I Serve a Show-Off

I must confess (again) that I am a logical individual the majority of the time. When presented with a challenge I tend to gravitate toward the “strategize and plan” method of conquering it. I lay out action plans to arrive at my goal and worry when things don’t line up the way I think they should.

God has once again shown me how that method of ‘controlling’ and doing things in my own strength is not His way.

You see, I believe that God is inherently a show-off (in a good way) … mostly just because He can and because He likes to remind us He is the one in control – not us. This whole church-plant thing is certainly more under His control than ours. And for that I am grateful.

So … back to the good news!

We recently (by an act of God) acquired a building in which to meet. {See previous post} Randy graciously allowed us to meet while Pastors were in town and extended that offer into the month of March. At the end of March, James was scheduled to meet with him to negotiate monthly payment, etc. for the building.

We looked over what little bit of finances are coming in on a monthly basis – needless to say it didn’t take long and determined what we could do at this point toward the mortgage. Mind you it was pitifully shy of the full $1700 per month and James admitted he felt embarrassed to even make the offer. (Let me put into perspective for you how HUGE a step of faith this is to even pursue this. In ALL of last year, our church offerings totaled $3400 (yes, for the YEAR!). Ummmm … that’s only 2 months at $1700 – LOL — but I digress.)

Naturally we will be putting insurance on the content of the building and taking over the utilities, but beyond that we were woefully inadequate in what we could pay. But he offered to Randy what we could with a promise to revisit it in 6 months. God-willing we could increase it at that point.

Randy told James that he felt our offer was too high. WHAT??? Too high? Did he really just say that?  Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

As it shakes out, Randy wants to allow us time to build finances toward a down payment on the property so that it can be transferred into our name as soon as possible. So … he wants us to take care of utilities, upkeep and improvements, insurance as planned, and begin to sock cash away for the down payment on the property.

WHAT A BLESSING!!

So many emotions are running through us right now and so many thoughts – which I’m sure will be blogged about, but one overriding desire is for God to bless Randy with more than he can hope, think, or imagine! (Eph 3:20)

God has used Randy and Acts III to bless us and our prayer is that as he sows that mortgage payment into Brookstone, that God will pour back to him and Acts III in such huge amounts that they can’t even calculate the exponential ROI that comes from this act of generosity.

Please join with James, myself, and the members of Brookstone in praying for Randy and Acts III. Pray Luke 6:38 over them. Pray that God will bless him.

“A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Now … isn’t God good?

Compassion and Confessions

Ok … it’s confession time, ya’ll. I am skeptical and borderline cynical a good deal of the time ~ especially when it comes to large non-profit organizations. My family gives to needs all the time, but our funds are generally given to projects, missionaries, and people that we know and trust. We give to places we KNOW are “good ground” and where we feel certain the money is spent where they say it will be spent. (I believe being a good steward of your finances is essential.)

Typically we don’t give to large organizations even if they present a good reason to do so. Case in point – Compassion International.

I’ve known about Compassion, in some form or another, since my early Christian days. I’ve always been moved by their compelling imagery and heart-wrenching stories of need, but never enough to sponsor. That’s where my cynicism kicked in. I didn’t trust that my money would actually get where they said it would. That my hard-earned cash would not benefit some needy child in a faraway land but would instead pad the pockets of some well-to-do corporate fat cats.

I felt certain that the stories were elaborated on or contrived altogether in an attempt to prey upon the inherent generosity of Americans. I hoped that it was not the case but never was able to prove it one way or the other so I refrained from giving.

(Now, before you go sending hate mail, please keep reading)

I must commend Compassion on their latest series of PR genius! Have you heard of the Compassion Bloggers? If not, let me introduce you to what I believe is the most brilliant and strategic move on behalf of Compassion.

Compassion Bloggers

The concept is simple: take normal, everyday Christian bloggers and place them in the middle of Compassion projects around the globe. Provide internet access and let them blog, tweet, and twitpic their way through foreign lands. All the while presenting doubting Thomases like myself with a real face on the needs while reinforcing the authenticity of Compassion’s programs. Now … I still can’t say for sure because I’ve not personally seen Compassion in action, but I will confess this has stripped me of my cynicism where this organization is concerned.

