International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 9/7/24 Joel Griffith 9/7/24

Something to consider.

“There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:38-43

On this first Saturday in September, I would like to ask you to imagine what your life would be like today If your grandparents, parents and friends told you over and over that Christ is dead; you would eventually give up hope. The attached photo of a vodou priestess kneeling before the altar in her temple with a bottle of Haitian Rhum, a bottle of animal blood and a jar of bone fragments are setting on the top and a collection bowl is down in front. Possibly the most dramatic part of this photo is behind the altar where the cross is buried into the floor and this is to signify that Jesus is still buried in the tomb. There is no hope here.

When visiting Haitian schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs your North American mind struggles to fully understand what many of the children are being confronted with at home. For many of the children, the story at home is that Jesus is dead and at school the news that He is risen from the dead is spoken. At home there is no hope and fear, emptiness and despair and at school there is hope, food and happiness that we have a Risen Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Thank you for helping to prepare the children attending Christian schools in Haiti. The message Christ gave us in Luke “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” is such an immense comfort to hear in this world of lies. A song by the Dove’s called ‘If that isn’t love’ was playing on my Internet radio today and its lyrics are a wonderful way to close today and prepare you for tomorrow at His Alter.

“He left the splendor of heaven knowing His destiny was the lonely hill of Golgotha there to lay down His life for me. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth. There's no feeling like this if that isn't love. Even in death He remembered the thief hanging by His side then he spoke of love and compassion and He took him to paradise. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth there's no feeling like this if that isn't love.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/6/24 Joel Griffith 9/6/24

Back in the day.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23 (KJV)

Call me old fashioned, or just call me really old, but I really enjoy reading some favorite scripture passages in the King James Version. The Creole word for ‘Good Shepherd’ is Bon Berger and you will see that name being used at several Lutheran schools in Haiti. The majority of the children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti know of an actual shepherd and perhaps many of them have fathers or relatives who are shepherds tending to goat herds.

Our Good Shepherd gave up His life for each of us when it was given on the cross of Calvary. There are many instances where men and women have given much, even the great sacrifice of their lives for their families and perhaps for strangers to save somebody else’s life. I heard a story recently of a young girl who had a serious illness and needed a blood transfusion or she would die. The doctors determined that the only person who could donate this life-giving blood to this young girl was her little brother. The parents and doctors asked the little boy if they could use his blood to save his sister and he gave it much thought; several hours to be exact. He finally told them that he was ready to give his blood to his sister so she would live and asked how long he would live after they had taken his blood. He didn’t understand that both she and he would live.

There are children attending Christian schools in Haiti who are being fed dirt cakes from their mothers at home as they cannot afford food. The woman in the attached photo is a vendor of dirt cakes. Seeing this food brings me shudders to recall the day I took this photo as I knew who would be eating her cakes. Some of these children are slowly passing away because of this ‘food’; their life lights are growing dim. They need Jesus for their Spiritual welfare and you and I to help to fulfill their daily food. Thank you for reaching out to these children, giving of your talents and treasures. I close today with the words from the hymn ‘The Lord my pasture shall prepare’ that was written by Joseph Addison in 1712.

“The Lord my pasture shall prepare and feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply and guard me with a watchful eye; my noonday walks He shall attend and all my midnight hours defend. When in the sultry glebe I faint or on the thirsty mountain pant, to fertile vales and dewy meads my weary, wandering steps He leads, where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, amid the verdant landscape flow. Though in the paths of death I tread, with gloomy horrors overspread, my steadfast heart shall fear no ill, for Thou, O Lord, art with me still; Thy friendly crook shall give me aid and guide me through the dreadful shade. Though in a bare and rugged way, through devious lonely wilds, I stray, Thy bounty shall my pains beguile; the barren wilderness shall smile, with sudden greens and herbage crowned, and streams shall murmur all around.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/5/24 Joel Griffith 9/5/24

Living for Jesus.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5

This passage from the Apostle Paul should be such a vivid reminder for each of us every day along our journey to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. We shouldn’t be thinking in the ways of this fallen world but rather be considering our thoughts, words and actions to be what Jesus would be doing in a similar circumstance.

