RAIN…
Posted: Monday, March 1, 2010 Filed under: 2k10, 2k7 | Tags: Jesus, missionary, NOOMA, Northside Missional Community, Rain, Richmond, Urban 1 CommentAgain…
Matthew 11
28. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls.
30. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The last 2 posts told the story of a family who was in distress for a variety of reasons…and things did NOT turn out the way that any of us felt like they would..or the way that we wanted them to. I wanted Sondra to go back to the hospital….to choose life. I have no doubt that is what her children wanted as well. I thought things would be better when KK lived with me. To have some stability…love, etc. But…that too didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.
But, I am thankful that God was with me all the time. Check out this video…this kinda explains how I was feeling during the time…that is was raining…a lot!
NOOMA Rain | 001
A Barber, a Yoke and a…. Part 1
Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 Filed under: 2k6, 2k7 | Tags: baptism, barber, barber shop, Commonwealth Chapel, Edify 360, missionary, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban Comments Off on A Barber, a Yoke and a…. Part 1Matthew 11
28. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls.
30. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
One of my kid’s mom, Sondra, ended up in the hospital in mid December 2006. She wasn’t doing too well, fighting a number of medical issues that no one in their late 30’s should have to fight. But, a difficult life and bad decisions had led her to this place. She checked herself out of the hospital. Although I had pleaded with her to go back to MCV, she said that she had some things to do and would go back after the first of the year. Unfortunately, she passed on January 3, 2007. She left behind 4 children from the ages of 13 -18. My kid (KK) was the youngest of the 4, and he lived with his dad, Marcellous.
Some of the youth leaders and I started spending time with KK after school until his dad could quit his 2nd job a few weeks later. Only a week or so went by when Marcellous, also ended up in the hospital, due to complications with diabetes. KK came to live with me. He struggled with school…with life. He had seen more in his short 13 years than I had seen in my life of 44 years. His mom had made many choices to sustain her habits….choices no woman really wants to make but does anyway. KK had seen people get shot. He had seen drugs and alcohol be abused. He was labeled early in life by the school system. His siblings lived with different family members. His older brother chose the street and was in and out of jail for various reasons. I LOVED KK…a lot!
Marcellous was in and out of the hospital with complications. There was a time when we thought we were going to lose him. He rallied, but due to weakness and the need for continued care, Marcellous wasn’t yet prepared to care for his son.
KK went to live with his Aunt in NJ for the summer. Marcellous eventually got stronger. I spent many hours with him…as he no real friends or family. He left his family years ago. Then…one night he accepted the Lord as his Savior. He wanted to go to church, but was still in rehab…learning to walk again. But, he didn’t want to go with his hair long. You see…his fro was about 3 inches high.
I went on a mission to find someone who would cut his hair at the rehab center. I could find NO ONE who was willing to go. Until Marc (you know…my friend at work) introduced me to Emmanuel. Emmanuel has a barber shop called Edify 360 on Hull and Turner. HE was willing to come…but it wouldn’t be until about 9pm at night. I turned him down at first. Not wanting to inconvenience him….come clear across town at that time of night. But…I finally relented. And I am SOOO glad that I did!!!
WOW! Marc, Emmanuel and I rolled up to the rehab center. I had NOOO idea what I was getting into. Neither did Marcellous for that matter! Meanwhile…Emmanuel wasn’t sure what he was doing either. He wasn’t quite sure about me…and my heart. But….after that night…let’s just say…we were all convinced it was a divine appointment!
