²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Matthew 23:23-28

When Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, he challenges them on the fact that they are quick to give, but they neglect the hard and dirty part of involving their lives in “weightier matters”:  ”justice and mercy and faithfulness.”  He describes the problem, and he’s quick to get to the “heart” of the issue.  In verses 25-28, he examines the heart of the Pharisees.  He tells them that they look good on the outside, but all of their good and moral actions come from a hypocritical and selfish heart.

Here are two practical suggestions that I’ve been thinking about regarding this passage:

• Think about ways that you’re involved in the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
• What is the heart behind your involvement in those things?

As you consider those two things, read what happens next: right after Jesus speaks these challenging words to the Pharisees, he laments over the city of Jerusalem:

Over a month ago, The Academy interns and Philip went to India for 11 days. One of our interns, Breezy Torres, is a photographer and helped document the trip.

As a way of supporting the ministries they worked with there, Breezy has decided to give to those ministries half of the profits from selling prints of some of her favorite photographs, check them out! Through buying some prints, be a part of the work that is happening in India. Click here to read Breezy’s blog about her doing this.

To view the rest of the images Breezy took, go to the Facebook album.

Here is an excerpt of an email from a former SOS summer staffer who intentionally lives in Binghampton with his wife.  This story shows that relationships aren’t easy.  They’re messy. But often we find that when we build a relationship with a person for the sake of helping them, we’re often the ones who are affected most.  It’s a humble reminder that God puts others in our path not simply for the sake of serving others, but to teach and change us as well.  The command to love your neighbor isn’t solely for the benefit of your neighbor.  It’s also for your benefit.

We spent the day with Shana* yesterday, she came to church and lunch with us, and then we got her moved into her new duplex.  It is very much in Orange Mound, but on the inside it’s decently nice and it’s what she can afford right now. We’re nervous for her safety and the fact that she doesn’t know anyone over there, but she’s a lot more accustomed to the hood than we are.  She still doesn’t have any water or electricity, but I’m hoping that we can raise some money for her to get them on today or tomorrow.

Yesterday was a good day, but last night my wife and I both were pretty broken.  Really getting to know Shana, you find out that she’s just a normal person.  She’s easy to talk to and (for the most part) fun to be around, and it’s not fair that we don’t have to worry about anything while she’s scraping by in a duplex with no water in Orange Mound.  And beyond that, she shows such incredible grace to us who have been in her life.  I for one ignored her for almost a year, pretending she didn’t exist so that I wouldn’t have to get involved, and still ignore her some days, but she never brings it up.

One thing for sure is that God is revealing things in me that I’ve never had to deal with before.  I’ve seen in myself that I truly can’t do enough to earn God’s favor because I won’t do enough.  So many times I know the good I should do, and refuse to do it.  God’s grace is sufficient.

*Names have been changed.

1. Glorify God.  At SOS, you’ll have the opportunity to impact hundreds of lives, including teenagers from all of the country, economically disadvantaged homeowners, and the other staff you’re working with.
2. Build community.  It’s hard to believe, but after spending 10 weeks working alongside like-minded men and women, you leave with some life-long friends.
3. Grow spiritually.  SOS has lots of different things in place to make sure that you grow.  You’ll participate in Bible studies, learn from Memphis leaders, interact with Christians who are serving around the world, and do it all in close community.  It’ll absolutely change your life.
4. Learn construction.  It sounds strange, but one day you’ll be glad you know how to replace a piece of drywall or stop a leaky faucet.
5. You’ll have a BLAST!  Working at SOS won’t be the easiest summer of your life.  But it really might be the best.

If you’re interested, go ahead and apply.  You can do that online here.  The application deadline is February 15. Questions?  Email drew@sosmemphis.org.

Watch this video to see what a day in the life of a summer staffer is like.

SOS exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed through urban home repair camps.

This summer, close to 1,600 junior and senior high students from all over the country will come to Memphis, TN, to partner with economically disadvantaged homeowners to make necessary home repairs on their homes.  Do you want to spend your summer:

• …making a difference in the lives of hundreds?
• …developing your construction and leadership skills?
• …learning and growing like never before?

Most importantly, you can spend your summer bringing much honor and glory to God.

Here’s how it works:

SOS hires 45 summer staff each year.  24 of these positions are filled by Team Leaders.  Each Team Leader spends his or her summer at a home making home repairs with campers and homeowners.  Each TL has a construction manager that leads and oversees his or her work.  SOS hires 8 Construction Managers, so each CM manages and oversees three TLs.

SOS is looking for 8 qualified candidates to fill these positions.  

