A CHRISTIAN MISSION
August 2023 Newsletter
Prayer request: We are grateful for your prayers and thankful to God for the increase in the number of guests we are hosting. It is a testament to your prayers and God's faithfulness, and to the impact of the Mission's ministry in our community. Pray for our leaders and our guests as God increases our ministry.
If you have any questions about the Mission or how you can help, please call us. 432-337-8294
A Word From Our Director ~ Pastor Andrew Pistone
We Drifting…
(Some portions inspired by David Jeremiah and John MacArthur)
In April 2012, David Baxter was walking along the beach on Middleton Island - in the Gulf of Alaska - about 70 miles from the mainland of Alaska. David came across a soccer ball, and he noticed that there was Japanese writing on the surface of the ball. Mr. Baxter's wife spoke Japanese, and she translated the writing on the ball - which included a school name and good luck messages. David was able to trace the ball back to Japan, and to the tsunami that occurred in March of 2011 - more than a year before.
Sixteen-year-old Misaki Murakami's name was written on the ball that was swept out to sea, and when they were able to find him, he knew it was his ball, because in 2005, his classmates had signed it and given it to him as a good-bye gift when he was transferring to another school. When the earthquake and tsunami hit, the young man and his family were able to get to safety, but their home in Japan was completely destroyed.
The soccer ball is one of the first things from the massive tsunami that was found on the Pacific shore and was able to be returned to its owner. That ball, with no propulsion of its own, had traveled more than 3,000 miles from Rikuzentakata, Japan to the coast of Alaska. It simply drifted on the ocean currents - one mile at a time - and ended up far away from the teenager.
More Drifting…
A story was told about an English explorer, William Parry, who took a crew to explore the unknown terrain of the Arctic in the 1800s. They headed north, and after hours of exhausting and treacherous walking, they stopped to get their bearings. They used the stars to calculate their progress, and it seemed that they were further south than when they had begun their trip. How could that be possible? It turned out that they had been walking on a giant ice floe that was moving south - faster than they were moving north.
Many Christians today are moving on an ice floe – drifting away from God, and they aren't even aware of it. We need to check our bearings once in a while to make sure we're on track.
Drifting is so quiet and so easy. All we need to do is…nothing! Of course, as followers of Christ, our salvation is secure, but our joy and our effectiveness can slip away from us if we're not diligent about maturing in our faith.
We are diligent about locking our homes and our cars because we don't presume that our possessions are always safe. We exercise, because we don't presume that our bodies will stay strong on their own. We should be even more diligent about growing in our faith, and not presume that it will remain strong. Unlike our homes and cars, there are eternal consequences.
A.W. Tozer said, “Medicine sitting on the shelf and never taken has never cured anybody. Food left in the refrigerator and never eaten has never nourished anybody. Heat not turned on has never warmed anybody. And the Bible itself, though it is nourishment, though it is light, though it is warmth, though it is medicine to the soul, yet it never helps anybody where there is not serious attention given to it.”
The Bible is full of stories about godly people who drifted away from God. David, Samson, and Solomon all drifted away because they broke God's commandments regarding women. David was said to be, “a man after God's own heart,” Samson had enormous physical strength, and Solomon was known to be the wisest man who ever lived. If these three men were able to drift away, then we know it's possible that WE could do the same thing. To grow in our faith, we need to be aware of some of the things that can cause us to drift.
Preoccupation
Our lives are busier than ever, and there are plenty of legitimate reasons to become preoccupied. There's work to do, relationships to nourish, children to raise, parents to care for, birthdays to celebrate, degrees to finish, and bills to pay! It's easy to be so involved in the necessary things of life, that we lose our focus on Christ – who is the MOST necessary. When we become so preoccupied with our daily activities – that we have very little time to develop spiritual maturity…then drifting is almost certain.
