January 29, 2009

It's Thursday evening and I'm nice and tired after running around in the cold. It always feels so good to get back inside and feel cozy.

Yesterday, I met with a friend that I had met at the Space over a year ago. Laura is a very talented musician and voice coach and many other wonderful things, including ministering to musician types through her church. We had tea/coffee and chatted for over an hour. It was really fun to catch up with each other. She is very encouraging and supportive of what God is doing with Parable and in my life. Laura connected me, via Internet, with her sister-in-law who is a church planter in California. Linda and I have corresponded by email and look forward to sharing encouragement and advice with each other. I love being introduced to other sisters in Christ. I love hearing their stories of God's work.

After I left Laura, I walked a few very cold blocks in the chilly rain to GCN where I help in the soup kitchen on Wednesday nights. (I'm really going to appreciate spring) Mr. Lou and Vanessa are the staff workers for the dinner shifts at GCN. Our relationship is building slowly. Some of the clients there are getting friendlier since I come by every week. Some of them are really funny. Some are cranky, and some are a little crazy (literally). But most seem very appreciative of volunteers coming to help out. And the staff are very happy to have volunteers!

Tonight I helped with dinner at the PF Coffeehouse soup kitchen. I used to volunteer there most Sundays for lunchtime, but haven't been there much since I first started feeling sick. Instead of early on Sundays, I'll be volunteering for the dinner shift on Thursdays. It was great to see the staff again. And some of the clients remembered me and waved from across the room, made a point to say hi, and a couple even welcomed me back. I met a few of the staff and volunteers from other PF locations. It was an interesting evening. The clients seem to be spunkier on Thursday nights than they are on Sunday mornings. :)

This evening I received a call from my friend Carol, who was having a tough day. I enjoy talking with her, even on bad days. We had a good conversation and I'm very thankful to have her in my life. God has blessed me with many friends here.

Tomorrow I'm going by another PF center to volunteer in their kitchen. This one is called Clinton Sr. Center and is just 9 blocks from my place, so by NYC standards, that's like being just next door! I will talk with them about volunteering on a regular basis, probably on Monday and Friday lunch shifts. I'll also be talking to the director there about how mission teams can better serve them when in town. This center has a container garden area that they could use help getting ready and planted in the spring. Perhaps we'll have a few people on a team who have green thumbs. I can dig and do dirty work, I just don't know much about the decision making on growing things.

There are still friends back in AR who are without power from the bad ice storm. I think the weather is supposed to be warm there this weekend, so hopefully it will melt the rest of the ice. I hope they can get the power back on for everyone asap.

My Mom said they got 11" of snow in Indiana. My sister said that the grandkids were having a great time sledding down the big hill at their house. (I think Sandy did a little impromptu sledding on her bum when she slipped on the snow/ice.) My family all have power, and Sandy's house as well as Mom's are heated partially by wood stoves anyway. They'll be cozy. I'm sure my sister is probably keeping the kitchen warm with her yummy baking.

Speaking of baking... a friend of mine, Jenny, is interested in going to pastry school in the future. Right now, in addition to her fulltime job, she is interning at a bakery. How fun!! She brings yummy stuff to Parable get togethers. Even though I can't have them, they look and smell fantastic and everyone raves about her talents. I'm excited for her and her passion.

My Mom is still having major stomach problems and will be undergoing more tests soon. Please keep her in your prayers for a diagnosis, treatment and cure. And please pray that she and my stepdad will learn to trust in God for everything in their lives.

January is almost over already, but it has been an oh-so-wonderful month so far. I'm finding Joy in the blessings as well as the challenges this month has brought so far.

I pray you are finding Joy in your days, too.

January 27, 2009

It's been such a good week so far, and it's just Tuesday!! Meetings and visits with people are really blessing me lately.

This afternoon, I had a good talk with Mike. It's so nice to get to spend our time talking about positive plans for Parable and where we fit in to the future. God is so good! It's such a pleasure for me to work along side Mike and Danny. We face challenges in the new year, but we're all in it together.

11 of us got together tonight to celebrate Danny's birthday. We had dinner and sweets at 'Max Brenner Chocolate by the Bald Man' restaurant. It's a special place known for its AWESOME chocolate! Danny's having a chocolate-tini with a candy lemon wedge. It was so cute! Happy birthday Danny!



I had a yummy crepe stuffed with spinach and asparagus for dinner.

And then three of us split a plate with a chocolate lava-type cake, fresh berries, a beaker full of melted white chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a white chocolate shell. Here's a picture. It was so good! I'm glad we split it 3 ways since I'm trying to be good about eating healthy. I just couldn't resist some! There was a lot of laughs and fun. This is a great group of friends. I'm blessed.


