Comfortable

It can't be Friday already! Were does the time go? Hope you were able to get outside this week and enjoy the gorgeous moonlite nights. It has been a beautiful week here in this part of the world.

We will begin our report with the past Friday. It rained and rained and rained. We had a group of middle schoolers scheduled to come and work in the garden. In spite of the rain and cold they worked for a little while. They moved inside the center and Krysten and Ms Patty showed them around and they did some more work. A great group of children. We got a nice note from their teacher, I thought I would share with all of you, because it is about you:

We enjoyed our work with Common Ground so much! My students did fantastic...and not one complaint about the rain, mud, or cold temperature. I was very proud of them! I definitely want to do something with you all for Christmas. It was mentioned that we may be able to help wrap Christmas gifts. I will be in touch as the holidays approach and hopefully there will be something we can help with.

Thanks again! What an incredible work Common Ground is doing for our community...I'm so impressed and blessed to see what God is doing right here in Shreveport!
Blessings!
 Leesa Wallace

Saturday was filled with surprises and adventures. We visited our friends who live outside. Turner is fine. Richard was doing better, sitting in his chair waiting for us to tell us a story. He told us, he has permission to move into the building behind his gas station? Hope he is right, we'll see? Dale sat in his chair and coughed the whole time. He is congested really bad, not wanting to go to the doctor. We offered food to him and he said, I have an ice chest full of food, too sick to eat. Joey went by one day this week, bringing him some hot soup and he said he had just eaten something. Always enjoy our visits with Smokey and all his stories. Matt and Tim found Andy and his friend and brought them back to the center to wash clothes. I told Matt I would take them back to their camp after they were finished. At 5:30 Tim and I were driving them back to the camp! It seems the Hope house is having problems and they had not been able to wash clothes in several weeks.

We went by the JJ house to visit with Dave and Willie. Both are doing fine. They work on Saturdays now, so go by and seem them and compliment them on the building of the house. Everybody needs to go by and see the color being painted. Can't describe it, you need to see it for yourself! Caution, wear sunglasses!

Saturday afternoon, while waiting for the clothes to finish, Karl pulls up and starts working on the Bright House II! He was watching his daughter run a race that morning, but made time in his day to come by and work, very cool. Almost finished tearing out, go by and help him on Saturdays.

Our after afternoon activities continue with a smaller number of children. Come by and help, Krysten, Joey and Lomax play with the children.

Mr Matt, was out of town Tuesday, so God brought us Pastor Eddie to lead Bible study. Pastor had a handout titled, The Two Man in Every Human Being. Talking about the outward and inner man in all of us. Very challenging to think about we are going through everyday and how hard it is to live a life of Christ.

Wednesday evening, Joey organized a Halloween evening for 13 of our children. He along with Krysten, Lomax and friends from the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, took our kids around to the neighborhoods for treats. Pictures are coming. There is talk about next year, us hosting an evening of fun and treats for the neighborhood.

While I was getting ice at Grace Thursday, Ms Sarah and Mr Scott gave me can goods picked up by their middle schoolers while trick and treating Wednesday evening.  Isn't that cool, always thinking of others.

Another great Thursday afternoon full of fun, food and friends. Heather and her husband Derrick got us started in chapel with song and praises. Then her dad, Richard talked to us about giving and being thankful for what God has given us. Richard read the story from Acts, about a lame man asking Peter for alms as they were going into the temple. Peter did not give him alms but restored his legs so he could walk. We ask God for something we think we want, but God will give us what He knows we need, often more than what we had asked for.

Our meal of chili, crackers and salad was provided by a group of ladies from United Healthcare, our local electrical company and cooked by the chefs from a local college. The meal was part of last weeks, One Day to Make a Difference. These two groups got together and collected enough money to buy us a new freezer! Awesome.

We only had around 70 folks, not sure where everybody was, but it was kind of relaxing. TJ purchased plates and cups from a donation from a Sunday school class from Grace, so we used them for the first time. We had some help from the community to wash the cups and plates afterwards, very nice.

Prayer concerns, William, who is in Dallas at the moment. Trying to find his way in life. Continue to pray for Pete and Cari. Pete misses all of you and promises to come by soon. God's direction in our journeys, allowing us to listen to His quiet voice and follow His directions. May the presence of God be in our national election next week.

Don't forget, supper at the Ackermans this Sunday, 6pm.

From Ms Lisa's note, a huge and long awaited project on the greenhouse will be starting this weekend. Come by and help if you can. Finally happening. Praise God!

Don't forget to "Fall Back" with your clocks Sunday. Don't show up an hour early for church!

The thing I am overwhelmed with this week, God's Kingdom is never completed. I guess one year it will be, but not now. He is constantly bringing us new challenges and new blessings, always asking us to walk in faith and obedience. Ours is not to ask why, but just let it happen. He seems to be asking us to move outside our comfort zones to experience new challenges. I could ask, why God, I don't want to do this. I feel comfortable where I am, don't ask me to do this! But where does our faith come in? If we live a life where we are comfortable, why do we need God? Did Jesus get comfortable in His surroundings? Don't think so, He was always moving from town to town, lvoing on folks, meeting criticism at every turn, but He always was on the move. The only time He stopped, was to find a quiet place to pray.

The outer man in me wants to stop and feel comfortable. But the inner man, full of the Holy Spirit, wants to reach out, lvoe and get to know our neighbors. Let's make our prayer this month, to allow the inner man in all of us, to take over our lives, to lvoe unconditional, to lvoe without ceasing, to lvoe so that the honor of God is glorified! Amen and amen!

Have a Great weekend and a glorious week. Hope to see you around the neighborhood.