Another New Home Owner

We had another Habitat family become a home owner today. We closed this afternoon on TriState Habitat for Humanity's 200th home. It was really exciting for me to witness this one. It's been a long process for this family who have been living in some pretty awful conditions. It was so cool to get to see the new home owner sign her closing documents and get the keys to her new safe, decent, affordable home.
While I get a paycheck for my work with TriState Habitat for Humanity, days like today are my real pay days. It fills me with such joy to know all of the time, energy, volunteer hours, and donations have been building up to this one moment. It was truly a time to celebrate and thank God for what God has accomplished in this family's life through the ministry of Habitat.
I continue to be honored and humbled by this work and ministry to which God has called me.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

TGIF

Thank you God for Friday. Thank you for the end of a work week. Thank you for the privilege of having a job when so many people in America are unemployed. Thank you for having a job that brings me joy and that brings honor to your name. Thank you for work that makes a difference in people's lives.
I know that there are some days, even some days this past week, when I felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I wondered if I was really making a difference. It feels like there is so much more need out there than I or Habitat are able to address. There are so many people in TriState Habitat for Humanity's service area who will sleep tonight in some deplorable conditions. It honestly overwhelms me at times God.
Remind me that I am not Superman and my job is not to rescue everyone. You already sent a Savior to the world. My job is to trust in Him and in your unending grace. My job is to use the gifts that you have given me to serve families living in poverty in the best way that I can.
Thank you also God for a week that marked a milestone in my parents' marriage. It's hard to believe that they have been married for 47 years. When half of all marriages end in divorce, their love and relationship has endured. I'm grateful for the example of the love that my parents have displayed and lived out in their lives.
God, help me to find rest and renewal this weekend. I feel like I need to recharge my batteries. I want enjoy Sabbath time and also some play time. I hope to enjoy this wonderful region to which you have led me in some way. I don't know exactly what that means yet, but I trust that you will guide me.
God, most of all, thank you for your love that remains steadfast. You have led me to this place at this time and it has blessed me beyond anything I could have imagined. I am enjoying my work. I'm a part of one of the most gifted teams with which I've ever worked. I attend a church that inspires me and serves the city in some truly amazing ways. I have a family and friends who love me. I am filled with humble gratitude for your faithfulness in the midst of my life.
Thank you God for Friday and every day that are all gifts from you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Feeling Lonely

I'm feeling kind of lonely tonight. I'm not sure what's going on with me. Sometimes it just hits me. I wonder if it's a bit of depression setting in. I got to thinking about friends who live far away. I also was thinking about fun times I had with those friends in the past. I miss being with those friends. I also miss having friends who will spontaneously jump in the car and meet me for ice cream late at night. I haven't developed those kinds of friendships yet.
It's always hard for me to make new friends when I move to a new community. I think it's one of the curses of being an introvert. It just takes longer for me to build friendships than it does for extroverts. I know it will happen but I get impatient. I know getting involved in a small group at my church will help. I also know that just being in the community longer will help me to connect with people. Right now, it's just hard.
The good news is that I know God has some wonderful people out there whose paths I have yet to cross. So, I use times like this evening when I'm feeling kind of lonely to pray for those friends whom I haven't met yet. I pray that God will connect us soon. I also pray that God will allow us to be blessed by one another's companionship in wonderful and lasting ways. I also give God thanks for friends past, present, and future. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A New Home

I was really tired last night and could hardly keep my eyes open when I wrote my brief blog post. It was a long day at the end of a long week. This has been an amazingly busy time for me in my work with Habitat. We have been preparing for three closings. Yesterday was the first of the three. These are always cause for much celebration but also there is a lot of last minute stuff to do and this can be a real source of stress.
Right before I fell asleep last night, I thought about the couple that just closed on their house yesterday. They have six boys and they have been living in a two bedroom home with one bathroom. I cannot begin to imagine what that has been like for them. I tried to imagine what last night in their new home must have been like for this family. I'm sure there they were tired from moving all of their stuff. I'm sure the boys had a hard time settling down for the night as they adjusted to their new bedrooms. I'm sure there was laughter and excitment. However, I'm guessing that there was also a huge sense of peace that settled over this family as they slept in their new safe, decent, affordable home built with love.
Just before I lost consciousness for the night, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for this work to which God has called me. I can't begin to tell you how much it feeds my soul and helps give purpose and meaning to my life. It is really not a job. It is ministry in the best sense of the word. This doesn't mean that there are not difficult days. This does not mean that I don't struggle and feel stressed. However, what I do know with every fiber of my being is that this is where I am supposed to be at this point in my journey.
I don't know what God has in store for me in the future. I'm doing my best to live in this moment as I take big gulps of the grace that God provides for me every day. I feel joy like never before. I feel contentment and peace. I feel grateful for the honor of being able to serve the poor through the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity.
With this latest home now completed, I can't wait to move forward with the next application, the next construction project, and the next closing. The process begins again and again as new families seek to live out their dream and move from substandard housing and become home owners.
I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Two New Families

