Good Friday

My intention was to get our weekly note off early this morning, but our grand children had other ideas! Yes, we were in Dallas for a few days with the grand children! Our grandson had a seizure Tuesday evening from a high fever brought on by pneumonia or strep. Like children do, he recovered quickly and before 8:30 that night they went home. We sat with the grand kids Thursday while our son and his wife went back to work. What a joy to be around such energy and inquiring minds. Little ones keep you on your toes!

Last Friday, we had a huge group of volunteers helping out in and around the center from United Way as they celebrated A Day of Caring. Lots of good work was done, lots or friendships were made. Thanks to all for making it happen.

We had some good news last Saturday, Robert was released from the hospital and now has his own apartment. Scott and Alan were given the grand tour. Robert was very proud to show them around. After 14 years living on the streets, what a blessing to have Robert inside! Thank you God!

Our afternoon school activities continued on Monday and Wednesday. Great to see all our servants lining up to help our children. What a blessing to see it all coming together.

Tuesday evening, the men gathered for their weekly Bible fellowship. Great to see so many men come together and share what God is doing in their lives.

Not being around Thursday evening, others will have to share the goings on with our Easter egg hunt! I know it was fun, sorry to miss it.

Don't forget this Sunday, we will meet at the center at 7am. Gather our eggs and be ready to head out into the neighborhood at 7:12! We will continue our long tradition of sharing God's lvoe for our neighbors in the form of Easter eggs! We usually walk for about an hour, giving you plenty of time to get to church! Everybody is welcome to join in on the fun!

This Saturday March 26th is our monthly breakfast starting at 8:30 am. Lots of good food and good conversation will be available, please come and enjoy.

Later on in the day, we will be hosting Silent Saturday Service. Prayer stations will be set up in the chapel from 12:30 until 4, then a short service of meditation, scripture and prayers will start at 4:30. Come celebrate the Easter weekend with us.

Hope everybody has a special Easter weekend with family and friends. God is so good, in so many ways, so let's celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made for us and then He is risen!

Thank you

After being gone last week, it is time to get back into the swing of things. Hope you are swinging with the sound of God's beat!

Out of town last Saturday, so others will have to fill in the blanks. I do know a large group of servants showed up at the center to make sandwiches for our community, especially for our children who had not been in school for 3 days last week because of all the flooding we had in our area. It was great to see and hear about. One of our friends, Robert, who lives outside was brutally beaten and is now in the hospital. Another reminder of the cruelty of the streets.

Monday and Wednesdays we continue to teach and learn from our children. Monday, we had more tutors than we had children! What a great problem to have. Wednesday, we had one on one teaching going on, all over the center, remarkable!

Tuesay evening Jacoby led our men's gathering, reading from Luke 17: 11 - 19. Jesus healing the 10 men with leprosy, only one thanking God for his miracle. Do we thank God for our miracles?

Thursday evening was full of servants and fun. Our friends from Elizabeth Baptist church, led worship in chapel, Ms Abbie was fired up on the piano, the food was outstanding, groceries were given away in masses, clothes left the racks in a hurry, a very busy night. God is good.

Don't forget this coming Thursday, we will host our annual Easter egg hunt, everybody is requested to be there to help out. Next Saturday, March 26th, we will be hosting Silent Saturday Service starting at noon. Prayer stations will be set up from noon to 4, then a silent service of prayer, reflection and the reading  of scripture will take place at 4:30. Easter Sunday morning at sunrise we will gather at the center to walk the neighborhood hiding God's lvoe in the form of easter eggs.

God is good. We all know that, but how often do we voice it? How much do we take for granted, God will be there for us? More importantly when God is there, do we thank Him for lvoing us? I was reminded of that in the reading of Luke 17 Tuesday evening.

The men who had this terrible disease called out to Jesus, heal us. And as Jesus usually does, He did. As the men were walking away being healed, only one of them, came back, praising God in a loud voice, threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. How often, do we call out to Jesus, for comfort and healing, when it happens, when our lives get better, how often do we go about our routines forgetting to acknowledge where our restoration has come from?

Jesus does not heal us because he wants our praise. He wants us to acknowledge where His powers come from, from His father, our father. In verse 19, Jesus says to the one who came back to praise His God, Rise and go; your faith has made you well. Only one of the ten were made well. We can be forgiven  of our sins, but until we accept God into our hearts, throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, thanking God for all His has done for us, only then will we be healed. Amen!

