Category Archives: taking action
Now
“I wanna be your hands. I wanna be your feet. I’ll go where you send me.” Audio Adrenaline retro Sunday song – thank you “The Go-Round” ….. at least the Ghost Buster’s theme is now out of my head!
Sacrifice
The Mom Squad
“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me ,and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Come one! Come all! EVERYONE has a role to play in our upcoming DAY OF ACTION! This includes moms…..who are usually the ones who get up before everyone else and are the last ones to bed. Moms have their hands full of toddlers and their calendars overflowing with commitments. BUT – moms are also some of the most dedicated, over-achieving, “give until it hurts” people I know.
Case in point: I got a message from one of our young moms who told me that there are several action-mommas that want to be a part of our Day of Action – but have young children who come first…..Well – obviously the kids come first! But that doesn’t mean the moms can’t participate. Let’s get creative and think outside the box.
Moms with teens:
Bring them along! Servants is one of those organizations that I love working with because of their flexibility. We believe that families that serve others together learn compassion and empathy…..AND they might even learn some new hands-on skills. Heck! We had the Burr girls laying roofing shingles before they were out of middle school!! Kids can paint, they can sand railings, they can help with landscaping or even inside chores like cleaning areas that might be harder for older or disabled homeowners to reach. The teens could even offer to babysit some of our actionkidz to give our younger moms an opportunity to serve without carrying a diaper bag! There are so many opportunities I can’t even begin to list them all.
Moms with elementary age kids:
Same as above…..just more one on one supervision. Kids at this age would be perfect for washing cars, organizing tools, sweeping, raking, cleaning basements/garages – At this age they LOVE being a part of projects that benefit other people. If you can’t make it to the job site – you can make cards for the homeowners or decorate the lunch bags that the crew packs their lunches in…..anything to make the volunteers and the homeowners feel loved and appreciated.
Moms with wee ones:
Even the teeny tiniest can come along for the ride. Most toddlers and babes fall asleep as soon as they hit the car seat. What if you volunteered to go to the job sites in your air-conditioned car and make sure they have plenty of ice and beverages? You and your toddlers could surprise the crews with frosty freeze pops on a hot day. Most older people I know LOVE to hold babies. What if you were the person who just sat and talked to the homeowner and left them coo over your baby?
Working Moms:
Each evening during the week the volunteers return to Logos Academy for dinner. Could you make a casserole or provide a dessert? Would you have time to do the dishes or clean up after dinner? How about going in early and prepping for breakfast before you go to work. You could offer to help Alisha return phone calls or order supplies.
Moms with grown kids and empty nests:
What if you all got together and offered to play with the actionkidz during the day so that our younger moms could actually be a part of the job site crews! Wouldn’t that be an amazing way to love on our mommas? AND you could glitter and glue in an airconditioned room while feeding the kids LOTS of snacks!! Now THAT is a volunteer position with some perks!
I am so thrilled that we have moms who are eager and willing to add more to their already hectic, crazy busy lives. I am so proud of them for wanting to demonstrate by example to their children how to love God and love others by taking action. WAY TO BE – Mom Squad!!
“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20
Getting to Know You
“Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good.” Hebrews 10:24
One of the things – (in a long list of “things”) – that I love about working with Servants is their work ethic. I remember the leader on our first assignment telling us to put our hammer down and interact with the homeowner – FIRST. Get to know them – listen to their stories – pray with them. At the time it seemed kind of counterproductive to me. I was always the roll up your sleeves, grab your hammer and don’t stop swinging until the sun goes down kind of gal.
But what I came to realize is that at the end of the day…..more importantly – at the end of our lives – it won’t matter how quickly that roof got fixed. But it will matter whether our hearts are fixed. Our real goal as we go out into the community together is not necessarily to fix the physical needs, but rather to address the spiritual needs THROUGH our acts of love and kindness.
God commanded us in Deuteronomy to address the needs of the poor. Jesus repeated the fact that there will always be someone in need. And as followers of Christ we must address those needs…..whatever they may be.
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. For the poor you will always have with you in the land. Therefore, I command you, you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Servants and actionchurch’s main goal through EVERYTHING that we do is to love people. Our love reflects Christ’s love. The people that we are going to serve definitely have physical needs – bathrooms without working plumbing, leaking roofs, rotting foundations. But often, they need a friend, willing to listen. They need a loving, compassionate person willing to pray with them. They need someone to show them that they are loved, cared for and cherished – not only by us, but by God himself.
In the early “church” Jesus’s disciples carried out his commandments literally – and – there were NO needy persons. Poverty was eradicated among them! Can you even imagine a world like that? How could that possibly be?
“There was no one in the group who was in need. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale, and hand it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed to each one according to his need. “ Acts 4:34-35
THAT’S how it can be.
Are you willing to open your hand? Are you willing to get to know your neighbors in need? Are you willing to be a part of something bigger than yourself?
“Then I said, “Here I am, to do your will, O God…..”Hebrews 10:7