Ministry Update May 12, 2008

Ministry Update May 12, 2008

As I continue to work my way through the gospel of John, I was struck this morning by the story of the blind beggar in John 9. It reads, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life…having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go’, he told him, ‘wash in the pool of Siloam’…so the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”

Often when I read a story of a healing in the gospels I try to put myself in the recipient’s shoes. If the man was blind from birth, he did not know what he was missing. He had never seen light, people’s faces, creation, etc. Without sight he was completely dependent on others for everything. Thus he sat along the road begging for anyone to have mercy on him. Not only did he live in a very dark world but his survival was a daily issue.

I was reminded how every single person that is born into this world is spiritually blind. In fact, we are so use to our blindness that we can’t even comprehend light. Blindness is the natural state of all mankind. But then came Light! ‘I am the light of the world,” Jesus Christ proclaims. John 1:5 tells us, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood.” No one can receive spiritual sight apart from coming to Christ in faith for the forgiveness of sins and receiving the gift of life from Jesus. In receiving our sight, God desires to work through our life, so that His glory may be displayed!

As I thought about my life and the many blessings that have been mine because of receiving the light of Christ at a very early age, I was reminded of how I have taken the gift of God’s light for granted. When you have been in a relationship with Jesus Christ for along time, you almost forget what darkness is like. I needed the reminder that if it hadn’t been for coming to Jesus at an early age, I would be depending on relationships, positions, possessions, and possibly some substance to meet my needs, and what a dark world that can be. Oh how I pray, that the Lord will always remind me that I was once a blind beggar and if it hadn’t been for Him opening my eyes, I would be wondering around aimlessly in this dark world trying to make sense of it all. How I praise God for bringing Light to mankind through Jesus Christ. How thankful I am to walk in the Light. He brightens my whole world! Every day as I spend time reading the written Word, my spiritual eyes are opened and I am washed clean.

The thing I like about the blind beggar is that he took Jesus at his word. Jesus said “Go,” and the beggar went with out asking any questions. In other words, he had no doubts. He simply obeyed God. His obedience led to receiving his sight. I daily pray that the Lord will help me to “Go” in simple obedience and do what He asks me to do no matter how crazy it might look! That blind beggar set an example for all of us!



Praises:
Praise God for the way he is using the story of my painful past so that the work of God can now be displayed through JoyShop Ministries! The following comments are responses I recently received.

“Hi! Thank you so much for coming and most of all for being real w/ the group. I know you gave my husband and I the challenge of getting up every morning for devotions so since Wed. we've been getting up together and have devotions separately. It's great to have each other for accountability and to make sure we actually get up! I read your book in a day, I just couldn't put it down! Having a small daughter of my own, your story really really impacted me. I think it is incredible how God used something so painful to be something so beautiful and reach out to so many lives… I appreciated how you kept your book very focused on this event and how you relate it to our relationship with God.”

From teens:
“Thank you so much for your practicality and ties with life connections. You have spurred me on. Thank you for your encouragement.”

“I really enjoyed your presentation! Something about it had me very interested. Also to hear about your personal experiences made me realize that if I take out just a little time each day great things will happen.”

“The story about your first baby was very touching. I liked it a lot! Thanks you so much for taking your time to talk to us. I really think your stories have touched a lot of us and I think we learned a lot!”

“Thank you for your message! Christians are now the minority at youth group and we really needed to hear what you talked about.”

The following comment came from a lady in California:
I was talking to my friend and co-worker a month or so ago when she told me about a book that her friend, Anita Keagy wrote titled “The File: A Mother and Child’s life-changing reunion.” I had no idea what the book was about, other than a Mother and Daughter. I have 2 daughters, ages 11 and 14, and for some reason just felt compelled to go immediately to Amazon.com and purchase it. When it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find out what it was about. You see my husband and I adopted both of our daughters at birth, after 5 years of infertility. Needless to say, I read the book (almost straight through) in a matter of days. (As you know, it is very difficult to find “alone time” to read when you have kids and school and soccer and work and a house to take care of, etc.) I just wanted to write and tell you how much …I loved the book. It gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes, to really hear what a birthmother can go through...”

I also received a phone call recently from a woman telling me that she attended the JoyShop at Pequea last year and she has been in the word every day since then.

Last Wednesday I finished up my last session at Penn Manor High School. Afterwards a pretty young teen came up to me and with tears in her eyes she thanked me for my book. She said she had read it and it had really helped her. She also thanked me for the JoyShop saying that it had impacted her life. A teen boy shared with me that he finished the 21 DC and loved it.

This past Saturday I spoke with a small group of women at a morning tea gathering. As Deb Risser and I were packing up to come home the women thanked me. One sweet older woman told me I was so easy to listen to! But the comment that went through my heart with a sharp pain was the comment by another woman who said, “Your message has to get out to the Church!” As I type this comment the tears are coming. I can’t help it. The message of seeking God FIRST needs to be taught in every church in America. A quote I received from a woman I recently met, captures our dilemma,
“Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world again.” (A.W. Tozer)

Prayer request:
--This Saturday I will be doing a JoyShop at New Tripoli, Pa. Pray that people will respond to the Spirit’s prompting and that many will come to a new understanding of what it means to seek God.
--As I prepare to do JoyShop at my home church in Lancaster County during the Sunday School hour in June, pray that God will give me the ability to minister effectively to the high school age students as well as the adults.
--I continue to cry out to God to allow me to reach larger numbers for Him. I plan to keep going, ministering to one group at a time, with all the strength that He gives me and as long as He chooses to sustain me. JoyShop Ministries belongs to God. He formed it! He brought you to me. We are in this together. Your support through prayer, time volunteered, and finances, continues to bless me. I ask for your continued partnership in leaving a legacy of lives impacted for the kingdom.
--Please pray that the fire that burns within my heart will never dim and that He will grant me a holy passion to serve the body of Christ across this nation.

I hope that you can come to the JoyShop picnic at my home on Sunday, June 1. You can arrive anytime after 4:00. We will eat around 5:30 and wrap up the evening with a ministry update from 6:45-8:00 p.m. This is a family event. You can bring anyone with you that you think is interested in knowing more about JoyShop Ministries. All I ask is if you can preferably rsvp at info@joyshop.org by May 29 just so we have a rough count. There will be soft serve ice-cream for everyone! If you kids want to swim we have a pool for their entertainment!

Serving Together, Anita