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Have you seen the card in the bulletin recently? The one with the Christmas Eve Service information? Christmas is one of the times when we are encouraged to invite family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to church – and with good reason – Advent so clearly shows God’s love for mankind. Maybe you’re one of those for whom extending an invitation is ‘second nature’, it’s easy for you and everyone you invite comes, has a wonderful time, and ends up coming to church regularly. If that’s you, then don’t bother reading the rest of this, just keep on extending those invitations!

If you’re like me and you’re a little uncomfortable inviting folks, or if you get tired of getting turned down, or discouraged when people make excuses and brush you off when you bring up God, then keep reading.

When I feel tired and discouraged (and it happens way more than I like to admit) I try to remember what the apostle Paul told both the Galatians and the Thessalonians “do not grow weary in doing good”. (Galatians 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13). Inviting people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest good we can do. Gordon Keddie puts it this way “The greatest privilege of the Christian, apart from his own experience of salvation and eternal life, is to be a channel of God’s love towards others and a means of leading them to the Lord.” However you engage with people in this season, try to be a channel of God’s love. It might be inviting someone to come to church with you, or a service project with neighbors and friends, or being intentional to include Christ in your casual conversations about Christmas.  

“The greatest privilege of the Christian, apart from his own experience of salvation and eternal life, is to be a channel of God’s love towards others and a means of leading them to the Lord.”

Gordon Keddie

It’s taken more than a few years, but I’ve learned a couple of things from these passages Paul wrote. In 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul starts the chapter with “brothers pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored”. Prayer is the best preparation we can make in order to do good without becoming weary. Prayer reminds us that God will do the heavy lifting; it doesn’t depend on us! When I become weary and discouraged it is often because I’ve been trying to do it on my own, which never works.

Another thing I’ve learned is that the timing is the Lord’s. In Galatians 6 Paul finishes his admonition to not grow weary in doing good with “for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”. Sometimes when we are that channel of God’s love we get to see the results right away. Sometimes it can take years, or we might not see it at all. It all unfolds according to God’s timetable. I used to think that if I didn’t see results right away that I had somehow failed. For us as Christians, having our invitation rejected, or not seeing results right away when someone hears the gospel is not failure. Failure for us is becoming weary of doing good and not being that channel of love, inviting others to share the joy of the gospel.

So, who are you praying for that you’re going to give that card to? You know, the one that has the Christmas Eve Service info…

There is something so special and heartwarming about the easy connection that forms between people who are just beginning to live their lives and those who have lived a good, full life that is coming to a close. Seeing the special bond between the Greatest Generation and children never fails to touch my heart.

We recently had the opportunity for our kids to serve Thanksgiving lunch at the Edgewood Senior’s center, along with my sister’s boys. I really didn't know what to expect when we got there, but what I definitely did not expect was how much the kids would all love serving. The boys would wait eagerly for trays of food to take to each person, and when they set the food down in front of each person, they would smile gently and quietly say ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ and then quickly walk/run off to retrieve another tray to serve. It really caught me by surprise to see how much joy there was on their young faces as they spent the afternoon serving those who spent their best years serving us and our country.

That’s not to say that the whole afternoon went off without a hitch. My 3 year old daughter was eager to help alongside her big bothers and cousins and there were a few battles of the will as she walked to a table carrying a tray, and I tried to walk along with her, helping to steady the tray so that it didn't end up all over the floor. Fortunately, the seniors were gracious and found humor at her strong will instead of being upset that their lunch almost ended up on the floor, or that their mashed potatoes may or may not have had a little thumb stuck in them by little hands trying to grip a large tray.

"The kids got to learn that we can bring glory to God through serving others, and that serving others is actually fun!"

When all of the trays had been handed out, the kids set to work cleaning up the empty plates. They were such eager helpers that we had to make sure they didn't clear any plates that weren't done. During this time they got to visit with many of the people who had come for lunch, and were gifted with candies, smiles, and hugs. When all of the work was complete and it was time to go, the kids were all bummed because they had such a great time serving others and getting to know those they had served.

It was such a blessing that the Edgewood Senior Center allowed these young children to come and serve Thanksgiving lunch, both for the seniors, but even more so for my kids and nephews and their parents.

