James & Carolanne

Each month, I (James) write a short article in response to a specific question or two for our church.  I usually also post these here to give you a sense of what's going on in the ministry.  The following is the entry for this month.

Question: How will you celebrate Easter and how do you share the message of Easter with the people where you are?

Answer: We are very blessed to have both of our families are local to this area so Easter usually involves a dinner on each side, usually with large gatherings of extended family. On Carolanne’s side, an Easter egg hunt usually precedes the dinner, while on James’ side fewer young kids means more adults sitting around the living room swapping stories of busy lives.

The websites often change to reflect the season as well, featuring more articles related to the nature of Easter and what the celebration is really all about. There may be a special video featured on the site for the visitors with a message of hope in Christ and forgiveness for those who seek it. The daily devotionals will feature content related to the season as well, with a message of encouragement and a reminder to live in remembrance of the grace we have received.

Often, at seasons where tradition involves family gatherings (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving), those who do not have family or loved ones nearby turn to venues like the Internet to find hope and encouragement (or just distraction). This is most clearly seen in our mentoring community. A large portion of our ministry happens behind the scenes in the interactions between the mentors and the visitors and in the times leading up to and following celebrations like these, we see a marked increase in lonely and hurting people coming to us for help.

Please pray for our mentors during this time as they may be fielding some very tough questions and situations. Pray also for us as we are continuing to work through some of the bugs related to building and launching thelife.com. Finally, please pray for our support, that God would continue to provide, and bring more people to our support team. Thank you!