That is the number of lunches we served today at our lunch ministry. Last week we had 86, this week we grew huge, even ran out of sandwich meat, twice! But boy, were they ever happy to get meals!
This ministry is really at the heart of how we live out our calling as Christians. We are empowered to serve God by serving others. We are gifted by the Spirit to share our gifts with others. We are enriched with God's grace so that we may enrich others in their lives. To be a follower of Christ means we need to get our hands dirty, and in the process we may see the face of Christ shining back at us. And I saw that beautiful face many times this afternoon as I was scurrying around trying to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat.
So may you be blessed with dirty hands as you bring the light of Christ to others.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Challenge
A couple of weeks ago a pastor in the area issued a challenge to me - six months to see which of us can lose the most weight. I readily accepted it and have been in the gym pushing my body at least three times a week since then.
As many of you know, weight has often been an issue for me. And now, with this challenge, I am being held accountable by someone else, which is a good thing. As the time goes on I will update you to let you know how it is going.
The body is a wonderful gift, and we have the responsibility to take care of this gift. At times in my life I have lived up to this responsibility quite well, at others times I have not. So as I move forward with this I offer words of encouragement to you as well - get out for a walk, have an apple rather than the cookie that is on the counter, pair up with a friend and do something healthy together. Take some time to take care of your body and you will feel much better for it in the long run.
As many of you know, weight has often been an issue for me. And now, with this challenge, I am being held accountable by someone else, which is a good thing. As the time goes on I will update you to let you know how it is going.
The body is a wonderful gift, and we have the responsibility to take care of this gift. At times in my life I have lived up to this responsibility quite well, at others times I have not. So as I move forward with this I offer words of encouragement to you as well - get out for a walk, have an apple rather than the cookie that is on the counter, pair up with a friend and do something healthy together. Take some time to take care of your body and you will feel much better for it in the long run.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Compassion Take 2
This afternoon we ran out of prepared meals for our lunch program. We had prepped for 80 - which was 10 more than we served last week, and half way through the distribution we had people in the kitchen making more - all in all I believe we served close to 90 people in an hour.
The need is so great - and we are so blessed to be able to serve.
Compassion really is about getting your hands dirty. It is about diving into the muck and mire of life in order to walk with others as they are struggling. We do this by being the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the hand to help up. Compassion is a hands-on activity, and can take many forms as there are many needs around us.
So today, may we all be blessed with compassionate hearts. May we find ways to get involved with the lives of others. May we be the face of Christ to a neighbor.
The need is so great - and we are so blessed to be able to serve.
Compassion really is about getting your hands dirty. It is about diving into the muck and mire of life in order to walk with others as they are struggling. We do this by being the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the hand to help up. Compassion is a hands-on activity, and can take many forms as there are many needs around us.
So today, may we all be blessed with compassionate hearts. May we find ways to get involved with the lives of others. May we be the face of Christ to a neighbor.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Compassion
I know it has been a long time since I last posted - the summer has become much busier than I expected it to be. One of the new ministries that we started here that has taken a lot of my time is a Lunch Ministry. What we do is every Thursday we provide free sack lunches to anyone who wants one. It has become quite an amazing outreach here at the church.
We started with about 40 people coming to get something to eat. But as the summer has progressed we are now preparing to serve at least 80 each week. We have a group of volunteers who come and make the lunches and then serve them for about an hour. The responses from the people who come are amazing.
"I cannot believe you are doing this - it helps my family so much"
"Can I take a second one for my dinner tonight"
"Thank you and God bless - this is wonderful"
Just a sampling of what we hear every week.
In the fall we are going to transition to serving a hot lunch, probably soup. The need here is great, and to have the ability to serve those in need is a true blessing to everyone involved.
This got me thinking about compassion - how we enter into the struggles with others as they are facing them. The way the world is today, there is a huge need for compassion. There is so much hurting, so much pain, so much struggle - and we are so fortunate to be able to show compassion and care for others.
I preached about this last week, and after the sermon the response was overwhelming. People were coming out of the woodwork to find ways they could get involved. I received a letter from on lady who said - "Was impressed and saddened by your sermon, we want to help with the expense. We have so much to be thankful for."
So today, may we all have our eyes opened to ways we can be compassionate to others. May we be blessed with open hearts and open hands to serve others. May we be the face of Christ in a sometimes dark world.
We started with about 40 people coming to get something to eat. But as the summer has progressed we are now preparing to serve at least 80 each week. We have a group of volunteers who come and make the lunches and then serve them for about an hour. The responses from the people who come are amazing.
"I cannot believe you are doing this - it helps my family so much"
"Can I take a second one for my dinner tonight"
"Thank you and God bless - this is wonderful"
Just a sampling of what we hear every week.
In the fall we are going to transition to serving a hot lunch, probably soup. The need here is great, and to have the ability to serve those in need is a true blessing to everyone involved.
This got me thinking about compassion - how we enter into the struggles with others as they are facing them. The way the world is today, there is a huge need for compassion. There is so much hurting, so much pain, so much struggle - and we are so fortunate to be able to show compassion and care for others.
I preached about this last week, and after the sermon the response was overwhelming. People were coming out of the woodwork to find ways they could get involved. I received a letter from on lady who said - "Was impressed and saddened by your sermon, we want to help with the expense. We have so much to be thankful for."
So today, may we all have our eyes opened to ways we can be compassionate to others. May we be blessed with open hearts and open hands to serve others. May we be the face of Christ in a sometimes dark world.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Language of Faith
As I have been reflecting on a variety of things from the conference over the past week, one of the biggest struggles I have is finding ways for people to be fired up about diving into the Bible.