Hope to see you this week around the center, I need help finding those Easter eggs!

To be strong

March wind is here! What beautiful days we have had in our part of the world this week, hopefully God has done the same in your part of the world!

Our visits were good Saturday morning, always a treat. Listening to our friends who live outside, holding hands, thanking God for their lives and their friends, always rocks my heart. Seeing men of God work hard on a house of God's, blesses me so. Seeing flowers and trees beginning to bloom in the garden, restores my soul. Watching the lvoe of others prepare a meal for God's children, inspires me. Happening every week, every month, only for the glory of God. Amen!

Monday and Wednesdays our little ones came by bus to listen and learn. Wednesday afternoon we had a treat, as one of our teachers had just returned from a mission trip to Nicaragua. We all got to experience some of their blessings of serving God in a foreign country.

Tuesday evening, we had a new leader of our men's Bible fellowship, Jacoby. He shared his thoughts on what God has done in his life, while we read from 2nd Corinthians 12:1-12. Paul sharing his vision and thoughts about his thorn.  . .  For when I am weak, then I am strong, are we?

Thursday evening, we got started off in chapel by our long time friend Spencer singing praises and new friend Jacoby sharing the Word. Ms Abbie prepared our meal and our friends from the Caddo School Board helped us serve and clean up. Some of our friends helped in the Market, while others helped in the clothing room. A busy night, a fun night of fellowship.

Prayers for Allison. Her mom fell Thursday and she is attending to her needs. Prayers for outdoor Jerry. His leg has been causing lots of pain, barely able to walk. He is finally going to the doctor today. Prayers for those who are traveling this week, Lisa and her family, minus one of her sons. Michael is on a school trip to Paris. Juan and Shannon. Prayers for the staff of Grace as God makes changes. Long time community member of ours Jackie. She is in the hospital.

Easter is fast approaching, dont' forget, our Easter egg hunt will be the 24th at our meal on Thursday. Then at sunrise on Easter Sunday we will continue our tradition of walking the neighborhood hiding God's lvoe in the form of eggs throughout the neighborhood.

It is so easy to get "full" of ourselves. God does amazing things in and through us. People see us doing good things and they say what a great job you are doing. Look at everything that is going on. After awhile of hearing all of these compliments, we begin to think how good we are and forget about God.

Paul, was one who had seen lots of stuff, met lots of people, had a conversion, became a new man, began to preach the Good News. As it says in verse 7 . . . Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. I don't know about you, but I don't like getting those thorns, they are no fun. Satan has lots of different thorns to throw at us, none of them are pleasent.

In verse 8, Paul pleads with God, not once, not twice but three times, please God take this thorn out of my side. How many times have we pleaded with God, God I have messed this up, now it is your turn, help me. Sometimes it has taken us months to get in this situation, it may take God months to get us out. Then in verse 9, God tells Paul, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Nothing is too big or too small for God, if we just go to Him.

As it was mentioned in the men's group Tuesday, do you want to experience the power of Christ in your life, you must surrender to Him, as Paul puts it, I delight in my weaknesses. If we boast about how mighty we are, you will not fill God's lvoe in your soul. Only when we are humble in our Spirits, have let go of our egos, surrender our pride to Him, As Paul said, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so Christ's power may rest on me. Isn't that we want in our lives? A force so powerful, working inside of us, that nothing can overcome us. As Paul says in the last verse, . .  for when I am weak, then I am strong. We need to be strong in Christ not ourselves! Amen.

Hope you all have a great week, remembering there is no thorn greater than God can handle, we just have to let Him into our hearts, follow His ways and He will remove it.

Just show up!

Ooops, missed Friday all together! Hope you did not miss a day in your week! God was still there for us all!

Saturday was as busy as usual around the center. We made our visits to the camps, seeing old friends is always a treat. Work was being done at the Bright House II by our friends from The Church at Red River. Momma T spent her time between the garden and the house. The painting of the walls was starting with bright new colors! Amazing to see! Joey and Joey prepared a yummy breakfast for us all. Vicki and Tim arrived to prepare lunch for the basketball teams. God is good!

Monday and Wednesdays we continue to share the lvoe of Jesus with our children in the afternoons. Transportation continues to be a problem, with Allison going to the school each afternoon to help the children get on the buses. When they arrive at the center we have a multitude of help to take over. Great to see all who come to help our little ones.

Tuesday evening the men gathered as Brother George shared the Word, reading from 1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13. Israel began to drift away from the teachings of God and Paul was reminding the church not to do the same. Something the church of today needs to remember.