Today I had the great honor of telling two families that they have been approved as Habitat Partner Families. I love making these calls. The emotions are always so varied. Some people get really excited and whoop and yell. Other people start crying. Others are just quietly grateful.
I have the honor to be the person who first gets to tell them the good news. I congratulate them and then tell them that now the hard work of partnership begins. They will have to complete 500 sweat equity hours. They will have to attend required classes. They will fill out tons of forms. They will have to recruit others to help them build their homes.
This is really the fun part of my job. It's so wonderful to hear the varied reactions and to be able to offer hope to people who have been rejected and denied so many times before. It's the beginning of a whole new part of their lives. Habitat will walk with them and support them, but they still have to do all of the hard work themselves.
I ask for your prayers for these two new Habitat Partner Families. They have a challenging road ahead of them. It will test their patience. Hopefully, the process will also cause them to change old patterns of behavior and thinking. Most of all, I hope that God will work in their hearts as they work along side volunteers and staff who want to see them succeed. This is a day of new beginnings. It's a day that will launch their path towards becoming home owners of safe, decent, affordable homes.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

News Blackout

Yesterday was another quiet day for me. It was probably too quiet. I ended up taking a long nap and then had trouble getting to sleep last night. I finally fell asleep around 1:30 AM. This was a huge problem for me when my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning so that I could meet my friend Karen to walk. I was a real zombie this morning.
I decided yesterday that I was not going to sit in front of the television yesterday watching all all of the ten year anniversary September 11 coverage. I watched little bit when I first got up in the morning and then listened to coverage on NPR on my drive to and from church. But besides that, I didn't watch much of it at all. I decided to put myself under a news blackout. It's not because I didn't think it was important to remember that horrible day in American history. It was more a way for me to say, as I did in my post yesterday, that life goes on.
I remember I was glued to the television back in 2001. I saw the image of the planes flying into the World Trade Center towers so many times, I felt numb. I heard all of the stories of survivors and all of the stories of family members of victims. I read everything I could in the news and online. Along with this, I was given the extra responsibility of trying to preach sermons in response to the terrorist attacks.
When I look back on those days and weeks following September 11, 2001, I realize that it was only by the grace of God that I was able to move through days. And this is also how I wanted to focus my heart on the tenth anniversary. I wanted to pause and give thanks for God's amazing grace in my life and along my journey since that time.
My pastor said it this way in his sermon on Sunday:

I like the way Julian of Norwich put it. Julian of Norwich lived in the fourteenth century during the Black Plague. Every day was 9/11 for her. But she had great hope that grew out of her faith as she faced the depths of the trials of her day. She wrote these lines: But all shall be well, And all shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

Wow. What power. God did not say, “You shall have no storms.” God did not say, “You shall have no terrorists, you shall have no fires, you shall have no death.” God said, “You shall not be overcome.” All shall be well.
On this day, are the promises and protection of God enough for us? Are we able to say “All shall be well?” We may have to say it with a tear in our eyes. We may have to say it with a lump in our throats. We may have say to it with clenched fists. But in that whisper is eternity itself.
God’s faithful promises are our armor. Hope is in the enduring memory of God’s protection.
When the final 9/11 television special signs off for the evening, the last analysis has been offered, the last commentary spoken, and the last editorial written, I can think of no more beautiful eulogy than to say: But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

So, yesterday I napped and rested trusting that all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Quiet Day

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

- Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

Today has been a very quiet day. The biggest thing I accomplished was doing laundry.
I really like quiet days like this. I guess it comes with being an introvert. Some folks might think I'm a hermit but it's really more than that for me. Days like today help me to recharge my batteries. These are days to rest, relax, and renew. They are days to catch up on my Netflix, read, and sneak in a nap.
I am grateful quiet days like today that help to restore my soul and body.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

