A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

October 22nd, 2007 |

They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, but for me it was just a culmination of what the Lord has been doing in my heart over the past few months. The large mural hangs in the entrance of the brand new administrative offices of the Network of International Christian Schools on Goodman Road in Southaven. It is a painting depicting Da Vinci’s famous “Last Supper”, but with a very dramatic twist. Instead of the twelve apostles at the table, there are different people from around the world seated with and standing by Jesus. It is a very pointed reminder that the gospel is indeed intended for every tribe and nation. During the dedication of their new facility I had been moved to tears as I listened to reports of what God was doing with and through NICS. That same week David Michaels spoke at our annual associational meeting and had challenged me. David is with the Mississippi Baptist Convention and gave those of us attending the meeting a powerful message based on Acts 1:8. Later that evening Wade Humphries challenged our association to continue to plant new churches in the area. Wade certainly knows what he is talking about. The church he pastors, Longview Point, is a church plant and they have in turn been instrumental in planting two other churches. There were concerns that some controversial issues facing our association might overshadow our purpose at this meeting, however they did not. A great spirit of anticipation and cooperation prevailed. We are an association of churches on a mission. Likewise at DeSoto Hills, I want that to continue to be our focus. It is my heart in the coming months to do an even better job at planning, promoting, and securing your participation in mission opportunities that are all around us. There are two such opportunities that you can be involved in today that do not require a passport or an airline ticket. One of those is Operation Christmas Child, in which we have been participating for years. The other is a new ministry opportunity that is actually being sponsored by the students at DeSoto Hills. They are seeking to raise $3,600 to build a home in Nicaragua through a mission organization called Homes for Life. They asked for permission to do a few “in house” fund-raisers for this purpose. The first will be a church wide yard sale on November 3rd. Let’s raise a roof in South America by lending our support to this cause.

As we begin our second year as a church, let’s be sure we are about the business of “making disciples” both here and abroad.