He'll take it from there.

religion, with it's rules and answers and this-is-how-you-should-live judgement is not attracting people to our Jesus.  our western minds want hurting people to show some sort of "promise" before we're willing to love them.  i've heard it.  "come to church and then i'll show you Jesus' love.   get off of drugs and then i'll know you're serious about finding God."  why?  why do we think we have some sort of super hero formula for getting someone to believe in Jesus?  it's not our job to determine the best process for "saving" people.  it's just not.  we are called to love.  that's it.  

broken people.  love them.
sinful people.  love them.
mean people.  love them. 
selfish people. love them. 

we need to bring good news wherever we go; to whatever room we find ourselves in.  and good news is not shouting "JESUS SAVES" through a blow horn.  


People are starving – spiritually and physically – and this world needs some Good News, but they can’t decode what is actually good about us. Good is finding a safe place to struggle, to doubt, to ask hard questions. Good is food when you’re hungry. Good is warm, kind, genuine love extended, no strings attached. Good is clean water, medicine for your sick baby, education, family. Good is community, even before ‘belief’ binds us tight. Good is sustainable work, dignity. Good is Jesus and His backwards, upside-down ways.  -jen hatmaker


and i have to say, tears were welling in my eyes as i read jen hatmaker's latest blog, because my friends, we are bringing good news to the people of uganda, africa.  the majority of our "first world" problems pale in comparison to "third world" ones.  and this raffle is a small way of saying:

 "we see you, we see the water crisis, we see the need for economic growth....and we are sending good news.  and this good news is not coming in the form of a book or a pamphlet, this news is clean water, this news is sustainable work, this news is dignity."

and i know i've said this a bazillion times, but i believe with every fiber of my being that that is what we're called to do.  bring the good news, even better, be the good news. and then Jesus?  

He'll take it from there.  

i officially have a new zeal for getting to that $5,000 goal.  join us.  raffle items here.