Wellspring Video

The Other Part of My Life

On the church front, we are talking through launch Sunday which is coming up September 12th! The fog machines and strobe lights are in route via UPS, and Teasley may liftoff itself with all the helium we're bringing in. Only teasing. I may up the number of visitor cards and nametags I set out, but other than that, things will look pretty similar to how they are now-simple. The service project I wrote about in my previous post was actually post-poned to the following Saturday due to predicted rainy weather that never showed up. I hear it was a productive and fun day. I didn't actually attend myself because my mom and sister already had a trip planned to the big city that weekend to see Jack Johnson in concert. So my Saturday may have involved Lenox and JCT rather than English Avenue, but the fact that I'm confessing should count for something. It was great to have part of the family up, and fun to have them join me at The Village Church on Sunday.

The other half of my life which is spent in the world of counseling is quite interesting. Since most of the dollars of support I have received have gone to filling up my gas guzzler of a vehicle to drive to Wellspring in Peachtree City, I thought it would be appropriate to fill you in on that half.

I currently have five girls I see between the ages of 14 and 16. All of these girls have been sexually exploited in some way, most commonly through forced prostitution. We have licensed counselors on staff that do trauma counseling with the girls, while interns (like myself) focus more on establishing goals for their future, as well as lots of empathetic listening. I meet with each of them once a week for an hour. Also, once a week I lead an Art Therapy group which has proven to be challenging yet insightful. Obviously, I am very limited in what I can share concerning the girls, but I would love to share a few things I have learned in the process on a later date. In the meantime, I added a promotional video for Wellspring that you can checkout to learn more.

We have all kinds of needs at Wellspring, so if you have any interest in serving in this area, please let me know!

What Drives Us to Serve?

“Once a man has experienced the mercy of God in his life he will henceforth aspire only to serve. The proud throne of the judge no longer lures him; he wants to be down below with the lowly and the needy, because that is where God found him.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Bonhoeffer's Life Together is definitely in my top 5 favorites. I wish I were half as smart as him. I love the above quote and find it appropriate for what we have been discussing in church lately. Throughout the summer, Jonathan and Curt have been teaching through our three core values at The Village Church...gospel, community, and mission. We parked on missions most recently and Jonathan spoke specifically about our church's call to mercy ministry or social justice or whatever people are calling it these days (I'm sticking with social justice). I feel that often we become too focused on the external process of social justice and do not as readily address the internal motivations that drive our actions. I love that I am a part of a church that continually articulates both. Jonathan and Curt have driven home the idea that we want to be a church that serves the marginalized and oppressed for the Gospel's sake, NOT merely to feel good about ourselves or check off our service-project-for-the-year box. It's a lifestyle of seeking to relieve others in their distress, because that is what God has done and continues to do for us. To live differently is to paint a false picture of the Gospel, but to live in accordance is to illustrate to others the beautiful picture of Jesus saving us from our mess.

This Saturday we have our first service project for The Village Church and so far about 45 of us are heading to the English Avenue area in west Atlanta to restore a widow's home and play with the kids in the neighborhood. I am excited that this is not a one time deal, but the start of a new relationship with this particular neighborhood in Atlanta. We are going to continue to serve the area and partner with the local church in their neighborhood. (I will post pictures after the weekend.) I hope and pray that we will be a people that are "lured" to the lowly and needy not because it is the trendy thing to do these days, but because that is where God found us.

Hello!

I realize this is somewhat of a transition from church pictures...but...I really like this dog and find her blog-worthy. It is actually somewhat related because as soon as we are a self-sustaining church and I receive a pay check again, I plan for her to be mine :) See, all kinds of good reasons for you to give! She is at the Atlanta Lab Rescue Shelter. I just wish she was a boy so I could name her Amos. I'm having trouble coming up with a comparable girl name.

New Home for Now

So a couple of weeks ago we moved into our new location, Teasley Elementary School, in Smyrna/Vinings area. This will be a temporary home for us, but for now it's a great fit. When I first heard the possibility of going to a school cafeteria, I immediately envisioned institutionalized lighting, a big, open, non-cozy space, and lingering smells of sour rags and salisbury steak. Sorry to be debbie downer on school cafeterias, but who doesn't equate them with those things? Anywho, I was completely wrong and the Teasley cafeteria has proved to be a lovely home. Not to mention, the staff at Teasley have been so welcoming and helpful. I think it's going to be a great opportunity for our church to serve the community and form new relationships in the Vinings area. I included a few pictures of our last couple of Sundays in our new location!