How Do You Repay God for His Grace?

Yesterday I had the joy of reading a short daily devotional sent to me by one of my roommates. It's written by none other than John Piper and in classical Piper fashion he starts out with an analogy. Piper asks that the reader envision salvation as a house that you live in where the food and water never end, the house offers protection, it never decays or crumbles, and the windows open onto vistas of glory. This house is now yours for free, built at great cost to God and His son.

This sounds awesome right?!?

As Piper continues he goes on to ask the reader "Would it not be foolish to say yes to this agreement, and then hire a lawyer to draw up an amortization schedule with monthly payments in the hopes of somehow balancing accounts?" Most readers would agree that yes, it would be foolish to make payments on a house that is given to you as a gift.

I have always known and understood that my salvation is a gift from God, but never has it made so much sense. Many times I forget that I do not have to do anything for God to love me or to show me love, or to have grace with me. This is where it gets dangerous. By not trusting in the Lord and believing His truths and promises I find myself working to somehow earn His love and grace when it has already been given to me. I become that person, who has been given a free house yet insist on paying for it.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast."
-Ephesians 2:8-9

The above verses are what came to mind when I was reminded that grace is free and I don't have to make any repayments and as I was writing this and sharing about how I find myself working for God's love I am reminded of Eccesiates 2:11 which states:

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun."

So, how do you pray God for His grace?

Simply put, you don't. It's a gift. It's free. You don't have to.


Here is a link to the Piper devotional: HERE!

Starting Anew

Week one of URBN Experience year two is officially under my belt. It has been quite the transition and I believe we may all be transitioning for a while. Many of us are in new homes with new roommates in a new neighborhood, and have started new jobs. It's one thing to be in a new city or a new house, but to start a new job and add new roommates to those already though transitions can make life seem all the more crazy. In the midst of all the crazy, I am reminded of how sweet it can be to experience God at work.

We have been in our new house for just over two weeks and have been very welcomed by our neighbors. This may not sound like that big of a deal, especially if you're from or have grown up in the suburbs, but when you're an outsider moving into an urban area that's huge! We're not going to dance around the fact that people are judgmental, both you and I, have stereotypes, and preconceived ideas about people based on where they live, their education level, their job, income, color, race, or gender. These are all evidences of a broken world, but God is bigger than all of that. The fact that our neighbors have even introduced themselves to us is evidence of God's work in the neighborhood of Shelby Park. Just last year, it took my roommates and I over six months to get to know some of our neighbors and over nine to get any of them to have dinner with us. It wasn't due to a lack of inviting them or trying to have conversation, it was a different culture that we had stepped into and we were outsiders.

I am excited to see what God has in store for us all this year, especially pertaining to neighborhood ministry and the non-profit partner ministries that we are partnered with this year! This first week has helped to remind me of how powerful God is and of what He is doing here in the City of Louisville, KY. As the year goes on there will be more to come, so buckle up because it's going to be a wild ride!



I am still in need of support to make this year possible. If you would like to support me and the ministry I am a part of go HERE!

URBN Experience: Round 2

After a summer long hiatus, I'm back!

I am beyond excited to start this new year with URBN Experience! For those of you who are new to my blog, Welcome! Here is a quick rundown to get you all, new and old readers, up to date: Last year I made the move from the great state of Georgia (God's Country..Go Braves!)to the inner city of Louisville, KY. to join Sojourn Community Church's local outreach program URBN Experience(UE). During this past year I worked two jobs, one as an administrative assistant for the UE program and one as a nanny to two wonderful children. My job as an administrative assistant allowed for me to be in the neighborhood a lot and experience some of the same ministry that those who were doing full time ministry got to experience. Through this God began to change my heart for the community and my desire to be in Shelby Park grew more and more each day. After many conversations, prayer, and affirmation I decided that I would quit both of my jobs and do full time ministry the following year, and that leads us to now.

