Just a group of primarily college students with no direction, we started going through a video series. That didn’t work at all! Then, we started going through books of the Bible. That kinda worked. Then, we started discussing life and what we’re going through. This broke the ice and started the creation of our closely knit family.

One of the first big things we decided to do was to give backpacks with school supplies out to the kids of the CasaRush neighborhood. This made quite an impact but financially, it wasn’t easy at all. We passed out flyers and had to fill 80 backpacks. God knew what he was doing though.

We’ve seen Luke and Lakin move to Kentucky and come back. Lakin reveal that she’s having a baby, Lakin bringing Rosabelle into our family.

We created food themes and forced people into trying/creating something different. Even if it was mixing energy drinks together!

We pulled together our resources to be able to give bags of items to homeless in Tampa. We could see a difference that this was making in peoples lives.

I learned how to run the sound board and now have taught nearly everyone in CasaRush how to run sound for an event! I started hosting concerts and both Luke and Caleb generously helped out by playing and being part of the production, twice.

We learned to worship together and worship in different aspects. We learned to pray, pray together, pray for each other and drop everything just to cover someone with prayer. We have grown spiritually because of one another. May this just be the close of one chapter and the start of the next epic chapter of our lives.

We did pretty good on a few but got a bit stomped on some others. Tug-of-war with 115 Lb guys wasn’t easy. Luckily, half of our team had cleats so we weren’t going down without a fight!

Pictured here is the Potato Race, pushing a potato with only our noses! We also passed water cups to fill a bucket and did a few other games. CasaRush decided to tie-dye all of our shirts a couple nights prior to be a little more festive than a red shirt.

More info will come soon about the church that Element was able to raise another $1,000 for!

First, since Element Church is always in need of volunteers, CasaRush has decided to take over and fill in the gaps once a month. If Element is lacking volunteers in eKids, media, greeters, coffee makers, announcements or taking out the signs, CasaRush will be there to help out. This will begin to change our hearts and become servants to our own church. We’ve tried doing events or partnering up and working at ministries but it seems we had small groups join. By volunteering in our OWN church where there are needs, we are starting locally and then spreading to other needs.

We’ve met every other week for about 2 years. That’s all changing now. We will be meeting every week but alternating locations. Still every other week in the USF area (1st and 3rd) but then every other week in the Brandon area (2nd and 4th). It’s time that we starting doing more together and not only meeting twice a month, 24 times a year.

In addition to focusing locally by serving at Element, we want to broaden our ministry and where we can serve to allow God to speak to us in different means. I would have never spoken to homeless had I not been thrown into organizing food or clothing for the homeless when I worked in the Dream Center. The homeless have a story and a background. First thing that pops in some peoples mind is, “They don’t really need it. They can work. They’re making more than I am!” Ok, that was MY prospective prior to working WITH them. How many other opportunities am I missing out on because of my warped prospective due to the lack of knowledge on the subject.

2011, I welcome change. I welcome growth. I welcome the Holy Spirit to move through our group and change our hearts, teach us to pray and ignite a new passion from within. Make this year a year to grow God.

*Toothbrush, toothpaste, body soaps, shampoos, razors, finger nail clippers, tampons/pads, bandaids/small first aid kit, toilet paper, sunblock!, sponges (cleaning supplies and themselves), deodorant, hairbands

*Socks, extra clothing, washcloths, cheap pocket watches (they’ll need the time if looking for a job), ponchos, travel packs of detergent (get some change, do some laundry)

*Granola bars, healthy snacks (let’s think of some things that will give people nutrition), nuts, sunflower seeds, small cans of V8, ramen noodles, juice boxes, rice cakes, peanut butter, water bottles

We also want to include messages, specifically encouragement and information. If we want to help change the situation, it’s important that we offer a strategy for change. This is our chance to help let them know THEY are special and one of God’s children.

It would be great to type up and include: how to apply for food stamps, addresses of local shelters, food pantries, survival guides and tips, job tips and information, do’s / don’ts and ‘things to remember’ etc., where and how to get bus passes (for if you’re homeless), and perhaps a note about how to reuse the items. We could even include a flower or something else that will make them FEEL nice!

Let’s also include personalized messages encouraging them and letting them know that we are here for them, there IS hope, and things CAN change. Include encouraging scripture with explanations and why it applies to them! Even a few pages would be good. Don’t make it overwhelming- have some extra time before dinner? Think about some people that might not eat tonight and write a few notes out. Do you have an old book laying around you enjoyed or that really changed your life? Maybe you could throw it in a bag, encourage some reading, and give them something different to do at night. Get creative! Things like COUPONS are great for encouraging them to spend money on food instead of distractions.

If you would like to simply donate and we will put the money towards filling these bags, please click the link to the right and the money will go towards a great cause. If you want to buy any of the items, contact us and we will tell you where to drop off the items. You can also help create the bags too!

It’s very heart wrenching but then put this into perspective of what Jesus did for us. We get so numb by things that happen around us. We open the paper, read that more soldiers have died, don’t even read what happened or their names because “that’s old news”. We’re numb to the overseas death toll. Just as numb as when we hear how Jesus died for our sins or Jesus died to save us. This real life story should put some perspective of what Jesus did for you and I regardless of what our past looks like. He loves us that much just the way that Ryan loves Chad that much. Please watch this video below.

