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“What if $21 was the difference in someone hearing the gospel?”

That question has been running through my head all weekend. If I really thought $21 would make a difference in someone hearing the gospel, would I give it? Absolutely. While that may seem like a hypothetical situation, it’s not far from the truth.

Following a December board meeting, the board of Free Will Baptist International Missions made a difficult decision: In an ongoing effort to end financial shortfalls and rebuild cash reserves, the board voted to postpone sending all new missionaries—as well as veteran missionaries currently on stateside assignment—to their fields of service until “cash reserves reach a sustainable level of 10% of the operational budget (fwbgo.com).

What does that mean? It simply means this:

As of the Summer of 2012, there will be 18 missionary families that cannot serve in their field because of a lack of funding.

It’s not due to a lack of willingness. It’s not due to a lack of accommodations. It’s simply because of a lack of money. Families are ready and willing to go overseas to share the good news of Jesus Christ…we simply haven’t provided them with the financial resources to do so.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Let me introduce you to Pledge21K, an initiative to get missionaries back on the field.

Pledge21k is challenging 1,000 Free Will Baptists to give $21 per month to send these missionaries back to their field and the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Simple math will tell you that 1,000 people giving $21 = $21,000 a month and $252,000 a year.

Does that sound crazy and impossible? Absolutely. But our God does the crazy and impossible for His glory.

So here’s your challenge: Get involved with Pledge21K. How do you do it? Simple:

1) Visit the Pledge21K Cause group by clicking on this link. Join the Cause.

2) Click on the “Give” tab and sign up to give $21/month.

3) Invite your friends to join the initiative and tell them about what is happening.

4) Use Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. to spread word about Pledge21K.

5) Pray for our missionaries and pray for financial supporters.

6) Follow @Pledge21K on Twitter for updates.

This is a great day for Free Will Baptists and God’s Church.

I am 1 of the 1,000. Will you be one?

Ryan Troske has been one of my best friends since preschool. On Tuesday May 24, Ryan accepted an awesome position with the Alaska Groundfish Observer Program. I copied his recent blog post below because I think some of the people that read this blog will really find it interesting:

Before anyone calls me crazy, no I’m not joining the Deadliest Catch and going crab fishing. For those who haven’t heard, I have accepted a biologist position with the Alaska Groundfish Observer Program under the National Marine Fisheries Service. I will be collecting, maintaining, and distributing data for scientific, management, and regulation compliance purposes in the Gulf of Alaska and the Eastern Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.

I will be traveling to Seattle June 1st where I will undergo a 3 week training program. Upon completion I will fly to Alaska in a matter of days where I will begin working on commercial fishing vessels. It is a 90 day contract so I expect to make it back home in early October. If I want to do more contracts I may do a short one in November or wait and do another full 3-month contract come January. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I’m looking forward to the adventure. But as I’m sure you all know, the Bering Sea is a very harsh environment and there is a significant element of danger that comes with this position. With that being said, I would appreciate your prayers during this time. Not only for safety, but also that I may be able to reach those I’ll be training and working alongside with the Gospel.

I welcome you to experience this stage of my life with me through this blog. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stories to tell.  I’ll have a lot of down time, and believe I’ll have internet access for the most part, so I hope to keep this thing updated pretty regularly. I’m going to miss St. Louis for sure, and all those who are part of my life, but I know this path will lead to great things. I hope to see everyone before I go, but for those I cannot, I shall see you in about 4 months.

The sea, she’s uh callin’ my name maties!

You can follow Ryan’s adventures by keeping up to date with his blog: http://highfive4jesus.wordpress.com/

As Ryan mentioned, keep him in your prayers, both for his safety and for his boldness in sharing the gospel.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/kIJiUL]

I’ve been rather intrigued and quite perplexed by all of the Christian emphasis that has been put on social justice lately. Books, concerts, CDs, and websites are filled with ways people can fight AIDS in Africa and feed the poor. As I read through the Bible, and especially the book of James, I see the importance of helping those who can’t help themselves. We’re to fight for justice. We’re to protect the widow. We’re to defend the fatherless.

Yet when I look at the renewed interest in fighting for these causes, the skeptic in me asks, “Is this only just a trend?”

You’re free to call me uncaring and judgmental, but at least hear me out before you make your final decision.

