More Love Letters?

Today we were wanting to do something different. Something to bless others, while still having a good time together. This is what we came up with (along with op-shopping!) while we were on the way into town...  

 

The main idea of More Love Letters is that this world needs more love! And one way that we can tell people that they are loved is to write them a letter. Yes, we can (and should) write letters to our family and friends and tell them that we love them, but what about everybody else? They need real love too! So this is the idea: write love letters to people you do not know, and leave them in random places around town to be found, as God wills, by the people who need them most.


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What would you think if you were having a stressful day in town, and then you found a letter addressed just to you that read:

 

Dear Friend,

You are special! I love you! And most importantly God loves you! He cares for you, and wants you for His own...

I don't know what situations you may be facing, what trials you may be dealing with; but always remember: GOD LOVES YOU!

 

I am praying for you! Many blessings,

~ A Friend.

Or that looked like this:

 So, exactly what motivated us to write letters like the ones you just read?

 

At first when we started talking about writing 'love letters' and leaving them in random places, it felt weird knowing that someone you never knew might read the letter you wrote and that their lives might be changed completely because of this simple act.... But we got used to the idea pretty fast, and had fun writing things down to encourage, strengthen, and bless others.

 

For many of us the idea of witnessing may be very daunting but writing love letters is an easy way, we found, that fulfils two purposes: 1) sharing Jesus with those who need Him most, and 2) letting people know there are others out there who care about them. And, it's easy!

 

So, practically, how did we accomplish this today? We obviously wrote the letters, but how did we get them out from there...?

 

Our afternoon in town started out at an op-shop that had a free rack with Bibles and other inspirational books. So we stuck one of our letters in between two of the books, and kept looking at all the rest of the stuff... 

Next we stopped at a park for lunch. As we ate our 'smoked' sweet potato curry and rice, we looked around for an appropriate place to leave another letter... We decided to leave on top of the hand dryer in the public toilets.

While walking back to the car, we noticed an open café in front of where we were parked so we slipped a letter in next to the menu on the table most easily reachable!

After leaving a letter in the book section of another op-shop, we were discussing where to leave our last letter. As we were walking into the next shop, we noticed that a black car with P plates, parked right near the entrance, had its passenger window rolled right down. So we dropped it in as we walked past! While we were in the op-shop one of us noticed three dudes, dreadlocks and all, get into the very car we left the letter in! Not exactly the people we were expecting to receive it, but they need love too!

With a prayer on our lips after each letter, we came home, excited with the new mission field before us, and thanking God for the lives that will get touched, just because of our willingness to be a channel for Him!

 

So the challenge for you all... Just try it. Try writing a simple letter, conveying how much God loves the person that will read it... Let them know there is a purpose and a reason they are here on this earth... Check out this website: moreloveletters.com to see more about More Love Letters, and don't forget to write their web address on the letter you write so that the people who find it can write in to More Love Letters, and there may be a chance of you hearing how your letter was a blessing to others! :)

 

Looking forward to hearing how you all share God's love with the world!

 

Written by Kasey, Shanna, Shyla, Rachel & Jessica

Jonquils & Quotes...

I went outside yesterday and took these photos. It has been really windy, cold and wet this for the last week, so everyone was literally excited when the sun shone for a whole day yesterday!  I didn't know jonquils flowered at this time of year, but then i don't really know anything about gardening anyway. All I know is that these are flowers, they are pretty, and I wanted to take photos of them, so I did.

Now, for a totally different topic. Recently I was looking back through a notebook where I write down quotes and things from books I've read, and I thought I'd share a few with you... Which ones do you like best?

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'Wherever the Bible goes, it helps to bring about a feeling of brotherly love. An English trader was reminded of this when he landed on a once cannibal island. Seeing a native studying his Bible, the trader said to him, "Oh, that book is our of date in our country." "It is?" asked the native. "Well, if it were out of date here, you would have been eaten long ago."' 

