"Fun Stuff"

One of the goals of the youth staff is to find ways to allow our kids to be kids. Most of them live such rough lives that by the age of 6 or 7, childhood is over. From then on it is all about survival and "street cred". Our goal is to create a safe environment where they can relax and forget about the outside world, if only for a few hours.I feel like we achieved that last night. We took 9 of our best behaved Rock Island kids to the Arts festival. For 2 1/2 hours our kids got to leave their 'hood and spend time eating funnel cakes and rolling down massive grass hills.

We left around 5:00 and got there just before the rush. Each kid was allowed to pick out one food item for dinner. After we all got our food we sat down in the grass and had one great big picnic. We had indian tacos, fried pickles, sweet potato fries, fish tacos, and much more. At one point during our picnic I looked around and every single kid was laughing. That may seem normal to those of you who have kids, but laughing is not as frequent in our ministry as it should be. We're hoping to change that.

After our picnic we started walking around and the kids decided that the huge grass hills looked alot more appealing than the art booths, so we stopped and the kids spent a good amount of time wrestling Ron and Luke in the grass and rolling down the hill as fast as possible. More laughter!

We ended the night sitting in the grass again sharing a few desserts like dippin dots, cinnamon rolls and funnel cakes. It was a really good night!

As I was driving home I made a decision that Ron, Luke and I need to spend more time letting the kids do the "fun stuff". I thought I would leave that open to interpretation for anyone who reads this. If you have an idea for "fun stuff" or you would like to be a part of it, shoot me an email and let me know. It may be that you heard the circus is coming to town and you want to let us know about it or you have 4 extra tickets to a Redhawks game and want to throw them our way. Maybe you want to offer to take one of the kids to McDonalds once a month. I'm passing the torch to the blogging community on this and giving you an opportunity to be involved. I believe some of our best ministry time might just come out of the "fun stuff".

"He was bwave and got battized"

I'm not sure I even have the words or emotional strength to write a blog today. But I know the Lord is leading me to. So I will make this short. How can I not write about such an amazing victory?!?! Luke and Ron will probably each have their own stories about what happened, but I will share my part.

Today two of our most unexpected teens accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were baptized. I could explain the journey with these two as a very difficult one. I feel like they are both glaciers that we have been trying to melt with a hair dryer. In the past few weeks though, the Lord has brought a wild fire to those glaciers and completely changed things. It's powerful!

My part of the story is about the first boy who was baptized. He is 14 and has two brothers who are 3 and 5. Yesterday he asked that we pray his little brothers wouldn't have to suffer the life he has. He has lived more in his 14 years than most people could imagine. Abuse, drugs, gangs, poverty... everything! We begged God to intervene and save his brothers, we prayed that he could be a good example and leader in his house.

Today I saw a glimpse of the way God is going to answer that prayer. Before the baptisms we walked down the street and picked up one of the little brothers.. the 5 year old. We then walked back up to the church and this little child witnessed his older brother confess the name of the Lord and be washed in Jesus' blood. The picture speaks for itself. The little boy never said anything the entire time... he was captivated by his brother's example. Afterwards I asked him, "do you know what your brother just did?"... and he said in his tiny voice "he was bwave and got battized" (he was brave and got baptized). I couldn't have said it better myself. Brave cannot begin to explain his brother. Because of his decision he will most likely face ridicule and harrassment from his friends, family and members of the gang he is in. But he stepped up anyway! I don't think he even realized that the Lord began answering his prayer today. He didn't notice those little eyes peeking over the baptistry and that little heart getting it's first glimpse of the power of the Lord.

Savior he can move the mountains.. My God is MIGHTY TO SAVE He is MIGHTY TO SAVE.
Forever, author of salvation.. He rose and CONQUERED THE GRAVE JESUS CONQUERED THE GRAVE!

I'm an "urban hiker"

Recently I have become obsessed with the book, "Irresistable Revolution". In light of this obsession, Luke, Ron and I have had some discussions about how to step out of our comfort zones in ministry. A big part of this discussion has been the desire to live a day(s) in the shoes of our friends at Cross & Crown.

Today was the first of many ventures to come. It was a small adventure, but it was a definite learning experience. Most of our youth either walk or ride the city bus to school. This was our day to experience what they experience on a daily basis.

Ron, Luke and I met at the metro transit bus stop in Edmond at 6:50 AM!!!! That's right folks.. we had to be ready for the bus 2 hours earlier than we normally wake up! We caught the #37 bus and after many stops, we ended up at the downtown bus terminal. From the bus terminal we walked 2 1/2 miles to work. We reached work at 9:00 am. It was obvious I am not a regular pedestrian or bus rider. Ron and Luke joked that I looked like an "urban hiker". I had a backpack in place of my normally HUGE purse. This was equipped with an umbrella, bottled water, lots of quarters( In case of an emergency and I needed to use a vending machine?!?! ha), hand sanitizer, baby wipes and many other handy items. It was after I reached home today that I realized how big of a dork I am. It's just a bus and I packed like I was hiking Everest.

