Monday, April 27, 2009

Bags O' Jelly Beans Giveaway


On Saturday, April 11th, our team went out in the community and passed out bags o' jelly beans. Along with the jelly beans we passed out cards with our version of what each color of the jelly bean represents:

Jelly Beans
Black – Represents the sin in all of us
- Romans 3:23
Red – Represents the blood He shed
– Hebrews 9:14
Yellow - Represents His light that fills the world – 2 Corinthians 4:6
Orange – Represents the warmth of His love
– Psalm 13:5-6
Green – Represents the growth that we all experience as His children – 1 Peter 2:1-3
Pink – Represents His overwhelming love for us
– John 3:16-17
Purple – Represents His royalty
- Philippians 2:9-11
White – Represents the cleansing that we receive from His death
– Psalm 51:1-2

This was such a fun opportunity to show God's love to people around the community. We were able to touch 345 lives with the true meaning of Easter- that's exciting! We had two teams going to grocery stores, shopping centers, the local library and to a community playground. The children were excited about getting jelly beans, but we found the adults and teens enjoyed them as well.

The rejection-rate was very low again. I would say around 3% said, "No" to receiving our Easter gift (approx. 10 people). On the greater side, there were good conversations and people wanting us to pray for their needs. That's what it's all about! Connecting with people and letting them know that God loves them.

Switching gears, here is something I want to share with you. It has been rolling through my mind these several weeks... My friend and his wife came to hand out the bags o' jelly beans. Now, they are both introverts. Being bold and talking to strangers is not their cup of tea. If you are an introvert, you understand the inward struggles- FEAR! Insecurities welt up inside you and the fear of rejection can be overwhelming.

This past year, my friends have really positioned themselves into looking past their personal fears in order to serve God and to show love to people around them. I place great respect on people like this more than those who are outgoing and gifted in public speaking. Why? Because they are willing to take risks despite their insecurities. They are willing to put God's purpose over their limitations. Their love for people supercedes their fears. I have learned much from them!

This verse is a perfect example on how we are to be dealing with fear: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,"
1 John 4:18a (NIV)

What are you doing today that takes risk?
People need God! If you don't put yourself out there, how will people come to know the Good News about God's love?

TODAY, tell someone, "God Loves You". Bake some goodies, mow someone's grass, pay for someone's meal at a fast food joint. Whatever it takes- let them know that God loves them!

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4 comments:

Joanne said...

Really nice to see what you & your church is doing to show love in your community. This post made me smile!

Twitterfan said...

Heart-
I like wat you said about introverts. It does take much more courage to talk to strangers. i think outreach is hard for all kinds of people tho.

Heart Like Jesus said...

Thank you for your comments Joanne and Twitterfan!

Outreach or Evangelism is scary to many, that's why I enjoy SERVANTevangelism. It's through serving and giving that we reach out to people with God's love- followed by great conversations. Not everyone likes to "evangelize", but most people like to serve.

Under "Favorite Links" you will find one called, Kindness. These are dozens of ideas on how to do SERVANTevangelism.

Connie Arnold said...

Thanks for sharing the lesson of the jelly beans and God's love!