New Phone

Well, I finally did it. I got a new cell phone today. This is a major milestone in my life because this is only the second cell phone that I have ever owned. I got my first cell phone in 2006 in my home town of Mishawaka, Indiana right before I moved to Knoxville Tennessee. The reason that I decided to get a new cell phone was because my old cell phone was having a hard time keeping a charge. I think this might have been what caused my problem earlier this summer when I my phone shut off and I didn't know how to turn it back on.
When I went to the Verizon store today to get the new cell phone, the guy who helped me (who was probably still in elementary school when I got my first cell phone) said, "Your phone is really old." He then proceeded to try to sell me a smart phone with all kinds of bells and whistles. I told him "no." He then showed me their basic phones that were on display in the store. He suggested that I get one with a keyboard for texting and a camera. I told him "no". I then asked him if they had any other basic phone models in stock that were not on display. They had a catalogue and I pointed to some phones and he thought they did have a few of them in the back. I told him I had a $50 credit on my account and I wanted to use that to get a phone and that I hoped that they had phones that would not cost me anything if I used my credit. He went into the back stock room and emerged with my new phone. He told me that I would not have to pay anything for this if I used my $50 credit and that I could walk out of the store with a new phone. The salesman also warned me that this phone didn't take photos, connect to the Internet, or have a flip out keyboard for sending texts. He said it was just a "plain Jane phone." I told him that it sounded perfect.
So, I've spent the evening reading the manual for my new phone. I know. Most people just know how to use their phones and never even unwrap the manual but that's not how I'm wired. I like to read the manual and learn all of the little tricks to operating new phone. Of course, there are very few little tricks because by the rest of the world's standards, I am now the proud owner of the world's most boring phone.
In spite of the fact that I am really excited about my new phone, I also will miss my old phone. I may try to donate my old phone to the Smithsonian. Maybe they will display it next to Dorothy's ruby slippers.
That old phone has been my communication device with the world for the past five years. I think about all of the conversations I have had with friends and family using that phone. I have laughed deeply and shed many tears while using that old phone. I have heard good news and bad news while talking on that phone. I was talking on that old phone when I was offered the Family Services Coordinator position at TriState Habitat for Humanity. I have renewed relationships with old friends and talked for the first time when people who would become new friends. I have made plans and cancelled plans. I have offered and received words of encouragement on that old phone. That phone traveled with me from Indiana to Tennessee to Ohio. It went with me when I traveled. It has been the alarm that has awakened me every morning for the past five years. It has been a faithful companion and I will be sad to see it go.
I am grateful for both my new phone and my old phone. I am grateful for memories and new beginnings. I am thankful for new technology that will carry me into the next season of my life and journey.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Walking Advertisement

I stopped a local restaurant this evening on my way home from work to get some dinner. As I sat down at my table, a woman sitting at a table nearby said, "There's someone from Habitat." I wondered how she knew I was with Habitat for Humanity and then I realized I was wearing a shirt with the TriState Habitat for Humanity logo on it. Duh!
Anyway, I went over to the table and the woman introduced herself and her husband who was sitting with her to me. I introduced myself. We then talked for several minutes and I discovered that this couple volunteers with the Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity affiliate. They are very active construction volunteers and have been volunteering with Habitat for a number of years. In fact, they met for the first time as a single people on a Habitat job site and are now married.
After our conversation, I went back to my table and said a prayer of thanksgiving for running into these two dedicated Habitat volunteers. I was so glad that I was wearing my shirt. I am proud to be a walking advertisement for Habitat. I am passionate about our mission and the work that we do. I want the world to know the difference that Habitat is making in the TriState region, the United States, and around the world. I am so proud to be able to represent Habitat and to be able to connect with others who share my passion for bringing an end to poverty housing in the world.
I also got to thinking about how I am not always the best walking advertisement for my faith. I don't always represent Christ to the world in the most positive manner. I only need to look to my morning commute to recognize this. I am too often filled with road rage and certainly don't offer much grace to the drivers around me who I am convinced are all on the road driving stupidly just to make me mad.
I also am not the best ambassador for Christ when I remain silent in the face of the injustice I see in life. I often times would rather just not make any waves rather than stand up for what I know to be right in God's eyes. I take the easy way out by often people are led to believe that I accept the injustice that is taking place because I am silent.
So, tonight I'm giving God thanks for the opportunity I had to be a witness for the mission of Habitat. I am also praying that God will give me the courage and peace to be a more faithful witness for Jesus in the world.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Discipline

