Service is something that is vital to teach children. Every year at Christmas, we take the kids to the store to buy something for underprivileged children. We have done the Salvation Army angels several years. This year, we went with Toys for Tots. The kids got to pick out something they wanted, but they had to give it up to others.
Service is a lifestyle. It should also be year-round.
Today, was our church's Sunday to serve a meal at the homeless. It always amazes me when someone from the church goes the first time. We try to take some kids or teens every time we go. Today, I asked the grandmother of one young girl if it would be alright if her granddaughter went with us. She said that it would be great because the granddaughter needed to see that part of life.
She went in wide-eyed. She jumped in mixing drinks (kool-aid) and serving the people.
I was walking through the sleeping room that had 70-80 beds crammed in it. My mom remarked how thankful she was to have what she had.
It never ceases to amaze me the power that serving Christ has on those who serve him.
This year, in addition to what we do at church, our family decided to serve lunch at the local community shelter on Memorial and Labor Days. The folks there told us that they often have trouble serving meals on holidays, because people do not work on those days. (Contrary to myth, people staying in shelters are not lazy bums who lie around all day. They work, but are down on their luck.) Everyone wants to serve on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but people need to eat the other 363 days each year.
Our kids love going. We usually serve hot dogs, chips, brownies, bananas and a drink. It kills our son not to be able to eat any of the hot dogs. Yesterday, our kids got to mingle with some of the people. I sent our daughter out to refill cups, and our son to replenish the chip supply. The people smiled and thanked us profusely for bringing a meal.
We go to be a blessing to those less fortunate, but I often fell that I leave more blessed. The people, for the most part, are very grateful, offering endless thanks for the food.
I challenge everyone to make this type of thing a family activity. It brings you closer as a family. Your kids will realize how truly blessed they are. You will be the hands and feet of Jesus serving humanity in a tangible way. You will be blessed. It doesn't cost that much.
My fellow blogger wrote about how God spoke through him to various people in a recent sermon. I won't retell it; you should read it.
It is a true story of God empowering a communicator. I have experienced the same thing. I have preached sermons that I thought were junk, but God used them in powerful ways. I have delivered sermons that I thought were great examples of oratory perfection that fell with a huge thud.
Another way that God has empowered me is through the fact that I have never been a good public speaker. I have always hated public speaking. In school given the choice between an oral report and a written paper, I would always choose a written paper. I even took speech class in college to try to overcome my fear of public speaking, to no avail.
The only thing I can chalk it up to is God's power filling my life. There is a cliche that goes: "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called." It is awesome to God empower someone to do his work.
Back in December, I wrote about how I was proud of my daughter. She knits hats for orphan babies in Ukraine. Here is a picture of one of the hats she knitted.
