Do you see her?

I was very moved this week by a story of out Luke 7.

This woman, who is probably a prostitute, shows up at this religious guy named Simon's house.  Jesus is there having a meal with other religious men, and this "notorious sinner" walks through the door and throws herself weeping at Jesus feet.  Simon is appalled that she would do this, that she would dare even walk into his home uninvited, and such a sinner.

She's broken, she's hurting, I'm sure she has baggage from her lifestyle.  And she's weeping at the feet of Jesus.

Verse 44 really hit me hard:  Then turning toward the woman he (Jesus) said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?"


Such a simple question.  This religious man saw a notorious sinner, a prostitute.  Jesus saw a broken, hurting, lost woman crying out for help.  "Do you even see her Simon?  Do you even see that she's there?  Do you see that she's a real person?  Do you know that she's a child of God?"


How easy it gets for us to not see the people that God cares so much about.  How do I view the people walking out of the bar?  What do I think when I see the single mom who can't control her kids at Wal-mart?  What thoughts go through my head when I see a business man driving a $50,000 car, talking on his cell phone?

God help me to see people the way that you do

Africa Support Letter

Friends and Family,

Last October, I preached a sermon series at our church on the topic of personal finances and what the Bible says about money.  As I studied, I found myself face to face with the needs of our world, specifically children in poverty.  I found that over a billion people in our world don’t have access to clean water, and that about 24,000 people are dying each day simply because of lack of basic sanitation.  Most of these people are children.

I began studying the Bible and found that it is packed full of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and looking after the orphan.  I began to look for ways that I could help.

At that time, I presented our church with a challenge to raise $5000 to put a clean water well in a village over seas that didn’t have access to clean water.  Also, I began a 6 month commitment with God not to spend a penny on myself selfishly, but to give the money I would have spent on myself away.  This included Christmas when my wife and I chose to not give each other gifts, but instead we gave that money away to a family in need.

In January, I began to feel God leading me to go to Africa to gain a better understanding of what my church and I can do to help.  I was put in contact with an Assembly of God worker in Ghana named Kwame who is head of “relief and development” for the entire country.  Kwame has volunteered to personally take me around the country of Ghana to see firsthand the urban and rural poverty, the AIDS epidemic, and learn about human trafficking.  I will also have ministry opportunities in some of their local churches.

The trip will be June 5-16 and cost around $4,000, which includes airfare, housing, food, and a second “in-country” flight.  I realize this amount is quite high, and maybe even ironic considering the idea of being passionate about the poverty around the world and how we spend our money.  After significant amounts of prayer, however, I feel as though God has confirmed in me that through this trip, I will be able to continue to serve my church community and God with a greater understanding of the needs around the world.

I would like to ask you to help!  I need your prayer, and ask that you would pray for me and my family as I am on this trip.  I also ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with me financially to help make this trip possible.  If you are able to support me financially, please address your gift to River of Life Church with Kyle Peterson/Africa in the Memo, and send it to 705 12^th St. S., Sauk Centre, MN 56378.  If possible, please send your support by May 15, but any gifts received after that date will still go to the trip.  All financial gifts will be tax-deductible.

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support through the years.  God bless.

Learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow  - Isaiah 1:17

Kyle Peterson

Sharing Christ

As Christians, I think we all agree that sharing Christ is part of our "mission".  We hear about it on Sundays, read about it in our Bibles, and just plain know it's what we're supposed to do.  Why do I feel like we really just stink at doing it?  Do I really care if my family and friends know God?  Do I really care that the city I live in is lost?  Do I really care about the people in Africa who don't know Christ?  Or am I so focused on my own life, and my own situations, that it just isn't a priority?

Jesus came to seek and save the lost
Jesus came for the unrighteous, not the righteous
Jesus hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners

I know these verses, I understand the mission, and I'm full of excuses.  Change me God