Emmanuel proceeded to not only cut his hair, but he also encouraged and build him up (note the name of his shop…EDIFY!!). As Marcellous said, “Miss Marti…I didn’t know I was getting a cut AND a sermon!” with both hands in the air…thanking God and Emmanuel. Emmanuel did more than edify Marcellous. He touched my heart that night. How he was an ordinary barber…doing extraordinary things!!! To this day….Emmanuel and I have done this more than once. His wife Marsha says….”When Miss Marti calls, Emmanuel goes!” I LOVE her and their 2 beautiful kids for sharing her husband and their dad with me in the ministry of loving God and loving others. Although…it is NOT unusual for at least one of them to tag along. Emmanuel is modeling what it is to be on mission with Jesus to his family. May God BLESS Edify 360 and the Gayot family!!! (Shameless plug for Edify 360!)
God wasn’t done with Marcellous yet…so neither am I. The story is going to require another post. Stay tuned for part 2. In the meantime…
Go see Emmanuel at Edify 360 and get a great haircut. You just might run into Marc or Louis there. Give ’em a hug from me! I love them all…and you will too!
Don, Luke, Jesus & Marti
Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010 Filed under: 2k6, 2k7, Louis and Me! | Tags: calling, harvest, Jesus, missionary, Northside Missional Community, Richmond, Urban 3 CommentsSorry….this is a longer post! But, hang in there!!! It’s a good one! I promise!
Luke 10
- After the Lord…sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
- He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
God gave me strength during some hard conversations. Some close friends and family members were never super thrilled about me moving into this neighborhood. They loved me and feared for my safety. One close family member gave me a particularly hard time. Finally, I asked him…”If God called me to go to Africa, China or Brazil to do His work, how would you feel?” He quickly agreed that he would fully support it. I respectfully shared with him, that God had called me to the mission field, it just happened to be an urban mission field. I didn’t have to go half-way around the world, but could stay in my own Jerusalem and be about God’s work. If he or anyone else had a problem with that, they needed to take it up with God…not with me. I had to concern myself with obeying my heavenly Father first. No one ever said that following God meant it would be easy. There were friends who refused to come to my house, or only came during the daytime. But, that is why God called me (not them) to live here. At times, being obedient means sacrificing.
I didn’t always see it as sacrificial….because it seemed sooo right. I had a real peace about it. But, I saw it as an opportunity to expose my circle of influence to something they might not have encountered otherwise. My friends and family have grown to accept my choice and love my neighborhood and its residents. They are willing to visit…day or night! My neighborhood was really not THAT different from my previous neighborhood or theirs. It just LOOKED different.
2006 had been a trying year in many ways. I LOVED on these kids….day and night. And their stories and their needs broke my heart. There were many lonely times…where I felt like I was all alone in this…..and I was tired. In retrospect, I was probably trying to do it all alone rather than seeking God’s will and help. The needs of the community were so overwhelming. I found myself only seeing the dealers, the prostitutes, the homelessness, the absentee fathers, the struggling single moms, the addicts, the guys hanging out on street corners doing a whole lot of nothing. Trying to be a light in the darkness. As a reminder…It’s interesting…in looking back, my journal wasn’t as full as it normally was. Indicating to me now, that I probably wasn’t praying and listening to God as much as I should have.
In December of 2006, a group of us from church were meeting for lunch. Rob, my pastor, had brought this group together to encourage us as Christians in workplaces throughout the city. This is where I first got to know Don Coleman… Pastor Don. I was sharing the story of my neighborhood, and work. Don gave me a Word…Luke 10:1-7.
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
It had been a year, almost to the day, since Kevin (remember Kevin…the bone God tossed me when I prayed for my future husband?) had come into my life. I had not talked with Kevin but once or twice since that day. But, I had meditated on Deuteronomy 8 many times. Now, Don gives me Luke. Being a quick study, I knew to take this seriously. After meditating on this Word for weeks, reading it over-and-over again, by mid January, 2007, I felt sure of its intent for me.
– God was reminding me that he still hadn’t forgotten about me and my singleness, that he had the other ½ of my pair out there somewhere, and we would be in ministry together. God had sent me (and some day my other ½) to SBH in preparation for Jesus ‘showing up’. I needed NOT to pray for my future husband….but to pray for the other half of my pair….my partner in the ministry. If it happened to be my husband…Lord, THAT would be the icing on the cake!
