"I see gifted people"

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall today! I love having Dorothy with me for 6 hours a week. Her amazing organizational skills and her ability to think strategically is becoming invaluable to me and our time together is a highlight of my week.

We have at saying at LifeLine that: "Everyone has a need.Everyone has a gift. That is why we build and celebrate community." 

When I am with Dorothy I see that clearly.

Today we dreamed and planned about a process that was a BIG elephant for me. So as I was telling her about it and sharing my dream with her.... she started writing notes, asking questions and before I knew it my dream was becoming a strategic plan! WOW!!!

I had tears in my eyes when we were done because what just seemed like a dream now had steps and processes attached to it and made it much more possible. 

She is just one of the examples of the giftedness of people I get to be surrounded by.  

I do see gifted people everywhere!!! 

Work boots - hand-out or hand-up?

Our PACT meeting yesterday took an interesting turn! 

Every month we host* the PACT (Parole/Probation and Community Team) meeting. 40+ parolees/probationers and 20+ providers, churches, non profits and individuals have breakfast together.
For the Ex-offenders this is a mandatory meeting. For the rest it is voluntary. They came to 'welcome home' the men and women and offer their services for successful reentry.

We opened the Bus Boutique and several people took the clothing they needed. A young man was looking for a pair of work boots because he had an opportunity to work.

One of the community members overheard the conversation and said: "let's go and get you some boots" and 3 of them went to the store to buy a pair of boots so this young man can go to work.

I was trying to sort through it. If you know me you know that I will seldom do hand-outs and yet, it felt right at that moment. We can't say we want to help and not support him to take the opportunity of a job.

A pair of boots can make all the difference for this young man and it feels like we did what Jesus commanded us when He talked about giving a cup of cold water, clothing the naked and feeding the hungry.
But there has to be a balance because the Bible also talks about people needing to work for their pay.

We believe that "Everyone no matter how rich has a need. Everyone no matter how poor has a gift and that is why we build and celebrate community." so men, if you have boots you don't wear, pants that don't fit, and shirts that are out of fashion... bring them to the Bus Boutique because that might be the only thing that stands in the way of an ex-offender making it.

And for the young man... I look forward to seeing him again and asking him to give back to the community (he might clean some gutters, paint a wall, or give a shirt to someone in need). I hope that this encounter will bless him and he will see that there is hope that there are people who care, that there is a God who is big enough for these divine appointments.


* Gateway Community Church has been providing breakfast for these meetings for over 2 years now! Special thanks to them, Elden, Fred, Jim and the other volunteers.

The big nail on my desk keeps reminding me...

Every year before Easter I pull of out a big nail from my cabinet as a reminder that justice is not free.


In my work with people, from small to big, I encounter the issues of justice. The little ones when they experience the consequences of their actions... "it's not fair.." the men and women that want to be treated fairly but only by their standards; the grown-ups who often don't want moral responsibility until it affects them personally.  


In my own personal life I think 'it's not fair'. I often complain when my personal standards are violated. Just yesterday I could have spit fire for o so small an issue that was just not 'right'.


We all have a moral compass, a right and wrong. God made us that way, and no matter which culture you encounter all have rules and guidelines for life. Society cannot function without them. Some things are just wrong and need to be punished! 


God has guidelines as well. Rules that need to be followed and when they are not obeyed, there too needs to be a punishment. 


And while God demands justice, He also knows that the punishment for us breaking His moral law would be impossible to bear. So He made a different way! 


That is why I have the nail on desk, as we reminder that the price for my disobedience (sin) was paid and that it was not cheap. As a reminder that I don't have to live under the guilt of my disobedience and that I don't have to worry about the punishment. 


With this comes freedom. Like a prisoner being pardoned, like a mistake forgiven, like a soul set free. 


This Easter, I want to soar in the knowledge that God has made a way so that God's demand for justice has been satisfied! 


Thank you Jesus! 

I experienced injustice yesterday!

I got the run-around yesterday when I was trying to help someone with their rent. I was going to write a check directly to the company (but they don't accept checks or cash, or Visa or ATM) Only Cashier's Checks are accepted. So we went to purchase a Cashier's Check only to find out that places don't allow you to use your Credit Card, ATM or checks. 

711 store offered that I get the cash out at their ATM and then purchase a Cashier's Check. In the end I was thankful that my bank was able to write a Cashier's Check without extra cost. 

