Picture this

Johno was looking for some shot of life here in Indy, so I thought I'd start trying to capture it. These are some places and times of importance here in Indy and I hope to be grabbing more as we go.

The guys gather each morning to do morning prayer. We've been using a prayer book to guide us through the Psalms.

Each morning we have physical training too. This is a shot of the shoe rack and where the towels hang. It's kind of like 'our common life' in a snapshot.
Melissa and John begin grappling with the challenge of thinking about making breakfast. This happens late in the morning after personal admin so we can carry out our common work the rest of the day. Breakfast is where a lot of what happened yesterday is shared and today's plans are unveiled.

Here Brian works on some housing work. We're renting 2 places here on the Southside and just bought our first.
At this point prayer for missionary work begins. We don't have a script so each day the Lord gives us something in prayer to talk about. Atlas's and maps have become key to meditation and prayer research, good for background and piecing together what it was like 2000 years ago.

Here David and Ellen work on finances. Our finance guru Molly (code name Mary) Seale recently moved to South Bend so David and Ellen now watch the money.

BBQ Today, Prayer Meetings Tomorrow

Today in Indy we are mobilizing for a BBQ and 3 prayer meetings tomorrow (Union St, New Jersey St and East Fountain Square). Keep us in your prayers.

What's New (8/03/09)

In Indy, this last weekend was nuts.

Friday fast day ended with a neighborhood BBQ. While some folks came and left all through event, the majority of folks were there from 6:30 to 9ish when we had to call it quits. We estimated 150 folks at one time. And 400 some servings were consumed.

Along with neighbors we had the Sisterhood from South Bend down. They did some mission work with us and headed up a crew of women that met with some leaders among the neighborhood girls. The neighborhood girls decided they wanted to sleep over with the gals and form a neighborhood choir.

Also, from South Bend were the CSI guys. The Company is currently training a solid group of young men to be deployable for where God is working. While they were gutting 1435 this weekend (check out video), Charles Chow and I thought we'd round up some boys to work with them. What started as 4 turned into 9 plus a 20 year old, Mark, from the neighborhood. We all tore out brush and pilled it in the back of 1435 and our duplex across the street, before having a talk about being Sons of Our Father and breaking for snack.

And some 9th grade girls with Kathy Gleason topped off the visitors list.

A few more straggled in later that night and we had Lord's Day for 50 on Saturday. Complete with Birthday honorings for Nick Holovaty and Ray Gonzalez. J-T narrated the Judges story of Ehud and Eglon (Judges 3:12) while David Z (pictured here) and I acted it out...can you guess who was Eglon?

Finally, Sunday ended with a lot of goodbyes as we wrapped up our Southside meeting, with a new record of 67 folks. It was a devastatingly exciting weekend.

Don't Stop the Little Children

On the porch sat 5 mid-aged men and women, beers in hand. We had already been walking around for a few hours. "That's the house where Abe told some stories," one of us pointed out as we walked by, so crossed the street and stood at the side-yard fence.

"We're some more missionaries," I said, and quickly one of the louder guys turns and yells into the house, "hey, get out here, there's some missionaries here for ya." The parents explained that what we were going to tell them was very important, and asked us into the yard. "Can we turn down the music?" One of the kids suggested we all go into the front yard, and began leading the 6-7 kids in that direction, leaving the grown-ups to their grown-up things.

They'd already heard some stories from Abe and Ellen, and now wanted more. John told them about raising the widow's son and I told them about Easter. They got excited, while one boy asked if it was true. We taught them how to pray and about reading the Bible and gave them the ones we had.

Next day, we return to check with their mother, if we could use their yard that weekend. She assured us and we made to leave, but the kids found out we were there and burst out the door demanding they know more stories. Other kids we hadn't met before came out too, now 7-8 kids stood on the porch. "Each of you should tell us a story. You, you start." Each of us told a story. We also taught them the Lord's Prayer and even did a skit with them about raising Lazarus. They wanted Bibles for their new friends, but we said we'd have to get more. It took a while to pull ourselves out of there, but what started as an errand became another chance for God's Kingdom to break out.

This has been happening all over the southside. Children and the simple come out with ears to hear, asking us for more stories of Jesus and to teach them. There is a growing kid army here who are coming to know the Lord even in the midst of a culture with 'more grown-up' things to do.

