Home: A Place of Provision

Growing up I always had a roof over my head and food on the table. That makes me very rich when compared to seventy-five percent of the world. We had all we needed and then some. The necessities of life were all accounted for at 28 Mimosa Drive. Maslow’s hierarchy of need tells us that when the most basic needs of life are not met, it’s hard to think about the other things of life. If you belong to that fortunate twenty-five percent who doesn’t worry about where you will lay your head tonight or where your next meal will come from then pause for a moment and be grateful.

While your physical need for safety, food and shelter may be met, there are other provisions that are vital to creating a deep sense of well-being. Take love for example. Growing up, I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was loved. When I think about it, this is the greatest inheritance my parents gave me. Their love gave me confidence to be who I am. I was far from perfect but I endeavored to be a good son, student, friend not so my parents would love me but because I knew they already did love me. I did my chores (fill the firebox, cut the grass, feed and walk the dogs, etc.) sometimes reluctantly but I did them because I loved my Mom and Dad and they loved me.

There is a lot lacking in this world. Politicians and pundits are quick to point out the shortcomings of our culture and society. We can criticize the “Have’s” and pity the “Have-Nots”. I am reminded often of a quote from Mother Teresa (a lot of her words ring in my ears):

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

So how can we fill the gap of this poverty of love? What can you do to provide kindness and compassion to people you encounter every day? If you are willing to make a difference; to give, serve, embrace and touch then you make the world a little more like home.

Canterbury Partner

FORGE meets every Tuesday morning at Canterbury 7am-8am and is a lively, weekly, early-morning gathering of Christ-following men of all ages and backgrounds who are being shaped by the Father into the men they want to be and were originally designed to be. God FORGES us with His truth, grace, Spirit, and by the interactions with other men, into men of strength who promote the flourishing of men, women, children, churches and culture.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Pete Alwinson has been involved in developing men for over 30 years, helping guys come to understand who they are and how the Father is willing to invest Himself in developing them every day of their lives so that they can become the men He always intended them to be. His passion is to leave no man left behind on the battlefield of life but to encourage all men to grow in Christ and in turn, reach other men. His first book is, Like Father, Like Son, How Knowing God As Father Changes Men, published by New Growth Press. Pete’s style combines openness, humor, great stories and strong Bible teaching as he easily connects with men.

Find out more about Forge at http://forgetruth.com

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