 

I realize that this is really one more injustice for people in poverty. Because of trust issues the management does not accept any other form of payment, making renters have to carry cash (and/or pay extra for getting it out of an ATM) and then have to get a Cashier's Check which also costs money. For me the whole event took about 1 hour.. and I had a car. 

 

Personally at home, we just pay via electronic check and it takes less than one minute, no travel, no extra cost, no hassle. 

 

It reminded me again how difficult life in poverty can be and how many extra steps have to taken. It saddened my heart and got me angry at the same time. 

 

Micah 6:8 states that we are called to 'act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God'. I wonder how acting justly works when it comes to paying rent..... just a thought.  

One life to live! 

That is all we got! One life that tells us more about what we believe about eternity than any sermon ever spoken. One life that will determine how I will stand before God. Will I see Him and tremble in fear because I wasted it? Or will I look into His eyes as He smiles "well done good and faithful servant"? 

I received a book this Christmas "1000 Gifts" that is making me look at my life a little different. I am starting to see that my life is not a 50 year sprint but a long slow marathon. A run that will take all my energy, all that I have, but in the process I will see things I would never see if I am running a sprint. 

In a sprint you've got to keep your eyes on the goal... it is such a short distance, that every step counts, every breath makes a difference. But in a marathon, you have to pace yourself, you have time to look around, see things, enjoy the beauty of life, see your friends cheering you on, see the wild flower along the path. You can enjoy the breaks without feeling guilty, knowing that you can only sustain it if you have the right focus.

I know the picture is not perfect, but I realize that I want to live my life deeper. Want to see God's amazing grace in the small things, enjoy the beauty, the unexpected,  the small wins. 

In a world where I am constantly asked how I or LifeLine CDC has made a difference, how many people show up, how much money was raised, how many places I have spoken to, I want to start looking at the small wonders of life, the connections that are being built, the smile on a child when they receive a small token that means so much to them. 

Because it is not always the big things that make a difference, it is the small things, the child that was loved enough to have a better self-esteem, the person who learned a small new skill and is now sharing it with others, the older person how was heard when she shared her life story. 

The next time you see me, ask me about the small gifts in life, the small successes, the small blessings. 

Take a moment to watch this beautiful video and enjoy the journey! 

I watched a U-tube video of a young lady thanking and praising God for answered prayer! I was excited about a teenager being so expressive in worship until I listened more closely and my heart broke and I was deeply saddened by it. She and a number of young people were praying for God to reveal Himself to the many atheists in this world .... and within 24 hours the Tsunami in Japan happened and over 18,000 people were killed, hundreds of thousands homeless and nuclear waste devastating nature. 

She was so pleased with God's answer! Asking for more of it to happen.

She does not know the God of love and mercy, does not know the God of grace, does not know the God of justice. Will God really create a disaster like that to get His children's attention? Will HE forsake all those people created in His image? Not the God of the New Testament. Not the God who provided justice through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One sacrifice for all! 

 

As I was thinking about this I thought of all the opportunities to let people hear about the 'real' God. The God who waits for the lost son to return, who looks for the lost sheep, searches for the coin. The God who moved into the neighborhood to show His love and mercy and express His love.

I love the heart of our volunteers who are not shy of living out the Good News of Jesus Christ and to give answer to their reason to their hope.

 

May God be glorified with every person being touched, every child being loved, every neighborhood transformed! 

One life to live? NOT true!

We often say that we only have one life to live... but I wonder if that is really accurate. Yes, I am responsible for the one life I live, responsible for my choices, my thinking, my action.
But I am also responsible for my reactions to other people's lives, my response when I hear their stories. Because my response in turn will change their response to life.

Taking time to hear people's stories is so important. Unless we know where people have come from we only see the today. When we see their hearts, hear their stories, and interact with it, we get to celebrate (or condemn) their heritage.... we are part of their life story in the way we react to it.

Last night I heard stories of people, personal stories, stories of transformation, stories of pain, stories of excitement. Last night I had to make the decision of being open with my life or only tell what people want to hear, feel comfortable with, or can accept. Last night every person in the room had to make that decision and it created a beautiful tapestry of life, interwoven and held together by the grace of God in everyone of our stories.

I get to live a little of your life, get to hear your story and become part of your future. I get to live part of you life through my reaction to your story! And you get to be part of my story too!

So, come on by, lets sit down, I would love to hear your story!