My favorite part of this?? The fact that I already ‘knew’ some of these bloggers because I already followed their blog. They aren’t, from what I can tell, on Compassion’s payroll and aren’t benefiting from these trips – except to help spread the word about what Compassion is doing.

So … are you ready to see them in action?

I first learned of the Compassion Bloggers prior to their India trip. Pastor Pete Wilson and Anne Jackson, both from Nashville, went along on this trip. I followed their adventure closely and learned that Compassion was more than fancy celebrities hawking hope-deprived faces on the TV screen. It was folks, real folks, folks I ‘knew’, seeing for themselves the work of one company and then allowing us to peer over their collective shoulders as they tagged along with Compassion.

Since then, there have been other teams that ventured to El Salvador and most recently to Kenya.

Some of the posts that caught my attention are listed below. Most deal with the Mathare Slum – a huge slum in Kenya where Compassion ministers to children. I urge you to read through them and then further explore the blogs linked at the bottom of this post. I should warn you though, before you proceed, please grab some tissues or at least read this where free-flowing tears won’t get you fired.

Read about Eliud and the Mathare Slum in Kenya. Posted by Brad Ruggles
You can see the rest of his Kenya posts here: http://www.bradruggles.com/category/kenya-trip/

Next is a post from We are THAT Family. I’ve been following her blog for awhile for other reasons, but was thrilled that she was part of Compassion Bloggers for the Kenya trip as well.

Read her post about Mathare here and then the rest of her Kenya posts here, but please, please read about Makena and Ephantus –her sponsored children – and the day she spent with them.

The other bloggers are new to me. Here are some highlights:

• Great pictures of a Masai village were on MckMama’s blog (look through all her posts about Kenya – the images are amazingly beautiful)
• Her husband’s post about Mathare Slum
• More amazing photography at This is Reverb. Read all his Kenya posts here: http://www.thisisreverb.com/category/compassion-kenya-2010
• Kent Shaffer writes for Church Relevance and has some great videos, photos, etc. Check them all out here: http://churchrelevance.com/tag/compassion-international/

Last but not least, look at the photos from Keely Marie Scott – the official photographer for the group. Here is her set from the Mathare Slum:

http://www.keelymariescott.com/2010/03/08/this-world-is-not-our-home/

Here are all her shots for Compassion: http://www.keelymariescott.com/category/compassion-international/

To Recap:

I’m moved by these stories and pictures of a place I may never see and people I may never know. God knows them and walks among them daily. Compassion is making a difference, of this I am certain.

Church Progress Report

When last I reported on things here in Savannah, God was opening several doors where a church building was concerned. A lot has transpired since then and I wanted to catch you up.

First, within a week of that Cloud 9 moment, James was in a pretty severe accident on I-95 just over the state line in South Carolina. Because he was also towing his War Eagle fishing boat, there wasn’t a panel of that truck that was unscathed. Mercifully, he walked away from a near head-on collision with a semi.

And financially, thanks to God, fantastic friends, and insurance policies, we came out better than seemed possible.

He still cringes when we drive into Jasper County, but for the most part that incident in our lives is behind us!

So, we went from that extreme high to an extreme low within seven days!

From there, things returned to normal and we set about to working with the church that had opened up their hearts (and doors) to us.

Back to the Home:

Around the first of this year, things changed and we once again began to meet in our home for services. Just a few short weeks later, we learned that the church building where we had been meeting was no longer used for services.

To shorten a REALLY long story, when our Pastors and several of the church members from Nashville came to town for Josh’s Marine Corp Graduation, we knew there would not be enough room to meet in our home for church services. James approached the men who owned the now vacant church building and they agreed to let us use the building for those two services.

Just prior to Pastors arrival, James met with them again and they offered for us to meet in the building for the month of March as well.

Let me pause right here for an aside. These men – Randy McEwen and Michael Dant – have been such a tremendous blessing to us. They are in charge of Acts III Global Ministries. They operate several successful thrift stores in the South Georgia area as the mainstay of their domestic ministry. The international missions portion of Acts III ministers extensively in Malawi and includes an orphanage that they founded, built, and administer. God blessed them on a recent trip to Malawi and has cleared the way for even more ministry abroad. There truly is no way for us to repay them in the natural for all they have done for us. So, I will ask you to please remember them in your prayers!

