By Ginny (MAD21)
When I heard our word for the carnival this week was Renewal, the first things I thought of were library books and subscriptions. When I asked my friends what the first thing they thought of when they heard the word, I got: another opportunity; freshness; auto insurance; vows; Oil of Olay; and spiritual. If this were one of those psychological analysis tests, I'm not sure what this survey would say about each of us, but I suppose it at least gives a little insight to where each of our minds were at the time.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
A few weeks ago we got a letter in the mail from a missionary couple we help support. They are friends we love dearly who are life-long missionaries. At one point they lived in Kenya providing medical support for the Masai and have made several trips back since then. More recently they took a trip to India. We also get newsletters from ministries like Samaritan's Purse, World Vision and Compassion. The best part of receiving these support letters and newsletters is that we get to hear updates on all the things people have been doing for the year. The many ways that Jesus is showing his love through the service of his people.
But these letters also provide something else. Because we want more than to just know what other people are doing in the name of Jesus. We want to know what our family can do to help support these ministries. These letters provide an opportunity to recommit. To reinvest. To renew our family's vision to help those who need it and share the love of God to our neighbors whether they are next door or across an ocean.
This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Peter Pollock's place.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Renewal.