"We must learn to detect, without great sign, the still, small voice of God. He will not fight for our attention; He must be sought...to sense the holy quiet of God, our other activities must cease. In our world of great pressures and continual distractions, the attentions of our heart must rise to the invisible world of God's Spirit. We must learn to see Him who is unseen." ~Francine Frangipane
"without great sign"
I'm still trying to learn how to hear him. I'm been trying to learn this for years now and once I think I get it, I end up right back at the beginning.
You'll have to excuse me for a while. I feel it's necessary to not write for a season. I think everyone might go through it - I don't know. I'm just hitting a dry spell right now and need to sort some things out.
I'll be back though. Until then, May we seek him and learn to detect his still, small voice - without great sign. That's going to take some work I think.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Friday, August 19, 2005
Resigning
Yes, I'm resigning. I'm resigning from a position I've held since I was 14 and for perhaps a year too long. I wrote the email on Wednesday letting the director know. I quit, I'm out, I'm gone. Thank you for the years I've been allowed to play a part but as of Labor Day I won't be here anymore. It had been coming. I had to work up the nerve really. It's quite hard to tell Dr. Holz that you're quitting the Songsters. I know - perhaps it shouldn't be that big a deal but to a man whose entire life revolves around music it is and will be. He hasn't sent an email back. I'm scared that he's just waiting around the next corner ready to pounce. He doesn't take no for an answer.
What's really sad is that to most people this shouldn't even get a blip on the screen much less an entire post. Perhaps my life isn't all that interesting right now and I can't think of anything else. However, I just think it's a shift. For far too long my only service to the church was the tiny talent I have in music - playing a horn, singing in the songsters. Now, I'm giving it all up to walk out my gifts. I'm blessed that the Lord is giving me the opportunity to use my gifts, blessed that He's given me friends who are walking this journey with me. Come Labor Day we are switching our visitation day in the apartment complex to Tuesdays and then about three weeks after that we're going to start teaching SONDay's Cool to the kids who live there on Thursdays. How cool is that? I'm giving up a career in singing to teach kids the Good News! I'm so excited about my resignation!
I would even venture to say that perhaps more should consider it.
Grace,
Joy
What's really sad is that to most people this shouldn't even get a blip on the screen much less an entire post. Perhaps my life isn't all that interesting right now and I can't think of anything else. However, I just think it's a shift. For far too long my only service to the church was the tiny talent I have in music - playing a horn, singing in the songsters. Now, I'm giving it all up to walk out my gifts. I'm blessed that the Lord is giving me the opportunity to use my gifts, blessed that He's given me friends who are walking this journey with me. Come Labor Day we are switching our visitation day in the apartment complex to Tuesdays and then about three weeks after that we're going to start teaching SONDay's Cool to the kids who live there on Thursdays. How cool is that? I'm giving up a career in singing to teach kids the Good News! I'm so excited about my resignation!
I would even venture to say that perhaps more should consider it.
Grace,
Joy
Friday, July 29, 2005
Eternal Impact
This past Wednesday night was Cultural Night for the Service Corps (the two mission teams I sent to Russia and Chile for 6 weeks this summer). Every year we do an evening like this at the end of each teams trip, I invite their family and friends, people from the Army to come see and hear what they've learned and what they've experienced. I love this night because it's a chance for other people to get to share in my joy. I get to hear all summer long what's going on in the lives of 13 young adults who are changing just by coming into contact with another culture and opening their eyes wide to a God who is and who has always been bigger than they could've dreamed. On Cultural Night, everyone else gets a picture of it as well.
The best thing about it all though is what happens in my heart as I watch them give their testimonies and sing the songs they've learned or perform the mimes or timbrel drills they've perfected. Every year it happens. I never expect it yet it always comes in a wave a great emotion. This year it happened as the Russian team sang their last song near the end of the program and it was a sweet song in Russian none of which I understood. And as they sang and as the next program item happened, tears simply fell down my cheeks. I couldn't explain it except that there was this prayer happening at that point in my heart going up to the Father that simply went like this, "Father, thank you for allowing me to be a part of their journey." That was all I could say. It doesn't happen often but every year on that night God shows me some of the eternal impact I'm making and I can't even begin to describe what that feels like. I know I won't be here forever but for now I know that their are 13 young adults in this world whose lives are richer and deeper because they came in contact with a God who wanted to take them somewhere new to teach them about Himself and His children. How blessed I am to get to be a part of that.
Every year I'm jealous that they get to go. I know why I need to stay - especially after this year's mishaps with missing visas and messed up planes tickets and last minute plans because of these things but at the end when I hear their stories - it almost feels like I got to go with them anyway.
I'm grateful to my God who is so big and so mysterious for allowing me to be such a small part in His game plan. It's the coolest feeling in the world.
Thank you Father.
The best thing about it all though is what happens in my heart as I watch them give their testimonies and sing the songs they've learned or perform the mimes or timbrel drills they've perfected. Every year it happens. I never expect it yet it always comes in a wave a great emotion. This year it happened as the Russian team sang their last song near the end of the program and it was a sweet song in Russian none of which I understood. And as they sang and as the next program item happened, tears simply fell down my cheeks. I couldn't explain it except that there was this prayer happening at that point in my heart going up to the Father that simply went like this, "Father, thank you for allowing me to be a part of their journey." That was all I could say. It doesn't happen often but every year on that night God shows me some of the eternal impact I'm making and I can't even begin to describe what that feels like. I know I won't be here forever but for now I know that their are 13 young adults in this world whose lives are richer and deeper because they came in contact with a God who wanted to take them somewhere new to teach them about Himself and His children. How blessed I am to get to be a part of that.
Every year I'm jealous that they get to go. I know why I need to stay - especially after this year's mishaps with missing visas and messed up planes tickets and last minute plans because of these things but at the end when I hear their stories - it almost feels like I got to go with them anyway.
I'm grateful to my God who is so big and so mysterious for allowing me to be such a small part in His game plan. It's the coolest feeling in the world.
Thank you Father.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
The other side of music...
So, many of you will have read Marty's most recent blog about his journey to a solo album. All of his info is listed at the link above. He's now attempting two blogs not one - go figure.
Last week Marty and I sat down with good friends who are helping Marty realize this dream. They were there for me as well. I had a lot of questions but I think most of it was a faith issue. That's what lies on the other side of music - when your life is tied to a musician's and you choose to get in the passenger's seat and take this ride with him - faith. Last Wednesday I realized that. Actually, I realized it a lot sooner and just didn't want to face that beast because it meant naming my shortcoming.
My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe in my husband or that he wasn't good enough to record a solo album. My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe that he was good enough to make it somewhere other than the world that most normal people live in - the one where the majority of people DON'T know your name. My shortcoming is that I DID believe those things and I DIDN'T and possibly still DON'T want those things. I'm scared of what they mean. I'm scared of what they could mean for the time he would spend away from me (we already spend enough time away from each other as it is). I'm scared of what this road would mean when I've been praying for one that would lead us into ministry TOGETHER! So, we talked - and I cried - and he explained.
