Reflections

A year ago I posted on giving as an act of worship and I know this because I just happened to be reading the same passage this morning that caused me to think about this...

and now more than ever I find it most meaningful to be reading this. Deuteronomy 26 is the passage I am talking about.

They are about to enter the Promised Land, about ready to cross the Jordan. God is giving them their marching orders, how they are to conduct themselves as they cross, and as they live in the new land.

He gives a detailed instruction on what they should offer Him and how. It is the how that struck me a year ago. It strikes me again. Some lessons should never be forgotten.
As I bring my offerings, and in this passage it definitely involves money, well, produce then which translates into currency today unless a farmer is reading this. I have to be real here. This is not a chapter on singing songs, or donating our unwanted items, or anything like that. It comes down to money, our hard earned, never enough money.

As I bring my offerings, I am to recite, out loud, the history of God rescuing me from enemies, keeping me safe and sane, prospering me, saving me, and I should declare to Him what I am bringing to His table and that I have not used this offering, or any part of this offering for myself.

AND, I should be happy.

I can tell you, I rejoice over every offering...and have for the past 6 years. I rejoiced when I struggled to be faithful to this, and I rejoice that I can look back and say I have not lacked any good thing because of my giving.

BUT I mention all this to say that I have not been posting as much as I would like...

and I think I owe it all to my desire to live out my Jesus Life outside the walls of the church. Never did I realize it would consume me as it is.

There is much to do out there, people are wondering, longing, and starting to seek out what the Truth really is.

They are everywhere, these hungry ones, and hardly a day goes by that I do not have something to write about but fall asleep before it gets done.

I want to tell you all about it all...and I will. But not right now.

I am getting things ready for our outreach today at HV. About 30 kids will be there. And lately, some of the moms have been staying as well. We have been doing this for just past a year now. Once a month, on a Saturday, we set up in the apartment manager's reception area, make a mess with the kids, get in a quick object lesson, clean up and resume life. I love it.

We are gearing up for our big Spring Outreach the day before Resurrection Sunday. I will tell you all about it.

It is good to be outside the walls...and even greater to go back in every Sunday and celebrate with everyone what God is doing out there...

Another Fried Chicken Adventure...

I was running a bit late for Friday-Morning-Church-in-the-Park so I raced into the Food4less to pick up the Fried Chicken we ordered. I must have had a determined, get this done, walk because the lady in the Deli asked if I was here to pick up the chicken. Actually she said something like, “You look like someone who is here to pick up 50 pieces of chicken.” Yes, I said. She proceeded to hand me the already prepared box of chicken and asked me what I was going to do with it. I told her about the church service we have every Friday for the homeless ones. She was very interested and excited to hear what that was all about.
Nothing we do has a single purpose. It didn’t matter that I was running late. This is what I am learning: to be ready and willing to: be late, miss out, be tired, be disappointed, etc. in the event that God has placed me in front of one of His. Divine connections. Handfuls of purpose. Always watching, expecting, and anticipating His movement and His interception.
Jolene is her name. She shared that and a few other things about herself in those few minutes we talked. She thought the church service in the park was a great idea. She had been homeless, her and her two kids. They never had to sleep in the dirt, she said. They did spend some nights on buses to avoid the dirt. Mostly they found other people to take them in. Then she got this job behind the deli counter and her whole life changed. She said the Lord was really looking out for her and the two kids. Her daughter is now in college and her son is in honors classes at the High School.
She used to go to the church I now go to when she was 11 years old. She used to pop into a Bible Study on a street I used to live on. Thirty years ago. Imagine that! She described the couple who hosted it. Ron and Judy, pastors of my church now were my neighbors on that street. They had Bible studies at their house back then. She wants to come to church Wednesday night.
And maybe she will. I know one thing…I will be visiting her at the deli counter from time to time. Stuff like that does not happen just to happen, you know?
There’s a big car show downtown. You can always tell when some big event is happening down town. The service in the Park is always small. The homeless ones usually get put in jail for the weekend so as not to offend the tourists that come. There were only about 35 this Friday. But the fried chicken was good, and there was plenty for everyone to take baggies filled with chicken legs for later.

It's still hot here in the desert. You would think it wouldn't be so this late in September. But it is. But soon the weather will cool and we will need to get them blankets and scarves and hats and gloves.

We have been knit together by His hand and I curiously await to understand what will become of all this.

Posts around Blogtown worthy of some time...

Shaun , a dear friend of Bekah and Tyson, my daughter and son-in-law has written an incredible post inspired by his having to wait with all of us as Bekah and Tyson's first child was coming into this world a few weeks ago. He and God spent time together, and this was wise, for as you can see the other members of my family decided to be creative with surgical gloves while waiting. We all handle waiting differently. Waiting for babies to come, school to end, for a word from the Lord, all have their stresses...silly, tho', to stress...babies come, school ends, and the Lord speaks... all in their perfect time...thanks, Shaun, for words well written.
Today at the Mission has been posting some incredible thoughts here, and here, and here. This last one led me to a post titled First Church of the Blue Haze over at sgworship.
One of my favorites is over at The Stink is Here. Her post on Spare Change was quite an eyeopener for me. She is my daughter, Leah and what I loved about it was the conversation that took place between her, me, and my son Jimmy in the comments section. We probably would never have had this conversation outside of Blogtown. I am glad we took the time to stop and discover eachother.

Please disregard the dates on the pictures...i only just learned that i had to be the keeper of the time...technology, go figure!

Friday morning Christmas in the Park

I am speechless and blessed....my best Christmas ever. Talk to you all soon...