Sweet Video Awesomeness

I just recently figured out some video stuff. In the sidebar you'll see My Youtube and Indy Summer. My Youtube is friends youtube videos I find and add to the playlist. To scroll through just click the left or right arrows on either side of the video box. Indy Summer is series of home videos being filmed here in Indy this summer for our brothers and sisters in the People of Praise. They are our way of sharing life with the rest of the community. The most current one will be up under Indy Summer, but I invite anyone interested to view the rest. Check out other Indy Summer videos.

It Begins

June has arrived and another summer of mission work begins (check out video).

We will be splitting our time between praying and preaching, or talking with the Lord and talking with others. Time to eat and sleep if necessary.

We are two households in Indianapolis with 21 folks and another 2 on the way. I live on the Southside in 1815. We split the household here between 1815 and the duplex next door. People get ready.

Morale is high and the Holy Spirit is moving. We had orientation talks last week and are in our first week of mission work. Pray for us. More mission each day/more days per week this summer means more challenge and more excitement. Going out to do mission for longer, just as praying for longer, the Lord brings up bigger things or at least longer things. I remember last summer bumping into folks that needed more from the Lord or had a lot of stuff to work through when we'd go out for longer chunks of time, and 2-3hrs of prayer always yield new thoughts/work with the Lord. He plans with our plans in mind.

This last week has been a real grace. I always feel a little nauseous before going out and last year it was a fairly constant source of anxiety. You just had to say, 'I feel like vomiting. My King has work to do. I'm not stopping.' You punch through it. Nick, talks about last year feeling this way and having to do some traveling which meant a break from mission. No mission meant no distress, but after awhile he also realized that in the really tough moments the Lord had showed up in power. He returned to mission with a new hunger for it. "Yeah, it's rough, but Our Lord is pouring Himself out on the streets and I want to be with Him." This last week the Lord has been revealing how much He yearns to find the lost and I've found myself a little more moved to go out with Him. Praise be to God.

New Stadium, new fan

Yesterday, while at Lockfield Village Bob was telling me about how much he wants to see an Indianapolis Colts game, especially now with the new stadium almost done. We were sitting with the smokers in a bus-stop-like shelter behind Lockfield. It was 70's and sunny out.

After a while, he told me about a time in his life when he was "going to fast." He got his neck broke because of the life he was choosing. He said while in the hospital, "God was trying to tell me I needed to slow down." While recovering he read Smith Wigglesworth and John Lake, two amazing men following Jesus who had healing ministries.

"One time Wigglesworth laid his hands over a boy's throat that had a hole so he could breath, and not only did he not need the hole anymore, but it healed up right before everyone's eyes. I thought to myself, 'if God can heal them he can heal me.' So I started praying and I was healed."

That's amazing. He said that when he got out he didn't slow down enough and found himself in the hospital again, with a broken neck again. "I don't think I've heard of someone breaking their neck twice," he added. "But that's why I'm in this chair now."

"God is merciful," I said, "do you want to pray again. Right now?" He told me what he needs is to walk again. He's been in there for a couple years and while his right leg is making slow progress he cannot move anything below his left hip. We put our hands on it and prayed. "Lord you make millions of legs everyday, you've got authority over this one. Be healed."

His toes moved. Fred freaked out. We praised God for His wonderful power and mercy. "Bob, you're going to walk to that Colts game." Bob has renewed hope. Jesus saves and He never gives up. Alleluia.

Wandering Day

Relationships are built on decisions. Decisions made for the other person, for the friendship. It's best illustrated in the question, "well, (insert friend's name here) what do want to do?" It might be a movie, a road trip or taking over the world each night (as was the case of a rodent duo in the best cartoon ever).

In our friendship with God it's the same way. Decisions build the friendship. I however, do not experience a wealth of helpful ideas regularly forming on the surface of the standing water that is my imagination. It's one thing to make decisions for a friendship, another to have ideas on which to decide.

