Hi ladies,
I can't quite put into words how the books Same Kind of Different As Me and Crazy Love have impacted my life. This quote has haunted me for months...Live more simply so that others may simply live. I am one of those impulsive people who would love to sell it all and move to Africa, however, my husband hasn't felt that calling...ha. So, I began praying months ago that God would bring things HERE to me, where I'm at, that I can do to show the outcast His love. And He has delivered! :)
I saw this idea on the blog called Christmas Change. We called it a Yard Sale - Give Away, and I wrote about it (with video from Christmas Change) on my blog.
On Jan. 30th, my house was filled to the BRIM, you could hardly walk through it...full of donations from friends, family and church members. I opened my house up for people to come and TAKE all they could or wanted for FREE!! :) It was a HUGE success...and I wrote more about here on my blog here and here.
God is still calling me...to come out of my comfort zone, live more simply and simplify our busy schedules. God is teaching me so much. We have so very much in this country, yet there are people down the street who don't have a bed to sleep on. I just want to do my part. I struggle with wanting to do more and with the overwhelming need around the world, but slowly God is giving me peace to just rest in Him and allow Him to use me right where I'm at. All the glory to Him!
Thank you, ladies, for this amazing book club. I'm honored to be a part!!
~ Candace ~
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Banana Pudding
We hope this Bloom reader's story inspires you as much as it inspired us!
Dear Angie and Jessica,
I’m sure I’m no different than the many women that read this book and felt called to service. I always felt like I was doing my part relatively well. I brought cookies to church for our prison ministry, taught Sunday school, went on almost all of the teen groups outings ( much to the dismay of my 16 year old daughter) and we also sponsor a child in Indonesia. But after reading this book and another awesome book titled “The Hole In Our Gospel” by Richard Stearns the president of World Vision, I have truly felt that the Lord was using that quiet, still voice of his to push me to real service. Something more than writing a check or jumping on the church van with the teens. I searched my brain for that “talent” that I know in my heart I have but couldn’t really think of anything. Until yesterday at work I heard that a group of teens was going to have a bake sale to raise money to send to Haiti. I remembered the last time these kids had a bake sale and the fact that they had done all the baking themselves and just didn’t have much merchandise to sell. So I volunteered to bake some cupcakes to donate and several of my co-workers said they would pay a pretty price for some of my cupcakes, ( I have a pretty good reputation for my goodies I bring to work). Then it hit me, I am a pretty amazing baker, if I do say so myself. That’s my talent. Now what can I do with it. So I called the local mission and asked if it would be ok to bring dessert maybe one night a month. The director was so nice and said that would be a wonderful thing that everyone would enjoy. So I had 4 days to find a good recipe and make dessert for 125 people. So I asked God to help me find a quick, easy recipe and so I Googled “dessert recipes for crowds” and there was banana pudding. Perfect, I have a pretty awesome banana pudding recipe! So off I went to the grocery store yesterday after work with my calculator to buy enough food to make 12 batches of pudding. So this Friday night I’m going to take my pudding and help serve at our mission. And then every second Friday of the month I’ll provide the dessert for the evening meal. I’m so excited! Praise God, I knew I had a talent that I could use I just needed to wait for God to tell me what it was! (I’m a little slow like that sometimes)!
Thank you guys for helping to inspire me to get up and do something, I just pray that this will bring glory to our Lord.
Serving a Mighty God,
Tammy
Dear Angie and Jessica,
I’m sure I’m no different than the many women that read this book and felt called to service. I always felt like I was doing my part relatively well. I brought cookies to church for our prison ministry, taught Sunday school, went on almost all of the teen groups outings ( much to the dismay of my 16 year old daughter) and we also sponsor a child in Indonesia. But after reading this book and another awesome book titled “The Hole In Our Gospel” by Richard Stearns the president of World Vision, I have truly felt that the Lord was using that quiet, still voice of his to push me to real service. Something more than writing a check or jumping on the church van with the teens. I searched my brain for that “talent” that I know in my heart I have but couldn’t really think of anything. Until yesterday at work I heard that a group of teens was going to have a bake sale to raise money to send to Haiti. I remembered the last time these kids had a bake sale and the fact that they had done all the baking themselves and just didn’t have much merchandise to sell. So I volunteered to bake some cupcakes to donate and several of my co-workers said they would pay a pretty price for some of my cupcakes, ( I have a pretty good reputation for my goodies I bring to work). Then it hit me, I am a pretty amazing baker, if I do say so myself. That’s my talent. Now what can I do with it. So I called the local mission and asked if it would be ok to bring dessert maybe one night a month. The director was so nice and said that would be a wonderful thing that everyone would enjoy. So I had 4 days to find a good recipe and make dessert for 125 people. So I asked God to help me find a quick, easy recipe and so I Googled “dessert recipes for crowds” and there was banana pudding. Perfect, I have a pretty awesome banana pudding recipe! So off I went to the grocery store yesterday after work with my calculator to buy enough food to make 12 batches of pudding. So this Friday night I’m going to take my pudding and help serve at our mission. And then every second Friday of the month I’ll provide the dessert for the evening meal. I’m so excited! Praise God, I knew I had a talent that I could use I just needed to wait for God to tell me what it was! (I’m a little slow like that sometimes)!
Thank you guys for helping to inspire me to get up and do something, I just pray that this will bring glory to our Lord.
Serving a Mighty God,
Tammy
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sarah's Story
Hi Angie and Jessica -
I have a confession: when you first announced the new book, I was a bit disappointed. (There... I said it.) I don't make time for "fun reading" and really was looking for another more "Bible Study" type book written by another theologian. However, because I love the fellowship and friendships I've gained from the "Night Ladies" at the Ning site, I decided to dive in anyway.
Boy, I'm glad I did!
My husband runs a homeless center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. During the week after Christmas, he had to work, but I decided to work half days. The kids were at day care. I spent my mornings in my office and my afternoons in his office helping him with the data entry, clerical stuff that their skeleton staff really doesn't have time to do amidst meeting the needs of their guests. As I walked into his office, I saw, "Same Kind of Different As Me" sitting on his desk. He was on the phone, but I glared an accusing eye at him and said, as soon as he got off the phone, "Did you steal my book?" Ha! He didn't have a clue what I was talking about or that I had just ordered the book for myself for Bloom. One of his board of directors had loaned it to him thinking he'd love the book.
I don't know that he's had a chance to read it yet -- somehow I highly doubt it, when I recall his schedule and the hours he's worked during the cold snap during the past few weeks. However, I agree with her.
When we moved to Arkansas 2 years ago, it was for my job. His job history has had him working with troubled kids in various roles: counselor, group leader, assistant principal of a day school, principal of that same school, he ran a foster care program, he ran a family program to help the kids integrate back into their homes. His heart and his true calling are with troubled kids. However, NW Arkansas didn't have any programs whose philosophies aligned with his, or that had openings available at his level. I guarantee you, both of our opinion of homeless people largely matched Ron's at that point in our life. Working with the homeless was pretty much the LAST thing he had in mind when he went into an executive head hunter. That particular day they were working pro bono for Seven Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville who was looking for a new executive director. Fast forward through interviews, one of the board members donating several $K of their own money to "afford him" and he's now changed his career focus. In the past 2 years he's taken Seven Hills from a Day Center that meets the homeless' needs during the day (showers, clothes, meals, job search, ID attainment, day labor, case management, prescriptions, etc), to also including a short term residential treatment (2 months - 2 years) where over 30 people and families have a permanent place as they continue to reestablish themselves in society, and most recently a brand new program called the FICASSO Project whose goal it is to catch near-homeless people and help them before they become homeless. As Mr. Mister told Ron -- it may be a couple missed paychecks and a spouse leaving, and YOU could be homeless. The number of stories identical to that which Jon has heard is staggering.
On Christmas Eve morning, I asked Jon how long he had to work and what time I could expect him home. My family was in town to celebrate Christmas, and he had already put in many long days. Selfishly, I just wanted him home. His response, "I'm not sure, there are 3 families I need to put in homes today." That floored me. Knowing that FICASSO was only a month old, I asked how many they had housed -- his response: 40 or so. Unbelievable.
I'm sorry for blabbering on and on.... I guess my point in all of this is THANK YOU for choosing this book. It hits SO dead on about the issues that surround homelessness, the history that can lead people to it, the hardness that comes from life on the streets, the needs that exist EVERY day, and not just at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. The fact that homeless people have a name.
I wanted to share with you my story about when I first realized that homeless people had names -- I blogged about it last summer.
I also wanted to share with you what a local organization (The Cobblestone Project) is doing in our area. My husband has been very involved with them, helping them get up and running, linking them with other charities in our area who have need etc. What's SO cool about this group -- they're just everyday people who work other jobs. But they see the need and meet the need in ways that are SO easy for all of us to do. One of the saddest sentences in the book thus far was Denver's account of sleeping in the doorway -- and the members of the church next door never glanced his way. It scares me that we all are "that church" many times. Anyway, please check out The Cobblestone Project (http://www.cobblestoneproject.com/), specifically "Initiatives" -- to see the examples of easy things that any community can do to help those less fortunate.
Angie, I was blessed enough to meet you briefly at the Selah concert in Bentonville (my husband and I were sitting across the aisle from you) -- and to THANK YOU for Bloom there. Jessica, I'd hug and thank you in person, too, if given the chance. As I mentioned before, I so appreciate the friendship and fellowship that have come out of it -- and even more, the soul searching and the God-seeking that it has led me to personally.
