Tim Van Arsdale posted on September 01, 2009
You've Got Spam! is a refreshing collection of e-mails regarding mercy ministry. I manage a coffee house ministry in Medina, Ohio. It's called CUPS / CAFE formerly the Medina Cafe 41:11. The ministry mails out a monthly newsletter, but so much is happening at the café that I needed another way of communicating. So, I started collecting e-mail addresses. Anytime I met someone new or ran into an old friend, I would fish for their e-mail address. I compiled a mass e-mail distribution list and started sending out a Café 41:11 e-news update. It was basically “spiritual” spam.
These weekly e-news updates consist of stories, activities, and needs of the café. The response to these true stories has been so powerful and encouraging that I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to compile some of them into a book. People approach me at church, at the café, or the grocery store in tears sharing how much an e-mail meant to them. My readers are experiencing the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ in a refreshing way. They are seeing Him in action!
You've Got Spam! is a collection of 37 e-mails. They are a collection of some of the e-mails you've grown to love. I've also included NEW e-mails along with some of the positive and interesting replies from people on the e-news list. I think you'll find the stories inspirational and encouraging. I believe they'll also strengthen your faith in God. As we go through this life, there are times when it feels like God is missing. We wake up in the morning, grab a box of cereal, pull a carton of milk out of the refrigerator just knowing we'll see God's face on the back of that milk carton.
There are days when we beg, pray, and plead with God to "show up." The e-mails in You've Got Spam! will help you see that God is real. That He is alive. That He loves you very much and wants to provide for you. I invite you to read through the excerpt from the book. If you're encouraged by the stories, please buy a copy. Wait...no...buy two copies and send one to a friend, loved one, or family member so they can be encouraged too.
Tim Van Arsdale
Author, You've Got Spam a refreshing collection of e-mails regarding mercy ministry
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