Walking Pneumonia.

What?  Walking?  Do the little bacteria creatures decide to get up and walk around your body or something? 

That was the conversation between my doctor and me yesterday.  Apparently "walking" just means I have pneumonia but I'm not flat on my back and ready for a hospital bed.

So... another couple of weeks of doing nothing.  blah.  Me?  Sitting quietly and doing nothing for weeks on end?  This is getting interesting.  Fortunately, the new drugs send me to stonerville for 8-10 hours.  Ooooohhh... pretty colors!

So, several times yesterday I thought of one particular friend who demonstrated to me the ultimate act of friendship many years ago, 9 years ago, to be exact.  I had pneumonia then too.  I was in bed wheezing, coughing, feverish... just downright miserable.  My very best friend came over after work and brought a Chinese buffet with her.  She and I sat in my bed and watched movies and ate Chinese food until we both fell asleep. I will never ever forget that night.  We laughed, we talked, we sat silet.  It was perfect.  It makes me cry when I think about it.

I think there are several reasons why it makes me cry.  But I think the biggest is because we allowed our friendship to drift apart.  It happens.  And it's really sad that it happens.  And there are those days when you wish it never did happen.  And you never ever forget that friendship and you never ever quit praying for that person.  And you never ever have a day that you don't think about something that reminds you of that person.  But you don't know what to say, so you say nothing.  And the friendship drifts more.  It's a vicious cycle.

I miss you, Kat. 

"You're a blessing to me"

Have you ever heard those words?  I've heard them a few times and it always feels so good. But Sunday I realized that I had always known what I had done that had blessed them. I had helped them in some sort of situation, or I had just given a testimony that connected with them, or I had just preached a message that spoke to them, or prayed a prayer over them.   I try to always give God credit because I always ask for it to be His voice that speaks through me in those situations.  But, I still enjoy the credit for doing the work.  

But when a friend wrapped her arms around me Sunday and cried on my shoulder that I''ve been a blessing to her, I was stumped.  What had I done?  I haven't preached.  I have never prayed with her.  I haven't been a servant to her.  So how can she say I've been a blessing to her?  I couldn't get it out of my mind.

And then that still, quiet voice whispered in my heart and I realized that I didn't need to know because I don't deserve any credit for it whatsoever.  It wasn't my doing it was my being.  How beautiful to be used by God and not even know how he's using me!!!   I suppose it's an answer to my usual prayer, "Father, do what You will and don't let me get in the way!"

Moses.  Abraham.  Noah.  Joshua.  David.  They’re all names we’re familiar with from great Old Testament bible stories.  They are the biggest names before Jesus!  Come on, who doesn’t know who these people are?  What about the big names in the New Testament like Matthew, John, Peter, Paul, Mary?  (Not to be confused with the old music group Peter, Paul and Mary!)  Surely everyone knows who they are.

They don’t. (And quit calling me Shirley)

Expecting everyone to know these names and their biblical stories would be equal to me expecting you all to automatically know the stories of people like Lisa, Brenda, and Brandy.  Chances are that you know people with those names, and probably know some stories about them.  But they aren’t the ones I’m speaking of.

Why is it so easy to remember that Jane may not know the Betty that we’re speaking of, but we cannot seem to comprehend that Jane has no clue who Moses is or why we think he’s so darned important?  Are we so naïve as to believe that when God begins revealing Himself to a person, they get an automatic download of all “childhood” Bible stories?  We, the church, obviously know that isn’t true but it is how we act.  It seems to me that we get so caught up in teaching what Jesus is, that we forget to teach who He is and why He is.  Those concepts, the who and why, begin at the beginning of time.  At creation.  And they continue through all 66 books of the bible.  Knowing Jesus must include knowing the other characters of the story.  All of them.  From the staring roles of Adam and Moses to the seemingly unimportant extras named Benaiah or Onesimus.

Now you may think I’m throwing stones, but let me assure you I would have to throw one at myself first.  I have met teens who aren’t familiar with a story or two.  I figured they just weren’t old enough to have learned all the stories yet.   But a couple of weeks ago the entire concept poured down on me like a rain storm. 

Two weeks ago, a small group of women sat in my living room for our first Origins Women’s Bible Study.  One person brought her Bible to the Bible study.  Drip.  Fortunately, my bookshelf contains a various assortment of bibles and I quickly handed them out.  When we began the DVD lesson, I sat myself down with my bible, pen, notebook and study guide.  I was ready to learn, to soak it all in, to take notes.  The instructor on the video began giving the answers to the first study guide question, and I was the only one writing.  Pens! Where were their pens? Drip. Pens were distributed and we continued.  “Turn with me to Ephesians,” the video announced.  And the Bibles that had been passed out earlier were being thumbed through from the beginning.  I could hear the quiet whispers asking where it was.  Drip.  Is there a table of contents in the Bible?  Drip Drip.  Was it in the front or the back?  Drip Drip Drip.

