What's the theme here?
Sunday morning I pulled into church at St Paul’s only to find two 15 passenger vans in the parking lot… hmm… I thought I was done with those….
Inside the church was about 30 youth kids from Saskatchewan on their spring break missions trip… learning about the poor, the destitute, the broken, and the oppressed… staying at a church downtown… 15th ave… where the prostitutes stroll…
It seemed too familiar… that there was another youth group hearing God scream “These are my beloved! Take care of them! Love them!”.... too similar to be coincidence…
Monday, I had lunch with Ryan… he says to me “What does it look like to help these single mom’s down at Jesus Loves You Society own their own homes?” how we could make it happen? to help them financially, give them a bit more stability, and a place to call their own… to help provide identity… to take the worry of rent increases off their minds… is this God’s heart for his beloved? I think so…
Tuesday at home church, we talked a little and dreamed a lot about what it would look like in our lives to live in community with these people… not to ‘minister’ to them, but simply to love them…. and in turn be loved by them… in the process, acknowledging that they have something to offer… acknowledging that we can be taught by and loved by them… and before long, them and us would just be …us
God, thanks for stiring and awakening dreams… for allowing us to dream again!
Familiar Faces
Since I returned from traveling, I’ve been meeting and seeing lots of familiar faces. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away for so long, but whether it is with friends, youth, youth leaders, or home church like tonight, I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by the community that I have.
When you travel, you miss it, but don’t always notice it missing. Its not until you return that you stop and think “ah.. that’s why I love it here…”