Here’s a post from one of our passionate supporting pastors, Jeff Bartolet, of Hunter Hills Evangelical Friends Church. He wrote this at the end of March, but we wanted to make sure to share it with you. The majority of our clients identify as Christians, so we need to make sure we support them holistically (physically, emotionally, and spiritually). Here’s a note from pastor Jeff.
A Message from Pastor Jeff
As I write, the sun rises on this cool spring morning in West Virginia, and I look out at Carolina blue skies, even though I’m 250 miles from Greensboro and 180 miles from the North Carolina state line.
I am contemplating saying something like, “Go Badgers!” but the NCAA championship is not even on my radar at this point.
Although I applaud the effort of these young men and their coaches in making it this far in the tournament, my heart concern for each one of them is their relationship with God… because basketball will pass away, along with every other temporary thing in this life.
Wherever you are at the time you read this, consider this reality: few things in this life are eternal, most are passing.
And yet God can use the passing things to help us come to grips with the eternal.
For instance, it was my high school junior varsity basketball coach who responded to the eternal questions of a 19 year old college sophomore and in the process spoke life into his life!
God used basketball as an avenue, a conduit, to build a relationship between a young man and his coach; and then through that relationship, led me to a personal relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus!
If we have eyes to see it, this world and this nation are significantly different than when I heard those words of life in 1990.
I will spare you the alarming and sad details of the state of our world/nation today, for they are many. But…God is still ready and able to save those who are dead in their sins! He is still ready and able to snatch folks from the fire and transfer souls from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His Son!
And… He is the only hope we have if coaches and chaplains and teachers and employees are going to be able to continue sharing the good news of Jesus with other people in the coming days.
This awakening (I believe) happens one life at a time.
As we journey through this life together, will you ask God how you can speak life into someone else’s life today?
30 Give 30 Project
Oh, and it just dawned on me as I did the math; it was 25 years ago this January that God used a high school JV basketball coach to speak life into my life! Just 5 years shy of the Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center’s 30th year celebration.
Consider how many thousands of souls He has touched over these 30 years of ministry, 30 years of speaking life over those who so desperately need it.
And consider how you can be an integral part of that ministry this year! God may move you to make such a life-speaking impact in someone’s life today as my coach did with me 25 years ago!
Or, He may use you to speak life over GPCC by giving toward the 30K Give $30 Project so they may speak life over those struggling with life issues moving forward.
Many things are passing in this world, but some things are eternal. So speak life today and may God use you to bring the awakening we so desperately need in our community, our nation, and our world.