The vision that inspired Behind Every Door is from Isaiah 58. Isaiah speaks of spending ourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfying the needs of the oppressed. And then our light will rise in the darkness. He will guide us. He will satisfy our needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen our frame. We will be like well-watered gardens, like a spring whose waters never fail! We will "rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations"...we will be called "Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." And our friends who are won will join us!
Here we sit in 2011 in a tough economy with problems everywhere. I was sick in bed last week and made the mistake of watching CNN for about 12 hours. This arguably prolonged my illness. Hurricanes and floods. Earthquakes. Stocks and home prices are down and unemployment is up. Political candidates fighting. Wars and rumors of wars. Out-of-control national debt. And then we got to the commercials! Fear, fear, fear. And two principal encouragements: buy gold and medicate yourself.
The message of our Almighty God? Spend yourselves. Satisfy the needs of the oppressed. Believe Me for your provision. You take care of them. I'll take care of you. In sharp contrast to the world, He calls us out from under the wet blankets of fear, anxiety and worry and out into a gloriously free adventure.
*****
"All Things New," Clothing Closet and Blessing Fund:
It has been a blessing to witness friends blessing residents with couches, beds, dining room sets, chairs, toys and other items. We are calling this effort "All Things New." Some of our friends turn the key and walk into their new apartment with very little, or sometimes nothing at all. What a joy and a privilege it is to be a conduit of God's blessing them in different ways. As always, we invite you to bless a friend in need. It could be furniture (new or used)...or toys, books and games for children. We have also opened a Clothing Closet at both Willow Pond and Village Oaks (in partnership with the wonderful brothers and sisters at Greater Ebenezer Church). So if you are cleaning out your closet, we'll take everything off your hands! Finally, we continue to be blessed by The Blessing Fund. This fund blesses residents in crisis and hires many of the men of the "Real Men" Friday morning group to work. If you'd like to give to this fund, we'd love to have you be a part.
*****
Snapshot from Willow Pond:
One of our friends at Willow Pond, Felix, graduated out of his failing body last weekend and now sees Jesus face-to-face. Felix has been without family--and so Suzanne Wallace, Rickey Fanning and Mike Downey were able to befriend him over the last couple of months. He shared with Mike about his faith in Jesus Christ as he suffered from the effects of cancer. Last Thursday, they held a memorial service outside of Felix' apartment with about 15 friends. His was a precious life and we thank God for Him.
-- Dean Wilson
