A Year of Lessons

July 9th is my one year 'blogoversary' and I am amazed.  Amazed at what's transpired in a year, amazed at the thoughts and stories God has given to me to share with all of you, and amazed at 'all of you'.  When I started this blog, I invited my circle of friends to take a look.  Never would I have thought that 12 months later I would have written 70 posts garnering nearly 3,000 views from 20 or more countries.   I know that compared to some, that's small potatoes.  But I never set out to become a voice to the world.  I just wanted an outlet to share some life lessons.  A place to laugh and cry with friends.  Somewhere I could express my wonder and joy at what God has done in my life and maybe save a person or two from the heartache of making the same mistakes I've made.

When I get comments to the effect that what's been written is 'exactly what you needed to hear', or see that you've been moved enough to share a post on your Facebook page, I am humbled and thankful that God has used me to speak to your heart.  It's a privilege to have this voice.

I have a couple of posts I'm working on, but for this one year mark, I'm resurrecting the link to my very first  post entitled "Majesty" based on Psalm 8.  Much has changed in a year, but much has stayed the same.  As I re-read the post I find I still love reading the truths in 'Jesus Calling', I still love watching sunsets at the lake, and God's majesty is still a wonderment.

So thank you for coming along on this journey so far.  Blessings to each of you, and I hope you enjoy reading Majesty!

~ Toni

The Cat in the Hat vs The God in the Bible

My feet are firmly planted...so much so, I've begun to grow roots.

It's not because I'm standing my ground or bravely taking an injustice on.  Nothing that valiant.
       
                   I'm frozen from confusion.
  
                             Overwhelmed.

                                      Dismayed.

I'm thinking about everything I need to do, should do, want to do...and I have no idea where to begin. 

I'm reminded of a quote from that childhood staple, "The Cat in the Hat"...'And this mess is so big, and so deep and so tall, we cannot pick it up.  There is no way at all!'

My mess is not a pile of physical things.  Well, maybe part of it is.  Having just finished a major community outreach project, I'm playing catch up.

Clothes are somewhere between needing to go downstairs to be washed and needing to go upstairs to be folded and put away; the dining room table resembles a messy desk; kitchen counter tops are cluttered and there are dishes in the sink.  That alone can slow me down.

But there's more.  There are things that need a more concentrated thought process than housework.  I need to do some writing and research for an upcoming writer's conference, there's the third installment of my blog series on the Free Market I need to tackle, books to read, emails to send, calls to make.  And I'm not even at work this week.

And then there's that tug in my spirit to relax.  I want to take these 5 days away from the office and put my toes in the sand, maybe catch a movie, have lunch with a friend.  But I feel guilty because of the more 'important' things that need my attention.

And so I stand in the middle of the living room, looking around, uncertain of where or how to begin.  Sound at all familiar?

In frustration I sit down on the couch.  It would be so easy to flip on the TV, push everything from my mind, and veg out. 

Instead, my eye catches my Bible.  I open it to Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

A few lines later, I have underlined verse 13 as well:  "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

And so I  remember what that first step should have been.  To lay it all down at His feet.  Are laundry, and bills, and research assignments earth-shattering issues?  No, of course not.  I should be grateful that's all I have to deal with today.  But still, He wants it all.  The big and the small.  Like the verse says..."in everything...present your requests to God."

Because when I do that, then "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

He can give me the clarity to prioritize, the strength to tackle it bit by bit, and the peace that relaxes my spirit and restores my soul.

When the 'mess is so big, and so deep and so tall, we cannot pick it up.  There is no way at all' it's true...we can't in our strength.  But He can.  And He will.  We just have to ask.

Adventures in Community Outreach: Part 2 - Planning a Free Market

In  Part 1 of this trilogy, I explained the concept of a Free Market and mentioned it was 5 months in the planning.  Part 2 will concentrate on those steps.

First, let's take a look at the goal.  It was our desire to reach our neighborhood and surrounding community with Christ's love in a tangible way, no strings attached.  As our pastor put it, "We are blessed to be a blessing".  It was similar to the gleaning process mentioned in the previous post.  To take from our best and share with others.  We have done a lot of work with the homeless, however, this particular outreach was to those who had housing but were living at, or near, the poverty level.