The Bible speaks very clearly on issues of social justice. We can see that in the parable of the Good Samaritan. James 1:27 tells us “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” When we read Micah 6:8, we hear “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Proverbs 31:9 says, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

There is no doubt social justice is a biblical mandate. My question is: Do Christians view social justice from a biblical standpoint, or from a trendy standpoint?

A couple years ago, there was a faction of young adult Christians who were all about going “green” and protecting the planet. Their efforts went from things as small as telling people to turn off their lights when they left their houses, to telling people to take 30 second showers and buy Hybrid cars. I don’t seem to hear much about that anymore.

Unfortunately, I feel like sudden appearance and disappearance has been typical of most social justice movements that have been championed by Christians, especially young adult Christians. At one point it was feeding the poor. At another time it was fighting AIDS in Africa. Then it transitioned into providing clean water to third-world countries. Now, it seems like the next movement to take prominence is fighting human trafficking.

All of those are great causes, and Christians should be involved in doing something for the betterment of all those things. I’m even involved in helping fight a few of those things myself. But sadly, many Christians seem to jump headfirst into the movements when they’re popular, and then jump right back out as soon as they’re tired or they see another cause that seems to be more trendy.

Not seeing it? Think TOMS shoes. I don’t have to explain what they are. You know what they are. Why? Because they’re popular. Now I have nothing against TOMS shoes. The cause is a great cause. I have no problem with people buying the shoes either. But how many people seriously buy the shoes only because another pair of shoes goes to someone else who needs them? Very few. People buy them because they’re trendy and popular. If a person’s main concern was getting shoes on the feet of someone else, they could donate $40 to Samaritan’s Feet and give shoes to 8 kids. Again, I’m not blasting TOMS or people who buy TOMS. But sometimes we’re attracted to a “cause” because it’s popular at the time.

This issue seems to be very indicative of the “Christian hipster” movement. (If you are unfamiliar with the movement, I highly suggest you read Brett McCracken’s article on Hipster Faith by clicking here.) In his article in Christianity Today, McCracken says the following:

One of hipsterdom’s positive values is its concern for justice–whether it be sweatshops or sex trafficking, water wells or fiance reform. Hipsters almost always champion the cause of the underdog (immigrants, the poor, minorities) over those with power and privilege.

However, McCracken goes on to say:

[A] concern about hipster Christianity is its fundamental disposable, moving-on-to-what’s-next transience. Granted, there is a tension here, because hipsters are rediscovering ancient liturgy and hymns. But one gets the impression that these are valued mostly because they are countercultural and therefore cool in their own way. But cool is all about the “now.” It relentlessly pursues the next big thing, abandoning today’s trend for tomorrow’s with mechanistic speed and efficiency (think trucker hats or messenger bags).

Following God’s commands should not be based on what is cool or “hip” at the moment. And yet that is exactly what I see in many when it comes to the issue of social justice. When something hipper comes along, people abandon their current work for something else. As a consequence, we leave people empty and ministries in need.

One of the problems that long-standing charities face today is that people want to start their own “unique charitable work” rather than join others in something that is already established. What they don’t realize is that they are stripping resources from others who are fighting for similar causes. By trying to be “unique” and start something “new” and “trendy,” they actually hinder the resources and potential of other organizations. Then what happens when the “unique charitable work” decides to move on to something else? The results shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

Thankfully there are people who are doing things the right way. Shaun Groves has been working with Compassion International for many years. He lives and breathes Compassion. It has become a part of who he is as a musician and as a person. Zach Hunter has been fighting slavery around the world since he was in 7th grade. These guys, and many others “get it.” They understand that social justice isn’t some trendy fad that will come and go like the latest fashion. Serving others is a biblical mandate from God and something all believers should follow now and forever.

We have to quit looking at our faith as nothing more than an application for entrance into college. Many times we think if we can just add one more activity or charitable work to our resume then God will find us worthy. That’s not how it works. Salvation is through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8.9). We can’t earn our way into heaven. We can’t do enough “good stuff” for God to look at us as worthy. We are saved by faith.

That being said, the Bible is also clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We don’t do good works because we want to feel better about ourselves. We do good works to give glory to God, not ourselves.