Last year the URBN Experience team had 14 members and this year, by God's grace, there are 21 members! Praise God! How awesome is that?!? We are currently in our orientation stage of the program and will soon be embarking on a whole year's worth of experiences within the inner city of Louisville, KY. As a full time ministry team member, I will spend 15 hours a week doing neighborhood ministry, 15 hours a week of development (readings and even class), and 15 hours a week at a partner ministry. Oh, you're curious to know more about this partner ministry thing? Why didn't you say so?

This year the full time ministry team members will be partnering and working with four different non-profits in the Louisville community. These four include, Jefferson Street Baptist Center, A Woman's Choice/Necole's Place, Refuge, and Scarlet Hope. ***Each partner name has their website link attached*** I will be partnering and working with Scarlet Hope. Here is a description from their website that gives more detail as to what I will be doing:

"Scarlet Hope’s mission is to share the Hope and Love of Jesus Christ with women in the adult entertainment industry. By sharing the gospel message with these women through action and words, we are proclaiming the name of Jesus, who is their only Hope to be free from bondage.

Scarlet Hope provide resources such as transitional-living, career counseling, housing, mentoring, transportation, and drug rehabilitation. Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus with each dancer, bouncer, prostitute, and club owner that God puts in our path.

Vision Statement:
Our hearts desire is to meet each woman right where they are at in their life and point them continually to Jesus, who is our only Hope. We are dedicated to teaching women from the industry to obey the Lord’s loving commands and making disciples that make disciples. (Matt 27:28)"

I know that this next year will be a challenging one and one that will produce much fruit. I am both excited and nervous to begin this journey. God is far greater than anything I could ever imagine and I trust that He will do great and big things this year not only through these four partner ministries but through the neighborhood of Shelby Park!

As I mentioned above I am engaging in full time, support based, ministry this year. I have not yet reached my support goal of $27,000 and am still looking for people to join me this year as I live missionally within the inner city of Louisville. I need both one time and monthly donors. If you are interested please click HERE! I am praying and believing that God will provide what is needed in order for me to take the Gospel to those here in Louisville and ask that you would prayfully consider doing the same.

To God be the Glory!

Kentucky...the Basketball State

March Madness is long gone, but the love for basketball never seems to slow down here in Kentucky. Summer is fast approaching and the weather is so much nicer than it has been the past few months and with these factors in play the the neighborhood of Shelby Park comes more alive! I cannot think of a day over the past year that I have not seen a group of kids out on the basketball courts on the west side of the park. These courts are constantly full of young men and boys who are in love with the game. The question is "How do we reach them with the Gospel?" Well, some of the men on the URBN Experience team and a few members of Sojourn Community Church had an idea: a 3 on 3 basketball tournament where the winners would all receive brand new basketballs and of course bragging rights until the next tournament.

Over the past few months a lot of prayer and planning went into this 3 on 3 tournament. Having been able to sit in on some of the meetings for the tournament I know that it was a long, hard, and sometimes stressing process. However, these men committed to faithfully praying and believing that God would do big things for the community through this tournament. Flyers were handed out a week in advance, talk of the tournament had been spreading throughout the neighborhood, supplies was being gathered, roles were being assigned, and brand new basketballs were being bought...all without knowing what the turnout would be. Would six people show up and the tournament be over after one game or would hundreds of people show up and the tournament go on for hours? No one knew, but what they did know was that no matter what happened, the work was not in vain.

Below are pictures of the 3 on 3 basketball tournament that took place today. There is no doubt in my mind that God's hand was in this from beginning to end.