Jesus didn’t appear on this planet to live for Himself. His entire earthly life was dedicated to serving us and giving us the most important gift of all; His life to rescue us from sin, death and the devil. It was all about Him for us, and we should strive to do likewise. Our world tells us it is all about ME and not about you, or our neighbor or about Jesus.

Would you consider helping to provide a meal for this young child attending the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe? There are those in this world that will tell you to send her clothes, a solar powered radio, a phone, an MP3 player and a host of other North America ‘necessities’ but what she really needs is Jesus and some food. Pastor Daniel Paul and a staff of teachers who live in Ouanaminthe are providing for her Christian education and you can help to provide her daily food. Thank you for considering supporting children in Trinity HOPE school feeding programs.

Back in the day, I recall receiving a piece of paper from Gov. Kay Orr after the early Sunday service and she had written down the title of a hymn that matched well with one of Pastor Luke Schnake’s past messages and also a few other events that had taken place along my journey. The hymn was titled ‘May the mind of Christ, my Savior’ and these words were written by Kate Barclay Wilkinson sometime before 1913. This is a great way to share a blast from the past with you today.

“May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling all I do and say. May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through His power. May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything, that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing. May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea; Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory. May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go. May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/4/24 Joel Griffith 9/4/24

Been complaining lately?

“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” Philippians 2:14-15

I read somewhere recently, that complaining is a sure sign of spiritual immaturity as a lack of faith is being shown by the person doing the complaining. The reasoning was that if we place our trust in our Triune God, He has our best interest in His plans. If I am constantly complaining about my provisions, my family, my house, my job, my life then I cannot accept God’s will for life. A complainer will cry, rant, kick and scream until they get their way and when that moment arrives; they are generally still not happy.

A friend in Nebraska, a speakerphone, and I had morning coffee recently on my deck, and we talked about how this world seems to place so much in negative thoughts, words and actions. Have you seen any positive political ads recently? Have you seen any positive comments from either of the political television or radio programs in the past several months?

The opposite of complaining is praising. The opposite of grumbling with the gifts that God has given to you is giving thanks for all that He has placed on your plate. The child in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian. The smile on her face is a sign of happiness and giving thanks for somebody like you who has blessed her day with a meal; the only meal of her day. She won’t complain that she got rice and beans yesterday, today and will again tomorrow; it is food!!!

I close today with the words from the song ‘It is well with my soul’ that was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. He wrote the song following the sinking of the steamship Ville du Havre which carried four of his daughters which was crossing the Atlantic.

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.” Been complaining lately? Consider all that He has lavished upon you.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/3/24 Joel Griffith 9/3/24

Do you grumble?

Back in the day, a decade and a few years ago, I was blessed to have been able to watch over my young grandson, Miles. I recall that while watching him on the floor, enjoying, complaining, enjoying, complaining how well he takes after me; and possibly some of you who are reading this.

Aren’t we all just natural complainers? It is in our genes, our sinful genes. Our Triune God gives us everything that we truly need to exist; food, shelter, clothing and family. He takes care of us each and every day but we still find time to complain about something. Back in the day, when I was gain fully employed, I would find something to complain about with my work. Children complain about their parents, husbands complain about their wives and wives about their husbands. People in the pews complain about their pastors and politicians; they complain about everything. From the Old Testament to the New Testament to today, man has always found something to complain about.

My grandson wanted me to hold him, put him down, hold him, put him down, hold him and I wanted to shout at him “Miles, what do you want?” but of course all he heard me say was “blah, blah, blah.” And today, my teenaged Miles is not a perfect grandchild, I am not a perfect grandfather and his parents are not perfect parents either but Our Heavenly Father loves us just the way we are. He does not always give us what we may want but rather gives us what we need.