Trendy Christianity is leaving people empty. It’s leaving workers empty. It’s leaving ministries empty. It’s leaving those in need empty. We don’t serve others to be hip or cool. If being “in the moment” is all we’re worried about, we’ll be chasing the moment for the rest of our lives. Serving others is about serving God. We do it because we’re supposed to and because we want to.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” – James 1:27

[Image source: http://bit.ly/96iTat]

For the last couple of years, I have been part of Mocha Club, an organization that exists to fund relief and development projects in Africa. They work in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Child Mothers + Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and HIV/AIDS + Healthcare.

The premise is very simple: Every month Mocha Club receives $7 from your bank account–the price of 2 mochas. That money is then used to make a huge difference in Africa.

How much can $7.00 do? $7 can feed person for a month. $7 can educate 2 children for a school term. $7 can save 1 person’s life from malaria. $7 can provide clean water to 7 Africans for a year.

My team, Won’t Stay Silent, has been supporting a Clean Water initiative. There are 300 million people in Africa who do not have access to clean drinking water. Mocha Club’s clean water solutions are freeing individuals from this devastating situation by providing water that is safe and free of disease. Through our giving, we are helping building wells in the Sudan for refugees of the Darfur genocide, who are often forced to live in wilderness areas where they have to drink muddy water, if they are able to find any water at all…

Due to the lack of clean water, diseases run rampant. Each new well is designed to serve 500 people, but our experience on the ground in these remote, insecure areas, is that they end up serving more than 1,000 people.

Once again, the premise is very simple: You only have to give $7.00 a month. In fact, once you sign up, there’s nothing else you have to do. The money is withdrawn from your bank account each month, and I can almost guarantee that you will never miss that money or even notice it’s gone.

$7.00 doesn’t sound like much, but as you read above, it makes a huge difference. Plus, when people working together, incredible things happen. Our group, Won’t Stay Silent, was started in September 2008. Since that time, our group has combined to donate over $1000.00.

If you’re interested in finding out more information, click on the following link, one of the Mocha Club pictures, or send me an email at david.jones@randallhouse.com. Click here to access Mocha Club

This post is a plea. Maybe by now you’re sick of hearing coverage about Haiti. Maybe you’re tired of seeing all of the Facebook statuses, tweets, CNN headlines, commercials asking you to text to donate $10 to the Red Cross. But the truth is, this is still a major problem. The earthquake in Haiti was only the beginning of the problems.

The people that survived the quake are now facing starvation because there is no food. Gas prices are now around $14/gallon. Think about that for a minute…the people in Haiti survive on less than $2 per day and now gas prices are $14/gallon.

In addition, people are hurt and there are not enough doctors or medical supplies to meet these needs. This is a serious serious issue.

My friend Ryan Akers has close connections with Mountain Faith Mission in Haiti. Both him and his father have been over to the country and interacted, worshiped, and fellowshipped with the people. These same people, including children at an orphanage, are now facing possible death if they do not get the supplies they need.

Here’s what Ryan wrote recently on his blog: http://run4haiti.wordpress.com/

This past week has been a big distraction for me, simply because I work with a mission that’s involved in Haiti. I can only imagine, and definitely pray for those, who are living in the midst of this nightmare.

I am truly heart-broken. My mind stays so distracted by Haiti that I feel useless in other areas. Presently, there’s about 4-5 Americans with MFM who are emailing and strategizing the best way to be very effective on the central plateau. The earthquake has happened, damaged buildings horribly, and killed numerous people. That seems bad enough, but now, as the email from yesterday proclaimed, the food supplies are being slowly shut up. There is simply not enough coming in, and what is, seems to be staying in Port-au-Prince.

That’s simply put. Here’s my way of telling you what I’m trying to say. If you are a Christian, and you have not given to this effort, then you need to. I don’t care if it’s thru MFM or some other organization, but you should be giving. It’s Biblical to give. It’s Christ-like to give.

We’re assessing how the best way to go about getting things to the people is. Honestly, there’s no simple way to do it. Roads are blocked. Air is blocked. Ports are shut down. We’re working hard to contact, make connections, and trying to get stuff down to our people. Some thoughts are to fly in to an airport in the north if at all possible. Other thoughts are to find somewhere above the compound on the mountain to have a brave soul land a plane with supplies. Other thoughts are to mobilize a truck to head to the Dominican to buy food. In truth, all of these are super difficult. Fuel is scarce. Food is scarce.

Please donate. And please pray. Pray for open doors.