We’re looking for spiritually mature people who are leaders and learn quickly.  Construction experience is helpful. Most important, we’re looking for people who love to serve, work hard, lead well, and figure things out quickly.

If you’re interested at all or have any questions, contact Drew Haltom at drew@sosmemphis.org or (901) 681-9044.

Apply online today!  Application deadline is February 15, so don’t wait.

India!

We met up with a group from Billings, Montana and joined an NGO to share the truths of Christ with people living in some of the villages north of Mussoorie. It was a challenging, fun and awesome trip!
After travelling by plane, train, and windy mountain roads we ended up at our campsite. Both days we split into two teams to hike to villages nearby and share.

One team hiked while stopping to ask if we could talk about Jesus in the villages. We had the joy of sharing stories from the Bible, our own testimonies, or specific Scripture while sitting in people’s homes with them, often drinking chai, and later playing with their kids. It was beautiful the way people welcomed us in, served us, and allowed us to share with them!

The second team held a medical camp in a village for the day. Individuals and families came to see the doctors and were told of Jesus as being the One True Physician. The non-medical ones of us got to help with bringing people in to the doctor, play with the beautiful children, and take a whole lot of pictures (the kids LOVE the camera!). At one of these villages we worked in a Christian school and met an Indian man living there and running the school with hopes of spreading the Gospel. It was so encouraging to sit, talk, pray and hear his passion for the Lord!

During the end of our trip we travelled to one of the holy cities (Rishikesh), saw the Ganges River, and visited a couple of Hindu temples. Going to these places allowed us to see more of the Hindu religion and the way many people in India are caught in false worship.

We were all deeply encouraged by the Believers we met in India, their desire for the Gospel to be known throughout their country and the ways they welcomed us into their lives. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement with this trip and our year in Memphis! Please continue to join us in praying for India and the seeds being planted in these villages.

Here’s a video that will let you know.  Thanks to Breezy Torres for creating this video as well as Justin Capebianco and the rest of the “cast.”

Apply online here.  Application deadline: February 15.

]]> http://www.sosmemphis.org/2012/01/a-day-in-the-life/feed/ 0 http://www.sosmemphis.org/2012/01/summer-staff-alumni-in-kenya/ http://www.sosmemphis.org/2012/01/summer-staff-alumni-in-kenya/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:20:06 +0000 Drew http://www.sosmemphis.org/?p=2133 A team of 15 summer staff alumni recently returned to the U.S. from a “vision trip” to Kenya.  It was an absolutely tremendous trip!  We partnered with a ministry called Planting Faith to accomplish some good work.  While we were able to accomplish a lot and hopefully bless others, the Lord really used our experiences and the people we interacted with to bless out team!  Here are some highlights of our trip.

We spent the first leg of our trip working at a children’s home in Thika, Kenya.  Our group divided into three teams.  One team built a playground for the children, another team painted the home, and another team helped the children’s home staff make silage for the dairy cows.  In addition to working, we got to spend plenty of time with the children.  They were a joy to be around, and I pray that they were impacted by us as much as we were impacted by them!

We spent the second leg of our trip partnering with farmers in Sagana to help them dig trenches for irrigation systems.  It wasn’t easy work, but it was a blessing to spend time with farmers.  A highlight of this time was having tea with a family in their home.

Thank you all for your prayers and support as we experienced the ways God is bringing much glory to Himself through His body all around the world!

As we look to Jesus, who humbled himself that we might be exalted, let us seek to show that same humility to others this Christmas.  Let us practice the downward mobility Christ modeled and find ways to love, serve, care for, assist, pray for others over ourselves.  In doing that, we are truly living out the Christmas story.  And we are showing others what Christmas is really about.

How will you spend your Christmas?  Will you remember this Christmas by what presents you got or where you traveled or what great food you ate?  Or will you remember this Christmas because of the joy you saw in others as you found ways to love and serve them?

We pray that this will be a season of serving others over ourselves for the glory of Jesus Christ.  For only in doing that will people’s hearts begin to be drawn away from a cultural, Christ-less Christmas and drawn in to worship Jesus as King!

Have a merry, humble, service-filled Christmas!

- the SOS crew

Urban education is one of the biggest social justice issues of our day.  It’s so big of an issue that you simply can’t be apathetic towards it.  Memphis Teacher Residency is taking great strides to bring about change.  MTR “is a Memphis-only non-profit organization whose mission is to recruit, equip and retain excellent teachers to work in Memphis’ urban areas where the need for strong educators is most critical.”  If you’re interested in joining this battle with MTR, they’re hosting an information session in Memphis on Wednesday, December 21.  Click here for more details and to RSVP.  Even if this isn’t for you, please spread the word.