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

- 2 Timothy 1:7, NIV

Discipline. This is one of the things that often seems to be lacking in my life. I have times when I get really focused and can be disciplined on a specific thing, but sooner or later, I seem to slip back into old patterns that are undisciplined and even harmful to me.
This is certainly true when it comes to my physical health. I have so many times started diets and not stayed with them. I have started exercise programs and have not stayed with them. I have tried to watch my eating and tried to live a more healthy lifestyle and in the end I fail miserably at this.
I also feel that I lack discpline in my work life. I try to be more organized and plan ahead better. What usually ends up happening is that I procrastinate and run around feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I have attended workshops to help me deal with clutter on my desk and how to use my time better. I do well for a while and then it gets out of control. Right now, I have the beginnings of an unruly nest of papers that need to be filed. I fear that it soon will become a tall stack of stuff that will fill my desk.
I also feel like I lack much discipline in my spiritual life. I try to grow in my prayer life and add new ways of experiencing God. I may stick with them for a while and then I either lose interest or the will to stick with them. I seem to lack a kind of inner discipline even when it comes to the most importation relationship in my life.
The good news is that God is a God of grace and new beginnings. Every time I fall off the diet wagon, stack papers up to the ceiling on my desk, or don't take the time to nurture my relationship with God, God is still there to love me. God helps me start again. God renews my strength and reminds me that all things are possible through Christ Who strengthens me. God loves me where I am empowers me to grow in love and discipline in life and faith. Thanks be to God!

Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Great Weekend

I have come to the end of a really great weekend. I got a call from my friend Mari to say she made it home to South Bend okay. We packed a lot of activities into our extended weekend. We had a good balance of tourist stuff and down time watching movies. I'm grateful for Mari's willingness to travel all the way here to visit. I'm also grateful for her willingness to put up with me. I am much more tolerable in small doses so Mari's willingness to put up with me for four whole days says a whole lot about her graciousness.
Now, it's back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping there are new applications for home ownership awaiting me when I get back to the office. I also hope we are able to get a family recruitment direct mailing out this week. Along with some extra meetings, it looks like it will be a busy week.
I hope you had a good holiday weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Friday Recap - Part 2

I'm continuing on with my recap of my big tourist day on Friday. After crossing the Ohio River on the Augusta Ferry, we were in the downtown historic area in Augusta, Kentucky and ready for our next tourist stop.

Rosemary Clooney Museum - The Rosemary Clooney House is owned by Dr. Steve Henry, former KY Lt. Gov., and his wife, Heather French Henry, former Miss America (who was born in Augusta). The museum was established to preserve Rosemary Clooney's house, to open it to the public and to house memorabilia from her life and career.

Starting in 1980 Rosemary began calling Augusta's 106 Riverside Drive home. Located on the banks of the Ohio River in historical Augusta, KY, this was her retreat from the demands of her career and a haven for rest between performances all over the world.
The house is a beautiful Federal style home. I think I was most surprised by how small it was. Knowing that Rosemary Clooney owned a huge mansion in Beverly Hills, her house in Augusta was tiny in comparison. The house has just two bedrooms that are not very big. In fact, they have Rosemary's big brass bed in her former bedroom and it took up half the room.

• The house is filled with all kinds of memorabilia from Rosemary Clooney's life including:
• childhood photos from her years in Maysville, KY
• the largest collection of White Christmas memorabilia anywhere in the world
• costumes worn by Bing, Bob, Vera, and Rosemary, as well as sketches by Edith Head and Bob Mackie for designs worn by Rosemary including the iconic red dress with white fur muff that Rosemary wore in White Christmas
• building materials from the demolition of her mansion at 1019 Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills

  Our tour guide was a hoot. She talked almost non-stop. She has lived in Augusta for over fifty years and seemed to know all about Rosemary, her family, and career. She shared some behind the scenes stories about Rosemary's personal life and relationships.

The museum also includes a bunch of memorabilia from movies that George Clooney has stared in or directed. His costumes from Up in the Air and Leatherheads are on display as well as a bunch of his movie posters.

