5 Questions With Lauren and Leslie Reavely

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's Guests are Leslie and Lauren Reavely. After an intense and exciting week at a kids' missions camp, teenage sisters, Leslie and Lauren Reavely (r-l) co-founded the ministry Hope 2 Others. Along with their passion to help the poor, they enjoy playing music, speaking, and spending time with friends and family.

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hi Lauren and Leslie,

Question 1: Hope 2 Others is a ministry reaching out to the homeless. What was the catalyst for this?

In summer of 2005, we attended a Missions Camp put on at Camp Jonah in Trout Lake, WA, which focused on ministry to refugees. The first morning, smoke bombs exploded as the alarms rang and firemen ran up and down the halls shouting at us to grab our shoes and sleeping bag and run! So here we were, at 5:00 in the morning, e midst of around 50 campers, shivering out in the field located beside the camp. We were terrified, homesick, tired, and freezing. But God was at work. The fake fire and evacuation were just the start to a long day-and-a-half that we spent living like refugees. We scavenged for food, waited in the heat, and built and slept in shelters we made out of tarps and cardboard. At the end of that day, the camp staff handed out replicas of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, containing a water bottle, toothbrush, and bar of soap. We had never been so thankful to brush our teeth!

At the end of the week, we headed back to our warm bed, refrigerator full of food, and cozy house. But we couldn't forget how meaningful a box full of little everyday supplies, like a toothbrush, had been. God was stirring in our hearts, and it was a movement we couldn't ignore.

Another experience that motivated us to take action towards homelessness happened when we were grocery shopping with our mom one afternoon. We pulled out of the parking lot and saw a man and his dog on the side of the road, asking for help. Since the groceries were in the trunk, all we had to give him was a cantaloupe rolling around in the front of the car. We gave it to him, not even knowing how he'd open it. But it opened our eyes to see the need for something constructive and convenient to give panhandlers.

Question 2: What are H2O bags? What goes into a typical H2O bag?

H2O bags are white paper lunch sacks filled with socks, a Gospel tract, and non-perishable food items, such as tuna and crackers, granola bars, applesauce, water bottle, and so on. e make bags every couple months and then give them to people at our church, who keep them in their car for when they see a homeless person with their sign on the street corner. They're designed to meet two needs. They provide panhandlers with some physical and spiritual hope as well as give us drivers something constructive to give them.

Question 3: How did this ministry spread throughout the US?

That's a good question. We can't really take any credit for this. God's provided so many people who have spread the word about H2O. The biggest way has been through Alex and Brett Harris' book "Do Hard Things: a teenage rebellion against low expectations." Towards the end of the book, they tell the story of how H2O got started and how others can get involved. Many teens have caught on to the vision of Hope2Others and have started it where they live.

Other than that, it's just been passed around by word of mouth. For example, one girl from Florida, who heard about H2O through "Do Hard Things", started it in her community and told other people about it who told other people about it. As a result we now have seven H2O sites in Florida.

Question 4: How can people start an H2O Ministry in their area?

Well, we've designed an H2O starter kit, which can be downloaded off our website. The starter kit includes our logo, a list of the supplies we put in the bags, steps to getting started, fliers, etc. This should be all you need to get started, but we'rys happy to answer any questions that come up along the way.

Question 5: How can people support your work?

When people ask us how they can help out, our first answer is always "Start it!" But realistically, this isn't for everyone. So, find an H2O site near you by visiting our map and contact the starters of it to get involved with the work they're doing. Other ways to support H2O include handing out bags that others make, donating financially, and praying for the ministry.

Thanks you Lauren and Leslie for taking the time to answer these questions!

God bless, Lauren Reavely

So there you go. Two teens changing the world one bag of food at a time. I want to encourage you to check out the H2O website, join the team and pray for these girls and this ministry.

To see past 5 Question guests, check out the rotating interview links on the sidebar.

Hope 2 Others

I love seeing kids and teens get excited about God. When the excitement turns to action it's even better.

A few months back a local teen loaned me the book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. One of the stories in the book was about 2 teen girls, Lauren and Leslie, who decided to do something about then homeless situation in their town.

The result has turned into H2O - Hope 2 Others

I would encourage everyone to check out this neat outreach. Their goal, according to the H2O website is to spread hope to others - One bag at a time.

