Legislating the poor

“Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can’t give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea they don’t have to work because the other half’s going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea it does no good to work because somebody’s going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation.” -Adrian Rogers

Help needed

Our ministry in Kampala, Uganda is in need of a small digital camera. Nothing fancy, doesn't need allot of megapixels. Just something to get some pictures on to promote the ministry there. Please drop me a line if you something cheap and no longer use. If you can help please drop me a line at tim@anchorholdsministries.org


Thank you and God bless.
Tim

Self

No one really wants to follow Christ do they? I mean think about it. A life of total self-abandonment. Forsaking all for Christ and the Kingdom of God. Caring more about others than yourself.  Literally giving all you earn to the poor and trusting in God to meet all your needs. Boldly sharing the gospel with everyone you meet, even if it costs you your life.

Mark 8:34-38, Matthew 16:24-27, Luke 9:23

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

During the time of Christ, the cross was the symbol of a tortuous death, not the view of the cross we have today, this cherished symbol of atonement. Christ always talked about the cost of following him. I don’t take the verse as being literal, meaning to take up the cross and physically die, although if you truly follow Christ that may be the ultimate price you pay. I believe Christ is talking about dying to self in order to truly live.

One of my all time favorite scriptures gives the perfect example of what Christ is talking about.

John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”.
And that is the ultimate purpose isn’t it, to produce seeds.

Dying to ones self, that totally goes against everything we are as humans, especially in our super size me society. That makes the idea of self-denial all the harder. But the cost of following Christ is so worth it, so rewarding, not only in this life, but the one to follow. From what I witnessed when my son passed away, there is no doubt in my mind that there is an afterlife. That’s for another story.

Please don’t get me wrong, when I write these things, I’m writing to myself as well. Just things on my heart that I like to share.

Blessings to you all,

Tim

Yard of hell

‎"Christ wants not nibblers of the possible but grabbers of the impossible. Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bells. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell" ~C.T. Studd

Please read

Our dear pastor and friend in Uganda is asking for our help. He has exhausted all his financial resources serving the church and now faces eviction from his home. Follow this link to find out how you can help more...
http://www.anchorholdsministries.org/news_help.html 

Thank you and may God bless you,
Tim

John Lennon

Today December 8^th 2010 is the 30^th anniversary of John Lennon’s murder. I miss John Lennon! I know, I know, all you card carrying Christians are screaming foul right about now… but hear me out. Yes, John did not believe in a God in the same way we do. But there are allot of Christians out there who could learn a few things from John.  What made John so special? He was a doer! He saw a wrong and would do everything he could to make it right. Social injustice (which we in America are going to be experiencing more of), the rights of all mankind, the true cost of war and that love is really all you need.  Now granted, the love John spoke of was not the same as John 3:16, but a love never-the-less that put your own life above another’s… sound familiar.

We have many shining examples of doers just like John, George Clooney comes to mind. With all his riches and fame, he values the lives of those who are not able to take care of themselves more than his own. Bono is another, Bill and Malinda Gates are another. They use not only their money but the fame as well to bring the spotlight to a desperate need.

We may not have the money or the fame, but there is still so much we can do. God has given each of us a gift/talent for His glory. By helping our fellow man where ever he is and what ever condition he is in. we bring glory to the father in Jesus name. After all, Christ is our model, and He gave all for us, should we give any less for Him.

Peace,
Tim

What are you listening for?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

An Indian was walking in downtown New York City alongside a resident friend. As they approached a busy street corner in the center of Manhattan, the Indian seized his friend's arm and whispered, "Wait. I hear a cricket." "Come on!", the city boy sneered, "This is downtown New York -- how could you possibly hear a cricket?" His friend persisted however, "No - seriously, I do!"

As cars were roaring, horns honking, people shouting, brakes screeching, cash registers clanging, subway clamoring and people bustling about, the Indian began leading his friend along slowly, every now and again stopping and turning his ear toward the seemingly noiseless sound. At last, the Indian insisted they were near and proceeded to follow the sound across the street and toward a small dark corner next to a graffiti covered wall. There, he bent down to a miniscule tuft of grass and pulled out the cricket. "I told, you", he said, "I heard a cricket."

Astounded, the New Yorker marveled "How could you have heard that cricket in the middle of all this noise?" "Well", said his foreign friend, "My ears are different from yours. It simply depends on what you're listening to. Here, let me show you what I mean." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change --a couple of quarters, three or four nickels, and a dime and a few pennies. "Now," he said, "watch this." He held the coins waist high and dropped them to the sidewalk. At once, every head within nearly a block turned around and looked in the direction of the Indian.

"You see, It all depends on what you're listening to."

To what sounds are our ears trained to listen? Are they trained to hear the sound of money, of gossip, of complaining, of worldly things or are they trained to hear the still small voice of the Most High, directing and advising us in the way we should go?

Invisible People

I wanted to share an amazing website with you. It's called In "Invisible People". Founder Mark Horvath is doing an amazing job bringing the flight of the homeless to the forefront. The numbers Mark presents are staggering, but what is worse is that these numbers are only going to get worse... allot worse.

http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/

Please take a moment and browse their website. maybe post the sites information in your Facebook, Myspace or Twitter pages.

Thank you and God bless,

Tim