You can check out the Rosemary Clooney Museum at http://www.rosemaryclooney.org/index.html

The Parkview Country Inn - After spending time at Rosemary's place, we were hungry and ready for lunch. My friend Roslyn recommended that we try the lunch buffet at the Parkview Country Inn. The Parkview Country Inn was constructed in the early 1800's. The Inn originally included a tavern. The tavern area is now the main lobby and sitting area. The Inn is operated as a bed and breakfast.
The lunch buffet was quite tasty. We even splurged and ordered dessert. I had black raspberry cobbler with ice cream. It was delicious! Over lunch we laughed and visited and Mari and Roslyn got to know one another better.
When we came out of the Inn, we had a little excitement in trying to get out of town to our next destination. They were getting ready for Augusta's Heritage Days Festival and they had the road blocked off by vehicles in one direction and by barricades in the other. We narrowly escaped being trapped in Augusta forever by sneaking down an alley and cutting through a parking lot and then we were on our way.
You can check out the Parkview Country Inn at http://parkviewcountryinn.com/

Maysville, Kentucky - We moved on down the road next to Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is another beautiful historic river town along the Ohio. The architecture is amazing. I am in awe of how many of the historic buildings had been and are being restored. The downtown area is like stepping back in time. I could hardly take it all in.
According to Wikipedia frontiersman Simon Kenton made the first settlement in the area in 1775 but was forced out by the western battles of the American Revolution. Returning in 1784, Kenton built a blockhouse at the site of Maysville and founded Kenton's Station (frontier fort) at a site three miles (5 km) inland. Kenton met new settlers at Limestone, as the landing place was called, and escorted them inland to his station. In 1786 the village which grew up near Kenton's Station was established by act of the Virginia General Assembly as the town of Washington. By this time John May had acquired the land at Limestone and Daniel Boone established a trading post and tavern there. In 1787 the little settlement was incorporated as Maysville, though the name Limestone persisted well into the 19th century.

Maysville was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. The abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe visited the area in 1833 and witnessed a slave auction in front of the county court house in Washington, Kentucky. Stowe included the scene in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852.

I wish we would have been able to spend more time in Maysville walking around the historic district. It's definitely some place that I want to visit again. You can learn more about Maysville at http://www.cityofmaysville.com/

Ripley, Ohio - We crossed the Ohio River again on the William H. Harsha Bridge which is a huge suspension bridge that is quite impressive. Once we crossed the river, we headed west again along the river towards Ripley, Ohio.
Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, arrived in the free state of Ohio from Staunton, Virginia in 1804 to claim the 1000 acres he had been granted in what was then the Virginia Military District. Poage was among a large group of veterans who received land grants beyond the Ohio for their service and freed their slaves when they settled there. Poage and his family laid out the town of Staunton in 1812; it was renamed in 1816 to honor General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley, an American officer of the War of 1812.

The proximity of the river and of the slave state of Kentucky on the opposite shore led to Ripley's role as an early stop on the Underground Railroad, a network of citizens helping slaves escape north to freedom. A number of prominent abolitionists lived in the town in the 1800s, mainly on Front Street near the river, including John Rankin, former slave John Parker, Thomas McCague, Thomas Collins and Dr. Alexander Campbell.
You can learn more about the history of Ripley at http://www.ripleyohio.net/

Rankin House - When we arrived in Ripley, we drove up the steep hill overlooking the town and Ohio River and arrived at the Rankin House. A National Historic Landmark, this was the home of Presbyterian minister John Rankin who is reputed to have been one of Ohio's first and most active "conductors" on the Underground Railroad. In addition, he wrote Letters on American Slavery, first published in book form in 1826, and among the first clearly articulated antislavery views printed west of the Appalachians. Letters on American Slavery became standard reading for abolitionists all over the United States by the 1830s. From 1822 to 1865, Rankin, along with his wife and children, assisted hundreds of escaped slaves in their trek to freedom. Located on the Ohio River, John Rankin's home (and Ripley, Ohio in general) were considered one of the first stations on this route of the Underground Railroad. It was here that Harriet Beecher Stowe heard the escaping slave's story which became the basis for part of her famous work, Uncle Tom's Cabin. John Parker, a Ripley abolitionist and former slave who was active in the Underground Railroad, wrote of Rankin, "At times attacked on all sides by masters seeking their slaves, [John Rankin and his sons] beat back their assailant, and held its threshold unsullied. A lighted candle stood as a beacon which could be seen from across the river, and like the north star was the guide to the fleeing slave." (see photo above)
Visiting the Rankin House was like standing on holy ground for me. I kept thinking about all of those who climbed that steep hill in their quest for freedom from oppression. I thought about the Rankin family and all those who risked their lives to help escaped slaves. Slavery is certainly the most vial institution ever conceived and we need to have landmarks like the Rankin House to remind us how far we have come as a nation and that there are still people today longing for freedom in our world.
You can learn more about the Rankin House at http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw14/index.shtml

