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

Overwhelmed

Ever just feel completely overwhelmed?  Like there's just too much to do and not enough time to do it?  Or maybe life just seems to catch up with you all at once?  Yeah, I've been there too.  In fact I came across this picture that I think tells the story pretty well:

So tired, so stressed, so much to do, so hurt, so overwhelmed.

What did Jesus do in these situations?

He Prayed

I know this is the last thing we want to do when we're hit with these days, but the Bible says: "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray" (Luke 5:16).  And with the crucifixion on the horizon, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  He is overwhelmed to the point of sweating blood, and he goes to his heavenly father for help.

There is health in prayer, there is peace in prayer, there is direction and focus in prayer.

The Narrow Road

Jesus uses this phrase, "the narrow road" a few times in the Gospels.  In fact he actually says, "narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matt 7

Jesus is speaking to crowds of people, a mega church in a sense, but he knows better than to think that they all have this figured out.  In his words "few" actually find it.  How many people in our churches today, think they have this figured out - but are greatly mistaken?  How many "Christians" are actually on the wrong road?

"Why do you call me "Lord" but you do not do what I say?" - Jesus (Luke 6:46)

Thou shalt not covet?

The Bible talks a whole lot about money.  As American's I don't think we really want to know what it says.  We have come up with all of the excuses under the sun as for why these passages don't "apply" to us.

Here's the problem:  There's no way around it, we have a problem with greed and coveting in our culture and in the church.  It is just normal life.  We are bombarded with commercials telling us what we need, TV shows showing us what's lacking in our home, and the internet always there to make sure that we don't fall behind in the latest trends.  From technology, to transportation, to fashion, things are changing every day and we feel the need to keep up.

What's interesting to me is that "coveting" made God's list.  It's actually a part of the original 10 commandments that God gave to Moses.  Coveting is placed right along side murder, adultery, and worshiping idols.  But how many of us aren't looking at our neighbor's car, home, TV, or oxen (to throw in the OT a bit) and wishing we had that for ourselves.

Well enough blogging (on one of my 3 computers) for today, I'm going to Wal-Mart.

Hypocrites

Jesus seemed to like the word "hypocrites".  Just about everytime he has a run in with the religious leaders of his day, he throws this word at them.  Jesus also spends time speaking on this topic to the crowds.

Luke 6 is a good example:
vs 39 he talks about "the speck in your own eye"
vs 43 he talks about "trees that don't bear fruit"
vs 46 he says, "Why do you call me Lord, and not do what I tell you?"

I kind of get the idea that there were a whole lot of people in Jesus' day who were doing the religious thing, but not really living it.

Sure am glad that we don't have this problem today!

Does the way I live match what I believe?  Is my life really that much different than anyone else?

1 John 3:18 Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth