July 12th folks from encounter – as well as anyone else interested will spend a day working in and around Daniel’s Den in Waxahachie. Daniel’s Den is a ministry in Waxahachie, with the goal of reaching and helping the homeless of Ellis County.
There are a number of ways folks can help:
the back porch screen needs to be repaired
lots of caulking needs to be done
furniture needs to be moved
edging and mulching the front yard (mulch is free but trucks are needed)
flowers planted in the front
new lid (and or box) for trash box to keep dogs out of trash cans
fence needs to be built in the rear of the property
banana boxes needed to help organize garage sale items
garage sale items need to be organized
door needs to be painted and installed
items need to be moved from the old shelter location to the new one
shelves need to be installed in pantry
items needed:
8′ ladder
twin bed and mattress sets
2 full size mattresses (mattress only)
flowers
fencing
caulk and caulking guns
shelves
In addition to the regular work that day, if you’re interested in helping put together food and drink for those working that day, please let us know as well.
If you see something you’re interested in and would like to help, please let me know.
Here’s one for my cousin (and others with children) :-):
Unclutter and Lifehacker both have a number of great ideas for entertaining kids for cheap… without the TV.
For under a buck you can entertain your kids with:
Large cardboard boxes
Rubber band and pencil crazy bot
Paper poppers
Home Depot Kids Workshop
Planting something and more…
I have enough social networks that I ignore now – do I really need another one? Well…. maybe, maybe not.
I saw something about Roov.com a week or so ago but kinda bypassed it – thinking “great another Christian MySpace and Facebook.”
But Lee shared a post about Roov and I’m definitely more intrigued. Seems that Roov is more about building off-line communities than online communities.
It’s a social networking site that works locally. It connects people in the same geographical area based on interests AND it gets people off the computer and into each others’ FACE – as they hang-out and do fun stuff together. As social networking gains popularity, a few people have questioned whether this phenomenon is actually making us more isolated. I mean, we may have 300 friends now, but very, very little depth, and less human interaction. ROOV is a welcome remedy to that, using the internet to help you meet & connect in real life – facilitating conversations and experiences that have real depth and meaning.
I just joined ROOV.com, a new website to connect the Body of Christ. Why? Well, it sure wasn’t because I needed to be a part of another social networking site. No, in fact, it’s because ROOV is like the antithesis of what social networking sites represent these days – narcissism. Unlike facebook or myspace (which aren’t bad – I use both), ROOV doesn’t center around an individual’s profile. In fact, profiles don’t even exist. They center around groups and issues that matter, like “orphans and refugees” or “Impact Africa,” for example. I don’t think you’ll find any “I lost my digits” groups on this site – at least, I hope not.
Their goal is to connect people online so that they can connect offline. As someone who spends over 10 hours a day on the internet (that’s probably a conservative figure), this is something I need to do – unplug, detach, and really connect with flesh and blood.
I’m excited to find out more. Apparently you need to be involved in a local church body though – and encounter isn’t on the list yet – but hopefully I’ll get confirmation in the next day or so (or 5 min would be preferred) and I can explore the site for myself.
The site is also apparently limited to the US for now, and limited to the cities participating as well.
Are there ways that you are building off-line communities with the current “social networking standards” like MySpace and Facebook? Are there ways we can better utilize those tools?
btw – just got an email from Roov – they’re “reviewing the church you submitted. We’ll be getting back to you shortly.”
a. what does it really mean to “meditate on Scripture”?
b. do we really pray with hope?
c. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.†– Matthew 9:35-38
d. what is meant by “the gospel of the kingdom”?
e. how do we see the multitudes or our culture as a whole?
f. how did Jesus show compassion?
g. how should we show compassion?
Mike Blythe writes about his recent changes from being a physician at the hospital in Jos, Nigeria, to helping oversee much of SIMS IT work in the area.
It’s interesting how sometimes God calls us from one ministry to the other. He may call us to the front lines, only to later call us to move into a background role – in support of others on the front line. And vice-versa. Sometimes we’re willing and ready. Sometimes we go kicking and screaming.
Sometimes we have to be pulled and pushed by those around us as well just to even get started in a ministry. What frustrations, issues have you found as God moves you from one direction to another?