The instructor spoke a great deal about the faith of Moses and later the faith of the priests to step into the waters of the Jordan before they would part.  I quit taking notes and watched my little group of woman sink deeper into my couches, blank stares on their faces.  Had I picked the wrong study to begin with?  Was this going to be too much for them?  How am I going to make sure they get something out of this study?  And I felt that invisible rain pour down on me.

Have you ever been outside when it begins to sprinkle?  We probably all have similar reactions to hurry and get covered before it gets harder. We don’t want to get wet.  The makeup will run, the hair will fall, and the leather shoes haven’t been treated yet.  We choose to hide from the rain.  But have you ever been in a sudden downpour?  No notice, no time to get out before you’re completely soaked clear through.  It becomes obvious you can’t get any wetter, so you may as well enjoy the quickly forming puddles.  When I realized what was happening in this Bible study, I chose to stand there and let it soak me.  It washed away preconceptions that clouded my vision and my heart.  I felt God say to me, this is what I want them to know and you are going to teach them along the way.   Oh Hallelujah!  How I love jumping in God formed puddles!

I let the video teaching finish and I turned to face the blank stares of the women in my living room.  I took a deep breath and asked if anyone was familiar with the story of Moses.  Crickets.  We were out of time, so I explained very briefly and encouraged them all to read the book of Exodus to learn about Moses.  They all quickly wrote “Exodus” on their study guides as they left for the evening.

I spent time over that next week praying and asking how to best help these women learn.  I went to the Christian book store and purchased a “books of the Bible” bookmark for each of them.  I hoped that this would encourage them to learn the books.  I did more in depth research of the stories and scriptures that were covered in the daily lessons so I could answer questions.  I asked God to show me what they don’t know and to not allow me to assume that they do or do not know something.  And He did.  I read the assignment of Romans 4 with new eyes and knew I would need to explain who Abraham was and what circumcision meant.   I watched the video on my own before the group met and took my own personal notes at that time so I could be available to answer questions or assist people as they watched the video.  I helped the women find and mark the scriptures that would be referenced in the video before we started.  And I loved every minute of it. 

The ladies were thrilled with the bookmarks.  And Romans 4 made a whole lot more sense to them after knowing the background of Abraham and circumcision.  Because I was willing to open my eyes and take the extra time to teach a few things, these ladies were able to see how to apply scripture to their life.  The excitement level of the group was pegged and these women are so excited to learn.  They are expecting God to move in their lives and they are watching for that evidence daily.  They admit that the homework of the study seems overwhelming, but they’re doing it and they’re learning.  They are making new friendships with each other and are excited to see each other.   And I get to take this trip with them!  I’m so excited that I can hardly contain myself sometimes.   God has given me an assignment to feed His sheep… me… wow.  Unbelievable.  Oh, how I just want to shout Hallelujah!

Last night at our bible study group, one of the ladies shared a story from her week.  She was on her way to Albertsons and stopped for gas.  Her plan was to get to the store, speed shop and get back home as quick as possible.  But, while getting gas, a lady she does not know came to her and asked if she was by chance headed toward a certain area.  She told the woman no but said she suddenly felt as though she needed to ask why, so she stopped the lady and asked why.  The lady had been out walking and was too tired and cold (it was after 7pm) to make it back home.  Sary changed her plans and gave the woman a ride home before going to the store.  She now thinks that she is to return to the lady’s home and ask if there is anything she needs help with or if she is in need of rides.

This morning I was listening to a song that I just adore.  It is one of many songs that brings me to a place of prayer for Gods Church.  The lyrics and a video of it are here

            Let The Church Rise

Verse 1

We are alive filled with Your glorious life

Out of the dark into Your marvelous light

We are waiting with expectations

Spirit raise us up with You

Chorus

Let the church rise from the ashes

Let the church fall to her knees

Let us be light in the darkness

Let the church rise

Verse 2

Moving with power

Bringing Your name to the earth

Singing your praises

Lifting up glorious songs

We are moving with His compassion

Spirit fill our hearts with You.

I began to connect many stories like the story above.  These people were in the dark and are now beginning to walk in the light!  His compassion is filling them! His Spirit is raising up in them!  They are expecting God to move in their life!  We do what we do in order to bring the church (God’s people) out of the ashes and darkness to their knees in surrender and thankfulness and into the light of Gods love.  

