Blanket Project 2010 is a movement of people seeking to extend hope “to the least of these.” Our main goal for the evening is to collect blankets to distribute to the homeless in Dallas. We are partnering with several organizations that are already making a difference that will provide you opportunities to get involved. The night will bring food, fellowship, and more…. Admission to the event is a blanket. Please send this out to everyone you know. You won’t want to miss this evening!!! There will be more details to come…..STAY TUNED

Updates 1/3/2010

Time: 7:00pm

When: Jan 23, 2010

Place:
Uptown Salon
3549 Grapevine Mills Parkway
Grapevine, TX 76051

Who will be there:

• Sower of Seeds
• Keith Peeler Photography

Uptown Salon will be giving away a $25 gift certificate per person that donates a blanket. The gift certificate is for Timeless Med Spa.

• Follow Blanket Project on Twitter: @blanketproject
• Follow Sower of Seeds on Twitter: @SOSintl @triple_7
• Follow Keith Peeler on Twitter: @keithpeeler

Who was I?

• I was a man who was full of anger and hatred. (ESV Mark 7:21-23)
  
• I was a man who was caught up in drugs and violence.
• I was a man who didn’t care. (ESV Psalm 10:4)
  
• I was a man who was prideful.( ESV Psalm 10:4)
  
• I was a man who didn’t mind causing pain in someone’s life.
• I was a man who was good at making people feel fear.
• I was a man who had a lot of hurts from the past and held unforgiveness tightly in my heart. (ESV John 20:23)
• I was a man given over to my desires and flesh. (ESV Eph. 2:3, ESV Rom 1:24)
  
• I am totally depraved and couldn’t save myself.

Then something happened and God showed His glory to me. For some reason God wanted to save me from myself. I still wondered why. Why God, would you want to save me? Why would you want to redeem a person like me, that deserves nothing? Why would you choose me and pick me out of the crowd to be redeemed?

The only response I got was “I love you!”

Why God would you love me?? I felt everyone else walked out on me-why would you stay? Again I heard, “I love you!”

It was that point, on July 13, 2007, that my heart changed. It was that point that I wanted to live differently. It was that point I wanted to be different from the world!!

Who I am!

• I am a son! Adopted into the family of God. (ESV Gal. 4, ESV Rom. 1:1-4)
• I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! (ESV Gal. 3:13, Gal. 3:26-28)
  
• I am a saint! (ESV Col. 1:12, ESV 1 Cor. 1:2)
• I am made righteous and holy because of Him (ESV Eph. 4:24)
• I am sanctified by Him (ESV Heb. 10:10,14)

In other words…..

I couldn’t save myself! I couldn’t do anything to free myself from the bondages of sin! I didn’t do anything of my own will!

It’s all about Him.

My life does not belong to me.

My life belongs to Him.

My life is about Him.

My God is first in all things.

He is the Redeemer, Restorer, Sanctifier, only One, that can fix all things.

I love my God with all my heart! Lord search my heart out! (ESV Psalm 139:23-24)

May 2010 be devoted to you Lord!

Christ is All,

~Michael

I really am going to try harder and write more.

A lot has been going on and I am really excited to see what God holds for 2010!!

May you have a blessed 2010!!

Christ is All,

Michael

This video rocked my world!

I need God like there is no tomorrow! I am totally depraved! I have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. Chosen by God, Himself, and I don’t deserve that. Nothing I do is good enough but through Jesus Christ am made righteous.

I don’t even deserve to breathe, but each breath I take  is God’s mercy and grace on me. God you are so good to us all!

Why do we take You for granted, Oh Lord?

I repent of my foolishness and pride. You are the Lord and You do as You please. Thank you for Your mercy upon my soul.

May I always stand strong for You and never ever doubt, in the midst of pain and troubles, your Sovereignty! We love you Lord!

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39 NLT

Here I was standing, surrounded by so many women in a brothel, right in the heart of the largest red light district in Asia and this scripture came flooding to my mind.  We came here to share with these women, pray for them and encourage them, and as I looked at each of the women present, I was so captured by what I saw in their eyes.  Some blankly stared our the door, others cried and in some you could see a spark of hope and see the evidence of Jesus’ love doing a work in their hearts.

