Achuckallen

Instigating Better

Life and Happiness

The Burden of Blight

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The Burden of Blight by A-ChuckAllen

When humans exist in an elongated period of sorrow, loss, tragedy, or poverty, they can fall into a state known as human blight. It’s that place where hope seems to have been gone forever and hurt seems to have taken up residence in the human heart.

Human Blight is what I experienced on the Abacos Islands last week. I arrived into Nassau Thursday and immediately hopped in the back of a Piper Cub and flown into Marsh Harbor. Marsh Harbor is truly a disaster zone, but it was nothing compared to what I saw on Man-O-War Cay or Hopetown. These are just two of the complete disasters in the Abacos Islands.

What I saw would crush any person’s heart. What was an oasis of beauty and what was once quaint little beach towns, untouched by the rapid westernization and chain hotels and restaurants, is quite literally destroyed. Nothing is left that is green. Every leaf and every tree – gone. Every colorful hamlet – gone. Most every boat sunken, capsized, tossed into parts, or picked up and carried miles inland. While flying about 300 feet over the islands on the way back to Nassau, I spotted boats that had been picked up by winds or by storm surge and placed entirely miles inland in the middle of a chicken farm.

The natural disaster left in the wake of Dorian is overwhelming. The task to clean up and rebuild seems impossible. There is more debris than the islands can burn or bury. Every home is either destroyed or already covered in mold. Every resource is down. No running water, very little electricity, and then comes what I believe to be the worst disaster of all. The catastrophe of human blight.

People are destroyed under the enormous loss and chaos created by the sustained 185 miles per hour winds and island swamping water surge. What didn’t blow away, has been washed away. To add insult to injury, there is very little mass coordination regarding the relief efforts, and of course, there are the sin-filled and evil people that are seeking to profit from these folks’ misery and lack of resources. I wouldn’t consider myself an angry or violent man, but some folks need to have their hind parts beaten because of their insensitivity and wicked ways. And just to put the rotten cherry on top of the spoiled whipped cream, these tiny ports are under stress to manage duty on the incoming relief supplies in container ships. Small ports used to handling wholesale goods to mom and pop shops are trying their best to adjust to the new demands…and not terribly well, quite yet.

I honestly could talk for hours about the problems, and the pictures do no justice to the damage as you can see in most pictures the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean just beyond them. So what are we regular, American folk to do? Here are what I believe to be the best avenues to help, considering that it might take three years to restore these gorgeous islands.

The burden I feel for these folks is more than I can carry and more than our church can carry alone. I’ve been so blessed to have become a part of a vast network of organizations and people that can help.

  1. PRAY! Pray for these poor folks. And yes, I mean sick as in economically, spiritually, and emotionally. The only way that these gracious people recover is by the hand of God and the sweat of God’s People!
  1. Start with rebuilding and restoring the churches. Most of the small churches on the islands were completely demolished. Start with the easiest to restore and get them rebuilt, dried in, mold-free, and operating. You cannot imagine the importance of the local churches and their pastors on the islands. The church is the center of hope, food, restoration, recreation, and health. These churches aren’t worried about how big they grow, but how they love their people – Great concept, right? One church, like the church I pastor, could rebuild and sweep debris away from the local church and set up extraordinary temporary structures in one week! Sugar Hill Church will start with one and restore as many as possible! Please, join us!
  2. Restore the homes of the local pastors. Many of these folks have had to relocate to shelters. If this were the American church, I’d say, restore them last, but the people of Abaco see their pastors differently. These leaders are more than pastors. They are the connection of God to a tiny part of the world, filled with the similar strife that we Americans deal with, minus the affluence. Sugar Hill Church will start with the pastor’s home of our first church and continue to restore as many as possible. Will you and your church consider helping us?
  3. Restore dignity and hope into the lives of the Bahamian people, Bahamian-Haitian people, and Haitian migrants, both legal and illegal. Yep! You heard that right. The Bahamas has a much smaller immigration challenge, but a challenge for sure. They also have a race problem. All three of the people groups I mentioned have great need, and none of them are immune from to blight of hopelessness. As a supporter of the Prime Minister and the government of the Bahamas, I want to support and aid their rebuilding agenda…but not at the loss of human dignity and human rights of the Haitian people. Sugar Hill Church will help rebuild homes and start providing help for any people. We aren’t that big, but human dignity requires very little money. It does require a great deal of empathy and compassion. Will you and your church consider helping us?

