I have had a couple of people say they have enjoyed my first impressions of Star of Hope. It is a wonderful place, full of people who love our Lord and are committed to Houston’s least and lost. And make no mistake, for the most part the world does not care about the clients served at Star of Hope. They are forgotten and passed by – but not by us and Star of Hope. In Christ’s name we care for them because Christ first became the least for us. He empties himself of his Godhead that we may share in eternal life. For our Star of Hope staff that first emptying is the motivation for the emptying of our ambitions of worldly reward, for a place on the front line of Christ’s mission on earth.
Amongst all these first impressions are my own questions, why am I here? Why has God called me to this place and time? What is God teaching me and showing me at Star of Hope? What does he want me to do?
I recently took a few days off and now I know. I believe that I am at Star of Hope because our mission is the evangelism of our time. I mean this not only in the sense that many in our care rediscover commitments to Christ made in earlier life or make new commitments to live the life that Christ calls us to live. Yes, these things happen every day. But alongside this we show our city that in a world of selfishness and brokenness there is another way, the way of Jesus. When we choose this way, the way of Jesus, the addicted are freed, the abused are healed, the abandoned find a home, and our brokenness is repaired. That’s the hope we talk about at Star of Hope. Hope for our donors, our board, our workforce, our partners, and our clients—the hope of a world made new. That is the work of Star of Hope.
I am so grateful to God for this opportunity, and I want you to know that I will steward your generosity well, hold accountable our staff, and care deeply for our clients. I will do this because Christ called me from darkness into light, and that freedom is something worth sharing in this world.