Christmas

It's December and there is something in the air. People clump together and talk. Strangers share stories with each other. I love this time of year because it is so easy to be open with others. There is something in the air that makes us want to get closer to each other. From where ever we are, or aren't with God, we have an openness that wasn't there before. Our hearts are more open this time of year. We aren't so self-focused. We hear music that brings a smile.
I was at a local store and an older man was buying a musical Santa Claus because it brought back memories. Young families are creating memories for their little ones with the Christmas Tree, food, presents. And for a child, the presents are the thing.

Well, let's admit it, we all get a little closer to being children when we see a wrapped present and wonder what inside. It is a time of year when WONDER wins over cynicism. It is a time of year when LOVE has a chance. People discover each other. People discover God. Churches get crowded.

What a wonderful time of the year. There is something in the air. And yes, that something, is real. As I was setting up the Nativity Scene this year, I had a moment of panic. There was Mary, Joseph, the manger, a few animals but where was the baby? I started to look.

It seems to me that the baby of Christmas is largely missing this year. Early shopping. Economic panic. To do lists. General business and stress have away of keeping The BABY out of Christmas.

I overheard a mother saying that she couldn't put up any Christmas decorations at her house because her daughter was using the house for a friend's baby shower and she didn't want the DECORATIONS to detract from the shower. Why would Christmas decorations detract? They did not seem important to their daughter. Did they embarrass her? Did she not know that there was ANOTHER BABY more important than her friend's coming child?

Is Christmas just decorations? Is Christmas just a family gathering? Are Christmas just presents for each other? I give you something and you give me something. Where is the Baby? We have to look.

Those who were in Bethlehem didn't know there were THE BABY, the Savior, the Good News, and the Branch of Righteousness right in their little town. They were involved in the tourists, the taxation.  The shepherds heard the message.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

They went to look. They found what they told was true and went back to work, filled with JOY. Don't be distracted and miss the real Christmas. I found the missing babe. Christmas isn't Christmas without Jesus in the manger and us drawing near to see the miracle that has happened.

 Merry Christmas to all!

Personal Appeal

I want to make a personal appeal today for our non-camp work. We have acted as a catalyst to get a September to June tutoring program at place at Verbo Church in Redwood City. Twenty children now get tutoring in math, English and Bible two days a week. These children are little children. They are in first to fifth grade.

ALL OF THESE CHILDREN ARE AT RISK because of poverty. First, there is the poverty of no one to help them at home with their homework. Second, there is the poverty of just not enough money. These families struggle year round and could not pay for any tutoring help.

The children last year all improved in their school work. Children are recommended by the local schools to the progam BECAUSE THEY ARE IN DANGER OF FLUNKING OUT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. They need one to one remedial work to come up to their grade level.

Thanks to the generous grant from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church we opened this program and are in our second year. However, the children need more one to one help than anticipated and we appeal to you who read this to send a contribution. One hour costs $10. Your gift helps two ways. We are expanding the program by using teens from our summer camp and you will give a child a chance to learn the basics.

Let's remember that God loves the children and is a "father to the fatherless". Can you help?
Please mark memo of your check: tutor-me program and send to "As you have done it unto one of these little ones, you have done it unto me."

Box 2735
Menlo Park, CA. 94026

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GIFTS WHICH ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

Thanksgiving Event

Thanks be to God, a roomful of people who had worked hard for the children gathered to enjoy a festive Thanksgiving meal on November 3rd at our Menlo Park home church.

After enjoying the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing gravy and vegetables, we settled to hear reports from our 7th annual Touchdown Camp.

Doris Bates, camp coordinator reminded us of the scripture: "The feeding of Five Thousand" when small offerings were blessed to feed the crowd. We were delighted to learn that we had so much food donations, that food left overs were shared with the youth of Verbo Church, our sponsoring church and home camp in Redwood City.

