To CELEBRATE the release of Start with Me: A Modern Parable , by start> Founder Michael Seaton, with John Blase, we are giving away 2 signed copies of the book on Friday, October 1st!  You can enter from NOW until Friday!!!

There are THREE WAYS to enter:

1.  Leave a comment below

2.  Tweet about it on Twitter (make sure to include @letusbegin so we know about it, RT's count as an entry)

3.  Leave a comment on our Facebook page ( "start> Becoming a Good Samaritan")

(HINT: IF YOU DO ALL THREE YOU WILL BE ENTERED THREE TIMES)

On Friday we will pick 2 winners at random, and notify the winners for an address.

Let's be honest...that's easy...and the book is AWESOME!!! 

It sometimes seems easier to consider those who are widowed, orphaned, and incarcerated as "categories" instead of as the crown of all creation, but those who love God are called to adopt an altogether different mind-set.

As you walk through the day, ask God for eyes that are open so that you can see suffering people as God sees them, for ears that hear clearly the stories that break God's heart, and for arms that will stretch themselves toward embracing people as Jesus Christ did when he walked upon the earth.

At some point every Christ-follower was in need of adoption, tenderness, and release from bondage.  Remember how you felt then, and let God use that empathy for good today!

How is the new school year treating you?  Are you busy?

This year Jen and I can say that all three of our kids are in school.  Matthew is in 5th Grade experiencing his first male teacher.  Katie is in 1st Grade experiencing her first spelling list.  Jack is in Kindergarten experiencing a whole new world.  Matthew's teacher is in a rock band.  Katie's arms are covered with Silly Bandz.  Jack is the "student of the week," running around looking like an Ewok in an oversized t-shirt.

Please read the words of Psalm 65:8-13 below, and then answer the questions that follow.

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.  You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.  The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.  You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.  You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.  The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.  The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing."

What do you believe is the Christ-follower's role in ensuring that "grasslands overflow," and that "hills are clothed with gladness" in this generation and in generations to come?

How does the "dominion" that humankind was given in the Genesis account relate to life today?  In other words, what does having "dominion...over all the earth" and all of the creatures in it (Genesis 1:26 KJV) mean practically for a stay-at-home parent or a busy business owner or a teen who is about to graduate from high school?

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." Psalm 24:1

All people are "God's kind" of people - people who were created in the image of Almighty God and for an intentional purpose.  And while most Christ-followers agree that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, their spheres of influence can become strangely homogenous, filled only with friends who look, act, talk, dress, and vote just like them.  It's a far cry from what Jesus Christ intended when he instructed his followers to serve as light and salt in a dark, bland world.

What is the Christian's role in reconciling broken and bruised relationships in today's world?  It is, according to the well-known words of Micah 6:8, to "do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."  It's an interesting triad to consider because it implies that kindness and humility alone are not enough.  It is the seeking out of justice, as well, that will prove to a watching world that the God we serve is good.

Your actions matter.

Your choices matter.

Choose today to start>.

"To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." Proverbs 21:3

(Excerpt from the start> Becoming a Good Samaritan participant's guide, by Michael Seaton and Ashley Wiersema)

Global AIDS expert Christo Greyling said that upon manifesting his first AIDS symptoms, he knew that time was running out.  Greyling told his wife, "I want to be a witness for Christ, using this situation of HIV while I'm still healthy enough to do it."

As you consider your own life, what are you "healthy enough to do" today in terms of helping eradicate preventable diseases?

Take a few moments to complete the following sentences:

1. In doing my part to help eradicate preventable or treatable disease, I could _______________, which might lead to _______________, which might lead to _______________ or even _______________.
2. I could also envision myself _______________, which God might use to _______________.
3. Truth be told, I'm even healthy enough to _______________, which might mean _______________ for all sorts of people in need of God's healing touch!

"There's a Ugandan saying to the effect that one plus one becomes a bundle.  One compassionate heart.  One act of mercy.  One trip to see people in need.  One generous check.  One person, and then one more, and then one more, and then it starts to form a bundle of compassion and kindness and good that can make a significant difference in a world of darkness and suffering like our own."  John Ortberg

When have you been helped toward healing by the kindness or generosity of "just one person?"

As Good Samaritans we must make a decision to care for the sick.  

In order to do so we must first learn about what deadly diseases are killing people around the world.

We'd like to introduce you to "The Fatal Four."

1.  CHOLERA

Agent: bacterium (Vibrio cholera)

First Recorded: 1563

Region: Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Symptoms: falling temperature and blood pressure; vomiting/rapid dehydration; organ failure; stomach cramps; severe diarrhea; leg cramps

Treatment: (clean) fluids and salt intake, or "oral rehydration therapy;" some antibiotics; some vaccines

2.  HIV and AIDS

Agent: virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

First Recorded: 1959

Region: global

Symptoms: weekend immune system leading to infection with other diseases, especially tuberculosis

Treatment: ARV cocktail, or "highly active antiretroviral therapy" including three or more drugs ingested at a time

3.  MALARIA

Agent: protozoan and mosquito (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae)

First Recorded: antiquity

Region: tropics and subtropics

Symptoms: fever; chills; headache; fatigue; possible vomiting; possible nausea; possible diarrhea

Treatment: so far, no vaccine has been developed, and parasites are good at becoming resistant to drugs; prevention is proving the greatest weapon and centers on insecticide-treated bed nets

4.  TUBERCULOSIS (TB)

Agent: bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex)

First Recorded: antiquity

Region: global

Symptoms: fever; fatigue; possible facial scarring; coughing; deterioration of lungs; chest pain; appetite loss; weight loss; possible stomach, bladder, and kidney problems; general muscle wastage

Treatment: combination of antibiotics for at least a six-month period

(From Dr. Peter Moore, The Little Book of Pandemics, London: Elwin Street Limited, 2007)