Inspirations & Photography

Just recently I’ve been thinking about what my aunt said to me a number of years ago, “If I get it wrong in this life (after I die) I’ll be able to come back and hopefully get it right” When she said this to me I was troubled and began thinking about how wrong she was.  Now I am not saying that we do not get second chances in THIS life…that’s what the mercy of God is all about.  But what I am talking about is this: Once you’ve taken your last breath in this life…you do not get another chance to come back, there are no do-overs.

Allow me to share with you the same scripture that I shared with my aunt. This truth taught by Jesus himself is very clear about getting it right in this lifetime: “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his sores. Finally the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hell he lifted up his eyes in torment and saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The Rich man shouted, “Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, I am in anguish in these flames.” But Abraham said to him, “Son, remember that during YOUR LIFETIME you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish. And besides there is a great chasm (gap) separating us. So no one can cross over to you from here and no one can cross over to us from there.”  Then the rich man said, “Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.” But Abraham, Moses and the prophets (God’s ministers) have warned them, your brothers can read what they wrote.” The rich man replied, “No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent from the dead they will repent of their sins and turn to God.” But Abraham said, “If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets (God’s ministers) they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead”  Luke 16:19-30 (NLT & KJV)

As you can plainly see, Jesus is very clear about our life today and eternity.  Here was a man who had it all and yet he refused to help the poor man who was laid at his gate every day.  Throughout his lifetime this man was given opportunity after opportunity to reach out and help this poor man, and instead of helping he chose to “pass by” This true story is very similar to the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 where Jesus teaches us about compassion and how a Samaritan helped a Jewish man who was robbed and beaten. The Samaritan did not even know this man, but unlike the Priests and Levites, who chose to ignore and pass by Jewish man, he chose to help. Jesus said the Samaritan treated the mans wounds, took him to an Inn so that he could heal and rest and paid the inn-keeper for caring from him while he continued on his journey.

The man who was in torment recorded in Luke 16 knew about the law of Moses, the Royal Law of Love, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” Mathew 22:37-40.

God’s will for our lives is to not only understand his mercy but to also understand the importance of what loving our neighbor truly means.  To understand His saving Grace that only comes through Jesus and what He did for us on the cross and second to understand how the Christian, the believer in Christ is expected  to live when it comes to loving our neighbor and the importance of compassion.  Ephesians speaks of this amazing grace and what God has created us to do the moment we receive Jesus Christ by faith, “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast…FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP CREATED  IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD HAS BEFORE ORDAINED THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM” Eph 2:7-10 This means that once we receive his Grace through Jesus Christ, we are then called and expected by our Heavenly Father to GO and do “good works” which is loving our neighbor by helping the poor, those in need, showing compassion toward them. In most churches we’re taught “saved by Grace” and then they stop there. But the following is just as important…we are now “Created in Christ Jesus to DO good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them (get busy helping others!)

WHEN WE STAND BEFORE JESUS: Just before Jesus was crucified he taught the importance of helping others in Mathew 25, in fact he began teaching about what will take place on the day of judgement. He says that all nations, which means all people (including believers) will stand before Him and said, “Then the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand the goats on the left. Then shall the King (Jesus) say unto them on his right hand, ‘Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: FOR I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO EAT: I WAS THIRSTY AND YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO DRINK, I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU TOOK ME IN: NAKED AND YOU GAVE ME CLOTHING, I WAS SICK AND YOU VISITED ME. I WAS IN PRISON AND YOU CAME TO ME’…then shall the righteous answer him, saying, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you and give you something to eat? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you and stranger and take you in? Or naked and cloth you?  Or when did we see you sick and in prison and come to you?” And the King (Jesus) shall answer and say unto them, ” Verily I say to you, in as much as you’ve done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you’ve done it to Me…” Mathew 25: 31-40 Jesus taught this coming day just before he was taken away to be crucified…and after His resurrection, the church of this generation began “doing” exactly what Jesus taught them “And they continued in the Apostles doctrine (Jesus teachings of love your neighbor)…And all that BELIEVED were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions  and goods, and shared them with every man and woman that had need….And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul: Neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed (things) was his own; but they had all things common (shared with each other)…Neither was there any among them that lacked: For those that had lands or houses sold them, and brought the money of the things that were sold and laid them at the Apostles feet: And they distributed them to every man and woman that had need. Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37 The Christians, the followers of Jesus took His words seriously and began helping their brothers and sisters, obeying Jesus commandment to love one another: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another, by this shall all man know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another.” John 13:34-35. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus gave the definition of love and compassion regarding the Good Samaritan when he said, “Go and DO likewise” John who learned from Jesus also gives us a very clear understanding about love and that it is not just a word, but is in fact “action”, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion–how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other, let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God (Reach Mathew 25:31-46 Jesus shows us what he will ask us when we stand before him)…And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.”