What I know is that this is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who created the Heavens and the Earth, is calling my husband to do right now - so I have to trust that - no matter what the future might bring. The other thing I know is that as passionate as Marty is about God and God in music that God will be glorified through this and that's all a girl can ask.
Everything else I lay into the Master's hands and ask Him to mold into His perfect and pleasing will. He will do with us what He pleases and we will always sing His praises (one of us a little bit more pleasantly than the other).
So, this, my friends is what is required on the other side of music, when you climb on board and strap yourself in, there's no turning back.
Lord, please continue to give the faith and the grace I need to walk into the future you have planned for us.
For the rest of you, may the Lord place you in a position where you have to grow.
Grace,
Joy
Last week Marty and I sat down with good friends who are helping Marty realize this dream. They were there for me as well. I had a lot of questions but I think most of it was a faith issue. That's what lies on the other side of music - when your life is tied to a musician's and you choose to get in the passenger's seat and take this ride with him - faith. Last Wednesday I realized that. Actually, I realized it a lot sooner and just didn't want to face that beast because it meant naming my shortcoming.
My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe in my husband or that he wasn't good enough to record a solo album. My shortcoming was never that I didn't believe that he was good enough to make it somewhere other than the world that most normal people live in - the one where the majority of people DON'T know your name. My shortcoming is that I DID believe those things and I DIDN'T and possibly still DON'T want those things. I'm scared of what they mean. I'm scared of what they could mean for the time he would spend away from me (we already spend enough time away from each other as it is). I'm scared of what this road would mean when I've been praying for one that would lead us into ministry TOGETHER! So, we talked - and I cried - and he explained.
What I know is that this is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the One who created the Heavens and the Earth, is calling my husband to do right now - so I have to trust that - no matter what the future might bring. The other thing I know is that as passionate as Marty is about God and God in music that God will be glorified through this and that's all a girl can ask.
Everything else I lay into the Master's hands and ask Him to mold into His perfect and pleasing will. He will do with us what He pleases and we will always sing His praises (one of us a little bit more pleasantly than the other).
So, this, my friends is what is required on the other side of music, when you climb on board and strap yourself in, there's no turning back.
Lord, please continue to give the faith and the grace I need to walk into the future you have planned for us.
For the rest of you, may the Lord place you in a position where you have to grow.
Grace,
Joy
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Learning...
A list of things I'm trying to learn
1. That God's grace to me is unfathomable and I am most of the time unaware of it.
2. That I need to live a life conscious of His grace towards me.
3. That pride comes in many forms - mine so happens to be judgementalism.
4. That the Lord's Word isn't all that practical if I read it in the morning and then forget what it says by noon.
5. That I doubt Him more than I think I do.
6. That He does way more than I could ever EVER ask OR IMAGINE! How cool is that?
7. A renewing of the mind isn't just about the mind.
8. Forgiveness isn't forgiveness unless it's complete - never to be brought up again. Imagine that.
I was going to go for 10 but learning 8 things all at once is pretty hard and Marty just called and said it's time to go. Actually he said, "It's time to blow this popsicle joint." Does anybody know where that saying came from?
Thanks for reading.
Still learning,
Joy
1. That God's grace to me is unfathomable and I am most of the time unaware of it.
2. That I need to live a life conscious of His grace towards me.
3. That pride comes in many forms - mine so happens to be judgementalism.
4. That the Lord's Word isn't all that practical if I read it in the morning and then forget what it says by noon.
5. That I doubt Him more than I think I do.
6. That He does way more than I could ever EVER ask OR IMAGINE! How cool is that?
7. A renewing of the mind isn't just about the mind.
8. Forgiveness isn't forgiveness unless it's complete - never to be brought up again. Imagine that.
I was going to go for 10 but learning 8 things all at once is pretty hard and Marty just called and said it's time to go. Actually he said, "It's time to blow this popsicle joint." Does anybody know where that saying came from?
Thanks for reading.
Still learning,
Joy
Sailing Away!
Oh, I love cruises. I hate work.
Last week my entire extended family (14 of us) and I got on a beautiful ship and sailed away to Mexico. We enjoyed the lovely see through blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and all that goes with it. On Wednesday, for Marty's birthday, we celebrated by going to Xcaret and floating down this underground river that flows through caves and some of the structures at Xcaret. That was so relaxing. You could also snorkel there and see gorgeous blue fish or yellow and black striped fish. Several times I lifted my head up out of the water and began to talk to my brother and sister-in-law and neither one of them were around me. Once I grabbed a hold of Danielle's fin only to figure out that it was some 13 year old boy that I had been talking to and he had just been staring at me for 30 seconds while I heard Danielle's voice echo through the cave. I laughed for a good minute.
My favorite part of the day though was going into the butterfly aviary. Butterflies are so gorgeous - pink, yellow, red, orange. They were everywhere! We got to see dolphins that day and jaguars and a Mayan cemetary. It was all very educational and wonderful.
The next day we went shopping in Cozumel. Loved that! Got some pottery pieces that tell the story of the Mexican people. Yeah! That afternoon we went to a beach called Paradise Island and Matt, Danielle, Nick (my cousin's husband) and I rode in Kayaks and jumped on one of those trampolines they put in the water. I laughed more on that trampoline than I did all week.
Over all I had this incredibly fantastic vacation and I came home way too soon. However, upon returning Marty and I received incredible news that our friends Sarah and Phil gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound 7.8 ounce baby boy named Samuel. He's absolutely adorable.
One thing I regret however is that I missed an incredible opportunity to put the Lord in the center of our rejoicing. Doesn't it always seem that way? That you go away on vacation and, at least for me, my devotional life goes on vacation too. When I got back on land I realized how much I hadn't talked to the Lord all week and how much I hadn't spent time with him. At that point my need for him was so great and my disappointment in myself was extreme. I want to learn how to put Him in the center of our rejoicing - not forget Him during our greatest times together. I've got a lot of learning to do.
Learning about grace,
Joy
Last week my entire extended family (14 of us) and I got on a beautiful ship and sailed away to Mexico. We enjoyed the lovely see through blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and all that goes with it. On Wednesday, for Marty's birthday, we celebrated by going to Xcaret and floating down this underground river that flows through caves and some of the structures at Xcaret. That was so relaxing. You could also snorkel there and see gorgeous blue fish or yellow and black striped fish. Several times I lifted my head up out of the water and began to talk to my brother and sister-in-law and neither one of them were around me. Once I grabbed a hold of Danielle's fin only to figure out that it was some 13 year old boy that I had been talking to and he had just been staring at me for 30 seconds while I heard Danielle's voice echo through the cave. I laughed for a good minute.
