Every day we make choices, decisions that affect our lives and the world around us. Many of us choose to live a more comfortable, busy life with even more “stuff” that will bring us even more joy and satisfaction. We work hard, we deserve it! We live for this moment in time as if our life here, on this ball of dirt is eternal. We live this way in spite of the known reality… we have but a few decades at best and it is over. It is done.

   Most of us are intelligent enough to know that when our time here ends, as Christians we only have three distinct choices. Yes, of course there are a few other religions and native groups with definitively different beliefs, but for most who visit here we hold our hope in three choices. One is; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We simply live; we die, and return to the earth. Almost as if nothing for nothing, our life but a cosmic mistake! Two is a belief in an eternal life based on our “goodness” on earth during our short time. If we are “good” for the most part a benevolent, all loving, and forgiving God will grant most of us a ticket to Heaven. While for the very, very bad person, there exists a place called Hell that is somewhere down there for a very few! Third there are a few that live their lives according to the “word” of the bible and the teachings of Christ Jesus. Here most believe that eternal satisfaction in Heaven is to gain only as a result of “committing our lives to Christ” The words, commands, and teaching of Jesus is sprawled across the Gospels in red letters. He tells us exactly what we should do and expect as His “follower”. If one would take a couple hours and read or reread the red words of the New Testament, you begin to understand not only how eternally satisfying Heaven will be; but also it is not easy to come by. We learn that being “good” will not click your ticket and following Jesus is not easy at all. There is “No easy Jesus”, but He is the only way.

   So those of us, the seven founders of Empowering Partners… we have decided to live out our lives and make them count for Christ. I personally don’t think that we can ever just will ourselves to be a disciple of Christ. We must have that love relationship with Him, a love that shows, that drives our work, worship, and prayer. A love that couldn’t possibly come from within us. As we return to service in Haiti… it is with the compassion of Christ for those we share life with. Don’t waste another day serving yourself, your kids, or anything else. It is a distraction from what really counts. How can we sit in the richest nation on earth with all our stuff… while a short distance off our coast, on a small island, there are 11.5 million people that are in the greatest struggle of their lives. In a place where many, maybe most lack life’s most basic necessities, often living a life unaware of what Christ truly calls all of us to. When Jesus looks at us what does He think? Often I believe He might think, Oh how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 

Let’s Do This…