Louis Rocks!

Best Tri Tip in North America

WOW.

What a great time Sunday. We were able to connect with some amazing people and I hope you all were blessed as well. I am blown away by how cool it is that we get to do this. What an opportunity to reach out to Gods children, our brothers and sisters. We are a truley blessed people. In the midst of all the chaos we can have the opportunity to just serve and listen and wait on God. As kim would say shoot-dang!

An encouraging word

Below is a copy of an email sent to us (Vineyardians) by my friend Dave Z (Guitar Man)

Pastor Mike,

In conversation with Chris Lamm I discovered that the BBQ event Sunday afternoon & evening was a project midwifed by several of your church members out of their own hearts (and pockets) as an expression of "being the church." What a terrific concept. It was a privilege and a pleasure to have been a part of it. I am thankful that Chris asked me to play and I have agreed to do it again if called. I have no plans to abandon the fellowship at Valley Christian, but I greatly admire your church and am grateful to God that you minister here in Redding. I enjoyed our short conversation.

_____________________________________________________________________

How cool is that to see how our lives and actions can infect others in a way that would cause them to be stirred.

The First Feast

Walking the neighborhood to deliver the invitations was a new experience for me. 'Okay, they are going to think I am selling vacuum cleaners, or I want them to sign a petition, or I am looking for donations'. After I recovered from that, I was disappointed to have only been able to engage one woman in conversation. Most folks were polite, but clearly not too interested. I went home a bit down.

I really did think I had failed in what God had sent me to do that night.

'So, get over it, dig in and help with the BBQ and do all you see might need to be done.' 

I set aside all that negative thinking, and with oceans of sweat dripping from my brow, went to work serving. (did I mention that it was 106?).

My heart skipped a beat when I looked up to see the one woman I spoke with on Wednesday night. She had come, she brought her husband, (who complained sorely about the loud music), she brought her daughter, her son-in-law, and her two granddaughters.

Finding someone to fill my spot at the serving table, I sat with her and her family and answered questions about the church, talked about gardening, and how loud the music was. =)

She wanted to see the inside of the church, her younger granddaughter wanted to see the kids areas. Her husband wanted to know if that was the kind of music we played in the church, =) her teen-aged granddaughter was bored, her daughter knows someone who attends Vineyard. The whole thing was nothing but exciting!

And I will see her again. She invited me to come back to her house for another lesson in gardening and to take a few plant cuttings from her yard. I hope and pray to know her more.

This was an exciting experience for me and I am thrilled to have been a part of this event.

Thank you to each one that prayed, that had vision, and follow-through to see this as doable and to then find a way to put feet to it.

Today is the day. Our first of many Neighborhood Feasts, our way of showing Christ’s love to the women, men, and children in the neighborhood surrounding our building. As I continue to struggle in prayer I am reminded that the foundation has been laid, by the God of the universe and us his faithful servants. I encourage everyone to trust and believe that God will finish the work he started in this. It is difficult to communicate the level of excitement I am experiencing in watching you come together with the other members in our part of the body of Christ to make this happen. God will move mightily this afternoon, and I can’t wait to get to be a part of it. I hope and pray you feel the same.

Peace and Grace be with you,

About this blog

I have created this blog as a place to share our stories of how God moves in the lives of the people we reach out to and invite on this journey, as well as our own lives.