Thanks 2012

Thanksgiving Day 2012

To all our
   ministry financial supporters
      prayer warriors and intercessors
         church supporters
            hat-makers and sewing material supporters
               advisors and friends
                  "behind the scene" keep-us-going supporters
... thanks!!
Chris and Lori

Meditation: Giving Thanks

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Meditation: Giving Thanks   November 2012

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I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness;
    I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.  (Psalm 7:17 NIV)

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
    and His courts with praise;
    give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
    His faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5 NIV)

 

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I am learning a new habit. When I awake from sleep, rather than allow my mind to race down the track of ‘what to do today’, and bring with it all forms of anxiety, I stop that ‘train’ and turn my heart to the Lord Most High, and say one thing; “thank you… thank you…”.  - crisbaj

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“G. K. Chesterton, when he wrote his autobiography near the end of a long and useful life, set himself the task of defining in a single sentence the most important lesson he had learned. He concluded that the critical thing was whether one took things for granted or took them with gratitude.” —James Reston

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is "good," because it is good; if "bad" because it works in us patience, humility and contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.” —Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), Letter to Don Giovanni Calabria [August 10, 1948]

Thankful in this season of Grace,

Chris

Learning the 'Unrehersed Rhythms of Grace..."

8 Nov

Hey, y'all!
Well, here we are, walking thru all kinds of bits of 'life'.
Lori is recovering from a vascular procedure, doing OK but still moving a bit slow.
We will be attending a memorial service tomorrow here in Chula Vista for the young man who tragically died on our street a few weeks ago. Soooo many folks are still grieving...
Always some detail to take care of: property upkeep, correspondances, updates, car repair, meetings....

So much of ministry is handling a million details, 98% 'just stuff'... being responsible...

I love the way The Message renders Matthew 11:28-30

^{28-30 (Jesus talking here)}  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I'm SO wanting to learn the Unforced rhythms of Grace... me, the guy with two left feet...

Chris

New Homes

New homes are popping up in the valley around our place in San Vicente. A local land owner has divided up the valley into 40' x 80' lots that many of the farm workers are scooping up to build their first homes. Here you can see typical building materials that include old garage doors, wooden pallets, scrap lumber, cardboard boxes, sheet metal and tarp roofs. It's a start for these struggling families. Three of the ladies that are currently participating in building their own sewing businesses with me have begun putting up houses in this valley.

Electronic Bags

I've been working with the ladies to expand their line of purses and bags. One recent week in San Vicente was spent designing electronic bags. These padded bags are to protect computers and e-readers, have adjustable straps and come in a variety of sizes. Yolanda has been whipping up colors to appeal to both men and women.

Desert Flowers

Some of the beauty of the desert around us in San Vicente.

2x4 security... 17Oct

SO... while Lori was busy with her sewing classes, I (Chris) got busy and installed 2x4's on the inside of all the windows in our house... plus a number of other 'chica-nada' repairs to reduce the ability of robbers to break in again.
Them 2x4's are in with 4 inch screws, deep into the hard-wood frame.
C