Latest Developments:

The story doesn’t end there! When Pastors were here we discussed the building at length with them and are now pursuing a contract on renting the building long-term. The rent alone is $1700 per month and with a fledgling ministry that was going to be a stretch – to say the least. James met with them yet again to discuss terms. As James began to explain our situation, Randy stopped him mid-stream. He told James that his landlord recently renewed his contract on the thrift store and that his rent typically went up each renewal, plus he had common fees to pay. Randy went on to say that God had blessed him because the rent went down instead of up. Come to find out – it went down by $1700 per month!!

Randy then told James for us to let him know what we could pay and that because God had blessed him so, he wanted to pass that along to us. We will be meeting with him soon to sign papers and solidify the lease. We still know that we are dependent on God to grow the church and meet the financial obligations, but Brookstone Community Church now has a place to meet (that isn’t residential).

We praise God for His blessings and the generosity of Acts III. Please be in prayer as we take these next steps toward what God has here for us.

Thin Places and a Chance to WIN a KINDLE

I’ve just finished reading a fantastic memoir by Mary DeMuth entitled, “Thin Places.” Although a personal reflection, this book explores those moments in our life where God’s sovereignty meets our humanity. We all have “thin places” in our lives.

But Thin Places is about hope and healing more than it is about the traumatic events of DeMuth’s childhood. According to DeMuth, thin places are “snatches of time, moments really, when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways.” When she encountered the true love of Jesus at a Young Life camp in high school, DeMuth’s life trajectory changed. God reassembled the pieces of her emotionally fragile self, which initiated true healing and peace.

Others have termed Thin Places as “brave, moving, and poignant.” Truly, I could not have said it better. This book exposes what others hide and allows for healing, both in DeMuth’s life and in the reader’s life. In plumbing the depths of her experiences she helps others to do the same and to explore their own “thin places.”

Purchase the Book:

Want to read Thin Places? You can find it at major book retailers or online at Amazon.com

 

I mentioned a contest to win a Kindle. Here are the details on that:

Kindle Contest

In Mary DeMuth’s memoir, Thin Places, she walks us through her journey from hurt to healing as she developed a deep, joyful relationship with Jesus. Thin places are those times where the division between this world and the eternal fades; they are snatches of holy ground, tucked into the corners of our world, where we might just catch a glimpse of eternity. Now, we invite you to tell your story of a thin place in your own life . . . and we’re giving you the opportunity to win a Kindle reader for doing so!

Here’s how to participate: (this is open to US participants only – sorry!)

1) In exactly 259 words – the retail value of a Kindle reader – tell us about a time you experienced a “thin place” in your life. These would be aha moments, beautiful realizations when the Son of God bursts through the hazy fog of our monotony and shines on us afresh, times when God has reminded or reassured you that he is real and present.

2) Post your essay on your blog or website. Once you’ve posted to your blog, add a link to your post in the Mr. Linky widget found at http://www.blogtourspot.com/2010/02/thin-places-blog-tour/. If you post to a Facebook account or do not have a place to post, then submit your essay in the body of an email to info@blogtourspot.com. Your entry must be received (either by Mr. Linky or email) by midnight, Friday, February 12th to be eligible for the contest.

3) Personally invite at least two people you know to join the contest. You can do that by email, in person, or by adding an invitation to your blog posting. This will be done on the honor system (we don’t need to know names), but please help us by spreading the word.

 

What others are Saying:

You can check out others bloggers and their reviews of Thin Places.

http://www.blogtourspot.com/thinplaces-tour/thinplaces-tour-stops/

Obligatory New Year’s Post

Yup! You know it. I’m going to start the year with a post and see if I can do a better job of keeping this digital journal up to date in Twenty Ten.

I’m eclectic and have grown accustomed to the fact that most of my posts are that way too. So, in the spirit of all things eclectic … here are a few things on my radar as we head into 2010.

Organization:

I’ll be working through Simple Mom’s post about New Year’s Goals. I life calling them goals rather than resolutions. Most of my knee-jerk reactions at end of year are not nearly resolute enough to be actual resolutions.

