What Happened to the Weekend?

My weekend went by really quick for some reason. Saturday was Adopt-a-Block. We did alot of yardwork and my legs are still sore from it. The people we meet and connect with make it all worthwhile though and it's so cool knowing that God can use me to make someone's day a little bit brighter. After Adopt-a-Block I went back to the church and hung out with my roommate who was making some videos for the upcoming women's retreat. We lost track of time and were there till after six that night! The sound guy and the worship band drummer were there too doing percussion overdubs for the live worship cd. It was fun to watch them work and hear their progress. That cd is gonna rock! Sunday at church the pastor mentioned me in her sermon (without mentioning my name) about something I had discussed with her a few weeks earlier. I had no idea she'd do that so it really freaked me out. But it was really cool that she did that as one of the things I continually struggle with is feeling that what I have to say is never much importance to anyone.

This Thursday I'm going to see Henry Rollins...yay!!! It's gonna be a good week. :-)

Enjoy the Ride

So I was laying in bed last night thinking about how great the day was and how good things are going for me right now. I mean, it feels like I'm riding this smooth ocean wave high above the problems and turmoil that engulfed me the past few years. No sooner did I have that picture in my head before another one emerged. It was one of fear and terror...Wipeout! My heart pounded wildly. I began to sweat. And the more I tried to stop the anxiety attack, the stronger it grew. My mind played the game of 'what if' it knows so well. What if someone else dies....What if I become seriously ill...What if this is all too good to last? What if this wave comes crashing down? As I cried out to God to give me peace, three words came into my head that I know were not my own...Enjoy the ride.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ~ Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

If worrying about tomorrow zaps all of the joy out of today then what's the point? Why do I worry about things I don't have any control over anyway? God wants us to live in the moment, to enjoy each day as it comes and trust Him with our tomorrows. This is faith. This is strength. This is peace.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." ~ Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

"The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." ~ Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

Amazed

Long but awesome day. We had a skeleton crew at Adopt-a-Block so we did a quick check-in with the neighborhood and scheduled any work that needed to be done for next Saturday. Then my roommate and I went to Red Lobster where I ordered my usual chicken fingers dinner...I know it's a fish place but I don't like seafood so don't start with me. :) We both had food coma afterwards and ended up walking the mall in a daze. After that it was back to the church for the last minute preparations for the album recording. The worship team is recording their first live album called Amazed and invited everyone to come and be a part of it. We had a blast! The band was awesome and nobody wanted to leave when it was over. I love this place!

Catching Up

Last Saturday I went up to Cottonwood and Jerome for the day. Jerome is an old mining town that now attracts artists and bikers. As always, I had a great time.





We met up with Greg and Debbie and hung out with them for most of the afternoon. Things are going good for them. Greg is running four group homes now and they are considering opening more. The state sends him boys and girls who have been in trouble with the law or their parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. He's allowed to talk about God with them and even had the priviledge of baptising some of them. Malo wanted to show his latest artwork to a lady we met in Jerome last time. She runs a gift shop but it's more like an art ministry outreach. We walk into her shop and her sister tells us that she's up at the Bug Fest not too far from there. It took me a minute to realize that the Bug Fest was a get-together for owners and fans of VW cars and buses and had nothing to do with insects. No wonder we passed so many VW's on the highway coming up! Anyway, we all decide to go check it out. It was a quite a scene. There were the most psychedelic and eclectic looking buses I've ever seen. People were camping out in them or beside them. It had a swap meet atmosphere with people selling mods and parts for their cars, and other things like anything tie dyed. It took awhile but we finally found our new gift shop friend. We had a nice talk with her. She's really feeling like she's being pulled into underground ministry. We introduced her to Greg and Debbie and they really hit it off. Some of Greg's group home kids are extremely artistic and might have their work for sell in the gift shop. God is good!

In what is turning out to be a tradition, we ate dinner at the Haunted Hamburger. The food is excellent and the view from the restaurant is awesome!

A Servant's Heart

Bobby called yesterday. He's heading out to the Astrodome this week to help out with whatever they need there. Wish I could go with him. If anyone reads this, prayers or nice thoughts for a safe trip would be appreciated.

Back to Work...

Had a good 3-day weekend but don't have much to show for it. Saturday's Adopt-a-Block was mostly spent pulling weeds in the neighborhood. Today I went through my closet and gathered up some clothes to donate to the Katrina refugees. The Dream Center is taking in 300 families and most of them will arrive with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. They are scheduled to arrive in L.A. on Sept. 8th. My church is going to help them out by gathering as many supplies and monetary donations as we can. Check out the Dream Center's web page if you'd like to consider donating. They have a list of things they are in need of. We are also going to be sending some donations to a church in Houston we are working with. Phoenix currently has about 500 refugees we are housing at the Coliseum, with more expected to arrive tomorrow. It's really cool to see everyone pull together for these people.

Because I Choose to....

Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?

Neo: Because I choose to.

quoted from the Matrix Revolutions