365 Days of Service

Day 19 - June 29

It was another great day in Oklahoma - the weather has been fantastic. I don’t know what the temperature low was, but I don’t think the high passed 90 degrees. It was so nice out this morning that I just put the dogs out there and left to serve at the church. I love Oklahoma.

Originally I’d asked to serve in the tiny baby room at LifeChurch.tv’s Oklahoma City Campus. But it slowly became apparent that the next two rooms up, 12-18 months and 19-24 months needed more help. I was hesitant to switch at first simply because I have Montessori training with little babies (I was a classroom assistant when we lived in Houston - loved every minute of it). Not having any children of my own I wasn’t sure I’d know how to handle the needs of a walking, sort-of-talking toddler. God’s given me confidence though, and now I look forward to whatever awaits me in that room each week. Today was one of those days that I don’t think any parent looks forward to… at least 5 of them cried nearly the entire hour. It was so chaotic that between myself and another volunteer we couldn’t even manage to change all the babies’ diapers! It was fun though. Chaos like that makes me appreciate the peace and quiet we have at our house.

Day 18 - June 28

Previously, my friend Bobby Davis had asked that I come to his new rental home and help a group of folks paint it in preparation to his family’s move in a few weeks. After searching I think his wife has decided on another place to live. If it’s better for their family then I say they better do what’s best. It left me without a service project for the day, though. Thus, the best-laid plans… well, I’ll save those for another day. He’s assured me that I’ll have a chance paint in the near future. Goodie.

Right now I have two foster kittens that I hand-raised from about 10 days. Friends found them in their attic after we think that momma abandoned them. Poor little tiny things. I fed them from a bottle for about a month. Finally, they are healthy and happy (and rambunctious) and ready to be neutered. So, I contacted the Oklahoma Humane Society, the organization that I foster with, and scheduled surgery for both. The commitment was to drop them off by 9:00am and pick them up again before 6:00pm. It’s about a 30 minute commute one way. So I spent a total of two extra hours, and who knows how much gasoline, carpooling kittens to and from neuter surgery.

Those poor little guys were all doped up when I picked them up. The Oklahoma Humane Society worker says, “Keep an eye on them. Don’t let them jump; they won’t know they had surgery.” Really? Wow. I wish that was the case for me after surgery. Anyway, a day and half later and they are bouncing off the walls again. Must be nice to be a kitten!

Day 17 - June 27

I really wasn’t feeling well today. I suffer from chronic sinus infections and I think I’ve been fighting one since my trip to New Orleans (if you’re counting that’s about two weeks). Anyway, I went to work and did what I needed to intending to then go home and rest. Well, Ryan wanted to meet me for dinner and since he’s leaving town for a week I thought it would be a nice treat for us both. We met at PF Chang’s and I ate from their Gluten-free menu (I’ll discuss gluten-free in another post). We had a good dinner and followed that up with ice cream and some errands. During the evening I managed to lose my debit card. Needless to say this was not convenient (we do not use credit cards) and I don’t carry cash or checks with me. After some frantic searching I decided to give it up and called the bank to cancel the card. Thankfully I had a backup replacement I’d ordered months ago. That’s an entirely different story for another time.

Well, the title of the post is for this reason: During dinner, Ryan mentioned again how badly his neck was bothering him (I suspect a stupid-boy stunt sometime in the past week, but that’s beside the point) and asked me to mow the yard for him. So my question is this - if I commit to serve on one day but complete the service on another does it count? Well, I wasn’t all that comfortable with the idea at first (not the committing part, of course I’d agreed to mow, but the timing part). After considering it for a time and prayerfully seeking God, I was reassured that the commitment was as good as the completion part. Now, I am not saying that I will do this often, but under these particular circumstances (not feeling well, the timing of the evening and errands making it impossible to mow before dark, etc) I feel as though God honors that commitment. Hey, and I will tell you another thing, that commitment is more motivating than any other nagging or other reminder I can think of. I was not going to let the sun go down one more time without completing the task! It got me off the couch for sure. And while I was at it I mowed our elderly neighbors’ front yard as well. I really don’t like seeing our mowed grass next to their long grass. I think it may be the perfectionist in me.

What do you think? Did I cheat on this one or was the commitment enough?

Day 16 - June 26

Working at LifeChurch.tv has been a great experience for me in terms of learning about good stewardship: managing another’s property or financial affairs; administering anything as the agent of another or others - of God’s resources, or those things that He has entrusted us with. For me personally, the environment, the earth, the natural resources available to us is one such example. I started recycling a long time ago but only recently became really passionate about it. A few of us as students recorded a very unprofessional documentary of a land-fill when I was in junior high (man I wish I still had that footage). There is nothing like standing on the edge of that much waste and filth - never mind the smell - to make a lasting impact on how you view the amount of waste you produce personally.

Over time I’ve grown better and better at conservation and I have encouraged Ryan to do the same, at least at home. At the church I’ve taken it one step further and began a recycling program in our little corner of the office. Co-workers can recycle their soda cans and plastics from their meals. About twice a month, depending on the level of soda consumption, I take the recycling home to my house to include in our pickup that week. I often wonder if the recycling guy thinks we consume WAY too much soda at our house.

