I'm sending out a request for prayer to all our friends. Please pray for our house in Sherman to sell. We have been trying to sell our house for the last three years, without much progress. We have made several updates and have lowered the price three times, but still no real offers to move ahead with.
We live our lives each day in Anna. We work there. Our kids go to school there and are involved in numerous after school activities. We lead Journey Groups there. We are actively involved in the community there. Our house in Sherman has really become nothing more than a hotel that we arrive at late most nights only to crash and get up and get going again the next morning.
The driving and the late nights keep us exhausted at all times. We have almost no down time and little time that we get to just chill with each other. Keeping the house meticulously clean and ready to show at all times (which we aren't always able to do) is another source of exhaustion for us. And, the rising cost of gas makes driving back and forth, sometimes more than once in a day, a real budget strain.
So, I'm issuing an all call for prayer, serious, constant, persistent prayer. My mantra right now that rings through my head all day is: "God, please let our house sell." I'd love to have some of you agreeing the same thing for us.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Home
Several months ago our church started on a new journey. We started to care for the homeless. Oh, I know, all churches care for the homeless, right? Well, yes, I am sure that just about all churches have a concern for the homeless and do some things to express that concern, and I don't for a minute belittle the countless things Christians all over the world do for the homeless. I just mean that our concern for the homeless began to take on a very real expression.
As a church, we have become burdened about putting some legs to our faith and actually taking on some of the things that God says we are supposed to be about as his followers, things like bringing justice to the imprisoned, food for the hungry, clothes for those in need, releasing the chains of oppression, and providing shelter for the homeless. I have to give my wife, LaRissa, most of the credit for being the one God has used to drive me and our church to a greater passion for these things.
Last year we began to learn more about The Samaritan Inn, the only homeless shelter in Collin County, TX, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. LaRissa attended an orientation at the Inn and discovered several ways we could be involved. One of the first things we did was just spend a day putting in some volunteer hours painting at the Inn.
The project that really inspired us, however, was the Apartment Adoption Program. The Inn recently built the Gateway Apartments, an apartment complex to be used as transitional housing for families who are exiting the Inn and trying to rebuild a life for themselves. Residents of the apartments pay rent on an income based scale and pay for their food and utilities. Adopting an apartment means completely furnishing an apartment for a new resident as they are preparing to move in.
After learning about this program, we felt this was really one of the avenues through which our church could be involved in ministering to the homeless in a tangible way. So, we signed up to adopt an apartment. Mind you, our congregation has about 125 people in it, so this was a real challenge for our people. We began collecting items for the apartment in early March with the goal of having the apartment ready by the end of May.
The Crossroadies did such an incredible job of taking on this apartment. We divided the apartment by room for our Journey Groups to adopt as their mission project, and each of the groups did an amazing job. The parents of one of our members sold their home and donated a couch, love seat, end tables, and a dining table. All of them were beautiful pieces of furniture. Another group equipped the kitchen with utensils, small appliances, towels, silverware, dishes, and cookware, and filled the pantry and freezer in preparation for the family. Amazingly, even though all this stuff came from different groups and people who just heard about what we were doing, the living room furniture and the decorations on the walls and the place settings on the table and the decor in the rooms all matched perfectly.
We found out that the apartment was going to be for a father and his two-year-old little girl who had been living in their car prior to coming to the Inn. So, one of our groups took on the room for the little girl. They got a princess toddler bed, fairy decorations, and a beautiful chest of drawers. Another couple built a toy chest for her, and we filled the toy chest with little girl toys. Another person heard about what we were doing and donated a closet full of beautiful little girl clothes.
Another group took on the dad's room. They got bedroom furniture, bedding, night stands, and awesome, manly decorations for his room. Then, we found out that the dad got a better job in another city and would not be moving in to the apartment. We praised God for his job, but wondered what we would do next.
Another family was waiting in the wings for the apartment. Only problem, this family was a young mother, and her three kids, ages 5, 2, and 1. Oh, and two of them were boys. Our people took on the challenge, however. We completely changed the little girl room to a boy room complete with cars and trucks and Spiderman toys and a crib for the baby. We moved the little girl stuff into the mom's room, and once again were ready for our family. We found out the mom and kids were fleeing an abusive relationship when she came to the Inn.
