A Whole Greater than the Simple Sum of It’s Parts

And we know that in all things God works for the good of  those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

     I learned at church that this is the most highlighted chapter in the world of online bibles.  That this verse, that brings such comfort for some and controversy for others, is a verse we seek out and return to often.  The first of the verse carrying all our hope as Christians.  “In ALL things”, the good, the bad, the ugly, God works them for the GOOD.  The greek word used for God’s “works” is the word synergia συνέργεια from synergos, συνεργός, meaning "working together."  This is where we take our  version of the word “synergy.”  God takes all the parts of us: outer, inner, sinful, kind, contrite, emotional, judgmental; and all the things that happen to us, whether from our own doing or through no fault of our own; and makes something greater than the simple sum of its parts.

     The second half of the verse is where many get hung up and controversy can occur, “for  the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  For “those that love Him” and no one else, He works.  This breaks even   Christian hearts, tempts us to soften the blow by changing the words or the meaning.  Yet we are looking from a limited human perspective.  From God’s  perspective, free will is sacrosanct.  He will always seek to have us know Him, but He will never force in where He is not desired, invited or wanted.  There is no synergy without relationship.

An Invitation to create Synergy!

     God continues to bless my life, my mission, and our community.  As I pray for each of you, my ministry partners and supporters, Christ has given me a longing for more.

     Between now and the end of this year, my desire is to meet up, catch up, reacquaint or just reconnect to our relationship.  If God has been calling your heart to do the same, call me & lets plan a visit!  If it’s hard to imagine, or to reach out first, know that I will be prayerfully contacting you to see if we can share a coffee, meal, walk, or invite you down to check us out.  =) 

 

When: September, October, November, December, we’ll pick an afternoon or evening that works for us!

Where: “Near, far, where ever you are…” I’m happy to offer any venue that is convenient or intriguing to us both!

How:  I will be calling everyone a few at a time, but if you have a window of opportunity, you’re welcome to call me!

     I’m excited to experience the synergy God creates amongst His people, in relationship and in ministry to His    kingdom, where ever we may serve!  I’m eager to find out where Christ has lead you, and how you are doing.

Local Church Outreach

Have you ever heard about an outreach or ministry growing an event so much that they gave it up?

That’s what ROP is doing with our “Back to School Outreach.” We’re small and all about relational ministry and community building.  Our annual outreach grew so big, it stopped being relational to our community.

So we took it to God in prayer. We listened to what our community felt they wanted and needed:  predominately, partnership built into our small, local pastors and churches. Helping them to reach out to each other and grow their congregations, creating relationship amongst each other.

We know that growing God's kingdom is of more reward than renown.  So this year, we’re proud to say we’re handing over the outreach and the resources to our local churches, seeking to serve them. God is great and sees farther than us all.

A "Foreign" View

“You, Christian?”  I replied that I was.

She smiled, nodding.  “I have sister that eats flesh and blood, too.”

She seemed so proud, as we chatted on July 4th, to share this fact in halting English, about her sister.

My brain was shifting gears like mad, trying to follow.

We had just been sharing slowly, with care, about the 4th of July. An American  celebration of our independence and freedom. Some she had never known before.  Persecution and death had followed her people for their religion, their speech, places where censorship and brute force rule the day.

She was passionate about becoming an American.  Even as she struggled with the English words to share with me. Trying to learn about our culture and holidays.  Not to turn her back on her own, but to celebrate a place that saw her and her family as free human beings with certain inalienable rights.

Still scrabbling mentally from her graphic comment, I’m not sure I would have understood it without the Holy Spirit and the fact that our church does communion on the first Sunday of each month.

Communion. Eating the flesh and the blood. Shocking, maybe, but undeniable.

We do this in remembrance of the Savior that bore the torture, bled and died for forgiveness of my sin and yours. Not to die and be a martyr, but to rise, and living still, walk with us each day.

I asked her if she had any questions about Jesus or Christians and we continued with our halting words and unclear understanding of each others culture, religion and everyday lives.

I think comparison of our lives is a human trait that our sinful flesh turns to coveting all too easily. Yet, God did not ask that we not compare.  I feel that He was asking us to be careful who we compare our lives to...

Why Can’t We Just Fix it?!

One of our RWC church volunteers came to me in frustration asking if I had met with a certain new homeless family attending our church.

When I told her I had, she asked me what the deal was with this single mother & her 3 children. “They add a different part of the story every time I talked with them. They didn’t seem to focus on making things better and showed no signs of improvement after a couple of months.”

Recognizing her frustration to “fix it,” I said a silent prayer and tried to respond kindly and factually. Her heart to help is passionate and compassionate, but I realized she was suffering because she had no power to change this woman or her circumstances. It’s a painful place to find yourself in, as a Christian.

Real trauma hasn’t the rhyme or reason that someone raised in structure is used to having as a rule. Until real trauma is processed, it is often remembered out of order and with missing pieces that aren’t put in until the 5th, 6th, 7th attempt to process it. Weird triggers can set off bad reactions or choices.  Different people, there at the same time, can have vastly different perspectives on events & their order.  Ask any Vet back from the battlefield.

