Summit's Haiti Relief Efforts

Summit's Haiti Relief Efforts

As many of you know, in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Haiti, Summit is aggressively looking for ways to respond through our partnership with Mission of Hope Haiti. MOH Haiti has been designated by the State Department as their base of operations for medical relief. We are currently organizing multiple teams of professional medical staff to respond with aid. Teams will be leaving Saturday morning. If you are in the medical profession, equipped for trauma response and have a valid passport please contact Michael Girado at michael@summitlife.com. Because of Mission of Hope's influence with both Haiti's government and the U.S. government they have the opportunity to make a huge impact in responding to this crisis. What they need now is our prayers, medical personnel and financial support. If you would like to donate you can directly give through Mission of Hope's site here or you can donate through Summit Church here (add a gift and choose Disaster Relief).

For updates on the relief efforts at Mission of Hope please visit http://disasterrelief.mohhaiti.org/
Forward email

God Ain't Playin'

I am still working my way through the book of Amos and today I read something that just jumped out at me. In the early verses of chapter 5 you see the Prophet Amos speaking to this way-ward people and proclaiming God's heart. A few times Amos proclaims this...God says "seek me and live", yet it falls on death ears and people continue to seek everything other than God. Then at the end of the chapter God rebukes them with a strong word when the people try to treat Him as an add on or after thought.

21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

In essence God is saying you have been openly and blatantly rebelling against me and now you want to do religious acts and think that everything is going to be okay...not going to happen! God is gracious and He desires fellowship with us, but we must respect Him as Lord and not think for a second that we can have our sin and have Him without consequence as well. Worshiping God when our hearts are not pure is just giving God lip service and He won't have any of it. God does not want our lip service, what He desires is our obedience. It was a good reminder for me this morning and a great challenge.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:16-17

Spiritual Lessons from a Bear...

This blog has been lying dorment for so long, not out of lack of things to write or even lack of time or desire. I have been in a season where I have been capturing more of my private thoughts and challenges and desiring to focus on those things rather than the public forum of blogging. And, let's face it, I am not really that interesting to read, but it is a great exercise in communication.

This past weekend my wife and I averted what could have been a huge catastrophe in the life of our three year old daughter...no it wasn't that she fell of her swing set, jumped off her trampoline, it wasn't that we lost her in the mall or anything like that...no, those things are definitely horrible, but this would probably rank right up there in my daughter's heart. You see her bear, her ragged, dingy, sleepy bear that she has had since birth, went missing. She took it to Publix with her while her and her mom went grocery shopping and somewhere in the store she dropped the bear---no where to be found. My wife, did a mad search, up and down every isle to no avail. She spoke to the store manager and explained the dire situation and left her name and number in hopes that maybe a good samartian or faithful employee would turn it in.

My daughter was crushed. That night she was a little restless as we put her down for her bed and there was no bear. Now I want to give you a picture of how my daughter views this bear. You see this bear has no legs and again it has taken such a beating, that there really is no redemable value or beauty to this thing. Yet in spite of what we see and how we feel, my daughter loves this bear. She talks to it, dresses it. Brings it to the dinner or lunch table and places food in front of it. Every night when I put her to bed and pray for her, she asks me to pray for bear...yeah, I kid you not, to my sweet 3yr old, this bear is valuable, is lovely, is worth being loved.

Now catch this, if you are still reading...my daughter loves this thing, and it got me thinking, what a picture of how God loves us. There may have been many and still maybe some that say, you are beat up, you're dirty, dingy and there is no redeemable quality in you what's so ever. And yet, God says I love you. In fact, I love you so much I gave my only Son for you (John 3:16). Jesus says, I love you so much I would leave the 99 to go find you. Now, don't get me wrong I am not trying to say we are the center of God's world, but we are an aim of His affection and love. Where ever you are today, may the fact that God pursues you with an everlasting love be your encouragement and hope today.