My favorite part of the day though was going into the butterfly aviary. Butterflies are so gorgeous - pink, yellow, red, orange. They were everywhere! We got to see dolphins that day and jaguars and a Mayan cemetary. It was all very educational and wonderful.
The next day we went shopping in Cozumel. Loved that! Got some pottery pieces that tell the story of the Mexican people. Yeah! That afternoon we went to a beach called Paradise Island and Matt, Danielle, Nick (my cousin's husband) and I rode in Kayaks and jumped on one of those trampolines they put in the water. I laughed more on that trampoline than I did all week.
Over all I had this incredibly fantastic vacation and I came home way too soon. However, upon returning Marty and I received incredible news that our friends Sarah and Phil gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound 7.8 ounce baby boy named Samuel. He's absolutely adorable.
One thing I regret however is that I missed an incredible opportunity to put the Lord in the center of our rejoicing. Doesn't it always seem that way? That you go away on vacation and, at least for me, my devotional life goes on vacation too. When I got back on land I realized how much I hadn't talked to the Lord all week and how much I hadn't spent time with him. At that point my need for him was so great and my disappointment in myself was extreme. I want to learn how to put Him in the center of our rejoicing - not forget Him during our greatest times together. I've got a lot of learning to do.
Learning about grace,
Joy
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Can't Wait!
I've got one week left until I go on vacation and I can't wait! Marty and I leave next Thursday afternoon for my parent's house in Jackson and then on July 4 we get on board a beautiful cruise ship and head to Cozumel and Calica - places we've been before but this time we're going with my entire family. A little scarey that my Granny is going to be just a couple of rooms down the hall from me but I don't care - at least this vacation my door will have a lock and only Marty and I will have the key!
Marty will also celebrate his birthday while on the boat and so I'm trying to think of something fun to get him while we're on the ship. Anybody got any ideas?
All I know is I'm ready for a little relaxation. I love my job and I love the part of my job where I get to train and send the mission teams but this year it was extra challenging and I'm ready for a little time off before they return home. One team this year just would not leave the country. It wasn't their fault. They wanted to go more than anything but they were headed to Russia - a country that's difficult to get visas from and then when the visas don't come on time, a country even more difficult to get plane tickets into. So, they were here with me an extra week. We had a good time together though. We went to the Urban Missions Conference here in Atlanta and learned some really important things about living a life of mission and not just leaving the country for mission. It's about living intentionally where you are. That's exciting to me and I'm excited to know that I'm learning how to do that and trying my best to impart that to others.
I hope with all I am that they return home from this summer with a love for mission - mission overseas and a mission for the everyday when they can't be overseas. So, yes, my job this year training short-term missionaries was a little bit more difficult and while I still look longingly toward my vacation, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. This world needs Christians with a broader picture of God than the one so many North Americans tend to see.
The things I'm looking forward to the most on the cruise? The sun, my family, eating until I'm sick, getting off the boat in exciting new places and just simply being who I am for a few days without any stress. Hallelujah!
Don't forget to send me suggestions about what to get Marty for his birthday - I welcome them - all of them!
Joy
Marty will also celebrate his birthday while on the boat and so I'm trying to think of something fun to get him while we're on the ship. Anybody got any ideas?
All I know is I'm ready for a little relaxation. I love my job and I love the part of my job where I get to train and send the mission teams but this year it was extra challenging and I'm ready for a little time off before they return home. One team this year just would not leave the country. It wasn't their fault. They wanted to go more than anything but they were headed to Russia - a country that's difficult to get visas from and then when the visas don't come on time, a country even more difficult to get plane tickets into. So, they were here with me an extra week. We had a good time together though. We went to the Urban Missions Conference here in Atlanta and learned some really important things about living a life of mission and not just leaving the country for mission. It's about living intentionally where you are. That's exciting to me and I'm excited to know that I'm learning how to do that and trying my best to impart that to others.
I hope with all I am that they return home from this summer with a love for mission - mission overseas and a mission for the everyday when they can't be overseas. So, yes, my job this year training short-term missionaries was a little bit more difficult and while I still look longingly toward my vacation, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. This world needs Christians with a broader picture of God than the one so many North Americans tend to see.
The things I'm looking forward to the most on the cruise? The sun, my family, eating until I'm sick, getting off the boat in exciting new places and just simply being who I am for a few days without any stress. Hallelujah!
Don't forget to send me suggestions about what to get Marty for his birthday - I welcome them - all of them!
Joy
Monday, June 06, 2005
Breathing...So this is what it's like
It's Monday afternoon and today has been the first day that I've actually felt rested and able to breathe since last Thursday. The Salvation Army held a conference this past weekend and I helped in the kid's venue. I think that I forgot to let those for whom I was working know that kids aren't really my forte. I don't have a hard time dealing with them but they suck all of the life out of me faster than air can escape from a balloon. So, eating lunch yesterday after it was all over was a relief.
Today I'm where I love to be - in my element. This week is Service Corps Orientation and there are 14 young adults with me here at camp who are excited about going onto the mission field. It's so exciting watching them learn and grow and come alive and then go. What's even cooler is that in 6 weeks I'll get to pick them up from the airport and hear their stories. That's the best part - seeing how they grew.
Best part of my weekend I think though was when Rosa an officer with whom my Service Corps spent a week in the Algarve of Portugal showed up in the Kids venue to say hello. She remembered me, had talked to my mom and wanted to come say hello. You know what she let me know? Our team is still making an impact. They're choosing to work in teams in Portugal for ministry instead of alone. She said we taught them that. Go figure. Something that I thought had failed so miserably was actually used by God. He's so faithful even when we're not. I can't believe that I still have connections there from a time so long ago and a place that I couldn't understand why God had sent me. This story just keeps getting better.
Breathing this morning was lovely. Walking around camp and just taking in the beauty of God's creation. Talking to him about some things that I'm not quite certain about in my future and Marty's. Trust is so hard sometimes when He doesn't give all the pieces to the puzzle. It was nice though just talking with him in a way I hadn't in a long time.
It's cool to know that God's telling both Marty and I right now that we can't dream big enough. That's pretty cool. We'll see what happens. I love the fact that he gave us both the same Scripture verse within a week of each other. His love is so amazing.
Sorry it's been so long since an update. Hopefully they'll come more frequently from now on - until the next busy season of course.
Love one another,
Joy
Today I'm where I love to be - in my element. This week is Service Corps Orientation and there are 14 young adults with me here at camp who are excited about going onto the mission field. It's so exciting watching them learn and grow and come alive and then go. What's even cooler is that in 6 weeks I'll get to pick them up from the airport and hear their stories. That's the best part - seeing how they grew.
