Help!

Hillsong United produced a film that was shown in theaters nationwide on November 4, 2009. The plan was to release the film on DVD in March, but plans changed when countries from around the world also began to request that the film be shown in their country. Now the tentative release date is August of 2010.

Before going further in this blog, I ask that you take a look at a short clip from that film. It will set the precedence for the thought in the rest of this post:

Hillsong United Clip





As I was watching that film in theaters, I remember feeling anguish over all the needs across the globe. Just barely open your eyes and you see millions who are homeless, starving, sick, or oppressed. Turn to CNN or Fox News and see the disasters that have struck Haiti, or see all of the orphans that are in Honduras, or see the AIDS problems that are in Africa. I feel like you can't really look anywhere without seeing needs that are demanding attention. And no matter who you are, or what beliefs you have, you can't help but feel for those people.

A lot of times, it is easy to see those things and feel like the problem is too big for us, and so we change the channel. Or we examine our own lives and realize that we, too, have problems, and even though they are much smaller, they are more demanding of our attention. And so whatever mindset we fall into, we always end up ignoring the the cause of those that are dying abroad and thanking God for "blessing us".

Part of me wants to veer off and address that last statement about being blessed, but hopefully your own Spirit will convict you of what is wrong about those thoughts. So for now, I am simply just going to stay on track with where I am going...

I don't know if you have seen the news this past week, but disaster has struck our own soil. There was an attempted terrorist attack in New York, a huge oil leakage in Louisiana, and massive flooding in Nashville. The latter of the three hits home with me the most due to my friends and family that live down there. As I have been in touch with them and following the news, here are some of the things that I have found:

Thousands of houses have been completely destroyed, and most homeowners did not own any sort of flood insurance (Nashville never floods). More than 7,000 people have been declared to be officially homeless, in addition to those that already were. The death tally expects to be in the hundreds, as water has still not even gone down far enough to check in all parts of the city. Schools have been destroyed and many are cancelled for the remainder of the year. Hotels, restaurants, and businesses have lost everything. Crime rates have soared as homes are being broken into and items are being stolen. The city is in desperate need of millions of dollars to help rebuild what is one of the most popular cities in all of America.

Ok, so now we reach that point when we see how you respond. Do you simply just turn the channel again, or go on to your next website? Or do you actually stop and pray over the ways that you can get involved? If you are reading this and are part of the Christian body, then I exhort you even more to consider this. Read Matthew 25:31-46 as you do so.

God calls His church to rise up in times like this to help those that are in need. One of His promises is that He will never leave us nor forsake us, but how will others realize that if we leave them and forsake them? What an opportunity this is to show the world the love of Jesus Christ by helping those that are in desperate need! Help is needed all over the globe and if you are able to help them out in any way, then do it. Do you think that you have been blessed to simply just hang on to that? No, rather you have been blessed so that you can bless others.

If you have been blessed, like I have, then join me in reaching out to those that need help. You may have other projects or other causes to help with, but I want you to know that my dollars are going to Nashville. I don't say that boastfully, but I say that to present a challenge for you to join me in that. I have other projects and causes to also think about, but I simply cannot continue to turn the channel and move on with my life. This is what God has called us to do.

If you want to get involved, then I am going to get you in touch with Celia Quin. Celia is a teacher in Nashville and is part of First Baptist Church of Pegram. She is currently assisting in running a shelter out of her school, as they are the only school in the area that still has electricity. She also currently has connections with the American Red Cross and some other organizations because they are also running out of their school right now. Celia has said that some of the major needs right now are clothes and household items for those that have lost everything, and they are also in need of Bibles. Maybe the best way to go about giving is to send money and let her spend it accordingly.

To send a letter or money to Celia, you can do so through the following postal address:
Celia Quin
10 Erin Lane
Nashville, TN 37221

If you want to first communicate with her via email, her address is:
Celiajane03@hotmail.com


Thank you for taking the time to read this post and thank you in advance for getting involved in this ministry. I want to leave you with one final quote, and then this post will be done.


"Having seen all this you can choose to look the other way, but you can never say 'I did not know'."
- William Wilberforce