Cool side note for fellow pools of swamp water: delight in your friend. Find ways to delight in them. Ideas flow. The Lord pointed this out to me some weeks ago as I was asking Him about this problem. He brought up J-T, a fellow housemate. J-T gave me his wallet when he heard I was organizing my life. He burns me the best mixes I've ever heard. Sends comics my way he knows I'll love. The Lord pointed out how delighted J-T is in me. Delight in your friend, ideas follow.

My wandering day of mission bubbled up as I've been hunting for my delight in the Lord. Check it out.



I packed New Testaments and food for IUPUI folks, the shakers who shake their coin jars on the corners in downtown and the southside folks.



Ahh, the UC. It was beautiful out and many students sit outside instead of in the buildings, helpful. I got to speak with a bunch of folks about the Kingdom of God and prayed with some folks.






Downtown was the most joyful. stopped first to meet Ralph and Aman. We sat down and talked for a while, at one point we all stopped to read everyone in ear shot the Good News. The 4 of us Ralph and Aman, Hannah and I were together for about 1/2 hr before we met Don and Don (see above) and Ken Williams (see right). Don and Don were a father and son pair out riding their bikes. Former travelers with the circus, the father now has an apartment and the son is working construction. Ken was a preacher "without a place to lay his head." We stayed awhile with Ken swapping scripture and sharing stories.



We then headed south to the Southside, where we were just in time to meet up with Dalton and his family.

Oh yeah, new post

This last weekend I spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Abe, Brian. Brian's brothers Sean and Patrick were celebrating their collective birthdays and Brian's dad works out in NM, so they invited us and the Ganther guys out; Jim, and his two sons Tim and John.

Upon arrival we began with a little basketball - short hoop. And it quickly devolved into "dunk contests."





Afterward we toured the Eclipse jet factory where Brian Sr works and headed up the Sandias Mountains - amazing.



It took awhile to get up to the top.

We ended up getting to see a lot of Albuquerque and even visited Santa Fe, also hiked mountains there, also amazing.

As I walked up the side of the very large rock in Santa Fe, I was struck that I often get to experience my friends' creations: music, paintings, style of decor, etc. It is not often I get to walk in, see, hear and breath my Friend's creation.

You can take him out of the South...

We're here in Louisiana until Friday morning, and we just arrived having spent last week in Minneapolis and the last couple days in Arkansas at house a friend loaned us.

Seeing Dinkytown again was a lot of fun and I got to catch up on the news. There is a new way food is done in Dtown where once a week a team goes shopping for the whole division and then each section (there are 4: Missionary, Management Information Systems, Finance, and Action) goes shopping in the basement of one of the houses where food is stocked.

Friday night John Fidler organized some folks, it was a real joy to see those folks; most of whom I hadn't seen in years.

In Arkansas Mike, Abe and I met Nick, Brian and Nathan, for a couple days of prayer and brainstorming.

And now we're here in Allendale. And Brian is home...

Visiting

Hospitality has been on the Lord's mind. Here in Indy we just received 10 members of the Kane family, and 9 Northern Virgina folks with a few from South Bend people. With the NoVA folks came a 26 foot moving truck filled to the ceiling with their furniture, dishes, appliances and everything else we might need to run a 'center of hospitality' consisting of about 4 houses.

Come and see (let us know, but come and see). We've got beds being made and the rice cooker is hot. The Lord is working hard here in Indy and He's made room for anyone who wants to come and see.

Also, last Saturday we put on a Pentecost Seminar here in Indy and prayed with some folks for the Holy Spirit. It was a real joy to do, because the Lord and I have been talking about teaching. I asked the Lord for a new gift of teaching and a few days later was asked to speak with a group of high schoolers in South Bend and give a talk at the Pentecost Seminar.

Last Friday Brian, Mary, Ellen and I drove up to South Bend to talk about what the Lord is doing in college. Ten high schoolers attended and we shared stories from college, saw a video that Dinkytown Division made (it was amazing) and had a prayer meeting.

Then the next day (last Sat) I had the honor of giving the 2nd talk on what God is doing in our world today.

Going to MN

Abe and I will be headed up to Minnesota next week. Driving up Tuesday, the 26th, and returning on Sunday (click on the week tab at top-right corner of calendar then scroll if needed using arrows at top-left for better view). I thought I'd post my calendar to help coordinate meetings. I'll change it as it fills out, give me a call/email if a time works.