000000;">I have the honor of serving on the board of a life changing organization called Safe Harbor. It’s a place that reaches out to the homeless women of our community and place where women can begin to put their lives back together with the hope and grace of Jesus Christ. This post is written by the Executive Director Debbie Haynes…a strong and humble woman. 

Yesterday I received two very special pieces of mail:  one from a homeless mother and daughter who had spent time in our Day Shelter, and one from a mother, daughter, and 2-year old grand-daughter who had also spent time here.  Both families had relocated – one all the way back to Denmark, where she was born, and the other to Oklahoma.  Both wanted to update us on what is going on in their lives. 

Looking at the enclosed photo of the little girl, who crawled for the first time here at Safe Harbor, I was again reminded of the importance of relationships for all of us.  The women we serve are mothers and daughters, even grandmothers and granddaughters.   All of us who fit in either of those categories have similarities:  the joy of laughing together, the shared pain of facing life’s heartaches, the hopes and dreams of a better day.  For women who are homeless, often there is such a sense of disconnectedness; of disruption from healthy, strong relationships.  Hope is at a premium that many of them have decided is too dear a price. 

Hope wafts through the air here.  Whether in the Day Shelter, where women cook for each other and sometimes their families, crochet a blanket, look for a job, hear the hope of Christ; or in our residential program where family ties are slowly re-established – hope must be offered before anything else can be received. 

As you think of ways to honor the special women in your lives this weekend, please consider an “out-of-the-box” gift – hope for the women of Safe Harbor.  Go to   http://www.safeharborrescuemission.org/  and click on our  “Donate Now” page and give a life-changing gift.  Note your honoree in the comment section, and we will be glad to send her a card sharing how a gift in their honor has impacted mothers and daughters who will appreciate it so much!

Happy Mothers’ Day!

Debbie Haynes

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to be a spectator at the Master’s golf tournament. You see, I have been to a number of professional golf tournaments…multiple US Opens, the amazing 1999 Ryder Cupmatch…but never to the Master’s. I was actually invited twice this year but had resigned myself, after declining the first invitation (due to a prior commitment) to the fact that I may never get to see, in person, one of the greatest sporting events in America. Then I received the second invitation…I had to find a way to go! We spent a day a half driving back from Texas so I could get to Augusta Saturday morning…and what a beautiul day it was. As I sat at Amen Corner I started to build this list…10 reasons why I love professional golf.

10. They play outside…at some incredibly beautiful places.

9. It humbles me to see the talent of these men (and women).

8. It helps me stay sharp with the simple math I learned in school.

7. They call penalties on themselves…what other professional sport does that?

6. They don’t have salaries…they have to play well to get paid.

5. Everytime I play…I hit at least 2 shots that make me think “I could play on tour”.

4. They have to play well everyday for four days straight.

3. The relationship between the player and his caddy.

2. The incredible control they display both physically and most importantly…mentally.

1. Momentslike the one above with Phil Mickelson and his wife.

The tour will be down the road from me this week, in Charlotte for the Quail Hollow Championship. Hope to see you there…it is shaping up to be a pretty cool field of players. Did I miss the reason you like professional golf?

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas. It’s time for family, for comfort, for love. And for Christians, it’s a time to celebrate what’s most important, the birth of Jesus Christ.

But there are a lot of things we get wrong about Christmas.

For one, we give each other so much stuff. Whether it’s out of obligation or just to truly show someone we care, we’re still essentially material-rich people giving other material-rich people more… materials. The purpose of our holiday, though, is Christ. And Jesus made his purpose clear to us – sacrifice. He died so that we could live. And we struggle to keep that the focus of Christmas while we’re busy buying and unwrapping gifts.

Let’s face it, we actually sacrifice very little. But what’s small to us can be huge to someone who lacks basic health necessities. Just $20 is enough for one person to have clean water for two decades, for example.

So, this year, I’m asking others of you to join me and give up some gifts and donate that money to help me build a well. 100% of all funds raised go directly to the water projects. Between now and Christmas, I aim to raise $2,500 in my charity: water campaign.

Jesus sacrificed himself for us. This is the least I can do.

Please join me and donate whatever you can…..http://mycharitywater.org/ebroussard

THANK YOU!

re-envisioning the Gap Between CHRIST and CULTURE

I am reading through this book with about 12 other guys this fall. We started a few weeks ago and will be reading and discussing it for the next six weeks or so. I want to invite you to grab a copy of the book and join us in the discussion. Through the miracle of the internets (it’s what we call it here in the foothills of North Carolina) and this blog…we can read and chat together. Maybe we can get Kary to join the discussion…I am sure he has the internets in Ohio. My last couple of post “What’s the difference between in and of” and “love your neighbor as yourself” have dealt with some of the first topics brought up in the book. If you get a chance, read back through those and comment as you feel led.

The question is kind of this…as Christians, do we have a responsibility to be relevant to those around us? It seems we churchgoing Christians focus a whole lot on getting ourself “saved” and convincing others of their need for that same fire insurance. But once we get the ticket we go back to blending in…either in our church clubs or in melding into the big bad world.  If we do have that responsibility then just how do we live that? Kary talks about these two camps…the Separatist and the Conformist. One removes itself from the world so as not to be tainted and the other joins the world so they can be accepted into the culture. Then there is this third camp…people that are able to walk The Fine Line between separating and conforming. Wouldn’t it be great if others could see Jesus in us without trying to be so religious.

On page 20 He says “Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is little difference between the attitudes and actions of believers and unbelievers. Rather than drawing people to Christ, many Christians are pushing people away because of the disconnection between what we say and how we live.

Run down to your local book store and pick up The Fine Line or do like I did and cut this deal with Amazon…I send them money and they send me books. If you are interested in the subject or in joining us, click the word comments below and let me know.