Thursday, July 30, 2009

Happy Birthday...to us

Last week I was in taking care of a patient, sitting there in the Red Cross Conference room - weeding through the maze of health care resources and trying to help people connect with doctors when they have no money and many no prospect of money. Trying to get them onto meds that they can afford and yet still be safe - trying to help them.

I was feeling hurt and sad at how we as a society have let so many of our people go without adequate health care - hurting for their lack medicine when they need it so much, glad to be able to help, but concerned for their lack of help.

I often try to notice something about a patient when we first meet - it is one of the ways i have found to help people feel more relaxed and comfortable when we meet. So, in walked a patient with an unusual birthday - 12/24...Christmas Eve. "What a beautiful gift you must have been to your parents," is what I said - and wholeheartedly meant it - and there the tough doctor melted inside and looked deeply into their eyes and said, "Really, you must have been a wonderful gift." Here is this person - down and out, out of work, unable to pay for health care, seeing me because they need help and don't know where to turn. Shunned by society, many would think them beneath the rest of the town and world. Beaten down, mowed over, feelings not considered, many times it turns out, treated less than human. This person...was a beautiful gift.

Then it began to shake inside me, ringing back to the talk i give to my new parents, while they and their baby are still in the nursery at the hospital - "Don't forget that this baby is a beautiful gift from God - He chose one day that the world needed a Johnny, or Elizabeth or whatever the name might be - and He sent them to You. He made them just like they are, beautiful and perfect and soft and small - a gift to you and the world."

Then, as the 2 different types of visits began to come together in my head, it began to tear apart the fact that i was somehow doing the serving for this person who sat in front of me. It was not just me who was the gift to them to help them with their healthcare - I was - but they were too - they were a gift to me and to the world as a whole - that did not stop on Christmas Eve so many years ago. God made them especially for the world, in that moment and in the Red Cross Conference room - He has a wonderful painting to paint of their life.

Their value as a gift does not come from how much they make or how good their insurance is, not from their bank account or what trauma has happened to them in the course of their life not from the illnesses they have or have been treated or cured from. Their value rests in the fact that the creator of all that is, one day, decided the world needed them - He hand crafted them and gave them to us, all of us, on that day so long ago when they were born, Christmas Eve or any other day.

This was one of the gifts to me from Community Outreach 2009. Simple - a birthday. We all have one - and we are all fabulous gifts with value beyond measure -none with anymore value than the rest to the one who made us.

So, when I looked into the eyes of that person and all the rest i saw last week and told them that we were doing this because we wanted them to realize that we thought they were important - no matter what else anybody else may say about them - I meant it...

It was like the greatest birthday party ever!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Mission Trip - Friday

Well, this is the last of the mission trip posts - hope I have at least partially begun to capture the power this week has had in our lives.


I will need to begin with Thursday night, because I wrongly wrote on the last post that we went home Thursday night after dinner - and I am glad we did not - even though we were so tired. No, we went to McAllister Recreation Center, for our normal time to get together, to hang out and enjoy some time chillin. We started with some time to recognize the coolness of God - we brought flowers from all over - small and large - some which grow on the side of the road, some carefully planted, watered and fertilized. We were reminded of how beautiful they are. Even if we might mow them down if they grew in our grass, or even pull them if they were in our flower beds, they are fabulous...and we were reminded that people are the same way - no matter what society thinks of them - if they care for them and think they are the greatest, richest, most wonderful people, or if society puts them down, treat them like weeds, and mows them over like they don't matter, they are all amazingly beautiful - unique creations, crafted by a God who intended them to be here on this earth. We would do well to remember this, in each day, and honor all of God's creations, no matter what.


After this time of focusing on the coolness of God, we took some time to notice each other. We do this by talking to God about each other - you see, we believe that the same God who made us all equally valuable wants us to talk to Him and ask Him to be part of each moment of our lives. We notice each other by, if we choose, writing something we are concerned about, some hurt in our lives, etc and this can be done with a name on the paper or not - and then we, without knowing who wrote what, exchange them by drawing one out of a plastic lid. Then, for the next 2wks, when we think of it or see the piece of paper, we talk to God about that person's problem - it is a wonderful way for us to care for each other and to involve God in our problems.