I’m also going to be sending off for a few more FREE calendars. Freebies 4 Mom has a round up of who has FREE Calendars available. (Just in case you are a little slow and still need a calendar ~ or you’re like me and just like free calendars. *wink*)

And if you like Digital Calendars and want to make your desktop or iPhone purty for January, grab some from:

• Little Dreamer Designs
• Shabby Princess
• Hawt Mama Team Blog

Also, a while back I mentioned Cozi ~ a home organizational tool. Modern Media Mom had a nice post revisiting the Cozi.com site and new features they’ve added. If you’re not already locked into a favorite way to track calendars for everyone, journal, keep to-do lists, etc. then check it out

Reading:

Maybe you’re planning on reading though the Bible this year. YouVersion has a reading plan to assist with that.

Simple Mom has a book club that is cranking up. They kick off the year with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. Read the details here.

I’m also personally looking forward to Mark Batterson new Book, Primal. If you’ve not read his other stuff I highly recommend them. You can pick them up at most bookstores or loads of places online.

Here are links to his other two books:

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
Wild Goose Chase

Again, I heartily recommend both!

HomeSchooling, Kids, Fun, Etc:

I’m going to be re-organizing things in the HomeSchool area as well. I plan on making things like this Reading Center and watching blogs more closely for other ideas.

I’m also thinking of making some of these cute crafts with Steph:

Salty Snow Prints featured on Blissfully Domestic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh BTW … let me insert a short PSA here. Blissfully Domestic is having their annual conference in NASHVILLE soon. I found out about their first one shortly after moving away from Nashville. Figures!

Check out Blissdom ‘10

If you blog, live near Nashville and would enjoy a girlie getaway, you definitely want to check this one out.

http://blissdomconference.com/

OK

PSA over

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last but not least, I pray you all have a blessed, prosperous and joyful year.

Looking forward to seeing the Girl

I can’t wait for this movie to be released because I can’t wait to see the girl – and I’m not talking ‘bout Miley. I’m talking ‘bout Savannah and her beach – Tybee.

From what I can tell this movie is doing a tremendous job spotlighting the beauty and history that surrounds me here in Savannah.

I love that Tybee gets to be Tybee and not some fictitious place or a stand-in for some other locale.

Check out this trailer:

“>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joCwQ2pjfjw]

Yeah, baby!!! That’s all Savannah, Tybee and her environs. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

And after you’ve watched that take a gander at this song. One of my new favs.

“>http://youtu.be/8wxOVn99FTE]

Again …   Savannah, Salt Marshes, Wormsloe — love it!!!

Round-Up before Thanksgiving

I’ve been saving things in my Google reader to share with you all and figured this was as good a time as any. Some of these looked like things I wanted to try, or were interesting and worthy of passing along.

Enjoy!

Home School Items:

• Multitasking Workboxes: The Homeschool Classroom share ideas for getting more out of your workbox

Thanksgiving Ideas, Centerpieces, Crafts and More:

• Tip Junkie has a TON of featured items for Thanksgiving and much more. (Definitely worth a follow, btw)

(Click the picture above to visit the post)

• Thanksgiving Kids Table Ideas – also from Tip Junkie
• Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece Ideas – again from Tip Junkie
• Thanksgiving Place Cards – yup, you guessed it … Tip Junkie

Getting Ready for Christmas:

It’s never too early to prepare for Christmas – and Simple Mom has an excellent series to help you do just that.

Click here to see the full list of all the entries in this series.

(Simple Mom is also worth of a follow)

So far she’s covered topics like:

• Preparing the Holiday Budget
• Giving Back
• Greetings
• Calendar
• Traditions

She still has a few posts left in the series so jump over there and check it out.

• Advent Calendar Tutorials
• Creative Christmas Tutorial and DIY – complete with a FREE “Executive Homemaker Christmas Planner”
• Shop the Mom-preneur shops for Christmas as spotlighted at Tip Junkie

Check it out here:

Odds and Ends:

• Tips for Making Overnight Guests feel welcome – from Simple Mom
• Natural Remedies – featured at Simple Mom
• Royal Icing 101 – a good tutorial for Christmas cookie projects
• Getting Organized – another great post from Tip Junkie

 

This has certainly been a Tip Junkie and Simple Mom focused blog post. Not to worry … I’ll highlight my geeky favorites next time – just cuz I feel the need to balance out all this domestic goodness.