Best part of my weekend I think though was when Rosa an officer with whom my Service Corps spent a week in the Algarve of Portugal showed up in the Kids venue to say hello. She remembered me, had talked to my mom and wanted to come say hello. You know what she let me know? Our team is still making an impact. They're choosing to work in teams in Portugal for ministry instead of alone. She said we taught them that. Go figure. Something that I thought had failed so miserably was actually used by God. He's so faithful even when we're not. I can't believe that I still have connections there from a time so long ago and a place that I couldn't understand why God had sent me. This story just keeps getting better.
Breathing this morning was lovely. Walking around camp and just taking in the beauty of God's creation. Talking to him about some things that I'm not quite certain about in my future and Marty's. Trust is so hard sometimes when He doesn't give all the pieces to the puzzle. It was nice though just talking with him in a way I hadn't in a long time.
It's cool to know that God's telling both Marty and I right now that we can't dream big enough. That's pretty cool. We'll see what happens. I love the fact that he gave us both the same Scripture verse within a week of each other. His love is so amazing.
Sorry it's been so long since an update. Hopefully they'll come more frequently from now on - until the next busy season of course.
Love one another,
Joy
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Train....duh duh duh
So, the basic question you get when you return from a trip overseas is, "How was..." "How was Portugal?" "How was the Dominican Republic?" "How was Mexico?" And the latest one I've gotten which I'm so thankful to people for asking is "How was Russia?" I don't think anyone knows just how loaded a question that is though. It's not a question that a person should ask unless they're ready to listen for at least 10 minutes if not 30. Just a minor digression on a single question at the beginning of this blog. Sorry about that. I will now try to answer the question itself. So, you ask, "How was Russia?" I think the best way for me to answer that is to break the trip up into Highs and Lows. I think I'll start with the Highs.
Highs: Above all, the best part of the trip was being able to see, taste, touch, and smell a lot of the things that the mission team that I am sending to Russia this summer will see, taste, touch and smell. In the past I've sent them without knowing but I went ahead of them and can better prepare them now. Hopefully I helped the hosts understand some of the difficulties that may arise concerning transportation and luggage that are always a problem when Americans arrive in a foreign country. I got to help plan their schedule - that was cool. Now I know what they'll be doing and where they'll be! Second highlight and would probably be a lifetime dream fulfilled, I got to go to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg which used to be the Winter Palace for the Czars. I got to walk in their throne rooms and see where they ate, slept, read. However, the coolest part of it all was that the Hermitage also houses Rembrandt paintings. I STOOD IN FRONT OF REMBRANDT'S PRODIGAL SON!! I think my jaw probably hit the floor. Ever since I was in High School I have wanted to see this painting in person and on a strange Saturday afternoon without expecting it, all of a sudden, there I was. I almost cried. That was my moment with the Lord. I'm so absolutely thankful that He has allowed me to return to him. Another high - St. Basil's Cathedral. I just got to see the outside of it but it's the cathedral that you see in every picture of Moscow. It's so colorful and lively. I didn't even go inside. I didn't have to. The outside of the building was magnificent. Like something from a dream. I loved it.
Other highs - becoming friends with the Kooznetsovs, the team's hosts for the summer. Eating some of the Russian food (this could also be a low). Going to the Opera and seeing Figaro. Spending time with the Caldwells at their flat, enjoying breakfast with them, talking about friends from home, hearing what it's like to live there, getting to hear about their passion. That was really cool!
Lows - Spending two nights on a train where I had to sleep on something not quite as wide as a church pew and definitely not as comfortable. Jet lag. Being the only American around for most of the trip. I think I would've enjoyed everything more if I could've had Marty with me or just one more person there to understand my jokes - they don't translate even if the people you're with speak English. The train - yuck, too many people in too small a space. I thought Atlanta traffic was bad, Moscow's traffic is worse. Salty fish and some sort of meet with gel on top. Olga's snoring. But I think the hardest thing about being gone was just not having enough alone time or sleep. Truth be told, the hardest thing about being home is not enough sleep - so I don't really know what I'm complaining about.
The trip was great. I met a lot of really cool people and got to see a lot of really amazing things. I forgot to mention the Kremlin earlier. That was pretty cool to see. They've got some great chocolate in Russia too. They're history will dumbfound you. The visit was a pretty great trip and I know that the team will love it. I hope they make the most out of it while they are there and pour themselves out. I hope they try harder than I did too.
I'm going to try and get my pictures put into an online photo album, once I do, maybe I'll add a link here so you can see.
Talk to you all soon,
Joy
Highs: Above all, the best part of the trip was being able to see, taste, touch, and smell a lot of the things that the mission team that I am sending to Russia this summer will see, taste, touch and smell. In the past I've sent them without knowing but I went ahead of them and can better prepare them now. Hopefully I helped the hosts understand some of the difficulties that may arise concerning transportation and luggage that are always a problem when Americans arrive in a foreign country. I got to help plan their schedule - that was cool. Now I know what they'll be doing and where they'll be! Second highlight and would probably be a lifetime dream fulfilled, I got to go to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg which used to be the Winter Palace for the Czars. I got to walk in their throne rooms and see where they ate, slept, read. However, the coolest part of it all was that the Hermitage also houses Rembrandt paintings. I STOOD IN FRONT OF REMBRANDT'S PRODIGAL SON!! I think my jaw probably hit the floor. Ever since I was in High School I have wanted to see this painting in person and on a strange Saturday afternoon without expecting it, all of a sudden, there I was. I almost cried. That was my moment with the Lord. I'm so absolutely thankful that He has allowed me to return to him. Another high - St. Basil's Cathedral. I just got to see the outside of it but it's the cathedral that you see in every picture of Moscow. It's so colorful and lively. I didn't even go inside. I didn't have to. The outside of the building was magnificent. Like something from a dream. I loved it.
Other highs - becoming friends with the Kooznetsovs, the team's hosts for the summer. Eating some of the Russian food (this could also be a low). Going to the Opera and seeing Figaro. Spending time with the Caldwells at their flat, enjoying breakfast with them, talking about friends from home, hearing what it's like to live there, getting to hear about their passion. That was really cool!
Lows - Spending two nights on a train where I had to sleep on something not quite as wide as a church pew and definitely not as comfortable. Jet lag. Being the only American around for most of the trip. I think I would've enjoyed everything more if I could've had Marty with me or just one more person there to understand my jokes - they don't translate even if the people you're with speak English. The train - yuck, too many people in too small a space. I thought Atlanta traffic was bad, Moscow's traffic is worse. Salty fish and some sort of meet with gel on top. Olga's snoring. But I think the hardest thing about being gone was just not having enough alone time or sleep. Truth be told, the hardest thing about being home is not enough sleep - so I don't really know what I'm complaining about.
The trip was great. I met a lot of really cool people and got to see a lot of really amazing things. I forgot to mention the Kremlin earlier. That was pretty cool to see. They've got some great chocolate in Russia too. They're history will dumbfound you. The visit was a pretty great trip and I know that the team will love it. I hope they make the most out of it while they are there and pour themselves out. I hope they try harder than I did too.
