Religious

James 1:27
King James Version
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Karl Marx said, ‘Religion is the opium of the people.’  If you mean religion as just doing things to do them, he is absolutely correct.  If people think by doing good things, God will Love them more, they are deceived.  That is just like assuming that if they don’t do something, God will love them less.

God doesn’t want rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices.  He wants our hearts.  He wants our love.  He doesn’t want us to try to appease Him with empty gestures.  God is passionate and compassionate.  He loves because He has feelings.  He gets happy, He rejoices, He laughs, He gets sad.  The Creator of the Universe has emotions.

God also loves to break tradition.  In the old testament, for instance, He used untraditional things like leading the charge of Israel’s soldiers into battle by hornets, skinny musicians, and 300 soldiers who were too fat to bend over to drink water.  He also sent His Son, to be born in a manger, and to live among us as a poor and humble carpenter for over 30 years.  Unconventional, ‘unreligious’, world changing thinking!

I say all of the above to say that I feel that God wants our 501c3 in the states to be a nonreligious (kind of like breaking the tradition).  It may not seem to make sense for now, but in the future you will see God’s brilliance in this decision.

Soon you will be getting two newsletters from now on.  Feel free to opt out at any time if it gets to be too much.

Newsletter 1: This is what you are seeing now.  It is from this site, www.whatistheloveofgod.com.  Our work in Nicaragua is a Christian not for profit Nicaraguan organization, Fundacion Corazon Puro.  We are all Christians here, we love the Lord, and seek to glorify Him in all we do.  We are not necessarily religious, meaning we don’t do a lot of rites and rituals trying to please God.  We just try to help those who have no hope, like James 1:27 says.  We steer those people who are down and out into the loving arms of Jesus. You will be getting my messages, and news of spiritual developments in this ministry.

Newsletter 2: Will start soon and come monthly.  Our 501c3 (is filed as a NON-Religious 501c3).  This helps us get government grants, corporate donations etc. to help the children here with the basics of food, education, protection, job skills, and health.  We feel that our tax exempt status in the states should not be a religious entity as to not limit who can donate.  For example many companies have matched donations to NGO’s.  It’s not allowed to donate to a religious organization for the match.  You will be getting an update on what is happening in the physical/material aspects of this work of love.

It’s different, but I am sure you will see how the Lord is behind this.  I feel that this is the way that God wants us to do it.  I am open to suggestions.  Love of money is theroot of all evil, but we need money to be able to really help these children to have hope.

Thank you,
Dean