Among other things, we talked about the importance of working together to do a big job. It would have taken an adult all day to do what our kids were able to complete in a couple of hours. After raking the leaves our kids worked together to bag the leaves.They quickly learned that things worked best if someone held the bag open while others tossed in small handfuls of leaves, but they got it all done. And then they worked together to wrestle the bags into the wheelbarrows to transport them to the burn pile. Because the leaves were wet, the bags were really heavy, even for adults, but the kids insisted on doing it themselves. When it was all done they felt a real sense of accomplishment.

After raking the leaves we prepared to sow grass seed on the bare wet ground. However, before doing so I shared the parable of the soils from Matthew 13 and we talked for a few minutes about the meaning of this story that Jesus had shared with His disciples. And then we sowed grass seed. The kids absolutely loved it. Even the very youngest felt that they were doing something very important to help others. At the end of the day we did more than rake leaves and sow grass seed, we gave parents and kids an opportunity to make some wonderful memories of serving together. Days like Saturday are an important part of teaching kids how to serve and how to make serving others a part of who they are. Experiences like those we shared at the YMCA Day Camp are about raising servants — and fulfilling an important part of Kingsland’s purpose statement of “equipping the generations one home at a time.” Just another reason why I love what I do!

Our day began by connecting with our friend Senior Police Officer Jaime Giraldo who serves with HPD’s Homeless Outreach Team. Officer Giraldo and the Homeless Outreach Team offer compassionate and practical help to Houston’s homeless community. Last year our missions ministry supplied the Homeless Outreach Team with winter clothing and sleeping bags that helped many homeless people to stay warm on the streets. After loading Officer Giraldo’s vehicle with boxes of coats, we delivered more boxes to our friend Bobby Herring, a Hip Hop rapper who reaches out to the homeless. Tom, a once homeless man who lived on the streets for a year and a half helped us to off-load the boxes. Tom was thrilled with our donation because he has lived on the streets and knows the challenges of surviving cold weather days. He made it a point to tell us that Bobby and his wife not only met his physical needs while he was on the street, but his spiritual needs as well. With their help he now no longer lives on the street but partners with Bobby’s ministry to care for the homeless.

Our next stop was 1000 Hills Ministry in Houston’s Third Ward. Our friend and former police officer David Hill founded this ministry that also hosts Church Under the Bridge, a daily outreach to the homeless who live in Houston’s downtown wards. The guys who reside at the 1000 Hills dorm in the Third Ward helped us to move boxes from our truck to their storage garage. One really big guy asked if we had a really big coat for him. Of course, we did. The guys at 1000 Hills will help distribute our winter offering to the homeless. Our final delivery was to our good friend Mike Malkemes, founder of Generation One, an outreach to grade school kids in the Third Ward. We gave Mike several boxes of children’s coats and other items that he will distribute to some of the poorest children in the Third Ward.

I love days like today when we have an opportunity to bless so many people in need — days made possible because of the kindness and generosity of the people of Kingsland. So, on behalf of our urban partners and all of the homeless who will stay a little warmer this winter, a special and heart-felt thanks to all of you who made it possible for us to care for the least of these in our own community.

Today, Jon Davis, our Missions Ministry Associate, planned our final weekend initiative for this year at Willow River Farms, a home for special-needs adults. More than fifty folks from three of our Adult Bible Fellowships participated in painting what seemed like a mile of wooden fence, pressure washing sidewalks, painting porches, and more. As usual, we had lots of kids working alongside their parents. As I watched all of the activity today, I could not help but be thankful for all of the memories of serving that were made today. And, I couldn’t help but imagine what kind of parents these kids will become one day because their own parents modeled for them what it means to serve others. In my estimation, it’s worth the time and effort for families to invest a few weekends a year serving others with their kids. That is an investment that will yield huge dividends in the years to come as children grow up to do the kind of good works that open doors for the gospel to be shared and that cause others to give glory to God (Matt. 5:16). I hope that you will take steps to make memories of serving with your kids in 2012 — the kind of memories that will motivate your kids to love God and serve others in His name for a lifetime.

I often told our leaders that if we were to stop studying the Bible it would still take us a lifetime to apply what we already know. Most of our folks have so many options for studying the Scripture that they could spend the remainder of their lives in small groups. And, I know more than a few who are determined to do just that. But if all we do is consume Bible calories and never do anything to burn those calories, then we actually risk becoming spiritually unfit and ineffective. If all we do is consume Bible facts and truths, then we will not make much of an impact in a world that needs to see the transforming power of God’s love in action in ways that are personal, practical, and measurable.