Last, we had some teaching. This time I handed out puzzle pieces to each of the people in the circle. They were then asked to put the puzzle together. The problem was that not all the pieces fit. This simple lesson was used to remind us that we often try all kinds of things in this life to see where we "fit" - that is, where we have fullness of life and joy and peace, usually finding that things like money and relationships and possessions and power and education and religion, etc, etc, etc, do not seem to fully satisfy - they do not completely "fit". We find our "fit" when we begin to go to God as the placer of our puzzle piece and allow Him to put us where we belong. We are not saying, by any means, that all our problems go away when this happens - only that this way of living (trying to invove God in the moments of our days) has a very real sense of our piece being in the right "puzzle" and our life moving in the direction toward what it was always supposed to be. We are at home - finally. We wrapped up with a time of celebrating all God has done for us and went to our homes to rest for Friday.


Friday dawned and we scooted ourselves to Howarth Center with 6 dozen eggs,banana bread, zucchini bread and a breakfast casserole and our skillets - ready to make fried eggs. We arrived to the familiar line of people, waiting to get some food for their needy families - many already having been there for hours. After enjoying our last breakfast of the week with the wonderful folks at Transitional Housing - who downed those 6 dozen eggs in about 20minutes - we went to the clinic and outside to the parking lot to again face those "flowers" beautifully made by God, who waited in line. They came through - one by one, family by family - so thankful for the chance to get something to feed their hungry families. Who knew there we so many who needed something to eat in our own town? The wonderful people from More than more greeted each, helped them sign up for food, and let them know how much they mattered to us - that there was care and hope in the world - and it wasn't based on how they were dressed, what job they had or didn't have, or any characteristic about them, but only based on the fact that God made them wonderfully and beautifully - their value no different than ours.



This morning was different than the others for 2 reasons: 1) We had our friends, The Ashcrafts, with us. They are a wonderful and caring husband and wife dentist team from our town, who volunteered their time to do dental screenings for school and to help teach about good dental health. They were awesome - pointing people to the resources in our community that could help them and giving those with less dental problems advice on how to best care for their teeth. and 2) We began to receive mail - we got thank you after thank you slid under the door at the clinic, hand written notes hand delivered to Melissa - the outpouring of thanks was humbling - I wanted to say, "We only did because we love you!!!" but instead, with head usually lowered simply said, "Thanks." One of the cards even suggested that the person was going to write to the president to tell them how great we were! Little do they know - we care no more what the president thinks of us than what they think of us!



The middle of the day meant taking lists to be filled at WalMart, then loading up, paying and organizing the orders by family so they could be easily picked up in the afternoon. It was so amazing to see the kids helping along side the adults - all seemed to be catching the wonder of God in the caring for those around us!





Then came to the passing out of the food. Andrea simply beamed at the chance to share bus tokens with those who had no other means of transportation. It is humbling to see the need, right around us - we drive by these people everyday. People kept coming up and telling us about how the shoes or clothing was working out - so many of them were wearing nice shiny new shoes! My heart leapt with joy to see them enjoying and savoring our love for them in the form of leather, and soles and laces!



We finished the day with dinner with our new friends from Transitional Housing. There were many hugs all around. We spent time sharing the delights of the day and the week - how it had changed us, then a little time trying to dream what might be next for this little group of "people lovers" - wondering what this kind of idea, this unselfish loving, this marvelous love that God has given us and we so desire to share might do to a world so broken as ours...




We hope that if you are one of the ones we have served this week and are reading this, that you have felt the love we feel for you this week and in these words. If you are one of those who was serving - I am so proud of you and proud to be associated with you -you exemplify that kind of life that More than more is all about. If you are neither - don't you want to be involved something so grand and wonderful as this?


For those of you who are already trying to involve God in the moments of your life - please take this week as a challenge to you - look into your heart, your soul, do you find a true willingness to love Jesus' way? If not, begin asking Him into the everyday moments of your life - ask Him to fill your world with His love. Look around you for people to reach out to - they will be intrigued and called out by this kind of love - if they are not interested in church - please bring them to More than more, we would love to have you.