Thursday evening, Brother Chester and Ms Abbie got the evening started off in chapel with the singing of praises and the hearing of the Word. Brother Chester talked about lvoe, God's lvoe not our love! Allison and Ms Abbie prepared our meal and the youth from the Simple Church helped serve it. At one point in the evening there were more helpers than community! The Market was full of our new helpers as well as the clothing room. A good time to visit with our community to catch up on what is going on with them.

Prayers, prayers, prayers. I was asked by some community members to pray for them last week. We held hands or grab a shoulder and went to God in prayer. At the beginning of chapel each week, we ask our community for prayer concerns. This week we had one of our little ones raise her hand and ask for prayers Nothing more humbling and personal than the share the lvoe of Christ with your brother and sister. It does me more good than those who have asked.

Do we get set in our ways? I know the older I get, routine seems to be a good thing. Do we need to bring something to the table, or do we feel comfortable enough to just show up? Do we realize we have a valuable asset with us, all we have to do is be present?

Friday morning, just as I was about to settle into my routine, I get a text from a long time friend who has moved away, saying they were in town for a few hours and would like to have breakfast and visit. I had just met with my men's group at 6, heart filled with the Holy Spirit, get this text as I was sitting down in front of the computer to write this note and I get this text. It was nice to get, but this was not in my schedule for the morning. I think about it for a moment and sent back a text saying, great to hear from you, thanks for the invite, but I need to get back to my routine, see you next time you are in town and said bye. As I clicked send, I had that feeling of, man that does not feel right.

Then, I opened up my first devotion of the morning from Max Lucado, titled Show Up!. Max says, do you believe in your kids? Then show up! At their games. Their plays. Their recitals. You may not make them all, but it's sure worth the effort. Show up! Max says, an elder from his church, shows up in the audience whenever he gives a talk. The elder does not say anything, just smiles when Max sees him in the audience. Max says, it means a lot to him. The last sentence of the devotion said, You want to bring out the best in someone? Then just show up!

Our four year old grandson has begun playing soccer. His games are early on Saturday mornings in Dallas. Last year I remember us going over to one of his games. We told him we would see him before his game. We got delayed and were not there for the start. Our son said, he kept looking into the stands for us at each moment he could. When we finally arrived, the biggest smile came across his face we had ever seen, we just showed up.

For the past 20 years, in our community, when I tell my story, my greatest asset has been to just show up. I can't speak, as Ms Abbie can tell you I can't sing, I can't draw, don't dance, can't cook, don't garden, I just show up. The children of the community know mr brian will be there rain, snow or sunshine. I have nothing to offer other than the greatest gift we all have, the lvoe of Jesus in our hearts. We need to remember it is not about us but about Jesus, just show up. Several weeks ago, I mentioned the children continue to come after all these years, why because they can experience the lvoe of Christ through you all, something they do not experience any where else, just show up.

We don't need fancy programs, pretty pictures, polished silverware, we need to just show up. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to take us places we have not thought of, was not part of our agenda, not in our schedule or part of our routine. We need to just show up. Just like being a part of our prayer circles, blessings are received by us for just showing up.

Oh, by the way, I closed my computer, got dressed and met my friend for breakfast Friday morning. We were both blessed by our time together, I just showed up! Amen.

Hope you have a great weekend and a better week ahead. Remember, to just show up, God will take care of the rest!

You never know

This note will be as short as a 2 and 4 year old will allow! Got called into action last night to sit with the grand kids, so I will try to make some sense of this note! Hope your week was a little more quieter than ours!

We continue to stay as busy in and around the center with all sorts of God's stuff happening! The basketball teams continue playing their games and practicing, afternoons where teaching and learning with the children continued, Bible fellowship happened on Tuesday evening, clothes were sorted and hung, computer work was done, bills were paid, repairs were crafted, camps were visited, relationships were made, food was delivered, songs were song, the Word was shared, supper was served, medical expertise was delivered, houses were painted. God's work is never done, no matter how much we try to slow it down!

Don't forget this Saturday is breakfast time. See you all at 8:30 for some good food and hot coffee.

