Avenues

I enjoy meeeting people. I am sure I was shy at some time in my life. But as I’ve grown older and met more people, I’ve grown accustom to talking to people. In my life, I’ve talked to students at high schools, drunks on the streets of Portland, Oregon, a hitchhiker in Louisiana, children at schools and church, and neighborhoods, and kids waiting for the school bus.  The best thing I could do was connect with them, encourage them, tell them there is hope and that hope is Jesus Christ. 

Many times we are given avenues to walk on. If we trust God, we know that He directions all our paths. Sometimes the avenues come walking up our streets or live next door or across the street when my kids are waiting for their bus. Sometimes you get to meet really cool people or families when you accept your kids invite to attend a birthday party.  My wife and I are meeting more and more people and we are becoming more and more intentional with our visiting.

I’d like to hear from you, my readers, avenues that are opening up for you to make connections with people in your parts of the world. Tell me your stories.

When a Neighbor’s parents die

I’ve enjoyed 49 years with my parents. I was born 11 months after they got married, so essentially, I have been with them two months after they were married.  I don’t think about them not being around anymore. In fact they were just at my house tonight, preparing for our big garage sale tomorrow. 

But my next door neighbor informed us via phone, that his mom had passed away.  Harold lost his dad this past January and now, after several weeks of misdiagnosis at the local hospital, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, and after being flown by Leer jet to Boise Idaho, just this past Monday, she died. She died from Lou Gehrigs disease. Something St. Joseph’s didn’t diagnose. 

I am sad for Harold. We’ve only known him a year and I’ve had many opportunities to listen to him talk about life with his parents growing up in these parts of Idaho.  He is seriously going to miss his parents. I am not sure what he is going to do. He will now live in a big ol empty house. 

I know what we plan on doing. Being his friend for life.  It’s the best thing we can offer someone who is in morning. He has lived with his parents for several years now, taking care of all their needs, extensively medical.  Now he will alone.

I can’t imagine losing my parents, though I am living assured that they will make to to Heaven whenever that day comes.  But for now, I am available to help Harold cope with his loses and pray that he will find solace in four people, a mom, dad, a son, and a daughter who live right next door.

Living Like Only Jesus Matters

When I was a kid, the only thing I wanted to do was play.  I played with Tonka trucks, G.I. Joe army men, marbles, and eventually grew up a bit to ride a bike and shoot BB guns.  Not a care in the world. No bills to pay, no Walkman to isolate me from friends and family, no Gameboy, and really not much decisions on what I was going to eat at any particular meal or any time of the day. The food was provided for me by my hard working dad and my stay-at-home mom.

Since I grew up going to church since I was a kid, Jesus took on a persona that I sometimes wish I could go back to. It was only Him. I talked to Jesus like I talked to anyone, especially my imaginary friends. I lived like only Jesus mattered.

If we take ourselves away from the shopping, the working, the exercising, the family raising, the other things that consume our time, energy, and space, and live like only Jesus mattered, I am certain, life would be way better. To do that would mean we have to rely on Him, Jesus, for everything.  Trust becomes the huge factor. Could we do that? Could we even attempt to do that?  Could we live like we really only rely on Jesus Christ to make it in life?

The Bible say’s a lot about having utter dependance on God. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.” Matthew 6: 25-27

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5,6

Romans 5 tells us of the peace and joy we can have through relationship with Jesus Christ.

I challenge myself to totally trust God for everything and live like only Jesus matters and then watch how He leads my life to connect with others.

When That Voice Say’s Something

You know when it happens. You do something and “the voice,” your conscience, “something spoke to me,” say’s something to you and you have a moment to respond. Do you listen to the voice? Or do you ignore it, brush it off, or let the words sink in and then respond?  Well Thursday morning, “the voice,” spoke to me. I was putting things together while staying in a hotel in Spokane and felt compelled to take a moment to find “the word for today.” That “word” would be to simply open my Bible and find something compelling, awe-inspiring, challenging, life-changing, or simply “a Christian duty.”  I open my Bible and thumbed through it looking for something I underlined, highlighted or a word to jump out at me. I by-passed several of the above-mentioned as this particular Bible is full of highlights and underlines. I stopped at I Corinthians 9:27. I had previously underlined, “…I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”  The whole passage deals with running in a race and running to win.

I left my hotel room, went to work, and when I came back, I found the following note on my Bible, “I would like to say thanks 4-leavin your Book opened. I read the first 1/2 page. Thanks again. Enjoy, Sammy. I needed it.”

Sometimes we listen to the voice, the Holy Spirit, our conscience, or whatever you want to call it, and when we do, we get cool results.  Sometimes when we ignore it, we miss out on doing something great for someone else.  I want to be a vessel used by God, to help others grow, especially in relationships with God.

tips for connecting with people

1.  When shopping at Home Depot, wear orange. People will approach you thinking you work there.

2. Watch for your neighbor to take out his garbage or return it to their home, then do the same, at the same time. Makes for great conversation.

3.  Stand at the bus stop with your kids. Especially if there are other parents there. This was the regular routine when we lived in Bothell. Great opportunity to engage your neighbors and invite them to church.