For those of you who are simply fascinated by how people can be so loving and willing to give freely of themselves - make no mistake - we do not do this because we are "good people" - we are totally messed up! Our lives have invovled so much mess and problem - most people would shake their heads in disgust if they only knew. We are only capable of this because of this amazing love of God in us and our consistent attempts to invite Him into our lives on a moment by moment, day by day, basis. This is not about keeping sets of rules, sticking to your pew and making sure that you do all the things you are supposed to do, not about being good or even right. It is about loving and understanding the beauty of a God who made us all beautifully - no matter where we are planted.



If this kind of life appeals to you - please join us - many have been nervous about it - and they have not regretted joining a place where everyone loves - because we are loved. We hope to see you 8/6/9 6:45-8:00PM McAllister Recreation Center, 20th and Schuyler Ave, Lafayette.




Saturday, July 25, 2009

Mission Trip...Days 3&4

We had an absolute blast during this week - loving - and giving of ourselves to the community. I have decided to break the week up into 3 sections to blog on as otherwise it would be too long of a post - which I have had problems with in the past...

Wednesday was a light, kind of recovery, day for us. The clinic in the Red Cross conference room ran as usual and we saw floods of people who have been layed off, just got out of prison, got divorced and lost their insurance and needed health care or help with medicines and help connecting with the resources in the community. Over and over and over again we heard people who were confused about whether we were some governmental agency, or with the Red Cross, or what, and when we explained that we were just people from their own town, taking time off from work and life to care for them - no charge and no agenda but to care about and love them, we saw hardened faces soften, sometimes to tears - that this kind of love existed in the world. One man even insisted that we allow him to pay in some way and another that we must want something, that nobody wants nothing and Nicole explained that we were just there to care about him - it took a while, but he began to understand that we were truly there to love him - revolutionary! Each day, we felt more and more that this is some kind of life changing, town changing, world changing force that we were dealing with - not just a cutesy-tootsy idea to have fun and give some time - it was awe-inspiring at times.

Sadly, even in the setting of us giving our time and energy to help people, we had increasing amounts of people each day who were there to abuse us for their narcotics habits, trying to get us to prescribe them certain things that they wanted, sometimes being downright nasty to us if we did not provide them with what they wanted. I must explain - having been practicing in Lafayette for 9 years now - that this is very common and does not feel nearly so hurtful to me as it once did (and I understand better than ever that those who are doing it are often so hurt and messed up inside that I actually have hurt in my heart for them and their situations way more than I used to) - but in this setting where I exposed myself to care freely for anyone, for those who cannot get any care, this seemed like an extra insult to me and to those who waited in line behind them for help with their blood pressure, diabetes, etc - some of them having had problems for years without any health care. I felt very taken advantage of...hurt.

Wednesday for the "Basic Needs" help was a day of rest and recovery - we worked on our plans for Thursday (clothing) and Friday (food). In the evening, we were up until after midnight putting together the sign up sheets, batting around thoughts about the whole thing, and trying to prayerfully decide what would be the best way to do the next 2 days. We decided, after having worked a couple days within the "Basic Needs" system in Lafayette - that there were very many places to get food and clothing in our community - food for almost nothing and clothing for nothing or very inexpensively. We began to feel like we needed to do more than just give people a pair of shoes or some clothes or food, we needed to make them aware of the places in their own town who were available year round to help them with their "Basic Needs." So, with some help from the wonderful people at Lafayette Transitional Housing, we put together lists of these places to give out to each person coming to get help on Thursday and Friday.


Thursday dawned and as we rushed to make it on time for the preparation of the breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy (70 biscuits and 2 huge pots of gravy) and 4 dozen cheesy scrambled eggs, we arrived at the Howarth Center to find a line, already formed, to get some clothing. In fact, we learned that people had been there since 4AM! We had local firefighters come and talk about safety in the morning to the people standing in line and in the afternoon we had Rebecca, our guest nutritionist, come and talk about healthy diets (She was also there on Tuesday - thanks Rebecca and Kevin !). The clinic went on as usual (I told everyone I had the easiest job of the week - same as what I do everyday) and at 9:30 AM began the craziness of having people sign up for clothing. Each family could choose 2 new things from a list. They filed through slowly as the wonderful people from More than more greeted them, gently expressed our care for them and helped them get signed up to give them something new for their family.



