Outward Faced. My husband used this term a lot at our previous church plant. Being outward faced is the discipline of looking for opportunities to reach out to others. Not an inward focus but an outward focus. It means getting dirty sometimes and sometimes it means being uncomfortable. But there's nothing more satisfying than when we are serving those around us and reaching out ... Read More »
Outreach
What I love about our kids school
We are like any school out there - we aren't perfect but we are working hard to do things well. I say "we" like I teach there or something. I don't. I'm not even on a board, committee or anything. I volunteer my time in certain areas and I support our staff through prayer every week and I am a huge fan of our school for many reasons. Recently my heart has just been so full with ... Read More »
Risking rejection in the first grade classroom
I had a happy childhood where I felt loved and accepted but sometimes I still worry about what others think of me. I long to retire that battle but it lingers. So when I agreed to be a lunch buddy for a first grader at a school where many underprivileged kids attend I started wondering if I'd done the right thing. What if she didn't like me? Didn't want me to be her ... Read More »
Dipping into the Blessing Bag
How bad is it that on the way to church I threatened the kids to wash their mouths out with soap….from the "Blessing Bag"! Sigh. These blessing bags seemed like the best idea ever at the time. Blessing bags….where you fill up a gallon size zip lock bag with toiletries, snacks and socks and keep on hand in your car to give to a homeless person. Honestly, it's been harder than I ... Read More »
Our church got stirred up this past weekend.
Operation In As Much is an initiative of churches coming together for the purpose of serving our communities and showing the love of Jesus. It's based on Matthew 25:38-40 which reminds us that when we are compelled by the love of Jesus to serve the least around us, then we are actually serving Him. Take hold of that truth for a moment because this is HUGE. In red letters we ... Read More »
The aroma of Christ
Sophie and I had so much fun making a pound cake this morning to take to some of our new neighbors. When the cake had cooled down we divided it into four sections to take to our neighbors. Sophie and Mitchell cut some flowers out of the yard and wrapped up in a wet paper towel for each neighbor and we started on our route. Sophie carried the cake in her baby stroller and ... Read More »
That Guy
What do you do when you see that guy? You know who I’m talking about. The old, grungy looking guy that represents hundreds of others in various forms. It’s the person that you’ve encountered at a red light, at the airport or in the parking lot of the grocery store. He or she comes up to you and asks for some money to buy something to eat because they’re hungry. If you’re ... Read More »
Loving your Neighbor – I might have failed
We weren't sure if our neighbors would show up for our neighborhood open house last night or not because the weather has been icy and cold. But they did come! Our first guest was the attorney who closed on our house for us. He and his wife live two doors down from us and it was great to see them again. They came to the door and as soon as they walked in another lady showed up ... Read More »