Friday, August 30, 2013

One Small Gift:  A Ministry 20 Years Later

Who would think that a Mother's Day gift of earrings would many years later help a new ministry in China. Shelly Dettmer Schaller  was our ELIC teammate for two years in Nanchang, China.
She gave me a pair of earrings she had bought in Hong Kong. Every time I wore the Chinese coin earrings, women would admire them and want a pair. I started making them because I never saw them for sale in Hong Kong or China.

After moving to Kunming in 2004, I thought about adding them to the Hearts & Hands product inventory. My neighbor, Wendy Eldridge, was looking for a product that was attractive and popular for the former prostitutes at Eden Ministry to make.  I suggested using the earring design and that proved to be a very good idea. The first design was the beginning of the jewelry-making enterprise that provides employment for former prostitutes.

Eden Ministry produces beautiful jewelry but more importantly provides a safe haven for women forced into prostitution. Check out their website: www.edenministry.org

Thanks to Shelly's gift to me on Mother's Day, Chinese women are able to escape a life of bondage and have a means to support themselves through the help Eden Ministry provides.

Monday, August 19, 2013

My Favorite Goddaughter

I have been blessed with one Goddaughter.  Kali Jane is such a blessing.  Last time I saw her was at Bethany on Cheung Chau.  Here we are on the beach on Cheung Chau.  She is working in Denver now. Denver is blessed.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

John G Lake - Lousy Christians

A low standard of Christianity is responsible for all the shame and sin and wickedness in the world.
Many Christians think it is all right if they pattern after Jesus in a sort of way. They imitate Him and they do the things which He did; that is they outwardly do them. They perform kind acts and they do other things which Jesus did.  But the secret of Christianity is not in doing. The secret is in being. Real Christianity is in being a possessor of the nature of Jesus Christ. In other words it is in being Christ in character, Christ in demonstration, Christ in agency of transmission.     John G Lake

Thursday, August 8, 2013

God Says What's Right

Governments just say what's legal.
God says what is right.
Laws change.
Truth Does not change.

Rick Warren

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Draw The Circle of Prayer

There comes a moment  when you must quit talking to God about the mountain in your life and start talking to the mountain about your God. You proclaim His power. You declare His sovereignty. You affirm His faithfulness. You stand on His Word. You cling to His promises.
Mark Batterson

Monday, August 5, 2013

Duct Tape or a Nail

A man dies and goes to heaven.  St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and
says, 'Here's how it works.  You need 100 points to make it into heaven.
You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number
of points for each item, depending on how good it was.  When you reach 100
points, you get in.'

'Okay,' the man says, 'I was married to the same woman for 50 years and
never cheated on her, even in my heart.'

'That's wonderful,' says St. Peter, 'that's worth two points!'

'Two points?!' he says.
'Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my
tithe and service.'

'Terrific!' says St. Peter..  'That's certainly worth a point.'

'One point!?!!'
'I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless
veterans.'

'Fantastic, that's good for two more points,' he says.

'Two points!?!!
'Exasperated, the man cries.  'At this rate the only way I'll get into
heaven is by the grace of God.'

'Bingo!  100 points!  Come on in!'

We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.

. . . God did it with a nail.

From my long time friend Martin Haskett