We were somewhat surprised and hurt as we saw that there were some who complained during each day, it seemed, that what they wanted was not on the list, or they did not like the way it was being done. There were some families who, we were told, sent in multiple members to get more than the "2" to be given to them and even some talking about how they were going to take them back to the store and get cash. We even heard that there was some fighting in the line as folks waited to receive our love, in the form of clothing, and that the Police had to be called once. This may have been the hardest part of the week for many of us - faced with the inability to meet all the needs presented to us, we were giving our own money, our own time, energy, passion...our own hearts and souls. Yet, like the nasty drug seeker in the free clinic, we were being taken advantage of, hurt, beaten down...our exposed souls were smashed under the weight of greed and manipulation. We wept silently at home and prayed that we would gain new strength.


Then we began to realize that as we loved unconditionally, in order to help those that no one else was helping, we were helping them - but in doing it, we were giving permission to those who chose to hurt and abuse to hurt us - with no defences against them, we simply felt the pain and focused our energy on those who we were helping, only to lick our wounds later. We realized that as we helped some peoples' lives to be transformed by the wonder and goodness of God, we were paying a price of betrayal by others. Then, like tidal waves it began to hit us that this is Jesus' way. He loved without condition, only to be beaten, betrayed, hurt, even killed. He gave permission to those He was loving to hurt Him, because He chose for His love to be bigger than their greed and anger and hate. We realized a little more than we ever have how amazing His pain must have been...and how amazing His love. Then, in a really strange way, we began to relish the pain - not because we liked it - but because we realized that the pain was actually the only way we would ever reach those who needed us the most - and it was worth it...and because we identified ourselves in an entirely new way with the most glorious lover of all time, Jesus. We also decided that this kind of Community Outreach probably wouldn't be very sustainable for long if there was not God-given love at the heart of it - no matter how good thinking the ideas are, no matter how kind the person. If they do not understand this kind of heartaching love, that is so willing to be hurt, they cannot possibly sustain their care with the same kind of intensity and passion that it began - they will invariably become jaded and cynical and thick-skinned - which is why so many who invest in this type of work "burn out." But with the love of God deeply soaking us, we were actually excited about the rest of the week, praying that we would focus on the wonder, not the hurt.

I need to pause here and let you know something about More than more. We are honest. I have lived a lifetime around Christians who have acted their way through life. Always smiling, painted on the smile, inside dying sometimes. Read through the year's worth of blog entries on this site and you will quickly find that we deal with life realistically - we are not fake. We realize that no life is without its problems - even life following after God - we just see life following Him as a much better alternative to what the rest of the world does - the only way to find ultimate meaning, purpose, fun, fulfillment and joy.


Well, the middle of the day was spent taking the lists, each separated by family, to WalMart, where their workers were waiting to put together the orders, then to have our wonderful group members come in their vans, load up, pay and then head back to Howarth Center to give out the clothes - people were again gathered, waiting for their new clothing, at least an hour before we were to begin. Then, one by one, they approached the tables gave their name and were presented with our best gift of love - wonderful new clothes for folks some of which may have rarely, if ever, had anything to wear that was new. The looks on their faces were priceless and the wonder of God's love was everywhere. This was a picture of God's love - the type shown in the life of Jesus.

After the clothing was claimed and the volunteers were exhausted, we all gathered back at Lafayette Transitional Housing for dinner. Our cooks (also seemingly tireless wonderful, loving people from More than more) had food waiting for us - something different each night, as we shared a meal with the folks there. We ended each night with a time of decompression and discussion and headed for home (a place I'm not sure I ever appreciated so much ever before).

Thanks

We very much appreciate the kind words. It has been a great journey seeing what God can do...simply...in the lives of people who love Him. We really do care without any strings attached - that care comes straight from the love of God in our hearts.

Melissa and I were talking about it all last night - how something like this could happen anywhere - the thing is, the sacrifice and difficulties attached to doing this kind of thing in the U.S. we think would make it really hard for those who don't have Christ's love in their hearts to keep going.

If you are interested in learning more about a God who could give people this kind of love - in a non-church setting, in a relaxed and fun way, please join us 8/6, 20th and Schuyler Ave, at McAllister Recreation Center in Lafayette - 6:45-8:00PM, of course, there will be free child care.