The greatest moment of all was when this family got the keys to their apartment. Last Wednesday, several Crossroadies gathered in the apartment and waited for this mom to have the keys handed over to her. As the mom unlocked the door and came into the apartment with her kids and her mom, we all cheered for her and this incredible step she was taking for her and her kids. They ran from room to room with tears in their eyes as they saw the incredible home God had provided for them. The kids went for the toys like it was Christmas morning. We got out of the way quickly to allow this family time to settle in to their new home, but before we left, we gathered around them and prayed God's abundant blessings on them.
As we drove away, I remembered that as followers of Jesus, we are strangers here on earth without a home. But Jesus promised when he left that he was going to prepare a home for us. Ever since he left the earth he has been preparing a home for us. And one day, we finally get to see the place that is our real home. I can't wait. And I can't wait for the next time we get to provide another family with an amazing gift ... a home.
As a church, we have become burdened about putting some legs to our faith and actually taking on some of the things that God says we are supposed to be about as his followers, things like bringing justice to the imprisoned, food for the hungry, clothes for those in need, releasing the chains of oppression, and providing shelter for the homeless. I have to give my wife, LaRissa, most of the credit for being the one God has used to drive me and our church to a greater passion for these things.
Last year we began to learn more about The Samaritan Inn, the only homeless shelter in Collin County, TX, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. LaRissa attended an orientation at the Inn and discovered several ways we could be involved. One of the first things we did was just spend a day putting in some volunteer hours painting at the Inn.
The project that really inspired us, however, was the Apartment Adoption Program. The Inn recently built the Gateway Apartments, an apartment complex to be used as transitional housing for families who are exiting the Inn and trying to rebuild a life for themselves. Residents of the apartments pay rent on an income based scale and pay for their food and utilities. Adopting an apartment means completely furnishing an apartment for a new resident as they are preparing to move in.
After learning about this program, we felt this was really one of the avenues through which our church could be involved in ministering to the homeless in a tangible way. So, we signed up to adopt an apartment. Mind you, our congregation has about 125 people in it, so this was a real challenge for our people. We began collecting items for the apartment in early March with the goal of having the apartment ready by the end of May.
The Crossroadies did such an incredible job of taking on this apartment. We divided the apartment by room for our Journey Groups to adopt as their mission project, and each of the groups did an amazing job. The parents of one of our members sold their home and donated a couch, love seat, end tables, and a dining table. All of them were beautiful pieces of furniture. Another group equipped the kitchen with utensils, small appliances, towels, silverware, dishes, and cookware, and filled the pantry and freezer in preparation for the family. Amazingly, even though all this stuff came from different groups and people who just heard about what we were doing, the living room furniture and the decorations on the walls and the place settings on the table and the decor in the rooms all matched perfectly.
We found out that the apartment was going to be for a father and his two-year-old little girl who had been living in their car prior to coming to the Inn. So, one of our groups took on the room for the little girl. They got a princess toddler bed, fairy decorations, and a beautiful chest of drawers. Another couple built a toy chest for her, and we filled the toy chest with little girl toys. Another person heard about what we were doing and donated a closet full of beautiful little girl clothes.
Another group took on the dad's room. They got bedroom furniture, bedding, night stands, and awesome, manly decorations for his room. Then, we found out that the dad got a better job in another city and would not be moving in to the apartment. We praised God for his job, but wondered what we would do next.
Another family was waiting in the wings for the apartment. Only problem, this family was a young mother, and her three kids, ages 5, 2, and 1. Oh, and two of them were boys. Our people took on the challenge, however. We completely changed the little girl room to a boy room complete with cars and trucks and Spiderman toys and a crib for the baby. We moved the little girl stuff into the mom's room, and once again were ready for our family. We found out the mom and kids were fleeing an abusive relationship when she came to the Inn.
The greatest moment of all was when this family got the keys to their apartment. Last Wednesday, several Crossroadies gathered in the apartment and waited for this mom to have the keys handed over to her. As the mom unlocked the door and came into the apartment with her kids and her mom, we all cheered for her and this incredible step she was taking for her and her kids. They ran from room to room with tears in their eyes as they saw the incredible home God had provided for them. The kids went for the toys like it was Christmas morning. We got out of the way quickly to allow this family time to settle in to their new home, but before we left, we gathered around them and prayed God's abundant blessings on them.
As we drove away, I remembered that as followers of Jesus, we are strangers here on earth without a home. But Jesus promised when he left that he was going to prepare a home for us. Ever since he left the earth he has been preparing a home for us. And one day, we finally get to see the place that is our real home. I can't wait. And I can't wait for the next time we get to provide another family with an amazing gift ... a home.
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