If You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Can Dodge a Ball

Sojourn Community Church has/holds more events and activities than any church I have ever attended and I love it! Today was an extremely busy day, but one that has been filled with great fellowship, laughter, sweat, hard work, and the Gospel. On the third Sunday of every month Access Ventures, a local non profit, puts on what they call "Urban Workdays." Today happened to be one of those days. During these workdays, Access Ventures has a list of tasks that need to be completed throughout the neighborhood of Shelby Park. To give you an idea of what these tasks could be, here is a list of activities I have personally done while at a workday:

1.Cleaning and planting in the community garden

2.Demolition on a house

3. Picking up trash around the neighborhood

4. Painting

5. Pulling up old tile

As a team, the URBN Experience members went out and completed tasks like these during the morning shift for the workday, but by lunch time we had reassembled as dodgeball players! Some transition right? Already sweaty and dirty from the workday, I'm sure we were the most intimidating team to show up. Why are we playing dodgeball you ask? Sojourn's youth group, S2, is getting ready to go on their summer retreat and have put together a dodgeball tournament to raise money for students in the neighborhood to be able to go! How awesome is that? At the end of the day, we did not win the tournament but we were able to help send students on a summer retreat with S2 where they will hear the Gospel and we were able to fellowship and worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, even if that looks like a bunch of adults pretending to be in their high school gym class again.

It's days like this that God reminds me of how sweet His love is for us and how blessed we are to be able to freely worship and fellowship together.

Support Raising

It has been a month since I had my official training and became a staff member for Great Commission Ministries (GCM).GCM is the agency that I will be working with along side Sojourn Community Church during my year long inner city ministry with URBN Experience. I know that seems like a lot to remember and wrap your mind around and it is, but simply put we are a team of many people working together to take the Gospel to the inner city of Louisville, KY.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about quitting both of my jobs. I am doing so, with faith, that God will provide supporters to help make my next year in Louisville possible! Over this past year I have been working and doing ministry part-time in the neighborhood of Shelby Park, where I currently live along with other URBN team members. As a side note: If you would like to look into the demographics of Shelby Park I attached the link to the words "Shelby Park" in the previous sentence. This next year, I am making the switch from the marketplace to full time ministry. One of my jobs over the past year has allowed me to be present in the neighborhood and to experience many of the same things that the ministry track gets to. Each and every person that I have been able to meet and engage with in the park during these hours has been used by God to impact my life in a way that I didn't expect.

My heart has been affected by what I see and what I have experienced in the park. I have known for quite some time that God has called me to a life of ministry, but was unsure of the context of that. Over this past year, God has revealed to me that, at least for this next season in life, it is to be in ministry full time. My heart has not been this full nor have I been at such peace with a decision in some time. I am trusting and fully believing that God's plan for my life is far better than my plan could ever be!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths."
-Proverbs 3:5-6

There is always room for you, yes you, to join me in what I am doing here in Louisville, KY. We would love to have people come visit! Sojourn Community Church is always having an even, many of which are right here in the neighborhood, prayer is always a need, and finally in order to make this a possibility I am in need of financial support as well!
If you would like to join my support team click here: SUPPORT MELISSA!

Easter Egg Hunt

Over the course of the year each URBN Experience team member was given the opportunity to complete a capstone project. These capstone projects are to be designed to serve and to give back to the neighborhood in some way. I'm sure that by now you've figured out that the one I'm about to share with you has everything to do with an Easter egg hunt....and you're right.

Two of our team members Lindsay and Kelsey decided that for their capstone project they would put together an Easter egg hunt in the heart of the Shelby Park neighborhood, the park, where they would not only put on the hunt but would provide food and share the resurrection of Jesus Christ with those who came out. It was truly a blessing to see the impact that having a large gathering like this in the park had on the community. After talking with several neighborhood natives we found out that they used to have these large Easter egg hunts yearly but had not had one in the last few years. Sometimes keeping traditions is just what we need to stay connected.

Below are pictures from the hunt:

....and then it became a reality.

Moving into the inner city of Louisville, I knew that there were heightened risks when it came to crime. Crime happens everywhere, Shelby Park just happens to have a higher crime rate than most surrounding neighborhoods. Never did it cross my mind (at least in a serious manner) that the house I live in would become the target of a Saturday night break in.

The house I live in was broken into during the night and a few personal items were stolen. It's not so big of a deal that this person walked away with some stuff, because that's all it is...stuff. What's unsettling is that someone was in the house while two of us were home sleeping. This is when the danger of living in this neighborhood became a reality.