What steps have you taken at your house to increase conservation and to encourage good stewardship of God’s resources? Do those practices carry over into the workplace? One great example is replacing the incandescent bulbs in your house with CFL bulbs as they burn out. Another way to save money and increase conservation is to install a better, programmable thermostat. It’s especially helpful in climates like Oklahoma where the temperatures fluctuate from 26°F in winter to well over 100°F in summer. Check out this site for more great ideas (thanks Robbie!).

Day 15 - June 25

The weather was really nice in Oklahoma today. Hot, but nice. The evening was actually mild as we prepared to host a few families at our house for LifeGroup. With the summer season so busy it is often difficult to get everyone together for a time of fellowship. We thought it might be fun to have everyone over, get out the kiddie pool, sit on the porch and just play. None of that heavy worship or prayer stuff for us tonight. Just kidding… but sometimes the fellowship should be the focus.

Our friends, Tara and Gary, and their two boys Cohen and Gavin, came to the house to play. It was a fun evening with my boy Ryan, 30, and Cohen, 4, playing baseball and splashing each other in the kiddie pool. Cohen clearly had a good time with Ryan - he needs a 30 year-old big brother apparently - and Ryan had fun teaching Cohen how to hit, pitch and say “Boom, Baby!” every time he hit the ball over the fence into the neighbor’s yard. It was an entertaining evening with those two. It’s so good to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. I love summer.

Our friends Kevin and Holly, with the brand-new baby, were planning to come over and play with us but Holly was under the weather. Unfortunately that meant that they missed out on a delicious spaghetti dinner. Ryan is such a great husband that he is delivering it tomorrow. What a guy.

What plans do you have for the summer? Are you slowing down occasionally and just enjoying time with family?

Day 14 - June 24

Once a month my team (one other staff person and myself - ha!) volunteer to serve at the food and clothing pantry sponsored by LifeChurch.tv. It’s an incredible opportunity for team-building (yes, just the two of us can build each other up) as well as to be the face of the church, the hands of Jesus, and to show the love of our Lord and Savior. It’s also an incredible workout. I’m not kidding. Have you ever served at a food pantry? This is not an easy job. There are boxes and crates stuffed with canned goods and baskets full of pasta and rice and peanut butter. I mean, take the canned goods off your shelf in your pantry (which you probably put there a few at a time), box them up and move them around to different areas of your house. Do this about 300 times in a few hours. Sweaty? Tired? Good, you get the picture. But in all that, looking across the counter into the face of the single mom, the elderly neighbor, the young child or the disabled woman, you don’t care how sweaty or tired you are. You don’t care that you’ve just had to pack about 20 canned goods, 20 miscellaneous items, breads, paper goods, fresh fruit and veggies, meat and drinks into 3 paper sacks. (Yes, 3 - conservation is the name of the game at a food pantry). Suddenly you’re looking into the face Jesus describes in Matthew 25:41-45 - the “least of these” - and you know that you’re there for the right reason. You’re there simply because Jesus has called you to “invite in”, “clothe” and “look after” the ones that others will not. You’re not there for “team building” or to feel better about yourself or even to socialize. Working your tail off for God is a higher calling and it’s one that I love to be called to. I am so grateful not only for the church for supporting the food pantry, or the staff there, but also for the least of those that I have an opportunity to serve and to learn from. Every time I am there I look into their faces, I hear their stories, and I pray for their hurts, desires, or health and I am blessed. Thank you, God, for placing the least of these in my path and for the blessing of being able to follow your call to look after them. Continue to bless me and my team in this way.

Then…. I came home and made dinner for myself and our friends who had their second baby last week. I am going to take them a big fat spaghetti dinner tomorrow (that’s what momma would do). After Ryan and I ate dinner we sat on the couch to watch this week’s One Prayer message online at the Internet Campus. I was serving in my usual role of “Live Help”. I didn’t really get to interact with anyone there tonight. I did follow up with the girl I met last week by email, but I haven’t really seen a response from her. I’m not sure if she’s seeking any help from me or not. It’s okay though, I know God will use that relationship if it part of His plan. After that I met with my online LifeGroup and discussed missions. It was an awesome conversation with people who are like-minded when it comes to missions and living “missionally”. It was uplifting. I finished the night with the blog. I’m exhausted. It’s bed time.

Day 13 - June 23

Today I had the oven going so I baked a pizza for Ryan and myself, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip muffins. When I was done, I realized that was a lot of junk to have in the house. Haha. So I decided I’d appreciate the Digerati team with the muffins. They were just a little token to let them know that I appreciate all they do for the team, for the church, and also for me personally and professionally. The Digerati team - in case you’re wondering - is the team of all things web-related at LifeChurch.tv. They pretty much grease the wheels that keep everything running smoothly online. The other day, for example, I was working on MySecret.tv and noticed there was a bug in the system that was multiplying every entry by at least 20 times. Needless to say it was rather annoying to have to sift through hundreds of confessions, most of which were repeated many, many times. I asked Josh on the Digerati team to take a look and literally within an hour, he had diagnosed the problem, communicated with the correct person to repair it and got back to me that it was fixed. Hallelujah! He even tested it out to make sure it was actually fixed - that’s integrity. Well, I appreciate those guys and although chocolate chip muffins aren’t exactly a Christmas bonus, they were almost completely gone by 11:30am. That was all the reassurance I needed.

