Last Saturday we threw quite a party to celebrate our first 100 clients gifted reliable vehicles. When Julie and I launched OnRamp 4 ½ years ago, we expected to give away a couple of cars a year. We never thought we’d hit 100. Maybe 50 by the time I retire. We’re now at almost 50 a year!
So we threw a party to give thanks, but not to me or the board or volunteers or donors. We gathered to thank our Heavenly Father who alone could grow this ministry from my garage to a family of hundreds of clients, advocates, and supporters in such a short time.
Which leads us to ask the question, WHY has God blessed the ever-living daylights out of this ministry?
The answer is the opening line in the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, For God so loved the world. God loves the people of this town. That was most clearly shown by what is recorded in the rest of that verse, He loves the world so much He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. That’s the ultimate expression of His love.
But God has given far more than just His Son. James 1:17 tells us, Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father. Every single vehicle OnRamp has ever given away is ultimately a gift God prepared ahead of time for that client on that day. He brought the money, the volunteers, the details so that every one of our 100 clients would get to see His love for them in action. Honestly, the best part of working for OnRamp is getting a front-row seat to see how much God loves the people we get to serve.
And while God loves all people, the Bible is clear that He is especially in love with the poor and vulnerable. The orphan, the widow, the single mom or dad struggling to hold down 2 jobs, the ex-convict trying to turn her life around, the victim of violence or abuse, or drug addiction… God is the defender and the provider for those in need – He not only sees them but cares deeply about them and LOVES to lift them up from struggle into blessing.
Psalm 113 says… Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
Or Psalm 68…A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.
That’s why He’s grown OnRamp beyond anything we could imagine, because this is just another way for Him to love people in need! That’s what OnRamp is all about.
So now, whether you were able to attend the party or not, I invite you to join us in praying for God to show even more love for the vulnerable through OnRamp in the years to come. Please join us in praying that our 200th client will be here in half the time this took. So put it on your calendars: 2 years, 3 months to the next celebration! Please join us in also asking Him to help us launch a half-dozen OnRamp’s in the next five years throughout the country. He’s already used us to help launch OnRampDFW. But what about OnRamp Houston or Austin or San Antonio or Waco or Killeen or Kansas City or DC? We know He loves struggling families in all of these cities and that few if any other charities are meeting that need in these places. So let’s ask Him to launch this ministry in all of these places and more in the coming years, not for our glory or fame, but for the glory of His love for the vulnerable and needy.
That’s our prayer, and we invite you to join us in it, that God would continue to do greater things through OnRamp than we could ask or even imagine for those in need.
We want to give a huge THANKS to all those who helped make this party possible. Thank you to our premier underwriter, RoseRock, as well as our additional sponsors, Megan Bock Realty and Village Foods and Pharmacy. Thank you to our Party Planning team, Stephanie Mason, Cassidy Somervill, Janine Ford, Ginny Brown, Emily Myers, and Mary Dunsmore. Big thanks to my fellow speakers, Tiffany Thompson and Catherine Cole! And thanks to Susan Breedlove for awesome photos of the event.
PS. For those who wonder if I’ll preach again in the future, I still do. Just a different context. And pretty much always about the Father’s unparalleled love for the poor and vulnerable, which has become my passion.
One quick FUN announcement: the BCS Business Owners Networking Group is hosting the First Annual Mario Kart Charity Tournament on May 21st with all proceeds going to OnRamp!! We’ll share more details soon, but if you want to get on the sign up list ASAP, click HERE. Should be a blast!