Broken Walls

Vol 2 No 38 THEO'S DEVOS

Nehemiah 1:3b The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire

As I was beginning to read Nehemiah for the umpteenth time (I really like this book) this verse caused me to reevaluate Theo's Devos this week. Jerusalem was dear to Nehemiah's heart and its walls were down. The gates had burned and I couldn't help but think of the many friends that I have in the Houston Texas area whose walls were torn down by Ike and whose homes were set on fire by this vicious storm. I have been in prayer for a number of days asking God to help those who were impacted by Ike and have felt frustrated because there is little else that I can do.

That is when Theo's Devos came to mind and I realized that perhaps there are some among our readers who could help in a significant way and I know that you all can pray. Prayer alone would be tremendous but just maybe God would lead some to do more.

The church that I served in Houston is the University Baptist Church. They have teams going out every day to serve the community in various ways. They have been housing people in their chapel and providing them with meals as they go out to help people recover their homes. They are also providing day care for workers' children and need provisions along those lines. They have not told me specifically. but I know that they could use any help possible as they provide this service. Any financial contribution would be welcome but even a phone call to find out what other needs that they have would be a great thing to do. I will put their address and phone number at the end of this week's Devo so you can get in touch with them and just let them know you are praying for them. To know that you care enough to support them in any way possible will be a great encouragement.

I just got off of the phone with a good friend of mine named Jeff Newpher who works with international students. He mentioned an interesting fact that, although most won't actually say it, there is a need for emotional support even for those who didn't lose their homes. For all of the people in the path of Ike there is deep concern that they will be able to make it in the long run. For those Christians who understand that God is in control, it may not be so bad but even for them prayer support would go a long way.

If you are like most people when something like this happens you are concerned, may pray, but are not sure just what else you can do. Well here is my suggestion. Give Robert Creech, the senior pastor, a call, or someone else at UBC and let him/them know that you are praying. Ask them if there is anything they need that you might be able to provide. Know that this would be one way to give significant support to some people in need of your help. Don't pass up this opportunity to be an encourager. Let's make this a do something Devo this week, not just a 'let's think about this.'

May God bless you as you reach out to others in need of your help. May you be richer for it. Oh and just because you are in Europe or Asia, don't let that stop you. The world is getting smaller every day.

Here is the contact information for University Baptist Church:

16106 Middlebrook Drive Web site: www.ubc.org
Houston TX 77059 Pastor Robert Creech
Phone: 281-488- 8517 Fax: 281-488-6748

Theo