but wanted you to see our Crazy Love shirts…
Today’s service in the park {and baptismal beside the river} was awesome!! A young man who had come to help cater the picnic, listened to the service and prayed to receive Christ on the side. He then said he wanted to be baptized and came to the baptismal pool. It was amazing!! A young woman who had been baptized four years ago had strayed from God. She recently moved to our area and a couple of weeks ago started attending. Today, as we were finishing up the baptism, came forward in her street clothes and said, “I want to be baptized too. I have been running from God for almost four years. I’m running back!” A teenager who received Christ Monday night came forward after watching all the others and said, “me too”….it was such a wonderful response to God’s Crazy Love for each of us!!
here’s April, Emma & Josh heading out…
So for today’s Crazy Love Challenge….
I would love to have you bloggy friends post stories of how you are showing Crazy Love. Please don’t be shy. God’s word says {in Hebrews 10:24} “Spur one another onto good works!” Your stories encourage others and challenge friends to show God’s Crazy Love…
worked on the outside of the building…while others painted inside….
I will keep this post open for a few days – till July 2nd….. Please post your stories. Please link back here so that people who read your blog can hear about God’s Crazy Love and be challenged themselves. Please don’t be shy. Sarah, you mentioned in a comment something you and Chris did. Come on Sarah, please share it!!
I also want this Crazy Love post to include prayer requests….there are so many needs right now…health issues…adoption struggles…etc….. If you have a prayer request… please link up. A couple of posts ago some of you shared some prayer requests in the comments…please link up by doing a post….or at least put your request in this comment section. You know friends around the world will be praying for you…and it is unfathomable what God will do when His people pray together for a common need!!
So how about we keep this Challenge to stories of how you and/or your family showed God’s Crazy Love….and to prayer requests? Any other suggestions for our next challenge, I’m open. Su, you always have good suggestions, too, so share!! The rest of you out there – share!! Come on, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s keep this challenge open till July 2nd, k?
I just LOVE your crazy love! (Over here the scale is tipping closer to the crazy end, and since you didn't ask for readers to share their just plain crazy stories, I will just have to enjoy everyone elses.)
Seriously though, I just love hearing about what God is doing in your church and your family. (Love the shirts!)
As far as requests, we would love to have prayer for direction regarding our next adoption. Our last little guy just dropped into our laps, this time we are having to choose. He is the Almighty Adoption Coordinator and we are praying that God will show us clearly what child is waiting for our family.
And you remain in our prayers–for strength, for health, for healing. I know you have some big doctor's appointments coming up. May you have peace in the days ahead that our Great Physician is caring for you.
Much Love,
Kathie
Can you please throw some prayers towards two single adoptive moms who have both been unemployed for over a year. Their unemployment has expired and they are in really desperate situations now.
wonderful news about the baptisms 🙂 I am waiting to hear from someone about sharing a prayer request, I will link as soon as I hear from her. It's been something that I've been wanting to share since you've had your first Crazy Love prayer request event, and I've been waiting for this opportunity. 🙂
halleluYah!
p.s. hope Liberty is feeling better.
Prayer, please. We just moved to a new foreign country and we're supposed to be traveling to China to get our daughter #2 in August. Now, as we wait on TA, we need to find a social worker to do a homestudy update. All paths I've tried say we have to bring in a social worker from ANOTHER COUNTRY. Really? Please pray that God will reveal how HE wants this to happen so we can get our daughter home. Thanks.
Melissa
Thank you for all your inspirational post. I always
find encouragement at your site. I am asking for
prayer for my 19 year old son. He has had 2 back surgeries
in the past 2 years and is still having pain in his left leg.
He goes for a mylogram tomorrow to see if they can
determine what is causing the pain. Please pray that
they will be able to find the source of the pain, pray
that he will do well with the mylogram, and pray for
the doctors as the determine the right cause of action
to “fix” the problem. Also pray for me as I take
care of him, work, for my 2 other children, home, husband
and the medical bills; as many of you know it can drain a momma quick.
