The Masterpiece in your Mirror

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."(Psalm 139:14)

After a cold gray day, the sun breaks through, reflecting brilliantly off every surface. The marvel of a new day, a new symphony to the Creator, surpassing every man-made sound ever conceived. Someone once said: "We stand in awe of a majestic mountain, marvel at the scent of a forest, delight at a cascade of rushing water, yet we pass by ourselves each day..." Ever stood in front of the mirror thinking "Wow, what a masterpiece"? Which is exactly what you are! The only part of creation made in the image of its Creator. We may be like grains of sand, minute in comparison to the vastness of the universe out there, but we each carry the imprint of God in our DNA. His Spirit in every fibre, tendon and vessel that throbs and surges with life. Not an elite group of individuals who fit a certain criteria or meet a specific standard, every man and woman who ever breathed. Each fearfully and wonderfully made...

Which is why, when I read about a project in progress in PE called the Matthew lunch, it rang true in my heart.

In a nutshell, the intention is to seek out the lost and the homeless, the destitute and the lonely, and for one day, treat them like the kings and queens that they are in the eyes of the Lord. They will be collected from wherever they are living, and taken to the Fountain Vineyard church who are hosting this event. There they will be able to shower and put on fresh clothing (which is currently being collected). The women can have their hair done, and be refreshingly made up. The men can have a haircut. They will each receive a brand new bible, into which their names will be written while a pastor, elder or deacon of a participating church prays with them. It was revealed to the man behind this project in an epiphany he had in his flat, that at that very moment that the guest's name is written into his or her brand new bible, (if they choose to commit their lives to the Lord) so the same angel that revealed this to him, would enter that person's name into the Book of Life!

There will be live music in the form of praise and worship musicians and singers. There will be a three-course lunch, during which time there will be several testimonies shared from people who have been down in the gutters and been picked up by God and put in a place to serve these unfortunates right here right now. There will be a testimony from a former millionaire who was humbled by the Lord and allowed to keep only R2000 of his wealth. Today God has built this man up again and his life is so much richer than it ever was before - because Jesus is his business partner. An amazing woman by the name of Tanya Cochrane will be flying down from Johannesburg (see her testimony on the website), to speak about her addiction to drugs and how the amazing love and power of God set her completely free! 

Graham, the man behind the project will testify about having been destitute and homeless himself. Each guest will receive a month's free food in the form of amazing soya meals that have become available in South Africa. Their details will be taken for the creation of CV's which will be put up on a website for free download and contact by anyone who might be able to offer them a job. After the lunch is over they will be returned to their places of abode, hopefully encouraged and filled with hope for a brighter future, having encountered the love of people saved by Christ, which comes directly from our precious Father God Himself.

During the day, the various testimonies that are given will be recorded, along with some of the praise and worship music, mixed and burned to CD's which will be given to each and every person that helped and those guests that leave contact details with them. It is their hope that these CD's will be played and will in turn sow seeds to bring in the lost and hopeless

These lunches will in turn pave the way to something called The Paul Project, so named in honour of the Apostle Paul. This project will seek to join the various ministries of the many churches of Port Elizabeth together, in order to increase each others resources so that they effectively have one Body of Christ. This can begin to pave the way for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and hopefully usher in the revival that is the hope of our country.

A beautiful vision? - I thought so. Through Christ, we are all heirs to the great Kingdom of God. Each one of us can be used to make a difference and bring this Kingdom nearer, right here, right now.