Bus Gus 2

Kid Art
a local school when we took the
bus there for show and tell

45 people showed up today...So we did a teen group and an adult group that went to two locations. Always fun to pack the groceries, share some encouraging stories, pray and head out.
the teen group had a powerful time praying for just about everyone who opened the door, people were deeply moved as the teens prayed, some openly wept. Others were encouraged and connected to God's grace.

the adult group was the nubie group most had not gone out before some haven't prayed for some one before...

in the end good stories, positive prayers and encouragement. More than one person commented, 'i think i received more than i gave.' this is often felt and expressed...

as we go and share somehow (it is a mystery), we end up receiving...

we often discover we have more to give than we think, realize our lives can make a difference as we go and make ourselves available.

Glad to be in a church that cares for others.

small things done with great love can change the world one bag of groceries at a time

Get on the bus gus

This weekend we will be heading out delivering groceries and offering prayer to people in low income apartments...This is the kick off for the season...it looks like a lot of people will be showing up so we will be going to two locations...so today it's fill up the bus with gas, clean the inside of the bus, go to Sam's for the groceries, set up tables, ready the bags, maps and spend some time praying for the bus run. It takes a lot of time, and energy behind the scenes...this should be a great weekend 50's and hopefully no rain.

OOPS!

Sunday I shared in the Beginnings class(our membership track) concerning outward focus and how / why we reach out to our community the way we do...i mentioned the importance of having a positive attitude connected to our positive actions, making sure our walk matches our words... doing so helps us be wise toward those who know not Jesus...


I asked, 'has anyone ever been served by someone with a wrong / bad attitude?' i then gave an example noting a local fast food restaurant...I went in early to ensure we'd have the needed burgers and french fries, when my wife went in to pick the order up....blank stares, duhs etc...half an hour later she received the order...

bad service = leads to bad memories, always ...most people then share their experience with other people... we are the jesus people see, often we forget when we become irritated, or upset by bad service, or when someone drives below our standard or____________ fill in the blank...

I remember being in an auto shop, waiting on someone notable in the Christian community to come in to pick up his car, as he walked in the guys behind the counter, commented... 'Oh no, here comes that jerk again!' The jerk in question often voiced his opinions in public, was demanding, and had a self centered self seeking attitude that leaked consistently...not exactly positive character traits...

We are who we are, and our actions, and attitudes do speak louder than words.

A friend of mine ordered a special meal...when it was delivered to her home she looked through the order...wrong order...she was upset but remembered who she represented...the delivery guy left...a short time later the manager...returned, apologized, and left some extra deserts...she was amazed by his actions and by his humble attitude. Later that week she called the home office and expressed her thanks mentioning the manager by name...She didn't know that the manager has attended the Vineyard for years...his walk is matching his talk.

my OOPS! i mentioned the food chain by name...suddenly, a whole table erupted, 'hey wait a minute', as a lady walked forward saying 'we own that food chain, and here are some complementary sandwich coupons'...needless to say, I dug a hole, was totally embarrassed, etc. I mentioned my wife often says, 'Steve, don't ever mention people by name, or businesses by name.' Duh? I think she is right.

It turned out as a humorous illustration at my expense...par for the course.
it was a good day...Lot's of buzz.

Pauls Outward Focused Prayer

Writing Colossians ... writing out the Bible helps me see things I never noticed...check out Pauls prayer for his friends...

Colossians 1 NLT

1:9 So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.

1:10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.

Philemon 1:6 NIV
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Notice the same thought in Philemon...

Sharing our faith, doing good, being kind, living lives that reflect God's genorisity help us to know Him in ever increasing ways...

staff outreach pics 2

Staff outreach pics

great outreach...here are a few pics of staff in action.

love came down

live 2006: love came down
I reckon soul survivor is one of the top God seeking movements on the earth today. Mainly made up of teens and twenties in the U.K. their new CD is top of the pile of great heartfelt songs that touch the heart...not to be missed

Flowers Everywhere

yesterday two small teams headed out into our community with hundreds of carnations and you've just been kissed packs...we divided up went north and south...then we popped into the shops at various strip malls and asked, "how many ladies to you have working today?" we then counted out the flowers as we said, "we want to be the first ones to wish you a happy Valentines Day." They then asked, "who are you?" we then handed out some you've just been kissed packs and replied, "we're the vineyard and you've just been kissed." Great fun, startled looks, lots of Oh's and Ah's from the ladies. Several people mentioned, 'you're that pretty good church aren't you?' 700 flowers, into the hands of some grateful people...in an hour and a half.

behind the scenes... as we left, we noticed the ladies talking to their male co-workers about the gift, we saw them look at the packs, point to us, smile and generally have a conversation about the kindness they had just received.

note: kindness done with God's love usually has a ripple effect touching more than one life...every connection, connects to the people within a persons sphere of influence, they go home and tell their family, or they talk about the experience with a friend...

Wednesday we go to University of Dayton with Flowers Everywhere, this will be our fourth year there...

What's in nail polish?

here is a great outflow letter...the principles of listening, noticing, going the extra mile, openness etc.

Hey Steve...
Sunday after attending the New Beginnings breakfast and information, I made a return to a nearby store. While the gal was ringing me up she made a positive comment about my nail polish. She liked the color and asked if I knew what it was. No, was my answer.

A few hours later while watching TV and knitting the Lord conveyed a plan to me! Go get the receipt which would have the phone number for the store and the name of the gal who waited on you. I got the name of the nail polish and called her. She was so shocked that I took the time to call. In fact she said, "I can't believe you took the time to call and give this information to me. Thank you so much."

My response was just as surprising to her. I told her it was just a practical way of showing her Gods love, he cares about everything. She asked me to come back in again sometime, she wanted to talk to me!

When I first went into the store she was right there at the front door. I told her I was waiting on my husband to drive up and drop off my shopping bag from her store with my return. I told her I walked over from the Funny Bone where we had just had lunch and a meeting. She said she wondered what was going on over there because she had noticed all the cars parked in that area. I shared with her we were attending the Vineyard membership meal and membership classes. So, she also knows what church I am from.

Don’t you love it....I do. I love to witness of God's love for others. There are just so many opportunities and the holy spirit is so willing to give guidance and direction. It is such a precious part of having a personal relationship with HIM!

Staff Outward

yesterday the intrepid staff went out to the Kettering, Beavercreek schools to show God's love in practical ways... Great responses! and a good team building time...the Polaroid cameras opened doors for dialogue...who are you?, why are you doing this? etc.

here is the Big Idea...it came to me at 3am the night before...often when we do outreach I can't sleep, always seems to be some sort of hassle, mind twist, or emotional upheaval just before or after the outreach

The Pretty Good Donut Challenge 4 teams with 15 doz donuts each maps for 3 schools

each school gets 3 to 5 doz depending on the school size the left over boxes should be delivered to local stores etc.

The challenge using maps take donuts and kisses, to local schools, go to the main office… let them know they have just been kissed as an early valentine… then on to other local stores etc. When delivering the donuts, document your trip by taking pictures with the camera of the teams progress on trip. Points given to most creative, fun, photo documentation and for most unusual place donuts given.

10 pictures
Required pictures:
Whole team together off the ground
Whole team with at least 2 teachers
Most unusual place donuts are given
Team drinking coffee together
Team progress documentation
Winning team receives gift cards for Caribou Coffee

They were all winners...photos to follow...in another post