The children in the attached photo are from Cap Haitian and they are getting their Trinity HOPE lunch. They don’t need pizza, chicken nuggets, corn on the cob or hamburgers; they need food. This meal will provide them with all the nutritional elements that their young bodies need; their teachers provide them with a message of Hope from their risen Savior and a Heavenly Father who loves them and continues to provide for them. We really don’t have anything to grumble about.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/2/24 Joel Griffith 9/2/24

Awesome sights.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

Our Heavenly Father has given us some pretty awesome things to appreciate on this first Monday of September, while living on this planet. Watching your children taking their initial breath is truly special. And then, their first step. Standing in awe of the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the autumn colors in the Niobrara River valley and watching the waves of the ocean crashing on the beach are memorable sights.

Simple things like watching a colorful sun dropping into the horizon in the evening or getting up early to catch the sun rising in the morning are also treasures to be captured. The attached photo was taken just after sunrise in the Arcahaie District one quiet morning in 2002 and it reminded me of God giving me another day to serve Him.

With every coming day, He has given each of us another opportunity to spend time here dwelling within His creation serving Him with the time, gifts and talents He has provided to each of us. As the sun rises in North America it is also rising in Haiti and children attending Christian schools are offering up prayers of thanks for Him and for you and for the Morning Star who is the Savior of this world. The hymn ‘How Lovely Shines the Morning Star’ was written by Philipp Nicolai in 1597 and I have chosen verses 1, 6, 7 that are a wonderful way to close this morning message.

“How lovely shines the Morning Star! The nations see and hail afar the light in Judah shining. Thou David's Son of Jacob's race, my Bridegroom and my King of Grace, for Thee my heart is pining. Lowly, Holy, great and glorious, Thou victorious Prince of graces; filling all the heavenly places. Lift up the voice and strike the string. Let all glad sounds of music ring in God's high praises blended. Christ will be with me all the way, today, tomorrow, every day, till traveling days be ended. Sing out, ring out triumph glorious, O victorious, chosen nation; praise the God of your salvation. Oh, joy to know that Thou, my Friend, art Lord, beginning without end, the First and Last, Eternal! And Thou at length O glorious grace! Wilt take me to that holy place, the home of joys supernal. Amen, Amen!”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/1/24 Joel Griffith 9/1/24

September Prayer Guide.

We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther

‘Adoration’

Psalm 62:7–8; “On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of Your presence as we consider how Christian education has been spreading throughout schools in Haiti at a time when this world’s media tells us that it should not be happening, because of the gangs and rampant inflation. The Holy Gospel is being proclaimed because of Your plan being fulfilled. We are living in very challenging times in our country as well and more challenging events in every corner throughout this fallen world. Our souls have been tossed about like waves that are crashing against a shoreline, and our lives seem to be splashing back and forth in a pattern of endless disarray. You came down into our lives and rescued us. You brought us the gift of forgiveness and that brought us relief, and You introduced us to a wonderful, unknown state of mind on this side of Paradise; AT PEACE and REST. Thank You for the wonderful peace that accompanies this rest. Thank You for the freedom from worrying about the challenges of this world that surround us daily. Heavenly Father, You are our refuge and bring us peace filled rest.

A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Triune God.

· Think about the endless challenges that are taking place in our country and elsewhere in our world and where we turn to continually find true peace and rest.

· Try to grasp the immense work that our Creator is doing in the lives of each Haitian child who are prayerfully preparing to walk to their Christian school this month and the thousands of children who will be experiencing a Trinity HOPE lunch for the very first time.

· Stop and look back where you have been this past year and where you are today, praying for and supporting a Trinity HOPE feeding program; HE knew you would be here today.

‘Confession’

Proverbs 28:13; “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve.

God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured. He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him. He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint. Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you. He lived for you and died for you. Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.

· A time of personal confession.

Our sins are placed at the base of the Calvary cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.

‘Thanksgiving’

1 Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that has been preserved through the history of our world and is alive today. Thank You for the careful concern of men like the apostles Peter and Paul who knew both sides of life on this planet: what it was like to live in this old world and what it was like to walk with the Savior, Your Son. Thank You for Peter's admonishment to prepare our minds for action, to keep sober in spirit, to fix our hope on Your grace, and not to conform our lives to the former lustful temptations; but to continually strive to be holy as You are. Father, thank you for providing us with an opportunity to come along the side of Haitian children learning about You, and who are eagerly becoming Your messengers who will bring the Truth to ears that have not heard and lives that have turned away from You. Thank You for giving us the ability to prayerfully and financially support Your work through them.

Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”

· We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.

· We give You thanks for the many people who have pledged to be recurring donors to Trinity HOPE and will continue to pray for the school children as they share the Holy Gospel throughout their homeland.

· We give thanks for this new school year and the many additional students in new schools who will learn about Jesus and receive a daily meal from Trinity HOPE.

· As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide because of You.

· We give thanks for Your wisdom and directions for our Board of Directors and Ambassadors who will be meeting soon and desire to feed many more children and increase the number of Your missionaries within Haiti.

‘Supplications’

Psalm 51:1–2; “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Lord God, Heavenly Father, these verses should remind each of us that every morning, You give us a fresh start to walk with You. There are over 52,000 children in Haiti who will hopefully be resuming their classes this month amid the threats from gangs, and learn more about You and share that life-saving message of salvation with those still in bondage to the lies of vodou. There are evil gangs within Haiti that are eager to destroy anything that will bring Hope to Haiti.

Lord, we live in a dry, barren and fallen world, where sin is becoming more and more rampant and our society is so filthy; we need a fountain of fresh, clean water that is full of blessing, truth, and strength; we need a fresh start. The children in Haiti and each of us are thirsty today for the Living Water that is only found in You. May the Living Water do its work in cleansing us and this world. May it wash our minds, may it cleanse our motives, may it scrub away the evil that permeates the Haitian gangs so that You can lead their members and us too, onto right paths and closer to You. Sadly, we confess of having a history of being prone to wander and leave the God we love. And only Your cleansing, fresh water of the Spirit can make us clean deep within and provide a fresh start within us. We give ourselves to Your sacred work, to be set apart for Your best use, for Your greater glory.

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

· Heavenly Father, please place your healing hands upon Your servants in Haiti who are facing physical challenges from the evil gangs that prowl throughout the country of Haiti. Give courage and protection to the UN Peacekeeping force.

· Lord Jesus, bring a calming breeze and a fresh start throughout Haiti before the start of this new school year. Bring truth, peace and wisdom to the people who are trying to establish a new government and a desire to seek and follow YOU more closely every day.

· Lord, be with the Haitian principals, parents and Feeding Program Directors as they prepare for the new school year that will hopefully begin this month. May their planning bring more souls closer to You.

· May the charcoal fires started by the cooks snuff out the lies of the vodou priests and bring those who still cling to those lies to the foot of the cross; repenting of their past and seeking Your future for them.

· Father, please dissolve the gangs that are threatening to take over Haiti by force. Cause them to put down their weapons and repent. May Your people rise up and reclaim their country and restore peace where there is none.

· Father, provide Trinity HOPE team members in the US who oversee the monthly records from all of the Haitian schools with abundant joy as they serve you in this way.

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther

2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,

In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer

Joel Griffith 8/31/24 Joel Griffith 8/31/24

Saturday.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

Wow…this is the last Saturday and day in August; already. My youngest child turned 44 yesterday. I am so old. My memory is getting to the point that I find it hard to recall stuff from back in the day. But, one of the first images that comes to mind when I read this passage from Romans was the choir at Bon Berger Eglise Lutherienne in Caredeux. This photo was taken in October 2010 which is the year of the earthquake and sad to say, there were several voices missing.

I was blessed to have sung with this group on a few occasions while living in Haiti; back in the day. I am not certain if my voice was pleasing to God in the proper sense, probably brought joy to Him listening to my broken Creole; I tried. And the other choir and congregation members got a good chuckle out of my broken Creole.

When I look at the faces in the choir, see photos of the children attending that school and also think about several of you…the term ‘living sacrifice’ comes alive. Turning lives over to our Triune God is certainly not an easy thing to do; it is the right thing to do. This world will provide ample reasons why not to turn your life over to Christ and follow the foolishness of this age and the lies of satan.

