News
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One of My Biggest Fears in Missions
One of my biggest fears about doing ministry in Haiti is that I am going to teach our kids and others with whom I have influence in that country that they can find joy and be content in things other than Jesus Christ. I am so conditioned to equate a person's possessions and position with blessing that I am afraid I will do the same thing to my children and to our kids in Haiti.
What if the very people to whom we minister would live a life passionately seeking Christ (albeit without money) if I had not come in and told them that their career and their possessions were more important. Of course I would not purposefully do this, but what if I do this with my life and with what I emphasize?
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Our Kids in Haiti and Black Lives Matter
First of all, it is important to note that this is a blog commenting on something that our kids in Haiti talked to me about yesterday. It has nothing to do with any type of political statement (as you will see if you continue reading), it has nothing to do with the organization called "Black Lives Matter", and it is not myself or All Things New taking a stand. That is not to say that I do not have an opinion or have not taken a stand, it is only to say that this blog is not about that. -
An Update on ATN, School, and Haiti
With the school year beginning both here and in Haiti, I wanted to update everyone on what is going on with our kids and with Haiti in general. I will split the update into a few sections focusing on Covid-19, the start of a new school year, the ending of last school year, and how things are going at All Things New. -
Politics and Religion
Both of the countries that we love are at a crossroad. We can continue to move down that political divide that places party over people and tolerance over truth, or we can stand up for the people in our society who need it. Our job is to teach our children to stand for those who cannot stand and fight for those who cannot fight. How can I teach that to my children if I do not do that myself? -
How Truth Acts
If we are sitting on the sidelines, we are wrong.
If we are condemning sin without loving sinners, we are wrong.
If we are loving sinners without condemning sin, we are wrong.
If we are standing up for Biblical truth and principles while loving even the people who want to destroy us, then we are doing exactly what Jesus did...And isn't that the point?
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What is Truth?
The problem with the messiness of truth is that the concept of truth is absolute and clear. Meaning something cannot be both true and untrue at the same time and that there are certain things that are true regardless of the situation. Unfortunately, our culture has turned "truth" into anything but an absolute concept. Here are some ways we have done that: -
All Things New and Getting Through the Pandemic
This is an important update about the easiest way to donate to All Things New. As you may know, we have recently updated our website, and within th... -
Leadership and Olive Garden
For lack of a better term, I will call it the "Olive Garden Principle." The Olive Garden Principle can be defined as the idea that when a group of people (3 or more) get together to try and choose a place to eat, they always end up at the most average restaurant possible because it neither offends nor excites and because everyone can find at least one thing to eat there. -
Social Justice and The Gospel
Indifference to the plight and hurt of others goes against who Jesus is and what He taught just as much as outright hatred. Preaching a cold version of the Gospel that does nothing to help those who are hurting goes against the example we have in the New Testament of who Jesus is and what He taught. Helping others without specifically telling them of the love of GOD goes against who Jesus is and what He taught. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 10
Most orphans do not have people fighting for them, pushing them, or loving them. This is the biggest travesty in our world. That we, as followers of Christ, would forget the very people for whom He came to save. The outcast, the downtrodden, the poor of this world. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 9
There is a measured attack that we have to make on the world of orphan care. In the short term we have to care for vulnerable children and fight against anyone or anything that tries to take advantage of them. Starting new orphanages does nothing more than create more orphans while funding corrupt orphanages does nothing more than perpetuate evil. We have to find places and people that we trust and invest in them and the children they care for. In the long term, we have to attack the root of the orphan crisis in 3rd world countries and fight for children to have families in which they can grow up. -
The 2 Sides of Faith (Protests Here and in Haiti)
My point is that we know these things are going on, and in the face of people dying apart from Christ, we live our 9 to 5 lives. We teach our kids that the lessons they learn from sports are more important than the lessons they learn from Church. We figure out the next big toy, great vacation, or wonderful experience we can have even as people are dying in poverty apart from Christ. We watch a group of people (both here and in Haiti) that have gotten to the point that they believe the only thing they can do is protest, and we tell them why they are wrong rather than standing beside them and figuring out how to help.
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