I'm going to try and get my pictures put into an online photo album, once I do, maybe I'll add a link here so you can see.
Talk to you all soon,
Joy
Monday, May 09, 2005
Deliquent
So, I've been an absent blogger lately. I must apologize. I realized this past weekend that I have been gone for way too long. I am sorry. Please forgive me.
Marty and I were having a slight argument - more like a debate over who is the better blogger and now I'm wondering if all of my wonderful blogging friends could help me out. I'm not necessarily talking content - just merely frequency.
So, here's what I'm wondering. If you know both Marty and I and have an opinion concerning this topic, would you mind leaving a comment just letting me know who you think is better at keeping you updated on the happending of our lives. It doesn't have to be long - just a you or a Marty would work.
I just want to find out what the general public thinks.
Thanks,
Joy
P.S. I'll hopefully update later this week concerning my trips to Russia, Youth Worker's Conference, Savannah and VA. Beach - all of which were quite amazing. I'll make sure I break them down into bite size chunks so that they don't take up too much of your day. Until then, Grace.
Marty and I were having a slight argument - more like a debate over who is the better blogger and now I'm wondering if all of my wonderful blogging friends could help me out. I'm not necessarily talking content - just merely frequency.
So, here's what I'm wondering. If you know both Marty and I and have an opinion concerning this topic, would you mind leaving a comment just letting me know who you think is better at keeping you updated on the happending of our lives. It doesn't have to be long - just a you or a Marty would work.
I just want to find out what the general public thinks.
Thanks,
Joy
P.S. I'll hopefully update later this week concerning my trips to Russia, Youth Worker's Conference, Savannah and VA. Beach - all of which were quite amazing. I'll make sure I break them down into bite size chunks so that they don't take up too much of your day. Until then, Grace.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Something on the Horizon
For the last six to eight weeks or so, we've been having a Bible Study at Marty and I's house but it wasn't just a Bible study it was more of an adventure. Kelly, Jason, Marty and I have felt for a long time now that there has to be more to this life than just going to church on Sunday mornings and Wednesdays - so we've been trying for over a year now to figure out what to do and where to do it. We also figured out that we probably couldn't do it on our own. We also realized that we weren't the only ones who had this indescribable passion for something more. So, we began a Bible study to investigate the ways to do church that are happening in other areas and that aren't traditional or normal that draw people who normally wouldn't step foot inside a church to Jesus.
So, anyway, we're at the beginning of the action stage and it's getting really exciting! Jason has a friend who is in charge of an organization called Whirlwind mission. They donate apartments to people with vision and pay for the resources you might need and then you begin programming in that apartment complex. Well, Jason already has the apt. and the resources. Last night we talked about how Lucy - wonderful, dedicated, workhorse Lucy has already recruited a ton of people to be in on this adventure, and about what type of ministries we would really like to see happen there. It's wonderful and amazing and I get to be a part of it! Thank you Lord for allowing us to see the beginning of answered prayer and for walking us through this. Thank you for the faith to believe that what you have begun you will carry on through completion. You are an amazing Father!
I hope you all have a blessed day!
P.S. I'm going to Russia to do a set-up trip for the Salvationist Service Corps team that will be travelling there this summer. Sorry if I confused anyone. BTW, I actually sent off for my visa yesterday and should have it by Monday - just in time for my departure on Wednesday. Now I just need to figure out where I'll be laying my head while I'm there. This is so much fun!
So, anyway, we're at the beginning of the action stage and it's getting really exciting! Jason has a friend who is in charge of an organization called Whirlwind mission. They donate apartments to people with vision and pay for the resources you might need and then you begin programming in that apartment complex. Well, Jason already has the apt. and the resources. Last night we talked about how Lucy - wonderful, dedicated, workhorse Lucy has already recruited a ton of people to be in on this adventure, and about what type of ministries we would really like to see happen there. It's wonderful and amazing and I get to be a part of it! Thank you Lord for allowing us to see the beginning of answered prayer and for walking us through this. Thank you for the faith to believe that what you have begun you will carry on through completion. You are an amazing Father!
I hope you all have a blessed day!
P.S. I'm going to Russia to do a set-up trip for the Salvationist Service Corps team that will be travelling there this summer. Sorry if I confused anyone. BTW, I actually sent off for my visa yesterday and should have it by Monday - just in time for my departure on Wednesday. Now I just need to figure out where I'll be laying my head while I'm there. This is so much fun!
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Ugh!
I leave for Russia in a week and a day! I should be excited but right now I'm just worried and stressed. I haven't even sent off for my visa yet because I don't have a hotel reservation yet because I can't get someone to tell me if I have the right address and on top of that I don't have the right credit card. I tried calling the Eastern Europe THQ yesterday at about 2:30 our time, completely forgetting there is a time change (duh) and I got an angry man on the other end of the line screaming at me "Niet Niet Niet...No No No." "Okay, thank you sir." And a polite hang up. That was actually quite funny. How could I not know that they are 8 hours ahead and that I called a poor man at 10:30 in the evening. Then I feel extra guilty because I asked my friend Jason to come in to work with me early this morning to call and be my translator and the woman who answered the phone spoke English! So he got up early this morning and came here for nothing. Sorry Jason! Anyway, it turns out everyone that I need to speak to in Russia is in Spain! So, now I'm a week and a day away from going to Russia and have no one to call and still no answers. I'm a little scared at this point. If you're reading this and it's before April 13, would you mind saying short prayer for my trip - I'll be gone from the 13 to the 19. Thank you!
Lord, please make the crooked way straight. I want to do this for your glory and to prepare the way for your servants who will go there after me so that they might glorify your name. I love you, Amen.
Lord, please make the crooked way straight. I want to do this for your glory and to prepare the way for your servants who will go there after me so that they might glorify your name. I love you, Amen.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Cool Quote Friday - A Day Early and Six Days Late!
I'm sorry to everyone who waited so anxiously last Friday for a quote and didn't get one. Good Friday would've been the perfect opportunity but it simply got away from me.
I'm posting two today to make up for it. One for last Friday and one for tomorrow since I won't have the chance tomorrow. I've found some pretty fantastic and challenging things out of the book Devotional Classics. So, here they are.
"It ought to be tremendously helpful to be able to acquire the habit of reaching out strongly after God's thoughts, and to ask, 'God, what have you to put into my mind now if only I can be large enough?' That waiting, eager attitude ought to give God the chance he needs." ~Frank Laubach
I want to be brave enough to ask God that question.
"In 'thanksgiving' we recount blessings received and thus strengthen our confidence and enable ourselves to wait trustingly for what we pray." ~Martin Luther
It's true you know. When you remember what he's done for you and what he's given you - what he's brought you through, it's not too hard to wait for what you know He wants to give you.
