Tuesday, October 27, 2015

One body many members

Our church family always humbles me when we come together to create something awesome… such as our Fall Festival every year.
  • More than 1,500 enthusiastic people attended the festival. 
  • We raised $1,100 for Missions and for the Children’s Ministry. 
  • Our generous participants donated 115 bags of Thanksgiving food.
  • We served over 110 lbs. of chili and cooked about 650 hot dogs.



Carnival games, face painting, and a large slide and obstacle course were all part of the fun the children enjoyed.

Why do we do all this?  

This is why.  As I looked out over the crowd I realized this was not a St. Andrew exclusive event.  This was a time where the community looks to the church to provide some good ol’ family fun.  And we did just that.

It’s my prayer that some families used this event to see what this thing called “church” is all about.  That these families felt the excitement of being on the church campus and thought, “This place is fun.  I could see myself as a part of this.” 

We don’t do a Fall Festival just to be fun and have an event.  We create this event to open our doors to all of our neighbors.

So, thank you to all who made it a wonderful success:
  • The CWP room parents and church Small Groups who made the trunk-or-treat AMAZING!
  • Various Small Groups within the church who worked the booths with joy and offered smiles to each family.
  • David Keene and his Small Group who made the Chili Dinner something to talk about.
  • The Confirmation Class youth who worked diligently during the festival, and most importantly helped get it cleaned up!
  • The Children’s Ministry Council and team who helped set up the festival throughout the day on Sunday.
  • Our church family who offered prayers leading up to the event proved invaluable for us.  We couldn’t have received that great weather without prayers.

Thank you all.  You showed what a church can do when we come together.  It reminds me of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12:

One Body with Many Members

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

***Check out what the Dallas Morning News had to say about our festival. 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Random Acts of Kindness

I love when humanity shows us how good it can be.  I do believe that simple random acts of kindness gives as much joy to the giver as it does to the receiver.  I admire people that follow through with kindness.  Let me explain. I have great ideas for surprising people, or sending a quick note, and then I realize it has been three weeks and it is still an idea.  I love that people have great ideas and follow through on them.  I wanted to share two random acts of kindness that I received just last week. 


When we moved into our house we found a talented man who helped us install shelving, create a massive desk in our living room, and also created some built-ins.  He is a fireman who does this type of work on the side.  He makes some wonderful pieces and you can tell that this side job brings him joy.  This past week I saw a new shelf unit that he built for a client and I commented on the picture, “I need that.”  I had plans on contacting him to order one, but to my surprise I got a message back from him that said, “I put something on your porch this morning.”  It was the shelf.  It even still had the fresh scent of stain.  I can’t wait to hang it in our master bathroom!!!  This gift just made me smile all day! It really brought pure joy!


Then on Friday I opened the mail and received a gift from my grandfather.  My grandfather passed away in 1995.  He was a EUB/United Methodist pastor and I never had the opportunity to share my calling story with him.  I got a cross necklace that he often wore, and just as priceless, a note from his good friend saying that my grandparents would be so proud of me. 


This past week I was given the gift of kindness.  I am so grateful for both of these men, who are not in my inner circle of friends nor are they family, but they did take the time to be kind and it made my soul happy!

This week take time to be kind. You don’t have to make a shelf or mail a family treasure to someone.  Sometimes all it takes is a smile or a simple note to say you are thinking about them.  Random acts of kindness bring such joy. This week kind actions of others changes my perspective on everything.  Life was a little sweeter this past week.  This weeks bring me to the words of Paul to the Galatians in Galatians 5:16-26:

The Works of the Flesh/The Fruit of the Spirit
16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy,drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Safety Net



I have many different circles of friends in my life.  
 
  • I have a group of teacher friends.  We have dinner about once a month to reconnect now that we are no longer working together. 
  • I have a group of neighborhood friends whom I have grown closer as our boys have grown up together. 
  • I have a group of college girlfriends that have know me longer than I have known my husband.
  • I have a group of friends from SMU.  We chat and pray together once a month. 



Each group is vital and important to me.  But, the one thing that all have in common is they support me, my marriage, and my family.  I don’t think any of them would be as strong without my web of friends.  

I think back to my teenage years and my parents had the same support system of friends.  I am so very thankful.  They would a redirect me in positive ways when my parents were not able to.  They would support and love my family when we needed it.   I am so grateful for the safety net of people my parents surrounded me with.  It has made a true impact on my life.

I am now in a life point where my friends have become my family’s safety net.  They surround us with the love and support that we need as a family.  



Who is in your safety net?  This week let them know how important they are to your family.  Thank them for their friendship and support.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 CEB
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work.  If either should fall, one can pick up the other.  But, how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up!

This is the Blog that I read that inspired this post: http://www.thehouseofhendrix.com/2015/10/11/lean-in-to-kids/

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

How many days unitl....



So, listening to the radio earlier this week I heard a countdown to all of the holidays that are coming. 

24 days until Halloween
52 day until Thanksgiving
79 days until Christmas

Image result for countdown clock


Then they started trying to figure out how many days until they retire.  I get the humor in this and I get the reality in what is coming, but I hate living with the ______ days until _______.

What happens when we live in the moment of today and not in the mentality of it “will be better when,”  or “I can’t wait until?”  What if today was a gift?  When we are always focused on other things we miss what is right before our very eyes.

So, this week let’s focus on the moments:

   Look at the amazing sunrises and sunsets.  Stop and see the beauty.
   Go give your kids an extra kiss at bedtime. 
   Enjoy a family dinner or breakfast. 
   Enjoy the quiet, whenever it comes in your house, and gift thanks.
   Call your extended family this week.  They love you.
   Call an old friend this week.  They miss you.
   Smile at a stranger.

 

This week let’s focus on the present moments and see God’s wonderful creation with joy.

Philippians 2 (Imitating Christ’s Humility)
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.