The question is – where does religious thought fit? In the category of preference or truth? Is saying, “I believe Muhammed” or “I believe in Jesus” the same as saying  “I like red” or “I like black”? Or is it more like saying “I believe Ford Pintos are reliable” or “I believe Hondas are reliable”? That is where the real question lies. My experience tells me that most people these days think religious belief is more like a preference thing – red or black – whichever makes you happy. And I will acknowledge that they are right – it is just a preference, if God has not revealed himself to our finite, fallible world. But what if God took the initiative to show up? That would take away a lot of our subjective opinion.

“Don’t all religions basically say the same thing?”

I can affirm that all religions do agree on some things. But the more important question is not whether one religion or another is the right one. The more fundamental question is, “Who is God?” Has God revealed Himself clearly so we can know what he’s really like? The human dilemma is we can’t find God on our own. The eternal Maker exists beyond the limits of time and space. We cannot know much more beyond a blind guess of what the hidden Creator is like, unless he chooses to show up – to reveal himself in a way we can understand in our finite, limited existence. That’s the only way out of this dilemma.

Flatland Example

Just pretend you’re the Creator for a minute. Imagine if you as a three-dimensional creator created a two-dimensional world. I know we exist in four dimensions (length, width, depth, time) but for the sake of simplicity let’s just say three. So these two-dimensional people can move forward, backward, left and right, but they have no comprehension of up or down. You can watch their every move from above, but they can’t even comprehend you as a 3-D Creator ‘above’ watching in. You can do miracles in their world – your finger can appear and disappear. They can’t imagine where your finger came from or where it went. Now, you could remain completely hidden, and they couldn’t even comprehend your existence in another dimension.

But what if you wanted to relate? If you wanted them to understand you – even love you? You would have to take the initiative to reveal yourself in 2-D descriptions, or in a form they could comprehend – because they cannot possibly ‘see’ you unless you pull them out of their two-dimensional world ‘up’ into your 3-D world. But you could penetrate their 2-D plane of existence, you could help them see, not all of your 3-D splendor, but as much as is flatly possible for them to understand in two dimensions.

This example is to say that the point of Jesus is God appearing in a 3-dimensional ‘slice’ of time and space. Not that Jesus revealed everything about the God who is Spirit, who exists beyond time and space. But he revealed all that limited, finite, 3-D creatures can comprehend. This analogy helps me understand this mystery of God as Father, Son, and Spirit – three persons yet one God. The Trinity of God is describing a being not bound by time and space in a 3-D language.

But how do you know Jesus is the 3-D ‘slice’ of God?

As you scan the horizon of human history and read the sacred texts of the world’s religions, asking the all-important questions, “Who is God, and has God revealed himself clearly?” one name stands out above the rest. Only one man has ever made such a claim and done anything by which history would even consider its viability: Jesus.

Within the last couple years, I’ve gotten this same question quite a few times. “How do you feel about other religions?” Here’s the problem with that loaded question: Christians are known to give the response, “Well, if people aren’t following Jesus then they’re going to hell so we need to save those sinners.” Zero tolerance for anything else but telling someone where they will end up going WITHOUT Jesus. In this generation, we cannot throw out the fire and brimstone to people and expect them to get it.

The underlying question to “How do you feel about other religions?” is really the question, “Do you think you’re right (as a Christian) and everyone else is wrong?” The true answer is, “I don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong. But I have faith that Jesus is my Savior that died for me to unload the weight of condemnation I had shouldered so long.” Answering this difficult question open-ended diffuses people’s resistance to listen and allows them to relate to you and actually want to hear your answer since you didn’t fire back, “Jesus is the only way and you’re gonna burn sucka.” The point isn’t to win the debate or discussion, it’s to relate in the discussion. But you can be tolerant and disagree with someone.

An example here would be this. Let’s say I’m buying a car. I like black cars and you like red. You try to convince me red cars are the right cars for everyone because red is your favorite color and black cars get too hot in the summer. There is no right or wrong color – maybe I like black and don’t mind the heat. It’s a preference among a variety.

But let’s say we’re talking about safe, reliable used cars, and I insist that the best car for the money is the Ford Pinto (which Ford discontinued because they blow up!). But I’m a firm believer in the Pinto because I can get a Pinto for $1,000 with less than 20,000 miles on it. Are you intolerant of my faith in the Pinto if you try to convince me that a Honda is a much better value in reality because it’s more safe and reliable than a Pinto? If you say, “Don’t entrust your wife and kids to a Pinto, they blow up when rear-ended at 20 mph. It may be cheap, but it’s dangerous.” Would you a be mean, intolerant person because you didn’t agree with my view that Pintos were the best value for a used car? No – you would caring about me by sharing what you know to be true. Now, if you attack me or my character or intelligence – then you’re not motivated by love but by your need to be right.

This topic continued here.

In the midst of the entire world moving at the pace that it does, recognize that God is the creator and give him praise for what He has done in your life and all around you.

I give him the bag and he says, “Better than anything.” You see the look of hurt in his eyes for a second, then he turns to the car next to me and joking around says, “Gimme your money!” then slaps my arm. Pray for him that he isn’t cooked by the sun and loses sanity but that he maintains his mind and is able to go out and find work.

I shot this video on my cell phone sitting on my lap so that’s why it’s pointing at the ceiling of my car.