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'Temptation is an opportunity to conquer. When we eventually reach the goal to which we are all striving, God will look us over, not for diplomas, but for scars.' A Man Called Peter page 55

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' I learned that if we obey God, miracles will happen, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.' The Heavenly Man page 172

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'And if we try to influence or elevate others, we shall soon see that success is in proportion to their belief of our belief in them.' Henry Drummond

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'Jesus calls his followers to be a lot of things, but I've yet to find where He warned us to be safe. We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us.' Kisses from Katie page xx

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'You've got talent. Thousands of people have talent. I might as well congratulate you for having eyes in your head. The one and only thing that counts is: Do you have staying power?' Noel Coward, Start Here page 135

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'Wherever in His providence God has placed you, He will keep you. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25)' Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students page 258 

Are You a Disciple?

A few weeks ago in our opening Sabbath worship we read the following paragraphs:

'...Have you ever noticed what followers of Jesus were called in the book of Acts? In our time we typically call ourselves Christians or believers. But something has changed dramatically since Jesus' time. Followers of Jesus were referred to as Christians only twice and as believers once in the entire book of Acts. But they are referred to as disciples many times. In fact the word disciple is used thirty-one times in Acts.

I believe this change is significant. Today we want to know if a person is a believer or a Christian. Our emphasis is on belief. In the early church the word was disciple, and their emphasis was on following. They patterned their lives after Jesus. They wanted to imitate His life, to walk in His steps, to live as He lived. We have a tendency to reduce Christianity to a system of beliefs. We stress theology and correct doctrine. The early disciples talked about suffering with Him and dying for His name. Theology is important, and what you believe about God is foundational to your Christian walk. But God never intended for theology to be an end in itself.' Charting a Course in Your Youth by Gary Miller, page 73

'The pagan and religious cultures surrounding the early church were looking for answers. They had listened to endless debate and philosophy. There were arguments explaining the superiority of one religion or philosophy over another. But why did Christianity alarm religious and government leaders and sweep across the Roman Empire so rapidly? “These people are turning  the world upside down!” protested the authorities of the day. What was so different about Christianity?

I think the first answer to this question is simply the resurrection. Christianity had life! But there is something else about those early disciples we would be wise to take note of. They were men and women of action. They were willing to follow Jesus, regardless! Many of them lost their families, their friends, and their finances. They were willing to live radically different lives, and the world sat up and took notice.

Today we wonder why we have no power. We don't understand why our attempts at evangelism yield so few sincere converts. But I believe we, like the early disciples, live in a world that is waiting – looking for men and women who are so dedicated and consecrated to the teachings of Jesus that they are willing to live them out. The world is looking for disciples, not just believers.' Ibid, page 76

This prompted us to study about disciples deeper. What were the characteristics of the early disciples, those that turned the world upside down?

Firstly, what is the definition of a disciple? The dictionary says a disciple is 'a follower, learner, student, pupil, of a teacher, leader of philosophy; taught and instructed.' Disciples are people who believe in a certain person or thing, and then act upon it – live out their faith. They are those that talk the talk and walk the walk.

We went through every reference in the Bible concerning disciples, and wrote down some of the points they showed us about the early disciples – mostly those mentioned in Acts.

The disciples...

...knew the Bible

...had the law and testimony

...heard and were obedient

...were not legalistic

...asked when they didn't understand, and persisted in knowing the truth

...were not afraid to obey even when it meant going against the flow and being criticized

...followed Jesus and went with Him everywhere

...were devoted and loyal to their Master, and concerned for His welfare

...willingly helped their Master, not even stopping with the dirty work

...were not above, but as, their Master

...were rebuked and instructed

...went to Jesus in times of trouble; He was their 'go to'

...were still human and not perfect

...didn't know everything, and they doubted and forgot

...had access to God's power, and marveled and were amazed at His doings

...were noticeably different from everyone else

...were joyful, and compassionate

...were persecuted, but multiplied

...were called to the marriage feast

So are we disciples, or just believers? Do we know and obey the Bible? Do we follow Jesus to the uttermost, not stopping at anything? Do we go to our Master in times of trouble, when we need help? We have access to God's power too – do we use it? Do we rejoice? Are we happy? Can others see that we are different? Are we multiplying?

We are called to the marriage feast, too. 'And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.' (John 2:2) Will we answer the call?