No better way to start our week than visiting our friends and neighbors. Icee Joe and Tim led a big group of ladies from the Centenary swim team around to visit our friends. They took supplies, covers and hugs to them all. Everybody seems to be doing ok. Scott, Matt led some of our young men from Tuesday evening around the neighborhood. They filled 3 bags of trash and visited many folks. Met a new owner moving back into the neighborhood and talked at length to the famous "candy lady".
Don't want to start a new ministry, but in talking to our neighbors, we have several older folks who don't or can't get out of their houses very easily. We mentioned to them would they like a hot meal if we could bring them one, they all said yes. In the early days of our meals, we had more food than people, so we would pack up to go boxes and walk the neighborhood until the boxes were gone. It was a good way to meet folks. Anybody interested in doing this again?
Our afternoon activities continue at a great pace. Our college students continue to come and offer their hearts to our children. On Wednesday, we had a lady teaching the children nutritious ways to eat. Also on Wednesdays, the children will go through the clothing room picking up clothes for church and school. Gabrielle posted a picture of Anthony with his new outfit! We also have a new volunteer, Carl helping us out in the afternoons. Carl is a member of Grace and also drives the medical van that comes each month.
Tuesday evening, we had a packed house as Matt read from James 2, talking about not judging and faith. A lively discussion about we all judge people by their looks, their talk and not by their hearts. One of my favorite passages, faith without deeds is dead, took up a lot of talk. We all too often get comfortable in our surroundings and never move out into the streets to share the lvoe of Jesus with others. If we don't do it, who will?
Wednesday evening, we gathered at Momma T's home for our family time. Lots of good food and good conversations. Momma T passed around index cards with questions on them, answering them in our own ways, bringing up more discussions. We did finally get to Dr Phil's book, concluding Chapter 11. We summarized the chapter, lvoe God, lvoe your neighbor, be humble. Good way to live our lives.
Thursday evening, Wes and Willie got chapel going in a good way. If Wes didn't know the song, Willie sang it anyway and Wes picked it up! One of community came up to Willie in the middle of chapel and asked a question about the chaff and the wheat, which led to our sermon. Not what Willie had planned but the Holy Spirit evidently wanted us to hear it! Our children's church continues to be a blessing, with lots of activities going on. Momma T shares what God has placed on her heart with her young ladies.
A big crowd for our meal, clothes and groceries. A crowd of folks with lots of unrest going on. Someone said, maybe it was the almost full moon! We have not had a crowd with troubles in awhile but it was a reminder of where we are. Our folks are hurting, our community is constantly being beaten down, dealing with drugs, addictions, financial issues, families. I am not approving of the disagreements happening but we need to show lvoe as much as we can because if we don't, they will not see it in their world.
A reminder, next Thursday will be our Thanksgiving meal. Momma T will be decorating the tables Wednesday evening, she could use your help. Abbey could use your help, carving up the turkeys Thursday afternoon. Helping with getting the food ready for the meal. We will offer two bags of groceries, our regular bag and then they will pick items they can use for their Thanksgiving meal at home.
We will have a meal on Thanksgiving Day. Our regular time. No chapel is planned, but you never know? We will not have groceries to hand out, but the clothing room will be open.
This Saturday at 8:30 is our monthly breakfast time. French toast and all the trimmings will be prepared by our kitchen staff! Come and enjoy!
We have a birthday this coming week. Beth Ackerman will be celebrating her special day on the 20th. Happy Birthday Beth!
Prayer concerns. Pastor Roger and his crew leaving for a week to help those in Oklahoma. Dr Phil for travel as he is taking a much deserve vacation to west Texas. William as he continues his rehab and where he goes from there. During our cold nights, continue to lift up our outdoor friends. Hard to stay warm in that kind of cold. Ms Abbie and Ms Dorothy. Abbie has vertigo right now, having to keep quiet, rest as much as possible. Dorothy as she rests up from her radiation and begins her chemo treatments. Her spirit is still strong. My golf instructor's nephew, who was injured in Afghanistan, Mitchell. Pray for our neighborhood. God is beginning to make small steps into our community and Satan is fighting at every turn. Prayers were said Tuesday night for jobs for our young people in our community, giving them something to do instead of drugs and gangs.
Life is hard. The world is full of hate and selfishness. Nobody looks out for you but you. For us to lvoe God, lvoe our neighbor and be humble is not natural. It goes against everything we have been taught or seen on TV or read about in the paper. One of our older guys on Tuesday night, said, I find it hard to forgive someone who has put a gun to my head! Another response, how can I lvoe someone who has taken away my house? Still another, how can I take care of my neighbor who is selling drugs? Don't ask me to forgive that guy who turned me into the police.
Hard questions. Common questions in our community. But questions we need to answer and work on finding solutions. As we all know, we can't forgive, we can't lvoe, we can't be humble on our own. That is one of the reasons the world is so messed up. We have taken God out of our jobs, our schools, our society and even our churches.
For our community, the one bright spot in their dark world is each one of you. We continue to shine the light of Jesus, when all around them they see no hope. We told the young men Tuesday night, do not give up hope, be patient, keep praying, read your Bible, God will provide. God continues to bring people into our community who will provide the means to solve some of our dreams and answer some of our questions. It is coming, it will happen!
But until it does, each one of you will have to stay strong in your walk. You will have to continue to show the lvoe of Jesus. I know at times when things are not going as you would like them to go it can be frustrating and hurtful, but don't give up hope. God has brought you this far, and He will not turn His back on you or our community.
Just a few short years ago, we did not have a center, we had a driveway to serve from. We did not have a Bright House, we had a crack house. We did not have a food pantry, we had car trunks and truck beds. We did not have a garden of life, we had weeds of sin. We did not know our neighbors, they did not know us. But oh how God has changed all of that. And the exciting thing, it is just the beginning!
Patience, don't like that word or what it stands for, but evidently it is very important to God when He wants to expand His Kingdom. In our patience he prepares our souls and our Spirits for things to come. Change, God's kind of change is upsetting to a lot of the world. Where the first will be last and the last will be first, is not what society wants to hear.
So as we wait, ponder on what is ahead for us, remember God is working on and through you to not only to change you but the world around you.Amen!
See you Saturday for breakfast. Blessings to all! Have a glorious week!
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