Eating our way thru Holy Week...

Join us Tuesday Night for a special worship service called "Eating our way thru Holy Week." We will be remembering the climactic week of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection by eating, singing, praying, and listening to Scripture. This is going to be a great night that will require full participation from everyone in our community. Please be in Room 210 by 7pm sharp (or we'll start without you and it may be awkward).

Note: Many of us in the college group will be fasting throughout Tuesday to prepare ourselves for our special time together. Fasting (no food...water or other liquids are okay) is a simple way in which we remember and prepare for our worship not just with our minds, but with our bodies as well. The hunger pains prepare us for entering into the pain of the crucifixion and the celebration of Easter. It also reminds us of Christ's self-denial on our behalf. We invite everyone, if they are able, to join together by fasting. Of course, if you can't or forget to, please come anyways.

Na'vi Can Can

Okay guys, here's a sneak peak of one of many epic moments that happened during our Guy's Night.  First of all, I would like to thank all the ladies for putting on such a tremendous event for us!  It was definitely awesome!  More videos and pics coming soon!  Enjoy!


Na'vi Can Can from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Ultimate for Lydia House

Hey Guys, I mentioned this on Tuesday,

Ultimate Tournament.

Date:	Friday, April 16, 2010
Time:	10:00am - 4:00pm
Location:	Fields 4 and 5 at Heartwell Park

The Cost of the tournament is $10 per player.The complete proceeds from this tournament will go directly to Lydia House. Please Invite all your friends! Put a team together and contact me on Facebook or at the email: frisbeefundraiser@gmail.com

If you are not on a team and want to be, contact me too and I will see what I can do.

There will also be Pizza from BJ's being sold at lunch....more details to come.

Don't want to play? Come and cheer on your friends, donate, or have some lunch.

Velma

When Velma prays, things happen.

I met her last Tuesday night. She was sitting at the far table near the kitchen, no one else nearby. I sat down in one the the 7 other empty seats, and we talked. It took approximately 5 minutes of talking with Velma for me to realize that the woman I was talking with was insanely brilliant. As in, Shakespearean-scholar-in-college brilliant. As in, she-wrote-a-freakin-book-and-you-can-buy-it-on-Amazon.com brilliant. But most amazingly, she possessed more love and true joy than anyone I've met in a long time, maybe ever in my life. Velma is simply incredible.

So I began to wonder, "Ok, you're articulate, you're smart and capable and full of life and energy and passion and knowledge... so why then are you here?!" I asked Velma if she'd share her story with me of how she got to be at a homeless women's shelter. Her story was heartbreaking to say the least. It was hard to listen to, because I'd never before heard of such terrible circumstances wreak havoc on a more beautiful and amazing woman.

Yet what was most remarkable about her story was that through it all, she continues to carry with her a deep conviction that God is right there with her. That He is in control. That He loves her and He wants to use her exactly where she's at. The peace that she spoke with was a testament to this. The smile that kept reappearing on her face while she told stories about her family falling apart revealed a deep deep love for Jesus - a love that more than compensates for anything she "lacks" by the world's standards.

I'm still unconvinced that Velma isn't in fact a saint, if not an angel.

One of her stories was about the day she moved into the Lydia house. She prayed that God would use her to bring hope and love and joy to the lives of the other women living there. That night, a 20-something girl lay in the bed next to Velma, and screamed for 8 hours straight. So Velma prayed for 8 hours straight. She told me, "I knew the evil one wanted to destroy this beautiful girl's life, so I prayed for her." The next morning, to everyone's surprise, the screaming girl had an entirely different countenance. It was as if she was a different person alltogether. Velma got to talk with her later that day, and led the girl to Christ. That night, the girl kept Velma awake again, only this time because of her snoring from sleeping so deeply.

Velma laughed with tears in her eyes and gave me high fives as she told this part. Her smile was so contagious, my cheeks hurt by the time we were done talking. "Praise Jesus" she kept on repeating.

Praise Jesus indeed.






















(Velma gave me this shirt after we talked. It made my week!)

Photographs and Poetry

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that I have the pictures from guys night posted on my facebook now. They didn't turn out very well because the lighting was weird, but they're fun.

Also, I still want to work on getting some poetry up on the art wall by mid-April. I'm not sure who all the poets in our group are, so if you're interested in sharing your work with us, please let me know as soon as possible!