Parker House - John Parker (1827-1900), a former slave, lived in this house, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark, from about 1853 until his death, and from this location planned many rescue attempts of slaves held captive in the "borderlands" of Kentucky. Born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia, Parker was sold at the age of eight to a doctor in Mobile, Alabama. The doctor's family taught Parker to read and write and allowed him to apprentice in an iron foundry where he was compensated and permitted to keep some of his earnings. Persuading an elderly female patient of the doctor's to purchase him, Parker, at the age of 18, bought his freedom from the woman with money earned from his apprenticeship. Parker moved to southern Ohio and around 1853 established a successful foundry behind his home in Ripley. Patenting a number of inventions from his foundry, Parker was one of only a few African Americans to obtain a U.S. patent in the 19th century. Though busy with his business, Parker was also active in the Underground Railroad and is believed to have assisted many slaves to escape from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Parker, who was well-known by regional slave-catchers, risked his own life when he secreted himself back into slave territory to lead fugitive slaves to safety in Ripley. Once the slaves were in Ripley, Parker would deliver them to Underground Railroad conductors in the town, such as John Rankin, who would harbor the fugitive slaves and help them to the next depot on the network. In the 1880s, Parker recounted his life as an Underground Railroad conductor in a series of interviews with journalist Frank M. Gregg. These interviews have recently been edited by Stuart Seely Sprague and published as His Promised Land: The Autobiography of John P. Parker Former Slave and Conductor on the Underground Railroad.
We had a great docent at the Parker House. He really knew all of the history and gave us a complete account of Parker's life. You can learn more about the Parker House at http://johnparkerhouse.org/

After our visit to the Parker House, we headed home. It was a long but really good day full of laughter, good friends, good food, and great American history. I am so grateful to Roslyn for doing all of the research before our trip and for driving us around. It was truly a day of blessings.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Interesting Meeting

I had a very interesting meeting this morning. The Habitat Executive Director, our Mortgage Services staff member, and I  traveled to the city of Hamilton, OH this morning for a meeting with the staff of LifeSpan. LifeSpan offers personal financial planning, credit consolidation, pre-purchase homebuyer education, and a lot of other services in Butler County, Ohio and beyond.
We already have a good partnership with LifeSpan. They offer free credit counseling to our home ownership program applicants. The purpose of today's meeting was to learn about how we might better serve our home owners who have been struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments. As you might guess, when the recession hit, many of our home owners were some of the first impacted. Many have had their hours cut back and some have lost jobs. Along with this, because our families are always struggling to make ends meet, whenever the price of gas or food or other every day expenses increase, they struggle even more.
I find it infuriating that so many of the Wall Street folks who helped get us into this mess in the first place walked away with huge bonuses and everyone else, especially the poor, got the shaft. But I digress. Maybe I should save those thoughts for another blog posting. Anyway, it looks like there are some very helpful things that LifeSpan can do for some of our families who are really struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments.
One of the topics that we discussed quite a bit in the meeting is our whole philosophy and approach to working with home owners. One of the LifeSpan staff members laid it out pretty well. She said that we can either be our home owners' friend or we can be their creditor but we can't be both. I think she hit the nail right on the head. We build relationships with our families over time as we partner with them to build their homes. We know their family stories. We know their struggles. We know their financial history. And while knowing all of that is helpful information, sometimes this means that we still think of our home owners only as people who still need our help. This makes it really difficult to hold them accountable when we need to.
This is not to say that we coddle our families. We do our best to hold them accountable to the agreements in their mortgage documents. We do indeed foreclose on families who stop making their payments. We take this very seriously and understand that families can't live in their houses for free. We also understand that our donors and volunteers expect us hold families accountable and empower them to be succesful home owners.
It's a real balancing act. I always like to err on the side of grace if possible. However, I also understand that if I really want to give families a hand up out of poverty, I can help but they need to do the heavy lifting.
So, I'm giving God thanks for the opportunity we had this morning to meet with the folks from LifeSpan. It's a great organization and I am grateful for the partnership Habitat has with them. I am also grateful for the ways in which LifeSpan educates and empowers families to take control of their personal finances.
I hope you will join me in praying for our Habitat home owners and all people who are stuggling during this uncertain economic time.
Thanks for your prayers and thanks for being a part of my journey!