I must admit, the bus is a thrifty alternative but it is very inconvenient. There were many times today I needed to run an errand but couldn't do so, unless Paul didn't mind if I took 2 hours to jog to the pharmacy 3 miles away. Those problems are minor but what about a single mom who rides the bus to work everyday? This "minor inconvenience" might add 2-3 hours to her work day. Which takes 2-3 hours away from her children.

I'm going to continue challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone and walk a mile (or 2 1/2) in someone elses shoes. If anyone has an idea of what our next adventure should be, let me know. I also challenge you to try the same.

Overwhelmed by the Spirit.

Before you read this let me encourage you to go a few posts back and read my "Let Grace Abound" blog. That blog was about a kid who I'll call "J".

This morning "J" showed up to Cross & Crown because he got suspended from school for 10 days. Any time a kid is suspended from school, which is often, we encourage them to come up to the mission and do community service. "J" helped carry out boxes all day. At the end of the day I was busy on a project and Ron came and pulled me aside. He took me upstairs and pointed into the sanctuary. There was "J" sitting in front of our baptistry reading the bible. He was reading Romans 6!

Luke, Ron and I started talked to him. I could seriously feel the Holy Spirit from the moment we sat down and I knew that something amazing was happening. This afternoon "J" made the decision to accept Jesus into his heart and tomorrow, on his 14th birthday he wants to be baptized in front of all his Rock Island friends.

The best part was that I got to explain to "J' how we had been praying for that very moment and decision since before he even knew us. I have been praying for "J" by name since I found out he was the kid who stole all the video systems from us. We got to tell him today that God had chosen him long before he even came to Cross & Crown. You should have seen the look on his face... every minute of chaos in ministry is worth that face and that smile. I'm crying right now as I write this and it's not because I'm upset with anything. It's because I am overwhelmed with the the transforming Spirit of God. I can't believe that I get the opportunity to witness the consuming fire of the Lord in such an intimate way.

"J" is perhaps the most charismatic kid in all of Rock Island and in the streets of NW OKC. I can't wait to see the fire that he lights within the ministry. The most unexpected of kids has risen up to lead. I can feel deep down that a revolution is about to rise up in Rock Island...just wait and see.

Sons of the King.

At times we find it very hard to build the trust of our neighbors. Years ago they saw us as white people from Edmond who just bombarded their neighborhood to pray... now a lot see us as friends and family who love them and are there to "do life" with them, not look down our noses. It has taken every bit of the 6 years we have been open to build that trust.

The hardest people to build trust with have been the men. Most of the women trust us now because they come get food and clothes, attend our bible class and watch us play with/tutor their children. The men on the other hand... that's a whole different story. I think many of them feel we have an ulterior motive. They wonder why anyone in their right mind would waste effort, money and time on complete strangers. But.. they watch their wives. They watch their wives kiss us on the cheek every chance they get and carry their bibles and Cross & Crown notebooks to bible study one morning a week. They watch them come running down to our doctor when their kid has a runny nose and cook dinner with groceries from our pantry. These men sense something different in their wives, but they can't quite put their finger on it.

I have watched many of these men stare and scowl in our direction. I have also watched those scowls be transformed to smiles and waves through the years. They realize now that we don't pose a threat. What they don't realize is that the transformation they see in their wives is the Holy Spirit. I trust that one by one they will realize that. They will see that the new spirit and joy in their wife is Jesus.

If you stand out at the corner of NW 9th and McKinley during a busy day, you can actually feel the Holy Spirit following these women to their homes. They are missionaries and they don't even know it. Missionaries to their children and especially their husbands. I have a dream that someday we will feel the need to have a men's bible study.. that through the example of their wives and the prompting of the Spirit there will be a desire to stand up and be better husbands, fathers and sons of the King.

Our family.

It seems like I am reminded on a daily basis that my job isn't just a job but more of a family. This week that reminder was a heart-breaker.

We will call the woman "A". I have known "A" since I began my internship 6 years ago, since that time she has blossomed into a precious believer in Christ. I have also watched her children grow up and have come to love them very much. 2 of her children are in our Rock Island group and 1 is in our Underground program. Last August "A" began attending our womens' bible study. I can't recall a day that she has missed and she has really built a relationship with all the women. 8 months ago "A" found out she was pregnant and this was a tough time for her considering her oldest is 16. Still she embraced the coming baby and even had a baby shower planned this coming Saturday... all the bible study women were invited.

