The Faithwalking Blog

Helpful CSA Resources…

1. For your campus makeover project: Consider contacting Trees for Houston if any landscaping is on your school’s wish list. In some cases they will have available trees, tools, laborers, and know-how for free for planting and maintaining items that beautify a school and help the environment! For more information contact Randi Cleary,  Marketing  and  Education  Coordinator at 713.840.8733  or  randi@treesforhouston.org.

2. For your Mentors:Lemonade Day 2009 is coming on May 3. During the TMT Module 3 dates, the representatives from Lemonade Day will be presenting information on how you can implement this initiative in your schools. The organization Prepared For Life holds an annual “Lemonade Day” to introduce young people to the disciplines and rewards of entrepreneurship and handling finances. Print the information found at their website and take it to your school’s community liaison, or principal, and ask their permission to have Mentors invite their mentee to consider participating in Lemonade Day together. Then provide this resource to the Mentors with your encouragement that they take advantage of this opportunity to deepen relationship with their student and do some experiential mentoring in life skills.

CSA Coaching Tips

Coaching Tips …

1. CSA Team meetings: Regularly invite key volunteers who are doing a great job to your Team meetings, so you can make heroes of them! And periodically invite potential members of your CSA Team to meetings as one way of guaranteeing a “succession” plan that produces informed, trained future leaders of the Team.

2. Whole & Healthy Children: now is the time to get your principal’s wish list of improvements to be made in a Makeover and to schedule that workday date! The school will have further evidence that you are their ally, that we’ve come to serve, and we’re eager to listen and act in response to their hopes and dreams and frustrations. And spring is a great time to schedule a workday – cooler weather than summer, and fewer people on vacations. Getting the tasks and date set now gives you time to recruit both volunteer workers and donors.

3. How are we going to raise $10,000 per School?: Between congregations and businesses in your CSA, we can work together to raise the necessary money for each Whole & Healthy Children school. Please see the attached resource for ideas on how to raise the money from your congregational network. Michael Aceves-Lewis, Development Director for Mission Houston can be a resource to raise money from your network of businesses with your CSA. Please contact Michael directly at michael@missionhouston.org with a shortlist of 5-10 businesses that we could target to assist in this fundraising effort.

My Faithwalking Experience by Shawn McGlothlin

Shawn participated in the most recent Faithwalking. He is 38, married and father to three young children. He is employed at Texas Instruments and is a member at Grace Community Bible Church in the Richmond area.  

Faithwalking was a significant event for me. This was the best conference/retreat that I have ever attended. Organized, engaging, personal, Biblically-based, challenging, full. My brain was so tired when I left Sunday afternoon that I think my neck is sore from the extra weight of information shoved into it. Interestingly though, while my brain was tired, my heart is still overflowing from the same overload – it doesn’t feel tired, but more like finding a room full of treasure and not sure where to start cataloging and organizing.   I got two powerful things from the retreat.

First, I uncovered a deep vow that stands in the way of me being what God designed me for. Somewhere along the way I decided that I will not be messy with people because being messy hurts and is bad. This was a big surprise for me but I was able to see how it has been rooted and reinforced in multiple events over my entire life. Its like I am ok knowing people at the surface, but if going below the surface means tension, conflict, or seeing my flaws, then my vow rears up and asserts itself.

Here is one example of how this vow torpedoes God working in and through me. Several years ago at my church someone said, “You are the glue that helps us stay connected.” As I interacted with people I was seen as bringing people together. And I was. It was good and I liked it. But as soon as that was said, my vibrations started. All of a sudden, what I had done so freely was now a burden and anxiety-producing. I heard in that phrase (the glue) that I was being asked to commit to be there for people. Well, my self-talk started – “people are messy and I can’t commit to being messy. I’m just glue now because everything is smooth and easy. Wait until someone has a real problem and then they will be looking to me. I can’t handle that kind of pressure.” So I backed off and stopped being what was so beneficial up to that moment – it conflicted with my vow. So where do I go from here? I think that one thing is just realizing that I have this vow and it must die for me to be all that God wants. I’m starting there, but I know that killing it won’t just happen by verbal rejection, I will have to obey God against my vow in order to truly put it to death.

