The first Action Day of 2015 was Jan. 31st, yesterday. Action Day is where anyone can come and help make the Brentwood cleaner, either by mowing lawns, picking up trash, and sometimes both. Nine of us walked on over to the Nutritional Garden to help Mr. Ron with whatever he needed help with for this particular Action Day. We showed up and saw the above. What's in the black buckets you ask? That would be a mixture of dirt and poop. What kind of poop? Well, when you have the hookups like Mr. Ron, you can get all the free elephant and rhinoceros poop you need from the Jacksonville Zoo. Luckily it had been sitting in compost for over a year so the smell wasn't quite as fresh. Our task for the morning was to redistribute this...stuff into the different plant beds. It was quite a bit of work, but it was great to see something considered "waste" to help in the growth of many fruits and vegetables to come.
 |
| Diallo getting creative with spray paint |
In anticipation of Action Day, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to invite some of my younger friends. I invited Diallo and his older brother Shavez, as well as Ferrell. Diallo and Ferrell would compete to see who could carry the heaviest load of manure on the dolly. They did a great job. Afterwards, I invited them over to my house where we ate pizza, had a Nerf gun war, played some Sega Genesis, and got creative with some spray paint. It was a ton of fun! They seem to have an endless supply of energy. Despite loving to have fun, it was also a ton of work to keep up with them.
 |
| Diallo and Ferrell. It's about to go down! |
Recently, 2nd Mile staff members have been reading "The Master Plan of Evangelism" by Dr. Robert E. Coleman. This is a book about how Jesus discipled his disciples. It explains his intentionality, his methods, his plan to teach on the Kingdom and have it shared to every tongue and every nation. Not only does it teach on how Jesus discipled, but it also shows how Christians today should disciple. From growing up in the church, I'd say this fundamental concept of discipling was often neglected and difficult to find in action. Church to me was a bunch of believers coming together to sing songs, listening to a message, giving a little money, and going home. In the past few years, I've repeatedly been asked these two questions by pastors, books, friends, etc. "Who is discipling you?" and "Who are you discipling?" I couldn't answer either of these questions.
I'm not trying to put any judgment on you, but I just want to ask you two simple questions. If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, that relationship and knowledge shouldn't go with you to the grave. Who is discipling you? (And I don't think you can count the pastor you hear every Sunday from a distance) Who are you sharing the love of Christ with? We should be a reflection of Christ. These disciples of ours are not following us but rather, Jesus. I still don't know how to answer these questions myself, but in the past couple months it's becoming a little more clear who I should be investing time and life into, and those people include the above. Please pray with me as I figure out the answer to the other question. It's one thing to be intentional to seek out people to disciple, but for me it's another thing to seek out someone to disciple me. I'm not picky, probably just prideful/shy. Weird combination I know.
If you couldn't answer those two questions, just think about family, friends, coworkers, neighbors that you already interact with regularly. Perhaps God wants you to build that relationship so you can tell them the good news that Jesus is alive and wash every single one of your sins away.
 |
| Agel trying to karate-chop a stone bench |
This is Agel (pronounced like "Angel" but without the "n"). He's in 2nd grade and this is the first year I've known him. His mom wants him to be around older guys as a role model. I'm hoping that I can take him to the park every once in a while. He's very active, sometimes doesn't know when to stop playing and running around, but he's fun. He gets on some of the other students' nerves sometimes. He isn't doing well in school. He's gotten into some fights this year but he has more of a joyful heart rather than a mean one. Please pray that our relationship with this family continues, as it's unknown when or if they'll move due to financial reasons. Agel is 9 but is still in the 2nd grade. Also in the 2nd grade with him is his younger sister Amaria who also is struggling academically. She sometimes talks like an adult and can have a sassy attitude, but she can also be very kind and sweet and giggly. Keep them in your prayers. Pray that we'd find smart ways to help them improve both behavior as well as their grades. Pray they learn more about who their maker is. Their family is bouncing around the idea of going to church, but with two more small children (four total), I understand the struggle.
Blog post #100!!!!
