Posted on Feb. 22,2011 @focusontheheart.org message for "heart for the home" page
There are many still missing, thought to be trapped under the rubble. At 12:51 the earthquake occurred in Christchurch, so as you can imagine it was a busy lunchtime period, there was a lot of people out and about.
This is the news this morning as we awake from our nights sleep in America. Yes, the people of Christchurch, New Zealand were shocked by yet another earthquake. It was the second major quake to hit Christchurch, a city of 350,000, in five months, though Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude temblor caused far more destruction than a stronger September quake that struck before dawn on a weekend. More than 100 people, including as many as a dozen visiting Japanese students, were thought to be trapped in the rubble as darkness — and drizzling rain — fell Tuesday night. The Prime Minister John Key rushed to the city and describes it as a scene of utter devastation.
Sidewalks and roads were cracked and split, while thousands of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens and car alarms blared. Ambulance services were quickly overwhelmed, and groups of people helped victims clutching bleedings wounds, and others were carried to private vehicles in makeshift stretchers fashioned from rugs or bits of debris. "The government is willing to throw everything it can in the rescue effort," Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said. "Time is going to be of essence."
Troops were deployed to help people get out and to throw up a security cordon around the stricken area, and residents throughout the city were urged to stay home or with neighbors and conserve water and food.
This is the news this morning as we awake from our nights sleep in America. Yes, the people of Christchurch, New Zealand were shocked by yet another earthquake. It was the second major quake to hit Christchurch, a city of 350,000, in five months, though Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude temblor caused far more destruction than a stronger September quake that struck before dawn on a weekend. More than 100 people, including as many as a dozen visiting Japanese students, were thought to be trapped in the rubble as darkness — and drizzling rain — fell Tuesday night. The Prime Minister John Key rushed to the city and describes it as a scene of utter devastation.
Sidewalks and roads were cracked and split, while thousands of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens and car alarms blared. Ambulance services were quickly overwhelmed, and groups of people helped victims clutching bleedings wounds, and others were carried to private vehicles in makeshift stretchers fashioned from rugs or bits of debris. "The government is willing to throw everything it can in the rescue effort," Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said. "Time is going to be of essence."
Troops were deployed to help people get out and to throw up a security cordon around the stricken area, and residents throughout the city were urged to stay home or with neighbors and conserve water and food.
As I was reading this article in the comfort of my home this morning, my heart went out to those suffering in the midst of this crisis, but at the same time I felt helpless. I know they are suffering and that they are experiencing the worst day of ther lives, but I don't know how I can possibly help them. As I began to process this, it occurred to me that this is exactly what we are experiencing in our homes across this country of ours. Lives are being devasated by crisis upon crisis in the home and we don't know where to begin to help, so many times we just stay out of it. The last part of the article I read said that troops were deployed to help and the residents were being urged to stay home.
God help Americans to get out of this rut in the church! Sadly, this describes exactly what the majority of the people in the church are doing today! Why is this? Who told us to stay home and let the pastors go out and rescue the perishing? Can we find insructions in the Word of God to live this way? If you can find it, let me be the first to know about it, ok? Where has the sense of urgency gone for the homes in crisis? How many times do we walk into and out of church on Sunday without even looking for someone who is going through the worst day of their life? Why do we tell people to go to church when their lives are falling apart? As I read this article, I began to think about the people I met and talked to yesterday at the Community Kitchen in downtown Chattanooga Tennessee and saw how many lives have truly been touched through this effort. I talked with those volunteers who have given of themselves to reach a life in crisis. Yes, the homeless are all alone in their individual world of crisis. Every day for them is a struggle for survival, yet many of us go about with our lives as though there wasn't a problem in the world; with our earplugs in and playing our favorite songs completely oblivious to the world around us.
I'm here to tell you mother, father, brother and sister, "It's time to pull out those ear plugs and get out of our recliners and off of the computers! It's time to help the suffering people that are in our own churches, communities and cities who are experiencing crisis in their lives today!"
People who are going through the worst day of their lives without anyone to reach out to for help are out there and sadly enough, they are also in our homes sitting in the next room. Yes, just as the children in this picture have lost their parents in the quake of Christchurch, New Zealand; their are children who have lost parents right in our own churches and homes. How do feel right now for these children who have lost a mom or dad or maybe both in this awful earthquake today? Does your heart reach out to them? If so, you can do something about it! Yes, it's true, I too can do something about the compassion that I felt in my heart as I talk and prayed with the poor and sick men, women and children yesterday at the Community Kitchen.
Let your God given compassion drive you to reach out with with ever you have, to offer hope to the children; the women and the men who have recently lost a job, a spouse, a parent or best friend.
"Where are they?", you may ask. They're at your church on Sunday, at your job on Monday and even at your very own house every day of the week! Take the time to notice them and then do something to help them; offer them hope today! I challenge you tonight to ponder, "Did I really show compassion today?"
God help Americans to get out of this rut in the church! Sadly, this describes exactly what the majority of the people in the church are doing today! Why is this? Who told us to stay home and let the pastors go out and rescue the perishing? Can we find insructions in the Word of God to live this way? If you can find it, let me be the first to know about it, ok? Where has the sense of urgency gone for the homes in crisis? How many times do we walk into and out of church on Sunday without even looking for someone who is going through the worst day of their life? Why do we tell people to go to church when their lives are falling apart? As I read this article, I began to think about the people I met and talked to yesterday at the Community Kitchen in downtown Chattanooga Tennessee and saw how many lives have truly been touched through this effort. I talked with those volunteers who have given of themselves to reach a life in crisis. Yes, the homeless are all alone in their individual world of crisis. Every day for them is a struggle for survival, yet many of us go about with our lives as though there wasn't a problem in the world; with our earplugs in and playing our favorite songs completely oblivious to the world around us.
I'm here to tell you mother, father, brother and sister, "It's time to pull out those ear plugs and get out of our recliners and off of the computers! It's time to help the suffering people that are in our own churches, communities and cities who are experiencing crisis in their lives today!"
People who are going through the worst day of their lives without anyone to reach out to for help are out there and sadly enough, they are also in our homes sitting in the next room. Yes, just as the children in this picture have lost their parents in the quake of Christchurch, New Zealand; their are children who have lost parents right in our own churches and homes. How do feel right now for these children who have lost a mom or dad or maybe both in this awful earthquake today? Does your heart reach out to them? If so, you can do something about it! Yes, it's true, I too can do something about the compassion that I felt in my heart as I talk and prayed with the poor and sick men, women and children yesterday at the Community Kitchen.
Let your God given compassion drive you to reach out with with ever you have, to offer hope to the children; the women and the men who have recently lost a job, a spouse, a parent or best friend.
"Where are they?", you may ask. They're at your church on Sunday, at your job on Monday and even at your very own house every day of the week! Take the time to notice them and then do something to help them; offer them hope today! I challenge you tonight to ponder, "Did I really show compassion today?"
No comments:
Post a Comment