Because Relationships Matter

Freedom Stories

Rob taught this weekend about living in a prison of pain. I hung out after the services with him to be available for people who needed someone to listen. I was expecting to hear about the pain they were in, but I was surprised to hear from many about life outside of the prison.

These were all people who had honored me at some point in their past by coming to me when they were in the midst of the pain.

• a man whose young adult son had attempted suicide last year is now doing well, holding a job, and preparing to join the army
• a young married woman is celebrating 6 months of freedom from her drug addiction
• a young father who had drank every day for 4 years - I met him originally when he had only a few days of sobriety - is doing much better and has remained on a solid path for the last few months
• a great friend who has been a model of humility and commitment in a difficult marriage - she is now experiencing love from her husband - overwhelmed at the reality that she matters to him

Pain is unavoidable. Freedom and joy are possible. God really is faithful!

Viral Reality

From Rindy Walton's post this week:

"...Not long ago it was a big deal to invite even friends to my house. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. There were too many projects unfinished, the counters were covered with mail and kids’ papers, and clutter camped out in a lot of places. So when friends did visit, it was a production! The countertops were cleared by throwing everything into a box and then into my bedroom, a fast cleaning was done, and clothes were tossed into the closet, shutting the doors as fast as we could so nothing would tumble out. If friends would drop by unannounced, I would panic!

...My life was the same way. On the outside, around everyone, I had it all together. I didn’t need anyone’s help, I was confident, proud, and self-assured. From the outside, it all looked great. I only let others see what I wanted them to see, never opening the rooms of my life that held all the “junk”....Very few ever got a glimpse into the disaster that hid behind the doors...."

Rindy lives in New York. She's a single mom, physical therapist, moving her family to Cincinnati for a new church plant, Walls Down Church. She contacted me months ago to talk about our ministry, our culture, and my role. We've spoken on the phone only a couple times, and yet, I know her. She creates pictures of reality with her words - a reality that I hear so many people try to describe.

Viral Reality. What if people discovered the reality that they are more like others than different? Would they come running out of isolation and loneliness? Would they discover that their junk is what makes them human?

Jesus loves reality. When we open the reality of our life to others, things change! They change with a speed that most never think possible. Corey, Heather, Stephanie, Brian, Bob - just a few leaders at GCC who have experienced it! The amazed become amazing!

Changing Families

As told by the aunt, she's seeing changes in her family members since the mom and children started attending Turning Point and Turning Point All Stars, respectively. Here's the post describing the launch of Turning Point All Stars.

"Our adult niece was really nervous about attending; she had no idea what to expect. I watched her lean in on what she was hearing. Last week her oldest child misbehaved, and she was able to talk with him about it, and she knew that it went well because of what they were both learning at Turning Point. They were able to communicate...which has not been the case.

I heard them coming home from the last week of the session. 'Let's go show her!' I thought maybe they had received a certificate. They walked in holding brand new Bibles! By the excitement in their voices and faces, it was a pot of gold! They talked about how they wanted to care for them and bring them to church. They talked about when it would be a good time to read their Bibles. When's the last time any of us were that excited about a new Bible? Talk about new perspective...

Thank you so much for a ministry for kids and their parents. It has been a huge step in the lives of three people who are very precious to my husband and me and more importantly to God. It is a witness to GCC's value that ministry is best accomplished in teams. You see, there is no way my husband and I alone could have helped our family take the steps they've taken these past few months. The work of the Turning Point teams has been and will continue to be pivotal."

Thank you Turning Point Teams! Here's some pictures of the Turning Point All Stars team. Well done!

Greetings!

Reverend Harry Collier was the pastor of our church growing up. Rather than saying hello with common words, Harry always said, "Greetings!" I was 16 when we started attending. The church broadcast their services on the radio, and my mom heard that the church was nearby. It pulled my parents from being Christmas and Easter church attenders. My parents fought less when we went to church. I loved church for that reason alone. It marked me.

Harry came to our door in the spring of 1977. For years Harry had taken the teens on a mission trip to Cortez, Colorado, in a school bus. He asked me to go. I was 17. I had no idea that pastors could be normal and act goofy. Harry did that well! It marked me.

Harry was safe. I remember when I felt like it might be OK to ask what I hadn't dared to ask, "I don't get why we pray. If God knows everything that's gonna happen, why do we pray? What's the point?" Harry was wise. He affirmed me and didn't give me a simple answer. It marked me.

Harry baptized me when we got home from that trip. Harry married us. Harry baptized our daughter. It marked me.

Some years later, I was a self-righteous young adult; I had the arrogance and audacity to privately rebuke him after he showed anger during a church meeting. Harry offered me nothing but grace. My behavior was shameful. His response was Jesus. It marked me.

Harry died last week. His life marked mine - for good. God gives us opportunities beyond what we can imagine to mark the lives of others - for good.

"All I have is time"

By society standards, a guy like this doesn't have much value: unemployed, living with parents, lost rights to his children, labeled in a variety of ways by our mental health system. 

He is a social guy. Loves talking to people. When he heard there were some places at GCC where he could serve, I got a call the next day.

"I heard they might need some people to serve on Christmas Eve. I'd like to help."

"Great! It serves such a critical role for the people coming for the first time. I don't know if you have time or are interested, but I think they'd love to have you join them this weekend before Christmas Eve."

"Yeah, I can do that. All I have is time. Tell me where and when."

