A glimpse of what God is doing in Houston..

   I'm learning that wherever you go in the world, no matter where you are, people are people. People are longing for love, acceptance and purpose. We need God, because God is love and no matter how hard we might try to love people, our love will never be enough for them.

   When you go on outreach, you are expecting to love and invest in people's lives. You go to give away the love and truth that you've received from the Father. God always wants to grow us too though..and I may want to go out and "help" other people..but God is always using people to teach me! 

   One night we went to this church in the park, composed mostly of the poor and homeless in Houston. We stood and worshipped God together, people desperate for Him to fill our hearts, and longing to love Him. They stood and sang with us..We performed a drama demonstrating God's great love and Him as our rescuer. They watched, and cried at God's love for us, and our hearts were moved again. A girl from our team shared a testimony of God's work in her life, as they listened. 

   As the minutes ran by, I stood on the side watching as a line began to form and the offering was being taken. I waited to see who would stand to give, shocked to see what began to unfold before my eyes. I watch with my mouth open as almost every person sitting in the little crowd got up to stand in a line and drop their offering in the pitcher held at the front. Prayers were murmured as hands reached out to clasp the the pitcher and leave gifts. Clink, clink, clink. I couldn't believe it, and my eyes filled up with tears as I watched an older gentleman take off his watch and let it fall into the jar. 

   The Holy Spirit quietly brought to mind another similar time when Jesus himself also stood off to the side and watched as the people in the crowd brought their offerings. He brought the attention of His disciples to the offering of a poor widow, who though she didn't have much, gave generously from all she did have.

   This is love..this is true worship. I am inspired, and humbled by the generous hearts that can't wait to give to a God who is so worthy. My heart longs for more to see what my eyes have seen. This is where revival starts.

   "And he sat down opposite  the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two  small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them,"Truly, I say to you,  this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her  poverty has put in everything she had, all  she had to live on. (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)"