Whole lotta Maroney

I thought I would add a weird title tonight...I just heard that on TV during the FB game. Maroney is the running back of the Patriots. Anyway...

Had a great weekend! My wife took a small group of women to IA to visit a couple of Vineyard churches down there. They were looking at different ways to run a food pantry because we'd like to start one here at our Vineyard in Burnsville. A couple of months ago a newspaper article came out looking at the plight of the homeless in the South Metro area and then it was followed by an article looking at the amount of people in the SM area who are the working poor and really need help getting by each day.

We as the church are called to help! When these ladies read that article and looked at the unfinished kitchen that we have been using as storage in our new (4-yr-old) addition they thought, "Let's do the stuff here!" In fact, one of the gals thought that she heard the Lord say, "Start with what you've got!" We felt like that meant to start here and work with the hungry in our community.

Today we gave out bags of groceries for the people of our congregation to take out. They were to take a bag, pray about whom to give it to, then take it to that person/family. I was shocked and surprised that more than half the bags were left! Most of the people didn't take a bag -- I don't know what that means!?! Is that a hardened heart condition? Is that fear? Is that a desire to not looking foolish in the eyes of the world?

Whatever it is -- we've got to get over that! And quick! I believe that we have the hope that the world needs! If we can give somebody a bag of food and a glimmer of hope, I know that can lead to a conversation about Christ somewhere down the road. In the future, a food pantry at our building will need volunteers and people willing to serve -- yet we can't even hand out a bag of groceries on our own?

That's why we pray -- MORE HOLY SPIRIT!