– I was right where I was supposed to be…at work and at home. The harvest was plentiful…and the laborers were few. I had been called to ‘be Jesus’ to people in my life.
– My house…was a ‘House of Peace’. Confirming that it was God’s house…not mine and that I was not to ‘force’ my Peace on anyone.
I was about to find out that there was more in that Word than I thought…..
Lookin’ to the Hills
Posted: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Filed under: 2k6 | Tags: Jesus, missionary, Northside Missional Community, prayer, Richmond, scripture, Southern Barton Heights, Urban 1 Comment
Psalms 121
1. I lift up my eyes up to the hills – where does my help come from?
2. My help comes from the Lord.
The kids were attending church with me on a regular basis. More and more kids became part of my life. We had sleepovers, watched football games, pick-up street games, etc. The youth group had officially started at Commonwealth…with Sunday night gatherings, retreats and lock-ins. Neighbors were starting to call the house “Miss Marti’s House”….and it has stuck.
A women’s small group from my church was meeting at my house several times a month. I was still regularly meeting with the Lord through reading and studying the Word and prayer….or at least I started off that way.
Not all was great. I was accepted…by most, but not all. In some cases, it was clear that I was not welcomed, as a professional white single woman. The adults didn’t trust me. Many didn’t understand why I moved in and why I was letting the kids run in and out of the house. Some didn’t understand WHY in the world would the kids WANT to hang out. It wasn’t me…it was the “God in Me”… the LOVE and PEACE they felt when they were in my home. In the presence of the Lord.
Side note: When I was younger, I used to DREAM of having a houseful of kids….and that we would have the “cool house” where all the kids would want to hang out. What little did I know…that God would bring that dream true! What I didn’t expect was that the kids wouldn’t be mine nor…would they be black!
My success at work and my sphere of influence had increased. I often wondered why God called me to work among some of the wealthiest, and live among what some would call the ‘least of these’. There was diversity in skin color, but also in education and socioeconomic status. My two worlds were as divergent as you could get. I began to wonder what God was up to. At what point would these 2 paths cross?
Challenges were not just in the community, but they also came at work, where I faced an employee relations situation alleging that I created a hostile work environment based on race…because I talked about my kids. It was unfounded.
As I reflect on this situation, I realize that Satan will go ALL out, when you ‘sell out’ totally to the Lord. Satan will only mess with those who he sees as a threat…..because they are in the will of God. This was simply a distraction.
I also have come to realize….in retrospect…that I must not have been reading and praying like I had done previously. Let’s just say that my journals are a bit light. But…I finally figured it out…
I knew where to go. I went to the Lord. My help….my strength….it cometh from the Lord.
This little light of mine…
Posted: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Filed under: 2k6 | Tags: cross, light, missional, missionary, Northside Missional Community, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, this little light of mine, Urban 2 Comments
I’m gonna let it shine!
2006 starts off to be a good year. I became more and more engrossed in my community. It was a time of building relationships…and just living. My neighbors were now my friends…having cook-outs, walking, community civic meetings, etc. I was now officially ‘Miss Marti’ and the neighborhood kids were now ‘Miss Marti’s Kids’. It became quite normal to have a bunch of middle and high school boys coming in and out of the house. God had called me to this community…to live…and to love. Nothing more.
I was encouraged. The Wall of Crosses have been used more than once. Shortly after Kevin’s visit, I moved the crosses (begrudgingly) from the front room in the house to my den at the back of the house. All because I hung a candelabra that would block the view. On the day of our joint cookout Memorial Day 2006, Nichelle, my next door neighbor, shared with me that her friend wanted to meet me. I was like “Why does he want to meet me? He wants to meet the crazy white woman on the corner?”
