I’m thinking about Jesus delivering The Good Samaritan, a Vacation Bible School staple, for the very first time to a bearded “expert in the law.”
Jesus: “Who was the neighbor?”
Bearded Expert: “The one who had mercy on him.”
No wriggle room. The priest and the Levite ignored a messy situation. The Samaritan, repugnant to Jesus’ first audience, did not.
On the recent foray to the Outer Banks my mom and I watched “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks and Mariana Treviño. Hanks plays a disgruntled man who no longer wants to live alone and has decided to stop trying. Treviño, his new neighbor, relentlessly refuses to let him. Its a cry/laugh/cry movie. Watch it.
The point: we all need our neighbors. And we need to be good neighbors. Last week’s post mentioned the “lost” colony at Roanoke Island. The colony did not mysteriously vanish. The immigrants went to live with their Native American neighbors. The colonists’ Elizabethan approach to making a new life in a new world was based on building friendship and trade with the original inhabitants. Was the budding Protestant Reformation an influence? Perhaps. In contrast, Spain’s colonialism of that era was far more harsh—Inquisition-like. Those who were different must be conquered. Or converted. Or exterminated.
As a nation, how do we in the United States show we value the neighbors with whom we share a continent? I admire the respectful Elizabethan approach. What kind of immigration policies would hold up the rule of law, remove incentives for horrendous migration journeys and remove ridiculous red tape for people who want to contribute to the dream this country represents? How can nations forge friendships and hammer out trade agreements based on mutual benefit?
Air strike trauma seems to be tipping the regime scales in Iran. People there have been deeply divided for generations on democracy vs. theocracy as the rule of their country. What are neighbors doing? What is the merciful response?
Praises
Two days ago a young woman underwent surgery to remove the cancerous part of her lung. The doctor was very pleased with the results. Minimal removal was sufficient. The doctor said, “I could feel the prayers.” Note—this young woman just got married a couple of weeks ago.
A teen-aged girl who has been bedridden since birth was able to spend a week at Disney with her family. Praise God for the care-giving and care-givers that made her adventure possible.
A church congregation celebrated their 150th anniversary last weekend. Thank you Lord, for many years of ministry.
Prayers
In a late-breaking update, the young woman who underwent lung surgery has post-op concerns that might require additional surgery. Lord God, we plead your healing power for complete restoration of all functionality to her lungs!
A woman in her fifties has spent thirty-plus days in the hospital for complications with her pancreas. Lord God, we ask for healing upon body, soul and spirit.
A group of churches gather this weekend to worship together. Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon all present.
Bring your Kingdom Lord God. The nations rage.
Quests
Rahab’s Rope. Not ignoring. Acting.
Love in Action
By Vicki Moore on June 23, 2025
The vision of Rahab’s Rope is to see lives transformed by God’s love in action. 1 John 3:18 states, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” This verse emphasizes that love should be expressed through actions and genuine behavior rather than just our words. As believers we should demonstrate our love for one another in practical ways that reflect the truth of our faith.
Today’s stories share how our staff worked with two young girls in practical ways that lead to them trusting and believing in Jesus.
Roopa’s mother passed away when she was eight years old. Her father remarried and her stepmother made her drop out of school and forced her to clean houses for others to earn money. Roopa had to give all the money she earned to her stepmother. After work she had to come home and clean and cook for her stepmother. Roopa was barely given enough food and was always hungry, she finally ran away. She ran to a train station and a trafficker tricked her and took her. The man sold her to a brothel and she was forced to work there for five years before being rescued by the police.
We began counselling with Roopa and she began coming to our life skills class and Bible study. Roopa was very eager to learn through the programs we offer. One day, she shared with our staff that she had found peace in her heart through Jesus and that through the Bible studies she was getting closer to him every day. Roopa is now fifteen years old.
Sima was ten years old when she got separated from her parents at a train station. Fortunately, someone noticed her and took her to the police. Due to the reputation of our staff and their work in this field the police asked if we could help with the girl’s case. Sima did not know how to tell the police or our staff where her parents were or how they could reach them. Our staff began going through missing children reports to see if they could find one that matched Sima. In this country, a child goes missing every eight minutes, that is 180 children each day. Some statistics say the number is even higher. Wow, that is hard to imagine. Think how difficult it would be to find the parents of a missing child that doesn’t know where her parents are or how to get in touch with them.
Sima continually cried wanting her parents. Our staff began counselling her and praying with her every day. Sima wanted to learn about Jesus and pray to Him as well. Our staff shared the gospel with Sima and she said she believed in Jesus. Sima began earnestly praying for her parents to find her every day. She was sharing with others that she was praying for them to come. In the meantime, Sima‘s parents had filed a missing child report but did not know if they would ever find her. After Sima had been praying for two weeks her parents were found. It felt like a miracle! Sima believes her faith in Jesus and through her faithful prayers her parents were brought to her. Everyone that witnessed this was amazed. Sima’s life and story gave hope to others. Real Hope, that saves lives.
We never know the impact of our actions. Let us all demonstrate the love of Christ to others through our actions. If you are interested is supporting the teenage girls we support you can give to our LIFE SKILLS program or our SCHOLARSHIP FUND that keeps girls in school.
Until next week
In prayer yesterday, an image came to mind of the edge of the surf rolling in—where its so shallow you can see it sink into the tiny spaces between grains of sand. It was about the coming of the Kingdom of God. Perpetually – rolling in further and further, reclaiming this world. And the edge of the surf precedes a mighty wave. Amen.
With love,
Jana
p.s. Just in from a mentor and dear friend from afar,
:
“After my sister Maureen was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, she wrote prolifically of her newly developing faith and how her faith (and her family and friends) sustained her as she faced her mortality. She left her writing to me in the hope that I would help it reach a wider audience. Almost 20 years later, with the blessing of her husband, I finally published The Storms As They Roll In, a collection of Maureen's essays, prayers, and reflections.
I'll never forget when Maureen came to visit me for the express purpose of discussing her last wishes. We sat on my screened-in porch with a bottle of wine, teary one minute, laughing the next. Working on her book was like that. I got to sit with my little sister and hear her voice again.
Whether or not you share her idea of faith, you can't help but be moved by Maureen's courage and gentle good humor. She was the best of our clan, and I'm proud to share her wisdom with the world.
The Storms As They Roll In by Maureen Rose Morley is available on Amazon for $10.95.
“I don’t want to write for an audience,” Maureen said. “I want to write for the sake of truth. But one reason to write is simply to bear witness. Maybe that is more to the point of what I am doing. God has done something in my life. I do want to bear witness to that.”
Thank you Maureen. Thank you Barbara.