I know this may feel cold, as this short agenda seems focused on rebuilding things, but friends, this is about restoring hope, health, and order found in the love of Christ Jesus and the power of the Divine God of all Creation working through His people and His church. We do not have much time to wait and get structured. I’m building a website that can update people on how they can travel to help, pray to help and give to help. I’ll also pass along ongoing work with a few heroic organizations that have been on the ground from day one. One such group, led by a superhero, Austin Holmes, has already restored the structure and dried in six churches. And every one of those churches held worship gathering s last week (more to come). As soon as the site is live, I’ll connect you guys.

More to Come – Go in Peace,

A-Chuck

The Sermon Not Preached Sunday.

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The Sermon Not Preached Sunday 9/29 by AChuckAllen

It was a perfectly beautiful Sunday, if it were the middle of July. Ninety degrees and a heat index adding another 10 degrees made for a challenging morning for an outside Worship Gathering. That’s why this sermon wasn’t taught. So, here you go…The sermon not preached on Sunday!

Can you imagine what it’s like to be blind? I mean, what if you couldn’t see anything? What if you couldn’t even imagine what the world’s most beautiful beach looked like? Or what if you had never seen a sunset as the purple turns to orange and the orange fades to pink on a beautiful summer evening? What if you felt like you offered nothing to society? That you were considered a problem rather than a person?

What if, like the character in our story today, you had to panhandle, you begged for your sustenance and survival? Having to sit there every day in the hot sun and call out to people walking down the street, people you can’t even see, who might be mocking you even as they drop something in your cup.

So it was with a man by the name of Bartimaeus. Every day on the side of the road, sweaty and grimy with the nasty dust kicked up in his face, and the stinking animals…well, let’s not go there today..

Let’s try to walk alongside Jesus as we see Him through the eyes of Witnesses. In Mark’s account today from the New Testament writer of Mark 10:46-52.

Mark 10:46-52

[46] Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. [47] When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” [48] “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” [49] When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” [50] Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. [51] “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” [52] And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

I wonder, as he awakened that morning, if Bartimaeus thought there to be anything unusual about this day? I doubt it. It likely dawned like any other day; he was likely awakened by the early-morning noise of the city of Jericho.

Bartimaeus clutched his ever-present coat around himself and struggled to his feet. His crude living quarters provided him shelter and little else. With matted hair and unshaven face, this blind beggar began to make his way into town.

Most of those who did see him diverted their attention away from him quickly. It is difficult for the sighted to fathom the handicap of blindness; it is difficult for us to fathom what grinding poverty must be like. He lived a life of surviving on charity, on people’s leftovers. He experienced little joy in life, little success, little peace. His daily goal was survival.

And so he sat. Passover was coming, and the crowds in the streets would be larger—maybe this would be a more profitable day than most!

Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered around Jesus. Jericho was only about 15 miles away from Jerusalem, and the main road ran right through town. Jesus was on His way to the Passover; and so, people gathered around and listened to his teaching on the trip.

If Vice-President Pence were walking through Sugar Hill, a lot of folks would come out! So the streets would be lined with people. And maybe, just maybe, this would be a red-letter day for a beggar like Bartimaeus!

Anticipation was heavy in the air as the crowd began to enter the city of Jericho. The mood was festive; people were hopeful that they were in the beginning stages of ushering in God’s long-awaited Messiah, the political deliverer who’d get them out of this bondage to the Romans.

They say that when a person loses one of their senses, others compensate to the degree that they are able. His sense of hearing then being keenly developed, Bartimaeus could tell that something had caused a huge crowd.

He had to find out what all the commotion was all about, and so he cried out, asking if anyone could tell him the reason for the ruckus, and he was told: Jesus of Nazareth was coming that way!

He had heard stories about the rabbi, the miracle worker.

“How could a man do these things unless God is with him?” Many times he had thought, “If only I were in the presence of this Jesus, he could heal me too!”

He had no eyesight, but perhaps he had remarkable insight. Helen Keller said, “Better to be blind and to see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing.”

This was Bartimaeus’ moment of truth; it was act now, or forever be consigned to blindness; forever wonder what might have been; forever live with regret and pain. There come such moments of decision in this life for all of us. Moments which, looked back upon, are make-or-break moments.

He swam in the sea, drank of the deep Embraced the mystery of all he could be. This was his time!