Here is the google maps link to how to get there:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=McAllister+Recreation+Center+Lafayette+IN&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.59616,90.527344&ie=UTF8&ll=40.445379,-86.87439&spn=0.152847,0.353622&z=12

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mission Trip...after 2 days


Well, we are 2 days into our Outreach to Lafayette, and, although crazy and sometimes verging on chaotic, it has been an absolute blast!! We have seen love given, received, and returned so many times that we cannot even begin to count them. We would be defined by most as the "givers" in this week, but we are receiving tons!! And to think that most Americans feel like they need to go somewhere outside their own town to have such a wonderful experience!


In 2 days, we have seen almost 100 patients in our makeshift clinic - thanks to Bob Wollenburg and the Red Cross for letting us use their conference room! Not one of them has paid a nickel and nearly all of them have no ability to pay for any doctor visits at all. Many of


them have not been able to buy any medicine for months because they have no means to buy it and we have been able to buy dozens of their meds for them - helping them live healthier lives. Plus, we have been able to connect them with resources in our community where they can continue to receive care and assistance with their medicines, allowing the help to continue after we are done!


Many, including a bunch of our kids, were able to helped to stock the food pantry with Lafayette Transitional Housing and helped sort and place donations in their clothing pantry as well (Madison, 6 years old, even told me that that was the hardest she had ever worked in her life!!). They got to help as people came and got food and clothing for their families yesterday at Transitional Housing (By the way, these people are heros - we are doing this for a week and they spend their lives dedicated to helping people get food and clothes, places to live and jobs - if you ever are looking for a worthy cause to give to - this is one!!)


Some of us were in homes, cleaning up basements after flooding so that people can have a better place to live. These guys worked their butts off and had a good time doing it.


Our wonderful cooks have made breakfast, lunch and dinner the last 2 days for us and the folks at Transitional Housing (with help from a wonderful group of church people who come and cook for them every Monday night!!) and the compliments can't be big enough for the quality of the food!


Our babysitters, Sam and Ashley, have taken the week off work and are tirelessly (ok...they're tired too!) working like crazy to keep the kids entertained and corralled - not to mention helping with the service stuff, along side the kids.


Then there was "shoe day." Today, any folks not cooking or working in the clinic part of the trip watched 300+ people who can't afford to buy shoes, file through and sign up for shoes for their families...615 pairs total! It was quite a scene! In the middle of the day, these slips, one for each family were taken to a local store, where the staff there filled the orders for us, and we picked them up, paid and got them back to Howarth Center just in time to begin giving them out to everyone! It was a remarkable sight to see so many in our own community who need so much that we take for granted - ask me how many pairs of shoes I have and I won't want to answer after today...


One of our folks was coming into the building as an older man was standing by his car int he parking lot and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him quietly lift up the shoes he had been given and kiss the box.


One little girl, so excited about her new shoes, ran back and gave a 4 leaf clover to Melissa and a big hug, along with a "Thank you."


One man remarked at dinner that his feet already felt better in his new boots!


This is just a sample - I can't even tell you how many touching and amazing things have happened in the "doctor" part of all this - my heart melts thinking about it!




As I discussed with the team last night - we like to talk a lot about love in this country, and especially this group. But love was not made to just sit still - it goes and goes and goes after what it loves. We...love people...and we...are going.


This is the kind of love that God shows us - He loves us so much - but He was not ok with just being far away loving us - He chases us and runs after us - He wants us to find our true place in life, a better way, "More" than all the things that Americans spend their time running after and find themselves so empty and lost in - and the only way to really do it was to come Himself - as Jesus - because He loves us. This love - this is the kind of idea that changes worlds - revolutionary and wonderful - and right now...I'm basking in it...