Logistics were huge so tasks to be accomplished were broken down:

• Leadership team.  We developed a team to be over the following areas:  Outreach, Logistics, Volunteers, Operations, Design, Communications, Sub Teams, Donation/Collection, and Social Services Connection.
• Timeline: Deadlines throughout helped us to stay on task and accommodate time needed for printing, agency processing, etc.
• Location:  The model for this outreach was held in a local park because many of those served had no transportation.  We're directly across from a public transportation bus stop and have a large piece of property so having it on site cut costs and simplified logistics.
• Theme:  We not only had the giveaway, but created a carnival atmosphere with fun activities and foods.  Our logo reflected that.feel.  We also chose a verse to convey our goal...1 John 4:19...We love, because He first loved us!
• Budget: Our model had a budget of $10,000 but we had less than half that amount.  We saved hundreds on rentals for festival food machines, generators, and various smaller items because of team members who secured them through employer connections. Still, funds were needed to rent 2 storage pods (for donations), a 20 x 40 tent to cover the shopping area, and 2 inflatables,.  We also needed to purchase face painting supplies, feed approximately 300 attendees and 100 volunteers,

The planning for our June 23rd event began in February when we met to discuss much of the above.  By March we had our team identified, a job description for each outlined and a working timeline.  We also investigated needed permits from the township and county.  April brought a logo design, research on rental items and updates from the individual leaders on how their areas were progressing.  By May, each area was estimating their volunteer needs for the day of, and the more minute details were being looked at and dealt with - there were a ton of them!  We also contacted the agencies who would identify the people to invite and gave them a timeline for distributing invitations and gathering headcounts. 

By June, we hit our stride.

• Our pastor began his preaching series "The Blessed Life", to start casting the vision to the congregation.  

• Prayer had been a key ongoing factor, but a prayer team that would pray for the event as it was taking place was sought. 

• We signed up volunteers and explained the donation process.  We handed out sheets with job descriptions and hours as well as types of items being collected.  Our designer had created a tee shirt that all volunteers would wear the day of the event to create unity and make those serving easily identifiable to those we served.  Our supplier pre-printed enough for the team, and that first Sunday, we wore them to help create a buzz and to identify leadership for those who had questions. 
• We designated 4 donation collection days.  Items were checked upon arrival.  If they were broken, faded or in some way did not meet the standard of "gently used", they were tossed.  All other items were given a 'value' from 1 to 8 and a sticker reflecting that value was affixed to the item..  Items were then boxed according to "department" (kitchenware, electronics, home decor, etc.) and stacked in one of the two on site storage pods we rented.  

• We used a web site called "Volunteer spot" and entered the names and contact information of volunteers.  This web site allowed volunteers to view or change their commitments and also sent out automatic reminders via email.
• A press release was sent to several media outlets, and one local paper did in fact run the story.

The week of the event we picked up rentals (inflatables and carnival food machines were delivered day of), set up the tent, and walked the property to confirm layout and generator/electrical needs. Food was purchased, RSVPs were confirmed, and even more last minute details were ironed out.

We marveled at all that God had done.  We had never attempted anything like this before, yet over 100 people signed on to help.  People were not only donating goods, but encouraged neighbors, friends, family members and co-workers to do the same.  A church neighbor came over one collection day to see what all the hubbub was about.  She was so excited by what was going on she came back three different times with items to donate and brought another neighbor with her.  We started by renting one pod and it quickly became evident that not only was a second pod needed, but we had to rearrange things in the church garage to accommodate larger items like furniture including a dining room set and youth bed, tons of TVs, baby items, bikes and more.  The parable of the five loaves and two fish was often quoted as we watched things multiply by leaps and bounds!

From agency responses, we were preparing for approximately 300 people.  Things were reaching a fever pitch.  It was so exciting!

The last installment of this series is all about Free Market event day!!

