Living Out Love

On February 7^th, during the monthly gathering of both our home churches, we studied how Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 illustrated the care as and compassion of the Good Shepherd.

We discussed ways to show one another God’s love. In this short month we have witnessed Living Stones not only be hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. The month is half over and already great acts of love and compassion have taken place within the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel Home Churches. People have driven 45 minutes to drive a friend’s wife to the ER, a sick USF student was brought food by two different individuals, meals are being given to a family with a new born, foster children are being cared for. People of all ages and demographics are participating in loving one another with Godly actions.

What other acts of God’s love can you show in this month?

Cornbread Casserole: a recipe for teen involvement

We strive to include everyone in the life of Living Stones Church regardless of age, social status, and spiritual maturity. One of the ways we have been getting teens and tweens  (as well as adults) involved is in the meal times.  Since most of our events include a potluck, teens have a weekly opportunity to cook and bake for the rest of the Living Stones family.

Here is one of our favorite meals made by one of our teens. She originally found the recipe here. 

CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 (17 oz) can of cream style corn

1 (17 oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained

4 oz (½ cup) melted butter (Plus a little for the casserole dish)

½ cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 to 2 Tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce

1 (8.5 oz) package Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

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1. Butter a 2 qt casserole dish and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients.

3. Sprinkle the Jiffy mix over the combined ingredients and fold in with a spatula. Do not beat the mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Allow casserole to rest 10 minutes before serving.

The Fringe Benefits of Discipleship

This summer we were all challenged to get into a discipleship relationship with someone else from our home church network.  The goal was to find someone of the same gender and meet weekly to grow in character, knowledge and faith.  Someone people learned more than they bargained for. Here is Living Stones story in her own words.

When I began my discipleship experience this past summer, I had no idea what to expect, but I made myself one promise, I would be open, honest and transparent with my partner.  I prayed and asked God who I should approach, the person He choose surprised many, even me.  However as we met, I began to see what an amazing symbiotic relationship He was building.  We both brought things to the table that the other needed.  We found strength in knowing that there is someone there that truly has our back.  We have found many commonalities, however opposite our current life situations are.  I am single living with my brother; she is married with a child.  Not only have I experience a new friendship grow, but she keeps me challenged, asks the hard questions and ‘reads me my mail’ when needed, and I know I can do the same in return.  Not only have a gained a great friend, but our families have embraces one another.    I have no doubt when I show up at her house, I will be welcomed in.  Our relationship has grown a great deal, I now volunteer at her work and her daughter spends one afternoon a week with me. 

Since our meetings were never structured, we allowed the Holy Spirit to be our mentor and to guide our conversations.  We would meet at my place, at a restaurant or walk.  Usually we would spend time sharing our week, our pitfalls, successes and areas we need prayer.  If needed encouragement in the Word, in remembering who God is in our life or just some compassion was shared.  When you purpose to be transparent, it is awesome to watch the bonds grow and the trust grow and the judgment disappear.  I learned that I am not alone, that many people face the same things and that people have great capacity for forgiveness love and compassion, when you allow God to do His work through you.

 I have always seen discipleship as a one way street, like a mentorship.  I have found that it is much better as a two way street.  We all have something we can learn from someone if we will just open ourselves up to that.  That lesson has been very present in my life lately.  I have learned that unless you are teaching and being taught, you are not growing to your full potential.  Sometimes it can be with the same person, sometimes it is with many people.  I have been learning so much from 2^nd graders as well as some friends in their 70’s.  Discipleship has taught me that lessons are all around us.  We just have to be open to listening to God, dropping our preconceived ideas and letting Him run the show.  When I do that, He is always on time with the right answer or encouragement or challenge.  He always leads me to the right resources, be it the Bible or a friend.  I never have to face things alone.  This is what discipleship has taught me.    

Quest for Community: Looking for "My People" in Tampa

At times Florida can seem like a collection of people whom have come to the Sunshine State for a job change, a change of climate, or just to start over. There is a need for connection. Here is one person’s story of searching for community in our fragmented society.

From May of 2007 to the present I have lived in DC, Atlanta, and now Tampa: 3 cities in 3 states, 3 jobs, 3 apartments, and a partridge in a palm tree. Or something like that. It’s been an interesting journey these past couple of years.

When I left DC, I left behind the familiarity and rootedness that comes from being in a place for almost 6 years… a wonderful church family, an absolutely amazing group of friends, and storehouses of memories contained in the streets and sights and sounds and smells of a neighborhood and city I love. DC had become home to me, but I ventured on to Atlanta when a job came open with an organization I had dreamed of someday working for.

I was in Atlanta for only 10 months. Due to some unforeseen circumstances within the organization, said dream job turned into something of a nightmare. But even in those short months, Atlanta too had become a home of sorts; I deepened friendships with friends I already knew there and met some incredible folks who I now count as some of my dearest friends. And if I had not been there during that time, I would never have ended up where I am now…

Tampa, the land of perpetual sunshine. When I arrived here, all that was waiting for me was a job I hoped I would love (I do) and an apartment to call home. Starting out fresh in a new place where you do not know a living soul is not cool. Or brave. Or any of those other encouraging things people try to tell you. It’s just plain HARD.