I know that my friends in NW Arkansas (and even in the Jonesboro area) are getting tons of ice. Some are without power. Some have trees down in their yards. It's very dangerous. I'm praying for everyone to stay warm and safe. And I hope they get power back asap.

We're due to have snow, then sleet, then rain overnight and tomorrow. By afternoon it's supposed to be just lots of rain. My appointments for tomorrow are for afternoon and evening, so I'll settle for just getting wet, thank you very much.

I'm really enjoying my exploration of JOY. I'm finding lots of scripture with all kinds of aspects of the word. Each day in my journal, I'm going to start noting what I experienced about Joy for that day. (Today's joy was spending time with friends and getting some bites of chocolate!) It's going to be an interesting adventure of seeking Joy this year.

I pray everyone is safe, warm and happy tonight. And wish blessings to everyone for the rest of the week.

January 26, 2009

Yesterday, I was blessed with a visit to my apartment from a new friend, Ashley. We had a great time of sharing about how God impacts our lives. It was really cold outside and we enjoyed hot tea and cocoa. After chatting, we headed off to Parable.

It was a fun night as we shared in the dedication of little Colton. We gathered around this special family and prayed for them. Colton was so good during this time and just looked around at us and didn't whimper or get fussy. He was so cute in his little sweater vest and 'little man' clothes. After a message from Frank, most of us headed over to share a meal at a favorite Chinese restaurant. Colton was the star of the show there and we all enjoyed passing him around and making silly faces and baby-talking with him. Even the waitresses kept stopping by to try to make him smile.

Today I met with Debra from Project Find, an agency that Parable has been working with for the past year or so. It was a really good meeting, discussing new plans for 2009 and meeting another staff person, Denice. I'm very excited to share the new information with the Parable peeps and the mission teams that come to work with us. 2009 is going to be a very joyful year for all of us.

I hear there's ice and snow and freezing rain hitting my hometown of Rogers AR today. I'll be praying for the safety and comfort for everyone there. Ice is so dangerous. Not just for driving, but because of the threat to the power lines. I remember a few pretty bad ice storms in my years there.

We're (NYC) supposed to get some more of the cold wet stuff here tomorrow night and Wednesday. It's usually not too bad in Manhattan, but they get problems in the other boroughs, Jersey and upstate NY. I'm thankful for my 'sleeping bag' coat. It does seem like a giant sleeping bag with arms, but it is very warm. And I'm definitely a fan of 'function over fashion'!! The streets can be very cold, but it feels oh so good to get where you're going and to get cozy inside!

I walked past a street vendor today who has slashed his prices on gloves, scarves and hats down to $2. I think tomorrow I'll go back past there and pick up some items at that low price to help him out a little, and then give the items to the homeless. At least that will help a few people out.

Don't forget, if you have any insight on JOY, please send it my way. It's my on-going quest to learn and experience all I can about JOY this year.

Blessings!

January 25, 2009

It's Sunday afternoon and I'm working on the computer for a few hours before we meet for Parable tonight. I always look forward to Sunday nights with the Parable family. And we feel very much like a family, sharing joys and burdens, praying for and celebrating with each other. God allows the best relationships between His children. It's hard to explain to anyone who doesn't know Him as Father. I pray that those people will see this special love and seek it.

Tonight we will be celebrating the dedication of Colton Mihelich, the newest addition to our church family. We will all join together in promising to cover Colton and his parents, Frank and Allison, in prayer and to help them raise him in an environment of Christ's love. I'm sure we will all be scrambling to get our due time of holding him tonight. What a happy time!

Yesterday, I had a great visit with my friend Carol. We shared brunch at a favorite diner and then spent some time in her apartment listening to music and talking. Carol is a very gifted musician and composer. It is always a treat to hear her music. She has a Jewish background and I enjoy her stories and her insights about religion. I learn a lot from her about things I have not experienced. She enjoys hearing my experiences having a salvation relationship with Christ. She calls me spunky, and says she enjoys my 'simple' prayers. We are encouragers for each other as we both are challenged with physical problems. We will continue to discuss our understanding of the Bible and what it means to our lives, and just be there for each other.

I have so much to do in the next few weeks concerning media. This is one area that I am not very educated in. I'm thankful for friends here who are very good at different aspects of technology. I'm praying that we will have the time to work together in these next weeks. There is so much I want to share visually. I'm looking forward to improving in these skills.

