ARTICLE BY KEVIN WHITE, SENIOR PASTOR

One of the recurring themes in my devotional reading and study recently has been that God wants us to be just like Jesus! Not just "head knowledge," but also "heart knowledge"-- not just knowing about God, but knowing God through our life experiences. The Good News is that Jesus can change our hearts. He wants us to have a heart like His!

Jesus had a heart full of compassion. Mark 6 in the Bible records an example of Jesus' compassion. When He lands on the shore of Bethsaida Jesus leaves the Sea of Galilee and steps in to a sea of humanity. Keep in mind, Jesus has crossed the sea to get away from the crowds. He needed to grieve. He longed to relax with His followers. He needed anything but another crowd of thousands to teach and heal, but His love for people overcomes His need for rest. Why? Because He had compassion on them. And the truth is that God wants us to be "just like Jesus." His desire is for His followers to be loving and compassionate.

I John 3:18 reads, "Let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth."

I invite you to say "yes" to the love and compassion of Jesus. We were just reminded through the communion meditation on Sunday, January 28, that when we respond to Christ's love, we are saved from our sins, we are sanctified as we live for Jesus, and we will be glorified with Him when we receive our eternal reward.

We show God's love when we are willing to help others. We show Jesus' strength when we take on the task God gives us to do, whatever that may be--in our church, community, country, or internationally. What motivates people to drop everything and drive several hours to serve others who are recovering from hurricanes, floods, fires, or other disasters? It's love and compassion; it's being the hands and feet of Jesus; it's head, heart, and hands working together with other followers of Jesus to make a Kingdom impact in our fallen world. In a recent interview, Dale Meyer, from Hope Summit Christian Church in Rochester highlighted the importance of short-term mission trips and the impact they can make in the lives of those being served, as well as those who go and serve. He mentioned that the Church has those who are willing to go and serve, but the Church also needs the "Senders" who are not able to go, but who want to support the mission through their prayers and finances. I invite you to be part of the team and mission trip that KCC is planning to east Texas March 17-24. Pastor Joe and I will be leading a team of volunteers to serve those who were devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

I was able to serve with a team of leaders who went down in October to build relationships and partner with churches and organizations serving the needs of the people living in Orange, Newton, and Jasper counties, near the Louisiana border. In December, KCC sent $5,000 to help children and families at Christmas. Please consider being a part of the team that goes to serve in March, or consider being a "Sender" through your prayers and financial support. Together, we can make a huge difference in the lives of the people we serve in east Texas. The area we will be serving (about 2 hours east of Houston) was one of the hardest hit, and one with limited resources.

Join with us in prayer as we prepare for this short-term mission trip: "Lord, please open our eyes to the needs of others. Open our hearts to those people and our hands, so we can provide help in the time of need."