Toting Baggage

Yesterday I worked a bi-annual event called "Homeless Connect Day" in Trenton, New Jersey. Several non-profits host the event where the homeless can receive hair cuts, vision care, acupuncture, chiropractic services, massages and health screenings. In addition, they can pick up information on housing, VA benefits, legal assistance, receive help getting an ID so they can get benefits, and more. Clothing and food are also available.

In order to get these services, attendees must first answer a brief questionnaire to gather information on a number of factors regarding their homelessness. The compiled information is used when planning projects, lobbying for funding and more. 

I've been working these events for the past 3 years stationed in the "exit booth". It's my job to ask attendees what they did and didn't like about the event, how they heard about it, what was most helpful and what was missing that might have been beneficial for them.

That's how I met Denise. 

Many attendees just want to gather their "freebies", food and leave, but Denise needed to talk, so I listened. 

She told me she was grateful for the places around the city where she could stay, but her great need was for a place to leave her things during the day. Many shelters only provide a bed for the night, and come morning, all her possessions need to be packed up and toted with her everywhere throughout the day. 

Denise's health was suffering from the energy required to do that day in and day out - in the extreme heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter.

As a result, when I offered her some free items her response was "no thank you - I just can't add to the weight of what I already have to carry around. In fact, I may just give you back this bottle of water because it's so heavy."

I encouraged her not to return it, but instead to drink it along the way - it was an extremely hot day and the water would be beneficial.

As she left the event to face the challenge of her burden, I wondered how many of us carry our baggage like Denise...not physically, but spiritually.

We don't have to be homeless  to lug our baggage wherever we go.  

We may very well have a nice roof over our heads and a comfortable bed to sleep in every night, but we're still carrying our "stuff" with us day in and day out. 

And it's beginning to wear us down...tax our strength and our heath.  We don't know how to let it go and think we can't function without it. 

It's become part of our daily routine. 

In fact, rather than unpack it to lighten the load, we wish there was a place to keep it safe. We may even refuse a free gift and life-giving water because our hands are so full, what's being offered looks like it will just weigh us down further. 

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus said "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  When we take on His yoke, we are able to lay down our burdens - the trade doesn't increase the weight - it lightens the load.

And in John 4:13-14 we are told "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Once again, the trade off is for something that is far better.

So what is weighing you down today? 

What baggage do you need to unpack? 

Anger?  Shame?  Jealousy?  Pride?  Hatred?  Loneliness?

Don't store it away.  Those types of burdens get heavier over time. 

And don't carry them with you wherever you go...they will affect everything else you try to do.

Right now, open your suitcase. Ask God to remove all the things that make it difficult to move forward. As He discards the burdensome hurts and issues He'll fill it with free things that are light as a feather - His love, His peace, His mercy.

Then drink deeply of the water He offers. You'll never be thirsty again.

Time - Gift or Curse?

I'm still working on the second installment of the Free Market 'trilogy', but something I read in my devotions yesterday just really struck a chord and made me think.  I needed to share and ask for your input as well.

The line was out of Jesus Calling for June 27th.  It said "I designed time to be a protection for you."

A protection.  

I don't know about you, but so often, I think of time as the enemy.  

• It ages us
• It reminds us of what we have not yet accomplished
• It flaunts how long we have been without that thing we truly desire 

It most often drags during our workday, making it seem intolerable.  When we're having fun - on vacation, with friends, being entertained - it flies.

So to me, it is foreign to think of time as a protection. 


The next line of that devotional said "You couldn't bear to see your life all at once." 

Okay... maybe I DO see the possibility of protection. 

I have a number of friends going through some really tough stuff right now.  The death of a friend, a separation, a serious illness.

If we saw these things at the outset, we might run in the opposite direction.  And if we did that, we wouldn't experience the joys that come with the sorrows.  We would live life in fear of what we knew was coming.

On the flip side, the space of time protects us by healing some of our hurts as memories fade and pain subsides.  The distance that time provides can help us think more clearly - sometimes seeing that what we thought we wanted or needed would have been harmful had it come to pass. 


God protects us in time.  I think I may just have to change my attitude about my former enemy.  Embrace him and understand his usefulness. 


So what do you think?  Is time a gift?  A protection?  I'd love to hear your thoughts...if you have the time.