May God bless each of us with a heart that aches for the broken and the compassion to put ourselves aside to help others.  May He bless us with opportunites to love and to be salt and light. 

Yesterday we went sightseeing.  We decided to take the drive to the Twin Falls, Idaho area.  What an adventure the day was!!  We started out just fine and had the GPS set to get us to the town of Twin Falls.  It's a straight shot, but why not use the GPS if you have it!?

Anywhooooo... Driving along I-84, once you leave Boise it is a baren wasteland.  Nothing.  And when I say nothing... I mean NADA.  Dirt.  Sage brush.  An occasionl bird.  Yawn.  Then suddenly, out of nowhere, we come around a curve or over a hill or something like that and TA DA!  Beautiful, gorgeous landscapes just appeared.  Wonderful!  

I had seen on a map that there was a senic route there but couldn't remember what highway it was.  I saw a sign at an exit and I think we did the exit on two wheels!!  But it was the right highway. So off we went.  I noticed that Idaho doesn't use much signage to direct you to where you're headed.  "Tourist Info 1/2 mile"  Hmmmm... where in half a mile?  What building?  I'm really glad there weren't people behind me several times on the trip because my car got lots of those two-wheel corners.

We visited the National Fish Hatchery and saw some absolutely enormous white Sturgeon.  They had to be 4-6 foot long.  There were two hatchery buildings, the one we went in had to have had at least 50 tanks and each tank had 30,000 fish in it.  They were 2 weeks old, had about another 2 weeks to go in those tanks and then would be transferred outside to the big runs for about a year before they get released.    We also saw prehistoric lava flows on one side of the Snake River, and a desert looking area on the other side of the river that is fossil beds where they've found lots of evidence of ancient horses.

Next stop, a natural spring (we were in the Thousand Springs area).  Again, no signs... and the GPS is no help when you don't have the address.  So, we wandered around using the little photocopy map thing from the visitor center.  And suddenly... just like before... there it was!  TA DA!!!  Farm land and nothingness... drive down a hill and it was like we were in a totally different state.  In that area, there are springs that just come through the rocks randomly all over the place.  This one was coming out from under some rocks along side the road (you could see it pouring out) and then it joined with more springs coming out of the side of a cliff into a small river that joined with the Snake River. 

By this time we decided it was time to eat and have "vacation pie".  Mom says you can't have a vacation without pie in a small town.  It was incredible pie!!

Eventually we made it to Twin Falls.  I just knew the GPS was leading me astray.  We wanted to see the Shoshone Falls and that GPS had me going through more farm land and nothingness.  Then, once again, just when I was ready to throw the GPS out the window, there it was.  Gorgeous!!!!    The Shoshone Falls are called the "Niagara of the West."  They are 50' taller than Niagara. 

After the falls, I wanted to see the site where Evil Knevil attempted his Snake River Canyon jump in the 70's, and a neat bridge that went over the canyon.  We looked and looked for that dumb bridge and it wasn't listed in the GPS so we just drove.  Finally, again at my wits end, I pulled into a shopping area to turn around and right there, in the parking lot of this mall, were observation decks to view.... the bridge AND the jump site!!!  Then I realized the bridge was the highway that gets you from I-84 to the town of Twin Falls.  We were going to be going right over it!

The trip was amazing and fun and gorgeous and entertaining and educational and made for a great day.  "A great time was had by all."

Ever have a day when you just knew you shouldn’t have gotten out bed?  Yeah, Friday was that way.  Get out bed, stretch, start down the stairs to make the morning coffee and CRASH, right down the stairs.  I just knew I had broken something, ankle, foot, knee, leg…  The position I was in was so unnatural and so beyond my level of current flexibility that I was absolutely petrified.  So much so that I actually hyperventilated and passed out.  This was one of those times that I am so glad Doug works from home.  So off to the hospital we went.  Praying, crying, doing that whole baby labor breathing thing… But alas, I didn’t break anything.  I sprained it bad, pulled most of the ligaments in my foot, and am supposed to keep it wrapped, elevated and iced for quite a while.  Do these doctor people know who they’re talking to?  I mean really… me?  Stay still?  Continuously?  Are you kidding me?!   Yeah.  Well, then I had one of those times when I was not so happy that Doug works from home.  

“Jen, are you standing?”
                  “yes”
             “Sit down. You shouldn’t be standing.”
                  “But I have to pee.”
             “Are you sure?”
                  “Are you kidding me?”
             “Do you need help?”
                  “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!”

Yeah, you get the idea…  (Ok, he wasn't quite that bad).  But hey, at least he loves me and just wants me to feel better.

