Sorry the quality of these pictures are not that great - It was with my phone and I had glves on because I was handling food so they are a little blury but I think you get the idea what was taking place. Yesterday after church a bunch of us headed uptown to the Salvation Army - Center of Hope. Its a women and childrens homeless shelter and once a month we get to serve them lunch. Its a time to show them that they matter, somebody cares, and we get to serve them and the past few times we have went - it has been such a blessing to help the moms get the trays of food to the table for her family. Some of these ladies have 7 children and a lot of them are young. Some are in carriages and some are teenagers. Whatever the situation is for them - this is home for now. I love going there and serving them, smiling with them and just sitting at the table and talking with mom and the children there. A smile goes a long way in showing that yoru heart is in the right place.

After church yesterday at Elevation University - I was riding on such an upbeat mood being that for the first time in my life we went to church and there was not a message. There was no preacher teaching the Word. It was all music. It was all worship. The Word is in the music, its in the words of the songs and it was awesome!! It again reminds me that our lives are the worship to Christ. Everything we do, every word we say, every person we serve is an act of worship and when we realize that, when we come to that place where we can stand and start living out Christ in our lives - its an amazing thing.

Galations 5:25- Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

As I sit this morning in my quiet time, I think about Gulley Bank in Jamaica where we served with a family who wanted to build a bathroom for the community. A community of 450 so people and with only 2 working toilets - you would agree that its a tough place. The people there really hurting. I think about the needs and the wants of the people there. They need a bathroom and that is so much bigger than a want of a bathroom. If we came in and just built this bathroom for them - they most likely would most likely thank us and enjoy using it. BUT since the family helped, were a big part of building it, completing it, sharing their vision with the community of folks there - they owned the project. We came along side and help them. When we are long gone, that bathroom, clean water, will be remembered as to WHY it was built and who built it. It was someone within the same parameters that they too are living. Us being the church the church wins because we just didnt fill that want or need. We helped them live out that want and need and someones dream. We came and enabled someone to dream bigger. To think bigger. To move outwardly and to inspire others. Everybody wins. Its not a handout but a handup.

I love that and as I sat with the folks yesterday in the Center - pouring soda for the children and having them show us their new toys or that new shirt and pants that Elevation Church and UCF church came together to provide them... Its such a blessing to see that handup taking place. The families there will again get on their feet. They will move out. They will be able to stand once again and not feel shamed or have feelings that nobody cared because there are people coming to serve them, encourage them, smile with them, listen to them is such a HUGE thing because they all have a story. They each have a different story how they got there and they each will have a story to share when they get out, move on, be able to stand and maybe one day - go back and help those in those same places they were once at.

So let us be eager to serve one another not looking down or up at each other because nobody is made better than another. Together we can make a difference and helping to change a life, is there no other greater reward than that?

Excited for the small script in Gods big story.

John1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

For Your glory and praise Lord in all we do. May our lives be an act of worship that brings you a smile Lord in all we do. I ask that Your power Lord shines through us for all to see according to Your plans for us. Amen

Lonnie~