ColleensLife

Half of the worlds population live on less then $2 a day….

On Tuesday, September 21st Britton and his wife Amanda packed up their car and headed out on the road.  With a mission and a purpose, they packed all they could fit, waved “good-bye”, and off they went – putting their faith in Jesus Christ to action.

The Reckoning: <— click this to read a bit more or donate.

The Reckoning is an organization that gives loans to the poor in developing countries and teaches them how to start their own businesses in order to support themselves and others.  The Reckoning does not just simply help the poor, but it teaches the poor how to help themselves.  In some cases, all the individual needs is a $30 loan.  You read correctly, just 30 dollars in order to learn how to provide for themselves.

Mission with a purpose:

Last summer, Britton began to write a handful of songs that would become what is now the album Protest Songs. Having listened to these songs myself, I can say they are just that: a protest for us as people to be living lives of love, sacrifice, giving;  To be living lives that are selfless and others-focused.  In the process of writing the material for Protest Songs, Britton and Amanda got involved with The Reckoning, and it became increasingly clear to them that to only communicate this message was/is not good enough; what is required -is to live it.  Getting involved with The Reckoning was their perfect opportunity to live it.

Britton and Amanda’s mission is this:  Over the course of the next 10 weeks they will be on the road to raise funds and awareness for The Reckoning International through the avenue of music to support this organization in their work to end poverty in the lives of our brothers and sisters in the developing world.  The proceeds of the album Protest Songs will be going to The Reckoning. You may go to itunes to check it out and purchase it if you desire to help. Or you can donate to The Reckoning.

Heart of the matter:

Ill leave you with a quote from Britton himself:

“Over the course of the last couple of years, Amanda and I have been challenged to reexamine our beliefs and consider not just what it (faith in Jesus) means, but also what it does. It’s comfortable to see faith as a dogma or religious statement, but the walk of faith is anything but comfortable. It requires risk, uncertainty, and ultimately action. So the question became less about, what do we believe? in the propositional sense, but rather, what do we practice?”

This past weekend the Metro-Parks held an event called Pioneer-something-or-other.  At this event they have different activities for kids and adults to participate in; from making candles to trying fresh homemade cider.

My parents invited me, brett, the kiddos, and Christine out to join in the festivities.  We went to breakfast at Bob Evans and then down the Valley we went.  Only 20 short years ago my sister and i were participating in the same event.  Here are a few pictures of the day.

Making a pioneer toy and learning how to use it.

Braiding fabric.  We later wore it like Rambo.

Making fresh apple cider.

Making Candles.

My other buddy out like a light from a long day of being in a stroller.

Or I could have titled this one:  The Brown Storm. Or Pooped out.

Monday morning i walked in to a disaster at work.  What was once a neat, clean, super sanitized, comfy room for children to play until their hearts content, is now covered in sewage.  ”What happened?” you may ask?   Over a matter of a few months or so, the sewage pipe directly above my Eagles Nest managed to clog.  The cause?  I later found out someone has been flushing paper towels and clorox wipes down the toilet.  Slowly but surely there was a build up.  Sunday night it burst, literally raining down sewage in the closet (The Brown Storm).   As the carpet in the closet soaked up all the sewage, as did various other items, the water then seeped into the room.  About 60% of the room was reached.  The sewage was a huge puddle in the closet and room.   And the smell…well….i didnt eat much that day.  Myself and the kids can not use the Nest for the time being because we are literally “Pooped Out.”

I tipped-toed into the Nest trying not to step in the water.   My hope was to look inside the closet to see what exactly got hit and what didnt.  I was hoping, somehow, that maybe there was no sewage in the water because, to my horror, EVERYTHING was soaked.  Everything i bought, made, created, saved, prepared, stored – it was all destroyed.   Years of saving and storing up….just gone.  Multiple stacks of construction paper, huge rolls of paper, fabric, pre-made crafts, wooden cabinets, a table, furniture, carpet – all gone. Everything i took time to craft and design, its all gone.  And the list goes on.

I still, to this moment, am having a hard time accepting it.  You see, most Eagles Nest managers simply buy all their bulletin board decorations. Not me.  Since i have some artistic ability, I have made most of mine.  I take time to sketch out a pattern, color it, glue it, paint it, construction paper it, all from scratch.  Not only was it a creative outlet, but i was able to save Giant Eagle a lot of money by doing it this way.  There was even a moment this year when i looked into my closet and thought, “Look at all ive done!  i have each month covered.  A years worth of work has finally paid off.” Na, it wasn’t a prideful thought.  It was more a feeling of a job well done.

Anyways, teams of people had to come and investigate the room:  plummers, sewage clean up crew, tear out crew.

“is there sewage in it?”  i asked.

“uhh yyyeaaaah.”  Said the plumber laughing at me like i was an imbecile.

I was not allowed to touch or dispose of anything.  The Clean Up Crew has to do that.  Tomorrow they are coming in to show me what exactly can stay and what has to be pitched.  By the time i left on monday night, they had completely torn out the carpet and the wall, and had sanitized those areas.

You asked for it!

Im somewhat laughing because it was just moments before i arrived at work on monday that i was praying this in my car:

God will you teach me something new today.  Ive really been enjoying your spiritual lessons.  I also enjoy blogging about them.

There i was, standing in the middle of a poopie mess, looking around and thinking, “No.  All my stuff, everything i saved, everything i need….its gone.”

At that moment, this scripture ran through my head:

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 19-21

I dont think God made the sewage pipe burst to teach me a lesson or anything like that…so stop right there if your mind is wondering that way.  But i do think God used this situation in order to teach and/or remind me of what matters to Him.

Actually, as i type this right now i feel like He is telling me that He used this scripture to comfort me.  He cared that i was sad.  After all i am his child He loves.  As i was morning all my “stuff” He used this scripture to remind me that it is only ..stuff  that moth and rust (or even sewage) can destroy.   The real stuff that matters is heavenly stuff, eternal stuff. Its Jesus. He is my treasure and i will never have to morn losing Him.  He lasts forever.

Too, i feel God reminding me that its not wrong to store stuff for ourselves here on earth, such as money or 4o1k, special nick-nacks here and there.  It’s when those things become our security, our identity our safety, our focus and provider…thats when there is a problem.  My focus should be what i have in heaven – whats eternal, not what i try to hoard on earth- what is temporary.    I guess we are all hoarders in one way or another.

Here is a little bit of what i do.  This whole thing is handmade or copied on construction paper by me (inspired from a little craft book i get).  I hand-drew the bus and cut it out, the windows, the gas.  Each color is a different piece of construction paper i drew on and cut out.  The stop sign i drew.  The letters i punched out.  And i did this for 11 other months.  This particular month was not destroyed because its hanging on the buliton board.  I find out tomorrow if in-fact all of the others are destroyed.