a glimps of me...

“So, you have no practice at anything permanent.”

It was a statement.  She was 16 years old and I was coming up on 40.  This girl had just given me a revelation that would change how I view my own life, simply because she was right.

All we had been chatting about was how much we’d moved around when we were younger. Yes, we were also counting moving around from place to place in one city.  It was a lot, for both of us.  I was asking her how this affected her relationships with family & friends.  So, of course, being 16, she answered it, but then turned the question back on me.

I answered that I was very close to my family while we were moving around together, but it kinda fell apart once we weren’t in the same house.  I have two long time friends, because they’re stubborn enough to keep calling me every few months, and forgiving me about my long absences to the friendship.  My life was filled with acquaintances and my ministry family.  I admitted that it had more to do with my not thinking to call or keep up with people.

This has been a chief regret of my life.  I’m in love with the idea of family, but I suck at it.  Unless something happens, or they’re standing in front of me, or call me, I don’t think to keep in touch.  It doesn’t mean I don’t love them or don’t think about them and wonder what they might be doing, or even spinning yarns in my head of what they might be up to in the moments I’m thinking about them.  I say a little prayer, and I head into the next thing, and there is always a next thing, isn’t there…

If my parents hadn’t come to me in my late 20’s and asked, almost insisted that I find one evening a week to come to their house and visit, I don’t know what would have happened.  I’m lax in talking to my older brother, because he and his family live across the street from my parents.  I see him holidays, hear about him through my niece and my parents, so it seems like I’m close, even if I’m not.  I’m ashamed to say I’m not any better with my oldest brother who lives out of state.  I know I love him; I even admire him a lot, and think of him often.  I think to call and then tell myself to wait until the minutes are free after 7:30 pm, then my life pulls my attention away and I forget.  Too often, it’s the same with my friends.

All I could think about was all that moving.  Building the habits of making friends quick, so I had some, and forgetting them quick after a move so my heart wouldn’t ache over something I couldn’t do anything about.  In my young sinfully human way, building bad habits to “protect myself” and feeling it was okay.

So here we are.  I'm trying something new and praying God will help me develop into someone better than who I am.  A blog, an ongoing communication to my family, my friends, my champions, my church, my neighbors, and any new friends I make along the way.  I won’t always be talking about me, but I will have something to say.  Wanna join me?

Come & See!

If there is one thing I’m learning the longer I walk with the Lord, is that I have a lot to learn.  Coming into this mission field, I had a lot of preconceived notions about who I was and what I had to offer.  God, in His infinite patience has used the wisdom of the Christians already here, those who have joined with me or who supported me, and those I serve, to be my very best teachers and mentors.

I find myself at a loss of words to express all that Christ has done and is doing with these street kids, this community, and even the Christian walk of everyone that touches this ministry.  I find myself saying “Come and see! It’s more than a building, more than a place, you can feel the passion and energy that the Holy Spirit brings to God’s work!”
 

Today, if someone asked me who Jesus was, I would say, “Come and see.  Let me show you Jesus with skin on!”  I have been asked how we “evangelize the poor here.”  I find myself wanting to say, we bring folks like you and me here to learn about the kingdom of God from the poor, and then send them out to tell the rich and powerful there is another way of life being born in the margins.

I have learned that Jesus didn’t seek out the rich and powerful to spread His kingdom for a very good reason.  Rather, He joined the bottom, the outcasts and undesirables.  Then those in the middle were attracted to His love for people on the margins, and even some of the rich and powerful, too.  (We all know that each of us really feels poor and lonely, don’t we?)

Then Christ did what the “trickle down economics” of man could never understand.  Jesus invited us all into a journey of downward mobility to become the least.  Teaching us that we should be shouting the gospel with our lives, not our rules.

So many “seekers,” whether from the street or the suburban churches we partner with, have not been able to hear the words of Christians because the lives of Christians have been making more noise than sense.  It can be so hard to hear a “still small voice” of the Spirit amid the current noise of Christendom.

All I thought I had to offer these kids and families living along East Colfax, was really so much noise, once I really began to listen to God’s plans.  Christ didn’t call them, “the least of these,” He call them, “the least of these, my brothers!”  So, now I am learning the true meaning of the gospel of “the first shall be the last.”

So here is my challenge for the coming year.  I want to bring these “kingdom” lessons to those that are curious or thirsty to know more.  I want to meet with you, share a cup of coffee and a story, and let myself be peppered with questions.  I want to share with as many as possible, the great things happening here that we can all be a part of for God’s glory.

