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!

A week in the life of LifeLine CDC and it's partners

This has been one of those amazing weeks that I don't want to see come to an end (although I probably won't have energy to have it go on much longer :).


There are two parts to LifeLine CDC:
1. Coach and equip others in Asset Based Community Development
2. Practice and model the work.


Sunday: In Atwater with a church that wants to be more community oriented. Working on a partnership of coaching, volunteering and growing together.

Monday: Phone conversation about next week's trip to Texas to create a strategic plan with a team to develop community development training for rural areas. Meeting with a volunteer who will help with tax preparation.
Winton: Bus Boutique is at the Community Center. Ernie makes arrangement for 140+ gallons of milk to be given to local people. David sets up appointments for free tax assistance (VITA). A large group of volunteers distribute USDA commodities through the community center. People helping each other. Volunteers are getting the center organized.
Merced: Tunde is finishing up his official time as AmeriCorps member but is committed to the community and continues to run the programs in the Meadows with the help of many many volunteers.

Tuesday: Meeting in Ripon with pastors who care deeply about church and community. Coaching a young pastor who wants to start a church in Stockton that is open 24 hours, because hurts don't keep office hours.
Worked with Delhi partner to get grant for tools for community beautification project.
Winton: Computer stations are being painted, ESL class is conducted, community members are connecting with each other.

Wednesday: Meeting with United Way for a brief video interview to describe how the UW grant is helping young people in Winton  get their GED and life skill training. Meeting with a wonderful community organizer. Writing a grant for financial sustainability.
Homework night in the Meadows- thanks to the help of UC students.

Thursday: In Fresno visiting friends who have an amazing thrift store to learn with partners how they can start one in their area. Meeting with professor from FPU to talk briefly about entrepreneurial business. In Merced with United Way and their partners to learn about the next grants. In a meeting with a person who cares deeply about aged out Foster Care Youth.

Friday: Personal coaching call to equip Monika. Grant and report writing, e-mails, planning, organizing. Getting ready for Austin, TX trip and a sermon next Sunday on "When helping hurts" in Sacramento. Game night in the Meadows. Community center open in Winton.

Just a glimpse into a week at LifeLine CDC where everyone no matter how rich has a need and everyone no matter how poor has a gift and where we together build and celebrate community. A week where about 90 people used their gifts and passion to help each other. A week where I met many people who are developing a passion for Asset Based Community Development.

This was a week where we got to do it all and enjoy it!

Our Christmas gifts are ON the Christmas tree!

What gifts are on your tree this morning? Imagine a Christmas tree that is filled with the skills and abilities of people...  

Every person who walked into Winton LifeLine Community Center received a Christmas ornament and was asked to write one of their gifts, skills or abilities that they are willing to share with the community. Then we hung them on the tree and the result is this beautiful tree filled with gifts.

It was different kind of experience and people were a little puzzled... but in the end we got to know each other and enjoy the giftedness of each person.

Wednesday after Christmas we will celebrate a community meal and as we talked about it in the context of the gifts and abilities several community members wanted to help in various ways... cook a turkey... bring tamales... bring some drinks.     

LifeLine CDC has a saying "Everyone no matter how rich has a need. Everyone no matter how poor has a gift. That is why we build and celebrate community." 

Merry Christmas! 

How many people does it take to change a town?

As I drove up with the Bus Boutique to Winton LifeLine Community Center today, people were already standing in line for the USDA food distribution. Inside about 20 volunteers prepared the boxes for 453 people to have food this week. 

There wasn't much space to move the old school bus into place and I needed some help. One gentleman guided me along so that  I would avoid the parked cars... but there really wasn't much space so a professional truck driver helped with his expertise to move the bus into the right place... having only 2 inches to spare. Then volunteers helped getting the bus ready that served over 100 people today. 

We met with a representative from Friends of the Library trying to help them keep the branch library open. We had a volunteer drop off the wood for the computer stations he is building, another volunteer cleaned up some old discarded furniture. Someone donated a Christmas tree and a volunteer was putting it up. Another volunteer created a database to help with some of our chores, he also is setting up the building for the VITA program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). Another volunteer looked at a way to put our mural up that Jr High students created. Then there were phone calls and conversations and brainstorming about the upcoming Christmas store... and a number of other things.

Today I saw it again. The beauty of volunteering, the beauty of giving back, the beauty of making your place more liveable. The beauty of friendship. 

So tomorrow, if you should go to Winton... stop by and see what it takes to "put Winton on the map for something good."

"Don't judge a book by it's cover...... and don't judge it by the first chapter."

Our newest volunteer is Toby who spent 16 years of his life in prison and many other years in gangs, getting shot the first time at age 11 by rival gang members.  As Toby shared his story on CNN several years ago, he used the phrase "don't judge the book by it's first chapter" and I was struck with the depth of it.

It is so true, how often do we look at people and have already made up our minds before they ever open their mouths? How many times do we dismiss people because of small things.

How often do we believe that people with a history, a past, a record, a bad 'first chapter', have no chance in learning, growing, developing? How often do we dismiss them?

Toby reminded me again that we all have many more chapters to write in the book of our lives and that maybe the last chapter is the one that pulls it all together.


For this season, I pray to be more open to read beyond the cover and the first chapter!