Praise the Lord!

Brrrr! What great weather in our part of the world this morning! Cool, crisp breeze, God's Kingdom is a great place to be!

What a Saturday we had last week. Momma T and Bryce had been working and planning hard for a garden work day! It worked! God provided the help and we now have new planter beds ready for the fall planting season! Matt and Vicki had the basketball team. Friends of our basketball team brought a large group of boys, folks from our Thursday community, all combined to have a great morning. Pictures have been posted on Face Book. Food was prepared in the kitchen. Visits were made to our friends living outside. What a day!

Our Monday and Wednesday afternoon activities continue. Lots of helpers and lots of children come and enjoy their times together. You can walk through the center and find learning groups everywhere! Great to see.

Tuesday evening, one of our community men led the men's Bible fellowship. Greg led the study, talking about the miracles God has done in his life. We all talked about what God has done in our lives. What has He done in yours?

Thursday evening was a busy time in our community. Brother George shared the Word, Bryce shared the praise in chapel. Z cooked up a feast and our friends from the school board helped serve and clean up. The clothing room was busy as well as the Market. Lots of conversations were happening about skills and needs of the community. A busy, fun night.

In one of our Bible study groups, we talked about why we take God for granted? We know what He has done for us, what He can do for us, but still we put Him on the back burner of our lives, why? We can have pity parties, grumble at our love ones, be unpleasant to be around, knowing all we have to do is go to God to help us through our trials, but we hesitate, why? We are quick to go to God to ask for healing when our love one is sick. We turn to God when we need something. But when our routines of life are in control, we put God on the back burner, why?

Life is hard sometimes. Obstacles are put before us daily. Trials of the unknown present challenges, we would rather not deal with. It is important to be in the presence of God all the time, morning, noon and night. Especially in our community! If we don't have the lvoe of Jesus in us on Monday afternoon, when we are reading to our children, they will not have a chance to see the joy of Christ. If we don't let the Holy Spirit flow through us on Thursdays, when will our community see the light of Christ? In the garden, playing basketball, cooking a meal, visiting our outdoor friends, doing paperwork, stocking shelves, hanging clothes, cleaning the bathrooms, mowing the grass - we need God in our lives. Not sometimes, not when we need Him, but all the time! God's light will shine through us, even when we don't feel like it is shining. All we have to do is let go and allow God to come into our hearts, God will do the rest!

Our men's Bible study read Psalm 103 Monday night. In one of the Bibles, the author said for us to read this Psalm everyday, praising God for all He has done for us. Take a minute right now, get your Bible out, turn on your Bible app, Kindle, Ipad and read Psalm 103. As the author said, make Psalm 103 your prayer for the day. Praise the Lord, my soul, you are awesome. Thank you for all you do for us, even when we forget You. You are worthy of our praise! Amen!

Have a great week. Get outside and enjoy this gorgeous weather! God is good!

Thank You!

Happy Autumn to everybody! Hopefully the hot temperatures in your part of the world has gotten a little cooler! Lvoe this time of year, with the colors of God's canvas coming to full bloom!

Spending time with the grand children last weekend, so was not around for Saturday's activities. I just know the basketball team practiced and was fed, the camps and friends were visited, garden work continued, so much to do, so little time to get it all done! God is good!

We have settled into a rhythm with our afternoon activities. Our blessing is sung, snacks are eaten, games are played, then the learning begins. Great to see so many helpers with the children. Great relationships are being formed. Smiles all around!

Tuesday evening, Brother George shared the Word with the men of the community. We read from James 1, we didn't read very far, but shared a lot of what God is doing in our lives. Talked about patience, perseverance, endurance, faith, trials, temptations. We all face trials, we all have temptations, how do we handle them?

Thursday was a packed house of lvoe, joy and understanding. Our friends from St Luke's medical van visited with us. Brother Chester and Ms Abbie got us started off in chapel with music and God's Words. Z prepared a feast, while old and new friends helped us serve and clean up. The Market continued to be a busy place, while our clothing room helped our community find just the right clothes. A blessed night.

Karl asked for continued prayers for his daughter in New Hampshire suffering the loss of her husband and father of their two children. Prayers for peace and understanding for the tragic loss of life in our community and across the country.

This Saturday, Bryce is hosting a garden party! Come early, around 7am to begin working in the new garden creating flower beds. Then around 9:30 of so Z and Joey will be preparing breakfast for the community. Following the meal  work will be done around the center. Come and enjoy!

Don't let Satan fool you! Don't get discouraged! Don't think what you do doesn't matter! You are important to God and to our community!

Last Thursday, as I was leaving early from our meal, I noticed one of our community members beginning their walk home. They don't live around the corner, they leave almost 10 blocks away! I was talking to one of our community members in chapel last week, they said they live on 85th street and walk here every week, over 15 blocks! Community waiting for the bus on the corner to get home after arriving by bus earlier. Babies being pushed in strollers to the center. Family members being dropped off by others. You make a difference in the lives of our community whether you know it or not! God knows! Thank you for all you do in case you need to hear it from someone, Thank you.

Ginellen, my wife, has been struggling with health problems going on for almost 3 years. We had a doctor's appointment Monday and we did not hear what we wanted to hear. She is scheduled for another procedure on October 14th. The doctor is being very cautious, which is good, but also frustrating to us all as we continue to deal with this problem. As I was preparing the words for chapel Thursday, one of our community members come into chapel and said mr brian, your wife has been on my heart this week! They didn't know anything about what we had gone through at the doctor, they just knew we needed to pray. They wanted others to pray with us, so we held hands and each one of the community said a prayer for healing for Ginellen. We are important to our community!

Thursday evening, as we were finishing up our meal, a lady walks up to me, who I had not seen in several years. She came by because, this community represents a happy time in her life and the life of her family. There are pictures of her children in the collage of photos in the hallway, all having a great time with us. Her children are no longer with her, some are in jail, some are missing, some don't want anything to do with her, sad times. She wanted to come by and see us, to remember those times of joy and happiness when her children were young and innocent. We have been a part of our community lives, through the trials and through the triumphs.

Please know, you are making a difference. Many of you will never hear a thank you. We may never see a smile or get a hug. We might not hear a kind word or see good manners but you are all making a difference. Life is hard for our community, the darkness is bright, the light is dim. You are the light, maybe the only light they get to see in their daily lives. Some of us have been around for so long, we get to see how the community is affected by all of you. We see the moms coming back remembering the good times. We get to see our young children all grown up, some are struggling, some are prospering, but they come back to see you because you made a difference in their lives. You are making a difference. Thank You! Amen!

See you Saturday in the garden! God is so good!

Lean on Me!

How was your week? What surprises did God share with you? He sure is good - isn't he!

Saturdays continue to be busy in and around the center. Basketball practices and meals, gardening work being done, visiting our friends living outside, cleaning up and around the center, all makes for a glorious day! We are down to one camp! Praise God! Turner is still with us. Joey and Jerry's camp is being lived in for awhile, so we go by there also. We go by and visit two other former camp friends, living inside to check in with them. Praise God for getting them inside but they still are hungry. Most of their monies goes to their living spaces, so there is not anything left for food. Our little stops help them out for the week, while they begin to adjust to their new surroundings. Great to see them with their new homes, like a child at Christmas time, full of life and joy!

We have started our weekly afternoon activities with our new group of children. We meet on Monday and Wednesdays from 3:30 to almost 5. Allison and her crew of helpers have gotten their activities all lined up. There is a green, yellow, red and blue tables set up in the fellowship hall. The children go to their tables when they get off the bus. They sing a prayer, have their snacks, play a game or two and then break up into smaller groups with their tutors! You will find kids and their tutors all over the center, any place we can set up a table and chair. Great to see young people getting the special attention they deserve.

Every other Monday, just as we are getting our children back on the bus, we have another group of youngsters joining us. We have a big group of girls and their moms having their girl scouting meeting! They go until almost 7 with games and fun happening! Amazing to see all that God is making happen in our part of the world.

Tuesday evening, the men gathered for their Bible fellowship. Rickie led our discussions from Luke 7. The faith of the Centurion and Jesus raises a widow's son. Jesus knows our hearts and can do anything He wants. Nothing is impossible! 

Wednesday evening, Lisa had her Board meeting. So much going on, hard to remember it all. Lots of good thoughts on where God is leading our community and how Common Ground can be a part of it. Amazing things are on the horizon!

Thursday evening was special, really they are every week, but many of us got to do what we like to do and talk and listen to the community. Our friends from Elizabeth Baptist church brought their whole church to us, so must of the work is done for the evening. They bring all the food, serve it, clean the dishes and tables, help with the Market and run the clothing room. We get to sit back and enjoy the evening!

Prayers for Karl Foucht, husband of Hat. His daughter Tanya, living in New Hampshire, lost her husband and father of their two young children last week. A terrible tragedy.

