearts & Pockets isn't just a one-time thing and that it's not just in Indy, but we'll see where God takes us! It's his plan, not ours! Keep sending in things you write, read, draw, photograph! You guys are amazing!

Please be praying for us and for yourself- that we may speak as boldly as we know we should and be as in-tune with God as possible. Praise God and Love you!!! can't wait for what he has for us!!!
Join in, Join hands! Lets go!


Sarah

Paul.

I think we sometimes look at the greats of the Bible, the amazing people in it, and we only see the big picture- the idea that they went from place to place with the gospel, but we forget what details go with that. We forget that they too, like us, have daily lives. It takes traveling time. And gathering resources that God gives you to get there. And it takes prayer all amidst it. I think we just see the fact that it happened and not how it happened. It is important that we see the how. The "how" is what will get us from being a stagnant follower of Christ to an obedient, moving follower of Christ. I'm not saying everyone has to travel around the country. God calls each person or group to their own purpose. But I mean moving as in the way your heart is- are you ready to actively GO wherever Christ calls you. Both physically and in your heart. Do you have that obedient submission to actually go there when he calls, or let him lead you if you don't know the way. That's the how. Letting him lead. I'm sure there were apostles who were the busy bee, type-A type. Always planning where they were going, what time they should arrive, when they were going to eat. (Luke 10) "But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made… 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."  Himself. His guidance. His "how-to" and your submission. Martha, focus on the goal. Christ is in your house. Christ is the homeless man on the street. Christ is your kid who needs you to be home to help you with his homework. Christ is the teenager who doesn't know what to think so he chooses to slide quietly in submission to his peers. Satan doesn't have to get us to worship another God, he just has to get us to somehow defy the one True God. Satan is key at distraction. Martha, Christ is coming to your house today and will you stop cleaning and just let him in? or invite him in for that matter. He's got a beautiful victory ahead of you… just ask him about it, whether the house is clean or not:)

Haha- wikepedia says that Type B people tend to call Type A people "stress junkies". So true. But funny wording. And it also says that Type A people generally call type B people "apathetic or disengaged". True. Martha complained to Jesus: "'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" Hmm. God has made sucha  beautiful contrast in his Creations.  Man and woman struggle with each other, yet man and women compliment each other. Type A and Type B struggle with each other, yet Type A people and Type B people compliment each other. God has made something beautiful. A beautiful puzzle where you know all the pieces have a place, they are just there to be found. And there's a key to the puzzle in the box. His name is God. We just have to ask him where each piece belongs. And he's more than willing to tell us.

Side note: I think that one thing evil brought into the world was miscommunication. He messed up everyone's communication to make us not as effective. Let's get our armor on and slaughter this enemy. Despite differences in personality, gender, race, whatever… we compliment each other. Everyone has a place. And then they went from town to town telling the Word. Boldly. And fearlessly. God has brought about all types of people- Marys and Marthas alike.

And each of them was human. Paul was human. He needed prayer to speak as boldly as he spoke. Ephesians 6:18-20 "19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." He needed prayer. He knew it. He knew the "as I should" segment all too well. I am not exactly sure about this but we normally don't ask for help with things that we don't struggle with. If I am great at Algebra and could finish my homework in 10 minutes, I don't normally ask someone to help me and make it take 30 minutes. (haha there's my Type A coming out.) So we can see that Paul struggled with this. "Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Paul was human.

And he and all the other apostles traveled. From church to church. Town to town. When I was sitting in church this morning thinking about this, it reminded me of a tour… like a concert tour. It sort of seems like bands make more of an effort to travel and share their lives and influence with people than many Christians do. I'm not saying there aren't followers of Christ out there going all at it with all they've got… I'm saying that there are quite a few followers of Christ who follow their favorite band on twitter more than they follow Christ in their heart. (and I understand, following Christ is much harder than hitting the "follow" button in Twitter, but we should- like Paul knew he "should"- be more excited about listening to Christ than we are about listening to our favorite band.) (I am preaching to the choir a bit but the choir is definitely hearing with an active ear and responding:) I think a modern-day Paul is what Ode might become- traveling from town to town. Speaking truth about poverty and love- boldly and fearlessly. We'll see I guess. I'll be praying about it. And we ask that you pray about it for us as well…"Pray also for [us[ that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Satan doesn't realize that he can put us in chains but that God gave us a mouth that can't be shackled. Let's speak the things God tells us to say fearlessly and see where He takes us (geographically as well as spiritually). Here we go!!!

Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP)

Posted from the CHIP website. chipindy.org

0n a single night in January 2010, nearly 1,500 men, women and children were counted experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis.
The number does not represent the extent of the problem. Not counted were people who could not be located or who found temporary unconventional shelter and individuals who were staying in hotels or who were "doubled up" with friends or extended family.
Indianapolis has adopted a ten-year plan to end homelessness. Many people and organizations are already engaged in the city's Blueprint to End Homelessness.
The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention of Greater Indianapolis (CHIP) serves as the lead entity for mobilizing the community to work together to end homelessness. As you explore this site, listen to the stories of our neighbors. Let their voices be your call to action.

Horizon International.

Horizon International Inc. is a beautiful organization that is creating a world of hope for HIV/AIDS orphans in Sub-saharan africa. Their goal is to "raise up a new generation of leaders who follow Jesus Christ "one child at a time". Through a child sponsorship program, Horizon provides food, clothing, educational funding, after-school homework and training assistance, basic health care, and camps for thousands of orphans in Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia. In each country, Horizon partners with local churches and communities to best serve the people in that area, and are represented by Horizon leaders indigenous to the area they're working in. For sponsorship information or more info on Horizon International, visit horizoninternationalinc.com
In addition, Horizon will be at Hearts and Pockets on the 14th and will provide a chance for you to sponsor a child.. It takes only $35 a month to have an impact on someone's life. One more great aspect of Horizon's ministry- they allow you to get to know your sponsor child by writing them letters, hearing back from them, and sending them gifts multiple times a year! it's such a blessing to see what God is doing in their lives and to get to pray for their specific needs. Amen!