Dec 17, 2024
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)
Weakness. It’s not something we like to talk about.
In fact, we live in a world that often preys upon vulnerability. We guard ourselves, unwilling to expose our shortcomings.
Yet, during this Christmas season, I’m reminded of a cherished childhood tradition: watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Back then—before YouTube, DVDs, or streaming services—we eagerly waited all year for its single annual airing. I remember gathering around our black-and-white TV, brimming with anticipation for classic lines like Yukon Cornelius exclaiming, “Didn’t I ever tell you about Bumbles? Bumbles bounce!”
One scene always stood out: Rudolph, Hermey the Elf, and Yukon stumble upon the Island of Misfit Toys—a place filled with broken and unwanted toys. The toys’ isolation mirrored how Rudolph and Hermey felt. Misfits. Their weaknesses made them feel unworthy, unloved, and forgotten.
But the King of the Island had a plan. He believed Santa could find a home for each toy—a place where they would be loved, not in spite of their flaws but because of their unique value.
Our King has a plan for us, too.
At Love INC Heartland, our mission is to walk alongside people who feel like misfits—those stuck in cycles of brokenness, shame, or poverty. Just as the misfit toys needed someone to see their value, the people we serve need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus: “You are loved. You are valued. You are not alone.”
We minister to individuals trapped in the cycle of generational poverty. For them, the struggle is rarely just financial. It’s emotional and spiritual. Many feel isolated, unloved, and forgotten, choosing to hide from the world. Yes, they need material assistance—beds, oil changes, diapers, clothing—but these are only temporary solutions. What they truly need is hope.
Transforming lives begins with listening.
At the end of Rudolph, the misfit toys find their place—not because they change who they are, but because someone took the time to care. At Love INC Heartland, we do the same. We walk with people, helping them discover their God-given gifts and reminding them that their weaknesses do not define them.
There is nothing more powerful than witnessing transformation: looking into someone’s eyes as they hear, perhaps for the first time, that they are loved by Jesus. When they finally understand their value—when tears of shame are replaced by tears of hope—it’s a moment that changes everything.
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians speak not of physical or worldly weaknesses but of our shared spiritual brokenness. Sin separates us from God, leaving us in a state of shame. Yet Jesus meets us in our weakness, offering grace that is more than sufficient.
That’s the message we bring to the hundreds of people we serve in your communities. It’s the message of grace and hope we share with the 40 families currently in our transformational ministry program. But we can’t do this alone. You can help bring hope to those who feel like misfits.
We invite you to partner with us in this ministry:
- Support Love INC with your treasure by making a donation today.
- Support Love INC with your time by volunteering.
- Support Love INC with your faith by praying for our work and the people we serve.
Together, we can share the hope of Jesus with a broken world. Together, we can remind every person—misfits and all—that they are cherished by God. Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your partnership in this mission.
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Oct 14, 2024
Jim Holmlund, Executive Director of Love INC Heartland
“And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’” (Matthew 20:11-15, ESV)
Have you ever felt like the workers in the vineyard? These verses come at the end of one of Jesus’ parables in which a master hires people at different times during the day. Some he hired in the morning, some later in the morning, some in the early afternoon, and some late in the day. In the parable, the master pays each of them the same.
I know that from time to time, I have felt like one of the workers who was hired early in the day. It is easy to look at these verses and feel like Jesus is saying, You get what you agree to, and you should not worry about what others get. If you have ever been taught, or even thought, that this is why Jesus told this parable, you are mistaken. That is an earthly problem—it is an issue of our sinful nature.
In my work at Love INC Heartland, I see this many times as we serve our neighbors in need. It is easy for the givers to feel taken advantage of when the ‘ask’ for their help seems questionable. For example, when a giver hands out an item the neighbor really needs, and then finds out that the receiver has a 60-inch TV, it naturally creates mistrust in the giver.
Love INC affiliates were started to mediate this mistrust. We believe the local church is God’s answer to community brokenness and a part of His plan for redemption and restoration. We exist to be the bridge between the calling of churches and the struggles of the community. All of our church partners are asked to refer neighbors in need to Love INC Heartland, no matter at what stage of the church partnership.
When a neighbor calls us, we begin to build a relationship with them. We listen to their story, clarify questions, and verify their information. Through this relationship, we can help the giver understand the real needs of the person. Our Redemptive Compassion® philosophy helps us maintain a healthier relationship between the giver and the receiver.
Now, I share all of that to share this: this parable has nothing to do with how we feel about what we give or get in this world. This parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of us have been believers for as long as we can remember. Some of us became believers in our adult lives, and still others became believers later in life. Yet all of us who have faith in Jesus Christ, no matter when we give our hearts to Him, receive the same gift of eternal life. I find it best to let the Master of the vineyard, Jesus, use His generosity to give this gift to whoever He desires.
