"Loving Everyone Without Really Loving Anyone"

Today Greg and I went to Beatyville, KY. Beatyville is a small town, no larger than Orleans. It is is Lee County which is the county just north of Osley County. And to help you understand the situation of this area of northeastern Kentucky let me tell you that Osley County is the 2nd poorest county in the entire country! People in Lee and Osley Counties do not have very much money.

So today we stopped by a camp ground of sorts. The place is an area which houses mission teams throughout the summer and sets up these mission teams with projects to serve the people in these poor and struggling communities. The camp group also houses a second hand store.
Greg and I stopped in this store and had a good conversation with the lady that runs it. She was extremely nice and extremely talkative. And she is certainly living out Jesus' love to those communities.

This lady is 63 years old. She started this store because she saw a need that poor people in the community needed a place to buy clothing. She doesn't like to make people pay for things but the store has generated much more business when it charges a little money for items because people keep their pride. I was so moved by this lady's concern for her community. She works so hard trying to make people's lives a little better.

As I listened to her speak I couldn't help but think about something that Joe, the minister here at Gardenside said on Sunday. He said, "Too many Christians are loving everyone without loving anyone." In other words, we are not being specific and purposeful in our love for others. The lady in Lee County is loving people in specific ways. She seeks out people who are hurting and needing help and she finds a way to enrich their lives. I pray I can be more specific and purposeful in my love for others.

Jessie

I need to mention my beautiful girlfriend for a moment as well. She is simply AMAZING! She has a way of lifting me up and loving me the way I need to be loved when I need it. I haven't mentioned her very often on this blog and that's not really fair to her or to you who are reading and wondering what my life is like on an everyday basis. Jessie is such a huge part of my everyday life and she's a blessing that I do not deserve. I love her and miss her.