When I was told that we were going to dress up in Indian outfits and take Lisa Bevere and Jeanne Rogers into some brothels for a bible study I knew this was an experience I’d never forget.

As we walked down the crowded, narrow lanes of the red light district, we had to step carefully around the heaping piles of trash and sewage at our feet, and rats scurrying around.  It was late morning, and the district was slowly waking up after a late night of work.  Women were playing with their children and doing each other’s hair, street vendors were making breakfast and selling tea, and there were tables full of pimps out playing cards and relaxing.

When we got to the first brothel we all crowded into the front room, there was no place left to sit or stand and as many women as could get into the room did…we were literally filled to overflowing.  There were small children all around, and while we were there, we watched as they turned customers away telling them to come back later… As Lisa shared, she took the time to look every woman in the eye saying to each one directly “God has a plan for you.”

This would cause tears to well up in their eyes and flow freely…

Standing in that room, praying for the women I was mesmerized by them; wanting to know each girls story, and in the midst of it feeling the love and presence of God in a way that I had never experienced in my life.  I don’t know why I was so surprised by it, but I was…surely the darkest place in the world wouldn’t be where God would be, but it was (I knew the appropriate “Christian” answer, and yet was surprised because it was true).

None of these women were here of their free will, they were all victims of trafficking, and all had seen years of constant abuse and violence.  Some bore physical scars, and all bore emotional scars.  These are the daughters the world has forgotten about, but God hasn’t forgotten.  He’s right there with them every single day; He sees the abuse and the hurts and longs for them to know His love and freedom.

If the story were to end here I would be hopeless.  I don’t want to see a need for the sake of being better informed about it.  I don’t want God to break my heart just for the sake of doing it… I believe that there is a bigger purpose; that God allows us to see and hear about these things not for awareness, but because He invites us to be part of the solution*.

I can tell you without a doubt that God is moving in this red light district.  He is rescuing, saving, healing and transforming…and He invites us to be a part.  He’s going to do it one way or another, but do we want to come along with Him and partner with what He’s doing?

Human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, is a huge problem all over the world right now.  In India alone there are over 3 million victims, with 1.2 million of them being children.  Problems of such large scale almost seem overwhelming, but nothing is too big for God.  We can make a difference in this situation.  Even this week we had a girl who was rescued out of a horrible situation.  God is on the move, let’s be a part!  Let’s not forget about His daughters!  Find a way to get involved.

* One week later, one of the trafficked girls that attended the bible study entered the rescue and rehabilitation program S.O.S. International Ministries is supporting.  To find out more or to help sponsor the rescue of these girls: www.sowerofseeds.org/rescue

List below is all about who we are in Christ.  Hope this will bring some freedom!

I am a/the…………….

• salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13)
• light of the world (Matt 5:14)
• child of God (John 1:12)
• part of the vine (John 15:1,5)
• slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:18)
• a saint (Eph. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:2, Phil. 1:1, Col. 1:2)
• God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
• a fellow citizen with all of the Lord’s family (Eph. 2:19)
• prisoner to Christ, slave to Him (Eph 3:1, 4:1)
• made righteous and holy because of Him (Eph. 4:24)
• hidden with Lord ( Col. 3:3)
• chosen by the Lord ( Col. 3:12, 1 Thess. 1:4)
• son of light (1 Thess. 5:5)
• partaker of His calling (Heb. 3:1)
• a marked man and enemy of Satan (1 Pet. 2:11)
• child of the Most High (1 John 3:1-2)
• joint heir w/Christ (Rom. 8:17)
• temple of the Lord’s (1 Cor. 6:17)
• one with Him (1 Cor. 6:17)
• a new creation in Him (2 Cor. 5:17)
• son of God (Gal. 3:26,28)
• reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
• member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 5:30)

We are a pretty big deal to God. He call us friend and sons. ESV Gal. 4:1-10 speaks of sonship. I believe the Lord really wants us to get how much we mean to Him. We listen to the world and the enemy too much. I’m tired of walking down that road—aren’t you???