Xapa to the World

Author: xapatotheworld

  • Promo: IKnowHope.com

    The wife of a new family in church had one of the coolest bags I had seen lately.  Upon asking her about it, I found out that it was re-purposed from old coffee sacks!  I’m a huge fan of re-purposing and so had to investigate further.  It was made by an organization called “I Know Hope” which was founded by my new friend’s mother-in-law.  Here are some of the details of the history of this group:

    iknowhope.com

    Know Hope was founded in 2009 by Connie Baker. Connie was born with a heart to help children around the world. Especially the desperate and the suffering ones. In 2005, Connie began taking teams of people into mountain villages around Tijuana, Mexico to build houses, churches, and orphanages. It was through these trips that her eyes were opened to the desperate children in the world.

    In 2009, shortly after hearing a message preached on Matthew 25, we launched this non-profit organization called Know Hope. Our mission is to get the message to children around the world, that there is hope in Jesus Christ. The way we send that message is by bringing food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, and aid to the orphans of this world.

    So what they do is gather empty burlap coffee sacks and pull the best part of the bag and make sweet hand-bags.  These are on sale throughout the US and Canada at different shops, or you can just go to their online site:  Know Hope Store

    Here are some examples of the bags:

    I really like this one.  It’s like totally my style, especially with the big “S” on the front. 🙂  It’s a midi bag measuring 8″ high and 12″ wide.  Has matching blue liner with 1″ strap.

    I believe this one is $25.

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    I like this one as well.  Just the colors are really nice.  Brown and blue go together so well…and teal is a kind of blue!  Measures 12″ high and 14″ wide (medio size) with a 1 1/2″ thick strap.  This one/size costs $35.

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    This last one is my favorite!  I love the rhino and the colors!  It’s super-cool.  I would totally buy it for myself, but I’ve placed a moratorium on spending (we’ll see how long that lasts) until the end of summer.  You can get this particular design as either a medio (12″H x 14″W) or a grande (insert big smile here) which can hold a 15″ laptop.  Cool, huh?

    And it all goes to a good cause:  feeding hungry children around the world.  That’s something that I can get behind easily.  Enjoy!

    http://www.iknowhope.com/

  • A Veteran

    Disclaimer: I’m not trying to detract from those who have served the United States in the military during a war, so please don’t think that I don’t appreciate what they have offered and sacrificed.

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    I’ve recently been confronted over and over with the knowledge of just how patriotic I am.  It runs deep in me.  I bleed the colors of my allegiance.

    I will be the first to admit that I am American, by birth.  I will also be the first to admit that I love traveling the globe and meeting people around the world.  I crave learning and being around other cultures (those within my country and those without).  The summertime is chock-full of holidays in the US to celebrate this great nation.  Festivals, concerts, etc are scattered throughout the season and peppered with the cheese-ball post-9/11 American music and red, white and blue waving from the corners of every tent.

    This is not what I mean though.  I went to the Butler County Fair a couple of weeks ago, and it was everywhere.  I went to the remote-control air show at the Butler County Regional Airport this Sunday (I know…feel free to judge my nerdiness, but I had a great time with good company!) and it was everywhere as well.  What gets to me is when they ask for the Veterans to stand up.  I love it.  I may not have served in the US armed forces, but the honor of having gone somewhere and served your country, on the front lines, or even just in small side-skirmishes – it’s inspiring.

    Something inside of me wants to stand up too when they make that call.  I’ve not been in battle or brandished arms, but I have been a soldier in the Lord’s army.  My allegiance is with God.  He’s my portion, my captain, my commander.  I have been in the reserves – at home, going about business, waiting for the call to take up and go – and have had to leave everything to go serve Him.  I have been on the frontlines of spiritual battles.  I have been in the small side-skirmishes.  I’ve also been on the relief team and covered others in prayer who were on the field.

    But, just because I am home now, does that mean I am retired?  Can I consider myself a veteran just yet?  I’m not sure how the military handles things.  Is it that once you’ve been in active duty then you can be considered a veteran?  Or do you have to serve a full active duty term until you are discharged or are too injured to continue?

    The truth of it is that my heart aligns so much more with my God than with my country.  I have a sort of apathy that I’m not fully proud of concerning being an American.  But this is not just national apathy.  It’s also global.  I may not truly feel like this country is my original home, but I neither feel like any other country is my home.  This is my place of residence, and when I am living in a country, I abide by their laws because that is what Jesus said to do.  But it doesn’t make it my home.  It’s where I live.

    And I am so thankful for that.  And with this proclamation, I’m asking all you veterans for the kingdom of God to stand up and be acknowledged.  Those of you in active duty (which, I guess, would be all of us!), stand as well and be honored.  We fight in a glorious battle against the evil one, and it’s already won.

    (Not sure how much this post makes sense, but it’s what I woke up with on my mind this morning.)

  • Faith

    Today’s sermon was on vigilence in contending for the faith, based on Jude 1-4.  I don’t get through to Jude very often, but it’s a really nice little book.  Here are key points I marked down:

    vs 1. – “…kept/preserved for Jesus Christ.”  ~ I love this promise, that no matter what, God holds us in His hands and will preserve us through the end.

    vs 3 – “…contend for the faith…” ~ dictionary.com says that to contend is to struggle in opposition.  But I like the other definition for this verse: to assert or maintain earnestly.

    What faith is this? – the faith delivered to the saints.

    • It’s a noun, both as substance of something hoped for and faith placed in God.

    Faith is not: a verb.

    • not something you build up yourself inside yourself.  That would be courage.
    • not being irrational or believing the unbelievable
    • not something you speak into existence or activate into reality.
    • not something you claim by demanding

    How do you contend for the faith?

    • gently if possible
      • Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” [ESV]

    Have any of you ever noticed how you can begin a prayer one way and by the end of it, your whole demeaner, content, and desire has changed?  I’ve often begun a prayer angry and frustrated about something, or depressed and wounded.  It’s a sick feeling when you feel the only thing left to do is to cry out to God.  And you know the words that you utter are filled with hate and despair, and nothing to grace the ears of your King with, but I am so grateful that He still listens to them.  Note that I didn’t say “He still hears them”:  He listens to them, with the attention of a lover listening to his beloved. 

    As I am speaking to Him my sorrow, His Spirit is working in me, and comforting me.  He whispers sweet words of love to my heart so that my mind is not wholly aware of a change of atmosphere.  My words filled with guile are now resting on adoration, and express hope and praise to Him.  I was accusing Him and now I am thanking Him.  Ever notice that?  Not only is my attitude changed to Him, but also to the one or ones who filled me with that anger in the first place. 

    What kind of a God can do that?!  I am amazed every time at His mercy and His sincere love for me.  With some recent events, I noticed that God changed my prayer from revealing the secret to salvation of the person who has afflicted me.  I despise when someone’s character is assaulted, and this time, when it was mine, I had all sorts of wild and crazy emotions that flew through me.  I was exhausted.  I was overly emotional.  And while it is still fresh, my emotions have since settled into the peace that comes from God. 

    I know that He will protect me.  I am His precious child.  I have faith that He will because He has proven to me over and over again.  He has placed that faith into my heart, so that when circumstances arise, and I could easily be knocked down, that faith is already my support and my shelter.  The wind may howl and beat against my faith, but I am protected within.

    Our God is greater, stronger, He is higher than any other, healer, and He is awesome in power.  And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us?  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?  Nothing and no one…that’s who.  Praise Jesus!