Today was my first intentional ROMP.
Reading On My Porch.
So I was going to read from 3-4 and see what happened. Nobody was anywhere, which is weird because there are always people on the streets in my hood. I was on the phone till 3:30 and finally just decided, what the heck, I guess I'll read by myself.
Within 5 minutes I'm sitting on my porch with 5 kids who are reading the word with me. We started with Ephesians 1:1. A book I have been reading on my own. I got through 1/2 a verse, " Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God," and the next 45 minutes we talked about who Paul was, about what it looks like when we meet Jesus and when he changes our identity. What a beautiful time it was. And the kids all walked away asking when we could do it again. They are Hungry and thirsty for the word of God.
Pray for more times like this!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
R.O.M.P. Tuesday
So, the other day, as we were praying for opportunities for the Word of God to go forth, I felt God reminding me of the work he has done as we have made ourselves available by sitting on our porch. He further reminded me of the times we have been able to minister to people as we have just read the bible on our porch.
Today I plan to start to ROMP. Read On My Porch. It's simple, but I believe God is going to use it to take His word out. Pray for successful ROMPing today!
Yes, I know it's foolish and corny. But God even uses the foolish things...
Today I plan to start to ROMP. Read On My Porch. It's simple, but I believe God is going to use it to take His word out. Pray for successful ROMPing today!
Yes, I know it's foolish and corny. But God even uses the foolish things...
Monday, September 3, 2012
Smile and Remember You Are Loved
Yesterday was one of those special days that doesn't necessarily go how you expect it to go. The RESTORE family brought a bunch of kids with us to church today. Well, some of them aren't used to being at church and abiding by the rules (rules don't go over so well for people in our neighborhood. They seem to be in place to be broken.) needless to say I see Nich get up and walk out of church during the second song. I was really into worship and didn't want anything to bother me, so I pretended not to see him. Then I get a nudge in the side.
My wonderful wife was sitting next to me, and she knew exactly what was going on. She nudged me to get my attention and then says "Dave, they are having problems with our kids in children ministry. Go and see if you can help." I might have let out a moan under my breath, just saying. And yes, my heart was not in the right spot! But I came to church for me!!! I came to worship and hear Gods word! Oops!!! Another fatal mistake, but we all make it at times, right? - The truth is, that is about the farthest from Gods heart... We gather together as the body of Christ so that he can be glorified through worship, the word, and our love for one another. I'm still learning the love part. And I have a long way to go. But even Paul in the new testament struggled with the Flesh, so I'm not alone.
This all happens in a moment. And in that same moment I find myself repenting for my selfish heart and remembering why God has brought me there. Before church I found Jacob Leonard and told him how great his blog post was on hipocracy, but had I even remembered it?? During preservice prayer I prayed that we would be free to hear the spirit and obey his direction of he wanted something different this morning. But did I really believe it?
Actions speak louder then words. I tell people that every day, and here I am. Dang! We really are a messed up people with messed up hearts.
Ok, so that is just the start of this story. I leave and go back to children's ministry where Nich is talking to one of our Kids. The kid is Crying and yelling and super angry. I just listened as Nich is talking to this kid and being so gentle with him. I think that really in my heart I just wanted to grab the kid and go back to the sanctuary so I could worship, so I jump in. I'm pretty sure I was thinking I could change his attitude and waltz back into the sanctuary a hero. ARGH, My heart is so ugly at times! My coaxing didn't work, it just worked up the kid even more.
In that moment I heard God speak. He said "Pray." I, like so many of us at so many times, knew that is was just that easy, but why is it so hard? So, mid sentence, I stop talking and start praying. I told the kid that I was just going to pray because I believed in a God who could change hearts. Nich started talking to him and I saw his heart soften, then I started talking to him and I look up and see Nich Praying. It was a beautiful testimony of prayer to see the kids heart changing before our eyes. God was answering our prayers.
