Mercy Ministry in the 'Burbs
May 3, 2010 | 1 Comments
One of the most influential writers God has used in my life is Francis Schaeffer. Though Dr. Schaeffer has been dead for over 25 years, many of his works still resonate with me as though they had been written just last week.
In his book True Spirituality, Dr. Schaeffer demonstrates that when sin entered into the world (Genesis 3), man not only experienced separation from God, but from others, creation and even himself. Examples of outward manifestations of these things are the denial of God Himself, difficulty in relationships, natural disasters, and psychological disorders, respectfully.
Relief from the effects of these separations is called "mercy." Normally when we hear this term we think of work that is done in destitute, impoverished parts of our country and world. But, if mercy really is a relief from the things I listed in the previous paragraph, all of us are in need of mercy, regardless of where you live, how educated you may be, or how much money you may have.
That being said, we need to seriously consider what mercy ministry should look like in a upper-middle class suburb like Frisco. While things may appear to fine on the surface, underneath it all is a lot of pain and brokenness. I encourage you to read this article and begin to think as to how we, by God's grace,can bring relief to the suffering and brokenness in Frisco.
Comments
May 6th
Awesome article Jamie!! We should work through Keller's book in our Men's Group or some other appropriate venue.
