It’s been warm here in Portland. The hot days have been broken up with some summer rain, which keeps the lawns greenish and the forest fires subservient…so far.
It’s been a strange couple months for me. The Spirit has led me to stay focused locally, mostly…lots of conversations, steeping the time into The Deep…heavy ponderings about life’s purpose, how to hold onto old love, how to navigate childhood trauma’s so the damage is moderated…stuff like this keeps me attached to the Grace I’ve always loved and longed for, yet seldom found.
Crazy how diverse the opportunities that show up. May found me dog sitting in costal Mexico and setting up sound for a friends Westside Comicon. June was filled with two weddings, a baptism and some local service projects. July found me house sitting my mom after she took a tumble and wound up in the hospital.
Being available leads to engagement.
Sometimes it’s sitting, alone, with a friend in the hospital while praying for their recovery.
Sometimes, it’s gathering four young men to clean up a yard with dump runs, a shared meal and yard labor.
Sometimes, its giving gas money to someone who’s girlfriend lives a hundred miles away.
Sometimes, it’s taking a three hour phone call, two or three times in a week because somebody you care about is walking through the deep weeds and needs to know they’re not alone. Sometimes, it’s making time to share coffee and stories with a friend whose wife is moving deeper into dementia/Alzheimer’s and you want to be sure he has the chance for dreamer’s conversations in the midst of his glorious resilience.
And please understand, I always receive more than I give. Serving in all these small ways overflows the cup…constantly.
If you are receiving this email it’s because you’re acquainted with this work I do. For those of you who are financially supportive, thank you…your monthly/yearly investment is the key that unlocks my time availability.
If you used to be able to support me or are new to this process…I have a consideration for you to ponder. Would you consider investing $10 a month for the next year. There are over 200 potential donor supporters on this list…your $10, collectively, would allow us to create even more far reaching opportunities.
Twenty five years ago, when we started, there were three donors…me, my dad and my brother-in-law. My dream was to fight for purpose and usefulness till I was 75…7 years away. God willing, it will go further.
Here’s the link, if you decide to join us.
If, over the years, you have forgotten why I’ve chosen this kind of ministry life…here’s a weave of three stories that are deeply ingrained in why we do what we do. Get a fresh cup of coffee cause it will take a minute.:-)
If you would like to engage people who have been served by my ministry, the following people have offered me their emails and are happy to chat. What we do is real and it matters.
Leslie Aragon – le*********@***oo.com
David Speuhler – da**@*********ng.com
Joshua Ilia ( Elie ) – jo********@****on.me
Stephanie Elie-Martin – st****************@***il.com
Blessings and thank you for taking the time.
Kevin