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!
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