It’s amazing how a question can reveal things about ourselves that we never knew. In this series Pastor Mark takes a look at questions in the Bible that brought about insight to the people being asked those questions. Join us this Sunday for a deeper look at “Questions for Life.”
Hey Foothills family I just wanted to give you a small report of what happened @ our first Laundry Love.
We had about 10 Foothill & Gathering volunteers, more then enough for now.
We did about 30 loads of laundry.
Helped about 20 people with their laundry.
About 2/3 of the people came because they heard about Laundry Love.
We spent about $170.
2 volunteers that showed up brought about $100 in quarters !!!!
I really wanted to take a bunch of pictures to show what we were doing, but because it was our first time meeting these pictures I didn’t want to make them feel uncomfortable.
Who I met there:
Sally and Alex – They are in their late 20′s and living on the street right now.
Alex is from the LA area, and Sally didn’t say where she was from. Alex was in Victory Outreach for a while – but he does things that offended V.O. so he doesn’t go there any more.
Treeny – he is in his 50′s has live in Gilroy all his life and is a very nice guy. He is a plumber and rides his bike every where he goes. He is not homeless, but heard about LLP when he was getting food from St. Marys. He was kinda surprised there wasn’t a line of people waiting to get their laundry done for free.
Louisa – sweet, sweet middle aged lady. Didn’t know about LLP – but was very thankful for the help. She asked alot of questions about the Foothills and LLP and why were doing this. She thought it was amazing that people would care and give towards a project like this.
Mike & Andy – Mike and Andy are friends and have were homeless for some time, but about 6 months ago they got an apartment. Mike said that they had to spend their last few dollars on food and bills, and were going to have to wear dirty clothes for a few weeks while waiting to get his social security check. He was very excited when he found out about LLP, and couldn’t stop thanking the Foothills for doing it. He also mentioned that their Crockpot broke recently.
To all the volunteers – you guys did an amazing job of showing the love of Christ in a very practical way.
To all the givers – you empowered us to love on the people of Gilroy – and lighten a load (no pun intended) for people that are struggling with basic needs.
I know there are more stories out there… if you were there please feel free to share !
- Craig Littlejohn
In our culture, the trashcan is where we collect our refuse—those unwanted and unclean items that we want to be rid of. For many however, the trashcan represents life—a medium through which daily sustenance is found. In the spirit of the ancient practice of gleaning, in which the leftover crops at the edges of farmers’ fields were left for the poor and the stranger, we’ve reclaimed the trashcan as symbol of hope and given birth to a new initiative: A Trashcan Can Make a Difference (TCMD).
We are started a TCMD initiative at The Foothills last month. For our second month we will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for the Gilroy Salvation Army. We will be helping them restock their food pantry, which they use to help feed over 300 families a month in Gilroy. If you have any other questions please see Craig Littlejohn.
“WHY am I running?” Have you ever asked yourself this question? A couple other good questions are: “Where am I running?” and, “Who am I running for?” If a person can answer these questions with certainty, their life is not only more productive, but much more fulfilling.
THERE is an interesting story in II Samuel 18 about a man who was running but had no purpose. The backdrop to the story goes like this: King David was once again on the run for his life as his own son Absalom staged a coup for the throne of Israel. Rather than risking the lives of many innocent people, David fled in order to draw the fight away from the city of Jerusalem. The fight between Absalom’s army and his father David’s body guard commenced in the open fields, across the Jordan river. The fighting was fierce, but David’s men prevailed and Absalom was killed and his men scattered.
NEWS of the victory had to be delivered from Joab, David’s commanding officer, to David at their makeshift headquarters. The only way for this message to be sent was to use a runner. This is what happened in II Samuel 18:19-23, “Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, ‘Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies. ‘You are not the one to take the news today,’ Joab told him. ‘You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.’ Then Joab said to a Cushite, ‘Go, tell the king what you have seen.’ The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off. Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, ‘Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.’ But Joab replied, ‘My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.’ He said, ‘Come what may, I want to run.’ So Joab said, ‘Run!’ Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.” II Samuel 18:19-23
AHIMAAZ had no business running. Why? Because he had no message, and as we will see in these next few verses, he had no understanding of what really happened. In other words he had no useful, clear message that would bring understanding to the situation. He may have known where he was running to and who he was running for, but no clue as to WHY he was running. The why of running is the most important piece of information. Here is how the story unfolds in II Samuel 18:28-30, “Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, ‘All is well!’ He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.’ The king asked, ‘Is the young man Absalom safe?’ Ahimaaz answered, ‘I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.’ The king said, ‘Stand aside and wait here.’ So he stepped aside…”
INFORMATION is critical to any successful endeavor. Also, the right information is necessary for any positive change in a person’s life. So, if people are going to change, grow and mature, they must have the right knowledge. This comes from the correct information.
WHO has been a runner in your life bringing you the Good News to become a different person? Personally, I can think of several. My parents were used by God to be runners of the Good News in my life; also, my first Pastor, Pete Unrau; my Pastor, Fred Parker; Dr. Paul Risser, countless Sunday School teachers; Bible College Professors; Godly friends; and certainly my wife Joani. God has used many of you, here at the Foothills, to be runners of the Good News in my life. The list is long and the runners are many.
THE distinguishing characteristic in all of these wonderful runners of the Good News in my life was the message itself. They knew what the message was and they knew how to deliver it so as to bring clarity. All of them played a strategic role in my life to bring me to a better understanding of who God is and what He wants to do in my life and with my life. Because of these runners, I have a much clearer picture of God and His plan for my life.
LOOKING back at Ahimaaz we see a man who just wanted to run. He had the desire, but no understanding. As a result, he was not helpful to David. In verse 29 of our text, Ahimaaz said, “I saw great confusion…, but I don’t know what it was.” Because he didn’t know he was asked by the King to step aside.
AGAIN, I ask the question, Why are you running? Where are you running? Who are you running for? First, we are running with the Good News of the Gospel to a people in great need of answers for their life. Second, we are running to those people in need. Third, we are running for the Lord Himself as His ambassadors of the Good News.
- Pastor Mark
