deep roots

Normally, I write encouraging posts about life, ministry, or being a wife or mom. But lately we've had a season of outreach, so I wanted to share what we've done.

We are small, with only a few people, but God is shaking up our resources and giving us creative ideas, and we are seeing new people find Jesus each week!

Our city has a great downtown cultural area. It usually draws students from Georgia College & State University, since the university is in the heart of downtown. A few weeks ago, the city had a great festival called "Deep Roots". If ya'll could smell the bbq, your mouths would be watering. Music, crafts - I loved it all!!

We knew we wanted our church to be right in the middle of this great opportunity to reach out to more than 15,000 people. What a chance! We didn't want to just pass out flyers and say "come to our church". We wanted to create a fun atmosphere where people could really make a memory.

So we created a state of the art (ok, not really) photo booth! It was so fun!!! We hung black shower curtains from the top of our tent. Shower curtains because they are thicker and heavier then regular curtains and here in Georgia it can get a bit windy. We bought fun props and raided our kids' toys. Two stools went in front of the black curtain.

We also created a video (http://familyroomonline.org/familyroom/enter_site.html) to play on a flat screen while people walked by.

We had a huge bucket of silly bands which kids could have for free. Then we gave out a card for them to go to the website to get their photos, and got their email to send them pictures. They all signed by their email address to give us permission to post their photos to the web. (Permission and privacy is a BIG detail when working with people and the internet.)

We had an amazing response, and so much fun!!! We were also able to activate 20 new volunteers from our church that day! Watching them love people and have fun was so awesome! So many great conversations -- and several have come to church the last two weekends!

Here is the cost breakdown so you can see how we spent just a little to connect with 15.000 people:

$275 - Space @ Festival
$225 - Props/business cards/video/silly bands
$500 - Total Cost

And the REALLY awesome part? We sent a letter to friends and family, sharing our vision for the festival and two people donated $250. In the end, this event cost us nothing but time and love.

What can you do in your city to go deep and dig some roots in the heart of people around your church?

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

loads of love

Several Months ago my husband and I drove to Charlotte, North Carolina to lead worship for a conference. I don't know about you, but sometimes these little trips are exactly what we need to plan and brainstorm for the future of our ministry.

I propped a whole bunch of sticky notes and a huge calendar up on my lap, with a pencil for notes. On the 5-hour drive we were able to accomplish so much, and get so much down on paper. We got to to dream and scheme without interruptions.

Our church has a huge vision to love our city. Red. Yellow. Black. White. Gay. Alcoholic. Addict. We think you still deserve to feel God's love. We like that do do that through tangible acts of service. Doing things that leave people going "Huh?"

Loads of Love was one of those acts of service.

Our childrens' ministry has 20-25 kids each week (remember, we're only 7 months into our churchplant). The kids brought in change they'd collected by doing chores or helping around the house or found in their parents car. The child who collected the most got to put a pie in my husband's face. If they reached the goal we had set for them we promised to throw an ice cream party.

The kids collected a little over $100. Not a ton of money, by any means. I asked myself "How on earth are we going to pull this outreach off?!?" That's when I felt Jesus' still small voice say "You're not, I am." Okay, fine!

We had people sign up to participate. Then we sent teams to two different laundromats where we'd called first for permission. Each team was armed with laundry soap, dryer sheets and lots of quarters. We also gave them donuts and bottled water since it was a Saturday morning. The biggest thing going for us was a team that had genuine love.

We got to the laundry mat and set up all our stuff. Slowly people trickled in, and we told them why we were there. We saw shock, some cried because they didn't really have the money to do their laundry, and we had so many one-on-one awesome conversations. Not pushing an agenda or our church, just simply loving. They saw a little bit of Jesus that day.

Will we see any fruit? Maybe. But we have at least reached one.

One grandmother with her four grandchildren are currently living in a motel. And it's not a Holiday Inn either. I can't share too much info, but one of the girls, a high school student, is now attending our Wednesday Night Glossy Girls (a small group for young girls). This group teaches girls about true beauty, what God thinks about you, and how he has a purpose for your life.

So - that measly $100.00 raised by the children, which I thought wouldn't be enough, was more than sufficient to meet this girl's heart and give her what she truly needed that day, loads of love.

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

ordinary jane

Lately, Dick and Jane books are spread across our home. They are usually the first book picked up when we enter the children's section at Barnes and Noble. I love how my daughter thinks she's conquered the world when she gets done reading these simple yet profound books. 