It's not even that Shelby Park is a bad place to live (I'll be the first one to tell you this neighborhood has a reputation far worse than reality), for me it was the mindset I had of "It will never happen to me." Yet, here I am not really knowing what to think, just thankful that nothing worse happened.

Family Vacation

I was so excited to get to go to the beach with my family! This was the first time in years that we have all been together for vacation. It was really a huge blessing to not only have time off but to get to spend it catching up with my family and relaxing on the beach. Here are some pictures from the past week.

Quitting My Job and Why

Calm down! I haven't quit my job just yet. For the past couple of months I have been reflecting on my time in Shelby Park and the ministry I have been abler to be a part of. Having done so, I have come to the conclusion that if I am going to be obedient to the Lord, then I need to quit my job and take on ministry full time. That's right, full time support based ministry.

The longer I am here in Shelby park and the more neighbors I meet the more my heart grows for this place. Now, I'm a country girl so this concrete jungle is not what I'm used to, nor is it really something I like, but the people here are beginning to capture my heart. My desire to share the Gospel with my neighbors has become more of a reality as the weather here has begun to warm up and the opportunity to spend time with people has increased.

What does this look like? You ask. Well, Starting in August I will no longer be working and will be doing full time ministry with URBN Experience who has partnered with Great Commission Ministries to make this possible. The year long program is support based, so I will be raising support while holding down my two current jobs. This all sounds hard and is a bit scary, if I'm being honest, but I know that it will all be worth it!

If you would like to support me over the next year follow this safe and secure link: SUPPORT MELISSA

Looking Ahead

Next year URBN is already upon us! This is crazy! Today the current URBN Experience team got to sit down with next year potentials to tell testimonies of this year and answer any questions they may have. It was extremely encouraging to see the work that God is doing in the lives of these potential URBN team members. God is so good! We definitely do not give God enough praise for the things He has done, is dong, and will do!

"I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people." -Psalm 52:9

Maple Syrup Festival

Yes, this is a real thing and no it's not in Canada. Today the kids that I nanny (Kate and Robert) are going to Salem, Indiana to the Maple Syrup Festival with the rest of the URBN Experience team. Seeing as this is my first time going I'm not really sure what to expect, except for a possible sugar rush followed by a sugar coma.

A Little Over Half Way Done

Yes, URBN Experience is more than half way done. I figured now would be a good time to reflect on all that has happened in the past six months.

EXPECTATIONS

1. To see the community of Shelby Park be impacted by the Gospel.
* I feel like I get to see this everyday. Since having moved here I have been able to see and meet people from Shelby Park who have been impacted by the Gospel.

2. To grow in my faith in Christ
* God is so good! This six months has not been easy and I don't expect that it could get easier, but with that being said I have found myself relying on God more for the things I need rather than myself.

3. To walk away with a larger community of Christian friends and family
* The Christian community that I know here is slowly growing.

4. To be tested in multiple areas of my faith
* Maybe this is one of those where you tell people, "Be careful what you wish for." This goes along with #2. Being here hasn't been easy but it has stretched me and forced me to turn to God more than ever before.

5. To have fun with my neighbors and get to know them personally
* Since it has been so cold this winter most people just stay inside. However, our house and a few others on our street have been taking turns shoveling each other's snow/ice. It's really quite cool how it's happened. No one determined that it should be that way or asked for help, we all just did it.

GOALS

1. Be active in the community at least 3 days a week (i.e. getting out in the park, volunteering, walking around)
* This was easy when I first got here, and now that it's cold no one really wants to be outside. We have been having the biweekly potlucks in the Community Center though, which has helped in getting to be around our neighbors.

2. Do something to serve my direct neighbors at least once a month
* We have been able to have one of our neighbors over for dinner multiple times. This has been such a blessing. The more we get to know her the deeper the conversations become.

3. Read through the Bible in a year
* Still trucking through!

4. Learn to show love to those that are hard to love in practical ways
* Love is literally one of the hardest things to show to people we don't know or don't like. However, when I have put myself last and put others first even when I didn't want to, it has been so rewarding!