Come to find out, he had driven down Barton Avenue one evening…in need of a lift, when he looked in my breakfast nook windows and saw my Wall of Crosses in my den….on the other side of the house. The corner lot has been such a blessing!!! He stated that the crosses brought him peace and comfort in a time of need. Now, some would be totally freaked that someone was looking in their house. Me? I was thrilled!! I was wowed at God’s goodness.
I had begrudgingly moved the crosses…grumbling as I put each nail in the wall…due to a stupid candelabra…only to find out that God had something else in store. Before, you had to come IN my house to see the Crosses. Now, you could see them OUTside while walking or driving down the road. That very day, I set my light timer in my den to come on at sunset and to cut off at sunrise, allowing the crosses to be seen 24 hours a day, every day.
It reminds me….how people look at me on the OUTside…they don’t need to look at the INside. I have some family, friends, neighbors, colleagues who don’t know me up close and personal. Who don’t necessarily know my heart, because they only see me on the outside. But…does my outside shine brightly? Doesn’t that sometimes speak louder than any words? Is my timer set to shine in the darkness and light the way to the cross?
I pray that my Wall of Crosses…and my life…my home…bring Peace to Southern Barton Heights. That my life shines BRIGHTLY and points to the Cross.
Forgive Me…
Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010 Filed under: 2k5 and before | Tags: Commonwealth Chapel, cross, Jesus, mission, obedience, prayer, Richmond, scripture 2 Comments
Deuteronomy 8
6 Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
I went on to work on that 2nd day of praying in Jesus name over my singleness. Within just a couple of hours…my phone rang. A colleague of mine, Steve, called to ask me if I wouldn’t mind hanging out with a friend of his, Kevin. Kevin just happened to be coming to town from the West Coast. Steve and his wife had plans that had them tied up on Friday night, that would leave Kevin alone for the evening. So, he wanted me to go to dinner with him so that he wouldn’t have to hang out in the hotel by himself. Needless to say…I stopped and literally looked at the phone…and said, ‘did God just answer my prayer in a matter of hours?’ Why is it that I, and maybe you to, find it surprising that God answers our prayers? Shouldn’t we expect the answer to our prayers?
After being in shock (and scared to death!!!) for a few days, I finally gave in to Steve…and to God. I picked up Kevin at the hotel (another funny…but long story…). Because I hadn’t gotten to go home yet, I asked Kevin if he minded if we stopped by my house so that I could freshen up. We walked into my house, where I had a wall of crosses on the left inside the front door (so they wouldn’t be missed). The wall of crosses started as a small collection representing each member of my family. I understand that it is a Latin American tradition. It has now grown to a wall of about 40 crosses of different sizes and materials. Kevin was captivated by it. I could tell that this was a God moment, as Kevin was literally drawn to the wall and proceeded to take them in. I said a quick silent prayer and left Kevin alone…with God and the crosses, and went upstairs to change and freshen up.
Kevin later described his moment as ‘holy’ and ‘warm’. We had a great conversation about the wall, its meaning, and its impact. He shared his favorite with me…and how it reminded him of Peter or one of the other disciples crafting it while sitting on a hill listening to the word of Jesus. He then shared his ‘life scripture’ with me….Deuteronomy 8. Kevin owns his own company…where times have been good and bad. But, regardless of the time, God is always faithful. These are notes from my journal… “God is bringing you into a good land where you will lack nothing. Praise the Lord for the good land. Do not forget the Lord or stop following His commandments. Do not become proud. Remember the Lord who provided this, gave you the ability to do this – produce wealth . Remember the Lord, your God, or face destruction.”
I meditated on this Word every day for the next week or so when I received a sizable amount of money that I was not expecting. I was totally shocked! What was I going to do with this money? I wanted a fence. I wanted a shed. I wanted a new car. (almost NEEDED a new car). But, I knew I needed to be sacrificial with the money.