7/9/9 update - One neighborhood, endings and beginnings

Just wanted to update you on what happened at our last get together, 7/9/9. We spent a fabulous evening together. We started out at a friend of mine’s house – her name is Linda Johnson. She has been through a myriad of problems in her life and I have had the pain and pleasure to walk with her through many of them. In the last few years, her lungs have been failing. She was recently discharged from the hospital to Hospice care – with a relatively short time to live. She has 2 boys – one of whom I met while she was in the hospital and the other of whom I have never met. We have prayed for them many times in my office. Linda has had a amazing look at life at its end and has such an amazing love for God and what He has done in her life that I wanted to share with her and Grant one last time and share her life with More than more.
We all filed into her house, the kids seizing upon her cat, George. We talked and enjoyed each other, Linda, Grant, and Linda’s sister-in-law Lisa. We shared simply some lightness and then took a miniature time to enjoy the coolness of God as we talked about the how amazing the skin is.
We talked about goosebumps and how each of these, when they occur, is simply a tiny little muscle contracting, causing heat – and warming you up, by the thousands of these little contractions all in concert with each other. Sweating, on the other hand, is your skin’s reaction to heat – and by giving off the liquid of the sweat, your body increases its ability to evaporate off heat, thereby cooling you quickly. This amazing system was given to us by a loving God who wanted us to survive in many and varied climates and situations. It was created. Take this and all the other intricacies of the human body and try to convince yourself that there is no creator – that all of it is simply coincidence, or accidental, and you very well may laugh out loud – it is so implausible. It is far more likely that you will be awed and filled with wonder. Don’t battle that, simply thank God – not a big fancy prayer, but words from your heart, of appreciation for amazing and complex and wonderful you are made.
Then we shared homemade bread and juice (thanks Becky!), those of us who have decided to have God be a part of our lives, giving thanks in it for all He has done for us, and those who haven’t decided yet, just enjoying bread and juice. It was a wonderful time.
I must tell you. Not too long before we were there, Linda, who was in misery as her lungs failed her, and on many meds to ease her pain, awoke with a smile and called for Grant. He went to her and asked what was up. She replied, “I’m going on a journey. I’m going home,” with a peaceful look on her face, and then “But I need to have communion first,” and she went back peacefully to sleep. This is what we provided to her.
Grant remarked that she was much more peaceful after we left and then on Sunday morning 7/12/9, she died – completed her journey and went home. I know this may sound far-fetched to some of you, who were not there – even mystical – and it is, in some ways. But it touches the wonder of what we are – not some accidentally occurring no purpose creatures – but wonderful and beautiful.
We then trimmed weeds around Linda’s house and cleaned up and then proceeded to one of her neighbor’s house – a single mom of 2 with one on the way. We spent the remainder of the evening cleaning up the yard, playing and having fun, cleaning lights, changing bulbs and even changing some light fixtures and power washing her garage floor. This was wonderful. She got a chance to see that the love we and God have for her. It was way cool!

We all went our separate ways then, basking in a life that is not haphazard and meaningless, but full – and wonderful.

We will be getting together again this next Thursday at McAllister Center – 20th and Schuyler Ave – Lafayette, 6:45-8:00PM. Hope to see you there!

By the way – beginning tomorrow is our weeklong MTM mission trip to Lafayette – Community outreach. We will be at Howarth Center – 18th and Union St’s Lafayette, 8-6 approximately each day – you are welcome to join us.

9/16 question

Hi! We will not meet 9/16.

We get together every other Thursday at McAllister Center - 20th and Schuyler Ave, Lafayette - 6:45-8:00PM. The next times together are 7/23 (this Thursday), 8/6, 8/20, 9/3, 9/17, 10/1/09. We sometimes go other places, but this is only about every 3 months or so typically, and we start at McAllister and go other places from there on any nights that we are reaching out to the community.

Thanks and we hope to see you there!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Last Thursday and Next Thursday

Hey Guys!

Just wanted to give you an update on last week's time together and this coming up week's time together.

Last week, we enjoyed a time of relaxing briefly as we shared our first car, or a story about a car that must be told. It was really funny to hear all the bizarre and strange things that happen in regard to cars in our lives!

We then spent some time enjoying the amazingness of God - noticing how cool the world around us is and then thanking Him for making it so cool. This time, Melissa quietly excused herself and then sent text messages to all the people in the group. It was funny to hear the cell phones go off one by one (although I also learned that many of the people don't bring them with them, or put them on vibrate to be respectful during our times- pretty cool too!). I then showed my age a bit by reminding the group that something they take so for granted, cell phones, is an amazing thing. All around us, all the time, are these energy waves, able to take our voices, our data, our pictures and movies even and share them with other people. What a remarkable and wonderful thing! How great is our world, that God has given us. Now, I know God did not exactly "invent" cellular technology, but people did, and He made us so dizzyingly complex that we can devise something like this and make it happen. So, my humble request is that over the course of the next couple wks, and hopefully months and years, on occasion, stop and notice how amazing it is that you can communicate via cellular technology and thank the amazing God who is behind the whole thing - enjoy the complexity of life and give credit to Him for. It may change the way you see the rest of your day and life!