When it comes to burning Bible calories, I am especially encouraged by the Ladies Ministry at Kingsland. Our ladies do more than meet to study the Bible in small groups every Thursday morning. They have become a force for the Devil to contend with. Our ladies are actively engaged in our justice ministry and helping us to make a difference in the lives of young girls trapped in the dark world of sex trafficking. They are also involved in providing personal feminine hygiene items for low-income women in our community. These items are expensive for single moms and other women who are struggling to support their families on little income. And, our women are making a difference in the lives of students in inner-city schools.

Today, the ladies who study the Bible together every Thursday burned a lot of Bible calories. They traveled by caravan to Houston’s Third Ward to invest time in the students at the new Generation One Academy. In addition to doing some fun projects with the kids, they took time to do a little tutoring, provided a Chic-fil-A meal for the children and also a hot home-made meal for the teachers in three locations. Afterward they spent time with the kids on the playground. I was so encouraged by their work today. These suburban Moms blessed and encouraged lots of kids and teachers and also learned a little more about what life is like for the poor children who call the Third Ward their home. It was a great day for everyone involved. I am proud of our ladies for setting a great example of what it means to serve others. Their willingness to invest a day serving children and teachers in the Third Ward made a difference. May we follow their example and look for personal, practical, and measurable ways to burn Bible calories by being doers of the Word.

Cynthia, Pastor Alex's assistant, cleaning cabinets.

When we learned that Christine’s son would need a very sterile living environment upon release from the hospital, we mobilized our Kingsland staff to help. Over the past three days we moved everything out of her two-bedroom apartment, removed the carpet and replaced it with hypoallergenic tile, cleaned it from top to bottom, repainted every wall, and purchased some much-needed furniture. I could not help but smile the entire time because of the way in which our staff worked cooperatively to meet this need. Even Dan, our IT guy who works at Kingsland two days a week, gave us a day of his time. Afterward Dan sent us an email in which he said, “I can’t thank you enough for letting me be a part of GoBeyond help towards assisting Christine and her family. KBC is awesome and truly wonderful! I worked muscles I did not know existed!”

Dan’s comment about working muscles he did not know existed reminded me of my old friend Paul Haas. Paul used to wear a t-shirt to our service initiatives that was imprinted with this message: “Work the muscles. Build the heart.” I like that! I have learned over the years that paint brushes and hammers are powerful tools for personal transformation. God can use a simple thing like a paint brush in your hand to do more than touch up a wall. He can use it to color your heart with compassion and to brighten your own outlook on life.

I am grateful to serve with such compassionate and caring folks on our Kingsland staff and encouraged by their let’s-get-it-done response to Christine’s need. Our labor this week reminded me of something I recently read in Mark Batterson’s book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. Batherson wrote, “God loves the smell of our sweat. It stinks to high heaven, but it’s a sweet aroma. Your sweat is sacred incense. God loves it when we break a sweat serving His purposes. Our energy turns into beautiful melodies, and it’s music in God’s ear. It’s also the way we build sweat equity in His kingdom.” Each of us have hearts that are beating a little stronger this week because we worked our muscles and broke a sweat to help a single mom in need.

Mike and his wife Kenzie are committed to investing their lives in the Third Ward. They believe that this is the only way to effectively reach the generation of at-risk kids that first beckoned them to these tough streets. And because they live where they serve, they know both the problems and the potential of these kids and how to mobilize resources and partners to help them in their work. The fruit of their labor is becoming increasingly evident as the actual landscape of the Third Ward is changing because of their efforts to demolish crack houses and clean abandoned lots covered with urban debris. But even more important is how God is using them to sow the seeds of hope in soil packed hard by despair. Little by little, change is coming. Our team was privileged to lead a young boy to faith in Christ this past weekend, a reminder that change comes one life at a time.

As I was leaving the familiar streets of the Third Ward, I drove past a group from one of the neighborhood churches. These folks were preaching and praying on a street corner across from a liquor store. I stopped to listen to the impassioned pleas of the street preacher while customers walked in and out of the liquor store. While I am not convinced that this is the most effective way to bring about change in the Third Ward, I do have lots of respect for the folks standing and preaching the gospel in triple-digit heat. Regardless of what we may think about them, they were undoubtedly motivated to do something to make a difference in their own community. It’s far too easy to sit at home and complain that the neighborhood is going to hell in a hand basket. However, it’s harder to  get out into the streets and do something about it. So, kudos to the street preacher and those who stood with him. Like Mike and Kenzie, they too care about their neighbors and their neighborhood.

Packaging beans in zip lock bags.