We talked about the word of God, The Cross, Worship, Repentance, the body of Christ… We talked about Ephesians 1:4-5 (which I had on a card in my pocket), about Adoption as sons and how God chose us. We dialoged with the kid for a while, and he was engaged in what we were saying, asking questions, telling us things he didn't understand and asking about them…. It was sweet. Before I knew it we were back in the sanctuary and the sermon was ending. We tried to get seats, but couldn't. So we walked down front to the only space we could find, right down near the speakers on the main floor.
As we are standing there we watched dozens of people come up and get on their knees at the carpets, then they would get up and take communion. The kid looks at me and asks what they are doing.
I realized in that moment what God was doing. He had orchestrated all of this just for this one Kid, one whom he loved and wanted to save. (He was also doing a crazy work on my heart, and on Nich's heart too.)
God had perfectly ordained our previous conversation. I reminded the kid of all we talked about. We talked about the cross, being a part of the family of God, repentance and God choosing us and stirring our hearts for His. He said he wanted communion. I shared the meaning again and then told him after worship he could have all the juice and crackers he wanted if that was all he wanted. He said, No, I want to take communion for real.
We got on our knees, we prayed for a while. He repented, we worshiped, I cried. We went and took communion together. It was beautiful to see God stirring in his heart. It was amazing to see salvation take place.
It was one of those moments we have to "Smile and Remember You Are Loved". God has a purpose that is much greater then we could ever imagine. He wants to use each of us. And he orchestrates things together beyond our human comprehension. Surrender and allow the Spirit of God to move.
My wonderful wife was sitting next to me, and she knew exactly what was going on. She nudged me to get my attention and then says "Dave, they are having problems with our kids in children ministry. Go and see if you can help." I might have let out a moan under my breath, just saying. And yes, my heart was not in the right spot! But I came to church for me!!! I came to worship and hear Gods word! Oops!!! Another fatal mistake, but we all make it at times, right? - The truth is, that is about the farthest from Gods heart... We gather together as the body of Christ so that he can be glorified through worship, the word, and our love for one another. I'm still learning the love part. And I have a long way to go. But even Paul in the new testament struggled with the Flesh, so I'm not alone.
This all happens in a moment. And in that same moment I find myself repenting for my selfish heart and remembering why God has brought me there. Before church I found Jacob Leonard and told him how great his blog post was on hipocracy, but had I even remembered it?? During preservice prayer I prayed that we would be free to hear the spirit and obey his direction of he wanted something different this morning. But did I really believe it?
Actions speak louder then words. I tell people that every day, and here I am. Dang! We really are a messed up people with messed up hearts.
Ok, so that is just the start of this story. I leave and go back to children's ministry where Nich is talking to one of our Kids. The kid is Crying and yelling and super angry. I just listened as Nich is talking to this kid and being so gentle with him. I think that really in my heart I just wanted to grab the kid and go back to the sanctuary so I could worship, so I jump in. I'm pretty sure I was thinking I could change his attitude and waltz back into the sanctuary a hero. ARGH, My heart is so ugly at times! My coaxing didn't work, it just worked up the kid even more.
In that moment I heard God speak. He said "Pray." I, like so many of us at so many times, knew that is was just that easy, but why is it so hard? So, mid sentence, I stop talking and start praying. I told the kid that I was just going to pray because I believed in a God who could change hearts. Nich started talking to him and I saw his heart soften, then I started talking to him and I look up and see Nich Praying. It was a beautiful testimony of prayer to see the kids heart changing before our eyes. God was answering our prayers.
We talked about the word of God, The Cross, Worship, Repentance, the body of Christ… We talked about Ephesians 1:4-5 (which I had on a card in my pocket), about Adoption as sons and how God chose us. We dialoged with the kid for a while, and he was engaged in what we were saying, asking questions, telling us things he didn't understand and asking about them…. It was sweet. Before I knew it we were back in the sanctuary and the sermon was ending. We tried to get seats, but couldn't. So we walked down front to the only space we could find, right down near the speakers on the main floor.
