I need your help!

Last night I attended worship 937, a worship service that starts at 9:37 PM Wednesday nights in the SAC at King's. There was a speaker from a YWAM centre in New Zealand speaking that night. She talked about her experience in operating a house for homeless children in a city there. She explained that she did it just to show love to others. She wants to love people as God loves people and she says that this is a painful thing to do. I think it's painful because it is unconditional. It's hard to imagine loving someone without receiving anything in return. But that is what Jesus did for us. He loved us to death and he asks nothing in return from us. I feel so guilty when I am reminded of the nature of God's love.

How do we love like God loves? Matthew 25 talks about the goats and the sheep and about how God loves the sheep. The sheep are those people that love their neighbors "just because". Matthew 25 talks about feeling the hungry, filling the thirsty, being hospitable, clothing the naked, and looking after those that are sick or in prison. Whatever we do for the least of these we do for God. When we love others, we love God.

The woman (sorry, I have forgotten your name!) who spoke last night has been called to love by being hospitable, that is her thing. She opens up her house to children that needa place to stay. I have been called to visit prisoners, that is how I love. This way of loving is often overlooked but it is important to be there with those people. It is very difficult to be in prison and they don't often get to experience the love that God offers.

Once a month I go to a young offenders centre here in Edmonton with 2 of my friends to lead a small youth group with about 10 youth from the centre. We sing songs, play games, do skits, talk to and with them, teach and learn together. Everyone that comes to this youth group has volunteered to come so I think that they are at least a bit interested in knowing more about God.

But with only 3 of us going each month is somewhat difficult for us to continue in this community. If one of us cannot make it one month then we cannot go at all that month. It would be awesome if we had more people to join us. We need more people to care about the fate of prisoners, especially young offenders in a meaningful way. So I ask you, if you are interested, please let me know if you are interested joining us in this community. We need as many people as possible to help us because next year the current group of volunteers will most likely be moving on from college to new careers and the group may have to be disbanded. I think this community with the young offenders is one that should remain.

If you are interested in joining us and helping us please respond to this note in Facebook or on Blogger. You can also contact me personally at ken.timmermans@gmail.com, phone: (780)465-3500 ext. 8541, Apartment 41 at King's.

God's blessing,
Ken Timmermans

Lamuel: A view of Christianity

This blog is intended for anyone out there who loves Lamuel and all his friends at http://objectiveministries.org/ . Objective Ministries is not a Christian website, but rather a Christian parody that might be telling the world what some non Christians think about Christianity. The character Lamuel in the kids section produces images such as this one:

This image displays Lamuel, Objective Ministries christian mascot decapitating Habu the elephant (which represents religions with many gods) while Mr. Gruff the atheist runs out of harms way. When I look at this image, Christ's love does not come to mind.

If this is a Christian, I am ashamed to be one. I am ashamed of all that things that have been done in the name of Christianity such as the crusades, killing abortionists, trying to convert natives, money extorting televangelist to name a few. I am also ashamed of all the things that Christianity has neglected such as the poor, the homeless, the prisoner, the hungry, loving gay people, caring for people with AIDS., etc,... I am sorry for not being a vessel of God's love in this world. Please forgive me.

As a Christian, I like Lamuel because it forces me to re-evaluate my purpose in this world. Whenever I think about, or see Lamuel I will think "Am I really loving my neighbor today?" Lately this summer I have felt a bit guiltily of not loving my neighbor. I am part of a small group at church and we don't do anything to help those in our community. That really makes me quite ashamed.

Christ loves me and everyone else (yes everyone) in the world that he laid down his very life to save us. God says that the wages of sin is death. The sacrifice that Jesus made saves us from death. Jesus: Dying so you don't have to. I wish I would display love like the love that Jesus displayed.

If anyone is interested about reading more about Christian spirituality, I fully recommend "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. Please feel free to leave comments. It's nice to know that people are listening, thanks!