I Think I Can Fix This!

People love to fix things. Some are better fixers than others. If you're like me, fixing is not a forte. I mean, I can change a light bulb and clean my gutters, but let's leave it right their. Projects around the house that require a little more than a Phillips screwdriver or hunk of duct tape are beyond me. Fixing is not for me.

The same applies to the human heart. I can't change it. You can't change it. Only God can change a heart (and He does it so masterfully). We try to fix ourselves up for God, but He vomits at our self-improvement efforts. We need Him way more than He needs us. Brennan Manning said it like this: "Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat denial of the gospel of grace. Our approach to the Christian life is as absurd as the enthusiastic young man who had just received his plumber's license and was taken to see Niagara Falls. He studied it for a minute and then said, "I think I can fix this".

God is an expert at fixing things. He loves to take things that are broken and fragmented and fix it. He loves to take a person who has exhausted all options of change and do for them what they are unable to do for themselves. I love to hear stories of people who know the true fixer and than trust in Him alone to do the fixing. I love when someone is convinced that God is still faithful and they become personally responsible for a spiritually lost friend, neighbor or relative.

At my church, our junior high students have been working through a series, The Greatest Cause. Students have been challenged to embrace the Greatest Cause in the world---taking the person and message of Jesus to their friends and family. We've been teaching our students some simple ways how they can share Jesus...and then motivating them to be bold and take a risk and to actually share with their friends.

I received a phone call this past Thursday from an adult that works with our junior high students. She took personally the challenge to share Jesus with a friend. She called up her friend and told her that there was something that she needed to talk with her about. She then took the step and made her way over to her friend's house. And then this junior high leader told me that after she explained who Jesus was and what the Cross is all about, her friend wanted to accept Jesus Christ into her life. YES! That's right...as I listened to this story on the phone, I couldn't help but get excited. The idea of a dead person finding true, eternal life gets me excited. You see, the One that did the fixing was God. It wasn't this faithful junior high leader who shared nor was it this friend who recognized her need for God. The One who does the fixing and the renovating---is God.

Make no mistake about it. God is really good at fixing people. Who are you trusting Him to fix? Who are you asking Him to fix? If He has fixed and changed your heart...pass it on. Share the light. Spread the life. Don't keep this change all to yourself. Be bold and start pursuing those who need to be fixed. You'll be surprised what God may do---if you simply step out and follow Him.

Try it today. Go take a risk!

Loans + Opportunity = Hope

Loans + Opportunity = Hope.

When a loan is given to someone in poverty and they take the opportunity to be responsible, hardworking and diligent, they are in turn given hope. People in poverty have little hope. The purpose of micro-lending is to come alongside some the poorest people and give them a loan when typical banks typically don't give them a chance. The purpose of these loans is to give dignity to the poor, and ultimately lift a person from the nasty grip of poverty. That's what I've been doing the last 6 months...loaning money to people in a village 28 miles outside of the capital city of Burkina Faso in West Africa. Friends and family have joined me in helping empower the poor so that poverty no longer has a hold on their lives.

Recently, more monies were wired to our loan officer who once again loaned these monies out to women who had sustainable business plans. The women are working hard to repay their loans as they've formed solidarity groups which provide mutual support for each other. One of the solidarity groups had a business plan. The plan was to purchase a machine that shells the peanuts that they grow and then sell these peanuts at local markets. So, they purchased the peanut machine. You can see the pic to the top left of this post. As this machine is utilized, women will be able to be more efficient and ultimately produce more and in turn, make more money. This is the power of micro-credit...giving small loans which in turn empower the poor.

I'm not doing this because I have a lot of money. I'm not doing this because I want to make money. I personally don't make a dime. The reason why I lend money to the poor is because God has compelled me. I lend money to the poor, because I believe that Jesus Christ can change lives. I believe that His power and His Word has the ability to transform lives. When we give loans, we share Jesus. We tell our clients that true hope and true peace can only come from a friendship with God...through Jesus Christ. This is why I lend money.

Most of our loans are $25-$100...

Will you join me?

If so, contact me for more info at lendingtothepoor@gmail.com