Meeting Update

It all started when Jackie's friend's teenage daughter was a victim of sexual slavery. Feeling alone and depressed the young girl was approached in a mall by a young man who offered her a job cleaning offices at night. The girl felt like he was trustworthy and agreed to meet him with her friend at an office complex. They cleaned some offices and he gave them cash, telling them to come back the next night for more work. Her friend couldn't make it, so she found a way to the office complex on her own. She was kidnapped and drugged. They were prepping her for a transfer to Southeast Asia, where she would be sold into sexual slavery.

By the grace of God they caught her and her accomplices at the Las Vegas airport 3 days after she was taken.

From this horrible situation Jackie started C.A.S.S. (Christians Against Sexual Slavery).

I had a great meeting yesterday! I'm going to join the committee for C.A.S.S. once they resume meeting in the fall. I was able to get the names of some local people and organizations to contact.

Thanks for praying! As I was preparing for the meeting I thought, "Who am I? What am I doing? I'm a stay-at-home Mom, for Pete's sake! What in the world do I have to offer?" God quickly dispelled that crap and I was able to move forward. I'll keep you posted on all this!

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Meeting

Please pray for me today at 2pm. I have a meeting with a ministry that works with victims of sexual slavery.

Thanks!

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I've Been Carjacked?

A perfect stranger just drove away in my minivan...

Vince has a new book coming out in February called, "Guerrilla Lovers." The premise of the book is that as Christians we need to love people in a way that surprises them. Guerrilla warfare is a type of warfare where you "sneak attack" your enemy (think Vietnam War). In the same way we need to "attack" people with God's love. It's an awesome book that's challenging and inspiring.

So when was the last time you loved someone in such a way that shocked them; that made them question your sanity? A love with no strings attached and no creepy motives...

I came home from the gym this morning and found an old man in the street by my house. We said hello and I headed up my driveway. He stopped me in my tracks and said, "Do you have any jumper cables?" I thought I did so I started to look in my trunk. Once I found them I brought them over to him where I saw a younger girl working on her car. She asked if I could jump start her car. After several tries it wouldn't work. Her battery was deader than dead.

She was totally frazzled and upset. She had to bring her Uncle (the old man) to the bus station and her car was dead. Without even thinking I said, "Why don't you take my car?" She said, "What? I don't even know you!" (She just moved into the neighborhood with her cousin this past weekend) I said, "I don't care, you need to take him to the bus station and you need to buy a new battery, so take my car!" She finally agreed, jumped in and drove off. As I walked away she said, "The world needs more people like you in it."

What could you do this week to show someone God's love in a really practical way? Could you make cookies for your neighbor? Could you buy your garbage man a gift card to Home Depot? Could you shower your kids' teacher with presents for no reason?

People will think you are crazy. They will wonder what in the world you've been smoking! Even Vince questioned my sanity when I told him about my car. But it's worth it anyway! So here's your assignment. Do something Guerrilla Lover-ish this week and tell us about it in the comment section on this post.

Happy Guerrilla Loving!

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Seriously????

I took this picture today on my iPhone! There aren't really any words to say...

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I've Been Strobel-ized!

This weekend Lee Strobel preached at Central Christian Church in Vegas. If you get a chance, go to Central's website and listen to the message. It's a good one. For those of you who, like me, can't imagine sitting down and listening to a sermon on the computer I thought I'd give you some highlights. I think it's especially important for church planting wives.

The theme of the sermon was based on his new book, "The Unexpected Adventure." He posed the question, what if Jesus physically lived in my house? Would He treat my neighbors differently than I do? What would He and I do the same? What would we do differently from each other? He had three points:

1. Before Jesus talked to his neighbors about God, he talked to God about his neighbors. He talked about how important it is to bring our relationships before God. He used the example of Jesus being crucified and how, even during His agonizing pain, He prayed for those who were crucifying Him. "Father forgive them..." Even on His deathbed He was talking to God about the very people in his life that were killing him.

He also told a powerful story about the importance of praying for our lost family and friends and not giving up...ever!

2. Jesus would make it clear that His door was always open for questions. It's pretty clear in the Bible that Jesus doesn't mind people asking him questions. We sometimes get the idea that God is annoyed by us and our questions, lack of faith or understanding, etc. In Luke 7 John the Baptist questioned Jesus' identity. Jesus didn't get mad at John for his questions, and later even said that no one was greater than John.

