Spirit-filled Living

Going out on a limb... read on.

So right now I am sitting at O’ Henrys coffeehouse, one of my favorite places to hang out and study, where it is officially crunch time. Only about 2 1/2 weeks of school left but they will be weeks filled with reading, writing, and more reading and writing... I find myself struggling to keep up with all the fund raising, papers and other time commitments right now and thats why its taken me so long to update this blog!

Right now, I am tired of writing for my classes, so I thought I’d take a break and let the 7 of you, who actually read this blog, know a little more about my journey to raise money for my mission to Cape Town.

The other day I received my first donation in the mail and it really surprised me how encouraging it was. Because of such little time I haven’t been able to send out a single support letter yet (although I hope to get them out by tomorrow). Anyways the letter I got the other day was from a nice lady who I haven’t had much of a chance to get to know. It was just really encouraging to receive that kind of a letter from someone who barely knew me, but was still willing to give me her money and prayer over the summer.

It really is amazing how the little things we do, here and there, can really build someone else’s spirit up. Speaking of the “spirit”, In neglecting some of my schoolwork and have been reading through Francis Chan’s new book: Forgotten God. In this book, Francis focuses on the often forgotten about person of God, The Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is something the Bible says dwells within us, yet somehow we often forget it (He/she?) is there!

-There are Non-Christians and there are Christians.

-There are people without the Spirit of God and there are those who carry within them an all-powerful, all- knowing, and infinitely loving Holy Spirit.

But... How often do I (or we) live as if this is the case? Can people really tell the difference between those with the Spirit and those without? I wonder how much different I would act if I was constantly aware of the fact that God has my back, and not only is Christ at my side but His Spirit dwells inside of me...

I think I would be much more bold in sharing my faith. After all, who cares whether or not we are rejected? As Christians we don’t need the approval of others... It sounds cheesy, but we already have all the approval we need! Maybe we are scared of having some awkward moments... But honestly...

Isn’t an awkward conversation or two worth a persons eternal salvation?

But you may say: “I am not a very good Christian, I sin all the time. I don’t think I am able to put myself and my faith out there.” But guess what, we don’t have to do it on our own! Although we may mess up and fall short, we have the advantage of having our God living and working inside and through us!

However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him" - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

The Holy Spirit guides us in the way we should go...

Are you willing to risk an awkward moment this week?

Also, as always, I’m still in need of some help...

If you would be willing to help me get to Cape Town, I would very much appreciate it! I’m asking you to partner with me, both in prayer and financially. I can’t do PayPal, but a check would work great. Put “Josh’s Africa Ministry” in the note and the nice folks back at home will make sure it gets into the Africa missions account (if you see me on campus or in the coffee shop, of course, that works just as well, too).

Joshua Sheppard

8203 Joshua Ct.

Laurel, MD, 20708

Josh Sheppard [jshepshep@gmail.com]

Blessings,

Josh Shep

Dates Confirmed! - and some reflections

Ok so second post:

Once again thanks for checkin out the blog!

I have the dates for this summer!

May 27th - August 7th

Get excited.

From time to time I’ll update this blog with some of my thoughts and experiences I’m having on this journey to follow Christ’s call.

So I was just finished this book called Blue Like Jazz the other day by this guy named Don Miller.

*Side note: (some people have criticized Don’s theology, my purpose here is not to argue for or against a certain theology - since, believe it or not, no one’s theology is perfect - but I just plan to discuss some of the ideas he writes about in his book)

I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is this one chapter entitled “belief.” This is one of the most convicting chapters I have read this year.

Don writes about what we really believe and that if we really believed it, we would live differently.

He ask the reader to imagine what the world would look like if Christians actually believed and cared that half of the world lives in poverty. “Do you think they would change the way they live, the products they purchase, and the politicians they elect?”

I think this is a very interesting thing to give some serious thought. Actually believing the truth carries a responsibility with it. It is certainly a lot easier to pretend (or at least not think about) the serious problems around the world, and even in my hometown.

- 1 in 6 people in Alabama are currently living in poverty, real people who don’t know how they are going to provide for their child who may suffer from malnutrition.

- Girls who attend high school in Baltimore are more likely to leave high school pregnant than with a diploma.

More girls are pregnant than graduate in a place 30 minutes from where I grew up...

This really bothers me and it also really convicts me. If I really believe that Jesus Christ is my Saviour, He has called me to help those who are in need:

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Luke 12:33-34

It makes you wonder, where is my heart? No really. Where is it? Am I so focused on my own comfort that I conveniently “forget” about other peoples problems?

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? - 1 John 3:17

Its never fun to admit hypocrisy, but thats exactly how I live so often. I am a hypocrite too often because I don’t always live what I believe...

