Sometimes the most intimate of venues carry the most impact and heart.

Last night I had the honor to attend a Music for Missions event supporting theVine.co. Being a supporter of theVine.co for a while now (written about them a couple of times now) I know the heart of its founders Rick and Samantha.

The mission of the Vine.co is to help Mission Teams raise money for Mission Trips to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and minister to those in need all around the world.

Music for Missions is one vessel that Rick and Samantha use to be able to fund the mission they have started in Canaan, Haiti. Rick spends hours and hours late at night scouring the internet for artist that have a similar heart for Christ and his people.

On this night we had the opportunity to spend an evening with a few dozen guests listening to the music and testimony of Chris August. I personally have been a fan of Chris’ for many many years. Chris is one of those artists that is not afraid to admit his flaws and uses his own mistakes and acceptance of God’s grace as his testimony.

Local artist Keira Mackenzie from FaithbridgeChurch in Jacksonville opened up the evening with her fresh raw talent. If you have a chance to hear her sing she has quite a future ahead or her.

Then there was a group that came all the way from Ireland based in Nashville, called We Are Messengers, in which the lead singer Darren Mulligan did an acoustic set. I cannot wait for their album to drop in November and see them out on the WinterJam tour this year.

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What does live music, hot dogs, blistering sun and church families coming together all have in common? Community.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to hang out with some new brothers and sisters. We met some great people with fantastic hearts of service at FaithBridge Church on the other side of town. We witnessed the passion and true servants that the church had to offer. Not only that church but their neighboring church had recently come together to serve the community as one body.
FaithBridge opened up the doors of the church and welcomed the community to join them in a free block party. The block party consisted of jump houses for the kids, hot dogs and side dishes galore along with a array of tasty treats. Following dinner the FaithBridge worship band opened up the night for a free concert starring Shawn McDonald.

One of the missions that is near and dear to FaithBridge Church is the country of Haiti. Haiti is a country that many know has been ravaged by poverty, natural disasters and crime. Many people know their plight yet stand by and don’t take action. FaithBridge member Rick Reed and his wife along with many others from the FaithBridge community could not just stand by. After spending time in Haiti on mission trips they decided they would be the hands and feet of Christ in the form of The Vine.co.

The Vine.co is an organization that won’t let the children of Haiti go unnoticed. The founders Rick and Samantha Reed

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In every city in America you can find dumpster diving. With the economy in shambles over the last few years, need has grown. More homeless people are searching for their next meal. Many cities struggle for a solution. Soup kitchens have become common in the urban core. Yet people still go hungry. Many are children, veterans and the elderly that get ignored. People ignore them, walk past then as if they were not there. We complain about them, yet do little to help. One restaurant owner in Oklahoma had a brilliant idea. Rather than turning a blind eye as many do. They opened their heart to their dumpster diving friend. The owner of P.B. Jams noticed someone  had been going  through their trash. Rather than putting a lock or gate around the dumpster to keep them out. The owner invited them in. Oklahoma City metro business leaves message for dumpster diver Imagine a world where  instead of pretending they are not there. Imagine if we all were compelled to feed them. It may not be practical for every restaurant to open their doors to the hungry. However they could all do better in how much food they waste. This also goes for every household in America. We waste more food in a week than many will see a month. So the next time you have left overs that you will just throw away. Rather than leaving it to be thrown in a dumpster. Why not box it up and give it to the hungry on […]

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