Well... ... The Blog & Lydia House! :-}

YAY I finally figured out how to do this!!! LOL!!! So Lydia House!!! It is such a blessing to be there in their presence! I have come to bond with these people so much! It will make me sad when I have to leave! It makes me think the LBRM's rules keep us from getting deeper with them. I really want to ask God to make some changes in the policy! LOL!!! I had an amazing experience on Tuesday March 16, 2010! I have not cried over my mother's death... ... but a woman named Ebonie made me do it! It is so funny how wants and makes us remember! We were talking and she said, "Come on, Tell the truth shame the Devil." I was just getting ready to take the pitchers into the kitchen when she said that and I just had to set them down then I asked, "Can I give you a hug!?!?" Then I started tearing up and she yealled, "What... What??? Don't do that beacuse you're going to make me cry!" But I just couldn't help it! That is something me and my mother use to say all the time and she just reminded me SO MUCH of her!!! It is so Amazing how God shows us that he IS real!!! I love Him for all of His Jealousy, and His Mysterousness!!! Ebonie said something to me that will stick with me forever, until!... She told me, "...And you bet not forget her either, you here me?!!? No matter what happens you remember your mother!" I just want to Thank God for Grace, Beacuse I would have probably never had this opportunity!

until then...
Peace
Tytus Larue James Gibson-Jackson

Light My Fire

Louie's post was on my mind at the Samaritan House last night. I thought about how much I was actually helping these men by scooping peaches onto their plates. Am I really making a difference? This isn't to say that the peaches don't need to be scooped, or that I am there to be sure that I, personally, make a difference. But I couldn't help but be challenged to do more. These men so obviously need more than peaches, or dinner for that matter. I don't know what else I can or should do, but if I can and should do more, I've been praying that God would show me what that is. I've talked to Louie and Kevin about having a few people come over from Lydia to Samaritan House. Mckenzie noticed that when there is a bigger more homogeneous group there that the atmosphere can be more joyful and not as lifeless. I really don't know how to serve the men better, but we can all pray that God would show us.

While we were waiting for some people to meet at the park, we saw a guy doing some crazy fire dance at the park across the street, swinging these chains with fire balls at the end. He and a woman he was with were practicing for a party they were going to, and it was only his second time ever doing it. It was so random and cool. When the woman started twirling a fire hula-hoop around her waist I thought it would be a good time to get my camera. Louie said what I think all of us were thinking "This is why I love Long Beach!!"

My Brother's Keeper (Film Festival)

My Brother's Keeper from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Wisdom
Visit my blog: In The Idle

Hipster video (from our Film Festival)

One Hipster Finds Himself from Ryan Bestelmeyer on Vimeo.

I can't stop thinking about last Tuesday...

I was talking to a friend this morning and telling him the story of the college group’s recent serving at the Lydia House. I told him how it was my first time, and that while I was a little nervous about what to talk about with the women, that God opened up doors in amazing ways; that by the end of the night a woman walked up to Tytus and I and hugged us with tears in her eyes. 3 hours earlier I had no idea she even existed. I have almost nothing in common with her, and yet there we were, just kickin it together as if we had known each other for years.

The friend I was telling this to said that it reminded him a story in Luke 10. It’s about when Jesus went to this village and was welcomed into the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. When Jesus showed up, Mary immediately sat at his feet and ate up every word he was saying, while Martha worked tirelessly organizing and cleaning and making the meal for them. Martha gets frustrated that Mary isn’t helping, and complains to Jesus about it.

So Jesus looks up at Martha and says, “Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Hearing these words really made me think… I wonder how often I’m too occupied by doing what I think is Jesus’s work, and how often I miss out on what’s most important – relationships marked by love. How many times do I busy myself with “serving,” when what people really need most is just to be listened to?

I wonder, how many times have I gone to work for Jesus and missed out on simply being him to the people I’m serving?

It hit me hard how easy it can be to get caught up in serving and doing good things and still not address the deepest needs people have. We all long to be truly known, to be loved, to be heard and feel like we’re valuable. Serving is something Jesus calls us to do, and it’s beautiful when the people of God are actively living out his will and his heart. In that story about Martha and Mary, it seems that there is more to our serving than just doing good works. It’s about relationships. I can make a meal or paint a fence or clean a room for someone, and while that’s great, it seems that Jesus wants more. At the end of last Tuesday night, a few of the women asked if we could come back and just spend time with them on a night that’s not our specific serving night. They were asking for relationships.