As we are standing there we watched dozens of people come up and get on their knees at the carpets, then they would get up and take communion. The kid looks at me and asks what they are doing.
I realized in that moment what God was doing. He had orchestrated all of this just for this one Kid, one whom he loved and wanted to save. (He was also doing a crazy work on my heart, and on Nich's heart too.)
God had perfectly ordained our previous conversation. I reminded the kid of all we talked about. We talked about the cross, being a part of the family of God, repentance and God choosing us and stirring our hearts for His. He said he wanted communion. I shared the meaning again and then told him after worship he could have all the juice and crackers he wanted if that was all he wanted. He said, No, I want to take communion for real.
We got on our knees, we prayed for a while. He repented, we worshiped, I cried. We went and took communion together. It was beautiful to see God stirring in his heart. It was amazing to see salvation take place.
It was one of those moments we have to "Smile and Remember You Are Loved". God has a purpose that is much greater then we could ever imagine. He wants to use each of us. And he orchestrates things together beyond our human comprehension. Surrender and allow the Spirit of God to move.
Friday, June 29, 2012
An excerpt from my journal today...
Ok so today was another awesome day. And it would be selfish for me not to share the praise reports of what God did. These are only the highlights, I am leaving out the majority of the awe inspiring details, seriously!
First, we had a really sweet time in prayer this morning.
Then we had a great "Fun Day" at the community center. Amazing time with the kids.
Then we went to a ports Game as a family and with our Restore family and all this happens:
* Elijah wins the iPad at the game,
* BBC news station interviews both our community Center director and myself(now they might be interested in a tour of our neighborhood),
* we get connected with an organization that raises funds for urban ministries and also runs baseball camps for urban youth(they want to get all our kids to their 4th o July camp and game at the ports all for free),
* then I get connected to a guy who is the new resident overseer that oversees half the local college campus and he is looking for organizations he can partner with to get UOP students involved in social work organizations off campus he heard our interview and is super interested in working with us (Restore community Center!, Cable car???),
* then the MC for the ports named Rod hears Elijah's story... that he was saving for an iPad but now that he won one he wants to use that money to buy an xBox connects and donate it to the Restore Stockton Community Center. Well, Rod is super connected to the local radio and news stations and he was really excited about our vision and wants to help Restore Stockton get connected.
* Did I mention what a proud father I am!!! WOW!
All this to say, today was another regular day in our lives. A day where the Lord answers our prayers before our eyes. A day of many blessings. A day filled with things that cause us to worship God. A day of learning to follow His lead and surrender to his plans. There was much more to this day. There were radical relationships and conversations that permeate our lives... prayer is constant... the spiritual battle and the real struggle to just continue on in faith burdens us. But somehow, by Gods grace, we have made it another day in Stockton.
This Is Stockton! TIS
This is Restore Stockton!
Praise God.
First, we had a really sweet time in prayer this morning.
Then we had a great "Fun Day" at the community center. Amazing time with the kids.
Then we went to a ports Game as a family and with our Restore family and all this happens:
* Elijah wins the iPad at the game,
* BBC news station interviews both our community Center director and myself(now they might be interested in a tour of our neighborhood),
* we get connected with an organization that raises funds for urban ministries and also runs baseball camps for urban youth(they want to get all our kids to their 4th o July camp and game at the ports all for free),
* then I get connected to a guy who is the new resident overseer that oversees half the local college campus and he is looking for organizations he can partner with to get UOP students involved in social work organizations off campus he heard our interview and is super interested in working with us (Restore community Center!, Cable car???),
* then the MC for the ports named Rod hears Elijah's story... that he was saving for an iPad but now that he won one he wants to use that money to buy an xBox connects and donate it to the Restore Stockton Community Center. Well, Rod is super connected to the local radio and news stations and he was really excited about our vision and wants to help Restore Stockton get connected.
