MAY, 2011
Save The Date!!!
REACH Ministries Night, July 9 at Cheney Stadium with the Tacoma Rainiers
Join friends and support REACH Ministries with a night of family fun and championship baseball in the newly renovated Cheney Stadium. Call the REACH office to purchase your tickets now! $15.00 per ticket includes reserved seating, Ballpark Meal (hot dog, chips and drink), complimentary game program, pre-game autographs and a chance to throw out the first pitch! $5 per ticket goes toward REACH Camp for Kids.
This newsletter is for you. You matter...you are destined to change generations.
You are made to be amazing!
Most of the information that we provide in these newsletters is about us...about our kids...about our plans. We want to keep you informed; after all, you are the reason that we can do what we do. We ask for your prayers; we ask for your time; and we ask for your financial support in these monthly publications. We finish most of them with a grateful acknowledgement of the fact that REACH would not exist without you. However, This newsletter is for you.
You matter...you are destined to change generations.
I want to share some thoughts from Max Lucado on this subject. Let's start with a story from the gospel of Luke: "Jesus climbed into the boat that was Peter's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd." (Luke 5:2-3 MSG)
Jesus claims the boat. He doesn't request the use of it. Christ doesn't fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards the boat and begins to preach. He did that because he chose to work through Peter. And he wants to work through you. Your boat is where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your life. The taxi you drive, the house you build, the dental office you manage, the family you feed and transport - this is your boat. Jesus reminds us:
"You drive my truck."
"You preside in my courtroom."
"You work on my jobsite."
"You serve in my hospital."
To us all, Jesus says, "Your work is my work."
There is a painting titled "The Angelus" by Millet, which portrays two peasants praying in their field. A church steeple sits on the horizon. Light is focused not on the church steeple, but on the field, the wheelbarrow, the couple and the pitchfork. And God's eyes focus on the work of our hands and our mind. Our Wednesdays matter to him as much as our Sundays. Everything we do matters. One mom keeps this sign over her kitchen sink: "Divine tasks performed here daily." An executive hung this plaque in her office: "My desk is my altar." With God, our work matters as much as our worship...in fact our work can be our worship.
The apostle Peter wrote: "You are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests. You make up God's holy nation. You are His very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God." (1Peter 2:9)
You are my sunshine and my delight". "You are my favorite"! "You are my first choice"! " I love you beyond measure"! "You are my work of art"! "You are a miracle ...and all the angels marvel at you"!
Go tell it on a mountain.
Made for God's Purpose
Picture your resume. Add to your job titles: "Servant", "Encourager", and "Priest/Priestess". These are the titles that represent God. And you, my friend, represent God. Think about this...you don't drive to an office; you drive to a sanctuary. You don't attend a school; you attend a temple. Your "boat" is God's pulpit. Your words and your actions matter.
So, know that you make a difference. God encourages us to "Just do something and see what happens." Just begin!
By all means, plant it today
When John Kennedy was President, he ordered that an oak tree be planted on the White House lawn. The gardener objected, saying the tree wouldn't mature for decades. "Then by all means," urged the President, "plant it today."
And that's what you have been doing with your co-workers, your family, and your friends. Your prayers, your time and your support enable them to learn that they too have a "boat" for God's use.
And that's what you have been doing for the REACH kids. In fact, you are helping our young people to "build their boat".
Their family, their friends and school mates, their doctors, and the various people these kids will meet are influenced by them in a way that is unique.
These children are living an adventure that was written before time. And they will learn that they too represent God.
They are not destined to live in isolation. They are destined to help others, pray for others, serve others, mentor others, befriend others, encourage others, grieve with others, and bless others. All in a unique, one-of-a-kind way.
We do it together
Speaking of destinies, our Family Services Manager has been working from her "boat". She has been able to find a job for one of our youths who finds himself thrust into the world without a safety net. And, it is a job with career potential!
In addition, when a young man faced the possibility of being without shelter, she collaborated with several agencies to find a safe place for him.
School can be challenge for some of our kids (medications). When this is combined with the isolation it can devastating. It was this situation that the Family Services team encountered during one their family visits. Failing every class; and wanting to ...parents at their wits end. This young man needs a tutor, and the encouragement of a mentor. We called several local churches and will partner with one to provide a tutor! Next is the mentor...
The Life Skills Program is in full-scale development. We are working with a company in Colorado to customize an online curriculum and add seminars, workshops, outings and other components to make our program fit our kids needs.
We are able to do these things for the kids because of you. When it's all been said and done, your resume will read; "Servant, Encourager, Mentor, Friend, Supporter, Priest/Priestess. And you will have changed generations. Simply Amazing.
The REACH Team