I'm currently researching 'Joy'. God has laid that word on my heart for 2009. I feel challenged to find the joy in every situation. I know that will be a complex and interesting task, and that every day will be unique. Some days will be filled with happy blessings that will be called joy. Some days will be filled with strife and struggle and it will be an adventure to find the joy on those days. I want to learn all I can about God's joy and how it is supposed to impact my life. (If anyone has input or suggestions on Bible studies, research aids, songs, poems, etc., please forward them to me.) I'm looking forward to following through on this commitment to know more about this part of God and His love for me. I pray I will grow closer to Him, have a deeper relationship with Him, and learn how to better bring joy into the lives of those He brings across my path.

Next week is already filled with appointments to meet, volunteer, serve, visit, pray and share with and for people. I'm looking forward to each moment. It's hard not to over extend myself as I have in the past when there are so many opportunities. Since I am still healing physically, it helps to keep me more aware of my limitations and need for rest. It's the same in my spiritual walk. I get excited and charge on ahead of God sometimes. I need to follow His direction and be more aware of what He is planning for my day and to keep separate the time to rest in Him and heal and grow in His peace. I'm thankful for that (seemingly inconvenient) process that keeps me open to feel His grace.

I pray you find joy in your day, too.
Blessings!

January 23, 2009

It was a nice day in the 40s today, so after spending all day on the computer yesterday, I decided to get out and get some exercise and fresh air. I grabbed my camera and lighter coat and took off for a day of prayerwalking and picture taking.


I stopped in at my favorite juice shop and got my usual - carrot, orange, pear, ginger juice. Very yummy. I also grabbed some tea bags that are supposed to be good for my liver and kidneys. I can use all the help I can get on the healthy stuff! One thing I've noticed about the juice shop is that their sign in the window that tells the hours of operation. Mon thru Sat all say: 8:00 to 8:00. Sunday says: Glory to God. This is a happy place for me.


As I walked down the streets, I noticed that more and more small businesses and restaurants are closing up. It's sad. The street vendors who sell drawings and pictures of NYC have slashed their prices by over half. A 5x7 picture with an 8x10 mat that used to cost $10-20 was marked $2. The guy told me I could have 3 for $5. I almost bought some to help him out, but I don't have any extra money either. Many purse and bag vendors had slashed their prices, too. Some of the bags were $20 and even $10!! (I know that drives some of you women crazy... sorry) A hotdog vendor even cut his prices to $1. (too bad I can't have hotdogs!) There were more people asking you to get your picture drawn, see a comedy show, give change to the homeless, eat in their restaurant for half price, etc. More people asking, less people spending.

As I neared Macy's, I saw a long line wrapping around 3 streets. I asked someone what the line was for. Turns out it was for those free cosmetic giveaways that was part of a penalty to some company or another. Anyway, there were thousands of people just standing in line for something free. It'll be going on for a few days. Whether they need it or not, they will stand there for hours to get some free stuff. As I walked away I overheard some people marvel that I wasn't interested in standing in line for free stuff. It's free stuff, after all!

I stopped in a few small jewelry stores just to look around. One sales guy offered to sell me a $359 ring for $115. He said he was really hurting for business. It was a nice store and a nice ring, but I didn't need it.

I know the economy is bad all over. Everyone is touched by it. Here in NYC, financial survival is intense in the best of times. It just seems that people who live here (those not on the rich end of the spectrum) have a sense of desperation about them. I pray that here, as well as all over the US (and world) people will seek not only answers to material problems, but will be introduced to the best news they could ever hear - the Hope and Future of a life in a relationship with God.

I pray that Christians will take advantage of these tough times to share the strength of God with those who don't know Him. Let us not concentrate on what we don't have (materially), but look daily for the things to share about God with others. When the world measures worth by the success of accumulating material things, it's easy to want to keep away from the subject of how we might be having to cut back on those things and not want to discuss it. However, that is the very issue that we can all share together - our lack of control in the material things. Let's keep talking about what they are and that they don't guarantee happiness. Let's talk about how being fulfilled is not a matter of collecting material things, but gaining a relationship with the Father who gives all good things to His children through His perspective. Please pray for me as I strive to share this message more boldly.

I'm learning more about moving pictures from my camera to the computer, and from the computer to facebook and blogs. Keep checking older posts for new pictures.




This is a snowman that is still frozen on top of 'porch' above the entry to an apartment building. Cute, huh?

If you happen to have facebook, please 'friend' me. I would love to keep up with as many people as possible. It's great see your pages since I can't be near you physically. I'm still learning the ins and outs of facebook, too. Someday I'll have it all figured out... I'm glad getting to Heaven has nothing to do with technology!!