The first few weeks were really fun with setting up house, learning my way around, and getting used to a new job. The next few months were not so bad either. I was getting to know my co-workers and all the kids I work with and was enjoying a “normal” work environment. Summer came and went in a blur of church hunting, work trips, my old roommate visiting, etc. Then fall hit….very hard. I still hadn’t found a church, I hated the weather (no crispy nights, changing colors, or crunching leaves underfoot), and my nearest friends lived 8 hours away in Atlanta or 14 hours away in DC. That pretty much felt like the other side of the world. While those faraway friends were/are some of the best friends in the entire world, the one thing I wanted and felt like I needed, was something they were unable to provide. They could not be physically present and a part of my day to day life. And that was what I desperately longed for in Tampa: community.

Community is hard for me to explain, especially now that I’m finding it again through Living Stones. While it was absent, I couldn’t fully describe it either, but I knew it was missing and I ached for it in the depths of my being. I wanted community here in Tampa. I wanted to feel like I fit and belonged and could feel at home. Community is being with “my people”. And being with my people is being home, no matter where I am geographically. My people are those whom I am totally comfortable with who I know and love and who know me and love me in return. There is laughter, there is ease, there is comfort, but there are also tough questions and challenges. There is growth in a place of safety as life is done together….not just someone to celebrate your birthday with, but someone who is there when you’ve had a rough day/week/month at work, who will bring you OJ and tissues when you’re sick, who calls when they haven’t seen you recently, who remembers what you tell them and follows up on things that are important to you. The Living Stones community members are becoming my people. I am blessed to now have a home here in Tampa with “my people” and am looking forward to journeying with them as we learn to better love and serve God and the people He brings across our paths. 

Seize the Holiday

It’s the middle of October, and already I have spied decorated Christmas trees in stores. Our culture seems to have defined October through December as one on-going holiday season. To some, this may excite us with anticipation, while others feel that it is season of commercialism. But what many of us in the Living Stones family are learning is that the holiday season creates unique opportunities to love our neighbors.

October 31^st--Whether you call it Halloween, Harvest Day or Reformation Day, there are some unique and redeemable opportunities within this holiday that many Christians understandably distance themselves from. There is no other day of the year when almost all of your neighbors are roaming around your neighborhood and even knocking on your door. How can we use this cultural rhythm to live out the two greatest commands of loving God and loving others? Justice in the Burbs, a book that some of the women in our church were discussing, talks of the importance of loving our neighbors whether in the city or the suburbs, wherever God has placed us. In the book, followers of Jesus loved their neighbors by serving trick-or-treating parents chili in their front yard, providing a place for conversation, replenishment and rest. Some Living Stones members will be creating these connection points of care on the 31^st in their neighborhoods.

Thanksgiving--While many people get together with there loved ones on this day, many others don’t have the resources or the opportunity to dine with family. Who are those people who won’t be across the table from loved ones this Thanksgiving? College students, singles, divorcees, recent transplants, immigrants, people in the retail and service industry--I'm sure you can think of some your life brushes up against. All can be welcomed to the table.

Christmas--While many acts of love are performed during the “Christmas Season”. Christmas Day itself often sees a lull in these acts of service. December 25^th is another clear time when people reflect on what relationships they have or wish they did. Last Christmas Day, we had visited a group home of children in foster care. The children living at the home who had families were off visiting them. Those who were at the group home on Christmas Day were the most relationally poor. So we had the opportunity to celebrate the greatest gift with a simple but powerful act that we posted about previously.

Have you prayed about how God may be calling you to seize the holiday season? Perhaps the decor and accelerated sales in the stores can be a reminder that God may be calling you to love your neighbor, your co-worker, or the lonely man or woman your life sometimes brushes up against. This holiday season is great time to demonstrate through both great and small acts our Father's great love.

What are you bringing to the table? Home Church & The Potluck

What is a potluck?

Well, without checking Wikipedia, it is a meal where guests are invited to (and expected) to bring a part of the meal to share with the other guests.

While a restaurant provides professionally prepared meals and customers are only asked to show up, eat and leave (in exchange for money), a potluck is different. For a potluck, the financial cost is lower, but the investment is shown in different ways, as the meals require preparation and thought by all participants, guests and host. The potluck shows the unique personality, preferences and gifts of the guests invited. It also leaves a sense of the unknown, depending on who they are and what they bring.

Most of our Home Church gatherings involve a potluck meal. A few weeks ago 2 people brought rich desserts. We enjoyed both trifle and “dirt” over coffee. The following Saturday no one brought dessert. So for perhaps one of the first times in 2 ½ years, we did not share any dessert.

But more than our mealtime, our entire gathering together is a potluck of sorts. Everyone is invited to metaphorically bring something to the table. A prayer, a story of experiencing God through the week, an eye opening question, a song, an encouraging word, and even a listening ear. The Holy Spirit hosts our gathering, and through the Spirit's work through each one gathered, we minister to each other. We come as participants, bringing our gifts to share with the church. The Home Church gathering is a feast where God is the host and we enjoy the offerings that each member brings to the table....

The GATHERING: on the 1st Sundays of each month

Now, the first Sunday of the month, the extended Living Stones family will meet together (instead of the separate evening meetings that weekend). We call it the GATHERING. It is when all our home church groups come together to worship, celebrate, teach and learn. It will be a great opportunity to use different gifts and continue to connect our Christ following communities. Say that fast 5 times!