For Bartimaeus, the opportunity was now-or-never. He didn’t allow the negativity of the crowds deter him. He didn’t worry about his handicap; he didn’t lament what he couldn’t do, rather he just did what he could. He didn’t hesitate; he began calling out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Did you catch the response of resistance from the crowd; they tried to shut him up. Why spoil the Passover celebration? “We’re on our way to the Holy City; we have no time for a blind beggar!” “Don’t bother the Master, you old beggar man!” “He’s got more important things to do than to fool with you!”

Oh the irony here!

This is the church crowd, on their way to a religious festival! These are people who are listening to Jesus’ talk about the kingdom of God! They are in the right place, listening to the right thing and they completely miss the point!

Sunday morning doesn’t matter a whole lot if what we do when we leave this place doesn’t reflect the truth that we have met with Jesus, the Son of the Living God!

There were people who were with Jesus, listening and taking it all in, in the right place, if you will, but when it came to helping out a blind man, they told him to shut up. They failed to seize a golden opportunity that smacked them right in the face. Does that represent what the church does sometimes? They were so interested in listening and so woefully short when it came to obeying. They told the blind man that Jesus wouldn’t have time for him.

But that’s where they were wrong, dead wrong. Jesus was far more concerned with the hurting and the needy than His schedule or His fame.

Bartimaeus just cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, hey, have mercy on me!” When the cry reached Jesus’ ears, it froze Him in His tracks. That phrase, “Son of David”, had significant overtones; this is the first time we read that anyone had publicly referred to Jesus as such. He heard a plaintive cry and a prophetic salute at the same time! Jesus knew who was crying out for Him and why.

And so Jesus, on His way to becoming the Savior of the world, stops to become the servant of a blind beggar!

The fickle crowd had been saying, “Shut up!” Now, their refrain changes, as they say, effectively, “Cheer up!”

There was a real reason to cheer up, to take courage, for Someone was here Who could make a real difference! Now the crowd said, “Get up!” The Master was calling, and when Jesus calls, we better not stay where we are. Up to his feet he leapt, and following as best he could the sound of the voice, he made his way to Jesus. Tossing aside his old coat he made his way to Jesus. Bartimaeus responds to the call of Jesus.

“What do you want?” Jesus asked. In Bartimaeus He saw true faith. God responds to faith! And He asks Bartimaeus, “what do you want?” He asked Bartimaeus to articulate the words of faith, words that acknowledge why the blind man had called for Jesus in the first place: “Teacher, I want to see!” And Jesus granted His request!

Think of it: total darkness to 20/20 vision in a millisecond! And just think – the very first thing that blind man saw was the face of Jesus! He once was blind, but now he sees!

But the story doesn’t end here. Bartimaeus “began following Jesus on the road.” He never went back and grabbed the old coat. When Jesus changes us, we don’t need the old things anymore! Just imagine the things that Bartimaeus would see just a few short days later, as this gentle Healer was scourged and mocked and then crucified.

The faith that caused Bartimaeus to call out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” was a faith that sustained this man, having been delivered by the mercy for which he cried, through the most trying of times, a faith that was bolstered by the event of the resurrection!

And there, lying on the ground by the Jericho roadside, is an old coat, no longer wanted or needed by a man whose life has been radically transformed by Jesus, now a memorial of the fact that, when Jesus changes a life, we don’t need the old stuff anymore!

Are you ready to lay down your old coat and let Jesus, the same Jesus that stopped for Bartimaeus stop here in Sugar Hill and offer you healing, forgiving mercies?

Peace by Yours, ACHUCK

DORIAN and the BAHAMAS

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Dorian and the Bahamas by A-Chuck Allen

Where to start? Oh my stars! Hurricane Dorian came to the Bahamas and camped out on the little island of Freeport. On the east side of this tropical island, the best word to describe what I saw was DEVASTATION! There isn’t much that either wind or water hasn’t ruined on this place where sunshine and cruise ships connect affluent travelers to the clear aqua waters of the Caribbean.

It was hot and breezy when we arrived, and it didn’t take long to see that Dorian had left a calling card of trees snapped off like twigs and buildings destroyed by either the fierce winds or the water.