5. Get to know at least two of my neighbors (Who are not Sojourn members) on a personal level
* We are slowly but surely getting to know at least 1 household of neighbors...We'll see where this goes. Hopefully down the block!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow.

Well, as it is no surprise to most people in the southern states and this confused state of Kentucky that this winter has been quite cold. Not only has it been cold but it's been filled with snow. Here in Louisville, every time the snow and ice melt away the sidewalks are covered again within 48 hours with a nice mixture of snow and ice. All of this snow and ice has allowed for me to 1. Think I'm really awesome at driving in terrible conditions and 2. Spend more time with the children that I nanny, Kate(4) and Robert(7). We have spent several days this winter sledding, having snowball fights, and of course drinking hot chocolate like it's on tap. Here is a peek at all the fun we've been having!

A Wise Man Once Said...

Throughout this week and the next few to come the Bible in a Year plan has me reading through Proverbs. Proverbs 9, boldly marked and titled "The Way of Wisdom", has caught my attention and I haven't been able to really move on. I mean, who doesn't want to be thought of and considered a "wise" person. Now, I'm talking knowledge here not how much of a smart ass they can be. What comes to mind when you think of the word "wise"? I immediately go to synonyms like smart, intelligent, clever, enlightened, and the list could go on and on. Now, here I am with all these words in my head and I'm starting to think of ways in which one becomes "wise". Is wisdom learned or does it come from experiences? I want to be wise and I need to know how to do this.

This is where Proverbs 9 comes in, verse 10 to be exact:

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy one is insight."

This is where I have been stuck. It's not that I don't understand what the verse is saying, but that I cannot stop pondering what it means to fear the LORD and if I really even do.

I'll be looking farther into this and will get back to you, but for now it's off to work for me.

Partner Ministry

The full time ministry track participants for URBN Experience spend fifteen hours a week with a partner ministry. This year there are only two partner ministries (Jeff Street Baptists and Scarlet Hope)however, for next year's program there will be four. Today we got to tour one of the new partner ministries A Woman's Choice(AWC) which is a non-profit special health clinic that is designed to educate and assist women. AWC offers services such as free pregnancy screenings, counseling for women of past abortions, maternity and infant clothing supplies, and information on abortion, adoption, and pregnancy.

This was a pretty eye-opening experience for me since I have never been in this type of situation. It really brought to my attention the amount of love, not only these women need but that everyone needs as well as how uneducated most people are about pregnancy and the options that are available to them. Although I will not be partnering with AWC I am excited to see where this new partnership URBN has will go.

Resting in God.

Oh my, what a week it has been! in a span of seven days I have traveled from Georgia to Kentucky, attended a missions conference, and have just returned from a weekended at the Abbey of Gethsemani. The Abbey of Gethsemani is a monastery here in Kentucky about an hour south of Louisville. The Cross Conference was something else, but this past weekend I experienced something I have never experienced before. I was finally able to rest in God.

Monasteries are places of worship, study, reflection, and most of all silence. All throughout the facility where signs that read "Silence is spoken here." I literally cannot think of a day when I have been silent; I'm quite the talker. However, in this new environment I "forced" to practice the art of silence. For those of you who are chatty Kathy's I know this sounds stressful, and it did to me at first as well, but the silence was surprisingly peaceful.

During this three day weekend at the Abbey I was able to focus solely on God. I turned my phone off and put it away and brought out my Bible, journal, and a few books that I had just gotten at Cross Conference. This atmosphere of silence allowed for me to have minimal distractions and was truly a blessing! I would encourage each and every person, Christian or not, to experience a weekend get away to a monastery.

Here are a few lines from my journal that weekend that continue to encourage me on a daily basis:

1. "I want to know you LORD! I want to know you more deeply than before!"

2. "You are beautiful LORD and you are worthy of my whole heart."

3. "How great is the Father's love for us!"

4. "Let us find peace, comfort, and rest in you and you alone LORD for you are enough."

5. "I want to be patient and rest in you Lord."