Barb Siegal, VP, gave the report for the Project Lost Sheep's account that everything was sufficient after all bills have been paid for camp. Catherine Parlanti was missed as she was ill that day.

We have seen God's faithfulness over the years and we believed that this service will come through. The board has approved a faith project - The Coin Jar Offering. Each gift card of $50 dollars can be given to each of the 20 families in the tutoring program.

Sandra Jamaillo, director of the school, told us the needs of the children in school, that they have emotional problems as well as academic ones. Little by little, with love, they are making progress. She talked about a boy in fourth grade who is intelligent but does not know how to count to 20.

Michelle Bedecarre, who tutors every week with the program gave an appeal for more workers to come and help the children one on one. She talked about the joy of helping just one child do better. Lauren Younger from our group is also a regular volunteer at Verbo and does a great job with the children.

Doris Bates and Joyce Dueker offered the Coin Jar Offering with contents up for the blessing to the Lord.

Businessman Jim Dillard spoke of his experience as a volunteer at camp with his wife, Valerie. Jim is interested in volunteer development to help us expand.

Greg, a deacon from the Korean church in San Jose, explained that they had done much international work but were happy to get some guidelines for reaching out in the local area to children. There was a lively conversation around the table between our San Jose visitors, Sandra and Michelle regarding the needs of children from at risk families for tutoring.

Joyce and Sharon Lee introduced the Christmas Party which be held on December 4th. Invitations to follow. As one of our new visitors said, "it was a warm group" to experience.

We encourage you, wherever you are, to start a Project Lost Sheep group to make a difference for the "at risk" children in your area. We have groups stretching from San Mateo down to San Jose.

"Let us not be weary in well doing for in due time we shall reap." HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of you from us.

One on One

One to one is the best way to communicate. I am all for e-mail and for the old telephone but if I really, really want to talk to someone I want to see them over lunch or in some way a face to face encounter.

Because of the hectic pace of the current life, it is sometimes easy to forget that this one to one is important. First, it is important to have a one to one with God. Don't we like our children to talk to us.

Also, in getting a child "up to speed" in school work there is nothing like one to one. A parent or a tutor needs to sit down with a child and help him understand.

Last year, we were able, thanks to a grant from a local church, open inside Verbo Church a tutoring program for children most at risk of failing in grades 1-5. These children were recomended to the program by the principals of the local schools.

The children were greatly helped and one young woman improved so much in math that she was able to enter school contests. Her entire personality changed as a result of her success. She had no one to help her at home.

This is what we are learning. In the poorer communities in America, the parents cannot help. They may not read their own native language. They do not read English. They have no time and can't help their own children in many cases.

Jesus said: 
COME TO ME ALL YE WHO ARE HEAVY LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

The child is doomed for failure without intervention but with attention and hours and hours of tutoring help these children have a chance to win at the school game. More than that they receive a "I can do this" attitude which we all know is a secret to getting through the long, hard thing called life.

We need more one to one tutors out there.

I remember so well my own Dad who sat with me night after night as I struggled with story problems in math. What if my Dad wasn't there for me? What if my mother worked 3 jobs and didn't even read English to help me with the problem?

I would be left to struggle and fail. And no doubt I would have flunked in math that year without my one to one tutor.

Let your heart absorb what this means. A few hours of volunteer time can change the entire life of a poor child.

Training

Recently a new fence was put up as I was thinking about the idea of training. When we have children we are training them in everything we do..good and bad. This is rather awesome. Children are informed by what they see us do. Later, they are informed by what they get from others ie their friends.

Because I like to garden one of the thoughts about the new fence was how nice it would be to have a pretty vine growing up. Of course, vines require training. You have to give them support so they will go up and over the fence not sprawl all over your patio.

Children need to be trained up so they will be tall and strong. How to do this?

We know that we are as Christians to instruct children in the way they should go. They need to be taught the Bible. The verses need to be repeated and learned and the need to see the Bible lived out in us. Wow!