Blessings!

January 21, 2009

It's Wednesday evening and I'm sitting here with my computer on my lap and my phone at my side trying to juggle schedules, emails, phone calls and thoughts. It's been a busy few weeks so far this year. God is opening so many doors of ministry. And reconnecting me to people I haven't talked with for a while. It's really been great.

I served dinner at GCN (Grand Central Neighborhood soup kitchen) last night and tonight. I enjoy working with the staff there and slowly getting to know the clients. On my way home tonight, I transferred between 3 trains (short rides). Each of the stations had multiple musicians/performers underground. There's not usually as many in these particular stations. One guy was playing a violin, 2 guys were doing some kind of combination tap and river dance on a big board, a woman was singing, and yet another person was playing a type of calypso drums. All in different places, but it was interesting to be entertained at almost every turn. Of course, they were performing for donations and it was cold up on the streets, but I still think that there were more performers due to the economy.

I've been noticing doggie apparel lately. There was a little one wearing a bright blue shiny raincoat with little black rain booties. There was the cutest bulldog wearing a camo jacket with sergeant stripes on the 'sleeve'. Some just wear regular old dog coats and sweaters. And some pooches just tough it out with the coats God gave them. New York dogs are interesting anyway. They have better manners than suburban dogs. Probably because they don't have yards to be territorial over. They are high maintenance, though, in the fact that they need to be walked. There's no just opening the door and sending them outside for exercise or to take care of business. Speaking of which, you have to pick up the 'business' from the ground and throw it away. Since I love dogs so much, I thought about dogsitting for extra cash. Then I decided that walking the dog in inclement weather and picking up poop didn't sound so appealing after all. I think I may just get a pet rock instead...

In the next few weeks, I'll be meeting with the directors of a few of the agencies we (Parable) work with. We'll be discussing the changes they are needing to make because of the economy, and how we can better help them serve. It's been interesting learning about urban ministry and will be more so to learn how to adapt these services to the altering and increased need caused by the changing economy. In the future, an increasing number of towns will become more urban-like. It's important to learn what works best in different situations. There is a little of every ministry that can be applicable to others. I feel like a giant sponge, learning all I can while serving here in NYC. I pray that God helps me to be effective wherever He places me. And I pray that all those I interact with from churches around the country who come to NYC to volunteer will leave here a with an increased understanding of global missions.

Have a blessed week!

January 17, 2009

Well, it's still cold here. Really cold. My usually stuffy apartment was very chilly most of last evening when the boiler was not working for some reason. Although, it was quiet for a change without the water pipes in my ceiling clanging from the water running through them, I would have traded that sound for the one from my chattering teeth. :) I slept last night in 3 pairs of socks, long underwear and pajama pants, 2 shirts and under 3 blankets. But this morning around 6am I awoke to the sound of the pump motor in the boiler room next door and was looking forward to hearing that clunking sound in the pipes soon. It warmed me from the inside out! When I got up, I even had some hot water for a wonderful shower!

I then set out for a great day in the cold city. I had a nice lunch visit with my friend Jenny. We then stopped in for some food shopping at Whole Foods and then parted ways. I dropped my groceries off at the apartment and then walked over to Barnes and Noble Bookstore for a couple of hours of perusing healthy cookbooks. I came home and fixed a great dinner of steamed fresh green beans with mushrooms and garlic, roasted chicken, a little hummus and a great peach. A little hot tea and my evening was complete! It's been a good day.

I did find a couple of good healthy cookbooks on sale. I may not have a 'real' kitchen, but I'm going to conquer this healthy eating lifestyle armed with a microwave steamer and a toaster oven! (and lots of fresh foods)

I'm excited to know that tomorrow it will be back up to the 30s. That will be a blessing. Still cold, a little snow forecasted, but a blessing. As I was walking the streets today, I noticed the different ways in which people coped with the cold. I saw a huge dog being walked and wearing a nice sweater that I wouldn't have minded owning. :) A mom had her baby packed into a kind of street-warrior type of stroller that's common here. The stroller had a wonderful bunting attached that allowed the baby to peek out of but keep very warm. Other people were bundled up in layers of various clothing. Everyone was just chugging along, business as usual. It's a hearty bunch - these New Yorkers.

I pray that everyone is comfy and content in whatever circumstances you find yourselves in. The measure of what is 'sufficient' is as varied as the expectations of each person. God provides our needs and I thank Him for that. I also ask that He changes my perception to His regarding the 'wants' in my life.

Keep warm and be blessed!