I hope your weekend will be tremendous. Marty and I will be in Hagerstown, Maryland for their Youth Councils. I'm actually speaking tomorrow night for their young adult meeting. Please keep me in your prayers. Speaking always makes me nervous but I'm excited as well.
Grace and Justice,
Joy
I'm posting two today to make up for it. One for last Friday and one for tomorrow since I won't have the chance tomorrow. I've found some pretty fantastic and challenging things out of the book Devotional Classics. So, here they are.
"It ought to be tremendously helpful to be able to acquire the habit of reaching out strongly after God's thoughts, and to ask, 'God, what have you to put into my mind now if only I can be large enough?' That waiting, eager attitude ought to give God the chance he needs." ~Frank Laubach
I want to be brave enough to ask God that question.
"In 'thanksgiving' we recount blessings received and thus strengthen our confidence and enable ourselves to wait trustingly for what we pray." ~Martin Luther
It's true you know. When you remember what he's done for you and what he's given you - what he's brought you through, it's not too hard to wait for what you know He wants to give you.
I hope your weekend will be tremendous. Marty and I will be in Hagerstown, Maryland for their Youth Councils. I'm actually speaking tomorrow night for their young adult meeting. Please keep me in your prayers. Speaking always makes me nervous but I'm excited as well.
Grace and Justice,
Joy
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The beginning of an addiction...
Since college I've always loved Mountain Dew. It's one of those things that just makes me want to sit back, kick off my shoes and enjoy a nice warm day. Every once in a while, however, the NEED for a Mountain Dew kicks in - mostly because I had little to no sleep the night before and I'm feeling it the next day. The funny thing is I usually guage my intake of caffiene - make sure I don't have it too close to bedtime, don't have too much in one week, make sure I drink all 64 oz. of water every day. Yes, I'm that anal about my liquids - if only I were that way concerning my consumption of food.
Anyway, about two weeks ago, Marty and I stopped at Taco Bell (by the way, ranked number 2 in cleanliness out of Fast Food restaurants for the city)and I ordered my dinner and because it was a combo (see what I mean about my food consumption?) I got one of the HUGE cups to put anything I like in it and of course, I chose Mountain Dew. Well, at first I chose that Mountain Dew Baja Blast junk - gross, don't ever put that stuff in your mouth. So, anyway, I drank the vat of Mt. Dew and savored every minute. It had been a hard day and I needed a pick me up. What I didn't realize was how far it would pick me up and for how long.
Fast forward a couple of hours. It is now about 10 o'clock, maybe 10:30 and I'm lying in a dark room, eyes wide open. I hear the front door open and I just lay there - waiting. Waiting for my chance. What chance you ask?
MY CHANCE TO TALK MARTY'S HEAD OFF FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR!! Poor guy. He came in the room, tired from a hard days work and I start blabbing. "I'm wide awake. Are you? I don't think I'll ever go to sleep. What was I thinking drinking that much Mt. Dew so close to bedtime? Did you have a good day? What did you do? Where did you go? How were classes?" (please note I'm not waiting for a response)
AND THEN...it hits me like a bolt of lightening.
"Oh no! Marty! This Mt. Dew is going to keep me up all night! Then tomorrow morning I'll be so tired that I won't be able to stay awake at work and I'll need another Mt. Dew just to make it through the day. Then I won't be able to sleep again tomorrow night.....(insert huge gasp here) This is the beginning of an addiction!
I know...quite possibly not that funny in the blog world as it was at 10:30 at night as Marty was trying to fall asleep. Needless to say, it hasn't become an addiction for those of you who were worried. I'm still drinking my water although I do believe that my caffeine consumption has increased quite a bit since that evening.
Oh well!
Anyway, about two weeks ago, Marty and I stopped at Taco Bell (by the way, ranked number 2 in cleanliness out of Fast Food restaurants for the city)and I ordered my dinner and because it was a combo (see what I mean about my food consumption?) I got one of the HUGE cups to put anything I like in it and of course, I chose Mountain Dew. Well, at first I chose that Mountain Dew Baja Blast junk - gross, don't ever put that stuff in your mouth. So, anyway, I drank the vat of Mt. Dew and savored every minute. It had been a hard day and I needed a pick me up. What I didn't realize was how far it would pick me up and for how long.
Fast forward a couple of hours. It is now about 10 o'clock, maybe 10:30 and I'm lying in a dark room, eyes wide open. I hear the front door open and I just lay there - waiting. Waiting for my chance. What chance you ask?
MY CHANCE TO TALK MARTY'S HEAD OFF FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR!! Poor guy. He came in the room, tired from a hard days work and I start blabbing. "I'm wide awake. Are you? I don't think I'll ever go to sleep. What was I thinking drinking that much Mt. Dew so close to bedtime? Did you have a good day? What did you do? Where did you go? How were classes?" (please note I'm not waiting for a response)
AND THEN...it hits me like a bolt of lightening.
"Oh no! Marty! This Mt. Dew is going to keep me up all night! Then tomorrow morning I'll be so tired that I won't be able to stay awake at work and I'll need another Mt. Dew just to make it through the day. Then I won't be able to sleep again tomorrow night.....(insert huge gasp here) This is the beginning of an addiction!
I know...quite possibly not that funny in the blog world as it was at 10:30 at night as Marty was trying to fall asleep. Needless to say, it hasn't become an addiction for those of you who were worried. I'm still drinking my water although I do believe that my caffeine consumption has increased quite a bit since that evening.
Oh well!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Working mission into life
Please read the link above - particularly the post called "you must be very lucky to have her in your church" before reading on.
Gordon wrote at the end of his blog, "I do feel proud that she should feel at home with us and that she has worked out a life of mission which comes as natural to her as breathing!"
Man! I want a life like that. I'm learning lately that I'm a lot more lukewarm than I'd like to admit. I can't decide which side of the fence I'm on in many decisions - politically and personally. That's pretty sad. I know now why God said he would rather us be hot or cold than lukewarm. Lukewarm moves you to indecision and ultimately inaction - that's pretty sad.
I live a life that desires mission - my heart beats for it and I long for it - overseas and yet I can't seem to get it into my daily life. I can't seem to make it across the street to meet and get to know my neighbors. Gordon's blog was about a lady who doesn't seem to dress all that well but people know her by her love and compassion - they know her by her good deeds. He said that she has worked out a life of mission that comes as natural to her as breathing.
Oh how I long for a life like that - a life of mission that comes as natural to me in my neighborhood, in my hometown, in my country as breathing does. I've got to get it right. Jesus called me to it. Be my witness - in Samaria, Judea and to the ends of the world. He didn't leave any place out so why should I?
Lord, keep me from being lukewarm. Keep me from waiting for a voice from heaven to do what I know would please you. Help me to integrate mission into my life now - not later, not someday but today, this week.
