Producers 3

"Making Donuts" follow up #3

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives."
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Back in May, our students held a talent show we called the Biteback benefit. Sam had been wanting to do a talent show for some time and when I heard about Compassion's BiteBack ministry, it seemed like a good fit. We had a fun night with quite a few families coming to watch - and raising about $600 to stop kids from gettting malaria.

It was a simple thing.
It really wasn't difficult.
But it was productive.

God gave our kids here a lot of different talents. We had everything from pole vaulting to singing and dancing... and a lot of stuff in between. The talents were entertaining and the generosity of the audience met an urgent need for 60 families in Africa.

But not all talents lend themselves well to a talent show/benefit. I believe though, that all talents are given to benefit others. If we're committed to doing what is good, Christ will live in us a productive life meeting the needs of the people who surround us everyday. Make sure you're keeping your eyes open for those needs around you - and use your talents to meet them.

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On a related note: I put new brake pads on my wife's van yesterday. I've never done this before, but I knew the pads were worn down and I didn't want to pay through the nose to get the brakes done. (Local estimates started at $150 - one place wouldn't even give a ballpark price without me paying $35 for an inspection.) So for about $30 I bought new pads and a c-clamp, and replaced the pads myself. (No mom, the rotors are not warped or grooved - they're still safe.) I was kind of surprised at how easy it was and I got to thinking about hundreds of people who pay for automotive stuff (or just ignore maintenance issues) because they don't know that they can do it themselves. I'd like to put together a mechanically inclined team to teach some basics to our students (even stuff like changing a tire and oil and filters and spark plugs) by doing some basic maintenance on cars that need it. If you'd like to help, or learn, or if you have a car that could use some attention give me a call and let's see if we can be productive together.