* Did I mention what a proud father I am!!! WOW!
All this to say, today was another regular day in our lives. A day where the Lord answers our prayers before our eyes. A day of many blessings. A day filled with things that cause us to worship God. A day of learning to follow His lead and surrender to his plans. There was much more to this day. There were radical relationships and conversations that permeate our lives... prayer is constant... the spiritual battle and the real struggle to just continue on in faith burdens us. But somehow, by Gods grace, we have made it another day in Stockton.
This Is Stockton! TIS
This is Restore Stockton!
Praise God.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Broken for the Children
Leaving the house this morning there was a Sunday paper on the porch. We just moved into a new house and we still get the paper from the old tenants. Our new house is only about 6 blocks south of our old house, but 6 blocks makes a night and day difference in our neighborhood. We now live "South of Harding" or... on the other side of the tracks, so to speak. This is the neighborhood God has called us to minister in, it is the neighborhood for which our hearts broke when we first moved to Stockton, this is now reality, this is Stockton.
The article that covered most of the front page caught my eye. It was about the schools in Stockton. The front page article of The Record continued on to a two page centerfold. The centerfold featured stories of children that attend Stockton schools. My heart broke and I cried as I read on...
"Half a peeled orange, a snack from 16 hours earlier, rested on the floor. An empty cup of chocolate pudding sat upside down on a shelf looking like it had been there awhile.
The wallpaper in the bedroom was torn. Dirty dishes were stacked in the sink. A pair of old toilets stood out in the backyard, filled with dirt, accompanied by an old washer and an old dryer.
Roosevelt Elementary third-grader Dakota Christian, 9, arrived home.
It was early in the school year and his stepfather, recently released from jail, listened to music that included lyrics unprintable in a family newspaper. 'You're grounded,'he told Dakota. 'You didn't do your homework last night.'
A while later Dakota's mother, Jolene, walked through the front door. When she saw a couple of visitors in the living room, she said loudly, 'This house is a filthy freakin' mess. ...Sorry.'
In the coming weeks, the disorder in the house was the least of the family's issues. By late September, there had been a series of events that Dakota matter-of-factly recounted.
He said his stepfather had been sent back to jail for eight months because he'd arrived for a meeting with his parole officer " carrying a buck knife." Dakota said his biological father would soon be released from jail.
His grandmother, he said had moved in because her house had burned down.
And after someone tried to break in, Dakota said his mother had used extension cords to electrify the fence in the front of the house. When she was rigging it up, Dakota said Joelene tested the fence by tossing a bag of popcorn at it.
'The bag caught on fire,' Dakota recalled, laughing.
The house is a menagerie with snakes, dogs, chickens and rabbits among the residents.
Dakota sleeps in the upper bunk in a bedroom he shares with his older brother Aaron, an 11-year-old Roosevelt fifth-grader. Aaron was suspended four times in the opening months of School after altercations.
Dakota has chubby cheeks, wire-rimmed glasses, a blond brush cut and an innocent sweetness..." -Quoted from story "Dakota, 9"
The Record also showed these startling statistics about the Roosevelt neighborhood... API Scores 578, 97% of children receive subsidized school lunches, median household income $26, 953, 30% of families live below the federal poverty line, students learning English is 46%, and 20% of households have no car. This neighborhood is a stones throw from our home.
It also stated that one of Roosevelt's greatest challenges has been staff turnover. Half of the schools 20 teachers departed after last school year, due to budget cuts. and that some of the teachers experience culture shock when students come to them and say things like that they haven't eaten all weekend.
One thing I have noticed in our neighborhood is the children. My heart goes out for them and so do my prayers. I see children who look like they haven eaten in days, 6 year olds cussing out their parents, children running wild in the streets... It is chaos. Yesterday I saw a mother yell at her 18 month old to come back to the porch. When she didn't get her daughters attention she sprayed her with the water hose!!! I wanted to run across the street and.... I can't say. It was infuriating!!!!