He shared an awesome story about a debate between a Christian and an Atheist that took place at Willow Creek. Click here if you want to watch the debate.

How open is your "door" to questions about God? We don't have to have all the answers; we have to listen, pray and be available to our non-Christian friends and family.

3. Jesus would be authentic in His relationships with His neighbors. He would be 100% authentic, full of integrity, with no signs of hypocrisy. He talked about how non-Christians scan the lives of Christians (especially those in ministry) for discrepancies and in-authenticity.

He shared a story about a girl named Maggie who hated church because she had been abused by people who called themselves Christians. After joining a small group and hanging around Christians she became a Christian. She said that she decided to become a Christian because , "I ran into a bunch of people who were like Jesus to me." They were humble, gentle and they loved her.

So a few questions ran through my mind during the sermon. I thought I'd share them with you.

How's my prayer life? Do I regularly pray for my lost friends and family? Is there anyone I've given up on praying for?

How accessible am I to people? Is my schedule so full that I don't have time to sit down with a neighbor and talk? Am I known as someone who is a good listener? Am I approachable?

Are there any signs of hypocrisy in my life? Is there anything I do that I would be embarrassed if people knew? Is my private life consistent with my public life?

Do I live a life of love?

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Various Updates and Ramblings!

This has been a really busy week! I'm so excited for a nice, relaxing weekend. Just wanted to update you on a few things:

* I have potential meetings with two different organizations in Vegas that work in the sex trafficking industry. Please pray that I'm able to meet with them next week and that it's productive and that God really gives me wisdom about getting involved.

* Logan Sekulow has started a new ministry called the Be Heard Project. You donate $4 a month and 4 different ministries get $1 each. I'm pretty sure the ministries change every month. Verve is one of the 4 featured ministries this month. Go to the website for more info.

* I started leading some girls in Jennifer Rothschild's book, "Me, Myself and Lies." It's a 6-week study. Beth Moore is facilitating the study on her blog. I'm super excited.

* Any girl born in the seventies has a special place in her heart for both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Charlie's Angels made me believe that I could fight crime and still look hot. Thriller made me believe that I could dance and destroy monsters at the same time. Both died this week; what a bummer. I saw Michael Jackson in concert in 1984; that was one of the highlights of my childhood. I also collected Charlie's Angels trading cards (they had a piece of a puzzle imprinted on the back of every card. If you collected all the cards, you were able to finish the puzzle. As hard as my sister and I tried, we never completed the puzzle).

* I went on a field trip with my son today. There's something unsettling about driving in a bus full of kids past billboards of Holly Madison's boobs and strippers in thongs. I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore.

* We've had Matt Caron living with us since the beginning of February. He's from Virginia Beach and attended Forefront. He's headed home to spend the rest of the summer with his family and then he's coming back in August to go to UNLV, where he'll live in the dorms. He took Vince and I to dinner last night at an amazing restaurant that overlooked the whole city. The food and view was out of this world!

* My new "best" Vegas friend's name is Melissa. Her son and my son are in the same class (and both their names are Dawson...how crazy is that?!) and on the same baseball team. I went to a Pampered Chef party at her house on Tuesday night. I got to meet lots of women; it was so cool. I decided to have a Pampered Chef party at my house for my neighbors. Vegas is known as one of the most un-neighborly cities in America. It's weird...everyone drives up, opens their garage doors, pulls in, and closes it behind them. People don't hang around outside; it's not very easy to get to know your neighbors. So, my idea is that I'm going to invite all the ladies on my street to my house for a Pampered Chef party (with no obligation to buy, of course) and hopefully we'll all get to know each other. Please pray that this actually happens and that people actually show up. It's on July 22nd.

* Vince is headed to Sacramento, CA this weekend to preach at Adventure Christian Church. One of my oldest and dearest friends lives there; I'm incredibly jealous of Vince!