Did I just say profound?

Yup! Think how simple her life is: "See Jane go." "See Jane run." "See Jane get in the car." 

Simple, huh! Jealous? Uh, yes! 

But Jane represents every woman, girl, mother, sister... every single chick out there! We can have a simple life, too!

I imagine that if Jane were a big girl like all of us, her big girl book might read something like "See Jane serve. See Jane lead. See Jane nurture. See Jane mother. See Jane love her neighbor. See Jane adore her husband." 

Things that are so simple, yet so profound.

I don't think big girl Jane's book would read: "See Jane throw a temper tantrum. See Jane ignore her husband. See Jane toss her kids aside. See Jane curl up in a corner when she doesn't want to be a pastor's wife."

So how can we equip ourselves to be ordinary Jane's? 

Do life simple! 

I know, it's easier said than done. But we can start by narrowing down to what REALLY matters. Love God, love your family, love those around you, and serve the world!

Simple life means being an ordinary Jane, and being fulfilled through what God has called you to be and to do. So the next time things start to load up in life, think "I'm an ordinary Jane with something unique to offer and I'm going to do what God has asked of me and nothing more!"

Keep it simple. Start by making sure you have time for Jesus every day!

Plan ahead for meals, laundry and outfits and other family needs so you can actually spend quality time with your family versus "doing" with your family.

Love those around you! Serving others can be so simple. Help with carpool, make cookies for a neighbor (do it together as a family), help someone out with groceries at the store. Just find a way to serve and love others around you... maybe with words or a nice note.

So my fellow Jane's, what would your big girl Jane book say about you ? Would it be "See Jane Be Simple"? Or "See Jane Run Around Crazy"?

Leave a comment to share how you live life as an ordinary Jane!

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

is your cart too full?

Sometimes as girlfriends in the ministry it's so hard to balance it all.

The cell phone is ringing, guests are coming over, the baby needs to be changed, and you have yet to get into the word or get plugged in for yourself. However we still find time to blog, twitter, check facebook (and let's not forget texting)! We seem to find the time for the things we want to do and desire to do, but the things that are most important get brushed under the rug.

Let's pretend our life is a grocery cart - or buggy, depending on the area of the country you live in. All the things that we're doing pile up as we shop through life. Daily tasks, business and life fill our carts, but at what cost?

We ask God to give us things, not just material possessions but also ministries, and we ask for opportunities. Then when he gives them to us we end up pushing these carts that are full to overflowing. We've lost the simplicity of "drop everything and follow him". Our carts are so full that we have lost sight of our neighbors, the grocery clerk, and the moms in the park.

I know in ministry our lives are already so full, and we share our husbands and we are under a microscope, but do we count the cost? We can always take our carts and walk back through life and put things back on the shelf.

We want and we want and we want - but so often we don't think of what the cost is going to be. We walk through life thinking we have to have this ministry or we have to have this item and the fact is we can't afford it! In our spiritual lives are we really ready for what we're asking God to give us? Can we really afford it? We each determine what our cost is going to be.

Luke 9 talks about the cost of following Jesus.

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

He asked his disciples to leave it all and just follow him.
No procrastination.
No backward looks.

You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day. Girlfriends, it may mean taking the coffee date with our bff out of the cart to make time to meet with a single mom. It may mean inviting someone into our home that will stay all day. It may take you emptying your whole cart and putting it on the shelf and having a zero balance at the register so you can be available.

It cost Jesus everything for you and me to be free, what will it cost us to see just one other person follow him? Are we being personally effective and making a difference? Or, as my friend Brandi Wilson posted recently, are we only effective by association? Wow.

In Matthew 7 it says we will be recognized by our fruit. Are we counting the cost and bearing healthy luscious fruit or are we allowing our carts to fill up and squash the fruit? What are our priorities?

So here are my questions:
Is your cart full of the things you have asked God for?
Are you effectively counting the cost?
Are you willing to leave those things behind and put them back on the shelf to follow his commands in the uncomfortable places where no one is looking, and where your effectiveness is not based on your church?

Can't wait to read your responses!

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

don't blow it!

Oftentimes in ministry it is easy to get stirred up and angry. As women we often go through our day working in our offices, changing diapers, and figuring out when we can get the next thirty things done on our to-do list.