There isn’t enough fresh water here yet. The municipal water system is slowly catching up, but it’s nowhere near potable. Thank God for Convoy of Hope and Paula White Ministries. These folks have done a massive work already and eighteen-wheelers, filled with fresh water from Convoy of Hope are on their way. Paula White’s Chief of Staff, Todd Lamphere is a pretty amazing guy. He is like the hub that keeps the resources and the ministry work on track. Jensen Franklin’s ministry has jumped in and is providing huge support for the people here. One of my favorite groups, (of all time) is Operation Barbecue Relief. These guys, lead by a former Green Beret, with a prosthetic leg, is all in. Last year, Operation Barbecue Relief provided more than 1.2 million HOT meals following disasters and humanitarian crises. I’ve gotten to know these guys, through our work on the Southern Border and they are the real deal. They have committed more than 24,000 meals, each day. They are starting today with 5,000 meals and ramping up to 24,000 by Tuesday September 17.

I’ve seen people in triage units (thank you Samaritan’s Purse). I’ve seen people whose homes were literally washed away while they clung to trees, as the winds whipped and the water rose. But what I’ve really seen is the resilience of these fine people. It is fascinating. They aren’t looking for someone to come give them out of this mess. They want people to know that, with a little help, they can rebuild the Bahamas into an even better land.

Yes, I’ve seen some good people, doing some good work. Yes, I am proud of Sugar Hill Church for their sacrificial work. I am honored to be a small part of a process that is in full force, doing good work. But I am really, truly, encouraged at the faith community that has stepped in without regard to denominations and orthodoxy, and simply done good work for the Kingdom of God. My faith in our people and the people of the Bahamas is that we can indeed do more and do better, together. Between the sacrificial giving of God’s people, the willingness to go and serve people that could never repay you and the graciousness of a people that have just literally had their lives turned out to sea, my faith in our Creator is greater than ever.

His desire for His children to serve side by side,with no concern about who gets the credit, is being played out with the many faith focused partners here in the Bahamas.

Please join us. The needs are great and the people are more than worth it!

Go In Peace,
A-Chuck

From the Border to Washington

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From the Border to Washington by AChuckAllen

I had once been guilty of saying things like, “I don’t really care that much about the immigration issue.” I’ve written things, and some of you have read my words as I’ve cast aside any real concern for immigrants and immigration. I was rocked when the Creator softened my heart toward the families that have been pouring into the Southern Border Stations since January 2019…and long before that.

I’ve written about my findings at our Southern Border and I’ve received a bit of praise, a bit of hostility, a great deal of apathy, but mostly curiosity. Most of you, like me, just want to know what the real deal is. I’ve tried to accurately portray those findings in my writings.

Then something swept in from a place that could only be described as DIVINE INTERVENTION. Take a look at this timeline.

  1. I wrote about “Why We Should Care About the Southern Border.”
  2. I was invited to join the Border Patrol to tour the Border Centers near El Paso, Texas.
  3. I spent two days on the Border with Customs and Border Patrol
  4. I wrote about the real conditions in the Centers that have been so poorly described.
  5. I was invited to Washington to meet with the State Department, Health and Human Services, The White House and Customs and Border Patrol.
  6. I met with all those agencies and the Faith Directors from eight different agencies.
  7. I was asked to help lead an effort specifically in the area of Migrant Families and Unaccompanied Children.

I’m telling you that I didn’t ask for any of these audiences. Not once! But somehow, in a season that I was to be on vacation, the Divine determined that He had an assignment for me. I’ve run from these “callings” before, but no more. I am determined to allow the Lord to do as He pleases with me. I’ve learned the hard way, that He has the single best way to accomplish His will and my peace. That way is my obedience.

As a result, I’m heading back to the border in mid August to lead a tour of the McAllen, Texas Station with several White House and State Department staffers. I’ll also be helping the Department of Health and Human Services create a far better way for churches and individuals to assist Migrant Families in the middle of processing while on the Mexican side of the Border.

I’m also busy assisting in the creation of a National Prayer Team website and app that is focused on the ministry of immigration, church and government assistance and care for the unaccompanied children on the border.

That’s a boatload of work, but honestly, it’s nothing compared to the extraordinary work of the Faith Directors that serve so well in the various agencies throughout DC. I met with real heroes as we chatted over coffee last Thursday morning. I met with Paula White and her team. Paula White is the real deal. She has funded hundreds of thousands of dollars to help move the needle forward in the areas of immigration, faith and ministry, all while leading the way for Believers to make a radical difference for the cause of Christ. I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with her team in this effort.

