Thanksgiving

The joy of being Thankful and Giving.

Yesterday, my family and I along with old friends and new friends gave thanks by serving several hundred needy individuals and family at two different locations.

My family cooked, served, and ministered to 250 - 350 Latinos in a neighboring community. What a joy to worship and give thanks to our Father for the blessings that he has given us, by blessing others with the health and time that Father has given us. Isn't this what the holiday is truly supposed to be about, the sharing of our abundance with others.

I pray that the spirit of serving others will always be present in our family. This is what life is about...giving versus recieving.

The original plan had been to serve then return home and enjoy an afternoon of Turkey and family, but we never got around to our Thanksgiving yesterday, so today we give thanks for the opportunity to be the incarnation of Jesus and his love to hundreds of people yesterday who labor long hours for minimal pay, and those who are looked down upon by society.

Some time ago I read in a book somthing like "as you do unto the least of these", I pray that the food, the words of encouragement, the prayers, and the new friendships will bring glory to the Father and that his kingdom will grow from our humble acts of love.

Leadership

It has been said (I'm sure that Maxwell wasn't the first one) that everything rises and falls on leadership. Well, I'm stoked that a great group of young leaders are coming together for the birth of the Latino congregation.

Starting December 1st we are having a mid-week small/large group meeting where we can start connecting folks and spending some time together in worship and community. We have a free gift wrapping outreach event at K-Mart in December and a large community party January 8th celebrating the day of the kings.

We have a leader taking point on OUTREACH, one for CONNECTING people, one for SPIRITUAL GROWTH, another for our LITERACY outreach efforts, and still others who's faces cannot be recalled at the moment because my caffine levels are still low.

God is granting us favor with several futbol organizations around the community, and we are partnering with a United Methodist church to feed several hundred Latino's for Thanksgiving. Efforts are underway to assist with affordable housing, medical assistance, and even for our ministry to become to connecting point (thanks Keith) for charitable ministries in the city.

God is moving. We are ready to dive. Please pray for the Alford family when you think of us, and pray to see if God may have you join us in the adventure.