Several weeks ago Joey and I had the pleasure to prepare lunch for the 12 year old boys basketball team at the center on Saturday. As the boys formed a line to get their plates all said thank you sir, it sure looks good. Just as they were about to start eating, one young man stood up and said, we need to say a blessing. So they each held hands, said grace and dug in. I looked around the dining hall, there was no Coach Chuck or Coach Matt or Ms Vicki telling them to pray, they did it all on their own. !2 year old boys, holding hands, heads bowed, eyes shut, how amazing was that! I wrote a note to Vicki and Matt and told them, these young men made my weekend. On Thursdays, we see many of the young children we tutored many years ago, come back for a visit.

Whether you know it or not, you are making a difference in the lives you come in contact with in our community. I know at times we want to wring their necks, send them home, get frustrated in the way they act, but folks they are experiencing a lvoe that they get no where else in their young lives. It is amazing to see.

I would like to encourage each one of you to continue to allow the splendor and mighty grace of Jesus Christ to work through you. Continue to pray for God's guidance for your journey and together we will build a Kingdom worthy of God's blessings. Amen!

Have a great week. Remember, you are making a difference!

Unconditional relationships

Another week is in the books. What was your moment when you said, thank you God, You are indeed good!

We had a busy Saturday in and around the center. We visited the camps, checking in on the guys and girls. One of our stops, was over flowing with people. Our regular friends met a man and woman passing through with nothing to their names. They said, hang with us and the church people will be by soon to help you out. Very nice. The servants of the Church at Red River were busy again getting the house ready for texturing. It is completed and now awaiting paint! How cool is that! The basketball team was busy practicing and later enjoying a delicious lunch. Great to see all the activity God is providing.

Monday and Wednesday we continued to learn and to teach our children. Wednesday afternoon, Allison had a treat for them. Some of the ladies from a local organization called the Junior League, set up work stations as they showed the children how to make and eat healthy meals. Everybody had a great time.

Tuesday evening, the men and women gathered for their Bible fellowship. Rickie led the men, reading from Isaiah 38: 1-8. Hezekiah, a great king of his time, was sick. He did what was not normal for a great commander, he humbled himself and cried out to God for help. God heard him and granted him more time. God hears us, if we talk to him, do we?

Thursday was a chamber of commerce kind of day in our part of the world, so I walked into Joey's office and said, Joey, talk me out of moving chapel outside. He said, great idea mr brian. Just about that time Ms Abbie walks by, we ask her to talk us out of it. She smiled and said, great idea let's do it, so we did! Chapel outside in God's house of beauty was spectacular! Willie and Wes led us in our singing and praising. Allison and Ms Abbie prepared a meal fit for a king, Shannon had the Market up and running and Jennifer and her crew opened the doors to the clothing room. It was nice to have Ardis back with us after a much needed time away to relax. A good evening.

Prayers for safe travel for Jim and John, some members of their church and 30 other members of various churches around the city as they leave for Israel Monday afternoon. What an opportunity, to walk, to visit, to see where Jesus spent his years on earth. Prayers for safe travels for Momma T and the Hunters.

Grace is hosting a visiting pastor from Dallas, Dr Elaine Heath this weekend. Some of us have had the opportunity to visit with her about the church and community and what that might look like in the future. She has been to Common Ground and is excited about we are doing there. Please come to Grace to hear what she has to say and let her know you are a part of our community. Exciting times ahead.

For those who go to church on Saturday nights and looking for something to do on Sunday mornings, Abbey is hosting a large group from the Simple Church, this Sunday from 10 to noon. Some painting will be going on at the Bright House II, some garden work will be happening and other projects. Come and join in on the fun.

I have been thinking about relationships this week. Why, because we lost one of our dogs Monday evening. Madison our 13 year old Boston Terrier, had a massive stroke Monday afternoon and was never able to recover. For all of you who are pet owners, you know the loss we are feeling at the moment. It is even more sad, because our surviving dog is also grieving for her. Oliver would bark at the wind, but has not barked since Monday evening. He is sad of loosing his friend Madison.

Why do we feel such lost when one of our pets die? Over the years, going into homes like I do, I have learned to never ask the house wife, where is Jack, knowing his health was not good. The house wife will go to crying talking about Jack, I go to crying, it is not good! I can ask about a spouse passing, I usually don't get the same response!

Even God thought animals were special? Back in Genesis 6, God talks to Noah about what He is about to do, flooding the earth. But God told Noah, to build this ark and told Noah to bring two of every living creature. I am thinking God could have destroyed everything but He didn't. Why? Wonder if there is something we can learn from the animals?

