Who's Judging Who?

1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  2 For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  5 Hypocrite!  First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. – Matthew 7:1-5 (NLT)

HUMOR

I’m under the firm belief that God has an incredible sense of humor.  Take my life for instance.  I can point to several times that God was trying to get my attention, through the death of a wife, a challenging divorce, near fatal car accident of my dad, etc., etc., etc., and now he has me hanging out with Jamaicans, feeding the homeless, and attending a church for broken people.  If you knew me before God got a hold of me you would be laughing with God in disbelief.  I got to witness another example of God’s sense of humor last week.  As we were doing our Thursday night food delivery we came across four young adults, late teens to early twenties.  They had just come to Branson and were living in the woods.  We saw them walking and asked them if they would like a ride, they accepted and piled into our van.  We noticed that one of the young persons had an upside down tattoo on his forehead and 2 more upside down tattoo’s on his cheeks as well as a tattoo with the word “evil” on his arm.  Nobody came out and asked but the conclusion was that at some point this young kid was or currently is a Satan worshipper.  As we got to the spot to let them out of the van we made sure to grab him, since there were about 10 us Christians in the van, hold him down, sprinkle him with Holy water, smack him with the bible, read scriptures to him and most importantly judge him before we threw him out. 

 
Just kidding, we got out with the four of them, asked questions about what their needs were, gave them some meals and handed them our phone number in case they needed anything else.  Afterwards I thought about God’s sense of humor, so here this devil worshipper is offered a ride by some folks that drive a big white van that says “Jesus Was Homeless” on it.  With an upside down cross tattooed on your forehead you are probably not engaged in a lot of healthy conversation but we just wanted to know about their needs and how we could help.  As Amy I reflected on the evening we were saddened by the fact that this individual is so lost.  I’m sure there is a lot of history in this young man’s life to lead him so far away from God.  We hoped that we were able to plant a seed and give him a fresh look at what Christianity can look like when we as Christians don’t judge and just love. 
 
While it’s truly unfortunate he chose Satan as his religion to worship, there is still a quality about his statement of faith that you have to respect.  Without even speaking about it we were all able to conclude his religion.  He is willing to be persecuted and judged by having it tattooed on his face.  How many Christians do you know that are so bold and willing about their faith that without asking them you can tell they are devoted followers of Jesus?  I suspect not many and I’m certainly not recommending that we all get crosses, the right side up kind, tattooed on our foreheads, but maybe we could do a better job of being an example of Christ by our actions.  It’s one thing to believe in Jesus and it’s quite different to FOLLOW Jesus.  I can believe in a lot of things.  Like that my truck will start, or that I’ll get wet if I stand in the rain but to FOLLOW Jesus means that I must take the ACTION that Jesus took.  Love God and truly love my neighbor, even the poor, mentally challenged, dirty, un-churched sinning kind.
 
37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you.  Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.  38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.  The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ” – Luke 6:37-38 (NLT)

VOLUNTEER SERVING

Isaiah and Grace are College of the Ozarks students that have been coming with us on a regular basis for over a year now.  It’s amazing to see young people “get it” and become unselfish in their love for other people. 
 
 “I’m Isaiah, I’m Grace, and we like it because we get to spend time together and have fun and community with other people outside of C of O.  Yeah and meet lots of crazy, funny people, and hand them food.  It’s fun.  And hang out with Dan.

Love Your Neighbor

BEING SERVED

We held our 1st “Love Your Neighbors” BBQ of 2010 at the Payless Inn on Sunday, May 2nd.  It was a great time of being able to share the gospel just by our actions of loving on the people that live in the motel.

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

WISH LIST

We are in current need of the following items: Large Print NLT Bibles

Dessert Food Items
Small 2 Person Tents
$25 Grocery Cards
Razors
Shaving Cream
Deodorant 

PRAYER REQUESTS

Ron and Nancy LaDuke – Ron had a stroke while raking ditches.  ***UPDATE*** – Ron is back at home and progressing rather quickly. 
 
Suzette Brawner – Suzette’s dad is battling cancer.
 
My mom & dad, Tom & Carol Stallings – My dad had ankle surgery about a month ago and due to it not healing properly he had to have surgery again.

BOOK REVIEWS

Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together
by Ron Hall by Thomas Nelson
Paperback
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $7.18
Buy Now
 
Great book about an affluent couple that comes alongside a homeless man and builds a relationship that will inspire you. 
 
What Every Church Member Should Know about Poverty
by Bill Ehlig by aha! Process, Inc.
Paperback
List Price: $22.00
Our Price: $21.00
Buy Now
 
If your church congregation wants to get involved with the poor or those living on the margins this is a must have book.  You will learn about the “hidden rules” of poverty.
 
 
Not Just a One-Night Stand: Ministry with the Homeless
by John Flowers by Discipleship Resources
Perfect Paperback
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $10.73
Buy Now
 
Fantastic book about a church that learned the only way to be a hand-up instead of a hand-out was to build long-term lasting relationships with those living in poverty and on the margins.
 
 
Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity
by Adam Hamilton by Abingdon Press
Paperback
List Price: $10.00
Our Price: $4.75
Buy Now
 
Great tips on how we should be looking at “stuff and money”. To learn more about Adam Hamilton visit http://www.adamhamilton.cokesbury.com
 
 
No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come-as-You-Are Culture in the Church
by John Burke by Zondervan
Paperback
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $1.78
Buy Now
 
This book is written by the pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas. It is designed for those that want to become leaders within their church but I think it’s a good read for anyone that wants to learn how to meet people where they are in life. Visit Gateway at http://www.gatewaychurch.com
 
 
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
by Shane Claiborne by Zondervan
Paperback
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $5.83
Buy Now
 
This is by far my favorite all-time book. It’s about a guy who decribes finding God among the poor. It’s all about intentional living. To learn more about Shane Claiborne visit his website at http://www.thesimpleway.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

“Love Your Neighbors” BBQ Event – At Motel 9, Sunday, June 6th from 4-6 PM.  Join us for this free and fun event celebrating the true spirit of “community”. Share life with someone that lives on the margins.  There will be food and games for the kids as we cook-out.  See all the photos from our the May BBQ on our Facebook page.
 
Payless Inn BBQ that was held May 2nd

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT US:

Volunteer – Every Thursday morning or night. 
Donate – Financially, food, services – without this we can’t carry the message.
Buy a T-Shirt – Help spread awareness and financial support
Invite us to speak – We will come to your group or organization to share what we do.
Provide feedback – Through your comments or suggestions we can create change.
Follow us – On Facebook & Twitter and invite your friends.
Forward us – The website, emails, events. You never know what might happen.
PRAY, PRAY, PRAY – Prayer for God to always be in front that we may be folllowers.

CONTACT INFO:

Jesus Was Homeless
Amy Stallings – 417.335.0266
Bryan Stallings – 417.294.1300
[email protected]