And I want to challenge all of you!  “Come and see!  Do not sit idly by and wonder what it means when Christ asks us to have a Servant Heart.  Come and see Christ with skin on!”

Dip Your Foot in the Pool!

A journey closer to God begins with a first step...

All I had going for me when I first started checking out Prodigal as a place to volunteer was a passion for helping kids and a lot of confusion on where to go, how to start, and the knowledge I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing!

I have no illusions that I am a perfect Christian.  I just knew that kids and teens, living in poverty, don’t deserve to be abandoned to their fate.  I just wanted to help in any little way I could.

My story is not unique.  I have heard it many times over as I have invited volunteers to join us in building Gods kingdom.    God has called us to have a heart for each other, and a heart for the poor.  His will is that we love our neighbors, whether they are Christians are not.

“I just feel like I’m not sure where to start, but I want to do something,” is a passionate statement often echoed.  Yet fears and frustrations often come up even before you check out the outreach you think you might want to be a part of at any church or organization.

All of us show up with some preconceived notions.  We’re human, it’s in our nature.  Then God steps in, bigger than our nature, and begins opening our eyes.  We learn that we have so much to learn.  That learning to love God better comes from learning to love His human beings better.

A light in the darkness showing the way.

It’s about making the time, not just for the cause you are excited about, but because through this process God is   revealing Himself.  It’s so common to get caught up in the routine of our lives and forget we have something to share that could change another’s life.

"I didn’t even know you guys were down here or that this stuff was happening to these people.”

“I’m learning so much each time I come down here to help.  I feel like the kids are teaching me so much more than I get to teach them!”

“I’ve felt like God was leading me to do something for awhile.  Find something I could really sink my teeth into.”

How is God speaking to you in your life?

What excites your imagination or frustrates so much you want to change it?  When was the last time you tried to “dip your foot in the pool” with giving something of yourself to honor God to someone in need?

Took a shift volunteering with your church’s child care, found a cause or ministry already connected with your church, or just checked out one of the ministries that you discovered online in your area?  Have you ever thought of checking out a ministry that you’re already supporting financially?

God calls us to raise up disciples as part of our faith walk.  Giving to missionaries and ministries is something we can do, but it shouldn’t be all that we do.  How can we start to know Christ more intimately, to share our blessings and gifts with those less fortunate, if we don’t seek something that stretches us?

These are questions I have asked myself.  Questions I ask of each of my missionary staff and volunteers.  Where am I in my faith walk, have I become to comfortable?  What am I learning new each day that encourages me to reach outside my comfort zone and see what God is up to in His kingdom?

Take Two

It’s no secret that the Economy seems to be dominating the news and the attention of the general public.  There is no area it has not touched on, it seems.  Just this past month I read a comment on how it was affecting the mission field.  How “the recession is permanently changing the way people think about giving - and how they want to interact with charities and each other.”

I was intrigued.  I wanted to learn more!  The more secular articles fairly screamed about how there was a tremendous short fall in giving as people lost confidence in a quick recovery.  Even some large Church organizations were talking about  tightening their belts and re-organizing.  Yet, the grass roots ministries and missionaries seemed to have a remarkably different perspective.

There has been a marked rise in “in-Kind” giving, whether clothing, food, sundries, or office supplies.  More and more, individuals would like to offer some of their skills, their expertise, or even their time, rather than just money.  A marked rise!  How can that not be good for God’s kingdom and His people!

The other half of that “changing the way people think about giving - and how they want to interact with charities and each other,” I discovered, was that those that wish to support, want to know more about what and who they are supporting. 

People are no longer sending their money out to several missionaries and organizations,      satisfied they have done what they can.  I have had more than one donor say that now, as a couple, they are selecting only a few and expecting to know more, be involved more, and see the impact that their donations are creating for the kingdom of God!

Often they are learning more about the missionaries and missions, themselves, praying more, being intentional and specific in what events or groups they are supporting.  They are using their own contacts with other friends, small groups, and church leaders to network and interact together for everyone’s benefit!

This is the best news ever!  The body of Christ is moving in a big way!   I’m so excited that you are a part of this with me, too!  You have surrounded me with prayer, time, support, encouragement and more.  You are already faithful to God’s kingdom building, and I feel blessed that Prodigal Gatherings has always been so well suited to all of these forms of donating!

Whether you’ve known me personally, through ministry, or heard me speak at your church, you have prayerfully made offerings for God’s kingdom and call on me to be a missionary.  I am eternally grateful and give God the glory for you!