The ministry has grown to 1 locale in the Philippines and 27 locations in 13 States in the US.

Check out the website and come back on the 6th as Lauren and Leslie Reavely discuss H2O!

5 More Questions With Tom Morrisey

Welcome to 5 More Questions With.....

Today's Guest is Tom Morrisey. Tom did an interview with me back in June and has returned to talk about his latest book, Pirate Hunter, which is in stores now.

His first novel, Yucatan Deep (Zondervan, 2002) was a finalist for the Christy award, and he is the author of five other novels: Turn Four (Zondervan 2004), Deep Blue (Zondervan 2004), Dark Fathom (Zondervan, 2005), In High Places (Bethany House Publishers, 2007) and Wind River (Bethany House Publishers, 2008); and two nonfiction books: 20 American Peaks & Crags (Contemporary Books, 1978) and Wild by Nature (Baker Books, 2001). He and his family live in Orlando, Florida.

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hi Tom,

Question 1: In your previous interview on my site you mentioned that each of your novels is written to answer a spiritual or theological question. SO what is that question for Pirate Hunter?

Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." And Will Rogers once said, "Nobody ever forgets where they buried the hatchet." So there's the rub: God, who is omniscient, willingly forgets those sins that we lay at the cross, yet we willingly add them -- ours and those of our loved ones -- to the semi-load of baggage that we are hauling through life. Laying aside grievances is an essential part of forgiveness; if we do not do that, we are in essence saying it's okay to live outside God's will, and it becomes a beam-in-our-own-eye sort of situation. And the question of this novel is, "If God is willing to forgive all transgressions, why can't you?" Or, really, "Why can't I?"

Question 2: Forgiveness seems to be the overarching theme of Pirate Hunter. Yet the ending is not neat and tidy, sort of like real life. How do you "know" where to end your novels?

My endings are often transitional moments, but that's what life is like, is it not? And I'll share a deep, dark secret; I almost always know how the novel ends before I begin writing. In fact, these day, I generally don't write a word until I have a fairly concise image of the ending. And while there are some very good "seat-of-the-pants" novelists who discover their endings as they wrote, I encourage my approach when I'm talking with budding novelists. The biggest concern publishers have when they are dealing with someone new is the novelist who can perform the takeoff, but cannot land it -- i.e., can start a novel but does not know how to finish it. To me, at least, it's easier to move rapidly when I know where I'm going. So I move toward an end that is already quite clear in my head.

Question 3: Pirate Hunter made me examine where I am at with the issue of forgiveness. Have you received any feedback regarding this theme?

Most of the mail I've received on this book has been on technique -- the back-and-forth between the contemporary story and the historical. It hasn't received anything close to the avalanche of "confessional mail" I got when IN HIGH PLACES was published. Yet all the reviews note the forgiveness theme, so obviously it is getting through, and that's good, because while I write novels to entertain, I also write them to let other Christians and seekers know that we are all carrying baggage through life. Maybe forgiveness is just a quieter subject: one that people think about, but don't feel compelled to write back on.

Question 4: The realism in your book is awesome. How much research went into this novel?

Wow. A couple of trips to the British Virgin Islands (including a visit with the leading historian there on 18th century piracy), more trips to the Keys than I can count, several trips to the Crystal Coast and Outer Banks of North Carolina (including a dive on Queen Anne's Revenge -- Blackbeard's pirate ship-- and some in-depth, one-on-one conversation with a leading Blackbeard historian), getting certified on the Dive Rite O2ptima Closed-Circuit Rebreather system, more scuba dives than I can count, lots of conversations with shipwreck preservationists, a very detailed tour of Mel Fisher's operation in Key West ... that's just sort of scratching the surface. I also did a lot of secondary research -- reading, History Channel and whatnot. But I should point out that I usually don't get up one morning, say, "I think I'll write a book on XYZ, so now I'll go spend a couple years researching it." It's the other way around. I take what I have been doing and what's fascinating me, and I craft a novel from it. And diving and shipwrecks and pirate history have always fascinated me.

Question 5: How is God speaking to you right now?