Today I was also moderating the MySecret.tv site. I get online at the site about 2 or 3 times a week and I’ll moderate the confessions and the comments posted there by people all over the world. Sometimes I even translate them into English if I can. The posts that mystify me more than any other are the ones that aren’t really a confession - they are, but the confessor writes it in such a way that implies that it isn’t a confession. Stay with me, I have an example. It’s just confusing to me that if your life has something in it that you feel compelled to confess… why then do you write it in such a way that you’re trying to convince yourself or the reader that it doesn’t bother you? Why are you confessing? Is anyone else confused by this behavior? Here is an example (this is probably rated PG-13):

“I’m Evil…. not really I’m just not the best person. I curse and love to do so. I smoke marijuana frequently enough to stay high most of the day. I don’t feel bad about it. I like weed and because I’m adhd it calms me down unlike those BS pills. also I have sex as much as I can.”

See why I am confused? If you have any suggestions, or maybe a Doctorate in Psychology, educate me. I’d appreciate it.

Day 12 - June 22

I received a phone call from some friends in our LifeGroup. They had recently decided to move and their home had sold in no time at all. This left them in a predicament because they were considering a new home and the deal fell through. The new homeowners were ready to move in as soon as possible, so now our friends have moved out and into the house of a family friend. Our poor friends are homeless. They are in good spirits, though. I had a conversation yesterday with them where we discussed being too comfortable and how often that prevents us from discerning the voice of God. Have you ever felt that way? Things are going great, jobs are good, kids are healthy, house is in one piece, and you’re not all that desperate for God? Ryan and I haven’t been that comfortable in a very long time. We’re heading that direction, though, and I am ready to mix things up. Just like our friends, I’m at a place where I’m hoping I’m not so comfortable that I’m unable to discern the voice of God.

Our friends were closing on their house today, and they had some work done in the basement. When the basement repairs were completed, the first floor of the house had shifted and the walls were covered in cracks in the plaster. They called me to ask if I’d come help paint the spots that needed repair. I guess being an artist has its advantages and disadvantages. Only kidding, I was more than happy to help them. I spent about an hour painting the walls of the attic, the second story bedrooms and the hall and stairway. I enjoy seeing things like that come together and I wish I could have stayed to do more. On Sundays at 1:00, I serve at the Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv in their “Let There Be Light” children’s room. The age range in that room is from 12 months to 24 months (we combine with an older class during that experience). It is so much fun and I’m always in a good mood when I’m done. Those little guys have so much personality and are hilarious. I have to admit that after running errands and eating a snack, I had to take a nap.

Day 11 - June 21

As part of the One Prayer Series being guided by LifeChurch.tv, our church joined with other churches in the area for a day of service in our community. The metro-area churches (those that are physically located in the Oklahoma City area) have been working with a community of under served people who live in public housing called “Oak Grove”.

The Oak Grove Public Housing Community is the largest Section 8 apartment complex in Oklahoma City with 1,200 residents in 255 apartments divided into 16 sections. Ninety-five percent of the residents are single mothers and their children and while ethnically diverse, sixty-five percent are his Hispanic.

From the One Prayer Mission blog: “Our first priority on this day was to build relationships with the residents of Oak Grove and we added to that various tasks that will help beautify their neighborhood and their lives.”

I think we accomplished many of our goals. It was refreshing to see these young kids with smiles on their faces happily engaging with our community - helping water the freshly planted landscaping, painting and doing crafts at the art tables, happily munching on snacks, hot dogs and sodas (we need to consider better nutrition!!) and most lively of all - sliding on the giant slip-n-slide volunteers and the fire department created on the big lawn. Overall it was a hot and rewarding day. We planted beds with new shrubs, flowers and mulch. We also had free haircuts, health checks and portraits made for families. It was heart-warming to be working on the flower beds and look up and see an entire family in their best outfits headed over to get their portrait taken. I would love to see those portraits all grouped together and know that they were full of hope.

The day ended earlier than expected when we ran out of mulch. Looking around the complex and seeing the freshly planted beds was satisfying. I hope that the families living there were encouraged and inspired by our hard work. Hopefully we’ll be going back there in the near future for more projects.

Here are some cool stories from others who were a part of this project.

I’ll post photos of the work my team accomplished later. My camera is not in the same location as my laptop.

Day 10 - June 20

Friends of ours just had their second child this week, a baby girl named Harriet Suzanne Ely. She was so precious to hold and to behold - so fresh from God, I always think. I was able to hold her one day after her birth. What a miracle.

See her pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinely/sets/72157605703845558/

They will be leaving the hospital today. I’m cooking some dinner to take to their house to hopefully help them keep their hands busy with the new baby and her big sister instead of cooking in the kitchen. I really love to cook (thanks, mom) so sharing that with others is such a blessing to me as well. I don’t get to do it often enough.