Our role is to be the workers in the vineyard. Our role is to bring this transformational relationship to everyone we can. Part of the Love INC mission is to transform communities. What better transformation can happen than for people to fully understand the love and grace of the God of the universe and the gifts He has to give?
From the first call a neighbor makes to Love INC Heartland, they know we are about Jesus. We connect them to Jesus people who want to share what they have and be Jesus to those who are in need. Jesus is an integral part of our classes offered in our Fresh Start program, and He is in the hearts of everyone who serves on our staff and as volunteers.
I invite you to be part of this transformational ministry. Help us give hope to people who do not have hope. The hope I speak of is not financial hope; the only true hope we can give is the hope of Jesus and the gifts He has for us all.
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Sep 13, 2024
Do you know about our Fresh Start Program?
Our Fresh Start Program is offered exclusively through Love INC Heartland. It’s a series of free, weekly classes that create opportunities to make positive life changes. While this is a core next step that we encourage neighbors in need to participate in, anyone is welcome to attend classes. Class topics include:
- Affirming Potential
- Faith & Finance
- Parenting
- And More
Lisa, our Fresh Start Program Director, shares, “We believe that as people [come to know] they are loved and valued by God, that they have God-given potential, and that God has a plan for their life. Their level of self-worth and hope increases and they become better equipped for life.”
*Kelly, at a very young age felt alone and struggled with her mental health. She was a single mom who had no confidence, no support system, and a lot of shame. For most of her life, she pictured blackness for her future as everything seemed so complicated. She met Lisa at a Gao Ministry event called Back to School Bash in 2019 and was asked to consider the Fresh Start program. She was not ready then, but in 2021 she reached an all-time low in her life and decided to reach out and join the Fresh Start Program. Kelly began to build a positive support system within Fresh Start. One of Kelly’s new friends was *Pamela, a single mom who had also walked a road of abuse and trauma much like Kelly. Pamela invited Kelly to a Christian single mom’s retreat and a trauma support group. This began a friendship, and with the support of each other, they are allowing God to heal their past. They now attend church together and believe God has good things in their future.
Both Kelly and Pamela’s ongoing stories are a real reminder that God has plans for both their lives.
Lisa reminds us that, “God sees us as human beings that He created with a special purpose. He does not see us as human doings where we are seen for what we have done or what we are doing.” A verse Lisa shares often is Psalm 139:14, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. When we read this truth, we know that God has a special purpose for everyone.
Many of these relationships and support systems would not be possible without the Fresh Start Program. Will you help us continue to Love In the Name of Christ through our Fresh Start Program?
There are a variety of ways you can support this transformational ministry. A few ways are:
Aug 14, 2024
Matthew 25:23 NIV His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
When writing this, 86 families have contacted Love In the Name of Christ Heartland for assistance this year (2024). People are referred to us by friends, churches, county offices, and other agencies. Sometimes people find us online and will email, text, call, or submit requests for help through our website.
At Love INC Heartland we practice Redemptive Compassion®, which is a Biblical philosophy on how we can offer wholistic help to those we serve. The first of the Six Core Principles is, “Everyone has value.” Which implores us to contact and speak to everyone who reaches out to us. Even in situations where we know we will not be able to help them, we still listen to their story, refer them to another agency, and ask to pray with them. Often, staff and volunteers see the softness of people come through when saying a short prayer for them. Just as Jesus has called us to be relational with others (not only in spirit but in a personal way), our Connection Center takes time to see the person not just the need.
Similar to the parable of the Talents Jesus tells in Matthew 25, if there is just one thing we can do for one person, we will do it. We will not bury even the smallest opportunity to connect with someone. We will be Jesus to that person, striving to be good and faithful servants.
For those reaching out to us for assistance or, as we say at Love INC, a neighbor in need (a client), there is much work to do. It begins with an initial contact where basic information is gathered and a brief description of the neighbor’s situation is clarified and held with confidence. Verifications (specific documents) are requested from each neighbor. Around the same time, an intake is scheduled to build the relationship and to have a deeper, detailed conversation about their life story.
Along the way whether Love INC staff or caring volunteers, we have the opportunity (and duty) to use all six core principles of the Redemptive Compassion® philosophy:
- Everyone has value.
- We are called to invest relationally in each other.
- Everyone has capacity and potential.
- Mutual participation is important.
- We must use wisdom and discernment.
- How we help should offer opportunities for transformation.
Once initial contact, verifications, and phone intake have all been completed, the Connection Center works to connect our neighbors to our Church Partners leading Gap Ministries that can help support them through the challenges they are facing.
Our role as Love INC Heartland is to provide the scaffolding, or the latticework so that our Church Partners to know they are helping people that have gone through a verification process and genuinely desire to move forward in their lives. Volunteers of the churches who run the Gap Ministries get the opportunity to be Jesus to our Neighbors.
