Missional Living and Serving

I've heard a lot about missional living and reaching our communities and stuff and I just thought I would write down all the different ways I know people are doing just that. It seems like we are always almost judging people when we talk about this subject but we really don't know just how missional other people are being and really need to put the focus back on ourselves and ensure we are doing what we can. The following is just some stuff I know about - who knows what else is going on. BJ shared with two random ladies a couple of weeks ago in a real way and he has also used his men's recreational hockey league and the church softball league as a means of getting at least one young man to come to church and other young adult activities. Renee has made a connection with the Domestic Abuse Shelter in our area and there is an ongoing drive to meet some of their needs. Greg plans and organizes the 30-Hour famine each year raising funds for and awareness of world hunger not to mention the individuals he unselfishly helps throughout the year and the impact he has on the teens here at Calvary. Amy gives tremendously to the youth here at Calvary as well as her students at Hylton. Apryl purchases and bags groceries for the Food Pantry as well as inviting families she meets through various activities with her children. Ellen unashamedly shares her faith with coworkers and students as able. Roger prays with people when he's out at karaoke nights and makes us all laugh or think with various facebook posts. Troy is trying to make a connection with the Cinderella Ball. Yvonne is volunteering at the Domestic Abuse Shelter. Karen lights up a place wherever she goes. Lorraine is getting involved with community theater and who knows what opportunities that will provide her to use her abilities for God. Nikko and Eva are really reaching out to their neighbors in very specific and tangible ways bringing several to church with them. Mari and Katherine are involved with community theater as well and have invited one of their friends who is attending with them occasionally. Beth, Megan, and Ryan have invited several neighbors to AWANA and choir and we are seeing them attend regularly. Dave and Jim and others invest time and resources ministering to the homeless. Matt coaches his sons little league teams and Katie has invited several of their neighbors who are now regular attenders. Grace and Millie are sharing their lives with the mall walkers and have even invited some of the mall workers who have attended Calvary on occasion. Mike competes in BBQ contests and openly praises God. Wilbert and Sheila open their lives and homes to troubled children and youth giving them stability, discipline and love. Meghan invites people she meets at the gym to church and to her home. Ryan coaches youth basketball making an impact on young lives giving them guidance and direction. Al and Shirley meet the needs of elderly neighbors and generally checks in on many different people with such loving spirits. Randy plans activities that encourage the youth to bring friends and then takes those opportunities to share Christ. Terry coaches Potomac's boy's lacrosse and sees it as an opportunity to be there for those young men and give them some guidance. Sue interacts with co-workers and patients and gives of her time to teach some English and goes out of her way to bring them by the church. Lenora is available to take people to appointments and love whoever needs some lovin'. Sharon diligently prays for the people she comes in contact with and organizes valentine card distribution to deployed service personnel just trying to share a bit of God's love. Several man the food pantry, give food and finances, teach students, live their lives uprightly before co-workers, have game nights with neighbors, invite their friends to church, etc. It really is encouraging to me to see various people who are truly seeking to live lives before other people so they can see Christ and come to a personal relationship with him. What can I do to impact a life for Christ?

My 3 Kids All Married in 1 Year

This is really crazy - all three of my children have plans to marry in 2010! We are so excited. One marriage has occurred and the other two have begun the planning process. What's neat to me is how connected they all are - my kids are not just marrying random people the rest of us don't really know or have some background on. Let's go back and trace through some of the connections.

We moved to Woodbridge, VA in 1994 and began attending Calvary Baptist Church. Amy Williams and her family were attending there at the time so we knew her and her family from then on and they actually stayed in our house one year for about 3 weeks while we were on vacation and they were visiting from Iceland. Amy noticed Richie pretty soon and was frustrated with another boy in fourth grade. Sometime over the years, I remember Richie saying something about Amy being different from the other girls - she wasn't as crazy. They went to a couple of proms and homecomings and one or two dates over the years but Stevie took her to a dance or two as well - seemed she was just a good family friend. I'll throw in here, too, that Sara was at their house some playing with Amy's sister, Beth Ann, and also having a secret crush on Amy's younger brother, Greg - crazy. Off to college they all go. Making friends, joining Cru, always looking for someone who might be their lifelong partner. One weekend we are down for a Tech football game and went for pizza afterwards. A couple of Sara's friends joined us and Terry and I proceeded to "grill" one of the young men because there seemed to be an interest in him by Sara but at one point in the day I look down towards the end of the table where Sara is sitting and I remember thinking to myself, "We may be grilling the wrong guy." There was just something about the way Landon and Sara looked at that moment that made me think there was something there. Turns out I was right. Sara will admit that at that time, she was checking them both out but she would quickly say she made the right choice with Landon. So where do the connections with Landon come in? Well, it turns out that one of the guys that Richie rents a room to, Chad, was in the Cru band with Landon and they had roomed together one year. It was nice to have someone that had roomed with Landon to tell us he was a good guy - kind of eases a mother's mind. Not only that, but Stevie had mentored Landon one semester while Stevie was on staff with Cru so that was an added bonus - my son okayed him. Another side note - Chad is dating Sara's best friend, Renata - Chad was one of Landon's groomsmen and Renata was Sara's maid of honor at their wedding. Okay, so how does Stevie's Becca connect? Well, she lived with us for about a month. She was living with a family in England as a nanny. Our church called the man to be the Worship and Outreach Pastor here. Richie and Amy as part of the Search Committee (they had just been dating about a week or two at this time) were the first people to meet the husband and wife, Tim and Jamie, and Tim loved Richie's enthusiasm and passion and was ready to hook Becca up with him - we had to inform him that Richie was dating Amy but that we had another son, Stevie. Tim was disappointed and didn't really think there could be another one like Richie but he showed Becca a picture of Stevie anyway when he went back to England before the move. Well, Becca wasn't going to have anything to do with a pucca shell wearing Frat boy so that was that. They moved here and they all stayed with us for about a month and during that time they all got to see Stevie for who he is and decided he wasn't so bad after all. Since Becca was living here, she and Stevie would go to all the young adult activities together and they were getting to know each other on a very non-threatening, non-committal level. Stevie finally decided that he was interested in dating her so their relationship began. Sara was home from Tech at various times and got to know Becca as well and they really seemed to connect so Sara asked her to be one of her bridesmaids. So it is just great to see them all as good friends before they are even spouses and brothers and sisters (in-law). What a huge blessing. Our youngest married in January, the middle one marries in, they hope, April and the oldest marries in October. What fun!

To the Mothers of Brides-to-be, Write it down

Write everything down!

My daughter recently had her wedding and it was a wonderful day that went just fine but there were so many things that I wish had been done or happened but most of what didn't get done or happen was because no one had read my mind. If I had written things down, I could have easily handed them to different people so they could have happened. Examples: wreaths didn't get hung on the doors at the reception, pins didn't get taken out of cake, guest book didn't get taken over to the church early and no one was standing with it, etc. Some things did get written down but didn't get to where they needed to be - labels for the corsages and boutineers were made but didn't get put with the flowers - this meant I spent time passing out flowers instead of helping Sara get ready. That's the part I'm most bummed about.

There were also plenty of times during the planning process that I would have a great idea while I was trying to go to sleep. I was sure I would remember it all the next morning but, of courses, I didn't. I finally put paper and pencil on my night stand and would try to write things down even in the dark so I would at least have something to jog my memory the next morning. This really allowed me to put things out of my head so I could go to sleep without sitting there trying to remember it all night long.

Get a little notebook that can go anywhere with you and keep it with you all the time. You never know when you will have a fabulous idea or see something you want to remember.

Write everything down!