In Him,
Sarah
I have a confession: when you first announced the new book, I was a bit disappointed. (There... I said it.) I don't make time for "fun reading" and really was looking for another more "Bible Study" type book written by another theologian. However, because I love the fellowship and friendships I've gained from the "Night Ladies" at the Ning site, I decided to dive in anyway.
Boy, I'm glad I did!
My husband runs a homeless center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. During the week after Christmas, he had to work, but I decided to work half days. The kids were at day care. I spent my mornings in my office and my afternoons in his office helping him with the data entry, clerical stuff that their skeleton staff really doesn't have time to do amidst meeting the needs of their guests. As I walked into his office, I saw, "Same Kind of Different As Me" sitting on his desk. He was on the phone, but I glared an accusing eye at him and said, as soon as he got off the phone, "Did you steal my book?" Ha! He didn't have a clue what I was talking about or that I had just ordered the book for myself for Bloom. One of his board of directors had loaned it to him thinking he'd love the book.
I don't know that he's had a chance to read it yet -- somehow I highly doubt it, when I recall his schedule and the hours he's worked during the cold snap during the past few weeks. However, I agree with her.
When we moved to Arkansas 2 years ago, it was for my job. His job history has had him working with troubled kids in various roles: counselor, group leader, assistant principal of a day school, principal of that same school, he ran a foster care program, he ran a family program to help the kids integrate back into their homes. His heart and his true calling are with troubled kids. However, NW Arkansas didn't have any programs whose philosophies aligned with his, or that had openings available at his level. I guarantee you, both of our opinion of homeless people largely matched Ron's at that point in our life. Working with the homeless was pretty much the LAST thing he had in mind when he went into an executive head hunter. That particular day they were working pro bono for Seven Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville who was looking for a new executive director. Fast forward through interviews, one of the board members donating several $K of their own money to "afford him" and he's now changed his career focus. In the past 2 years he's taken Seven Hills from a Day Center that meets the homeless' needs during the day (showers, clothes, meals, job search, ID attainment, day labor, case management, prescriptions, etc), to also including a short term residential treatment (2 months - 2 years) where over 30 people and families have a permanent place as they continue to reestablish themselves in society, and most recently a brand new program called the FICASSO Project whose goal it is to catch near-homeless people and help them before they become homeless. As Mr. Mister told Ron -- it may be a couple missed paychecks and a spouse leaving, and YOU could be homeless. The number of stories identical to that which Jon has heard is staggering.
On Christmas Eve morning, I asked Jon how long he had to work and what time I could expect him home. My family was in town to celebrate Christmas, and he had already put in many long days. Selfishly, I just wanted him home. His response, "I'm not sure, there are 3 families I need to put in homes today." That floored me. Knowing that FICASSO was only a month old, I asked how many they had housed -- his response: 40 or so. Unbelievable.
I'm sorry for blabbering on and on.... I guess my point in all of this is THANK YOU for choosing this book. It hits SO dead on about the issues that surround homelessness, the history that can lead people to it, the hardness that comes from life on the streets, the needs that exist EVERY day, and not just at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. The fact that homeless people have a name.
I wanted to share with you my story about when I first realized that homeless people had names -- I blogged about it last summer.
I also wanted to share with you what a local organization (The Cobblestone Project) is doing in our area. My husband has been very involved with them, helping them get up and running, linking them with other charities in our area who have need etc. What's SO cool about this group -- they're just everyday people who work other jobs. But they see the need and meet the need in ways that are SO easy for all of us to do. One of the saddest sentences in the book thus far was Denver's account of sleeping in the doorway -- and the members of the church next door never glanced his way. It scares me that we all are "that church" many times. Anyway, please check out The Cobblestone Project (http://www.cobblestoneproject.com/), specifically "Initiatives" -- to see the examples of easy things that any community can do to help those less fortunate.
Angie, I was blessed enough to meet you briefly at the Selah concert in Bentonville (my husband and I were sitting across the aisle from you) -- and to THANK YOU for Bloom there. Jessica, I'd hug and thank you in person, too, if given the chance. As I mentioned before, I so appreciate the friendship and fellowship that have come out of it -- and even more, the soul searching and the God-seeking that it has led me to personally.
In Him,
Sarah
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wrapping Up Same Kind of Different
Same Kind of Different as Me: Part Three from angie smith on Vimeo.
We are so excited about the next month. Please email us your stories at bloombookclub@gmail.com about how this book has impacted you. We will do our best to post 2-3 stories a week - and maybe more, so be checking back often. Include your blog address in your email so we can link to you!
Also, in the next month, we want to encourage you to serve the homeless, however you see fit and write about it.
On Sunday, March 7, we will write about our experiences serving and post a MckLinky for you to link your story. What an awesome testimony it will be!
We will also announce the next book in March.
Thank you for joining us in this journey!
Love,
Angie and Jessica
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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