Prison Fellowship Conference

On March 28-31, 2010, Prison Fellowship will host the Georgia Out4Life
Prisoner Reentry Conference at the Embassy Suites Atlanta Airport
Hotel. The conference will be conducted in partnership with the
Georgia Department of Corrections and the State Board of Pardons and
Parole. Leaders and volunteers will convene to address practical
barriers to reintegration, cultivate collaborative relationships, and
begin to develop fitting strategies to reduce recidivism and restore
prisoners to their families and communities.

A combination of plenary talks and concentrated workshops will delve
into such topics as employment for ex-offenders, addiction and
recovery, public safety, family issues, special needs of women
prisoners, and the importance of establishing networks to meet these
and many other needs. Your participation is highly valued.

Some of the featured speakers include Mark Earley (Prison Fellowship
President), Brian Owens (Commissioner, DOC), Garland Hunt (Parole
Board Member), Jay Cory (Atlanta Union Mission), Chaplain Susan Bishop
(Metro State Prison), and Vicki Lopez Lukis (Co-Chair, Florida
Secretary of DOC Reentry Advisory Council).

The Out4Life Conference is for pastors, volunteers, community leaders,
government officials, ministry organizations, employers and anyone
interested in helping inmates successfully transition into our
communities. Participants will be encouraged to extend services to
offenders and help build community reentry coalitions across the
state.

For more information, please visit the website at www.out4life.com

Justice and Mercy Impact Ministries … and another update

Men Stopping Violence

Men Stopping Violence is seeking faith based institutions that would like to participate in the Because We Have Daughters (BWHD) program. This fun and educational program will be conducted in partnership with researchers from GSU to study the effectiveness of BWHD as a violence prevention program promoting safety for girls and women. If funded, small stipends will be available for the site, as well as to participants. If interested, please contact http://www.menstoppingviolence.org/index.php

A proposal being submitted requires letters of interest no later than January 19, 2010

Justice and Mercy Impact Ministries … another update

Atlanta Fulton Family Connection Child Abuse and Neglect Council

Atlanta Fulton Family Connection Child Abuse and Neglect Council invites all who work with these issues in nonprofits, ministries, or agencies and other concerned citizens to the January meeting. 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Wednesday Jan. 20, 2010; Fulton County Juvenile Court; 395 Pryor Street Room 1132; Atlanta, GA 30312. Please R.s.v.p. by sending me a comment so I can forward your information.

Justice and Mercy Impact Ministries updates

Informational Gathering on Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking

January 21 | Avondale Patillo UMC, Decatur

North Georgia Conference
Advocacy Team is hosting a time of discussion, discernment and
decisions for action with metro-area United Methodist churches,
conference leaders, other interested persons and the Interfaith
Children’s Movement. Please join us on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at
10:00 a.m. at Avondale-Pattillo UMC, 3260 Covington Highway, Decatur,
30032. If you plan to attend please R.S.V.P. by commenting here and I will send you additional information.

For more information about ICM check out their website at
www.interfaithchildrenmovement.org

Twenty Truths to Remember

I am unabashedly borrowing this from an unknown author. If you know who wrote it, please share the name so I can give credit where it is due. If not, just enjoy and read it for the simple value it has for each of us.

Twenty Truths to Remember:

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.
2. If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray, don’t worry.
3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.
4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.
6. Do the math. Count your blessings.
7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
8. Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me.
9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.
10. Laugh every day, it’s like inner jogging.
11. The most important things in your home are the people.
12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.
13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.
17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it’s just hearsay.
18. It’s all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.
19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you’re seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle — it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.
20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
– Author Unknown

Hands …

I returned yesterday from a conference geared towards childrens pastors and the people who work in our churches with our youngest disciples. I learned a few new methods for communicating the gospel to our children, tweeners and youth. I learned just how dedicated most of these gifted people are. I also learned just how cRAzY they have to be to continue their work for so many years. ;)

During my time away I was also able to spend time in worship and reflection and prayer. As I process and discern those thoughts and begin to understand what God is saying to me, I’ll share more on that later.

For now, let me share a story I found several years ago.

THE HAND

At first it sounded like a thanksgiving story, but the more I reflected on it, the more appropriate it seemed for any time of the year. The way I heard it, the story went like this: Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment — to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful. Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student’s art. And they were. But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’s true child of misery, frail and unhappy.

As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes. Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand. His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went — until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas’ desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and murmured, “It’s yours, teacher.” She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, “Take my hand, Douglas, we’ll go outside.” Or, “Let me how you how to hold your pencil.” Or, “Let’s do this together.”

Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’s hand. Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.

The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much it means to the Douglas’s of the world. They might not always say thanks. But they’ll remember the hand that reaches out.

By Steve Goodier © 2001 (reprinted)

What can I possibly add to this story? How about, “thank you”, to all of the men and women of God who love the little children, the tweeners, the youth and their families. Thank you for being the hand of God to each of us!

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” ~ John 17:18-19

Hear You Want a Resolution!

You say you want a resolution
Well, you know
We all want to change our world
Talk to me of transformation
Well, you know
We all want to change our world …

I’ve been thinking a lot about what my New Year’s resolution will be this year. Usually, I avoid making resolutions until November so I have a better chance of being successful at keeping them, but this year I have been convicted to make some changes sooner. So, here goes … let me know what you think and help me remain accountable by checking on me to see if I am keeping my resolutions throughout the year!

My Resolutions for 2010:

1. I will give away a piece of me this year by reaching out to people who need a friend or words of encouragement or just a simple hello. Since I have a love of writing and desire to be in relationship with others, I will pursue this resolution by developing the Flat Jesus Project. This project will be designed to help others exchange words of encouragement and network (webpage) with others through the exchange of cards and letters, as well as books and … (and I will seek help from the greater social community to accomplish this.) – I will keep you posted as this is developed.
2. I will be a better steward of what I have and what I need by using what I already possess. Sometimes this will mean giving away what I possess so that others can make better use of it than I would. It also will mean using the knowledge, contacts, intelligence and God-given resources that I have.
3. I will increase my trust in God for my provisions by resisting the urge to add material things to my household. When I see pretty paper for scrapbooking that I just must buy – I will buy a book for a needy child or make a donation to a literacy center or find some way to give back instead of hoarding. This goes for shoes (did I really just say that?!?), clothes, household items and even food!
4. I will spend my time in study of scripture not just for work and supporting others, but so that I may also grow in my personal relationship with God.
5. I will take care of myself and become healthier – my body, mind & spirit. This may be lived out by taking one week this year to just relax and enjoy time with my husband, getting into a fitness routine, or reading a book for pleasure!
6. Finally, I will allow myself to use this YEAR to accomplish these resolutions – not just the first week of January – and if I am not successful one day, I will accept that failure only comes from not trying a second, third, twentieth or even a 364th time!

Okay, so these are my resolutions for transformation, what are yours? How can I improve mine? Would love to hear from you!

Blessings ~

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12: 1-2