More Like You

More like you, Jesus, more like you
Fill my heart with your desire
to make me more like you.

- More Like You, Scott Wesley Brown

We sang this song today in worship. We have sung it before. It's just a simple praise chorus but for some reason it really hit my heart today. I felt as if God was trying to speak to me on a deeper level through this song. As I sang the words, I found myself in a very focused prayerful state of being. I almost didn't want it to end because I felt like I was connecting with God in a very intimate way as I sang my praise to my Creator.
Now that I think about it, this is really a scary prayer to pray. Because if I'm really serious about becoming more like Jesus then I've got to really get rid of a bunch of baggage. I need to be able to love more deeply and forgive more readily. I need to be willing to do what God wants in my life and not what I want. I need to be willing to walk difficult paths and trust in God to guide me.
I'm definitely not there yet. I've made some progress but for every step forward it seems that I take about three steps backward. I ask God to make me more loving and then God always seems to put people in my path who I find it difficult to love. I ask God to give me more peace and then God seems to allow the storms of my life to flare up and I become consumed by stress and worry. I desire to be more holy so that others may look upon my life as an example and then I say or do something that is far from holy. The truth is, I mess up because I am messed up by the human condition of sin.
While it would be tempting to just throw up my hands and forget it all and wallow in my sin. I know that is not the life God wants for me. So, I boldly and humbling continue to pray "More like you, Jesus, more like you." And each time I pray this prayer, God works in some new way in my heart. God moves me to do something I wouldn't normally do. God reveals to me something that I had not seen before. God shows me again the path of holy living and promises to walk with me.
So, tonight I'm giving God thanks for this moment of prayer, song, and praise to the One Who calls me by name. I'm giving thanks to Jesus who leads me and sometimes carries me when I don't have the strength to make the journey on my own. I'm filled with gratitude for my loving God Who molds me and shapes me into a new creation. I'm blessed by a Savior who calls me to follow him and be more like him every day.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Just Another Manic Monday

Today was a busy, wild day at work. First thing this morning, I was in Batavia, Ohio for a meeting with a Habitat Partner Family for their materials selection meeting. They got to choose their carpet and siding colors and a few other choices for their house. This is always an exciting meeting but it can also be a bit overwhelming for folks who have never been able to make these kinds of choices about their home.
After we got back to the office, I had a staff meeting to talk about current and future construction projects. This is always a good meeting when we have it. It's the way that people in the office find out what's going on at each construction site. I find it helpful so that I can keep families informed about the progress on their homes.
By the time these two meetings were over, it was the middle of the afternoon and I had a pile of work to do. I was excited to see that we had received two more applications for home ownership in the mail over the weekend. While it's a good problem to have, right now, I have a stack of applications that still need to be reviewed. I hope that I will be able to catch up tomorrow.
I'm grateful to be busy with all of this. It feels like we are making progress in the area of family recruitment. There is real energy and excitement within the affiliate as we reach out to more families who want to partner with us and move from substandard to safe, decent, affordable housing. It's a blessing and privilege to be serving in this way.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Good Morning

It was a good morning today. The wall raising went off really well. We had a good turnout of volunteers, family and friends to support the Habitat Partner Family on this very special day as we raised the first walls of their house. The pastor did a great job in his devotional. There seemed to be a lot of energy in the air. It was also great to have the Mayors of Hamilton, Ohio and Fairfield, Ohio present for the wall raising. After the wall raising service, my friend Karen and I went to lunch. It was nice just to visit and catch up with one another.
I continue to feel so blessed at this time in my life. I am ever grateful that God has brought me to this place at this time.
I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Wall Raising Tomorrow

