God's unfailing lvoe?!

I would like to introduce myself, Hi! I'm mr brian!! It's been awhile? I know you guys have missed my weekly notes so much and wondered if you would ever hear from me again?! Welllll, I'm back! Or sort of, will be gone again next Friday!

Like I shared with our community in chapel this week, I lvoe you guys, but when our grand kids, say pawpaw, can you come stay with us, we are out of here! That's where we have been and will be next week! A true blessing from God!

But life goes on, so does our community. Basketball has added a new assistant coach. One of our long time friends, Dan Poole, his son has joined in on the fun and helping out Matt and Chuck. Will has lots of basketball experience, so it will be good for the boys to learn new things from him. Bryce has been busy in the garden, working with groups adding new beds and cleaning up the old ones. Our camps continue to decline, a blessing. A part of our group at Olgilve is gone, moved inside. We need a trumpet of praise to report Jerry has gotten his first check for moving inside. He went and opened up a checking account! He has not been to a bank in 10 years! He is in the process of locating an apartment to move into, what a blessing! No more mosquitos or bitter cold to fight anymore! Thank you God!

I have always wanted to say, is there a doctor in the house?! I got to say that at the Bright House II last Saturday, as Doc G, as she likes to be called walked in on me, Krysten and Joey going over some insurance questions. Georgette was in town to visit with her mom, stopping by to see everybody. It was great to see the both of them, our girls are growing up! Krysten is now in the insurance business, if any of you ever need anything in that field!

We are working on the center, trying to get it ready for the start of our afternoon activities. They will be starting in September. Please let Allison or Lisa know if you can help out.

Monday, Joey and John Sauls and others went down to Baton Rouge to help in the clean up of all the flooding. Grace will be sending another team down there Labor Day weekend. Please call their office if you would like to join them.

Thursday started off dry, but the heavens opened up and the rains came. Over 2 inches in our part of the world before it was over with. Streets were beginning to flood as we were driving home. But the community did not let that stop them as we had a packed house! Chapel was standing room only as Brother Chester shared the Word and Ms Abbie and Bryce led our singing. Z prepared our meal and we had help from the community to serve it up and clean off the tables. The Market was busy with everybody getting a chance to shop. A great evening of fellowship.

There is another work day in the clothing room this Saturday from 9 - 1. Please come and help and meet our community. The clothing room is looking great and about ready to be opened back up again. Jennifer and Kaylan are doing a great job organizing everything.

We are reading Psalms in our Monday night Bible study. A couple of weeks ago, a question was asked from our reading of Psalm 85, verse 7, Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation. The question was asked, what does God's unfailing love look like to us?

What does God's lvoe look like to you? It can take many forms. It is unique to each one of us. We need to be able to explain what it looks like to others. That sounds easy until you give it a try. It your small groups, with your friends, try to explain what Jesus has done for you and to you.

In our community, where sometimes there is little hope of escaping the grasps of poverty, we need to be able to show to our neighbors or tell them there is a light, a way, that is available to all of us. If you just turn your life over to Christ and let the lvoe of the Holy Spirit shine through, there is hope.

What does God's unfailing lvoe look like? Maybe it's playing a guitar, playing a piano, bagging groceries, cleaning off the tables, organizing a room, cooking, teaching, preaching, visiting friends, listening, hugging, digging in the dirt, mowing, mopping, empting the trash, washing dirty clothes. Sometimes it is easier to show some one what God's lvoe looks like, but we also need to explain why we do what we do. Remembering it is not about us, but about God working in and through us. Amen!

Have a great week. God is good - all the time!!

God's ways?

The first week of August is in the books! Time is flying when God is a part of your life! How did your week go?

Another busy Saturday around the neighborhood. Camps were visited, with everybody doing ok. Basketball practices were going on. Some garden work was done. A wedding was attended. God is good.

Was great to see Lomax and Stephanie say I do and start a new chapter in their lives. Joey did great as one of their groomsmen. Good to see old friends and meet some new family members.

With summer camp over with, the center was quiet this week. Hard to believe the summer is coming to an end and school is about to start. Backpacks and school supplies are being gathered. Tutoring plans are continuing. We can always use your help with our afternoon activities, please come and join in on the fun.

Tuesday evening, Rickie led the men's Bible fellowship, reading from John 5: 1-9, the healing at the pool. Sometimes we get looked over by others trying to be first, Jesus does not see the first by relates to the least. How does He see you?

Thursday was hot and humid, as we gathered for our community time. Ms Jackie shared the Word in chapel, as Ms Abbie and Bryce shared the music. We had a summer picnic complete with pizza and ice cream sundaes for supper. Lots of help was provided from a local bank in the dining hall and the Market. A good evening.

It was nice to hear from our missionaries this week. Elizabeth McCormick dropped me a note saying we were in their hearts this week as they are about to begin their new journey in South Africa. Please keep them in your prayers. Prayers for our friends living outside, the heat is unbearable.

In reading John 5, telling of the invalid, this is how this translation describes the man at the pool, had been handicapped for 38 years. A great number of disabled people gathered at this pool to wait for the angels to stir the water. If you were the first in the pool, you would be healed of your infliction. Can you imagine, the pushing and shoving that must have happened to be the first in line. When chapel is over, the community runs to be the first in line, to get a chapel card and out the door! We like to be first at anything. The first born, the first kiss, the first paycheck, the first catch. Our society teaches us, trains us, to be the first, not the second, surely not the last. But in God's world, that philosophy does not apply.

This disabled man, had been waiting and wanting to get to the pool first but so far had been unable to do so. He was always to late or to slow to do so. In verse 6, Jesus saw this man and asked him, do you want to get well? My first thought, to Jesus' question was well du! But Jesus needs to hear us say from our heart, what we want.

Then in verse 8, Jesus said to him, Get up! pick up your mat and walk.. At once the man was cured, he picked up his mat and walked. Amazing. But as we talked about it more, we talked about Jesus' ways are not our ways? This man, 38 years waiting to be cured. Has seen others cured by getting in the stirring waters of this pool. He hears this man Jesus say, get up and walk. He did not get in the pool of water, like he had seen his whole life, but a man spoke to him and he was cured. Not the way he expected to be cured, but the way Jesus wanted him to be cured.

We often pray to God for a way out of the mess we are in, directions for our lives, paths to take for our community. We think we have it all planned out, the way we think it should go and ask God to bless it. God does not work that way, He sees us, He knows us, He knows what is best for us and makes a way for us. 

We need to begin to let go of our ways and let God direct His ways through us. We need to be open to changes. I know in my limited experiences, all most always, what I prayed for did not turn out the way I had asked. I was trying to put God in my box, to make things simple, to not stretch my faith, to not get out of my comfort zone, but God laughed and said, mr brian, hold on, you are about to get your world rocked!

God does things the way He wants them to happen. He has put all of you in my life and I am so blessed. Common Ground is blessed because of your presence and your hearts. Let's pray together to let God be the boss, let Him direct our paths, let Him be our leader, let Him build His Kingdom working in and through us! Amen!

Have a great week. Enjoy your time with your family and friends. God is good!