Everyday missions (Part 2)

The initial visit was completed and it was time to return to her home two days later. She still had barely left her wheelchair, but she looked more ‘energetic’ today. She didn’t smile, didn’t laugh and hardly said a word. My words were met with a stare and a few short sentences as she continued to survey my responses. “Let’s try that step and walk into your living room”, I suggested. With a glare and awkward pause, she finally answered, “I’ll try”.

She stood and began to walk. The step was three feet away, the bed about 20 feet farther. She had not been out of her kitchen for months. When she reached the step, she hesitated, but with encouragement lifted her foot and up she went! She focused solely on the hospital bed that sat at the end of her living room and walked, slowly but determined. As we walked, I couldn’t help but glance around. Looking up I could see the rafters where no ceiling was in place. On shelves were knick-knacks that had not been touched in many years and were layered with dirt, and the entire room smelled of dirt and mustiness. But, we continued to walk. She was determined to make it to that bed and I was determined to help her get there.

Last step! She did it! As she sat down, I could see the sense of accomplishment in her eyes. I told her I was proud of her and thought of giving her a ‘high five’. She had other plans. She smiled, and what a great smile it was, said “I can’t believe I did it” and put both arms up for a congratulatory hug. For a second I hesitated. I had managed to walk through the house without touching anything, had been able to direct her steps with only ‘stand-by assistance’ and although was able to talk favorably about her home and all that was in it, I hesitated. In that instant I knew she needed that hug. She needed that hug a lot more than I needed to avoid it.

As I bent to give her that hug, I told her I was proud of her and knew she could walk that far. As I stood again, I saw tears streaming down her face and she simply said, “I needed someone to believe that I could”.

She stood back up again and walked the length of the living room and back to the kitchen, easily stepping down the step that had kept her confined into an eight foot area for many months, believing she simply could not conquer that 6 inch step. What changed? I hadn’t ‘miraculously cured’ her. She hadn’t suddenly acquired a wealth of strength. She simply needed someone to encourage and believe in her.

There are people around us who, every day, need someone to believe in them and to encourage them. ‘Missions’ doesn’t have to mean traveling around the world. There are people in our community who simply want to be accepted and believed in. Will you risk stepping into their lives or homes or inviting them  into yours? Meet them where they are, swallow your pride and hesitations and take the step to make a difference every day! You’ll be glad you did!

Everyday missions (Part 1)

Tucked in behind a wall of trees, hidden from the street, I saw the house as I pulled into the driveway. I was told to be prepared, but I’m not sure I really was. As I walked up to the door I saw her. Sitting in a wheelchair, smoking a cigarette at the kitchen table, surrounded by clutter and who knows what, she told me to come in. I walked in and sat down at the only kitchen chair that wasn’t falling apart. She noticed I didn’t hesitate.

We chatted for a few minutes as I began evaluating her strength and movement. A six inch step kept her from the hospital bed in the next room and the bathroom. That six inch step forced her to be confined in a kitchen, sleeping in her wheelchair, using a bedside commode and unable to move more than the five foot path from the table to the door. The ceiling that was falling apart, the dirt on the floors, the mold that was growing on the walls and the mounds of ‘stuff’ accumulated from a lifetime kept her from connecting with people. Medically, she was overweight, legs oozing with open sores and walking only five feet before giving up . She didn’t smile, barely talked and simply studied my actions and responses to her and her home.

As I finished my part of the evaluation, she was finishing her initial evaluation of me. I presented my thoughts and a plan and waited for her response as she sat and stared, stonefaced & quiet. After what seemed like forever, she finally said, “Will it be you who does the therapy or someone else?” I told her I wasn’t sure as I had to look at my caseload and see what time I had in my schedule. She responded with, “I hope it is. I like you.” That made my decision. I had been accepted because I had accepted her. “I think we can make that work” was my answer.

I had passed the first test. Time would tell if I could tap into the glimmer of potential that I had seen in those eyes that analyzed and guarded this 50+ year old woman. The next visits would bring that answer…

God and friends

Friends…

God…

We choose friends…

God chose us…“You didn’t choose me. I chose you.”~John 15:16 NLT

“Now you are my friends…”~John 15:15 NLT

Do we use the words ‘friend’ too loosely? When picking up the phone or visiting or helping a ‘friend’ seems to inconvenience us, are we really a friend?

