" Vain Religion"

Whats up friends of FFLM? A big thanks to all the support we have been given lately by all our faithful partners. It is a great privilege to do ministry, and be involved first hand in God's plan. We have been walking through James and have come to the tongue. Looks like our tongue is connected to more than our mouth.

What does your religion look like to others? You know religion has a goal, it is the goal of our religion to change us, and bring us to God. If we are not constantly guarding our heart, we might reduce the power of the Gospel to a stage show. Its just not enough to be a "Good little Christian".

James 1:26-27 (New King James Version)
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

2 Timothy 3 tells us that in the last days people will become:
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. The Gospel is the power of God, and should effect us when it comes in contact with our hearts. We cannot deny the power by becoming consumed with ourselves and therefore cheating ourselves and others of His transforming power. Outward works are only a fassad and only a form of godliness.

How many times have you heard a person justify their life style by saying: " Christians are no different than me" so why should I be a Christian?

Matthew 12:34-37 Jesus said:

34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We cannot see the heart, but James 1: 26 tells us that we can see the condition of our heart by looking at our tongue! If we think we are religious yet use no self control when we speak we are deceiving:

1.Our friends? 2. God? 3. ourselves?

If you chose number 3 you get the prize, and if you choose to speak evil to others and about others your religion is in Vain.

Check out vs. 27 for a true religion!

We had a big crowd this week. It was great! Also, the picture above is of homeless Eric. He has just returned to Greenville from visiting relatives in his home town. He has been a friend of Food for Life from the inception of our downtown ministry.
Paul

One More Layer of the Homeless

It would probably shock you if you volunteered and recognized a homeless person. That has happened more than once. Some volunteers have recognized individuals that they had known when they were younger. One volunteer in particular recognized his best friend when he was in high school. Another, last Tuesday, recognized a previous supervisor. She reported to him at her job and now she served him as a homeless person. We all agree that in this tough economy many individuals and families are just one pay check away from homelessness, but it really becomes a reality when you see someone that you know. These individuals seem to have become another layer of homeless on the street.

Every Tuesday night, Paul will ask the audience why we come downtown. His answer is always the same, for the Gospel. So the most important time is the study of God’s Word. Currently Paul is walking through the book of James. Last Tuesday, he taught on James 1:20-25. These passages focus on not only being a hearer but also a doer of the Word. Many people who go to church and hear the Word may deceive themselves thinking they are a doer because they attend services. When you allow yourself to think along those lines, you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and then goes away forgetting what he looks like. In the same way, a man can read or hear the perfect law of liberty (Bible) and not recognize how it should change not only his thinking and but also his behavior. Paul gave a personal testimony how when he was first saved that he would read the Bible, then he would meditate on the passage, and then look for a way to carry it out as he came in contact with people during the day. So he starts by reading (a hearer) and then thinking about what he reads (meditation) and then finding a way to apply it in his life with someone (a doer).

We had a good crowd last Tuesday night. We served 72 meals with the assistance of 18 volunteers. A special thanks to Tim's daughter who provided baked bread and fresh vegetables for our meal. She did this for a Girl Scout project.
~Marc

Homeless Have Talent

I am amazed that many of the homeless have talents. I don’t know why I feel this way since all of us have different gifts whether we are homeless or not. I know there can be different reasons why each of us don’t use our gifts for our benefit as well as others. One such person is Shawn (right in picture), can detail a car like I have never seen. He worked on this Corvette for over two hours and detailed it out for any car show. It was obvious he was not doing this totally for the money, but that he really took pride in his accomplishment. I would highly recommend him.

Then there is William; he makes walking sticks. Not just any old walking stick but he carves pictures and symbols in the wood. Any hiker would love to show off one of his creations. Every Tuesday he comes in with one that he is working on. I enjoy seeing the progress he is making and marvel at his skill.

Also, there is David. He does not create anything that I know of. He just reads a lot. I mean he reads walking down the street. Now to me, that is quite an accomplishment. On Tuesday nights I enjoy checking out his novels and sharing with him books that I read. But he is not only a reader but also a singer. One Tuesday night we finished singing some hymns and was just getting ready to pray for the food when all of sudden he started singing a hymn acapela. We were shocked that he was singing so well. It was a special night for all of us.

All of these individuals are homeless. Some live on the street or may live at the Salvation Army or the Mission. We realize each week that their position in life does not define their God given talents and gifts. They all want to express themselves and enjoy the fruit of their labor. Some times it can be difficult to do that on the street.
~Marc

Homeless Advice

We usually always have volunteers that are more than happy to work in the kitchen. The only exception may be washing dishes. But last Tuesday, these ladies were exceptionally happy working in the dish pit. It takes everyone working together to get the job done. Every job is special. Last Tuesday we served 82 meals with the assistance of 18 volunteers.

If you talk to enough homeless, you can get some unusual advice. For instance, one of our volunteers, Bo, was talking to Frenchie who gave him some love advice, he said “tell them they’re beautiful, but don’t stalk them”. I guess he had learned that from experience. Frenchie has been attending Food for Life off and on for about 6 years. He always comes in with small roses that he gives to the female volunteers.

Also, another homeless who sleeps in a tent had given us some advice on the dos and don’ts on a cruise. His advice was "not to hang over the rail of the ship late at night if you have had a few drinks". We told him that was good advice but we probably would not be having any night caps on our cruise.

Last week, homeless Eric showed up after being absent for over a year. We had heard that he had returned to his home town to live with his cousins. But the only explanation he gave us for his absence was that he had been on a sabbatical. I wondered, can a homeless person be on a sabbatical, regardless, we were glad to see his smiling face.
~Marc

Hope for the Hopeless

Ministering to the homeless and poor can be rewarding and at the same time can be discouraging. It is rewarding when we see individuals get off the street and lead a productive life. Usually these kinds of folks are the ones we provide assistance on a weekly basis in the form of medication refills, gas for their car, phone cards, or a hot meal on Tuesday night. This takes care of some of their problems for that particular day. Other days they may rely on other ministries for their necessities. Many of these individuals are living in temporary shelters and some times are families with small children. They have hope.

Ministering can be discouraging when you see the over whelming abuse of alcohol. Last Tuesday we had a number of individuals who had been drinking and were either totally drunk, or in between drinks and just had the shakes. One individual told me that alcohol had stole his life. He said that alcohol is the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up on the street. It seems to be their medication for dealing with their situation and it just consumes them. Sure there are some who may use illegal drugs, but by far alcohol is the number one drug of choice for the homeless because it is cheap and legal. I always wonder what road these folks took to get where they are now. I am sure it was slowly one day at a time. Just having few drinks then over time finding out they could not do without a drink every day. Then from there to losing their jobs and then their families which mean they have no support. To climb out of that hole it must be done slowly through intensive therapy which many are not willing to do. Most just give up and accept their situation. We know that the Gospel can transform their lives through His Spirit. So that is our and their only hope. That is why we come down town every Tuesday night.

Tuesday night we served 95 hot meals with the assistance of 18 volunteers. We had some first time volunteers from Springwell Church in Greenville. As always, we had many of our faithful volunteers show up and work in the kitchens and spend time with the homeless. It definitely is their Ministry too.
~Marc