Gordon wrote at the end of his blog, "I do feel proud that she should feel at home with us and that she has worked out a life of mission which comes as natural to her as breathing!"
Man! I want a life like that. I'm learning lately that I'm a lot more lukewarm than I'd like to admit. I can't decide which side of the fence I'm on in many decisions - politically and personally. That's pretty sad. I know now why God said he would rather us be hot or cold than lukewarm. Lukewarm moves you to indecision and ultimately inaction - that's pretty sad.
I live a life that desires mission - my heart beats for it and I long for it - overseas and yet I can't seem to get it into my daily life. I can't seem to make it across the street to meet and get to know my neighbors. Gordon's blog was about a lady who doesn't seem to dress all that well but people know her by her love and compassion - they know her by her good deeds. He said that she has worked out a life of mission that comes as natural to her as breathing.
Oh how I long for a life like that - a life of mission that comes as natural to me in my neighborhood, in my hometown, in my country as breathing does. I've got to get it right. Jesus called me to it. Be my witness - in Samaria, Judea and to the ends of the world. He didn't leave any place out so why should I?
Lord, keep me from being lukewarm. Keep me from waiting for a voice from heaven to do what I know would please you. Help me to integrate mission into my life now - not later, not someday but today, this week.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Happy Friday - Quote Time!
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." ~John Piper
I was reading through Let the Nations Be Glad this past week. I've never made it all the way through but I am determined to finish it - someday. Every time I am amazed by that quote. In the book Piper explains that man's ultimate goal should be God's glory and that this is also God's goal. When he first says that I think every reader's hair stands on end. It makes God sound selfish. However, Piper explains that if God had any other goal, he would be untrue to the Truth which is that God is above all and deserves the supreme glory of every creature in HEAVEN and on earth. Therefore, the chief end of God is to glorify himself just as that is the chief end of man - to give God glory.
And I still think I had a hard time with that - even though I understood it. Then I got to the quote above. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." So, now it makes his glory a relationship. It makes worship so much easier to get into and give to the Lord because I know that He wants me to be satisfied in worship. He wants our worship. He wants to be glorified and He is most glorified when we are satisfied with giving Him worship. He'll do anything to get us there. That's why he woes us to Him. That's why He lavishes His love upon us. Not because we deserve it but because He deserves the praise and the honor and the glory.
We had prayer time at my house this past Sunday night and I found all of this to be true. What's amazing about the Lord is that when you seek to give him praise and when you seek to worship him, coming before him without your own agenda - what He gives back to you is 10 times more than we could ever lavish upon him.
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." That quote also teaches me that it doesn't have to be hard - this relationship. It's not about how you're supposed to read your Bible (which I think most of us have been confused about at one point in time or another) or how long you pray or even how you pray just as long as you're giving him glory (usually that comes through reading the Bible and praying though as he teaches you how to do it). Perhaps all of this is elementary and everyone else has gotten it but this lesson I just keep returning to over and over again. I don't think I ever want to get past how good he is and has been and will be - no matter the circumstances I am in. I want the chief end of me to be to give him glory and I absolutely love the fact that my God, my Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth wants me to be satisfied in him - that's more than I would've ever known to ask for.
I was reading through Let the Nations Be Glad this past week. I've never made it all the way through but I am determined to finish it - someday. Every time I am amazed by that quote. In the book Piper explains that man's ultimate goal should be God's glory and that this is also God's goal. When he first says that I think every reader's hair stands on end. It makes God sound selfish. However, Piper explains that if God had any other goal, he would be untrue to the Truth which is that God is above all and deserves the supreme glory of every creature in HEAVEN and on earth. Therefore, the chief end of God is to glorify himself just as that is the chief end of man - to give God glory.
And I still think I had a hard time with that - even though I understood it. Then I got to the quote above. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." So, now it makes his glory a relationship. It makes worship so much easier to get into and give to the Lord because I know that He wants me to be satisfied in worship. He wants our worship. He wants to be glorified and He is most glorified when we are satisfied with giving Him worship. He'll do anything to get us there. That's why he woes us to Him. That's why He lavishes His love upon us. Not because we deserve it but because He deserves the praise and the honor and the glory.
We had prayer time at my house this past Sunday night and I found all of this to be true. What's amazing about the Lord is that when you seek to give him praise and when you seek to worship him, coming before him without your own agenda - what He gives back to you is 10 times more than we could ever lavish upon him.
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." That quote also teaches me that it doesn't have to be hard - this relationship. It's not about how you're supposed to read your Bible (which I think most of us have been confused about at one point in time or another) or how long you pray or even how you pray just as long as you're giving him glory (usually that comes through reading the Bible and praying though as he teaches you how to do it). Perhaps all of this is elementary and everyone else has gotten it but this lesson I just keep returning to over and over again. I don't think I ever want to get past how good he is and has been and will be - no matter the circumstances I am in. I want the chief end of me to be to give him glory and I absolutely love the fact that my God, my Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth wants me to be satisfied in him - that's more than I would've ever known to ask for.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the HOly One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40: 26 - 31
You know, if he brings out the starry host and calls each one by name and if not one of them is missing - how much more must He understand and know our path, our plight, our love for Him, our life. He calls us out by name. You know this and I know this but I think it comes with a greater impact after you read how great He is. Who can you compare Him to? Who counsels God? Who gives Him wisdom? Who can you compare Him to? Can you understand the mind of God? No. Yet He chooses me. He gives me strength. What for? He doesn't need me yet He....
you fill in the blank. He is.
He is and that's all I know. and He deserves my glory. Who else can hold the waters in the hollows of his hand? That's my God.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40: 26 - 31
You know, if he brings out the starry host and calls each one by name and if not one of them is missing - how much more must He understand and know our path, our plight, our love for Him, our life. He calls us out by name. You know this and I know this but I think it comes with a greater impact after you read how great He is. Who can you compare Him to? Who counsels God? Who gives Him wisdom? Who can you compare Him to? Can you understand the mind of God? No. Yet He chooses me. He gives me strength. What for? He doesn't need me yet He....
you fill in the blank. He is.
He is and that's all I know. and He deserves my glory. Who else can hold the waters in the hollows of his hand? That's my God.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Cool Quote Friday - On Time!
"It is so easy to think that the church has a lot of different objects - education, buildings, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects - military, political, economic, and what not.
But in a way thinkgs are much simpler than that. The State exists to promote and protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden - that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parlaiments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time.
In the same way the church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, then all the cathedrals, all the clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything in it is to be gathered together in Him."
~C.S. Lewis
But in a way thinkgs are much simpler than that. The State exists to promote and protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden - that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parlaiments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time.
In the same way the church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, then all the cathedrals, all the clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything in it is to be gathered together in Him."
~C.S. Lewis
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Lots of thoughts running through my head today. They've piled up since last week and I just need to let them out.