You and I can get it right, right now, today just as the early church began to do in the book of Acts.  Jesus revealed these truths to my husband and myself nearly 12 years ago (we’ve found over 80 scriptures throughout the old and new testament regarding helping those in need) and we have been teaching His truths ever since. If you’re not a Christian yet, do as the scriptures teach, ask God to forgive you, believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, believe it in your heart and confess it with your mouth (Romans 10:8-10) and when you do a miracle takes place, God’s very own Spirit comes to live inside of you, and His Spirit is love. Now that you are saved by His Grace...go and DO what he says: Love your neighbor as Jesus taught and demonstrated in his own life (the scriptures say that he and his disciples gave to the poor). I encourage you to read the entire chapter of James chapter 2, Mathew 25, & 1John chapter 3. Also a great read along this subject is “The Hole In Our Gospel” by Richard Stearns.

By: Pastor Nina Tidwell of Ponce Church

What would you do if there was a man, woman or even a child on the side of the road hurt? Many of us would do something to help? Some may call 911 while others would pull over to see what is wrong and believe it or not, there are those who would just pass by, intentionally or even unintentionally (too busy or have “other” important things to do). Then you have the very few who would actually stop, get out of their vehicles and take the injured to a nearby hospital.

In this next story you will be amazed at “who” actually took the time while using their own resources to help another, a stranger in fact. Jesus shared a story with a man who was inquiring about how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus asked the man “what does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, ” And WHO is my neighbor?” “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion . Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, “Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.” Now which of these would say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same“ Luke 10:25-37

When I was growing up as a young Christian woman I heard many messages about “Faith” but yet very little, if any about “loving your neighbor” and what it “really” meant. It wasn’t until years later as a grown woman did I actually learn what Jesus said about the subject. I even found that showing mercy toward those in need and helping others was also a very big part in the lives of God’s people even in the old testament. Before I go any further let me settle one important truth according to the scriptures. We are not saved by works! BUT, and this is a big BUT, showing mercy and performing acts of mercy are the “fruit” of a TRUE believer, this fruit “proves” our faith in Jesus Christ and that we are his followers. Let’s take a look at what the word of God says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves (your own works): it is the Gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” (be a part of our Christian lifestyle) Ephesians 2:8-10 kjv OK, so we become Christians by believing in Jesus Christ, but then once we accept him as our Lord and Savior, now we are required and expected to show our faith (fruit) by doing good, loving and showing mercy on our neighbor. James says it quite clearly in the book of James chapter 2 beginning in verse 1, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgements are guided by evil motives?” Now let’s look at verse 14-17 “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” but then you DON’T give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds (fruit), it is dead and useless.” Continue reading

Not long ago my husband was talking to a very wealthy man that he has known for a few years and during their conversation the man shared how hard he works and began to describe all of the hours he puts in every week to get where he is at.  How many Americans would say the same thing?   Many if not most are all working to accomplish that “American” dream.

Before my husband and I were called into ministry together we were very much a part of the American dream seekers.  While living out west we were married, had two children and during our time raising our family my husband went into business for himself.  We were on our way! Every year his business became more and more successful. Compared to most, we were rich! Before we left to go into ministry for the Lord we lived in a very well to do community. We owned a three car garage two story “builders” model mountain view home complete with four bedrooms on the 2nd level and an office on the first level. The “master” suite was quite roomy with a sitting room and fireplace. The master bath included a jacuzzi tub and a walk in shower with a mountain view. Our kitchen had a beautiful view of the pebble-tech in-ground swimming pool along with a built in water fall.  According to many we’d accomplished one of the most sought after lifestyles by men and women all over the world, and we did it well before the age of 50. But yet, something was missing.

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Amid the rubbish stands one of the most beautiful sites anyone will ever see: Springtime Sakura, better known as “cherry blossom” trees.  While preparing for my trip to Japan, I look at the hard work our friends in Otsuchi are doing by helping the people that have been devastated by the tsunami that swept through their town, taking lives and tearing down many of the structures that once stood strong.  But with all of the pain and suffering, there is something more powerful than death and destruction: Life!

Jesus says in the ancient scriptures “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come, that you might have Life and Life more abundantly” John 10:10.  You may say, “Where is this Life? How can Life be present when there is so much sorrow? ” When God raised Jesus from the dead he sent His Spirit to live inside every person who chooses to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. This Spirit demonstrates the love of the Father (God) when we love those around us.  As the people of God his Love empowers us to help a neighbor living just down the street or thousands of miles away bringing comfort to the hurting.  This kind of Love is expressed with more than words, it is accompanied with action,  “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we must also give up our lives for our brothers and our sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but show no compassion–how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth.” 1John 3:16-18

Just like the Sakura trees showing off their display of life and beauty…the people of God are active all over the world  showing this  “Life”  through acts of love toward mankind.  “Let your lite  so shine that mankind will see your good deeds (acts of Love) and Glorify your Father which is in Heaven” Jesus words found in Mathew 5:16

Thank you for your prayers as I continue preparations for my upcoming trip to Japan. Below is Pastor Guna and Jey and members of their congregation returning from their first trip into Otsuchi.  They have recently returned with another team and are working to help clear anything damaged by the tsunami and cleaning the homes so the families (who are in shelters) can return to their homes. God bless them as they show the people of Otsuchi God’s love through their acts of kindness.

For more information regarding our call to Japan, read my blog titled, “Japan: Mission of Love” or go to our website at PonceChurch.com