I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't wanna go one more day,
without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"
Songwriters: Jason Houser; Sam Mizell; Matthew West


(This is a prayer request sent home church on Thursday, 1-14-10, 10:54AM EST)

As I reluctantly type this prayer request, the words to Matthew West's song are ringing in my ears. So once again our heavenly Father is urging me to send out another prayer request for Haiti. As I watch the news & listen to the radio, I see destruction, devastation, & heartache. If you are one of the many K-Love radio listeners, no doubt you have heard from many of your favorite Christian artists that have been there or are going there to help. A few of them already had established ministries to Haiti set up long before this disaster. People are still trapped, buried, missing or presumed dead. Lots of Haitians are digging through the rubble with no tools, just bare hands trying to find their loved ones & save others. Many of the buildings are unstable & they are afraid to go inside to look for their friends & family members. With my father already gone home & having just lost my mother I don't think I could camp out in the street of my neighborhood wondering if my kids & husband were okay. I'd be a basket case digging through that rubble with my own bare hands or running through a leaning house trying to save them especially if I could hear them calling for help. No amount of concrete could keep me from putting my own life in danger to save theirs.


Please pray about how God would have you help if you haven't already done so. Not sure what to pray? Try putting yourself in their shoes. What would you ask God for? What would you need? There are many established ministries & charities that are there or en route and they will need your prayers as well. If you personally know of a ministry in Haiti that could use your prayers or help, pray about helping them. Pray for the safety of our troops headed there and other workers headed there to help dig through the rubble. Many of those buildings look okay from the outside or look as If they weren't harmed but foundational cracks can't be seen from above the ground. Pray for the right people to be sent to assess the buildings that weren't damaged.


Is God leading you to go down there for a season? Is He leading you to adopt an orphan? Is He leading you to send food, clothing, water, tools, to give a monetary donation or something else? I have a sense from the Holy Spirit that God needs us to do more than just pray especially since they are reporting that many of these people have been open & receptive to hear the Word of God. This is going to be a big challenge when half of their population practices voodoo. So please also keep the Haitians that are brand new Christians in your prayers.


You can go to www.klove.com or www.samaritanspurse.com to find a way to help. You can also go to www.weatherchannel.com then click on "Relief: How You Can Help" to find both Christian & secular organizations such as the Red Cross, World Vision & Operation Blessing, if you'd like to help that way. Be lead of the Holy Spirit as you find an established ministry or charity in Haiti to give a donation to and always, always keep them in your prayers. Let's not just go through the motions with this one.


Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

I did not want to originally type this, but "Obedience is better than sacrifice." (I Sam. 15:22)