* Tickle (A.K.A Junior) died a few minutes ago. He was a darkling beetle that my daughter raised from a mere larva at school. She loved that beetle (and even held it, which makes me want to barf), but got over his death within a few seconds. Which makes me wonder why our world has revolved around that stupid beetle for so many weeks. And, the number of cockroaches that enter my house on a daily basis is enough to make me throw up. If Tickle entered my house uninvited I would have killed him. Which again makes me wonder why our world has revolved around that stupid beetle for so many weeks.

* If you have an iPhone and haven't downloaded the free update, do it now. It's awesome!

* The fact that most of my friends and family live on the east coast makes telephone calls a little challenging. For instance, I didn't call my Dad on Father's Day. What kind of daughter am I? I kept reminding myself to call him and when I finally decided to dial, it was after 11pm on the east coast. Unbelievable!

* One more thing...I am in the middle of Beth Moore's, "Esther" study and it's awesome. I am a Beth Moore addict and have literally done every study she's ever put out. This one is one of the best. Go buy it!

Have a great weekend!

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A Little Perspective!

I came up with this phrase several years ago: "People come in and out of your life like underwear!"

If you've ever started a church you know that one of the places that this happens the most is in your launch team. People get excited and join your team. Some are there for the long-haul, but a lot of people come in and leave shortly thereafter. Some people join your team and then realize that it's not the place for them. Other people stay with you, but as soon as the church launches they take off. There can be theological differences, personality conflicts, schedule conflicts, and a multitude of other issues that cause the person to leave.

As a church planting wife, this can be really hard on us emotionally. We invite people into our lives, we open up our hearts and homes to them and then they leave. Unfortunately, it's just par for the course.

We've already had several people leave our launch team and we're not even launching until February. We've still got a long way to go...

I thought of a few things that have helped me along the way. I'll share them in hopes that it helps you. Please feel free to add to the list by adding a comment!

1. Stay close to God. He's really the only person that won't leave you. He's with you for the long-haul. In the end, He's the only one that will stick with you. Make your relationship with Him a priority now. He's also great at comforting the brokenhearted. So when you are struggling emotionally, He is not only there, but can help you in a way that no other person can.

2. Love people, but don't cling to them. Obviously we need to love people. But because people come in and out of your life it's important that you love them with boundaries. If you put all you've got into a person and they leave or let you down, you're in for a heap of pain and trouble.

3. Don't put heavy expectations on people. Don't expect them to fill a void in your life, meet your every need or be your "saving grace." They are just a person who is flawed and broken like you. They will disappoint you in some way at some point. No one will love your church like you do; it's your baby. Don't expect people to love it like you and be as committed as you are. You will be sorely disappointed.

4. Stick close to your husband. Talk to him about how you're feeling. Share your sadness and disappointments with him. If you don't feel like you can be honest and open with him, consider getting some marriage counseling. Open and honest communication with him is so vital on this journey. (Side note: Sometimes your husband is the reason why the person has left. He has said or done something or didn't do or say something that has made the person leave. Take sides with your husband, at least publicly. Nothing can ruin a church like a divisive marriage. Trust in his leadership. If you totally disagree obviously share your feelings with him, but at least support him in public.)

5. Talk to one or two close friends who you know will respect your privacy and protect your heart. Vince and I are going through a bunch of stuff right now and to be honest I miss my girlfriends in VA. I want to get some coffee and verbally barf all over them. For now I have to rely on the telephone. Either way, talk to them.

6. Realize that God will fill the void the person has left. He knows that people come in and out of our lives. He provides for us when people leave. Ministry areas get filled, new friendships form, etc. Try to see the big picture instead of focusing on the loss.

7. Don't let bitterness creep in. It's easy to allow resentments to build when we've been hurt. We've got to live in forgiveness-mode. We've got to give people grace!

8. Along with number 7, don't build emotional walls around yourself. We've got to give God the opportunity to knock down the walls we've built. In order for you to have healthy relationships you've got to be wall-free.

9. Have a life outside of your church. Do things that are fun to you. Sometimes we just need perspective. It's easy to allow the church and the people in the church to consume us. Take a break, go on vacations, join sports teams and clubs that have nothing to do with your church. I guarantee you'll breathe easier!

10. Enjoy the journey. How many people can say that they were part of starting a new church? You're part of an elite group of people that, if the Bible were still being written today, would probably have a few verses written about them. Don't get bogged down with the negative stuff and the drama. You're on an adventure of a lifetime!

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