4.  Take in a baseball game. Doesn’t matter if you are rooting for either team on the field. Sit behind home plate or nearby, talk to elderly dads, they love the conversation.

5.  If you have a dog, take him/her for a walk in your neighborhood.  People engage people with pets. Especially where I live. We just don’t happen to have a dog.

6.  Become a merchandiser. You meet all store management. Make sure they know your name.  You will get to meet some great people who know a  whole lot of more people. 

7.  Give good customer comments and make sure you leave your name, number and phone number.  Instant access for them to connect with you.

8.  Go to the local park and play hoops. Someone is going to want to shoot with you. We did this all the time in college. Still works today. 

9.  Attend school functions. Show yourself friendly.  Wait for results.

10.  Invite everyone you meet to Easter Sunday service, this Easter.

Sometimes They Come to Your Door

I reread Bill Hybels book, Just Walk Across the Room not that long ago and I’ve already posted in here remarks regarding the book and how its been applicable to my life.  This past Saturday added an interesting twist to this idea of sharing our faith with people. 

Our doorbell rang Saturday around twelve-thirty in the afternoon. I peered out our glass window in our door and saw a face I was familiar with. A little friend of my daughter Anika. Her name is Ashley.  Out in the car was Ashley’s parents and her two sisters.  Ashley wanted to know if Anika could spend the night at her house. We agreed and off went my daughter.  It was Anika’s first sleepover and we weren’t sure it was a good idea. My daughter is six, soon to be seven, and the idea of her being at someone’s house that we were only just getting to know, made us a bit nervous.

It was very quiet at our house. The next morning Anika arrived all fit and had even asked if it would be okay if Ashley went to church with us. Since Ashley and her family are not church attenders, we were pleasantly surprised when the mom, Lisa, said it would be okay. So we got us a second daughter for half a day.  We took Ashley to church and since my daughter is in the Valley Kidz worship team, Ashley got to join her and both of them  came and led our Little Kid’s, ages 3 t0 6, in worship. You could tell Ashley and Anika were having a great time.

Ashley then came to our house for lunch. They live “way out of town,” so we took her home and then were able to visit with the parents Lisa and Dan for quite awhile. Dan has been remodeling there house and it was great to see the progress he was making.

Andy Stanley calls it Invest and Invite. We did the investing and when it comes to this years Easter Sunday, the invite will come too. If you are a Christ-follower, I’d just like to ask you all to pray for Lisa, Dan, Ashley and her sisters. That by investing in building a relationship with them, they’d find relationship with Jesus Christ.  Can you do that for us? Thanks in advance.

Invest and Invite

Friday night we had a movie night at our church. We showed Kung-fu Panda on the big screens.  Our kids at our church were encouraged to invite someone or someones to the movie. My kids passed out “ticket” invites to their friends at the bus stop and at school.  When it came time for the movie, two of my son’s friends showed up.  The children’s director at our church rewarded those who brought friends, as a way to make the idea of inviting someone to church for a movie, stick. 

After the movie my wife and I met the mother of one of Isaac’s friends who came to the movie. Here’s where this idea of inviting someone to church, sticks! (works).  She said she had never been to our church before but her son was adament about coming to the movie. When she got into the main sanctuary where we showed the movie, she was really impressed with how our church looked and asked us if this is where we attended church. We said yes then filled her in with service times on Sundays and Wednesdays and invited her back. 

A few years ago I heard a sermon by Andy Stanley called Invest and Invite. I have actually preached the same sermon, making it relative to the areas that I preached it in.  (checkout www.northpoint.org for information on how to get your own copy of the sermon). 

So here’s my invite to you to come visit our church. You can check it out at  www.vcclc.org.  I am just fascinated that an invite is so simple yet there are many of us church-going, Christ-following, people who can’t make ourselves do just that. Invite someone to church. Try it.  Right now. Go. Invite someone to attend church with you. Get up, go do it.

Going to Church

It’s something I’ve done for many, many years. Go to church. I don’t remember ever not going to church, just like I have no concept of never not knowing God.  I’ve always felt like I’ve known God. I don’t have any periods in my life where this either an absence of God or of not knowing God. I asked God to come into my life at age seven, so before that time it could be said that I didn’t know God but I don’t remember, “not-knowing God.” I simply don’t. Just like I don’t know what its like to not go to church. I’ve always gone to church as far as I know. You’d have to ask my mom if there was ever a time I didn’t go to church. 
Here’s what I know about church and I will keep it simple. There are thousands of church buildings all over America and the World. People pass by them every day. Some pass many churches every single day. Some of those people who pass churches have never been inside one and have no idea what happens inside. To them, its just a “church” building. Nothing about them make them wonder, “I wonder what happens in there?” They just don’t think about them. They have “other things” to think about, especially on a Sunday when most churches and their parking lots are full of people and cars.  In the town that I grew up in, at the west end of town, there used to be a big billboard that read, “Welcome to Clarkston, the town of churches.” It’s still a town of churches, its just that a lot more people live here now and less go through any of their doors. What’s your take on “churches?”