I am passionate about our youth and volunteers, and now I can add, passionate for this good news of how God is moving.  I would love to invite you to join with me in getting the word out!  I think everyone needs to hear some good news about the body of Christ, and the triumph of God despite these days!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:11-18

Everyone's Economy

It's been a tough year for everyone.  In the East Colfax community in which I serve, I watched a family lose their electricity because the father couldn't find enough day labor work to cover the bill.  And then I watched as everyday Christians and Bible study groups responded to our call and, each giving what they could, they raised enough the lights and heat back on.

These times have not just hit our poor community, but everyone, from our volunteers, who paid high gas prices this summer to come mentor our youth, to churches looking to give where the need is the greatest and the impact the most.  Troubling days in the secular world highlight what makes Christians so very different.  We might be tightening our budgets a bit more, but we know what treasure our God has in store for us.

If you would like know more about becoming one of my ministry partners, or find out more about the kingdom work happening on East Colfax, please contact me.  All donations are tax deductible, and those made before Dec 31^st will apply to this year's tax refunds.  More importantly, your financial support will have a kingdom impact on the lives of needy kids and teens.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, Immanuel, God with us, the true treasure of our lives, both Nathan and I are wishing you and your loved ones a safe and joyous Christmas & a happy New Year!

 

You're a Missionary?

I’m always surprised how often I’m told by people, who have just discovered I’m a missionary, that they could "never" do what I do.

                 So I looked it up:

Missionary - (n) a person undertaking a mission, especially a religious mission.

(adj) relating to, engaged in, or devoted to missions.

I’m wondering if our culture has begun to believe that missions is only about starving children, villages stricken with disease, poverty, and a lack of education somewhere overseas. 

Yet, is that all that missions is?  If God calls all of us to the Great Commission of spreading the Good News, are all of us required to move to a third world country?

I think Christ explained it so much better!  Luke 10:27, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, all your mind." And, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  This truth is found throughout the bible, both old and new testament.  

Transforming the world by living our salvation out in our daily lives, loving God, and loving our neighbor, even if he is our enemy.

"Transformation" is a powerful word.  Just hearing it, you almost automatically think of radical conversions and incredible change.  But is it possible to transform your apartment building, your neighborhood, your workplace into something Christ-like?  Jesus thinks so.

I live and work along the East Colfax corridor.  I am surrounded by apartments and motels teeming with old people, families, children, and teens.  Some of them may be refugees, immigrants, addicts, prostitutes, husslers, or dealers, or even none of those things.  Yet they are all my neighbors living along side me from day to day.

There is a book called, “Anointed for Business” by Ed Silvoso, where he tells a story of a Filipino business man that owned a 1600 room hotel that because of its rates and location became a haven for prostitution.  God saved this man and began an amazing transformation in his life and in his hotel.  (Sounds like my neighborhood sometimes.)

One of Silvoso's associates shared with the owner a formula for winning the lost, so he hired 40 pastors and told them to follow these instructions:

• Speak peace to the wolves. Bless those who curse you.
• Eat and drink with the sinners. Become their friends.
• Pray for them and their needs. 

The pastors were not to share the gospel until they'd met these three requirements for two years. 

What an investment. But ultimately, it paid off. The pastors followed these three rules and saw every single one of the 2,000 employees become saved. The hotel was upgraded to an executive level, raising the rates and forcing the prostitutes out because they could no longer afford it. They even added a prayer chapel with 24/7 prayer available to anyone by dialing '7' on the telephone. Two years later, 10,000 guests had received the Lord on the property.

So, however inspirational I find this story for me to simply reach out to my neighbors, your neighborhood probably doesn’t look at all like mine.  ~chuckle~  Your place of business is probably so far out of this “ballpark” that we don’t even need to explain it.

Yet, does that make it harder or easier to love your neighbor right on your own block or at your own office?

I don’t have some mysterious gift or supernatural desire to put myself in harms-way to spread the Good News.  I’m just someone that grew up in this neighborhood, and eventually felt called back to it, on the small chance that my love for Christ might shine through and help others.

Just by speaking kindly to people, not seeking confrontations, finding the time to invite a neighbor to dinner, walk their dog, or find out what I might pray for them about; whether a sick child or a broken relationship.  This is what Christ asks of us, a ministry of presence.  To simply reach out to know others, and in honoring Christ in this way, God is faithful to transform through the Holy Spirit the lives and communities we touch.

And that's the kind of transformation we can see in our neighborhoods and workplaces. We just have to find the vision and the willingness to ask God, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?"