I am so encouraged to see the continued commitment to serve the needs of those hurting in Haiti.

Pastor Dino and a team of pastors from across the country left yesterday to assess the great need and encourage those local pastors on the ground in the relief efforts. Let’s cover them in prayer as they need protection and discernment for the next steps in the ongoing process to restore this broken nation.

I also want to share a brief testimony that someone emailed me today. It is a snapshot of the youth in this community and their faithfulness to serve the hurting. It really encourages my heart to see such a spirit of generosity and selflessness in the next generation:

Today the Central Middle Fellowship of Christian Students sponsored a “Heart for Haiti” day where we took up monetary donations schoolwide. I’m proud to say that we raised $1,558.11….that’s an average of more than $3 per student. We are partnering with the FCS clubs at S.A.H.S., E.A.H.S., and Dutchtown High pooling our money together and would like to make the donation to Samaritan’s Purse.

May God use our hands and feet to bring his love and healing power to so many in need.

These are some pictures I put on twitter from  Haiti. I apologize if any are too graphic. It is the reality here.

Helicopter landing in Port au Prince

Search and Rescue Teams at the airport

 Doctors trying to save a patient’s leg

 View of the city

 Squatter Villages

Children at the Orphanage

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit the capital of Haiti. It is the largest disaster in the western hemisphere in 200 years! It destroyed most of Port Au Prince and affected more than 3 million people.

Our hearts goes out to the victims, families and community that are torn apart by this national disaster. We believe that this is not the end, but only the beginning of what God can do. Already we see Him uniting people and churches together to show the love of Christ through relief efforts. There is nothing like this to provide the opportunity for God to show up in a powerful way.

If you are interested in helping with the relief efforts, please check out the healing place website. We are also coming together for a night of Prayer for Haiti on Monday, January 18th at 7:00pm at the Highland Campus. We know that God will turn what was meant to be harm into something miraculous for His glory.

Not long ago, I took a flight and during our time in the air, the plane began experiencing turbulence. Immediately, you could feel tension and sense nervousness in the people. The pilot got on the speaker and announced “Please fasten your seat belt, this is going to be a rough ride”. The woman seated next to me saw my bible, leaned over at me and asked that I would say a prayer for her. I was praying for everyone on the plane at this point. Everyone was feeling uptight and I don’t do well with turbulence. When you are 30,000 feet in the air, it definitely increases the passion and intensity of your prayer life.

All of a sudden the guy behind me started laughing. I mean he is laughing so loudly and obnoxiously. Why was this guy on the plane the only one laughing while everyone else was paralyzed in fear? I looked back and saw he was wearing headphones. He was watching a comedy show on his laptop. He was in his own world and hearing something else.

Because he heard something I didn’t, he responded in a way that I couldn’t.

When you hear a voice that most others miss, you will respond in a different way. That is a great picture of fasting and prayer to me. The purpose of fasting is to turn the noise of the world down to amplify the voice of God. We live in a world full of turbulence, but we can have great joy because we are tuned into a different voice.

I want to encourage you to participate in 21 days of prayer and fasting from January 11-31. We will have corporate prayer at Highland Campus on Monday through Friday 6-7am. Set aside some time to hear His voice and lean in to Him.

We have got to hear his voice in 2010!