“Progress is a nice word.

But change is its motivator.

And change has its enemies.”

                                  - Robert Kennedy

Changing reactions to triggers, or changing how we make choices takes time and a lot of help and understanding.  Especially if you’ve never really known structure or just lost it all.

Jesus knew that. If they didn’t already want to change, there was no changing
someone with a quick fix or even healing, not with free will in reign.  Relational ministry doesn’t look to fix people. It teaches that we all have brokenness.  When we look at each other as equals, loved by God, with gentleness and respect, can we learn to help one another through our relationships.

Even when we desire change in our own lives, it takes support & understanding, those that help us pick ourselves up when we fail and need to start again. Other’s choices and lives that teach us something about our own and help us see the possibilities.

I wanted to share that same respect and gentleness with our volunteer. Talking about the facts, but also sharing some of my journey of working to become more like Christ to those that had no experience with the love and dignity that can develop in real friendship.

Light of Love

The light of love is seen in acts of the moment.  Then the battle is begun to not let those moments fade from our memory.

My youngest daughter lately turned 15 and will start her driver’s training this summer.  We now have a Sophomore & Senior in High School, the same in College and one 23 year old living in North Carolina.  My husband is suffering withdrawal with each one that leaves the nest.

I have felt much the same as my last mentee from my youth ministry days is now becoming a young woman building her own family.

This year was also the time my spirit chose to put me in an emotional tailspin of leaving my ability to be a mom behind.  Everything coincided to make for a dark month that it took my husband and mother to ease me back from into God’s gift of looking toward being a grandparent someday.

Never being able to be a mom has not kept me from being a mother through ministry and marriage.  Pray for me as I adjust into this new hope and joy that God has for me.

I’m learning once again to savor the love I find in each moment in life and in Christ.

Sweetly Sad Parting

If you didn’t know, ESL is out for the summer and our director has stepped back to only doing Clothing Bank since she recently began taking care of her aging parents.

Our new ESL Director, Sharalynn, has come up from within and has hit the ground running, seeking English speaking teachers and childcare volunteers to come along side students a few hours, once a week.

Yet her heart is a light in this neighborhood.  Her ministry this summer is to visit each of the students at home and get to know the students’ family dynamics and any obstacles there may be to learning.

As we prayed together, yesterday, she is amazed at all Christ is revealing.  There is a bright and cheery student that has worked hard in her classes with us over the last year.  In her 3 bedroom apartment is her teenage son, her husband’s parents, and his 105 year old grandmother.  The grandmother cannot interact from her hospital bed but swings from quiet groaning to listening stillness.  The teen is laying on the couch with his smart phone, barely up from sleeping in this afternoon.

Our student says they are her 2 babies.

In her culture, when she married, she left behind her family and took on her husband’s to care for and nurture.  She does not know the fate of her own.

Her husband has been in Ohio for awhile, looking for work.  He has recently found something to support them all and will be bringing the family there this summer.

Though we do not share the same culture, language, or faith, we have been able to walk beside this woman and show her Christ’s love.  Do not pity her or weep for her.  She feels her sorrows are not greater than our own.

She chooses to look for the good, spread her smile liberally, seeking to learn the language and customs of the U.S. so that she may take great care of her husband and family.

As I lift Sharalynn and our refugee community up in prayer, and think of how so many have come over the last few years.  I’m not so sure God isn’t willing us to see how much their love and sacrifice for family is something a materialistic society has lost.

Christ, let Your will and love reign as You seek to find all Your lost lambs.

A "Sending" Ministry

You might have heard me say how I love my “sending” church, CCC.  Seems like whenever we meet in small groups, there is at least one of us missionaries in every four attending.  No wonder I feel like they “get me.”  =)

If you don’t know or haven’t guessed, a “sending” ministry, like ROP, is a place where you get taught and equipped in such a way that you are passionate about serving Christ in new ways.; wherever He may lead.

Part of my passion and excitement with ROP and relational ministry, is the family and community that builds in the light of God’s truth.

I spoke about ROP summer interns in my last letter, so let me introduce to our three youth ministry interns.

Alex (left) comes to us from New Life Missions Church.  His youth group came to host a summer VBS group with us.  He kept coming for the following 3 years.  This year he is a college freshman and interning with our youth ministry staff until school starts.

Victor (center) started attending our elementary age youth nights, back when we were still called Prodigal. Victor came to know Christ and deepen his walk at ROP.  Once in Middle School, he began volunteering to help with the younger kids. He is now going into the 10th grade and a steady help to youth ministry kids, volunteers and staff.  This summer he was eager to sign up for a full ROP summer internship.

Pricilla (right) was invited to youth nights 3 years ago by Victor.  She loves the Lord and helping kids.  She didn’t hesitate to sign up, either.  =)

Every year I work with the interns that come through our doors, many of whom still keep in touch.  I love to hear how they have started ministries back at their own colleges or churches.

I love the invitation God gave us to be a part of their new story in Christ!