How do we become cold-hearted Christians? Don't come to church. Don't read the Bible. Don't pray. Don't serve the Lord. The reality is - that we don't have to do ANYTHING to drift…we just drift! “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1)
Our Time
As Christians, we need to be aware of the things that can cause our thoughts to drift away from God. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
Television has become such a prevalent part of our homes, that we hardly even consider the power it holds. Much of the programming celebrates ungodliness, and we willingly invite these dangerous things into our homes. To make matters worse, we typically do it at the end of a long day when we're tired and don't even want to think. So, we sit on our couches and passively absorb the worldly ideas. When we have a steady diet of these things, and watch - without wisdom and discernment - we are giving ourselves opportunities to drift away from biblical values.
Also, the Internet has revolutionized our lives in every way, and given us endless resources from every part of the world; but, does it occupy an inappropriate amount of our time? Are we obsessed with shuffling through social media sites? Does Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or YouTube take up the time we should be using for studying our Bibles or spending time with our families? We might notice that we're addicted to the 24-hour news cycle – or maybe even computer games.
As we think about these things, we should be careful not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” All of these things can be used and enjoyed, but we need to be wise. “Test all things; hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
If we are simply floating along, and not actively following God and the Truths of Scipture…we can make a fresh commitment today - to cement ourselves in the Word of God. Being anchored in Scripture is more than just having a superficial knowledge of the Bible. It means that God's Word is alive in us. ”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
To avoid mindless drifting – and becoming enticed by the values of this world - it's not just a matter of avoiding the evil and destructive things around us. To be mature Christians, we have to be diligent in absorbing biblical truths and actively living according to those principles.
I hope these thoughts encourage you to make a fresh commitment to maturing in your faith through Bible study - which leads to intentional living - with eternity in mind…for your joy and for God's glory.
Pastor Andrew
Pastor Andrew
Thrift Store
If you haven't had a chance to shop at our Thrift Store, we hope you will do that very soon. The proceeds from the store are a major source of our support. You will find thousands of quality items at incredible prices, and you can shop with confidence that your dollars are helping to change lives.
We are located at 1515 E. 8th Street, Odessa, TX Our hours for shopping are: Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm.
We continue to take ALL donations with grateful hearts. We could not do this without your help.
We will come to PICK UP any and all donations – just give us a call at 432-337-8294 to schedule a pickup. You can also drop off your donation at the Thrift Store,
Funds / Donations Needed
Your financial support will help us provide hot meals, a safe place to sleep and shower, and exposure to the truth of God's Word through Bible study and counseling to those who struggle with addictions. Many come to know Jesus as Savior because of the work God is doing here at the Mission.
There are a few ways you can give:
#1: PayPal Giving Fund:100% of what you give goes to the Mission. Paypal does not keep a processing fee when you use this service. If you would like to make a direct financial donation you can go to PayPal at the link below.
https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2432315
#2: Use our Website http://www.doorofhopemission.com/donate.html
#3: Mail a Check to Door of Hope Mission PO Box 1789, Odessa, TX 79760
#4: When you Shop at Amazon or Ebay, just add us as your preferred charity, and a portion of your purchase will go to the Door Of Hope Mission.
With Amazon: Visit Amazon Smile www.smile.amazon.com, then login to your account then you need to select Door Of Hope Mission Odessa TX so we will receive donations from eligible purchases when you shop.
With Ebay: You just need to add the Door Of Hope Mission to your favorites. Click the link this link to add us.
https://charity.ebay.com/charity/charity-name/2432315
If you have any questions please call us 432-337-8294.
The Door of Hope Mission is supported 100% by DONATIONS and our thrift store. We do not take money from the government because they would restrict us from preaching about the freeing power of Jesus to those we help.
All donations are tax-deductible.
DOOR OF HOPE THRIFT STORE UPDATE
We are in need of good furniture and antiques that you might want to donate to our ministry, and of course - we continue to take ALL donations with grateful hearts. We could not do this without your help.
We can also accept cars, trucks, RVs and boats.
If you have items you wish to donate, please drop them off at the store. If you need us to pick them up, please call the Mission at 432-337-8294.
We invite you to come and visit the Door of Hope Thrift Store. We are located at 1611 E. 8th Street, Odessa, TX 79761.
Our hours for shopping are Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Please visit us on Facebook : www.Facebook.com/DoorOfHopeThriftStore
All donations are tax deductible.
Please check out our latest post and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/DoorOfHopeMissionTX