Upbeat Note
Theme of the Week: No Strings Attached
Dean Merrill
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! … and everyone can read it 2 Corinthians 3:2.Bonus Reading:2 Corinthians 3:1-6a
A woman in our church teaches elementary school in a part of town where three out of four students qualify for free or subsidized lunches. The school owned only four band instruments. Since few families could afford to rent their own, the band had only 12 players.
One Sunday our pastor asked, "How many have an instrument gathering dust in a closet? What if you dug out that old trumpet or flute so we could bless Pikes Peak School with them?" After we collected a number of instruments, a music store, hearing about our effort, refurbished them for free. One saxophone, it turned out, was a professional grade instrument. We sold it for its substantial value.
A deacon delivered 14 ready-to-play instruments to the school, plus a check for $4,300! He also relayed the offer of musically trained church members to tutor students after school. The grateful music teacher used the money to buy ten more electronic keyboards for her music lab. At the next school concert, there were 30 players.
Word about what our church had done spread. When the community "read" that kind of "letter" in our actions, it was forced to assume not self-serving ambition but genuine caring.
—Dean Merrill in Damage Control
My Response: How have we validated, "They will know we are Christians by our love"?
Thought to Apply: Love talked about is easily turned aside; love demonstrated is irresistible.—Stan Mooneyham
Adapted from Lord, Change My Attitude (Moody, 2001) by permission.
Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Help me, Lord, to model the gospel so caringly that people will demand an explanation.
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