Do we really understand what it means that God has chosen us as a friend? What if God treated us as friends as we treat our friends?

“Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”~John 15:12-13 NLT

It’s not talking to your friend every 3 months because you ‘feel like you should’. It’s not telling your friend you’ll pray for them and then forget about it. It’s not writing a quick note on a facebook page & count that as ‘talking to them’.

“Love one another the way I have loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”~John 15:12-13 The Message

Maybe we aren’t good friends because we don’t understand what a friend really is. Maybe we don’t understand God’s love because we haven’t experienced friends like God. Maybe our friends don’t know God because they can’t see Him in us.

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow.”~John 15:11 NLT

Who needs your friendship today? What can you do about it…what will you do?

Slow Fade

I’ve heard it many times…

“I never thought I would end up here”

I often wonder ‘where’s the line?’ when we finally realize we’ve gone too far? Here are some of the home health patients I’ve worked with recently…

• a 50-something yr old husband awaiting approval for a liver transplant, suffering in pain every day–because of a life of heavy partying and alcohol use
• a 55 yr old wife & mother who’s 5 ft tall and weighed over 550 lbs–who is now finally motivated to get in shape so she can babysit her grandkids
• a 60-something woman who lives alone with no one to help her as she recovers from an injury–and wishes she had been ‘a better mother’
• a 60-something TV star who lost his leg because he wouldn’t change his lifestyle in spite of medical problems–and now wishes he had paid closer attention
• a 70 yr old lawyer who cannot stop working, in spite of the heart attack & stroke that nearly took his life

We all put off and procrastinate what we should do today. We all think ‘it’s no big deal’ as we bend the rules, push the limits, or begin to give in to temptation. Lives are lost, marriages fail, families fall apart and people struggle every day because they start down a slippery slope until they realize one day that they’ve gone over the edge. It rarely happens overnight and to stop it takes strength, intention and commitment. It’s hard work!

What are you doing, or not doing, that is pulling you closer & closer to that line? We’re all there–none of us is exempt. And when you figure that out, what are you going to do about it?

Here’s a great song by Casting Crowns that I hope challenges you in whatever area that you’re ‘slowly fading’…it’s called ‘Slow Fade’…

Family project and block party!

Last Saturday, Rivers Crossing kicked off our Summer of Impact with a great Family Project & Block Party! I checked the weather forecast while looking at the very dark sky at about 9:00 AM. The forecast was not good. In fact, the prediction was 100% chance of rain by noon, right in the middle of our entire project & party! Here’s the ‘crazy thing’…it rained ALL around us, within just a few miles…and it never rained on us! Everything came together and  it was perfect.

It was a great day! We worked, played, danced, ate and had an awesome time. It was a day for fun, beautifying the neighborhood and building relationships. We had a balloon guy, an air brush tattoo artist, hoola hoops, a DJ, lots of food, the ice cream truck and of course, we pulled weeds, mowed lawns and planted flowers. The entire street came out and the place was rockin!

Here are a few pictures of the day:

A great family project!

What do you get when you put families, flowers, food & fun all together?It’s the Rivers Crossing Community Church Family Project!!

We ended our ‘We Want a New Family’ series with sign-ups for the first event for our Summer of Impact. Tomorrow it all happens! We have 20-25 families from RC3 partnering with 20-25 families who live in a nearby town in municipal housing to build relationships, plant flowers, beautify the neighborhood and have a big block party together! This is a project for families to serve together so all ages are helping! Since part of my job is organizing volunteers, I’ve been busy!!

We have 250+ flowers, mulch and all the landscape ‘stuff’,  along with edgers, mowers & weed trimmers. After we finish planting, we’re having a block party, complete with food, DJ, airbrush tattoos and balloon creations! We’re planning on tons of people, lots of kids and even more fun!!

I love helping to organize this stuff!! It’s going to be great!!