After taking some time to "notice" God, we spend some time each time we get together to notice each other. We do this by anonymously (or not depending on each person's preference) sharing slips of paper with something that is bothering us or a problem to us and then we exchange them and commit to talk to God about them for the next 2 wks. This is not intended to be some fancy prayer time or something, just mentioning to God the stuff in someone else's life and inviting Him into the middle of the problem. This brings God more and more into the situation and their life and also brings us closer together, as we care for each other.

We then always have some time in each time we join together learning something. Over the months we have been getting together we have learned a wide variety of things. But this week was specifically designed for those who have been coming together over the months to talk a little about what this change of focus has done for their lives. Multiple of you shared how amazingly God has brought joy and peace to your worlds...no, the circumstances have not necessarily gotten better - in fact sometimes they have gotten worse. But, as we have begun inviting the amazing God who made all and cares about our lives into the middle of all we have and are, we have seen our lives change...dramatically. Pain has healed, anger has softened, bitterness has been released, despair has given way to hope, and the mundane has caved in under the mission and meaning of moving from the more of American society to the More of the God of the universe. We have found something More - that makes life more and more worth living and puts all the facets of our lives into proper perspective. Do we struggle still? Of course. We realize that this life, this move from more to More, is a lifelong journey - but we are committed to going on with it together!
Finally, we were challenged - as we notice the change that God is making in our lives - to realize the hurt and pain we have come from and that this very experience that has changed us is what so many around us everyday crave! The people of our world are dying to hear about some hope past the more of everyday society. We were invited to see that if noticing God can change us so much, it (He) can change anyone (cause I am messed up, let me tell you). How can we begin to look for attempts to share this wonderful thing with those around us?

We will be getting together again this coming Thursday - 7/9/9 - 6:45-8:00 PM - we will be meeting at McAllister Center, in the parking lot and then spending the time together reaching out into the need around us as we spend the evening in one of our community outreach nights - it will be a great time helping with some folks who desperately need to see love - hope you can make it.

If you have questions about this post, or any of them in the past, or are just wondering about all this, please post a comment. We hope you can join us next Thursday!

A Mission Trip - from More than more

Hello all! We are in the throws of finishing the touches on our 1st Mission Trip to Lafayette. We now have a place to give away free medical Family Practice Office visits, using the conference room of the American Red Cross, at 18th and Union St's, here in Lafayette, as well as 2 pharmacies, WalMart on St Rd 26 and CVS at Rte's 52 and 26, here in Lafayette for people to go and get free medicines.

We also have an a great week of fun and health education in the works for the families who may be coming, as the folks at the Howarth Center have agreed to let us use their East yard, yes all of it, for fun stuff. We have a young, energetic nutrition specialist who is going to come and talk to the families and we are hoping to have firefighters and dentists as well come and talk about health and safety through the week.

We also have well underway a plan to give away one basic need on three of the days to those who have need. We think that everybody should get a chance to have some nice new shoes, clothes and enough food to not have to go to bed hungry - and this week we are going to try to help some folks with this. We are partnering with WalMart to fill orders of shoes and clothes and we will be having people sign up for what they need in the mornings of these days, dropping the lists off at WalMart and then picking their orders up there in the afternoon, to be able to give out to the folks later in the day at Howarth Center the things they requested in the morning.

There are many of you in More than more who have volunteered to take time off work, come after work, etc to join in this wonderful chance to share the love we have found in Christ as well, and we will be helping Lafayette Transitional Housing, a local organization that helps the homeless find work and places to live with our skills in addition to all that is mentioned above.

Needless to say we are very excited about all this and needless to say the end preparations are requiring a lot of time and energy investment for Melissa and I - we would love to have anyone's help in praying for us - the entire More than more journey has been an exercise in learning to trust God and this is no exception to that. All that said, He is providing in amazing ways!