Second, God birthed in me a desire be a catalyst for mobilizing the Body of Christ at Texas Instruments. I have no idea how to do that. And I absolutely know that it will be messy (even writing it creates butterflies/vibrations in my stomach). But what choice do I have? I can serve my vows, money, comfort, convenience, independence – and continue in mediocrity and worldly thinking. Or I can take off the blinders, take off the masks, and follow the LORD of All who has never let me down and who promises to meet all my needs. Sounds so logical on paper. Now if I could just find the easy button. Oh wait, that would mean I was going back to comfort, convenience, independence… So that’s why the Way is hard. Its not because He’s mean, its because it’s the only way to truly be free.

Truth telling leads to personal transformation

by Trisha Taylor

Most of us who have been Christians for very long have developed some level of personal mastery around the teachings of Jesus. We know what Jesus wants us to do and we do it most of the time. It’s even pretty easy for us—we don’t even think hard about it any more. At the same time, we have some level of disobedience in our lives. There is some place where we know the clear teachings of Jesus and yet we don’t obey.

Sometimes that disobedience is just out and out rebellion. Other times it exists because people have a large capacity to live in denial – we are inauthentic about what is really happening in our lives. Living in a culture of “image management” we construct a world in which we pretend that we are not being disobedient. Even more often, if you scratch beneath the surface in conversation, you’ll discover that the habitual disobedience grows out of years of trying to obey but experiencing failure after failure. Ultimately, that person becomes resigned and cynical about things ever changing in this area of their lives.

It is the deep conviction of the Faithwalking community, that personal transformation will often be jump-started when a follower of Jesus can tell the truth about his or her habitual disobedience. By walking in the light with a loving God and in a non-judgmental community of friends, our truth telling opens up possibilities for significant growth that didn’t exist before.

In our Faithwalking retreats, we work to create a safe place for participants to tell the truth about their obedience – and their disobedience – in a manner that is liberating. What once was hidden is opened up to encouragement, prayer support, and accountability.

Albert (not his real name) participated in our second Faithwalking retreat. Out of a time of solitude with God, he came back to his small group and with great courage made this confession. “I am harsher, more demanding and less forgiving with my wife than I am any other person in my life.” As his confession was heard, a new possibility began to emerge. By faith, Albert, declared his intention to seek prayer support and accountability for changing this long standing pattern with his wife. With his faith declaration, the support and accountability of a small group, a renewed commitment to trusting God to change his behavior, and a Faithwalking coach, today Albert and his wife say that their 25-year marriage has been profoundly renewed.

We invite you to consider joining us as we allow God to create a community of transformational leaders in the homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and third places of our city.

Bellaire / SW Loop Prayer Targets…

By Karen Juul-Nielsen / Bellaire / SW Loop.

Prayer Requests for Bellaire/SW Loop A.C.T.S. – 12/08/08
(Area Churches Together in Service)

Dear Prayer Warriors,

How marvelously blessed we have been this fall! Even with the interruption of IKE, our faith community has come together to pray, train, mentor, work and have fellowship. God is Good!
Please lift these prayers of thanksgiving and praise, as well as the petitions for additional power and strength, in your daily devotions as individuals, and as you meet in prayer teams and in small groups. God will bless your faithfulness.

Prayers of thanksgiving and praise for:

• a safe workday at Shearn and for the completion of all the revised projects planned for that day; and for volunteers who have continued to water plants so that they will thrive.

• the amazing show of support for the St Nick Day at Shearn, and that for the first time in the history of the school, all 23 classes had volunteers.

• the leadership and organizational skills of Becky and Hazel in managing the volunteers and in lending support to the fall festival.

• all the mentors who have been faithful to share their talents and time with these precious children at Shearn and Gordon Elementary.

• the direction/support of Ms Epps and Mr. Buck and for the stellar help of Ms Healy

Prayers of request for:

• more mentors to join the ranks in January for both schools.

• all the mentors to participate in the mentor training that Mission Houston is offering.

• additional funds to be donated to Mission Houston so projects that are planned for the spring at both schools can be completed.

• schedules to be resolved so that all the planning and necessary preparations can take place in a timely fashion, for work days, teacher appreciation events, parties for the children and recognition for volunteers.

• that every child at Shearn will be prepared to go to college and have that opportunity (offered by Mr. Buck)

Prayers for protection for:

• all the children, staff, teachers and mentors at Gordon and Shearn Elementary schools

• all the parents, grandparents and guardians of these elementary children

• both facilities and structures – that no harm will come to these premises

• all the members of the churches who participate – that God will bless them mightily for their goodness and efforts on behalf of these precious children.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I thank Him every day for you. In Christ’s Name, Karen