Saturday night was Origins first Community Movie Night in the Park.  Doug wouldn’t let me go.  I guess he knows me too well.  He knew I’d want to be up moving around, helping people, serving popcorn, all that stuff, so he made me stay home.   I was so upset that I didn’t get to witness the night.  I wanted to see it!  The park is in an area of town that includes a “not so good” area.  Lots of gang activity in some of the surrounding neighborhoods.  Doug and some others had gone Thursday night to pass fliers out in those neighborhoods.  He admitted he was a little scared in some areas, but that the people were very happy that someone would do this for them.  

Around 150-175 people came to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks.  There was even a group of young men who appeared to be in a gang that stood across the park the whole night and watched.  No trouble, nothing.  They just watched.  I’d love to know what they were thinking!  Many people asked if and when we would do another one because they really enjoyed it.  I was also told that there were several people who were thrilled that they could see a movie for free but that finding out the popcorn and soda were free too was just about more than they could handle.

Doug said that at one point the sprinklers went off for just a few seconds.  People were screaming and running wild and then it was over.  That had to be funny to watch!  One of the ladies told me the look on Doug’s face when that happened was just priceless! 

After the movie, the people were just great about picking up their trash and I hear that the park was left cleaner than it was when they arrived.  Doug even had 6 women follow him home to help unload his truck and get everything put back in the trailer or the garage.  That was so kind of them!  I love our people!

This past weekend we had our first "serve day" which was actually more of a "serve week" to many of us.  The whole "lead-up" to the event was interesting in inself.  Origins sent letters to every church body in the area asking if they would participate with us in serving the community for one day.  I'm not sure how many letters were sent (Tammy/James if you're reading this will you elaborate and fill in/correct anything necessary) but some of the responses that were received just kind of ticked me off.  It just goes to show that we have a lot of work to do in this area to unify the body of Christ.  Some churches were against participating because they wouldn't have top billing.  Some weren't willing because we said it wasn't about soul-winning or aquiring new church members.  Some said they couldn't work next to someone of a different faith.  Some just didn't have the time.  And most, I think, just ignored the request.

It saddens me so much to know that there are so many churches out there who are telling their congregations to love but who won't set the example for them.  It's almost as if they're teaching that it's only good to love others when it benefits you (or, better yet, the financial status of the church organization).  I just don't remember that fine print being in the Bible.  Jesus said the first commandment was to love God and the second was to love others.  Paul said if we do things but don't love then we're just making noise.  And the entire second chapter of James tells us we are to provide for the needy AND have faith along with the deeds.  

When and where did these things get pushed aside?  Why?  Why is it that those of us attempting to change the way "church" works from being a spectator sport - an institution, to a movement coming against so much resistance by the rest?  What are they scared of?  

This weekend I asked a few people this question, "Is this type of thing, this community service, a form of evangelism?"  Then I get home and I get an e-newsletter discussing the same thing!  (Gotta love that).  The blog that ensued from that little article has been quite the heated debate.  (If you're interested, you can find it at http://doableevangelism.com/2008/06/01/busting-the-myth-of-pre-evangelism/).  I've read these posts over the past three days with joy and excitement that there is hope, there are others out there who are trying to change things.  But also with tears in my eyes, pain in my heart and a desire to jump through the internet into the faces of some of these "protestors" of serving others. 

I would love to hear your response to the same question.  Is service to others evangelism? How? Why or why not?  But most of all, I want to know WHY you believe what you believe.  Is it because that's all you've ever been taught?  Is it because of your interpretation of the scriptures?  I'm just really curious.  I'd love to get some dialogue going on here.

Jen

PS - I'll have some more details on our serve day later!  It was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now..... Tyler

How was everyone's Memorial weekend?  I hear there were a lot of tornados and bad weather around the midwest.  It was nearly perfect here most of the weekend.  It did rain Monday evening so the bar-b-que we were at was moved indoors but was still fun.

Tyler is playing baseball and they had to finish their game in a downpour and hail tonight.  I've never seen 7 year old boys hustle as much as those two teams did when the wind picked up and the cold rain hit. 

This week is going to be a workout for all of us here.  Origins first "Serve Day/Weekend" is this weekend and there is a lot of prep work to be done on a house that we'll be painting.  Today there were about 8 of us scraping paint and de-glazing and re-glazing windows on a house.  This house is in BAD need of a paint job, so scraping is quite the chore.  We hope to get all of the scraping done and the house primed before Saturday so it can be painted on Saturday and finished up on Sunday.  Hopefully the hideous screeching sound of paint scrapers on wood will leave my head before I fall asleep tonight.  I hate that sound!   My shoulders are sore and I think I hear a heating pad and copious amounts of ibuprofin calling my name tonight. 

I put pictures on the Wal-Mart website for your viewing pleasure!