The stories of abused and neglected children in today's paper is, as I believe, the norm here in Stockton. We are a city of mostly broken families... But aren't all our families broken? We are a truly broken people. I think that here in Stockton the only difference is that some of the things that mask our brokenness have been stripped away. Think of these things. Pray God continues to strip them away from all our lives so we recognize the need for him and respond to his call.
PRAY!!! PRAY!!! PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
God works in Mysterious ways!
So tonight I was on my way home from a long day with Elijah and friends and I get a call from a homeless gentleman that we were ministering to a few nights ago. We have spent a little time with this man on a few occasions...given him rides, gotten him food, and shared the Gospel with him. The other night was probably the best time we have had with him. It seemed like he was hearing the Gospel and we had a really good time of prayer with him. This time he asked for a ride to Westin Ranch, about a 25 minute drive from Stockton. I was still about 45 minutes away from home and we had to stop for dinner too, so I told him I would pick him up from the bus stop between 9:30 and 10p.
While we were eating my heart was super heavy for this Man. I felt like I shouldn't give him the ride alone but wasn't sure who could ride with me. Then I get a call from My wife, Raegan. She tells me that there's a man at the door who wants to see me. I'll call him "my friend" for his sake. My friend is someone who has never been to church and is not a Christian, but he has been coming to our house for prayer and council for a while now. We have gotten to know him pretty well. So he gets on the phone and says that he just wanted to talk about things...this is the first time he has come to the house sober (longer story for another blog). I told him I could meet him at the coffee shop in 15 minutes and he agrees.
15 minutes later I find myself at the coffee shop with "my friend". He just wanted to talk, which really meant he wanted Jesus. (Its funny, he keeps coming by our house and saying "I don't even know why I come here, I just know I'm supposed to...like God is telling me." I smile cause I know exactly why God has him here.) I suggested he ride with me to give the other gentleman a ride to Westin Ranch and he agrees. On our way to pick the other gentleman up he asks a million questions. He cannot figure out why I have this Love in my heart....I stole the opportunity to share the Gospel again and I think he started to get it. While answering his questions I tell him a little about this other gentleman. About how this man has lied to me and given me some crazy con stories because that is what he thinks he needs to do to hustle a ride from me. My friend is trippin!
As we pull up to the bus stop my friend tells me not to worry, if this man tries to pull something he is going to beat him to death. I said "where's the Love in that? Our love should not be conditional on him telling the truth." While we are picking the man up my friend is in deep thought. The first thing the homeless man does is start to back his way out of his lies. I stopped him and said that it didn't matter if he had lied to me, I knew he was lying all along and I still fed him and had given him rides, my love was not conditional on his actions.
I know this sounds crazy, but this is really happening... The man starts telling me how hes always trying to be good and do right but he can't....So I go into the Gospel and start sharing how God Loves us just how we are....It is at this point that my friend jumps in and finishes the Gospel. Ha! this is really happening.... this friend of mine who has heard the gospel dozens of times is now sharing the gospel to this homeless man with me!!!
Ok, so I can't finish this story because its not over. The homeless man is not yet saved. He wants to come to church and I hope to be able to take him tomorrow (Today). Also my friend is not saved, he has an addiction to alcohol that is tearing apart his family and keeping him f rom Jesus. He also has a hard time believing that God loves him and accepts him just as he is. My Heart is Super Heavy for these Men. Please pray for their salvation. PLEASE!!!
This is just a part of the ministry here in Stockton. There are dozens of people just like this that we as a Church body minister to. People are getting saved and God is transforming their lives. God has been doing radical things and answering radical prayers. Some prayers seem trivial, but God cares.... We are moving to a different neighborhood, Lord willing, and the day we decided to move I told Raegan we needed to get a dog...We prayed and didn't tell anyone....the very next day someone we know shows up at our house unannounced and says she is moving and has to get rid of her puppy she just got...God gave us a new dog! A few weeks ago we had a baptism at the church. I had gotten a pool to use but someone suggested we needed a pool ladder to get into it. We didn't have the money so I said if the Lord wants us to have one he will provide it and we prayed. I found one the next day on the side of the freeway while on a very random drive north of stockton. It was in perfect condition and the perfect size. God has provided everything we need just when we need it....