What comes to mind is love that is unconditional. We hear about lvoing others unconditionally but what does that look like? Our pets ask nothing of us, don't expect anything from us, they just want us to lvoe them and in return they will love us. No strings attached, no hidden agenda, no scratch my back and I will scratch yours. A pets love is pretty simple, feed me and I am good.

We try to make God's way so complicated. We try to add our agendas, our traditions, our language to something that so simple. Let's take a page out of our pets lives, let's lvoe God and lvoe others unconditionally.

Have a great week. God is good!

We've come a long way

Oh what a morning! To see the brilliant sunrise, cool crisp air, there is no doubt God is good! What did God do in your life this week for you to say, God is good?!

Saturday was an unusual day to get our week going. We made our way around to our camps, visiting with the guys and girl. Sara and her husband Tom joined in on the fun. Robert was giddy saying, he has a place to move inside? He has said that before, so we are hoping this time it comes true. Turner was warm by his new burn pot. Denise and her friend Kevin were hanging in there. Jerry, Joey and Tex were glad to see Scott. Joey and I had the honor of hosting the 12 year old basketball team for lunch. Then we heated up pizza for the big crew of servants from The Church at Red River at the Bright House II. All this was happening while Lisa was hosting the annual Board retreat at her office.

A new bus driver was found, so we had our children show up for our afternoon learning times. It was great to have them back with us. Walking along the back of the center, we have so many tutors the parking lot is full! We are having our tutors bring their friends along, so we are enjoying more help for our children. It all makes for good afternoons.

Tuesday evening, Joey led our men's Bible fellowship. He had us reading various passages talking about finding God in different places. We know we can find God in the light, but can you find God in the darkness?

Just before we were leaving the center Wednesday, a couple of men approached Lisa about the possibility of paving our parking lot with black top they had left over from a job. Lisa was heading out the door for a presentation about Common Ground to our friends at Eagle Distributing. Late that night, the parking lot guys showed up and we now have half of our parking lot repaved, it looks great. Thanks Lisa for making it all happen. 

Thursday afternoon, we got chapel started off by having our new friend Bryce from the Yellow House lead us in song. Then we had a new pastor in training from Grace, Rene' share the Word. Allison and Ms Abbie had spent two days preparing our meal. The Market was packed with shoppers. The Clothing Room had people everywhere. A great night.

I was looking for some pictures this week and found a disc of pictures Lisa's sons had put together of snapshots of Common Ground's beginnings. I brought the disk with me to chapel. We showed the pictures up on the wall and the community began to comment. Seeing old friends, some who are no longer with us, hearing stories of their experiences with them. Some pictures, asking community, do ya'll recognize them? It was great. Another reminder of where we have come from.

Most afternoons, you will find Joey in the office working on numbers. He gave me a print out of some of his findings. Last year we served over 600 families in the Market, effecting over 1200 people. There were pictures of us in the "White" House painting our 2 food pantry shelves! We served over 7000 meals last year. We had several pictures of us sitting on our "concrete" dining hall driveway. We saw pictures of a bedroom with shelves for our clothes, now we have two rooms of clothes.

Most of the work was done by a handful of people, now we are averaging over 20 servants each week. Working at the center this week in the mornings, I had forgotten what dedicated servants we have each and every week. They never get the praise because nobody is around to thank them. Pam and her dad spend hours most Wednesdays sorting, unpacking the boxes for our Market. Stephannie, Ms Abbie and a couple of other ladies go through the countless bags of donated clothes, organizing, hanging them so our community can select what they need.

There was a picture or two of the Bright House II. One picture was right after the fire, with black scarred furniture pulled out of the house sitting on the front lawn. I remember the house sitting vacant for years, not inhabitable. Now, through the hard work of over 60 servants from the Church at Red River, Momma T walked through last night picking out colors for the walls and samples for flooring to be used.

Listening to Abbey walk through the process of serving over 145 people on Thursdays to a couple of ladies from a church down the street who will be starting to feed the community one night a week. Seeing pictures of us in a dark, dreary hall and kitchen, remembering times where we were locked out and getting no help from the surrounding community.

Folks, we have come along way in a short amount of time. We get anxious at times, thinking things don't seem to be happening as fast as we would like them happen. But seeing those pictures yesterday reminded me, things are happening, a Kingdom is being formed, just the way God has it intended to be formed. It is not about moving forward as much as it is about God. How are meeting His goals? How are we doing with His relationships? How are we showing our faith? How are we trusting in Him? 

What a magical time we are living in surrounded by a community of believers who are listening, praying and living a life worthy to be called children of God. Amen.