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A mother peeked her head into her newborn’s room and caught a quiet glimpse of her husband gazing at the crib in retrospective thought. She stopped and leaned her head against the doorpost, soaking in the tender scene.

Finally breaking the silence, she whispered her question, “Whatcha thinking about, Hon?”

Her husband shrugged a little and said, “I’m trying to figure out how they can build a crib like this for just $39.95.”

With all that’s going on in the world right now, and knowing that God is watching all of it, maybe you’ve wondered, “what is God thinking about right now?”

There could be much speculation in the answer to that question but there is one answer that I don’t have to guess about and neither do you.

Souls.

God still has the world on his heart.

He still “so loves the world” to the point of having offered his perfect Son as a sacrifice.

God doesn’t need people.

But he loves people.

And because he loves people he sends people – gospel-bearing people like you and me – to let them know that.

That’s why the “into all the world” part of the Great Commission still matters to God.

Because God doesn’t just love American middle-class churchgoers.

He loves the poor, the rich, the up-and-in and the down-and-out, the working class, the lower class, skipped-the-class and even the got-no-class.

He loves the red, the yellow, black and white, mixed, neutral, melatonin-altered, albino and the heavily tattooed among all the above.

He love the black-haired, white-haired, blonde-haired, fake blonde-haired and striped neon-haired. (And yes, no-haired. Don’t email me.)

Jesus still has something to say to everyone about the specific way in which he has expressed his love for them.

But the formula hasn’t changed.

And here it is from Romans 10 (NIV):

How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Here it is in my own words:

The less that go, the less that hear.

The less that hear, the less believe.

The less that believe, the less call on That Name.

The less that call on That Name, the more that perish forever.

All because so many chose not to go.

The church offers the training, the resources, the courses, the steps, the materials. Everything.

Everything but the choice.

Only you can offer that.

Want the perfect opportunity? I just made a video for the most affordable and life-changing missions opportunity EVER.

And no, that’s not exaggeration.

Check out my video.

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Call Scott directly at 865-771-3281 for any info  you need.  If you have registered and need to contact  Educational Opportunities, their phone is 863-648-0383.  Ask for Fran.

Click HERE to go to our holy land page.

Not going with us?  You can still earn $$$ CASH for referring the trip.  Get the details in this video…

While Scott was at the Southern Baptist Convention, TalkSBC’s Brian Fossett interviewed him about his ministry and his views on the Great Commission Resurgence emphasis of the Southern Baptist’s. He also gave suggestions to pastors regarding using and choosing an itinerant to serve in the local church. Enjoy the video.

Scott met up with Dr. Tony Evans at the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference.  In this video, Dr. Evans shares his commitment to expository preaching and why it’s so important.  He also shares the key questions he answers in his sermon prep time as well as the key mindset he carries into the pulpit.  He is truly one of the greatest and most scripture-anchored preachers of our day.

I’ve been slaving away for the last year with a small team of very talented people to create a solution that leverages the internet to deliver more visitors to your local church than ever before.

We’ve just put up a video preview and notification page at the main site.

Please share this on Facebook and Twitter.

And of course, share it with YOUR pastor.  He will thank you for it.

After explaining to me her difficult situation, the lady who had stopped me after the service wiped her eyes and looked to the ground.

“It’s just my cross to bear, I guess.”

I understood what she meant and I certainly sympathized with her involuntary suffering she was currently undergoing.

But hers was not a cross to bear. It would be more accurately viewed as a thorn .

If we’re going to handle either one well, we need to understand the difference.

A cross is different than a thorn. To qualify as a “cross” it must be:

1. voluntary (chosen by you)
2. vicarious (on behalf of another)
3. redemptive (bringing the other closer to Christ)

Jesus’ cross was all of these, of course.

What that means for you and me is that when I choose a difficult situation or activity that is beneficial to others over and above myself (vicarious) while having in mind the goal of bringing the one who benefits toward a deeper/higher relationship to God, then that, my friend, is a cross I bear.

However a thorn is different.

A thorn is a difficult situation, circumstance or infirmity that is…

1. given by the Lord Himself,
2. designed to produce a virtue over and against its opposite (a vice),
3. a blessing to the point that were it not for the presence of the thorn and God’s promised accompanying grace, the recipient would be far worse off without it in the areas of life that matter most. (See 2 Corinthians 12)

As spiritual as Paul was, he asked that his thorn be removed. Haven’t you? God only replied, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Paul’s resulting declaration is that he can actually rejoice in this kind of thorn; and that in his weakness he finds God’s ever-present strength.

Bottom line: the presence of the thorn produces more in your life for the Lord than its removal. That’s why God has it there.

Are you wrestling with God over a thorn? It’s a situation you didn’t choose. A problem you didn’t cause nor ask for.

But in God’s sovereign grace and love, He has chosen for you what you would not, and in so doing – with infinite wisdom – He leverages the thorn to produce something in your life, something precious, that would be produced no other way.

Take heart, beloved.

Every cross and every thorn leads to a promised crown.

“Who can I trust to actually use all my donation to Haiti relief for that purpose?”

There is much concern among Christians who want to give to the relief efforts due to the fact that many of the best-known international organizations will often use funds to pad their fat budgets or worse, fund abortions and the like.

If you want 100% of your contributions to go to Haiti, choose one of the following organizations for reliable follow-through.

________________________

Southern Baptists have one of the largest and fastest emergency response teams in the world.

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Samaritan’s Purse is headed by Franklin Graham.  They are enormously efficient about getting manpower and supplies where they need to be very quickly, often when others can’t.

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