Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Reparando

Not long after I moved to NC I was introduced to Bill Cummings, founder of Lemonade International. Lemonade is a U.S. based non-profit that works in partnership with Guatemalan leaders to help bring restoration to the largest urban slum in Central America - "La Limonada." Bill and his wife Cherie have grown to love this place and have committed their lives to bringing attention and relief to some of the world's poorest people. On the ground in La Limonada is a woman named Tita Evertsz. It was her love and sacrifice for the people of this city that originally captured Bill and Cherie's hearts. Tita's story is incredible. So incredible in fact, that it recently caught the attention of a group of film makers.

On Thursday, May 5 the movie "Reparando" will have a special screening in Raleigh, where Tita Evertsz herself will be present. I would strongly encourage you to purchase tickets here and go hear about the incredible ways in which hope is rising in the slums of Guatemala.



Reparando - Trailer - 01 from Athentikos on Vimeo.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Parenting moment

You never know when they are coming. Those times when life seems to hand deliver a moment packed full of opportunity to teach, to guide, to parent. Yesterday was one of those moments for me.

My oldest daughter is a bit of an entrepreneur. Over the weekend she ran her own yard sale on Saturday, and then a lemonade stand on Sunday. In fact, as the lemonade stand seemed to be stalling she and her friends began to take it door to door. At the end of the day she had actually made quite a bit of money, and she and the next door neighbors would end up splitting the profits.

Somewhere toward the end of the day, another boy came over to play. Without replaying all the details, it appears that he was pretty impressed by the amount of money she had made. And he felt like he wanted some of it. So when they were alone, he put the pressure on. My daughter resisted at first (I only know the details because we found out later), but eventually caved and gave the boy a $10 bill.

So where do you go with that as a parent? Some might downplay it. Others might run down the street and strangle some kid (haha, I have to admit I thought about it!). I think it was a divine moment for me and my daughter. Here are a few of my thoughts.

Pressure

As far as I know, this is the first time she has ever faced big time peer pressure. But this is a specific type of pressure isn't it? This is the first time that a boy has pressured her to give him something. And unfortunately, it probably won't be the last time a boy puts the pressure on. And THAT makes this moment so important. It's also why I would gladly pay $10 for this learning experience. The conversation we had afterwards was priceless. Parents (especially dads!), I'm convinced that these seemingly small moments when our girls are 7 are the key to having 17 year olds who are confident, strong young women who have discernment and the ability to stand up for themselves. And these conversations set the stage for an open, honest dialogue with your kids as the conversations continue over the next 15+ years.

I'm certainly not a perfect parent, and I have much to learn. But I have had the unique opportunity to work with hundreds of teenagers over a 10 year span. There is a clear difference between the girls whose identity, value, and sense of self worth come from their fathers, and those who are searching for it elsewhere. My daughter needed to hear from her dad yesterday that it is ok to say NO. She needed to hear that she should never have to give in to the pressure of someone else. She needed to hear that she has the strength and the ability to stand up for herself and to be confident in doing so. She needed to hear that what that boy did to her was wrong and she should never settle for it.

Parents, don't ever pass an opportunity like this up to guide your kids, to walk with them through their thought process, to talk about their fears, the decisions they made, and how they feel afterwards. Role play it with them, talk about how they could have handled it differently, ask lots of questions. Resist the urge to rescue them and to make it all right. I know that feels like what we need to do sometimes, and maybe at times we do, but there is such value in these moments. You won't always be there. And you won't always be able to fix a situation. But if we teach our kids discernment, and we teach them wisdom - they won't need to be rescued next time.

What about you? How would you have handled this? Have you ever had a situation like this?

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Easter in West Village


I am so excited about our upcoming Easter service on April 24 in downtown Durham's West Village. We have a unique opportunity to meet in a location that puts us in the heart of our city, and only a mile from Duke's campus. Because this is such a new thing for us, you can imagine that there is lots to do to make sure we have a great celebration together. Below you will find some of the specific ways you can get involved.

INVITE - We would love to see more than 200 people in attendance this Easter. Invite your friends, invite your coworkers, invite your neighbors, invite the mailman, the banker, your barista, and anyone else who comes within 10 feet of you! This Sunday (4/17) we will have 1,000 invitations to give you to pass out all over the city. You can also invite people through Facebook here, or by sending them this link.

PRAY - Pray that God would do something incredible in our church this Easter. Pray that people who are without hope would come into contact with a community celebrating the resurrected Jesus.

GIVE - Doing something this big and this different comes with lots of extra costs for us as a church. If you want to help us reach our city, consider giving above and beyond what you would normally give.

BRING - We are collecting flash drives (1 GB or larger) and scientific calculators (not graphing) for an incredible ministry in Durham known as the Genesis home. We'll be collecting them on 4/17 and Easter 4/24.

TAKE - This Sunday 4/17 we will have Easter baskets for you to take home and fill for kids through the Durham Rescue Mission. We recommend you fill it with fun stuff (candy, toys, stuffed animals) as well as some practical things like socks and a toothbrush. Inside the basket you will find all the details you need to fill it and drop it off at the right place by Friday, April 22. If you'd like to volunteer your time at their event, follow the link to find out more.

SERVE - If you can help us set up on Saturday 4/23, or if you would like to help us welcome guests on Easter, please email us and let us know!

Monday, April 4, 2011

One year stories

I listened to this bit of audio from our one year anniversary service again this week and it occurred to me that I didn't ever share these. So if you have eight minutes and want to get really excited about what God is doing in STORYCHURCH, give it a listen. (It's just audio, but worth the listen!)



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