The big lesson: God always provides exactly what we need...it's not always what we think we need, but it's EXACTLY what we need!!! He is always faithful. Praise the Lord!
While we were eating my heart was super heavy for this Man. I felt like I shouldn't give him the ride alone but wasn't sure who could ride with me. Then I get a call from My wife, Raegan. She tells me that there's a man at the door who wants to see me. I'll call him "my friend" for his sake. My friend is someone who has never been to church and is not a Christian, but he has been coming to our house for prayer and council for a while now. We have gotten to know him pretty well. So he gets on the phone and says that he just wanted to talk about things...this is the first time he has come to the house sober (longer story for another blog). I told him I could meet him at the coffee shop in 15 minutes and he agrees.
15 minutes later I find myself at the coffee shop with "my friend". He just wanted to talk, which really meant he wanted Jesus. (Its funny, he keeps coming by our house and saying "I don't even know why I come here, I just know I'm supposed to...like God is telling me." I smile cause I know exactly why God has him here.) I suggested he ride with me to give the other gentleman a ride to Westin Ranch and he agrees. On our way to pick the other gentleman up he asks a million questions. He cannot figure out why I have this Love in my heart....I stole the opportunity to share the Gospel again and I think he started to get it. While answering his questions I tell him a little about this other gentleman. About how this man has lied to me and given me some crazy con stories because that is what he thinks he needs to do to hustle a ride from me. My friend is trippin!
As we pull up to the bus stop my friend tells me not to worry, if this man tries to pull something he is going to beat him to death. I said "where's the Love in that? Our love should not be conditional on him telling the truth." While we are picking the man up my friend is in deep thought. The first thing the homeless man does is start to back his way out of his lies. I stopped him and said that it didn't matter if he had lied to me, I knew he was lying all along and I still fed him and had given him rides, my love was not conditional on his actions.
I know this sounds crazy, but this is really happening... The man starts telling me how hes always trying to be good and do right but he can't....So I go into the Gospel and start sharing how God Loves us just how we are....It is at this point that my friend jumps in and finishes the Gospel. Ha! this is really happening.... this friend of mine who has heard the gospel dozens of times is now sharing the gospel to this homeless man with me!!!
Ok, so I can't finish this story because its not over. The homeless man is not yet saved. He wants to come to church and I hope to be able to take him tomorrow (Today). Also my friend is not saved, he has an addiction to alcohol that is tearing apart his family and keeping him f rom Jesus. He also has a hard time believing that God loves him and accepts him just as he is. My Heart is Super Heavy for these Men. Please pray for their salvation. PLEASE!!!
This is just a part of the ministry here in Stockton. There are dozens of people just like this that we as a Church body minister to. People are getting saved and God is transforming their lives. God has been doing radical things and answering radical prayers. Some prayers seem trivial, but God cares.... We are moving to a different neighborhood, Lord willing, and the day we decided to move I told Raegan we needed to get a dog...We prayed and didn't tell anyone....the very next day someone we know shows up at our house unannounced and says she is moving and has to get rid of her puppy she just got...God gave us a new dog! A few weeks ago we had a baptism at the church. I had gotten a pool to use but someone suggested we needed a pool ladder to get into it. We didn't have the money so I said if the Lord wants us to have one he will provide it and we prayed. I found one the next day on the side of the freeway while on a very random drive north of stockton. It was in perfect condition and the perfect size. God has provided everything we need just when we need it....
The big lesson: God always provides exactly what we need...it's not always what we think we need, but it's EXACTLY what we need!!! He is always faithful. Praise the Lord!
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