Courage

Courage

Dear Champions,

The scripture is Joshua 1:9.   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Long time former director and owner of Camp Greystone, Mrs. Libby Miller, passed away earlier this week from her battle with cancer.  She was ready to be with Jesus.  Although we who knew her are sad, she is so happy.

In the summer of 2016 Bill Taylor, Jimboy Miller (her son) and I spent an afternoon visiting with her.  She spoke about the time when she changed Camp Greystone to a Christian camp.  There was opposition and criticism.  She felt firmly that this is what God wanted.  She held her convictions.

That was I believe in the early 1970s.  Fast forward now to 2017!  Imagine how many people have given their life to Jesus because of her courageous decision.  Her life influenced so many and continues to do so.  What an amazing woman!

2 Timothy 4:7 says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Libby, you ran your race so well!  Thank you!

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Greed

Greed

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Luke 12:15  Then Jesus said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

Greed is something that's hidden from us.  That's why Jesus has to say, "Be on your guard, and look for it!"  Adultery, for example, isn't as deceptive as greed.  Almost always you know when you're committing adultery, but nobody who's greedy feels they're greedy.  This is probably one of the reasons why Jesus speaks 10 times about money for every one time He speaks about sex!  Spiritually speaking, sex has slain its thousands, but money has slain its ten thousands.

 

When Jesus came to earth, He literally lived in poverty.  On the Cross, He lost His power and glory and His relationship with God.  He lost the ultimate treasure, so that He could pay for our sins.  When we see Him treasuring us at an infinite cost to Himself, we will start treasuring the needs of our neighbors. 

 

Every single one of you and me too has something that you treasure at the center of your heart -- something that you look at to be your security.  Every treasure (except Jesus) will demand that you die to purchase it, but Jesus Christ is the only treasure that has died to purchase YOU! Make Him your treasure, see how He treasures you, and pray that He'll free from money blindness and materialism.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

A Different Perspective

A Different Perspective

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Aimee Dube.  This is an excerpt that she wrote years ago when she went on a missions' trip to Peru.  The scripture is Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. 
 
Today my team got to go to the city dump to play with kids.  There are entire families that work at the dump for $5 a day per family and go through trash that has been picked through already. As we drove near to the dump the smell invaded the bus, and I thought that I was going to gag it was so intense. As I stepped off the bus, everywhere I looked was covered in trash.  There were tons of people. I talked with a lady named Rosio who grew up in the dump because her parents worked there.  She said her kids would grow up there as well.
 
Some of the children wouldn't come play with us because they had to go through the new garbage with their parents.  If I was them I would tell my mom that it wasn't fair that all of the other kids got to play.  These kids, with talents, intelligence and personality just like us were born with quite a different set of circumstances, but they accept that this is life for them. They do everything without complaining because they need to survive.
 
It was quite the learning lesson for me to think about my life back in the States. How much do I have? How much did my outfit cost that I wore today, and how much is that compared to what these families make in one month?  We are so blessed, but with blessing comes responsibility. Let's do everything without complaining and without arguing, because really, when you think about it, we have nothing to complain about.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining