relationships

Baby, it's cold outside! Hope everybody has had a great week. We have had rain, cold and wind this week, making for interesting times around the center.

My sister-in-law has been wanting to visit the Jewish Temple on Southfield, so last Friday evening we went. I know Joey and Lomax like to visit other churches so I invited them and they invited others, so we had a nice group joining us for their worship time. The Temple is one of my pest control accounts and I have known the Rabbi for several years now. She is very nice and down to earth. She walked over to us after the service and asked us if we would like to ask her questions about the Jewish faith. So we went back into their synagogue and for over two hours we talked about faith. I came away with, how awesome our God is. They worship, they love the same God we do, they may go about it a different way, but oh how they lvoe Him. Can't we all get past our religious stereotypes and just lvoe our God?

We had good visits at the camps Saturday. Really enjoy getting back to the guys homes and visiting with each one of them. We had a new group of young people join us from LSUS. They provided t-shirts and can goods for our friends. Amanda suggested they call us and join in on the fun. We had a new/old friend join us also, Joey! Not sure Joey was awake fully when we left but by 11 o'clock he was able to direct us to a couple of new camps. We past by the first camp I ever visited. There were a group of people in this abandon building. One of them was an artist and inside the building were pictures he had drawn. A month or so after we started visiting, the owners didn't want them inside anymore, so they tore the building down. Now, the only thing that remains is the concrete pad. Our friends scattered throughout the city and we never saw them again, very sad.

The rain stopped Monday around 4 and the kids came. Tuesday, the winds and cold weather started and the kids came. Wednesday, it was sunny and cold and the kids came. The kids have come but our helpers have not. We have been low on help this semester. We know your schedules change, classes become stressful, but if you can come, we need your help.

Tuesday evening we gathered for our community men's fellowship. Noticed I left off the Bible part. I got to wondering if a Bible study may scare off some of the guys. I know it did me many years ago when I first started back to church. I saw in the bulletin at Grace, they had a men's Bible study. I did not my Bible as well as I should so I hesitated going because I was scared they would ask me questions and I would not know the answers. Matt has a verse that God places on his heart, we read it and the discussions begin. Amazing what God can do when you allow Him to lead the discussions and are open to His Spirit. Men don't have a place where we can relate to one another, build relationships together and help each other along our journeys. This venue provides such a place.

Wednesday after the kids left, Ms Lisa took Lomax, Joey and myself across the street to visit the lots Common Ground has just received. 4 lots of absolute heaven. Two lots of concrete where one day, we will need for parking when the sanctuary is packed with people. Two other lots, where new homes will be built and lives and families will be restored. The green lots are huge. Lomax, said, there is enough room for a Tiny Village. God is up to something amazing. How exciting.

Thursday, with the cold stiff wind, we did not have as many join us for supper. We had receive gifts of lettuce and pizzas. We decided to give everybody a pizza instead of warming them, that was a hit. Matt and his wife Ms Vicki joined us. Also, we had a lady from Summer Grove Baptist come and helped us serve. What a blessing to have new people come and be a part of our community.

Instead of our normal Bible study Thursday night, it was suggested we have a recovery circle. Momma T agreed to lead us and shared some of the history of our relationships with these circles. Momma T got out her notes from her visit to Glide United Methodist church in San Francisco, telling us it will be 10 years on January 28th, when we made our first visit out there. I couldn't believe it has been 10 years! I can remember going out to GLide thinking I knew everything but realize I knew nothing about relationships and how important it is to our recovery from who we think we are, to who God wants us to be.

I began to understand from their leader, Natomba, we are all recovering from something. We are all hiding things that stops us from being the person God needs us to be. We may not have a drug or alcohol problem, but we may have a pride or selfish problem. We may work all the time, not leaving room for others or God. We may hide our anger or distrust, not allowing God to fill it with His lvoe and compassion. No matter what the addiction is, we all need to realize we are sinners, we are not perfect, we all have hurts, and that is ok. God has brought us together to help and support each other. To listen. To lvoe. The recovery circles allows us to do that, to begin the process of letting go of those addictions, to allowing others in and helping us through the struggles. And when we do begin to understand it is alright to let go, a great weight is lifted off our shoulders, a peace surrounds us that only God can be a part of.

Don't forget this Friday, the 13th, Joey is hosting a prayer time service at the community chapel between 6 and 8. Max Lucado's devotional this morning said, rather than worry about anything, "pray about everything!"

There will be no U2 this Saturday.

Prayers for Momma T, Ms Sarah, Mr Scott as they lead their youth in a retreat this weekend. Prayers for Ms Abbie's Joe as still does not feel good. For Icee Joe in his knee recovery. Prayers for Zig Zag (Allison) as she heads back to school for her last semester. We will miss you Allison. Hurry home. Praise for James as he starts back to work. Prayers for Robert as he starts building a new home. Prayers for Dave, Dr Phil's next door neighbor. We met Dave in the woods, he made it to a house, but is struggling with addictions and now is heading back to the woods. Prayers for continued healing from colds for the Ackermans.

Got an email from a Brookwood family this week. She was upset at the church for not having their second Saturday work day, so she asked if her and her family could come anyway! They have been to visit us, the last couple of months. They have two adorable little girls that have helped Ms Patty and Momma T with U2 Saturdays, while mom and dad have painted for us. In her email, she said her two girls had been working on some signs for the center. I don't know what they say but was in awe of what these little ones had been doing for us. I emailed her back and said it would be an honor to host her family this Saturday.

This got me to thinking about relationships. We talk all the time about relationships. Our community is based on relationships with each other and others. Our Tuesday night mens bible study is more about relationships than study. Thursday suppers is more about getting to know our neighbors than feeding the flock. We have circle this week, which is based on relationships. We pray for one another, not because we have to but because we have relationships with each other. Here it is, the beginning of a new year and we talked about our relationships with Jesus and how important it is.

Obviously God is challenging us to be real with ourselves. We go to church on the weekends, sit in our pews or chairs, smile and say everything is alright. We really don't have time to see behind the masks in an hour or two. We need to be there for each other during the week. It was said last night, the hardest thing to do when Jesus says to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, is to love ourselves. If we don't love ourselves, then everything we do after that is not real. We have to have a real relationship with Jesus. Ask Jesus, who am I, what do you see? Are you seeing the man or woman you want me to be? People will let us down every time, God will not. He will be honest with us. He will say, let go of that, I will take if over. I want you to be who I created you to be, not what others think you should be. If we try to please people we will be set up for failure, because we can't please everybody.

Relationships begins with you and God. It won't be easy, it may not look the way you think, but guaranteed it will be the best thing you have ever done. You will be the person God has created you to be. Then God will do amazing things through you using your unique and special gifts.

Have great weekend. No better time that to stop for a moment, and listen to what God is wanting to tell you. Amen.