Here’s what is happening. People are dying. People are dying from injuries. People are dying from hunger. People are dying from basic things that you can easily access as you read this. Think this is a guilt trip? Maybe it is. But the point is…you should be involved. I don’t care if you mail a check, donate on PayPal, or work with a local group to organize a fundraiser to give. Just do something. Move, work. In the name of Christ, look at the faces of the children in our mission. Do it for them. Feed them. Be moved by these scenes. Don’t be disconnected. Team with MFM and let’s further the kingdom.

Please do what you can to help the Mountain Faith Mission of Haiti or some other organization in Haiti. These men and women and children need your help. Even just $5 can go a long way. Put yourself in their scenario. Imagine you were not hurt by the earthquake but everything you had was destroyed. While things might initially seem okay, imagine if you had no food and there was no promise of food on its way. Now add to that injuries, disease, the death of loved ones, etc and that’s a fraction of what the people in Haiti are dealing with.

If you can give anything at all, here is the website for  Mountain Faith Mission: http://www.mountainfaithmission.com/

Ryan has set the site up to accept PayPal donations. You can also send a check. PayPal has verified the site as a non-profit organization so your donation is secure. Simply click on the “Donate” tab on the web site.

Please help!

With the devastating earthquake that took place yesterday in Haiti, something desperately needs to be done. For those of us who can’t go, we can give and we can pray.

USAToday.com has a site you can visit that lists the different organizations that are collecting money for relief efforts. This money goes toward food, water, shelter, temporary housing, medicine, etc. You can visit that site by clicking here.

Do something about this problem. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and one of the least developed countries in the world. Even at their best, they have nothing compared to those of us in the United States. Now they’re really facing disaster. If you can give a gift of $5, $10, $15 or more, please do. And no matter what, please pray for this issue.

As my friend Ryan Akers mentioned earlier today, it’s really sad that it takes something this catastrophic to get people to take action, but maybe this will cause people to take action.

If you’re looking to pray specifically, pray for the Mountain Faith Mission and orphanage. Since communication lines have been shut down, there has been no word from them since the earthquake.

One year ago I came across an organization that is doing great things around the world. Mocha Club exists to fund relief and development projects in Africa. They work in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Child Mothers + Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and HIV/AIDS + Healthcare.

As great as Mocha Club is, it’s very simple to get involved. All it takes is $7 a month (aka the price of 2 mochas, thus the name).

The team I’m on (Katie Peterson, Hannah Postlewaite, Allen Pointer, Aaron Abbott, Jessica Klug, David Gibson, and Jessica Folsom) have taken part in this for a year now and have been supporting the building of wells in Sudan to provide clean drinking water to the people. This water is saving their lives. Again, it’s only taken each of us $7 a month. The mone withdrawn monthly from my bank account, and honestly, I can say I’ve never missed it.

This is a call for more people to get involved and join our team. By following the link below or clicking on the banner at the top of this page, you can take part in saving lives in Africa for simply $7  a month–a very small sacrifice.

When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free Mocha Club t-shirt.

If you’re interested in signing up or learning more, click on the following link and help change lives in Africa:

CLICK HERE to join Mocha Club and begin saving lives in Africa

For the next few days, I have the opportunity and privilege to be part of something that is literally not of this world. The band I play in (I guess we’re a band), Surprised By Joy, gets to lead worship for E-TEAM. If you’re not familiar with E-TEAM, here’s a description from FWBGO.com:

E-TEAM is a life-changing, short-term summer missions experience for students who have just completed grades 10, 11, or 12. The program provides a week of intensive training and two weeks of hands-on cross-cultural experience where students learn from and serve with Free Will Baptist missionaries. The experience wraps up with a time of debriefing and closing ceremonies.

Groups consist of seven to nine students led by an adult couple. Destinations have included Japan, France, St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chicago, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Panama, Brazil, and Cuba.

We were blessed with the opportunity to help lead worship last year and were humbled and honored when we were asked again this year. 

When I said it is not of this world, I meant it. These are high school students who have paid or raised thousands of dollars to come and go through training so they can serve others in the name of Christ. Their trip is no vacation. They are paying to be servants.

It is simply amazing to worship with these teenagers. They have no reservations, no egos, and have given up so much to be there. 

We’ve jokingly said that our only complaint (tongue in cheek) is that sometimes they sing so loud we can’t hear our own instruments. I’ll definitely take that any day!

If you think of it, pray for these incredible teens and their devoted leaders. They are about to embark on an incredible journey that will make a difference across the globe.