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Letter from Earnest

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

I hope that this letter finds you doing well. For well over a year now I have been doing a study called Closing the Gap. The author of the study is my Pastor and best friend Terry Williams. Here is a portion of his lesson:

Each one should use whatever gift he or she has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.– 1 Peter 4:10

To use your gifts to serve others is to be a good steward of God’s grace in your life. The words “various forms” mean multifaceted or multi-colored. Think of this in terms of God’s grace being a beautiful diamond that is held up to the light and as you turn the diamond the various colors of the light spectrum are reflected to the eyes revealing more fully its beauty. 

All of us are gifted and yet our gifts are very different from each other’s. Therefore, all our gifts are needed. If the church and our society are going to be healthy.

As I did this study, I was convicted in my heart. I am ashamed to tell you that in recent weeks I have been extremely tired and have felt taken advantage of by the state of Kansas and the child placing agencies that are responsible for the well-being of our children in state custody.

I have always felt very gifted and I want to be a good steward with the resources given me, but I find myself recently convinced that one person giving all he has cannot do as much as everybody giving a little bit of what they have. It is very easy to become burned out, disillusioned and even angry. God forgive me.

The number of children ending up on the streets in prostitution, homeless shelters, and yes even in cemeteries is staggering. In Sedgwick County this year alone, at least seven babies were murdered by loved ones. Where am I going with all of this? Christians are not using their gifts. It is very easy to read this reference and think about the people who have so very much and be convinced that they should do more. The truth is, maybe they should. However, this does not absolve you or me of the little bit that we can do. If we each do our part, perhaps, we can stem the tide of the slaughter of our youth, in not only our county but also our country.

I know this is a bit heavy for all of us, but if you can, would you please pray about mentoring, and, when you can, please give?

With gratitude,

 

Earnest