The kids got to learn that we can bring glory to God through serving others, and that serving others is actually fun! They got to see that true joy comes not through the toys that we have or our fancy clothes or cars or houses, but through showing God’s love to those around us. This Christmas season we are working hard to make sure that our kids know the real reason that we are celebrating the season, and to keep the focus off of the presents and on the love God has for us, and showing that love to others.

I remember the day I walked into the Youth Room in the back of the little church. I had unintentionally shown up earlier than the crowd. I’d met Mike a couple times before but didn't know him well. The details of that initial interaction escape me, likely because it faded in comparison to how my life would change in the coming years.

During summers in high school, I served as a staffer at Camp Oro Quay. When I started, Mike and his family lived and worked at the camp before he left to be youth pastor at his church. Working at Camp Oroquay taught me not only how to work like a dog, but also a lot about God, life, people, and myself; so much, in fact, that I had a difficult time processing it all at first.

This is where I was when I showed up at Mike's youth group that evening. I was an innocent 15-year-old with high hopes, a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head, and no idea what the future would hold. I had come to be with my friends and, admittedly, a girl whom I liked at the time, but it grew into much more.

As a young husband and father, Mike was just old enough to function as a superior, yet just young enough to be our friend. He could fix and build anything, was a far better rifle shot than I, and if he didn't know something, he was relentless to figure it out. He’d had a rough upbringing, and his stories of how the Lord had turned his life around and used him for amazing things were inspiring. He was the deepest thinker I had ever met, and his knowledge of the Bible seemed limitless and his relationship with God unfathomably rich.

Mike is fully aware of the deep scars in my heart that still throb but he never fails to listen, encourage, point me to the Lord, and remind me that it's better to lose my life than to waste it.

It didn't take long to see that his position was far more than a job to him: It was his life. He realized the importance of the Lord's calling on his life and held nothing back in answering it. He loved his students deeply and bent over backwards to be there for us, point us to Christ in everything, and help us grow in Him.

Mike expected more of us than the average youth pastor. Specifically, he consistently challenged us boys to be men. He expected us to pray, move chairs, hold doors for the girls, and help lock up when the night was done. It didn't stop there, however. As we matured, he would occasionally leave us to lead the group for the night. I remember going to Mike's house to get a key from his wife (he was out of town) and arriving at the church early to unlock and set up before I gave a sermon to my peers and secured the entire church campus alone after everyone had left. I was 18.

Unconventional? Yup. Risky? Many would say so. However, Mike had confidence in what he had built in us, and knew that we would rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us as we led, as he had taught us. It always worked out, and we grew immensely because of it.

After spending a year as missionaries deep in the Sierra Madre of Mexico, Mike and his family returned, and Mike became associate pastor at his church. One of his former students, a 22 year-old friend of mine, is now the youth pastor there. Every Saturday night, Mike continues to pour into the young people around him by opening his family's home to us for a meal and Bible study.

Today, I find myself trying to do for my students what Mike did for me. Some days when I struggle, wrestling with ghosts of the past and uncertainties of the future, I still go back and talk with him. Mike is fully aware of the deep scars in my heart that still throb but he never fails to listen, encourage, point me to the Lord, and remind me that it's better to lose my life than to waste it.

While in India I met S-. She is a friend who inspires me to live outside my own safe world. 

Our Mountain Christian team arrived in Delhi early on a Wednesday morning with the purpose of seeing Genesis of Hope in action. Within hours, jet-lagged and sweaty, we entered a room of women and girls with whom I was expected to share a message. A solemn sari-clad woman - my future friend - would be translator. But my words were awkward and the audience restless. It was a humbling experience and I decided it was safer to watch the “experts” than to engage.  

The opportunity for observation came in the next two days as our hosts brought us to several of the ten GOH children’s centers throughout Delhi. One neighborhood in particular caused each member of our team to see that we should not be content with passivity. 

The police have labeled Shahabad Dairy one of three Delhi locations that are “unsafe for children” due to the overwhelming number of abductions reported each year. In the 6-block area live about 21,000 families. Children are left alone and vulnerable by parents who have no choice but to leave the slum in search of work. Even when work is found, the average monthly household income is around 7000 rupees (about $100 USD); not enough to provide even two meals per day for the typical family. 

We walked through the narrow alleys of Shahabad Dairy, noticing the open sewage and the searching eyes of beggars. Then, to our relief, we stooped inside a doorway and saw S-’s familiar solemn face in a simple classroom packed with smiley children. 

