Goose Poo and Other Messy Things

If you have been around our parking lot recently you may have realized that our geese friends are back and that they have left MANY reminders all over the parking lot that they were here. The end of the parking lot toward the Oasis side of the building has been especially "gifted". Someone took it on themselves to find a power washer and clean up the parking lot before Sunday. I was around when a person asked the person power washing Goose poo why they were doing it, it wasn't there job to do that? The answer was -- "I care too much about the first impression people have when they come into the parking lot to not clean it up. If I don't do it then I don't think anyone else will."

What things are you willing to do that isn't your job that is messy, that is gross, that might even be a little undesirable. I think many people fall into a trap of forgetting that first impressions do matter, that showing people God's love through doing the messy does have an impact, that each of us can change the world if we CARE. Do you care enough about a homeless person to volunteer in a soup kitchen? Do you care enough about the spiritual well being of your family to spend time spiritually growing them? Do you care enough to clean the poo off of a sidewalk if it means someone else might not have to step in it?

What Are You Getting Out Of Life?

I was reading the story of Jonah again this past week and some amazing things hit me. Think about the real story not the cool guy gets swallowed by a whale and lives to tell it part, but the story, especially in chapter 3 and 4. If you read it, Jonah finally does what God tells him to do and goes into this huge city and tells them that they are losers, that they are bad people, that they need to repent, and guess what the people respond! They repent, they change their lives. According to some reports 150,000 people lived in the city and repented and God used Jonah to help change 150,000 people and what did Jonah do -- he had a pity party -- he was mad at God for sparing 150,000 lives and he yelled at God and then he went outside the city to watch and see if God would change his mind and still send fire and brimstone to smoke them and he got even more ticked off when God didn't do that.

Sometimes we are the same way in our lives. We have tons of good things going on in our lives, we have some awesome experiences, but one thing doesn't go OUR way and we get all ticked off. We get mad because we think our way is BETTER than God's way and if He would just do it our way then life would be better. If we are honest with ourselves we do that a lot. We overlook the good stuff and focus on how our lives could be better if only God would listen or only if things were better for US!

Spend some time thinking about the good stuff in your life -- be careful not to get bitter about the stuff you wish you could change.

Put Your Light Out?

I have had a great summer of travelling, hanging with people for a week, discovering new things to do and much more and it is great to get back and settle down to "normal" whatever that is. This week I have been focusing on what am I good at, and how does that play out in my life, in the plan God has for my life? I was reading the great little kids story in the Bible about putting your candle under a basket and why you don't do that because you want your light to shine and I think that also has to do with how we use the gifts God gives us.

How many times in my life have I taken something that I am good at and kind of put it to the side or hid it -- In school I would hide my ability to get good grades so I wouldn't look smart. If I was better at something than someone else I might pretend to not get it or be confused all so that I wouldn't stick out. I think God tells us that we are supposed to stick out, not only for Him, but also we are to stick out in how we use the gifts He gives us. We are supposed to use those gifts and when we do the things that we are really good at, we will stick out and we will be different, and that is OK, in fact it shows how good God is and what He is doing through us.

So look at yourself and figure out where you stick out, what makes you unique, what makes you different, and use those things you are good at to change the world.

Workcamp Interview

Here is an interview on Illinois PBS about the Workcamp experience. Brooke represented Kalamazoo!

http://www.advanceddigitalmedia.tv/IL-Story.htm

Hey we are back!

Workcamp 2007 was a great success. We returned tired, a little sore, and truly blessed - aka more than happy. Check back this week for posts from the people who went to Workcamp as they talk about how this experienced renovated their lives and the lives of the people around them.