With our crazy, busy lives we often end up with a short fuse and hurt the ones we love because we have exhausted ourselves to the point of becoming a snapping turtle. Yup, biting everyone’s head off. I have to admit that I can be an angry woman sometimes. Does that hurt me? Absolutely.

I find myself upset at the silliest things and able to pacify a smile to everyone I come across. However, pretending to all of them that I'm a peaceful woman can only last so long. Once I snap, my poor babies and husband look at me like a firecracker just went off. I find myself anxious and angry and looking in the mirror asking myself is this what God wants of me? Is this how he wants me to behave? Ask yourself the same thing; it stings.

Ephesians 4:26 says "In your anger do not sin." So does this give me permission to be angry and upset? I almost got a smile but then I decided there had to be more to do this and I must be missing something. So I decided that yes, I can be angry as long as I'm not sinning... how long do you think that can really last? My thoughts exactly!

Sometimes you just have to walk away from your anger. Jesus did. In Exodus we find him telling Moses to take the Israelites into the land flowing of milk and honey, but He also said "but I will not go with you." He called them stiff-necked people whom He might destroy if He goes. So even Jesus knew that sometimes you just have to walk away.

Ephesians 4:26-27 goes on to say "do not let the sun go down while you’re still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." First Peter 5:8 talks about the devil roaming around like a roaring lion... waiting to devour you! It also says "be self-controlled and alert." If you are sinning in your anger then your self-control is gone. Lions hunt at night. Hmm maybe that is why we are instructed not to let the sun go down on our anger, because He knows the devil will be hunting for us in our sleep.

Sometimes you just need to proclaim Psalm 4:8 over yourself before you go to sleep."I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone o' Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Sing in the morning! "I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble."

So today I invite you, when you feel that short fuse being lit up, to remember what the word of God tells us.

I may not like the circumstance or have control over it but I will not sin in my anger, and I will walk away and not give the devil a foothold. I will cling to His safety and sing of His love in the morning!
--
Rachael

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

introducing a new columnist:: RACHAEL

Since Delina has had to step down, and I'm managing the PW life, a new baby, and CLUTCH all by myself, I've decided to share some of the writing responsibility with other gifted PWs.

So CLUTCH is getting some new columnists.

Columnists commit to writing about a niche subject at least once a month. Their columns will show up as regular blog posts, or you can search your favorite columnists by their name or their column's name, if you'd like to catch up on old posts.  Or you can click on the columns button and see the profiles of all the columnists as we add them.

Rachael is our first new blogger. She'll be writing a column called In Her Shoes::taking a walk in real life ministry. Here's her bio:

 Writing a bio about myself feels so silly! I'm married to an amazing man, musician, leader and mentor. I like to refer to him as Preacher Dude. This year we'll celebrate 8 years of marriage; only by the grace of God.


Preacher Dude and I have three babies, (well they're not all babies but I like to call them that). Madalynne Noelle is 6, Connor Benjamin is 4, and Ellianna Rejoyce is almost 2! I have the privilege of homeschooling them. This year has been a stretch and a challenge and I often plead with the big yellow bus going by to stop and pick them up!


I grew up in Indiana but have lived in several states including Michigan and Louisiana. I went to school to be a nurse, and worked in ICU for a few years. I also got my degree in Urban Church Planting in New Orleans. What an experience that was!


I have been in full time ministry for 9 years and would love to say that it's all been rosy but it hasn't. Preacher Dude and I just spent 5 1/2 years at an amazing church in Michigan. That's when God placed a call on us to go back to my husband's home town and plant a church. We moved here the beginning of November 2009. Our plan is to launch the church on Easter Sunday, 2010.


In my spare time when I'm not helping at the church, homeschooling or being a domestic diva I enjoy being outside, preferably by the ocean. I love shopping, decorating, and book stores with Starbucks. I absolutely love to entertain! I enjoy the cooking and the cleaning and the organization of it all. I love to garden, make crafts and sew. I love candles and herbs and freshly made soaps.

I love praise and worship music, and enjoy sipping sweet tea on a front porch. Oh, and vacations (who doesn't like them?)! I enjoy old-time movies like Anne of Green Gables. And I'm a reality TV junkie (yes, I know that's horrible). I enjoy local eateries and don't frequent them enough.


One of my real passions is women - the women in ministry. Yup. There are many who are hurting and have no where to go. I have suffered thru post-partum depression twice, and had a marriage on the rocks because of ministry woes. I am now whole by the grace of God and I want to give to others what others have given to me.

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...