A Fifth Grader Who Wanted to Make a Difference

Eli Goodwin is in the 5th grade. He literally started attending Gateway nine months before he was born. He is just one of those kids you instantly fall in love with.

Eli and three of his friends from Lake Murray Elementary School decided they needed to do something to help the people of Haiti. Their first thought was to set up a lemonade stand. Marty, his Mom, suggested that lemonade might not sell very well in cold weather. So they settled on a bake sale. They asked their parents, friends and anyone who would help to bake items that would be sold to raise money.

This past Saturday, they set up shop on the corner of Wessinger and Dutch Fork Road. Eli’s sister and brother (Callie & Nic) were there to help as well.

As the day progressed, a steady flow of cars would stop and make purchases. There were a few times when no one was stopping so they would start packing everything up. Then another steady flow of cars would begin to stop.

At the end of sale, with all the goodies sold, they counted their money. They were hoping to raise about $100. Imagine their excitement when they realized they had raised $1,020!!! WOW!!!

By the way… a certain company is probably going to match their money. If that happens, that will translate into a small group of 5th grade students who dreamed of sending a $100 to Haiti to actually send over $2,000.

We dream big for God… then God shows up and makes it HUGE.

Hey Eli, this verse is for you and your friends:

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, NLT)

Lessons from Noah

Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah had a “holy fear” that led him to build the ark. A holy fear of God is a great thing. It is an essential element of a believer’s life. In fact it is impossible to go on a Journey of Faith if it is missing. Here are just a few of the multiple verses that speak of the “fear of the Lord”:

Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. Psalm 36:1

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge… Prov. 1:7

Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Prov. 2:5

Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life… Prov. 10:27

Those who fear the Lord are secure… Prov. 14:26

Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain…Prov. 14:27

Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor. Prov.15:33

Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm. Prov. 19:23

This holy fear does not imply that you cower away from God or hide in your closet. Otherwise, why would he say, “… we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.” in Hebrews 10:19?

Noah treated God’s word with tremendous respect and reverence. He was awestruck. And the ultimate expression of his faith was obedience… obedience at any cost!

Jesus puts it all in perspective when he boldly tells us:

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (NLT)

The Bible also reminds us that Jesus himself had a deep reverence for God the Father:

While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Heb. 5:7

How did Noah stay the course for 100 to 120 years (that’s how long it took to build the ark!) and finish what he started? How can you finish your Journey of Faith?

1. Remove any and all distractions

Obviously this would include sins, but it also includes good things. What good things are part of your life but in reality are a distraction from the best God has for you?

2. Remember the reward from God

Your ultimate reward is heaven… being with God in his Most Holy Place!

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NLT)

3. Resist all discouragement

I’m the first to admit that this one is not easy. Satan will use anything to discourage you. Past sins and mistakes; close friends; critics; circumstances that are not of your making… you name it, Satan will use it.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

4. Renew yourself daily

This means that you care for your body, your emotions and your spirit. You renew your body through proper rest, exercise and a good diet. You renew your emotions through friendships and healthy hobbies. You renew your spirit through worship, time alone with God (prayer and scripture study), and other followers of Christ. These are just a few methods of renewing yourself.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT)

In closing… we are on a Journey of Faith. If you have been derailed from this journey, then resume the journey

Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.’ “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. Deuteronomy 10:11-13 (NLT)

Buying a Car

I hate buying a car. So much time and effort is required. It’s never easy… at least not for me. I tend to over analyze. That is why when I buy a car, I drive it until it dies! I loved my 2003 Ford Explorer. It had over 135,000 miles. My mechanic said it should last for another 100,000. Now that gets me excited.

Last September 22nd, I was driving in North Carolina. I remember thanking God for my car and even said, “I wonder how long it will last?” As most of you know, I got the answer that same day. It would last for about 6 more hours when it met its demise in an accident.

So began the new process of finding a car. I decided I wanted another Explorer. I found one from an individual in Charlotte. Sounded like a great deal. I emailed him and he responded, “I just sold it, but I’ve got another coming this week.” I made arrangements to drive it. It was a 2007 with 39,000 miles and priced under the blue-book value. Sold!

I made arrangements to transfer the car. The seller would drive it to Columbia and meet me at the bank. Then I would drive him to the airport to rent a car for his return home. I offered to drive him back to Charlotte, but it was his choice to rent.

As we were driving to the airport, I turned on the radio. It was tuned to WMHK, our local Christian radio station at CIU. I asked, “You were listening to this station?” He said yes. “I listen to their sister station in Charlotte, WRCM, so I tuned to WMHK when I got closer to Columbia. They helped to save my life.” “Wow, can you tell me about it?” I asked.

Then he began to share his story. He told me that on 9/11, both his brother and brother-in-law were working in the World Trade Center in NYC. Neither survived the attack. I was very quiet for a moment. Finally I asked, “Did anyone get to talk to them?” “Yes,” he said. “They both talked to their wives. They were on floors above the impact of the airplane and they already knew that they would not survive. Between the two of them, they had 7 children.”

My head was spinning. Finally I said “I can not imagine your pain or the pain of your family.”

He went on to share how God spoke to him and brought him to Christ. WRCM ministered to him during that time and continues to do so today.

You never know the pain someone is living with. But I do know that the power of our Lord Jesus Christ can overcome any pain, any experience, and any tragedy in your life.

This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Are you Ready for a Great Journey?

God has called us to be a part of His story. If we want to be part of God’s story, then we must begin with a journey of faith.

