Why I'm involved in Ringgold Relief Efforts

"What God originates, He orchestrates." -Andy Stanley

We all can remember the devastating tornados that ripped through the southeastern U.S. last month. In all, 270+ people were killed by storms that badly damaged homes and cities across the region, most notably in Alabama. The storm also made its way through NW Georgia, including the small town of Ringgold. I remember watching the TV that Wednesday night thinking about what I could do to help. I had no idea where to start. I just knew that maybe I could contribute something. On Thursday afternoon, I called my uncle who is a General Manager of a Ford dealership outside Atlanta. He graciously allowed me to borrow a cargo van. Now I had a van and no supplies. I remember laughing with the guys in my small group that night about driving around a white, unmarked van. As of Friday morning I had about 6 cases of bottled water; plenty of room left in the van. I called another family friend who then went to Sam's and bought about $200 worth of supplies. Then a few friends and family bought some more stuff that Saturday. Now I needed somewhere to take it...."What God originates, He orchestrates."

This is where Crosspointe Church comes in the picture. I called the church office that Friday and spoke to the pastor, Ron Tankersley, about what was going on with relief efforts.Ihad no previous connection to the church. God was orchestrating the whole thing. I took the first load up on May 1st, met with the staff of the church, prayed with them, and returned home. It was a powerful moment to share with them.

After some initial supplies, Drew (also on staff at Crosspointe) said they really needed some chainsaws to help people remove trees. I have never operated a chainsaw in my life, but I knew a few people who might be willing to help get some to Ringgold. A friend from 12Stone offered to buy two saws, then another friend bought one, then my uncle's Sunday School class at a church in Cumming bought one, then his Ford dealership bought the last two. Now I had saws to buy but no place to buy them..."What God originates, He orchestrates."

This is where Sosebee Automotive comes in the picture. A friend of mine suggested I get in touch with the owner because he wanted to help with relief efforts. I called him and, as they say, "the rest is history." Sosebee allowed me to purchase 6 saws at cost and then gave me 3 rentals to use for free. I was leaving the parking lot and the owner stopped to have prayer with me about the trip. God orchestrated this part of the story too.

My involvement in Ringgold is really a result of acting on the prompting of God and then having to trust Him to work out the details. I plan to continue to be involved in the efforts to rebuild the area. We are planning workdays next Saturday, June 11th, and again on Monday and Tuesday, June 13th-14th. A group from Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship will be there June 18th.

I don't know why God prompted me to be involved in helping in Ringgold, but I have been tremendously blessed because of it. The mission of God is bigger than us.

Stop Serving God

Ok, if you're raving mad and want to shoot me an email saying, "Serving God is what we are supposed to do!", let me finish the thought:

Stop serving God, and let Him serve you.

This past weekend my Dad and I enjoyed a weekend in Topsail Island, NC. I had never been to the outer banks before, but it was awesome. Dad's friend, Don, lives on the northern end of the beach; no commercialization, no crowds, no "wife-beater" t-shirts, and no spring break teeny-boppers. It was a great time to relax. When we got there, Don welcomed us and served us the entire time we were there: cooked three amazing dinners (including fresh shrimp, oysters, clams), and three breakfasts. He never asked us to do one thing to help, even though we offered on several occasions and even expressed that we didn't need him to cook all this food. I was at first feeling a little guilty that we were being treated like kings without doing anything. Then I realized that serving us is what brings him joy. He delights in it.

In his book Desiring God, John Piper has the same thought:

"The discovery was that we do not glorify God by providing His needs, but by praying that He would provide ours-and trusting Him to answer."

"God's insistence that we ask him to give us help so that He gets glory (Psalm 50:15) forces on us the startling fact that we must beware of serving God and take special care to let Him serve us, lest we rob Him of His glory."

"Acts 17:24-25 makes this plain:

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."

Isaiah 64:4 also reveals this truth: From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no one has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him.

This truth did not impact me until recently. Most of us, I fear, are trained to believe that our responsibility as a Christian is to build a biography of service to God; a list of accomplishments for the kingdom. I think this temptation is great, especially to pastors. The pressure to prove our worth can drive us to working for God in a way that actually insults Him. God wants and deserves all glory. That means a little more dependence, helplessness, and humility on our part. That might mean we need to shift our thinking from "What can I do for God?" to "What do I need to allow God to do for me?" God desires to serve us. He's a foot-washer and a waiter (John 13; Luke 12). The reality is that there is a wrong way to serve God. This wrong way robs Him of glory.

Is the way you're serving God robbing Him of glory in serving you? The solution might be to stop serving Him and take a seat at the table.