The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.  
~ I Peter 4:7-10

When you hear the word “discipline”, what comes to mind? Punishment? Time out? Spanking? Today, discipline does not have a positive connotation. I have even heard parents say that they do not like to discipline their children, meaning they do not like to use corporal punishment on their children.

However, the word “discipline” means activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training. To be disciplined doesn’t have to be negative, it can also be very positive. For an athlete to become good, it takes discipline, working out, extra practice, eating right. To lose weight takes discipline to not over-eat, to eat healthy food and stay away from the cookies. When you are trying to lose weight, no one is there to put you in time out if you eat a cookie, or yell at you for eating a hamburger instead of a salad. But when we don’t see results, we can’t get mad at anyone but ourselves.         

Peter writes in his first letter that we are to discipline ourselves for the sake of prayer, to maintain a constant love for one another and to be hospitable to one another. The discipline that Peter talks about isn’t punishment, but rather training ourselves so that we are better at praying, loving, and being hospitable. Like a good athlete who trains to get better every day, Peter believes that we cannot practice praying, loving or being hospitable too much. We can never become perfect at praying to God, loving each other or taking care of each other.

In our Christian life, the need to remember to be disciplined is an important part of our faith. Not that God or Jesus is waiting for us to mess up so we can be disciplined; the cross frees us from that. We are to be disciplined  in what we do - just like an athlete, a musician, or a person trying to lose weight - so that we might become more like Jesus every day.

This week, as we go about our daily lives, let us be disciplined in our prayer life. Be disciplined in loving one another. And be disciplined in being hospitable to one another without complaining. If we are disciplined in our actions we will allow the love of Jesus Christ to show through us more and more each day. But we do this not because God will discipline us if we don’t, but be disciplined because of the love that God has for us in Jesus Christ.  

Every year on Super Bowl Sunday, the teens of our church participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring. Many people in the congregation support their effort by donating their loose change or cash to help fight hunger. Though you may have participated, you may not know much about how this initiative came into being, so I would like to fill you in and then also share with you the impact that our money has on our community.

As the youth group of a church in Columbia, S.C., gathered to watch the Super Bowl game, their youth director began their time with a prayer, "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those without a bowl of soup to eat." His prayer inspired the teens there that night. They decided why not use the Super Bowl weekend, when people are already gathering to have fun together, to also unify people to help feed the hungry.

Working with another local youth group, they went about collecting donations at their schools and churches and then donated every penny raised to local charities that address the hunger needs of their community. That first collection was in 1990, and since then over $81 million has been raised by teens around the country to help fight hunger in their own communities. The teens of PPC have been participating since 2003, and in that time they have raised over $11,000 that has all be donated to Andre House in order to help them feed hungry people in the valley, this year alone we raised $1,772.

Andre House's ministry began in 1984 with sharing soup with the homeless. The soup line still remains an intregal part of their service. Each day they feed between 550 and 650 individuals. Their ministry has expended well beyond the soup line though. They also provide laundry facilities, a clothes closet, access to phones, showers, lockers, transitional housing, activities for children, as well as blankets and sleeping bags for those sleeping on the street.

Now back to the soup line. Our congregation helps staff the Andre House soup line three times a month: the second Tuesday, second Thursday, and fourth Sunday. Each time, 10 volunteers head down town for an evening of touching lives and feeding bellies. They, along with other volunteers from the community, help prepare for the evening meal. They chop 50 pounds of onions, slice 1,200 slices of bread, wash lots of dishes, and stir two 30-gallon pots. But most importantly they feed hundreds of people. All of this is done with a smile and a knowledge that in doing so we are serving God.

If you haven't served at Andre House, I strongly encourage you to do so. You may find that in so doing you gain more than you give: gain a deeper understanding of the needs of our community, a deeper respect for those who walk through the doors, a deep apreciatation for efforts of non profits, and a deeper understanding of who God calls you to be.

To serve, contact Stephanie Webster at stephaniebwebster@yahoo.com or Lin Ogden at linogden@aol.com.

“I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)