Don continues to talk about what it means to really believe. His friend Andrew says something that rings true for me. That is simply: that what we believe is not merely what we say we believe, what we believe is what we do. (James 2:17-20)

I keeping saying I believe in a God who calls me to live differently. Man, I fail everyday to live up to this standard. I’m just thankful God is in control of my salvation and that he keeps me in his flock. Not because I am a good person but because He is greater than all my mistakes and shortcomings. (Eph. 2:8-9)

All this goes to say that Don really called me out on the fact that I need to live my life as if I really believe what I say I believe. He writes “that dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something... Is the hard thing.”

Well thats all for this entry. I hope this has not come across as too cliche but I guess thats the risk you take when you try to talk about these kinds of things!

Thanks for taking a little time out of you day to read this,

For a quick laugh, I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite quotes by some pro athletes:

-- Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice: "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."

Auburn Fans this is for you:
-- Steve Spurrier, Florida football coach, telling Gator fans that a fire at Auburn's football dorm had destroyed 20 books: "But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet."

And finally for those of us who really want to graduate on time:
-- Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh: "I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes."

**Amen senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh, Amen... Thanks to a real genius we know that time is indeed relative! Not everyone in sports should be considered a genius though, A genius is someone like Norman Einstein... ;)

I am still trying to raise money, so if you would like to donate please send a check or cash here:

Josh Sheppard

800 Lakeshore Dr.

Birmingham, AL 35229-1633

Thanks for your prayers, donations, and encouragement!

Hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment or ask any questions,

Josh Shep

Lets get this thing started!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my blog - I'm glad you decided to visit! I'm Josh Sheppard and I want to share with you an amazing opportunity coming my way this Summer. I'm headed to South Africa and will be doing my best to serve God's will there on a mission trip ... but before I go, I need to raise $5000! 5,o00 in two months my friends...

While this may sound like a daunting task, I am actually looking forward to the process of raising the money. Maybe I am just crazy, but this really is an opportunity for me to actively trust in God and for Him to show His provision by taking care of my financial needs. Over the next few weeks I'll have to do one of the things I hate to do most: ask for money! So ... if any of you has an extra 5000$ laying around... I could use it! :) More realistically, I would very much appreciate any amount you would be willing to donate to this mission trip! It's really true that every little bit counts!

Sure, that sounds cliche, but check this out: If one-third of my friends on Facebook decide to give $5, then that would be over $1000 towards my trip! There's 20% of the fund raising provided for right there!

I'm going to update this blog regularly with information on how the fund raising is going... when I get to South Africa, I'll make it a point to update this blog at least once a week (and probably more), sharing what God is doing in my life and the lives of others while ministering to the people there! I look forward to seeing what God will do for His kingdom this summer and how He will work in what, I believe, is my calling to ministry!

Of course 5000$ is no small amount of money, so I can assure you I don't take this lightly. Here's a few FAQ:

So Josh, what will you be doing in South Africa and why should I give my prayers and money to your mission trip?

Well, I'm glad you asked - here is some of what I will be doing:
I should be there from early June to mid-August. That's about 10-11 weeks in Africa. You might recall that the World Cup is going to be in South Africa this summer, and soccer will be an integral part of my ministry while down there. This presents a great opportunity for myself and other Christians there to use soccer as a means to spread the Gospel. Many schools will be out of class for the World Cup and this ministry is a huge opportunity to help these kids. Playing soccer will help keep them off the streets of the city (where drugs, alcohol, and human trafficking are a major problem)and I will have the chance to share Christ with them through the comfortable environment of the soccer field.

In the mornings, I will be working VBS-like activities and sharing the Gospel with kids there. In the afternoons, we will be organizing and running soccer clinics for children. Also, we will have "big screening" events where we will project some of the World Cup games on a big screen. Many South African's don't have radios or tvs in their homes and this will give them an opportunity to see the games. There are other "outreach programs" that I will have the chance to be a part of while ministering there, too. You can find a bunch more information about some of the ministries I'll be involved in at: http://www.actsoverland.com/volunteers/project_page.php?id=7

"With the local school holidays having been extended due to World Cup taking place in South Africa, there is a great need (and opportunity) to ensure that children are being not only well-looked after, but also drawn into the excitement of this unique sporting event. Living Hope’s ministry is therefore focused around kids & teens clubs, so that children are not only kept away from the threats such as human trafficking, drugs and alcohol abuse (which are expected to be especially high at this time), but are also hearing the message of God’s unconditional love and plan for their lives."
-- ActsAfrica.com

This blog, along with the Facebook group, is how I plan to keep you all updated on my progress with getting to Africa and then how things are going once I'm to Cape Town.

If you would be willing to give, you could either send me a check made out to myself (I will keep my funds in a separate bank account) and addressed to 800 Lakeshore Drive. Birmingham, AL 35229-1633.

Or if you see me on campus or at a coffee shop, feel free to slip me some cash and I'll make sure to get it to Living Hope!

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support,
Josh Shep