After giving money to some needs in my family, I also wrote Rob (remember Rob….my pastor at the new church?) to let him know that I was going to be giving a ‘chunk of change’ to my church. Didn’t care what it went to, as I trusted him and our board, but I just felt led that day at that exact moment to let him know..as it was about a month later. I felt like there was more to the story. God was up to something! Because I was overwhelmed with the need to e-mail Robby on that Thursday even though it was his day off.
Rob e-mailed the next day following a church planning meeting. Later, at Starbucks, Rob shared that there had been a struggle between a list of projects/ministries they felt we were being led to do in 2006 and the budget…the fine line between faith and using the common sense that God gave us. God has used me (and Kevin…and Steve…and the provider of the money) to send a message to our church leadership….not that my money would solve the problem because it wasn’t THAT much!!!…but, to let them know that God would provide and to walk in faith.
When you take God seriously in your life…as a living sacrifice…He will use you. Hold on!!! Praise the Lord! As my friend Marcus taught me…”Hold my rope while I shout!”-Shirley Ceasar. My encouragement to you….when you take God seriously and read and meditate on the Word, expect God to use you….and be obedient to that which he asks – be ready! I often wonder…did these moments happen in the past? Did I miss them? How many God-moments had I missed in my life? How many times had I ignored what He asked me to do? What would have happened if at any point one of us didn’t do what He asked us to do?
Lord…forgive me for the many God-moments I have missed and for the many times that I haven’t been obedient!
Friends, co-workers, strangers, etc…forgive me…for not always being obedient to what God has asked me to do.
I pray that He will give me another chance to be obedient again…for each time I have missed. And I pray…that I don’t miss them again.
The Chair
Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 Filed under: 2k5 and before, Louis and Me! | Tags: Jesus, Lent, mission, missionary, Northside Missional Community, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban Comments Off on The Chair
Psalms 119
1. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Hold on? What does ‘hold on’ mean in your spiritual life? For your safety….hold on means…reading the Bible, praying, and surrounding yourself with people who are going to love, support and hold you accountable. I knew I was going to need to ‘hold on’ when the neighborhood kids descended on my new home the FIRST weekend that I moved in.
Anthony (who quickly elevated me to ‘white mama’ status) was the first kid I met. From the middle of the intersection……at my ELEVATED CORNER LOT…Anthony and some of his friends (all boys!) were riding their bikes. Anthony’s first words were ’Howdy Neighbor! Welcome to the Neighborhood!’ Then….he wanted to know if I had any kids that could come out and play. He looked completely dejected when I told him that I didn’t. But, the disappointment didn’t last long, when I shared with him that I could make a ‘mean’ cookie! When the kids came a’ knockin’ 30 minutes later, I was forced into baking some that night. It was awesome! Since that time, many of the neighborhood kids hang at “Miss Marti’s House” causing me to ‘hold on’ more than ever before! You will hear much more about Miss Marti’s Kids in future posts. They all totally ROCK!!!
As part of moving into the house where I had so much more room, I wanted a chair…a space….dedicated to reading the Word and spending quiet time with the Lord. I moved in mid-August and had that space by mid September. As I began to take my quiet time with the Lord more and more seriously, the Lord was revealing more and more to me…about Him…and about me. I spent every morning in that chair…sometimes it was just a minute or 2, sometimes it was 30! Regardless, I knew it had to become a discipline…a habit. Not just a ‘crash course’ to prepare for my Tuesday Night Bible study.
In December of 2005, I was reading John. It’s awesome how God works. We got an early snow. I went outside to start the car…’to let it warm up’ and was too lazy to go back upstairs to ‘the chair’. So, I sat downstairs and flipped through another Bible to find where I left off and read John… where Jesus speaks about praying in His name. The next day…I am pulled to that same verse again. For the first time…I prayed about my singleness in Jesus name. I told the Lord…”just throw me a bone…give me a sign. If you plan on me getting married one day…just throw me a bone. Let me know you haven’t forgotten about me.”
My friend Riste said….after hearing the rest of this short story… “imagine what He would have done if you had asked for the man…instead of the bone?!??!?”