Thank you
Angie H.
angieaccoun@aol.com
We spread some crazy love by giving a donation of several thousand dollars to help bring home a little girl from our daughter's orphanage whose family was trying to raise the money to get her home. We are going to start the process to adopt again in the fall and after giving this money away we found out from my husband's work that they are going to give us an unexpected $4000 adoption grant to help pay for our next adoption. God is definitely providing!
I would really appreciate prayers for my 14 month old nephew and his parents. My nephew choked on an animal cracker over two weeks ago, his heart stopped, and things are not looking good. He is not responding to anyone and has little brain activity. His Mom, who is my sister-in-law, is only 19 and this is so much for her and the whole family to deal with.
Amy
I really ask prayer that God would provide every penny for building our house. Its only 1,000 sqft and we want to do it with cash. We don't believe God wants us to borrow money for this. And while God has been building my faith in this area, my husband is weak and worried. Please pray with us for strong faith and that God would provide in a huge way for this. Thanks.
I would love to ask for prayer for a little girl called Swallow. She is an orphan in the Butterfly Home in Changsha. (chinakidz.org)
She needs surgery because she has a myelomeningocoel (cyst on her lower back, originating from around her spinal cord). If this ruptures, she will be in a really bad way. I would love to have prayer that she will stay well while we explore options for her, and prayer that we will find a way for her to get the surgery that she needs. She is such a precious child, and deserves every chance at a great life.
Dear Linny,
I love reading everyone's comments about the ways they are showing Crazy Love to those around them who are in need. Thank you for starting this series and encouraging us all to get out of our boxes and be Jesus to a hurting world.
Whenever I read these stories, sometimes it seems like doing these Crazy Love things just comes so EASY to everyone else – like it's just second nature (which, yes, I know it should be), but I wanted to leave my comment just in case there might happen to be anyone else out there who is like me…someone else who finds doing these things HARD.
I have always had a very tender heart for those who are hurting or in need, but it seems God has really been stretching me out of my comfort zone lately. He has really been telling me I need to learn to be a DOER of the Word, not just a hearer. The specific place He's impressing on me to help, is with the people we see almost daily, standing on street corners holding signs that say things like, "Homeless, hungry, please help."
I have cried many a tear at my lack of obedience as I've driven past without stopping, when I knew God was telling me to help. WHY is it so hard for me? I don't know, but I DO know this is where God is working on me right now. So here is my story, that I hope will be an encouragement to someone else…
Today I was on my way to work and I had to stop and get gas. As I pulled into the gas station, I passed a man holding a sign similar to what I described above….and I knew. I felt God tugging on me to stop and offer help. I literally said out loud, "Oh, God, really?" (just being honest here) I continued into the gas station and sat arguing with God the whole time the gas was pumping.
As I started out of the gas station, I stopped the car, debating over which way I would turn. Would I obey Him? I knew I couldn't live with my decision if I didn't. So I turned the car back toward the man, saying "God, WHY is this so HARD?!?"
I pulled up beside the man, rolled down my window and asked him if he had had breakfast. He said no, so I asked if I could buy him something from the Whataburger that was right across the street. He said yes, please, so I got him breakfast and when I came back, he had moved to a place where I had to get OUT OF THE CAR and walk to take the food to him [man, God was really making this hard on me! 🙂 ]. He was very thankful, a very sweet man with beautiful blue eyes, and it struck me that he has a story…a life…that this state of homelessness is not all that he is.
When I got back into the car I started to cry again. Not so much because of the man's plight, but in anger at myself because doing these things is so HARD for me, and I don't want it to be. I want it to be second nature for me, too, like it is for others. I don't know why it's hard. Fear? Embarrassment? I don't know. I just know I want to be different, and I am so very thankful that God, by His grace and mercy, is willing to give me the chance and help me to change. I am so hopeful that the work He is doing in me is preparation for greater things to come!!
I'm sorry for posting an entire essay in your comments, Linny, but I just wanted to share my story in case there's anyone else – – surely, surely I'm not the only one?? – – who WANTS to be a Crazy Love giver, but is having a hard time finding their way. I just wanted to encourage them to TRY. Just start with one thing and ask God for courage to do more. God is patient. He is loving and kind. He knows our struggles, and I want to believe that He is pleased when we TRY, even when our efforts may be messy and awkward.
Thanks, Linny, for all you do. Lots of love to you….