Lastly, but most importantly, a critical piece of the Connection Center is to lead people to participate in our transformational ministry called the Fresh Start Program. In Fresh Start, our neighbors have the opportunity for Christ-centered fellowship every week. They have the opportunity to engage in biblically based life-skill teaching and coaching. They engage with volunteers on staff who can pray, listen, and assist them on their journey. I firmly believe each neighbor who participates in Fresh Start has the opportunity to use the talents God has given them.
This is truly the call of the Connection Center to connect people to the Love of Jesus. To connect our Neighbors to people who desire to be Jesus to them.
Be Jesus today in a small way with huge impact by supporting Watertown Evangelical Free’s gas card gap ministry! Many of our neighbors are facing financial hardship and having enough funds for gas is difficult. When you support this gap ministry, $25 gas cards are given to neighbors actively participating in our Fresh Start Program. A $25 gas card may not seem like much but it makes a huge impact for our neighbors to have designated funds for gas. Will you support this gap ministry? Give a gift of $25 (1 family) $50 (2 families) or $100 (4 families) today.
Give A Gas Card
Jul 15, 2024
There’s a verse in the Bible that’s often joked about for being the shortest. People say, “I know the Bible; I have a verse memorized,” and then state, “Jesus wept.” Perhaps even in my younger years, I told that joke one too many times.
It’s true, John 11:35—”Jesus wept”—is indeed the shortest verse in the Bible. However, its significance and meaning run deep. To understand why Jesus showed emotion, we must first grasp the reason behind his tears. Many think Jesus wept out of love for Lazarus (John 11:36).
But let’s dive deeper into John 11. This chapter reveals profound truths about the Lord of the Universe. Early on, Jesus hears that Lazarus is gravely ill. Despite this, when informed, he declares that Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death but will serve to glorify God’s Son, Jesus (John 11:4).
Jesus delays his journey by two days, then tells his disciples plainly that Lazarus has died and that he intends to go to him. When Jesus arrives at Bethany, where Lazarus is entombed, Lazarus has been dead for four days—a time significant in Jewish belief, as it was thought that the soul lingered for three days after death.
One of the most poignant moments in Jesus’ earthly ministry follows. Bethany is close to Jerusalem, akin to a suburb bustling with mourners. Martha approaches Jesus, and John recounts their exchange poignantly in John 11:21-27. Martha initially laments that if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died, but she also expresses faith that God will grant Jesus whatever he asks. Jesus reveals his purpose to her, proclaiming in verses 25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Later, Mary and others join them, weeping in sorrow. Witnessing their grief deeply moves Jesus. Verse 33 tells us, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”
As they lead Jesus to the tomb, his compassion and love for humanity are evident—he weeps, despite knowing his plan from the outset. He knew Lazarus would live again, yet his empathy for our pain is profound.
The Lord of the Universe, the Lord of Life, feels compassion for us. Do you believe this? He doesn’t remove all our struggles; due to sin, we live in a broken world. Yet Jesus sees the bigger picture. Ultimately, his plan is life. This story ends with Lazarus being raised to life, showcasing Jesus’ power over death.
At Love INC Heartland, our mission is to extend this compassion and empathy to those stuck in life’s struggles. Our role isn’t to eliminate these struggles but to reveal hope in Jesus amid them. This partnership between Love INC and the Church—God’s people—is crucial. Through it, we reflect Jesus’ deep compassion and love to those in need.
Here’s how you can help us embody Jesus to others:
Together, let’s show that life—God’s plan from creation—is what we offer through Jesus. Thank you for being part of this mission with us.
Jun 12, 2024
Marissa* first heard about Love In the Name of Christ Heartland when she met our Fresh Start Program Director, Lisa, at a church event a few months back. With two young children and the challenge of moving back in with her husband, who was recovering from alcoholism, Marissa was doing her best to navigate family life with God’s guidance. However, financial struggles were adding to their burden, and they needed support. Lisa shared her contact information with Marissa, urging her to reach out since she had shown interest in the Fresh Start Program.
As time passed, Marissa didn’t call Lisa. Lisa started to wonder about her and began praying that God would guide Marissa to them when the time was right, according to His plan.
“Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 CEB
The following day, Marissa finally made the call. It turned out that a friend of hers had been part of our Fresh Start Program and suggested Marissa give it a try. We were thrilled to reconnect with her and saw it as a sign of divine intervention prompting her call. Marissa and her husband joined Fresh Start, finding the classes valuable in their lives.
During one of the Fresh Start sessions, a volunteer returned after a long absence. Marissa recognized this volunteer from years ago. After the classes ended, Marissa confided that she believed God had placed that volunteer there that night to help her mend a relationship that had soured in the past. It was a powerful reminder to Marissa that God was guiding her towards forgiveness and reconciliation. She realized she needed to trust and follow His lead in her life. Clearly, God was at work in Marissa and her husband’s lives, and their participation in the Fresh Start program was evidence of that.
We eagerly anticipate witnessing what God has in store for them as they continue to trust Him for their future.
*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.