I left Washington with three big ideas:

    1. I am amazed at how quickly the people within the key agencies are working to rectify the challenges on the border!
    2. The men and women serving as Faith Directors within the State Department, Health and Human Services, Customs and Border Patrol and the White House are supernaturally powered and are unsung, undervalued, underpaid, overwhelmed, faithful heroes that are making a HUGE difference for the cause of Christ. These folks have left homes and careers to answer the call of the Divine on their lives! I was allowed to pray with every single office I met with. If you are in the camp that thinks God has been shoved to the mop closets in our nation’s capital, you are completely wrong! I started with Customs and Border Patrol, State Department, Health and Human Services and then the White House. I was welcomed to pray with every single office! The God of All Creation is at work in Washington! I never thought I would say that. But these folks are fighting on all sides. Please pray for them!
    3. There is plenty of room for the faith and church community to rally around this crisis and serve children, individuals, families and those that serve on the border. And there is more than enough room for all of us to make a massive difference. I am committed to seeing this crisis resolved as a result of the CHURCH rising up to meet this need!

One of the great challenges is that we have become a nation filled with bright people and wonderful churches that are drunk on AWARENESS. We want to know what’s going on, but the Lord has shown me that awareness is great, but He is calling His Church to action!

I know that you know this, but Awareness doesn’t solve problems. Discussion doesn’t solve problems. Insight doesn’t solve problems. Action does.

We have all of the awareness that we need. Let us move on to action. I’ll be completing plans on how you can participate this week.

After the whirlwind that I’ve been on the past 10-days, I cannot wait to see what ACTION looks like! One thing that I am certain of is that Sugar Hill Church is ready to step up and make a difference. I am so grateful for a church that leads the way in serving folks that are marginalized in our society with grace, hope and compassion. I love our dear church. It’s a great honor to serve her!

Go in Peace, Chuck

These are Superpowers

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These Are Superpowers by ACHUCKAllen

I grabbed a Delta jet to my hometown, Daytona Beach, Florida Sunday afternoon to officiate a friend’s son’s wedding. It was a rainy afternoon with thunderstorms strong enough to sweep the beach of every vacationing family. I thought that we would definitely be having an indoor wedding. This is a young couple that needed a wedding to happen on the beach, just outside the condominium that the groom has been vacationing at for 20 plus years. It wasn’t looking good as the skies grew darker.

But at 7:00pm, just thirty-minutes before the wedding, the clouds blew out and the sun started peeking around the now white and fluffy clouds. By 7:30, there was a nice breeze and it was a beautiful evening for a wedding on the beach.

What was the superpower that moved that storm away? A daddy that loves his boy and a couple that has chosen the path of grace and kindness over judgement and legalism. The answer the groom’s daddy gave every person regarding the weather was simple. To every person, whether they were Followers of Jesus or not, his answer was, “well, the Lord is good and He heard our prayers.” Was the prayer the superpower or the kindness? And the answer is YES!

Here is what I know with great certainty: When you openly speak about the things of God, good things happen.

On Monday, I was on my way from my room to the hotel elevator when I met Kadian . Kadian is a young mom from Jamaica. I said the usual “good morning and how are you today” remarks and she seemed timid and a bit distracted. I was hungry and hopped on the elevator and hit the button for the lobby. It was at that moment the Lord spoke as clearly to me as I was hoping a server would when I ordered my breakfast. The Lord was clear. “Chuck, stop the elevator, go back and give that girl some money.” He was specific about the amount and the action. I responded like I often do, “Lord, I’ll find her after breakfast.”

Here’s a life lesson. The Lord doesn’t desire His kids to delay in acting on His directions.

So, I got off the elevator at the Lobby, smelling the sausage, bacon, French toast and biscuits (sorry). And I got back on the elevator and road back to the tenth floor. I found Kadian and told her that the Lord told me to bring her this money. She teared up and asked me to stop in the middle of the hallway and pray for her. I did and decided to pray big. When I said amen and finished, two separate couples had joined in the serendipitous prayer meeting and we were all crying. Kadian looked me in the eyes and said that she told her son, as she left their apartment early Monday morning that “God would provide today.” Well, how bout that?

Was it the money or the act of Kindness the Lord directed me with. The answer is YES!

Again, When you openly speak about the things of God, good things happen.