The Bible promise is: 
TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM IT.

How the vine is trained makes all the difference. Did you know that America when it started had a PRIMER that was filled with Bible verses that children memorized. Bible reading was common in families all across the country as this country grew.

As you know we cannot teach the Bible in schools today. It is not allowed. So more than ever the teaching of what makes for strong character rests in the home and in the church.

The Leader - Steve Jobs

Steve Job's death has been all over the news. He made such a mark that he was "The Story" in the Wall Street Journal.  One of the lessons learned from looking at his journey was that it wasn't straight up. When he left Apple to others, the company faltered. He was the creative "visionary" plus sales person that made it come together.

Leadership in business is important. Leadership in our call is also important. We each have "something to do"...a path, a journey that we must go on. In this particular niche we are THE LEADER.

If we are a mom and wife with a husband working 12 hours a day, we must become very small and still help our husband survive.  If we are a husband at home and our wife is "knocking herself out..out there," then we must also take a serving roll in order to help her live.

Jesus said, "He who is greatest must be servant of all."

This is still true. God looks at our attitude. Lots of times, mine needs a major makeover. It is very hard for us get small enough to let God get big enough. If we belong to Him then He is the ultimate leader and we keep learning and obeying and getting correcting through all of the journey.

Discipline

Discipline isn't a fun word and yet we are all subject to disciplines as a part of the way things are.

If we eat more calories than we expend we will gain weight. In order to change that we have to be disciplined in both exercise and diet. No surprise here. In the spiritual life there are disciplines also.

First there is the discipline of taking time for God. Daniel, as the Daniel who got thrown in the lion's den, took time to pray three times a day to his God. It was this discipline of prayer that got him in trouble because the king had ordered that all must bow down to a gold image of himself.

Daniel was disciplined in his priorities. He knew that God came first...no matter what. And yes, the lions didn't gobble him up because God shut the mouth of the lions. Instead Daniel's accusers were "lunch" for the lions before they hit the bottom of the pit.

Having a strong position of trust in God isn't something that just comes in a day. It comes as there are some very trying circumstances in our life THAT CAN ONLY BE SOLVED BY GOD.

I'd like to say that I am disciplined to trust like Daniel but I have a ways to go. Do you have something you really don't like to do but God has you in the discipline of doing it now.

Maybe it is a job that you know is going to end and you get paid but have no satisfaction.

Maybe it is a season of discipline in the financial area. Many of us are learning to cut way, way back on expenditures. We just need to be careful. In fact, there is so much poverty here in America including 22% in children, that I hope we are starting to wake up to the needs under our feet.

In learning a new sport there is discipline. The great tennis player didn't just emerge. There had been countless hours of practice behind that beautiful win.

Let us not be discouraged in well doing because we are getting stronger in that direction. God knows how much discipline each of us needs and His discipline is for our good and for giving us a future and a hope.

On Abiding

Focus. Stayed focus. Don't loose your focus.

We all have heard this and are aware that without it we might not get anything done.  Focus is not the same is abiding. Abiding, in the sense that the Lord asked us, is living in a vital relationship to him so that we are like a living organism drawing from Him what we need day by day.

We cannot do any kind of ministry work that bears fruit without this "relationship" underneath. This is why prayer has been and always will be "homebase" for Project Lost Sheep. When we aren't seemingly doing anything out there we are praying and hope that we are praying for everything. 

Prayer is communication. It is a two way conversation. Part of it is worship and adoration and petition but part is receiving, getting a direction from the Holy Spirit and waiting to know what to do with that direction.  Abiding isn't easy. It takes focus. Yes, the focus on the Lord's agenda, not ours. Sometimes there are "lulls" in what we do "out there". These lulls are times to fill up and be instruccted

We open the Bible. We pray. We meet with others to share and pray. Se find direction. We move out but not out of our own will but of the One we abide in.  Jesus said, "Without me you can do nothing."

Think about it.