Forty children ages 3-12 leave their worn shoes at the door of this and other GOH children’s centers each morning and another set arrives in the afternoon. Teacher and students crowd into the tight space to learn, joyfully retell Bible stories, and practice a bit of English. In this setting, there is hope.

Simply meeting and observing S— was not enough to make us friends, though. It was teaching in a classroom together the following week during GOH’s yearly Vacation Bible School that tied our strings of fellowship. 

The day began with S- calmly gathering our 30 girls from the nearly one thousand children gathered for VBS... while I stressed about the disorganization of it all. Once in our classroom, though, side by side, my friend and I delved into the VBS theme - Jesus is my Superhero. Together we sang loudly and danced and laughed and got silly with those students; which is how I know that she is a teacher of the best sort. When I announced in front of the class the last day of my visit, she paused before translating for the students. She went back to being solemn for a moment and said, genuinely, “I will miss you.”      

Since that trip to India S- and I have continued to send notes to each other, often several times each week. Below is one of her most recent notes. May it inspire you to do more than simply observe…

"I have been teaching here [at Shahbad Children’s Center] since 2008…Drawing, stories games works very well with center childrens. I faced many challenges like most of the family are like in which both parents are working so there nobody at house to send children to center so many times I used to go in field and gather those childrens to center. Many childrens who are at teenager age are quickly attract towards bad things and they immediately divert to that way instead of coming to center so at that time I use to notice them and counsell them and also tell them the right way. It is very very difficult because at this age childrens sometimes don't listen to their parents also. So sometimes I get success in doing this and sometimes not but I keep on trying and trying. And there are many more [challenges]. If you want to know more I will let you know."

During a trip to India last year with Genesis of Hope we visited a children’s center called Shahabad Dairy. That evening after returning, I reflected on what I saw and decided to look the community up on the internet. What I read was alarming. It described a community of violence, crime, and unrest; a place that even the police did not like to go and would only go into as a group.  It is an area where children are said to be especially vulnerable as the number of abductions is unusually high. Many of the homes do not have their own bathroom and so they are forced to use public bathrooms where groups of violent people reportedly wait with bad intentions. One article described that parents would often withhold dinner from their children because they did not want them to have to use the public bathrooms in the dark hours; afraid they would end up missing.  But sadly, both parents often work outside the home in order to have sufficient income, leaving children without a safe place to go or an adult to stay with; making them even more vulnerable. 

Can you imagine living in this place and raising your children like this? The living conditions alone would be unbearable, but imagine that this was also a society where there is a system that dictates, from birth, what class of people you are in and you are at the very bottom. You are one of the forgotten ones. Although the caste system was officially abolished from India many years ago, it is still deeply ingrained in the culture and society. Your parents were at the bottom. Your grandparents before them also. In this system you are forgotten because no one believes that anything will become of you. Based on certain belief systems people may not even think you should rise higher in life.

Now imagine that you are a mother with children who are destined by this same society, in the same community, to share this same hopeless fate. Your entire community is overlooked and there doesn’t seem to be much hope for you or your children.  

It’s hard to fathom because here in America we choose how or where are children are educated; at the school of our choice, at home, or some other kind of program. Ultimately, we all want our kids to have a solid education so that they will have the possibility of a successful life in the future. We consider school ratings, test scores, the school’s reputation, the quality of the facility, the diversity of programs offered, the quality of teachers, and the list goes on (and on).  But this is actually a luxury that we likely take for granted. For the families in Shahabad Dairy, families simply want their children to receive an education, period. They want their children to be safe. They do not have the luxury of choices. Often, they are forced to go without any education. Although the government provides free schooling, there is a required uniform to attend and many times this expense is to great.  

"Genesis means beginning,

for these families Genesis of Hope

is truly where hope begins."

Genesis of Hope bridges these gaps and offers a light in these communities in several ways: they provide a school uniform once a year, they tutor children in core subjects so they might succeed in a typical classroom, the provide one daily meal, and perhaps most importantly they offer children a respite from the rigors of daily life, giving children a chance to thrive under the encouragement of GOH teachers.  Genesis of Hope centers are intentionally placed right in the middle of the community, allowing children to receive instruction right in their own community.

Genesis means beginning, for these families Genesis of Hope is truly where hope begins. Genesis of Hope offers an oasis for kids who may otherwise be unable to have their mental, physical and emotional needs met. It gives them a chance to believe that they could have a bright future after all.

Click here to learn more about Genesis of Hope and get involved!