Saturday, February 11, 2012

Beautiful Things

Beautiful Things

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


The singer-songwriter, Michael Gungor, said "My wife Lisa and I wrote the song together based on experiences at our local church. We were seeing our friends going through suffering and pain. This song is an expression of hope that God will make beautiful things out of the dust in our lives, and God will somehow use us, use our obedience and love, our feeble human effort, and build Himself a kingdom. I see that God is using suffering to bring us closer to Him."

The band Gungor not only makes beautiful music but I learned they are incredibly involved in missions in their home town of Denver, and internationally. Michael Gungor and his wife moved to Denver and eventually founded a community of believers called Bloom. There they are regularly involved with the homeless and needy.

I end my post with this beautiful quote from Michael, “If leading worship is just about bringing a group of people into a room so we can get goose bumps and sing songs together, there’s not much value in that. But if leading worship is a means to an end, that we leave this place as a different kind of people, as part of a new humanity that God wants to create--the people that are caring for the widows and orphans, that aren’t bound by the systems of this world but becoming free, becoming fully engaged in our world--then that matters.” (Source: New Release Tuesday)

If you are moved to become involved in missions to the widows and orphans, I can highly recommend Kenya Missions of Hope. Please click here to read more about the missions, to pray and to perhaps lend your financial support.

Brother Thomas Rop contacted me the day before yesterday about school needs. This week you would be helping a young girl who is short for school supplies and uniform ($80. US, 52 GBP, 61 Euros, 75 AUS) and her two sisters who still need school shoes $36 and $43 US respectively,  (23/28 GBP, 28/33 Euros, 34/ 41 AUS). The two sisters will also need toiletries in a few weeks. Please know that none of the orphans we help are living in an orphanage. They are living with caretakers in private homes or living in orphan headed households as in the case of the 3 girls who have immediate school needs. Your gifts and prayers are so much appreciated for them all.

God bless you.

9 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

Very well said, Penny. So very true.
K

the happy sparrow said...

beautiful song Penny! Hope your well! :) Martine

WebbieLady said...

Lovely song!

Linda said...

The passion God has put into your heart, Penny, is beautiful to behold. Bless you for reaching out in this way and inviting others to join you. You will probably never know how much and all the ways God is using your heart, your words, your invitations.

Linda

Jan said...

Beautiful song about "Beautiful Things" and a thought provoking quote.

I am surprised at the cost of school needs there, as we have found that a modest support of $43/month seems to help a whole village, and when we hear letters at church from children supported, they have a long list of items for the money.

Blessings, Jan

Joyful said...

Thanks, Jan. The cost of things in Kenya is extremely high. I've been there several times and I can vouch for the costs of many things, including school fees. The amount that you send is likely pooled with other amounts from other sponsors to get what you are told they get. Also, it is important to remember that there are different types of schools in Kenya and the associated costs will rise accordingly. For example, there are day schools and there are boarding schools, private schools and public schools. In each type of school they need different things. Most of the orphans we try to help get a better education and go to boarding school where they will be fed and cared for but they also require extra clothing, toiletries, shoes, uniforms and travel money. I hope that helps.

Joyful said...

Thank you for the encouragement, Linda. God bless.xx

Joyful said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joyful said...

I forgot to mention that they also have higher fees at boarding schools because they are lodging there through the year. Sometimes when a request is made for help they include other related costs in with the amount. That way they minimize the requests for funds and prayer. You can click here to see the general cost of school shoes in Kenya. You can see that tagging on a few extra dollars can help to pay for toiletries, books etc. http://www.batakenya.com/category/SCHOOL

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