Thank you for your sacrifice that feeds His children in Haiti. Thank you for the sacrifice you daily give to Him in the face of this world. The following Offertory is sung by me every morning and evening in my devotion time as it reminds me of how important it is to always remember to joy of Salvation and I hope it is a part of your daily prayers as well.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me, cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.” Lutheran Hymnal

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 8/30/24 Joel Griffith 8/30/24

Send me.

“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Quite often, our North American culture gets the idea that service to God must be an upfront kind of activity. For some, the activity has to be fun and also be about ‘me’ when serving God. The perception for some is that their pastor is the one ‘serving’ God. After seeing the attached photo that I took back in the day, showing Quincy getting ready to snap a photo of children from the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe, it seems like that would be a lot of fun. When people find out that it is very hot and humid and work involves a lot of walking and the drinking water temperature is generally the same as the outdoors; then it doesn’t seem like the fun thing to do.

Am I helping now? Much of our daily activities are spent serving God’s purpose and many times, we aren’t aware that we are serving Him. Our greatest impact might even come out of a small act of faithfulness. God’s followers shouldn’t underestimate or minimize the scope of their ministry. Today, it only takes around forty cents to feed on child. If you have a pocket full of change, you could probably feed this group of children at the school in Ouanaminthe. If your Bible study group were to take a collection once a month, they could possibly sponsor a school. What role are you meant to fill today? Are you ready to be sent? Today, I am closing with the words to the song ‘Send me’ by Twila Paris.

“If I close my ears to the feeble cry of the poor man's child as he passes by me. I can mark Your word there will come a time when my cries will fall on ears like mine. Here am I, Lord, send me; here am I, Lord, send me. Father in Heaven show Your mercy, send me. That his hope should die this was not Your plan. You have willed that I would become Your hands, Lord. When I feel Your pain and it fills my eyes when my heart is Yours, I will stand and cry. Here am I, Lord, send me. Here am I, Lord, send me. Father in Heaven show Your mercy, send me. Send me in a humble spirit broken for the weaker part. Send me where the need is greater, send me with a servant's heart. Here am I, Lord, send me. Here am I, Lord, send me, Father in Heaven show Your mercy send me.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 8/29/24 Joel Griffith 8/29/24

Love your enemies.

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35

This is an election year and Luke writes that Jesus tells us to ‘love’ our enemies. If we are supposed to love and do good to our enemies it would seem that we should do the same to our friends and family. To my way of thinking most of us would give a plate of fresh cookies to our enemies but the ones we would offer to our loved ones might have frosting or double chocolate chips. Back in the day, I still remember that as a ten-year-old child there was a particular winter when we had a lot of snow and I shoveled snow off the sidewalk in front of houses on my block and a woman two houses from my house, Mrs. Boals, asked if I would do her driveway as well as her husband was not well. I gladly did and she said that she would like to pay me but didn’t have any money and presented me with a plate with a few cookies. I thanked her and accepted the few cookies on a paper plate. And for those of you will ask if she offered me one cookie or the whole plate; she gave me the plate.

This verse from Luke reminds me of the phrase ‘random acts of kindness’. How many opportunities have you been given along your journey to reach out to a person in need of a random act of kindness? How many dead auto batteries were in need of your jumper cables? How many items were dropped along your journey that you took the time to stoop down, pick up and return to their owner? How often have you given assistance to another human being when it wasn’t expected?

The Haitian word for kindness is ‘bonke’. Albert Schweitzer said “do something wonderful, people may imitate it” when asked to give an example of the word kindness. Random acts of kindness come in many different forms; the attached photo reflects one. This child who lives in Ouanaminthe is carrying a plastic bowl with his daily meal of rice and beans that is in hands because somebody donated forty cents. This small random act of kindness took place in the lives of over 52,000 children each day last school year.

I doubt that few if any of the Trinity HOPE supporters are seeking to be repaid for their kindness and many of the donors that I know are the type of people who would say that it is better to give than to receive; their random acts of kindness are not just limited to children living in Haiti. There is a quote by Margaret Cho that defines the person responsible for this bowl of rice and beans; “Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever.”

May God be with you,

Jay