Among Us.

This past Saturday, at Cross Point Community, we had what we call "Serving Saturday." A chance for us to say "thanks" to the surrounding community by serving their needs, whatever they may be. Over 450 people showed up to help. An amazing day where God's love was shown to many many people.

As I looked around at everyone helping, I couldn't help but wonder what their own personal needs were. I was recently reminded that the person serving next to you might just be in need of a blessing themselves...

As I opened the storage building in Louisville, KY, I was floored. It was full. We loaded up every item in the building into the U-Haul and drove back to Nashville.

As I opened up the apartment door in Nashville, I was floored. It was empty. She had been sleeping on the carpet with a pillow and blanket... for 6 months.

She had showed up for every community group meeting and shared many things about herself. You would have never guessed that all she basically had was a roof over her head. Couldn't afford to hire movers to bring her stuff to Nashville.

As I watched 12 people from our community group use a Friday night to help unload the U-Haul, I was floored. The girls had started unpacking her dishes and were washing them all and finding a home for them. The guys were busy doing their best interior design impersonation, moving furniture around for the best "look."

This is what Jesus meant by "loving one another." Serving each other's needs by giving them your time and love.

As I left that night, I was floored. I had just experienced a community of believers showing selfless love towards one "among us." Let me never forget to bless those "among us."

Apple pies and coffee

I just walked into my room and saw my bed.

I am about to get underneath the covers and sleep soundly in a heated home. I will wake up refreshed tomorrow, ready for what the day brings me. How badly I take that for granted.

Tonight, me and some friends headed out in the bitter cold to hand out clothes, apple pies and coffee to the homeless. I went into it expecting to "feel" something, whether it be self gratification or God's approval. I felt nothing the entire time.

Until I saw my bed.

That's when my heart broke for the men and women we spoke to tonight. They were bundled up on benches preparing for a long night and eagerly took our coffee and apple pies. They were all very thankful and responded in an unusual way when we told them that we just wanted to share God's love. They would say, "I know I am blessed".

Could I say that if I was in their situation?

I was the one who got the blessing tonight, because my eyes were opened a little more to this world that we live in and what my role is while I am here. Why should I feel God's approval when I was just doing what he does for me everyday: showing love.

"This is the story of God: It was not enough to send an angel or prophet or any other, for an issue of love, you must go yourself. And so God came. This is the story of Jesus." - Soul Cravings

Without love, there is no God. Without God, there is no love.

Showing others love is a lifestyle, not a diet.

So thank you to David, Darryl, Gary, Michelle, Tony, James, Dwayne and Marco for blessing me tonight. I pray that you are warm and that you know that God loves you.

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Quick story about Marco: We couldn't tell if he needed help or not and didn't want to ask him if he really didn't. It wasn't until we saw him picking up something off the ground that we decided to move in. He quickly and graciously accepted what we had to offer and then said this:

"I just picked up a penny that was on heads off the ground and then you showed up. I was like...Man, that was QUICK! Usually it takes a while for the good luck!"

Soul Cravings - Intimacy

I am currently reading a book called, Soul Cravings and it has already opened my eyes to what my soul craves. I am barely 50 pages into the book and I have already learned about my craving for intimacy and what that means.

I wanted to leave you with some notes that I jotted down that deal with love. Once we accept that we are designed for love, then we can learn about our soul cravings, understand them and know where they came from.

A few things I have learned:

- There is no subject more discussed among human beings that is more captivating and more elusive than love.

- How is it that the same thing that can make your life a rhapsody can also leave you gutted, like a dead fish wrapped in a
day-old newspaper.

- The more you love someone, the more the person can hurt you.

- Sex is a shortcut to love. There is no such thing as "free sex". It always comes at a cost. Either your heart, or your soul.

- To give up on love is to choose a life that is less than human. To give up on love is to give up on life.

- The most powerful evidence that our souls crave God is that within us there is a longing for love.

- We are created to know God and to know love. It is love that moves God toward us and love that pulls us toward God.
Follow love and it will leave you to God.

- Without love there is no life. To love is to be fully human.

- God is the One we deserve the least, the One we need the most and the One who desires us the most.

- If God is love, it is maddening when we are running from God and yet searching for love.

- It is insanity to run from God and search for love.