A Single Phrase

Sometimes I find things in my reading that provoke thought.  Here's something I shared with a couple of the players today based on something I read this morning in Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years...

Jesus does not promise to make all things right for you here on earth.  We choose to follow him, but there are still bills to be paid, still difficult people in our lives, still pain and sorrow.  Those things are not removed from our experience, and yes, sometimes life with Jesus still sucks. 

The idea that living with Jesus will make everything better is a lie, but there is a more profound truth to behold.  His power and love are found in this single phrase, "I am with you."

The AfterMATH

A look at our World Water Day efforts by the numbers...

   $247.12  Collected from students in three weeks leading up to WWD.
+ $120.00 x 2  of Mr. Sanderson's paychecks
= $487.12  Donated from our classroom at Kennedy High School
      x 2  (matching funds from the Prem Rawat Foundation)

= Grand Total of $974.24 which is enough money to help provide 8,850 people with fresh water in rural India.

But wait... there's more.  We were just one small part of The Adventure Project's World Water Day campaign.  

Combined with hundreds of other donors across the country and the Prem Rawat's matching funds, The Adventure Project raised approximately $52,000 yesterday alone.  That is enough to provide over 450,000 people with fresh water.  

Thanks to everyone who brought and bought cookies to help us make a difference!

World Water Day - Make a Difference TODAY!

Did you know?  1/3 of all wells drilled in the last 20 years in developing areas are now BROKEN.  At The Adventure Project, we want to celebrate World Water Day by raising money to help.

TODAY ONLY - Every dollar donated by midnight will be matched by The Prem Rawat Foundation... AND...  Mr. Sanderson will donate ONE DAY's PAY for every increment of $120 raised on THIS PAGE (click HERE) today. 

My students at Kennedy High School have been selling baked goods and collecting money for the past few weeks, and have already claimed one paycheck.  Today they are working on getting a second one.  Join them by clicking "GIVE NOW" on our fundraising page. 

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?  At The Adventure Project we are training local villagers in India to become mechanics capable of repairing and maintaining these broken wells.  Regular well maintenance can save communities thousands of dollars in costly repair, while continuing to supply families with clean, healthy drinking water.

Every $550 raised helps one mechanic receive:

* Training classes

* Tools and spare parts

* A one-year stipend to help an entrepreneur launch their business.

*** One well mechanic will care for 50 wells which will ensure clean water for 5,000 people!

Join us as we make a positive difference in our world TODAY!

Which is Easier?

The other day I was reading the story about the four guys who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed.  You remember the one.  Jesus teaching in a house packed with visitors, so full in fact, that the guys couldn't get their friend through the crowd.  So they did what any logical person would do... they climbed up onto the roof, tore open a hole, and dropped their friend through.

I shouldn't say dropped.  They lowered their friend down, on his mat, to a place right in front of Jesus.

Jesus, pleasantly interrupted, looked at the paralyzed man laying before him on the ground, and in response to their faith said, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

And the pharisees said, "What? This is blasphemy!  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

And the four guys on the roof said, "Great.  Now how are we going to get him out of here?"

And Jesus said, "Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Get up, pick up your mat, and walk'?"

That, I find, is an interesting question.

You see, Jesus had the capacity to affect the man's circumstance AND offer him forgiveness.  He could do BOTH.  Yet, he chose to address the man's most significant need first.  The forgiveness of his sin.  The validation of his soul.  He saw the spiritual brokenness masked by physical brokenness.  He responded to his deepest need first.  Only then did he tell the man to grab his stuff and get outta there.

Jesus always seemed to have his priorities out of whack.

So does The Adventure Project  , and that is why I love them.

When I think of helping others, sometimes I am easily distracted by their extreme physical needs - poverty, starvation, sickness, and the like, that I forget there is a person trapped inside every horrible circumstance.  The Adventure Project reaches out to that person by offering more than a handout - they offer a hand up to a place of dignity.  That's something I want to be part of.  That's something I want to give my life to.

So my wife and I are trying to get involved to make a difference.  We have the capacity to both serve the person and help meet the need.  Neither is easy, but the power to change the world is found in every effort to do BOTH.