Missional Community 02.22.2010
Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 Filed under: 2k10 | Tags: Bible, eat, Jesus, mission, Northside Missional Community, pray, Richmond, serve, Southern Barton Heights, Urban Comments Off on Missional Community 02.22.2010
On the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month…there are a group of us that meet together to fellowship, study the Word (Bible), and pray. In addition, we are also on Mission with Jesus to serve the Southern Barton Heights community…like games at National Night Out. We call our group a Missional Community. You are welcome to join us! We meet from 6:30-8:30p ET. We meet tomorrow…02.22.2010. We will have lasgana…and whatever sides folks bring! Pics are from 2009 National Night Out @ Cannon Creek.
our house…is a very very very fine house…
Posted: Saturday, February 20, 2010 Filed under: 2k5 and before | Tags: Commonwealth Chapel, Jesus, Lent, marriage, mission, Northside Missional Community, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban 2 Comments
…as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.
Joshua 25:14
So…we walked the few blocks to the address… This is what I found! THE house…God’s House…the color, the existing neighborhood, the floor plan…and the bonus GWP (gift with purchase). It wasn’t just a corner lot….but an ELEVATED corner lot. (For those of you who live in the city…or on a corner…you know how desirable it is to have an ELEVATED corner lot!!!) Needless to say, God wasn’t messing around! I put the down payment on the house that very day! The Lord had gotten my attention.
There were sooo many details that led to this moment. I have so many people to thank! Specifically…Marc…wow….what would I have done without him!?!? He was a new co-worker that I had prayed into my life that year…and he would go with me at all times of day and night into the neighborhood…encouraging me and praying with and for me! Reminding me…that God has my back…that I COULD in fact do this. That I was being called. I thank God for friends who encourage and pray!!!
Time went by quickly, but it seemed like it was forever. God was on the move…that is for sure. During the time between putting the contract on the house and moving in…I changed churches. For close to a year, God had been preparing me for a move that I didn’t know I was going to make. I had been fully involved in a large church in the West End of Richmond, although I had lived in the city of Richmond, not in suburbia for years. I had been feeling a bit restless. Looking back at it, God prepared me mentally and spiritually for this change. Slowly, the Lord pulled me out of most of my volunteer responsibilities. By the time that Rob Rhoden made the announcement that he was moving to Commonwealth Chapel (an inner-city church) as the pastor, I was ready to go. There was really nothing to hold me back. No transition of anything. It was amazing!
For the first time, I walked into church that first day, and Sister Chappell greeted me at the door. I felt right at home! You see, my grandmother (Mom’s mom) was one of the founding members of Bethel Assembly of God, now known as Commonwealth Chapel. My grandmother died when I was just 2 years old. Sister Chappell remembered “Holzbach”, as people called my grandmother back then. On a side note, Mom was baptized in water and the Holy Spirit as a child in that building. Mom and Dad and my Uncle and his wife all got married at Bethel. Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2007. It was like coming home.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!! More on this later….but 51+ years later, I also got married in that church. But, I am getting ahead of myself!
I found 2 homes the year of 2005. My church home….and my new home. I remember sitting on the front porch with Justin – one of my youth kids (then, college kid…now college grad…about to get married!!!!) that I had shared life with for several years. Wondering why I wasn’t more excited about moving into the new house…why it didn’t seem more surreal. He wisely responded, “Because it’s right. God wanted you here.” God brought me to Commonwealth Chapel and to Southern Barton Heights. Why? I wasn’t sure….but, I would soon find out.
I always considered my house…God’s house…not mine. It’s amazing what will happen when you not only dedicate your life…but your house, your job, your whatever to the Lord. He will use it! Be sure that your seat belts are buckled and your lap trays are in the upright position. Keep your hands and arms inside the ride.
In other words….Hold on! You are in for the ride of your life.
Miss Marti's House 