Last night was our final Summer of Service initiative at Kingsland. Over the summer months we devoted five Wednesday evenings to equipping our partners with resources with which to serve the least of these and people in need in our community. Through these initiatives we supplied hundreds of bags of hope for the homeless, hundreds of bags of redemption for our justice ministry’s outreach to women in the commercial sex trade, backpacks filled with school supplies for inner city kids, and approximately 3,000 books for the Generation One library in the Third Ward. And last night we collected groceries and hygiene items to help supply the food pantries at Katy Christian Ministries and the Mission Centers of Houston. We had a great night as families worked side by side to prepare packages of rice, beans, sugar, and coffee for distribution by our partners. And, our families also provided hundreds of pounds of groceries and personal hygiene items that will be distributed to families in need in Katy and in Houston’s Fifth Ward.

Our purpose statement at Kingsland states that we are all about loving God, loving people, and equipping the next generation one home at a time. Our Summer of Service initiatives provided us with five opportunities to fulfill our purpose statement — and to equip the next generation in the process. What a blessing it has been to see grandparents, parents, and kids working shoulder to shoulder to bless the least fortunate in our community. Mike Kelley, our Senior Adult Pastor at Kingsland, sent me the following email that says it best.

Mary and I and our 11 year old granddaughter participated in last night’s Bags of Nourishment ministry to KCM and the Mission Centers of Houston. What an exciting time as we did service together with our granddaughter. And, I was thrilled to see families with children putting rice, sugar and beans into zip lock bags for distribution.  How exciting to serve God together as a family. But I kept thinking of the teaching value this was for the next generation as they participated with parents and grandparents in loving God by loving people. When Jon led us in prayer I held the hand of my granddaughter, and I felt she and I were so connected in our bond with Christ. It was awesome (that’s a next generation term). Thanks for providing us that opportunity to serve together.

Thanks to each and every one of you who participated in our Summer of Service initiatives. We will continue serving others throughout Katy and Houston in the coming months through our regular Saturday service initiatives. Look for these and other opportunities to build more memories of serving others with your children. These are lessons that will serve them well for a lifetime.

Helping schools in our community is just one of the many ways that we demonstrate God’s love in practical ways. Over the past six years our missions ministry has assisted schools from Katy to the Third Ward and helped to bless lots of kids in the process. Earlier this month we assembled 300 backpacks stuffed with school supplies. Generation One, our urban ministry partner, will distribute these backpacks to kids in the Third Ward. We also donated several boxes of school supplies to Dodson so that teachers can help kids throughout the school year. As Christ-followers we care about the welfare of the the children who call Katy and Houston home and are committed to doing all that we can to help improve our schools. I’m looking forward to visiting the kids at Dodson later this year to see their planting beds filled with plants.

Mike also shared his personal story of how God directed him down a broken road to the place where he committed his life to Jesus Christ. Mike did not become a half-hearted follower of Christ. Instead, he jumped into the deep end of the pool and swam hard to make up for lost time. One of the things that attracted me to Mike when we first met six years ago was his vision and his faith. Mike thinks big and trusts God for great things. He has a God-sized vision for transforming an inner-city community that had become a breeding ground for violence — a place fraught with dangers and a place where Satan actively works “to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). It takes someone with courage and determination and the willingness to devote a lifetime in order to salvage a generation of at-risk kids. I believe that God has placed Mike in the Third Ward for such a time as this. Mike lives by the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

Once again, I am grateful for the people of Kingsland and our commitment to provide the resources that help our various ministry partners make a difference throughout our community. We understand that we cannot do the work alone but must partner with others to advance God’s purposes in our corner of the world — especially in those areas where the resources to help are more limited. My prayer is that the books we provided to Generation One will inspire a generation of inner-city kids to read and to dream and to one day attempt great things for God. The children of our community belong to all of us and we owe it to them to help them get the best education possible. Thank you, Kingsland, for caring and for helping the children who live in Houston’s Third Ward.

Forty yards of mulch is a lot of mulch! And somehow, when it’s over a hundred degrees outside with a heat index much higher than the actual temperature, moving forty yards of mulch feels more like you are moving eighty yards of mulch.  But, in spite of the heat, our team of mighty mulch movers managed to conquer Mulch Everest. The playgrounds at Dodson look great and are ready for the school kids that will descend on the campus in a few weeks. We will return next week with a team that will finish building the planting beds — to be used to teach kids what it takes to get food from plant to plate.

I’m glad that we can play a small part in helping Dodson Elementary get ready for the new school year. The children of our community are important and deserve the opportunity to get a good education. By providing backpacks filled with school supplies for children from poor families and by meeting other needs at schools like Dodson we believe that we are helping to make a difference. Moving a mountain of mulch was also a good learning experience for our Jr. High school students. They understand that they too can play an active role in helping to make our community and our schools better. Yesterday was a really hot day in Houston but our kids did a really cool thing by serving at Dodson Elementary School.