He showed up. I know he connected and served this weekend and is serving on Christmas Eve. By Jesus standard, this guy is worth dying for. I'm praying that this is another step he is taking to discover more and more and more just how much he matters.

Merry Christmas!

Power of normal

"Hey everybody - Just wanted to say hi and update you since I haven't been able to see you all lately. I just wanted to share a much needed blessing that we have experienced. After lots of prayer and persistence, my husband finally got the job he's been waiting for. Praise God!!! He has been so discouraged for such a long time and it's nice to see him feeling better about himself. In addition to that, it will bring a raise and FULL benefits. This is so what we have needed. It's nice to realize that we will finally be able to breathe a little and not be so stressed about our situation all the time. We might actually get to enjoy each other a little bit instead of always being worried about how we were going to get through the next week. In addition, his schedule will allow me to not have to worry about day care anymore when I am able to work after school or in the evenings. I'm so thrilled. God is good. We are doing so much better. We don't miss a Thursday night New Community service anymore and are just trying to keep our feet pointed in the right direction. It seems to be working. We are finally getting disciplined about making our lives better and God is just showering us with blessings in return. How amazing Just wanted to let you know that God is still at work in our lives and we seem to finally be taking steps in the right direction for once!"

I was copied on what this woman sent to her group of women friends. They are in their late 20's - a young family. When she replied saying that I could share their story, she continued to paint an image of how normal people can have a powerful message. They are sitting beside us each week.

"Yes. That's fine. To be honest, the idea of us being used as some sort of example makes me really nervous. I mean, we're hardly an example of great "Christ Followers". We're just now starting our new path and I don't know what people would think if they knew how often we fall off. But somehow we just keep picking each other back up and saying alright, let's get back on and keep going. But I guess it's about progress, not perfection, right? That whole perfection thing still gets to me sometimes!"   

Yep, it gets to all of us. We need a savior, and it's not our selves.

Give me a week

Wanna know about our baptism last Sunday at Coveleski Stadium? Read it from Mark Waltz or Tim Stevens. 

I talked to a man at the baptism who I had met for the first time in a telephone conversation on May 2, 2007.

"I haven't been to your church yet, but I need to know what to do. My wife has left and is going to file for divorce. I have never been a Christian, and in fact, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've made fun of them - terribly. Well, I was so upset last night that I prayed, 'God, if there's any way that I could just get my wife to not call the attorney for one week, I might be able to convince her that I'll change.' Kathy, I about died. Minutes after that I received a text message from my wife. It read, 'Have decided to wait a week to contact an attorney. Talk to you tonight.' What do I do? I know God is there. This has been the 3rd time in just a few days when I have prayed something, and it's been answered. I gotta do something. I already called my best friend - he and I have been merciless on Christians. I told him we had to stop. It's all changed..."

He came to New Community on May 3 and every Thursday since. He came to the service on May 5 and every weekend since. He and his wife came to the Same Struggle Different Day workshop we held on May 7. He came to the Turning Point launch on May 8. He and his wife came to the Starting Point launch on May 14. He walked through the door on August 4 to accept Jesus Christ! He was baptized on Sunday, September 9, 2007! 

When I talked to him at the baptism, I told him I'd been stalking him, watching his steps, amazed at the journey in a little over 4 months! He is amazed too! Life has changed.

Jesus changes lives. I am humbled and grateful to know the stories and see God show up over and over and over again!

P.S.

This is a follow up to a couple previous posts.

As I wrote in My Life, go time!, it was confirmed again that my needless worry doesn't impact how God responds. We heard the news this past weekend of the advance commitments made to the My Life journey by 349 family units: over $3 million. Incredible!

As I wrote in Real Steps, remember that she was looking for a second job to make ends meet financially? Well, after she made her financial commitment, (I'm talking within an hour after she left from dropping the card off at church) she got the second job!

I know that we don't always see responses like these, and I can't explain the mystery of how and when God responds, but I think it's really cool to watch when it's this obvious! Thank you God!

Real Steps

A woman came to talk with me last week and she brought her commitment card for the My Life journey. The commitment card was already sealed in the envelope; she asked if she could drop it off with me.

Based on our conversation from only a week earlier, I knew her income and expenses left her with about $10 a week for groceries. We talked about how she had applied for a second job at a nutrition store near her home, and how it would be a great fit with minimal travel expenses. So I'm handed her financial commitment card a week later?

I wondered where she had found money in her budget to commit. I thought of the sacrifice this was in her life.

Later in our conversation, when she told me of her plan to quit smoking next week, she pointed to her commitment card. "That's how I decided what to give. I had prayed, 'God, what do you want me to do?' I had already been talking with a co-worker, and it was clear that if I quit smoking, I could give that money to help build the Commons."

Amazing! Inspiring! It didn't happen by accident. This woman has been intentional to take steps. Here's a timeline of some of the steps she's taken on the outside that have lead to big changes inside.

Starts attending GCC mid-September, 2006 --> Core Class 101, October, 2006 --> New Community, November, 2006 --> Core Class 201, January, 2007 --> Starting Point, January, 2007 --> Turning Point, January, 2007 --> Serving Team, Connection Café, February, 2007 --> Second Saturday, March 2007 --> Spotlight Dinner, March 2007 --> My Life Commitment, March 14, 2007 --> I can hardly wait for the next chapter!

The amazing people we get to serve. What a privilege.