Jesus said “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (Matt. 9:29).

Faith is like a muscle – it has to be developed. You strengthen it by using it. Did you ever have a broken arm? If so, you most likely had a cast on your arm for a month or more. Remember when you had the cast removed and surprised that your arm was actually smaller? Because of their lack of use, the muscles in your arm lost their size and strength.

Faith is like that… if you don’t use your faith; it loses its power and scope of influence.

God tells us that without faith we cannot please Him. (Heb. 11:6)

So what is faith? It is choosing to believe God. It is having confidence in God. And just as important, it is acting on that belief and confidence. God’s word tells us that faith – (that belief and confidence in God) – without works - (our action) is dead. In other words, without acting on our faith, we will have no impact.

God has placed a dream into the heart of Gateway. It is our dream to connect with the people of our community so that they have the opportunity to experience LIFE in Christ.

Rick Warren taught me the six phases of a journey of faith.

1. God always starts with a DREAM.
2. You have to make a DECISION to do something about the DREAM.
3. God will DELAY the DREAM in order to test and grow your faith. God operates on his timetable, not yours.
4. While your DREAM is DELAYED, you can expect DIFFICULTY. If you don’t have critics, you are not doing anything.
5. God will even allow you to reach a DEAD END while pursuing your DREAM.
   
   Read what Paul said when he reached a dead end:
   We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
   
   
6. Once Paul stopped relying on himself, God brought DELIVERANCE. God does things in such a way that everyone will know that he did it!
   
   Our Journey of Faith in Ballentine began as a dream. We made a decision as a family to act on that dream in faith. We faced delays. We have encountered difficulties and we encounter difficulties even now. We have a choice of either experiencing a dead end or responding to God and relying on Him for deliverance. As the Gateway family, let us “rely” only on God!

A Journey of Faith

GATEWAY FAMILY: We will have a special prayer time for Haiti during our worship services on Sunday
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A Journey of Faith

Ask yourself: “What would my life look like if the Holy Spirit was completely unleashed in me?” Would it be different from what it currently looks like? Most likely.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. (Hebrews 10:19)

When Jesus’ body was torn for our sins, God tore the curtain in the Holy of Holies that separated us from Him. We are no longer separated from God. Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we have access to the “Most Holy Place”… God Himself. All the power of the universe is in this Most Holy Place. The Ruler, Creator, the Lord Jehovah is in this Most Holy Place. AND He invites us to enter, to join Him! We do not enter because of self-righteousness, nor because we desire it. We enter because of the precious blood of Jesus.

If you want the power of God unleashed in your life, I challenge you to begin with the following steps:

1. First and foremost without any doubt, know that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Savior. The saddest words you could possibly hear from Jesus would be “depart from me… I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

2. Simplify your life! Why? So that you can become a laser-beam for Jesus. When you are not focused, then your life is blurry.

3. Fully engage yourself into the community of Gateway Church. How? Come to worship; join a LIFE group; volunteer in a ministry; give. Stop sitting on the side-lines.

4. Ask God to make your life count for what matters to Him. This means you pray (and pray constantly) as you take this journey of faith. This means you don’t set the agenda for your life – God does. This means that you hold nothing back from God.

A word of caution, in fact, it is a promise. If you get on God’s schedule and agenda, you can expect attacks and challenges. Satan will not give up his hold on a person’s life without a fight.

God has not called us to create heaven on earth. If the goal of Gateway were to create heaven on earth, it would fail. God calls us to get people into the real heaven, not to build our own.

Gateway is on a Journey of Faith. We want to see the power of Holy God unleashed in our fellowship. This is the time for Gateway to go on the offensive. This is the time for us to place our confidence fully on Jesus. This is the time for us to lift up Christ in this community. People who are far from Jesus matter to God!

I Can Not Begin To Comprehend

I was eating dinner tonight with some friends at a local restaurant. We talked, we laughed and we shared stories about our lives. I was a good time with my friends… but there was uneasiness in the deepest part of my heart. I found it difficult to enjoy the fellowship as I normally would. It had nothing to do with my friends. The food did not satisfy; it had little taste. It had nothing to do with my taste buds or the restaurant’s chef… it was my mind and heart.

The deepest part of my soul could not stop thinking about Haiti. Try to imagine that within a 30 to 40 seconds window, thousands upon thousands of people lost their lives… we may never know the number. I was also thinking about the thousands who are still trapped… many of whom will die as well.

One of Katie’s friends who does mission work in Haiti arrived at the main airport just prior to the earthquake. He was on his way to his hotel in Port-au-Prince when the quake hit. He hasn’t been heard from since.

I can not begin to comprehend the pain, the suffering… being without water and food. The not knowing of where your child is or trying to comfort your child who is badly injured and there is no medical help. Can you imagine hearing the cries of a loved one under a pile of rubble and there is nothing you can do to get them out?

Many ask “Where is God in all of this?” Not an easy question. An article written by Albert Mohler, the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville helped me to gain some perspective. To read the article, follow the link: http://ow.ly/WA7p. It’s excellent.

If you want to do something tangible, you can do something immediately through our Southern Baptist agency – Baptist Global Response. BGR is already at work in assessing the best way to assist Haiti in their immediate time of need.

You can give directly via the internet. Please go to http://gobgr.org and click on Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. One hundred percent of your donation will be used to provide relief in Haiti. No funds will be used for administration or promotion.

Keep praying…