Last November I was able to attend a conference held by Ian and Allison Campbell on integrated mission. It was absolutely incredible but really quite overwhelming at the same time. They talked about how the old method of people coming to church isn't working anymore and how the method should now be for people to leave the buildings and organizations and enter the neighborhood - as people. They talked about learning about a neighborhood's concerns and hopes - not their needs because people thrive on their needs and then maintain that mentality instead of working to make it better. The goal is to go into a neighborhood and affirm people. To see what they do well and let them know it - find out what their concerns are for the neighborhood, what their hopes are for the neighborhood and if they think there are any other people who feel the same way they do. It's an absolutely beautiful method of building community - going into people's homes and learning about them without an agenda, without pushing anything on them and then encouraging them to meet their own need. For example, you find out that they need a meal or their rent paid for the month. Well, in The Salvation Army we're quick to meet that need. We give them a food basket or cut a check that will pay for their rent and I'm not saying that that's bad in anyway but then when you hand it to them, you turn the question back to them and ask, "Now, how are you going to find a way to feed your family next week or pay next month's rent?" That doesn't automatically solve the problem but it's the beginning, isn't it? It's about stopping the perpetuation by inviting people into community and helping them overcome their needs by encouraging them to meet them on their own. I'm processing this all as I go.
So, that was November. It was all talk - planning, powerpoint, diagrams, circles, squares, big sheets of paper all over the wall. Last week they did a follow up session which was more hands on - putting it all into practice. While it all seemed pretty foreboding and a little bit too much to ask with just one visit, I absolutely loved it and thoroughly believe in this system now. It's a team-based system. We were out at the Training College (for those of you who read these that aren't Salvationists, that's where pastors for The Salvation Army get become pastors) and there is now a group of eight or nine missionaries living there and engaging in the community. Those of us who were just there to learn were teamed up with those living in the community to actually do this type of visitation. I went with D.J. and Teddy to Mr. Bill's house. Mr. Bill was quite interesting but he obviously loved the Lord and opened his home up to anyone. While we were there, about four or five people wandered in and out of his house. He feeds people on Saturdays. He told us his vision to help convicts who were into the drug business before they went to prison come out of prison and become leaders in the community by actually having dependable jobs with groups of men underneath them. He told us about how he came to the Lord. He told us about his hippie days (this man loved to talk). He told us about his concern for the children.
What I learned that day was that Mr. Bill was not the only one in that community who wanted to make a difference but at that time he was working alone to make that difference as were all of the other people who want to make a difference. When the entire group of people came back together, we all talked about our experience and there are plenty of men and women in that community doing feeding programs and who long to see their neighborhood return to the safe place it used to be. Now, the missionaries who live there can see the vision and can see the hope. They understand the concerns and they can help be a link. They can help foster community and relationships - just by visiting people in their homes and encouraging them. It was so easy.
One of the huge things I learned that day comes from an acronym Ian and Allison use for the teams they develop worldwide. They call them S.A.L.T teams. It stands for Support, Appreciate, Learn, Transfer. The thing that hit me so hard that day was the transferability of it all. I may not be an organization that needs to get out of the church but I do live in a neighborhood and know very little about my neighbors. The Acts 2 Christians were a community of believers. I can build community right where I live. I don't know if I need a team or not but just to hear my neighbors hopes would be nice.
Now all I need is courage.
Have a good day. I'll write more later about the rest of my weeks thoughts - this one kind of got away from me.
Joy
Last November I was able to attend a conference held by Ian and Allison Campbell on integrated mission. It was absolutely incredible but really quite overwhelming at the same time. They talked about how the old method of people coming to church isn't working anymore and how the method should now be for people to leave the buildings and organizations and enter the neighborhood - as people. They talked about learning about a neighborhood's concerns and hopes - not their needs because people thrive on their needs and then maintain that mentality instead of working to make it better. The goal is to go into a neighborhood and affirm people. To see what they do well and let them know it - find out what their concerns are for the neighborhood, what their hopes are for the neighborhood and if they think there are any other people who feel the same way they do. It's an absolutely beautiful method of building community - going into people's homes and learning about them without an agenda, without pushing anything on them and then encouraging them to meet their own need. For example, you find out that they need a meal or their rent paid for the month. Well, in The Salvation Army we're quick to meet that need. We give them a food basket or cut a check that will pay for their rent and I'm not saying that that's bad in anyway but then when you hand it to them, you turn the question back to them and ask, "Now, how are you going to find a way to feed your family next week or pay next month's rent?" That doesn't automatically solve the problem but it's the beginning, isn't it? It's about stopping the perpetuation by inviting people into community and helping them overcome their needs by encouraging them to meet them on their own. I'm processing this all as I go.
So, that was November. It was all talk - planning, powerpoint, diagrams, circles, squares, big sheets of paper all over the wall. Last week they did a follow up session which was more hands on - putting it all into practice. While it all seemed pretty foreboding and a little bit too much to ask with just one visit, I absolutely loved it and thoroughly believe in this system now. It's a team-based system. We were out at the Training College (for those of you who read these that aren't Salvationists, that's where pastors for The Salvation Army get become pastors) and there is now a group of eight or nine missionaries living there and engaging in the community. Those of us who were just there to learn were teamed up with those living in the community to actually do this type of visitation. I went with D.J. and Teddy to Mr. Bill's house. Mr. Bill was quite interesting but he obviously loved the Lord and opened his home up to anyone. While we were there, about four or five people wandered in and out of his house. He feeds people on Saturdays. He told us his vision to help convicts who were into the drug business before they went to prison come out of prison and become leaders in the community by actually having dependable jobs with groups of men underneath them. He told us about how he came to the Lord. He told us about his hippie days (this man loved to talk). He told us about his concern for the children.
What I learned that day was that Mr. Bill was not the only one in that community who wanted to make a difference but at that time he was working alone to make that difference as were all of the other people who want to make a difference. When the entire group of people came back together, we all talked about our experience and there are plenty of men and women in that community doing feeding programs and who long to see their neighborhood return to the safe place it used to be. Now, the missionaries who live there can see the vision and can see the hope. They understand the concerns and they can help be a link. They can help foster community and relationships - just by visiting people in their homes and encouraging them. It was so easy.
One of the huge things I learned that day comes from an acronym Ian and Allison use for the teams they develop worldwide. They call them S.A.L.T teams. It stands for Support, Appreciate, Learn, Transfer. The thing that hit me so hard that day was the transferability of it all. I may not be an organization that needs to get out of the church but I do live in a neighborhood and know very little about my neighbors. The Acts 2 Christians were a community of believers. I can build community right where I live. I don't know if I need a team or not but just to hear my neighbors hopes would be nice.
Now all I need is courage.
Have a good day. I'll write more later about the rest of my weeks thoughts - this one kind of got away from me.
Joy
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