There are several things that I need to post in this category, things that reminded me of Jesus.
First is an entire blog of comments by volunteers helping out in New Orleans. The blog title is Katrina Relief, but I like the address better: whereisawjesus.blogspot.com It’s a collection of stories of how Jesus is being revealed through the efforts of these folks. It appears to be sponsored by the Tammany Oaks Church of Christ of Louisianna, but there’s a link to submit your story and to link your organization. One Columbus area Church of Christ, the Northland Church of Christ, and a Columbus Presbyterian church, Northside Fellowship are participating as well.


On another Katrina note, Keith Brenton posted about how his Little Rock Arkansas church has reached out to the families that have ended up there in a former retirement home, Parris Towers. The Pleasant Valley Church committed to furnish 40 of the apartments, but to date have filled over 150 with furniture. In the process, they been able to bring many to church with them. Keith writes:

The people of Parris Towers are the mission field that came to us. The local media took note of our response. No one prayed aloud on a street corner to attract attention to it; no one sent out a press release about it.

How cool is that?


We subscribe to The Week magazine, which is really good by the way. It has a regular feature on the first page titled “It Wasn’t All Bad” This story was in the November 18th issue:

When Israeli soldiers accidentally shot to death Ahmad Khatib, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, his family didn’t vow vengeance. Instead, they donated his vital organs, which have been transplanted into six Israelis. Ahmed’s lungs, kidneys and liver went to Israelis of 7 months to 58 years; his heart now beats in the chest of Samah Gadban, a 12 year old girl. Her mother, Yusra, hopes to speak to Ahmad’s family, especially his mother. “I will ask her to receive us for a visit,” she said, “so I can hug her and kiss her and thank her.”

Now that’s a peace plan. Did I read somewhere Love never fails?


Lastly, I’ve been meaning to point you to this post from the New Wineskins blog. It’s a powerful story about two Christian men and how their faith would one day be tested. One man, when confronted with an opportunity to be like Jesus, took it, though it meant sacrificing his life long dream and his life savings for the man who had cheated him out of it, just because that man was a Christian.

More than three thousand nights have passed since that evening. Chief still owes on his debt. Oh, he paid a token payment in the form of a few wormy sheep, but he’ll never fully repay the debt. Kiplagat has not required him to. The church has grown.
Kiplagat obeyed God, and what did it get him? It cost him his life’s savings and his dream house. But, oddly, Kiplagat says it cost him nothing. He says it gained him a friend. He says God used it to strengthened the Church. He says it built his faith. He praises God and he says his temporal losses don’t matter because: “This (pinching up the skin of his forearm) doesn’t last forever.”

You really need to go read the entire thing, it’s an inspiring story of love and forgiveness.

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