Yesterday morning "A" woke up and couldn't feel the baby move, which is an odd thing this late in a pregnancy. She went to the doctor and found out the baby had gone into distress and didn't make it. They started her on meds to induce labor and this afternoon "A" gave birth to a baby girl that had already gone to be with the Lord. I know if you are a mother and reading this, and even if you aren't a mother, your heart is breaking. It's hard for me to even type this, because this is such a painful subject, but I share this story with you to share the powerful ending.

Yesterday when "A' found out about losing her baby, she came straight to Cross & Crown, even before she went home to tell her blood relatives, that is the FAMILY OF GOD. Today she asked Martha Bryant to be there when she delivered the baby, that is the FAMILY OF GOD. Her first thought after receiving the horrible news yesterday was that she wanted Paul to do a memorial service, that is the FAMILY OF GOD. Today when I called up to the hospital to check on her I was told that there were tens of twenties of women there, all neighborhood women from her bible study at the mission, that is the FAMILY OF GOD.

I don't get up every morning and drive down to Northwest Oklahoma City to go to work. I get up every morning to spend time with my brothers and sisters in Christ... my family. To God be the glory!

2 Corinthians 12:10

Lately I have felt like instances at work have really helped me notice my weaknesses in ministry. I always hear "focus on strengths and not weaknesses", which is true, but I also think that it's important to look at areas where I lack and try to better myself. I've been that type of person my whole life. Everything is black & white, if there is a problem you just fix it. That doesn't work with everything though.

Some areas I'm not that great in are working a fax machine older than I am, getting finger prints off the stainless steel appliances in Rock Island, maneuvering the 15 passenger mission van thru 10 inch wide alleys , and understanding street slang such as "dawg" and "playa". Those areas are not a big deal and can be fixed, but I'm finding that some of my weaknesses in ministry are not easy solves. One area that has been especially challenging for me lately is patience with promiscuous teenage girls. This is ironic because some may say I seem strong in this area. The key word is "seem". I feel like I say all the right words to the girls caught up in this lifestyle. I feel really bad and get emotional when I realize the true source of their insecurity such as sexual abuse or lack of father involvement. The outer Chandy works well with this subject, the inner Chandy struggles. I struggle to not be annoyed by the way that some of them dress (they don't leave much to the imagination) or the way they throw themselves at boys. What's interesting is that I don't hold the boys to the same standard in my mind. If they are a little too flirty, I just chalk it up to the fact that they are a teenage boy. Now, before you start worrying about me banning all girls from Rock Island, you must know that this is only a battle of my mind and I can feel the Lord transforming it more and more every day.

I could sit here and list all my other struggles but then I would have a blog as long as the ones on lukesfoodforthought. (Sorry Luke!) Ha. Something interesting I read tonight in a little devotion book really encouraged me and I hope it does the same for you,

"Why does God use our weaknesses? Because when He does, He gets all the glory. If God only used your strengths, other would look at you and either be jealous (Why didn't I get that talent?) or discouraged (I'll never be like that!). But when God uses you in spite of your weaknesses, it gives people hope. They realize "God could use me too!" Your weaknesses are not an accident. God deliberately allowed them in your life for the purpose of demonstrating His power through you."

Let Grace Abound!

About 6 months ago someone broke into Cross & Crown and stole 5 Gamecubes and about 30 games from the Underground ministry. We soon learned who the thief was and although he was not one of the teens involved in our ministry, we felt betrayed. A few weeks later the "culprit" showed up at Rock Island and wanted to come in. It was a tough judgment call for us but we decided that because this teen was a threat to our kids..we should tell him no for the evening and think about it. It's so hard to explain how tough it is to draw lines with the kids. We want them to know that the Lord accepts anyone, but we also have to think about safety and accountability. Since that night, we have all been feeling a major burden over our decision. We have spent a lot of time in prayer over what to do with this kid. Most every time we meet he walks past and glances in our direction but we haven't talked to him since. I will admit that he is veeeeeeery intimidating.

A few weeks ago he showed up and wanted to come in. We didn't want to let this moment pass and this time, invited him in. As I was serving him dinner, I told him how glad I was that he was there and then just went into a full blown sermon about God's grace and forgiveness and that although we knew what he did, we love him. I have no idea why I did that. In most cases the kid would be completely freaked out and run off. He sat there and there was dead silence so I went back to cooking, all the while thinking how I shouldn't have started preaching so soon after his arrival. A few minutes later I feel a tap on my shoulder and as I turn around I'm staring into the eyes of the culprit. "I'm glad you let me come in, thank you." He even prayed out loud in our group prayer and prayed that God would keep him out of trouble.

I am so thankful that God's grace and forgiveness has no limit. I need it everyday just as much as the culprit. A friend recently told me "I'm beginning to realize that without the grace of the Lord I am a worthless pile of poo". That may be a funny way of saying it... but it is so true. The Lord's grace washes over me 70 times 7. I am new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.