Giving Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving and I just want to say that I am thankful for God's guidance in our lives. I believe that God guides & directs us, uses our strengths and works through our weaknesses. Our ways aren't always God's ways. Today Dan and I find ourselves living in the inner-city, loving our neighbors and seeing God work in their lives. God has taught me so much in the past 13 years. He is sovereign and desires hearts that are willing to serve Him.

Praise!

For 4 years my boys attended school in our neighborhood. My middle son made a good friend in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Then we changed schools and lost track of that family. This summer we realized that they were living a block away. This little friend and his siblings have been occasionally coming over to play. I really wanted to bring them to church but just don't have the room. I found out yesterday that they are being picked up on by a Salvation Army church. They even attended Northwoods Camp this summer. I was so happy to hear that someone was reaching out to them, loving them and telling them about Jesus.

Ethiopia

Apparently, my family and neighborhood don't keep me busy enough so I have decided, in my freetime, to go on a mission's trip to Ethiopia. Of course, you know I am kidding, at least about the "freetime" part. My life is insanely busy but this opportunity to go to Ethiopia came up and I just couldn't pass. I prayed to God and talked at length with Dan and in the end we both felt it was a good thing. I see poverty everyday in my neighborhood but I know that it hardly compares with global poverty. I have longed for many years to personally get involved. I started another blog for this trip. So check it out!

Bible Study/Answer to prayer

2-1/2 years ago Dan and I started looking into buying a house down the street from us. Long story short we didn't get it but a wonderful couple, John and Aimee, did! During March-May 2008 I spend countless hours praying about and over that house. I would literally walk down and sit on the front porch and pray. At times I would pray, "Please God give us this house." But mostly I prayed, "God, may Your will be done. Please use this house as a light in this neighborhood for You!" When I first met John and Aimee and found out they were Christians moving into the neighborhood for ministry I felt God had answered my prayer. However, in recent months God has shown me just HOW MUCH he answered my prayers.

We are all gifted in different ways. Women's outreach is not my thing! I love kids and teenagers and that is where my time and energy goes around here. I have been burdened for many years for the parents of these kids. I have struggled to figure out how to reach them with the gospel message. I have prayed for them, tried to not judge but just love them where they are at in life and use my status as a fellow mom and neighbor as a way to connect. It hasn't been easy but I've tried. It is also hard to know how to bring the Bible and its message to adults. It is just so much easier, for me, to do that with kids.

Late this summer I was talking with Aimee and the idea of an evangelistic women's Bible study came up. Aimee had this amazing passion and was full of ideas. So long story short we are meeting every Tuesday, in that house that I bathed in prayer, and communicating the Bible and its most important message (Jesus) to 6 neighborhood women. 3 women are mom's of kids we bring to church, the fourth is my dear young friend Angel and the other 2 are my neighbors who attended an Alpha course with me last year. However, this Bible study seems to be making a bigger impact.

I am SO thankful for Aimee, her beautiful home and her ability to love these women and communicate God's message. We are reading through a book called Stranger on the road to Emmaus. It is excellent for helping adults, who know nothing about the Bible, understand it from Genesis to Revelation. We are currently on week 4. I anticipate that this will take another 10 weeks. Please pray with me for these women and the potential impact in their lives and the lives of their children.

Long overdue VBS update!

VBS was wonderful! I have helped 8 out of the last 10 years and this was by far the best. 12 neighbor kids joined us and everyone had lots of fun! The theme for the week was the fruits of the spirit. Half of the staff was made up of the youth group. They were amazing! When Tinu died in May I wondered how it would impact the youth group and based on VBS God is moving in the lives of those kids. Tinu's younger brother helped and he was so full of energy and fun! It was a great week!

VBS

VBS is tomorrow. I think the whole block is coming :) I am using the church mini-bus which is a 15 passenger and it should be filled! Please pray that God touches all those precious little lives. I am so excited!

Philosophy of Ministry

When I was in my last year at MBI I had to write a philosophy of ministry paper. I understand the purpose of having students write a ministry philosophy but until you get out there and live some life I think it is hard to know what that philosophy will look like. Based on the past 13 years of living in the inner city I would say my philosophy is to just be a good neighbor. I know there are many wonderful ministry organizations out there but I have found that just loving Jesus and loving the people he has put around us has been the best way to "minister". I would translate that into any Christian's life. We are all called to love Jesus and love the people he puts in our lives. Now I realize that God has specific jobs and areas he will lead people into but overall we all need to love our "brothers and sisters" and the non-Christians in our lives.

I look at all the kids who come to our church and the impact we and our church family has had on their lives and it was all because we were just good neighbors and we reached out. Dan was out of town for 5 days and yesterday I was feeling sick and since I had to drive the boys up to camp in the afternoon I decided to skip church and stay home. What I love is that several of my neighbor kids, who I like to refer to as "my kids", still went to church. I am so thankful to my church family for loving these kids and making them feel apart of our church family.

I am thankful that God lead us to FBC. It is a wonderful church with so many loving people. If you ever need some good sermons to listen to check them out here.

Mark 12:28-31

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

²⁹"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

This is also found in Luke 10:25-37 and Matthew 22:34-36.

My philosophy of ministry is plain and simple!