At this moment? He's telling me to act more like a Christian. And by that I don't mean the "thou shalt nots," but rather the "thou shalls." Things like feeding the hungry, sheltering the roofless, ministering to the imprisoned and loving those whom society considers unlovable. Jesus stuff. Over the last few months, for instance, I have become acquainted with a guy who is a very capable MBA with a record of service to our nation, and I've become aware that he was downsized out of his job about 9 months ago and hasn't found a new position yet because the economy stinks. So I got off my duff and started networking and got this guy some contacts. We haven't landed him a job yet, so by the definition we all learned in high-school physics, no work has been performed. But we're moving forward, he's encouraged, and that peace that surpasses all understanding has been settling around me. Which reminds me that it had been missing for a while, and that's my fault. Complacency is not of the Lord; the only reason we are not Otis-elevatored straight to heaven when we convert is so we can be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth. In Matthew, Jesus tells us that the "yoke is light." But the point is, there's still a yoke, and we're obliged to carry it.

Thanks for coming back for seconds Tom!

There you have it. I would encourage you to read any (and all) of Tom Morrisey's previous books and to pick up a copy of Pirate Hunters from your local Christian bookstore today. You can also check out all the exciting resources on Tom's website.

To see past 5 Question guests, check out the rotating interview links on the sidebar.

Pirate Hunter

Rarely will a fiction book make me evaluate my relationship with Jesus Christ. Most fiction books I read are more like brain-candy I use to kill an afternoon.

This cannot be said about Tom Morrisey's latest book, Pirate Hunter. I have already reviewed Tom's writing once before. However, I find his latest book is firing on all cylinders from the opening paragraph until the last page.

The theme for this book is forgiveness. It is written in such a way that I had to step back and evaluate my own issues with forgiveness. I had to spend time actually working through this issue a bit and seeing if I had truly forgiven those who hurt me in the past. In at least one instance I realized I had not. I am currently working on that now.

That to me is a powerful fiction book. It drove me to the Word of God and into a season of prayer. Not only that, but it is an exceptionally well-written book that is actually 2 novels in one! An 18th Century pirate tale and a 21st Century treasure hunting story woven together into a mind blowing novel of romance and thrills.

If you are looking for a fiction story that is unique, exciting and challenging than pick up a copy of Pirate Hunter today. You will NOT be disappointed.

Comfortable? - Just A Thought #38

When I want to relax, I usually grab a good book, a cup of coffee and curl up on the couch. I like being comfortable.

I hate public speaking; ironic for a pastor, I know. I would rather take the easy way out than to make myself in any way uncomfortable. I would rather ease into a swimming pool than jump in with both feet.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

Fear holds most of us back from stepping out of our comfort zone. Fear keeps us entangled and tells us we are not capable, qualified or spiritual enough. Fear sucks...the life out of us.

The Bible is filled with stories of men and women whom God stretched way beyond their comfort zone. Moses is a great example of this. He had excuse after excuse for why he could not be the one God should use in His plan to rescue the Jewish people from Egypt. God had other plans.

What is God calling you to do? Is He nudging you to step out of your comfort zone and to do what you would consider impossible? Step out in faith and see where God leads. Enjoy the adventure.

Guns Again!

I came across an as this week for Henry Repeating Rifles. The full ad is here but the image is one I find quite disturbing.

I find it disturbing because I know too many believers (in the US) who get the Bible and the Bill of Rights jumbled together. I know Canadians and Americans who cling to their guns and religion to the point that being a Christian means you are for the right to bear arms. I wrote about this type of thing once before.

I am not saying it is wrong to own a gun. I even think the Henry Repeating Rifles are really nice looking. Let's just keep religion out of it.

Remember the Word of God is "inspired by God and useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God's approval. It equips God's servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Let's keep politics out of the church and focus on the King of Kings.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

1 Thessalonian 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I have seen way too many dissatisfied Christians over the years. These believers are not happy where God currently has them and sadly, they are missing some great opportunities. I've been there myself. When God moved us home from the mission field I wanted to go back. By focusing on where I wanted to be instead of where I was, I missed many opportunities to share Jesus with those around me.

1 Cor. 12:17-18, "If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it."

Where does God have you now? It doesn't matter if you are in full-time ministry or not. God has you right where He wants you. Focus on Him and see what He wants you to do with what He has given you. Let God satisfy you in the here and now. Your situation may change in the future but you need to show faithfulness in the present. I have seen flowers that bloom transplanted to new locales, where they grow to be just as hearty as they were before.

Focus on Him and let Him use you where you are. Relax. He holds the future.