Quite often we hear people say, "We really want to have a Bible Study." And then we when offer studies, very few people show up. There seems to be a hunger, but the follow through just doesn't happen. So I have been trying to find ways to open up this life-giving book in ways that will draw people in - and that is one of my big focus points for the upcoming year.
To start it all off, in September we will have a 90 Day Bible Challenge. For those who are interested we will challenge ourselves to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. Every few weeks we will get together to discuss what we have read and go over the questions we have. We might even have an online discussion as well.
Following the 90 Day Challenge there will be a variety of classes for follow-up. These classes will go a little deeper into different books and characters in the Bible.
But the ultimate goal is to get people talking about and reading the Bible in their homes, with family and friends. Hopefully we will have guides developed in the next year to help facilitate this.
This book called the Bible really is a life-giving book, and the more we study it, the more we grow in our relationship with God. I invite all of you to join in this holy conversation.
Quite often we hear people say, "We really want to have a Bible Study." And then we when offer studies, very few people show up. There seems to be a hunger, but the follow through just doesn't happen. So I have been trying to find ways to open up this life-giving book in ways that will draw people in - and that is one of my big focus points for the upcoming year.
To start it all off, in September we will have a 90 Day Bible Challenge. For those who are interested we will challenge ourselves to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. Every few weeks we will get together to discuss what we have read and go over the questions we have. We might even have an online discussion as well.
Following the 90 Day Challenge there will be a variety of classes for follow-up. These classes will go a little deeper into different books and characters in the Bible.
But the ultimate goal is to get people talking about and reading the Bible in their homes, with family and friends. Hopefully we will have guides developed in the next year to help facilitate this.
This book called the Bible really is a life-giving book, and the more we study it, the more we grow in our relationship with God. I invite all of you to join in this holy conversation.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Let the River Flow
For the past three days I have been at a conference in the Twin Cities. There have been some great speakers, some decent workshops, and a wonderful time of worship with 550+ leaders in other churches. Now I am taking a little time to reflect, get my bearings, and try and discern where the Spirit is leading us next.
A couple of things have come to mind. First is that we, as a whole, need to become more fluent in the language of Scripture. Many times we offer studies or classes and people come, then when the end, we do not have much follow up. In thinking about all of this, I have decided that this fall we will have an opportunity for people to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. This will be something we do on our own, but meet occasionally to discuss questions that have come up and hold each other accountable. After the 90 days we will follow up with focused studies on different parts of the Bible.
Second, we have a lot of leaders in the church, but again we do not have a lot of follow up once the leaders are in their places. I would like to have opportunities for leaders to gather, grow in leadership skills, and find ways to implement new ministries that fit the gifts of new leaders.
Finally, story-telling is an art form, and people relate to stories in amazing ways. I am trying to find new ways for people to hear and tell stories that help to inspire others. This is a work in process and I will probably use technology in different ways to help this process.
So that is the inspiration for today. Any and all thoughts are always welcome.
A couple of things have come to mind. First is that we, as a whole, need to become more fluent in the language of Scripture. Many times we offer studies or classes and people come, then when the end, we do not have much follow up. In thinking about all of this, I have decided that this fall we will have an opportunity for people to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. This will be something we do on our own, but meet occasionally to discuss questions that have come up and hold each other accountable. After the 90 days we will follow up with focused studies on different parts of the Bible.
Second, we have a lot of leaders in the church, but again we do not have a lot of follow up once the leaders are in their places. I would like to have opportunities for leaders to gather, grow in leadership skills, and find ways to implement new ministries that fit the gifts of new leaders.
Finally, story-telling is an art form, and people relate to stories in amazing ways. I am trying to find new ways for people to hear and tell stories that help to inspire others. This is a work in process and I will probably use technology in different ways to help this process.
So that is the inspiration for today. Any and all thoughts are always welcome.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Long Time Gone
It has been about a month since my last post. The last month seems to have gotten away from me - with the wrapping up of the school year, celebrating prayer week, and just running through life as a whole - it has been a little crazy:)
And summer will not be any slower. We are starting some new studies, a sermon series, new youth programs, and the list just goes on and on.
But one of the things that has not gotten away from me is family time. I may miss blogging for a bit, I may forget to write a letter or two - but time with family is of the utmost importance to me. So I still make sure to get home in time to read some books, go to the library on a Saturday morning, and run and play in the park as the girls squeal with joy. These are things that help to ground me and give me life.
So what is it that grounds you? What is it that gives you life and inspires you on a daily basis?
People often say that summer is a time to slow down but I have noticed summer seems to be busier than any other time of the year. So as we enter into this summer, take some time and discover what it is that builds you up. Reflect on the things that give you the energy you need to make it through the day or the week. And make time for the important things and important people in your life. God is all about relationships - may your relationships be strengthen in and through him.
And summer will not be any slower. We are starting some new studies, a sermon series, new youth programs, and the list just goes on and on.
But one of the things that has not gotten away from me is family time. I may miss blogging for a bit, I may forget to write a letter or two - but time with family is of the utmost importance to me. So I still make sure to get home in time to read some books, go to the library on a Saturday morning, and run and play in the park as the girls squeal with joy. These are things that help to ground me and give me life.
So what is it that grounds you? What is it that gives you life and inspires you on a daily basis?
People often say that summer is a time to slow down but I have noticed summer seems to be busier than any other time of the year. So as we enter into this summer, take some time and discover what it is that builds you up. Reflect on the things that give you the energy you need to make it through the day or the week. And make time for the important things and important people in your life. God is all about relationships - may your relationships be strengthen in and through him.
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