I am really excited that we have another wall raising service tomorrow for a new Habitat house that we are starting. This house is being built for a family in my current hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. The Mayor of Hamilton will be present for the wall raising service along with some other community leaders. I think it will be a great day of celebration. It's been a while since we finished the last house in Hamilton so I'm glad we are getting started with this house.
This family has waited for a long time to finally see this day come. I know it will be a blessing as the first walls are raised by volunteers to help another family in need move from substandard housing to a safe, decent, affordable home. It will be a true celebration.
I ask for your prayers for this new build and for this Partner Family. I've been with Habitat long enough to realize that nothing ever goes smoothly in construction. There will be delays and set backs and disappointments as we move forward. The family will want it to go faster than it is going. There will be challenges along the way that will test every one's patience. Please pray that the family will experience God's peace during this time of waiting. Please also pray for the safety of our volunteers and staff. Please also pray that God will help this build to be a positive witness to the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity in Hamilton and beyond.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

A Wonderful Evening of Writing

I just got back home from the gathering of writers. It was a reunion of folks who were in my writing class and I also invited my former boss from Habitat to join us. We had the most wonderful evening. One of the people in the group hosted us in his home. His wife treated us to a delicious dinner. I felt like I was in heaven - good food, laughter, and writing. It really doesn't get much better than that for me.
It looks like we are going to try to get together once a month. We are going to share what we've written and get feedback. I am glad to have this as a part of life. I think it will really help me to be more disciplined in my writing. Tonight really got me excited again about my novel. Hopefully I will get back in the groove.
Well, it's an early day for me tomorow so I think I'm headed to bed. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

P.S. - Thanks for your continued prayers for our family recruitment efforts at Habitat. In the past two days, we received seven more new applications. I am so excited!

New Applications and Preparations for New Beginnings

God continues to bless us at TriState Habitat for Humanity. In the past, I've asked for your prayers for our family recruitment efforts and those prayers are definitely working. I was excited to discover this morning that we had received three more applications for our home ownership program over the weekend. Additionally, we received another application for home ownership today. Three of these four applications are from areas where we really need families. I am really excited about all of this.
To add to the excitement, I have been busy preparing to help three Partner Families close on their homes. In a few weeks, these three families will be moving from substandard conditions to safe, decent, affordable homes. I know the families are having a hard time being patient so I ask for your prayers for them during this time of transition and waiting.
Along with this, we will be starting three new homes in the coming weeks. On Saturday, we will have a wall raising service for a new house in Hamilton, Ohio. We also have plans to start new houses in Amelia, Ohio and Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
As you can see, it's both a busy and exciting time at TriState Habitat for Humanity. I continue to be grateful to God for the opportunities that I have to serve families in need. I am thankful that God has led me to this ministry at this time.
I continue to ask for your prayers as we move forward in ministry to give families a hand up out of poverty housing. Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

House Dedication

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
- Psalm 121, NKJV

I participated in a house dedication today in Rising Sun, Indiana. The Habitat Partner Family's parents donated a parcel of land from their farm on which to build the family's house. It is located on the top of a hill with views of the Ohio River and the hills of Kentucky across the river.
I had the privilege of giving the devotional for the service and I decided to use Psalm 121 as the basis for my devotional. It was extremely fitting given the setting for this house. I talked about how the house placed on top of that hill is truly a blessing from God. I reminded the family that most Habitat families don't get the privilege of a view like they have from the top of that hill. Whenever the family lifts up their eyes to the hills, they will be thinking of home and the many ways in which God has blessed them.
The Psalmist also reminds us that our true help comes from the Lord. I reminded the family and everyone gathered there that this is true for us today as well. This family could not have done this without God's help. God was with them and watching over them as they waited and hoped for this day to arrive. It is only by God's help that they will have a safe, decent, affordable home.
I also pointed out the verse: "God shall preserve your going out and your coming in." I invited the family to remember that every time they go in and out of the doors of their new home that God will be with them. That while there are most certainly new challenges ahead of them, God will never ever leave them alone. They are loved by God and nothing will ever change that reality.
The other wonderful part of the service was the dedication of a tree planted in the yard of this home. It was donated by volunteers in memory of one of our volunteer construction site leaders who died of cancer several weeks ago. He had volunteered on several homes before this one and started out helping to lead this build as well. There is a stone engraved with the volunteer's name, the years of his birth and death, and the Habitat logo.
It was a great day of celebration and another reminder of why I love this work and ministry. I am truly blessed.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!