Different

Rain, rain go away, come again another day! Be careful what you pray for? In this part of the country, God decided to answer our prayers of cooler temperatures and rain. Now we are not satisfied, so we are praying for the rain to stop! Sure am glad God has a sense of humor!

We took two vans on our visits last Saturday. Our additional van was Henning Memorial Methodist youth as they joined us for our visits. Always great to see the expressions of the young people as they are exposed to a world many have never seen before. All our friends seem to be do ok. The heat and mosquitoes are a problem but that is the way of life outside. One of our friends, Daniel was hospitalized for dehydration. Haven't heard how he is doing.

Mr Matt and his wife Vicky and their dog Rosey, Ms Dawn, Mr Scott continued to make visits into the neighborhood. One of the neighbors invited them inside her home to talk about life and get out of the heat, very sweet. You just never know what you will experience when meeting our neighbors. Join us, Saturdays around 11:30.

John and John continue their hard work in the kitchen all morning long. We now have lights in both rooms, making the area look huge. Cabinets are going in, counter tops are being made, paint is going on the walls and Thursday afternoon, we got running water back in the kitchen at one of our sinks, can I have an Amen!! It is great to see our volunteers who come every week to serve our meals, to see their expressions as they walk through the kitchen! You would have thought they struck the lottery! Praising a sink with running water is not right, but in our community, its the little things that makes us sing!

Summer camp continued this week, with the theme this week on science. The kids made things that exploded, changed forms, and in general had a great time. Ms Patty came everyday and shared her gift of gardening and getting the children to understand the world around them. You can see some of their projects of planting in front of the center, very cool. God continues to bless our young people as they allow the Spirit to flow through them to our children. Gus has put videos up and continues his blogs, please check them out. Allison put pictures up of Thursdays trip to the bowling alley on Common Ground's web site. Great fun. Great smiles.

On Sunday, Mr Matt took William back to his treatment center. William had been in the hospital for a mild stroke and was questioning whether to go back. William had visitors while he was in the hospital trying to get him to stay here. But William called Matt and asked him to take him back to the Freedom Mission to continue his treatment. Did you get that, William asked to go back. A huge step in William's recovery. Please continue to keep William in your prayers. He is doing his part, may God and his family do ours.

Monday evening, Ms Beth and Ms Dawn had their first sewing class. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 - 8, the ladies will work with the community in making and designing sewing projects. Join them and see what you can create.

Tuesday evening, the men of the community came together and shared their hearts. This group is becoming something special to all who come. One of our guys in the community was 30 minutes late, but he said, this is just too important for me to miss. He needs this fellowship to help him make it through the week, we all need it! Praise God!

We had a huge gathering at our meal Thursday. When I walked into the hall, there was not a table or chair open. This is not the end of the month, wow, what is happening? We were treated to a chapel service, with Heather singing, her husband playing the guitar and their dad, Richard sharing a few words. Just love chapel time. We are beginning to get booked up each week, what a blessing. Joey and his team will be bringing us the Word next Thursday. The 4th Thursday of each month, we have asked Pastor Eddie to be with us, Pastor Jackson will be with us on the 1st Thursday in August. No better way to end the day than to have chapel time, join us if you can. I would suggest to get there early to get a seat!

We had several different churches joining us Thursday to help us serve. What a blessing to have folks come.

Thursday evening we gathered in the Friendship room and read from John 4. Good discussions on prayer, giving it up to God, our relationships to Him and others, worry and faith. Thank you for coming and a willingness to share what is on your hearts.

Prayer concerns: Charley will be having some medical tests this week, Wes is making a decision on whether to continue his stay in China or come home. Joe asked for prayers for their young son Joey who is having some stomach problems. Former pastor of Grace, Chuck's family was involved in an automobile wreck. Dr Phil will be traveling down to Baton Rouge, taking his daughter Charlotte there to get married next Saturday! So I guess Dr Phil you won't be with us on our walk?! Congratulations. Prayers for us all, that we will become the servants God has intended for us to be. Upcoming Weekend of the Cross, next Saturday the 28th. Our community will be hosting lunch for several groups, we need your help. Mr Tom is now a grandfather! Prayers for the new parents and grandparents.

Momma T, said there would not be U2 Saturday this month. Everybody has other obligations or out of town. Next month, in August, we will have a big back to school event on the second Saturday.

John Sauls has a big group of folks coming this Saturday to finish painting the kitchen. If you would like to join them, please come and help out. We have a surprise coming in our kitchen that will make everything we have done so far look outstanding?

Before the Henning youth left they wanted to see our second story section, so we showed them around. As with all the groups we show around, I always tell the folks to dream of what you would like to see happening here. As we were walking through the second story, one of the youth, said this would make a great place to put some of the outdoor friends they had just visited. We stopped for a minute and started talking about our community. I shared with them, most of our girls will drop out of school and get pregnant. Most of our boys will drop out of school at some point and end up in jail. Then I was asked a question I don't think I have ever been asked before, why do you continue to be here? Don't you get depressed and want to quit? Wow, out of the mouth of babes. Just lvoe being with the young people, Momma T and Ms Sarah will attest to that. They don't know to hold back, the world hasn't ruined them yet, their young hearts are full of passion and lvoe, then don't understand why things have to be so complicated.

So my question this week, is why? Why do you continue to be a part of Common Ground? Do you get frustrated at each other, at God, at our children, at the adults and want to quit? Why do you come? Why do you prepare of meal, clean tables, cut wood, run electrical wires, teach children, pray? Why do you play the keyboard so people can sing, why do you work in the garden, why do you cut the grass, paint, walk the neighborhood, drive a van, visit the least of them, build houses, find funding, balance the books, why? Why do you host groups from out of town, play with the children, clean the bathrooms, change a light bulb, having a sewing class, have Bible studies? Hang clothes, prepare bags of groceries, take out the trash, go shopping for others? Why do take your time, your money, your soul, your body to do all these things?

I have no idea how each of you will answer the question of why. I told the kids, if we are not here then who will be? How will this community know about Jesus? How will the light of Jesus shine if we are not here. I thought about the question all day and really the thought of giving up has never entered my mind? Not sure why, but it hasn't.

In one of the blogs this week, Allison, said it beautifully. Our interns had taken the children to the duck pond. They were having a picnic, jumping rope, having a great time. While eating lunch, Lauren said to Allison, I wonder if other people in the park look at us and think, what an odd family? Allison's response was, they probably do. We look different because we lvoe differently. Great way to put it, our new theme!

We look different, not because mr brian does it, Momma T does it, Dr Phil does it, but because God does it through all of us. mr brian would want to give up in a heart beat because it doesn't go the way mr brian wants it to go. If we take ourselves out of the equation and put God first, there is no giving up, no frustration, no depression. The more I see what is going on in our community the more I want to do, not less. The same way Jesus looks at us, he doesn't give up, the first time I make a mistake or the 100th time I've made a mistake, Jesus still lvoes us and wants to do more for us.

You will have to answer the question asked by the youth, why? and you will have to be honest. The youth will know, Jesus will know if you are not telling the truth. I just know, as long as we continue to pray, listen and lvoe, God will continue to bless our community and we will continue to look different to the world and that is a good thing! Amen and Amen!