You have superpowers at your disposal every single day. Prayer, Kindness, Graciousness and Obedience. I wonder what our world might look like if we were to lay down our egos, logos and personal preferences and replaced them with Prayer, Graciousness and Obedience? Imagine a day that you choose the superpower of openly speaking about the things of God…and good things happen? Would we really make a dent in this planet for the betterment of mankind? The Answer, YES!

Go in Peace,
AChuck

Why We Should Care…About the Border

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Why We Should Care by ACHUCKAllen

I’ve been stirred deep in my soul that whatever the truth is regarding our immigration crisis on our southern border, that the faith based community must become part of the solution, not just another mouthpiece of strife.

I’ve read through so many statistics and so many differing opinions on this topic and I’ve discovered one commonality among every party, person and platform. That one commonality? It’s a mess no matter what your thoughts are or party lines that you prefer. Honestly, you can do a simple Google search and discover every possible position that you can imagine.

There are folks firm in their belief that we should build a wall…a massive wall…a wall worth billions or dollars. There are folks that think we should open our doors and become a sanctuary nation. There are folks that want us is to bus, fly or pixie-dust the folks awaiting entry or asylum back to wherever they came from. There are folks that want a new bill that will ease entry and folks that want a new bill that will stop all entry.

I know we should care about our borders and our national security, but the one thing that seems to be lost in this political hot potato are the people in the MIDDLE. The folks that have left their countries to seek a new life in this great land that I was blessed to be born in. PLEASE HEAR ME! I am not suggesting that the US Customs and Border Control are or have been the problem. These hard working folks are undermanned, underfunded and under extraordinary scrutiny. I’m not even sure about whether the laws and legalities of acquiring US citizenship should be changed. BUT! But I do know that while folks that must be smarter and better equipped than me determine how to settle the political battles, people in THE MIDDLE appear to be in a mess. A big mess!

I started praying about this situation and honestly want to run from it. I told Jenny, “I have no way of making a difference in this issue, what could I possibly do. I’m praying that the Divine would raise up a leader that could stir a movement in the modern, evangelical community. Someone that could do something significant for the folks that seem to be trapped in the middle.” Her answer? “Maybe you are who the Lord might want to use you to make a big difference.” YIKES!

“I’m just Chuck. I pastor a great church, but honestly, really? Lord, I do not have time for this. I’m almost sixty-years old and my calendar is already out of control. Lord, I’m over committed and often stressed about how to get everything done already. How about you ask somebody else to make this their fight?” And then I started poking around the issue some more and discovered that discovering the truth about what is going on isn’t as simple as it might seem.

In my writing, research, phone calls and prayers I was completely out of the blue invited to join a couple of other folks on a tour of a few detention centers right on the border with the Deputy Director of Homeland Security. I know, right? Mind blown and stomach queasy. The trick, I had to find a way to get to El Paso by July 11, meet up with this small group and make a day of seeing the real deal most of the day July 12. Now remember, my plan was for the Lord to open this kind of door for someone else. Someone with a voice that carried great weight and urgency. And then the Lord said, “Chuck, GO!”

And so, I trust that you’ll be kind enough to pray for my trip and for eyes and heart to be opened to the truth about the folks in THE MIDDLE.

Why should we care about the individuals and families in the middle of this mess? Because they were created in the image of God and He loves them and has called us – the Body of Christ – to care about them and for them. If I were from Venezuela, or any of the other countries the folks are fleeing from and I were stuck in the middle, I’d be praying that God’s People would show up in force to love me, help me and serve me in the name of Jesus the Lord.

I promise you that this isn’t a political trip with some right or left wing agenda. I am biased. I am biased with a heart to serve and love people with a gracious heart and helpful hands.

I’ve heard so many stories that are on the ridiculous edges of reason, from both sides that I have now trained my brain to ask this question about every picture and every opinionated article: “But is it a true representation?” And each picture that I see, I question it’s authenticity. We should care about this because the only way that we can care for and love these folks caught in THE MIDDLE is to see firsthand the needs and issues that truly exist.

Will you care along with me and start praying about how to serve the folks serving in our Customs and Border Patrol and the folks that seem to be stuck in THE MIDDLE? One thing has become radically apparent to me in this quest. God cares for everybody in this crisis and He has a plan for how He will fix it. We should care because He cares and His plan to fix it is us…me and you!

Thanks for your prayers and thanks for caring.

Peace, AChuck

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