I have been listening to a sermon series about God's amazing grace. Towards the end of the series, the pastor was talking about receiving God's grace. His comments brought thoughts about all of you. We are good about sharing what God has done for us and through us with others, but it is hard for us to receive God's grace when it comes from others. We are so good at giving, sometimes it is hard for us to receive.

I know for me, in my early days of thinking I was the savior come to save our community. If someone in our community offered something to me, most of the time I would say thanks but no thanks. Thinking, there is nothing they have I need! How foolish I was! God has created all of us, all of us, with unique gifts and talents. If we don't take time to listen to all, to communicate with all, we will miss those gifts, those blessing from God. Until we realize, we are the community, not us and them, we need to realize we are all in this journey together.

Thursday night as I was standing out in front of the chapel, one of our community members came over to me, she said, mr brian I have something for you and Joey? I walked over to her truck and she took out two pans of banana pudding! My first thought was to say, thanks but no thanks, you keep it for your family, I don't need this as much as you need it. But I accepted it gratefully and enjoyed every bite of it! She worked long and hard making that pudding, she put her heart and soul into making it, God's grace was baked into that pudding. If I would have declined the pudding, I would have missed God's grace!

As we discern the direction God is leading us and our community let's not loose site of God's grace and where His grace might show up. Just because we may have more education, more resources, does not makes us better in God's eyes. In God's Kingdom, we are all the same. As Ms Abbie and Bryce share with us every week, we need to learn to lean on Me (God), learn to lean on my brother and sister when we need a hand. We will all need someone to lean on as we travel together. Help us Lord to lean on You and let's learn together as we grow into God's Kingdom! Amen!

What's next?

Life goes on, doesn't it? Just because you are not around, the struggles, the triumphs, the challenges of life goes on. I just know, God is ever present in our community through you all, God's grace will continue.

Our stops on Saturday morning, visiting our friends living outside continue to decline! Yeah! Really only Turner remains and some scattered callings from old friends meeting them in various places is the extent of our visits now. Wonder what is next in God's plan for us?

Matt, Vicki and Chuck continue to mold our young people with basketball skills as well as life skills. Just about everyday you will find the blue house full activities of doing homework, eating or talking about life.

Being around the center everyday, I am amazed to see all the activities that take place. We now have office hours, being manned mainly by Joey. There are people from all walks of life stopping by. Some to give us food, shoes, clothing. Some needing groceries, clothing or for someone to listen to their struggles. Groceries are dropped off by some, others come every week to sort them out and put them up. Clothes are dropped off, while others sort through them, hang and organize the clothing room. Food is prepared just about every day. Boys are always hungry! Men learning about God needs to be nourished after a hard day of work. The community looks forward to a meal every Thursday. The center is always busy now.

Our afternoon activities of learning will begin next week. Lots of preparation has been going on. Please let Lisa or Allison know you would like to help out. All sorts of help is needed. We have a great group of returning teachers and helpers, but we can always use more servants.

Thursday was a great time of sharing the Word and singing, eating and meeting new friends, gathering clothes and groceries. The center was busy all night long. Bryce did an outstanding job in leading our singing, while an old friend Jacoby shared the Word. It was a special night, because we got to talk about our birthday girl, Ms Abbie. Joey wanted to buy her a cake, but I said to Joey, with all the candles on top, I was afraid, the chapel might catch on fire! Ms Abbie was not in chapel when I said that, so don't tell her I did! We had an old friend rejoin our community, Ms Dawn has returned, yeah!

We have come a long way from where we have started, handing out groceries from the trunks of our cars or the backs of our trucks, going through bags of clothes, preparing meals when no one came, being asked to leave a church building having no where to go, having no budget, no monies to buy food, groceries, no books for the children to learn by. There was no planning committee, no plans for tomorrow, we were just trying to meet the needs of our community that day! 

So God has brought us this far, where is He leading us now? What is our next step in this journey? Is there something God has placed on your heart, that we need to know about, let us know? We do not want to be just another nonprofit among hundreds in the city, we did not start off that way, we were led by Christ to do what Matthew 25, 34 says, "Then the King will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world". 35, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me". 

We are a community of followers of Christ, lvoing others when nobody else does, sharing the grace of God when it is many times hard to do, holding up those who have never experienced hope and peace in their lives. We are set apart, to do God's work in a community where there is very little light shinning of God's majesty. Let's work together to change that! Amen!

Have a great week! We are blessed to be a part of God's Kingdom, let's boldly live our lives that way!