Action

New post with practical tools for helping the hungry, fatherless and widowed. http://roaringshepherd.com/

"I love it when a plan comes together."

The A-Team was a classic show. Really, the only thing that show needed was Mr. T. But add crazy Murdock, Face, and the brilliant planning of John “Hannibal” Smith and you have a show that lives on forever. I’ll never forget that opening theme song as Mr. T used a chain saw to make a new door.

What was especially cool about the show was how four veteran misfits were able to perfectly come together in their imperfection to save the day. Whenever this happened their leader, Hannibal used to say “I love it when a plan comes together.” Sometimes I listen to the A-Team theme song just to get pumped up on the way to church. Secretly, on good days, I imagine myself in leather gloves with a cigar saying the classic line.

This week, I had a “Hannibal moment” as I watch Serve Elyria come together. The interesting thing is that unlike the A-Team, I can’t take the credit. Plans that I made are not working out in ways that work out with other plans that I made that are not working out. God is working things together. It is interesting how that works out. The plan always comes together, but never in a way that I can get the glory for it. He is Hannibal Smith watching everything together, and I’m “Mad Murdock” playing my part in the plan without having any idea what is actually going on.

The roles of B.A Baracus (Mr.T) and Face are still open if you want to sign up. See you at 9:00am in Ely Square.

Serve Elyria Gardens

Last year, about 25% of our church went into the community on May 15th to Serve Elyria. It was a great day. Through that experience, we were able to build a lot of good relationships in the city and see a lot of good things happen. We were able to be a part of some really great things already happening in the city. One of those things is gardens.

Read this article from yesterdays paper (Elyria Woman's Garden Project Grows by Leaps and Bounds) and think about helping us bless 300 families with gardens!

Here's how you can help:

• $20 to cover the cost of each garden. That's right $20 feeds a family produce for a year! You can donate this Sunday at Open Door.
• 20 trucks and 60 volunteers to deliver the gardens on May 15th. Click here to sign up your truck and/or yourself.
• Volunteer for any of the other Serve Elyria projects. Click here to sign up.

See you May 15th at 9:00 am in Ely Square! This year, lets get 500 people out to Serve Elyria!

Safety Last

Tuesday night at Frequency we had a discussion about the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. If you aren’t familiar with the parable, it is the one where the master gives three of his servants talents to invest while he is gone. Two of them engage in risky endeavors that yield a 100% return on their investment. The third fears losing his talent, so he buries it in a safe place.

When I used to read this parable, I always thought he third servant was the good guy. After all, he values his master’s talent so much that he goes to great ends to protect it. What we re the other guys thinking risking losing the talent by investing?! As a child, I remember being surprised when the master punishes the “play-it-safe servant.” He actually calls him a “wicked, lazy slave.” It was as if he was being judged for his fear of risk. Turns out, he was.

It is a lie that Jesus wants you to be safe. Somewhere along the line, we started thinking that being unspotted from the world meant being uninvolved with it. The truth is Jesus doesn’t want you to be safe. He wants you to multiply (Matthew 28:19-20), and multiplication means risk. It means stepping out and saying, “I’ll do that” when you are scared that you might make a mistake or get hurt. The good news is that Jesus never leaves us hanging. He provides for us when we step out in faith.

Opportunity is here. I am privileged to pastor at church that is growing. People are coming to Christ. New people are showing up every Sunday. It is thrilling! There is no shortage of people in need of ministry, but there is a shortage of people to minister. I know now what Jesus meant when He said that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2). I’m watching it happen. We need help in the simplest areas:
Tech Team members (We will train you!)
Children’s Ministry workers
Life Group Leaders
Administrative help (printing bulletins, stuffing envelopes, etc.)
Host Team members (All you have to do is smile and greet people)

You have no excuse. No matter who you are or where you live, there is something you can do. Here are the e-mail addresses associated with some of the ministries that need help:
Tech Team (timg@churchoftheopendoor.org)
Children’s Ministry (michellem@churchoftheopendoor.org)
Life Group (teresah@churchoftheopendoor.org)
Administrative (cindyb@churchoftheopendoor.org)
Host (amindling@oh.rr.com)

As Jim Morrison once said, “The time to hesitate is through.”

Will you step up for the sake of the gospel?