I don’t ever want my deeds or serving to be an event. I don’t want to view the beautiful women at Lydia House as a project. I want to know them. I want to share life with them. When I’m not there serving, I want to not be able to get them off of my mind. I want to be Jesus to them, and to want nothing in return. I want to know their names, know their stories, know their laughs and learn from their lives. I want to love them recklessly.

I'm so excited for God to continue to use our group; for his grace to flood our hearts, and that he would overwhelm us with an uncontrollable love for not only these women but each other as well!

Snow Jump Fun

Hey guys!  Okay so I know this is pretty late but I made a video of some of you guys jumping off a snow ramp during our winter retreat in Arrowhead.  I don't know about you guys, but I had a blast and I can't wait until we get to do this again.  More to come but enjoy this video for now!


Snow Jump Fun from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Samaritan House 3/2

Serving at the Samaritan House usually consists of a predictable cycle of setting tables, serving food, clearing tables, resetting them, and eventually cleaning the kitchen and dining room. I usually get my 'game face' on and try to work as fast as I can, while being meticulous in how I do things - some call me a perfectionist or if they are really blunt they just tell me I'm anal (I often straighten the place-settings that other people set in order to make them as symmetrical as possible).

Anyways, I had the job last night of receiving the dirty dishes and organizing them for the dishwashers. At certain points in the night, when everyone is getting up and giving me their dirty dishes, I am working as fast as I possibly can. In the midst of my busyness, I try to be polite and nice to people, saying "thank you" or "good night," but I'm still working as fast as I can - with little time to notice what it going on around me or who it is even that I'm serving.

At one point a guest cut in front of another man at the last second to give me his dishes, and then ran off in a hurry. The man who was cut off happens to be an amazing reggae musician, and he said to me, "we're always in such a hurry..." I nodded agreeingly, thinking about how the man who cut in front of him lived such a hurried life. How sad for that man... And back I went to work.

The reggae musician thought he was only addressing the man who cut him off. What he didn't realize is that through him, perhaps God had a word for me.

Lydia House 3/2

With tears in her eyes, she came up to Louie and Tytus and said "You bring so much joy to this house." She could not stop hugging the two of them. What a beautiful image.

The previous week we did a valentines day theme and made some special desserts. The decorations went over really well and seem to create more of a homey atmosphere. One that consisted of boning and fellowship. So a few of us in the group decided that is something that we wanted to continue and it seemed to go great again. Amber said that in the study, the women instantly opened up and began sharing.

Tracy, the house manager, said that sometimes she just really wishes that we would be able to sit down more often and eat with them women get to know them more rather than 'working'. I think that is something for our group to consider. Could be as easy as having less people in the kitchen socializing less and more eating, or a suggestion was actually to have some of our group come in on the tuesdays we have college group, eat dinner, socialize and then head over in time for college group. What do you guys think??

Let's continue to praise God for the opportunity to do His work

Here are a few pictures..
some cards ashley made that were put at each place setting



some cards that the kids made in a craft and were given to their mom


a cake andrew made for valentines day

Concerning our serving...

One important aspect to our serving together 2x a month is to engage in an ongoing process of reflection and prayer. The reason for this is that it takes disciplined and sustained reflection to discern where God is at work in, among, and around us, as well as where he is not at work. Without eyes to see where God is at work, serving at LBRM or Precious Life can quickly become just another task to do, just another obligation that we can't escape.

Towards this end of cultivating eyes to see God, I would like every serving team to post something by the very next day (Wednesday 5pm) on this blog. You can tell a funny story. You can tell us the basics of what you did. You can tell us where you saw God at work (even in a small way). You can tell us where we need to be praying for God to work. You can even just offer a reflection upon what serving at Precious Life/LBRM has meant to you, or something God has taught you in the process.

You don't have to be a writer. It doesn't have to be polished. It doesn't have to change the course of history. It just has to be a blogpost concerning your particular time serving, and it has to be posted by the next day at 5pm. Every time you serve, you can rotate around your team, having someone new post each week. Let the conversation begin!!!