March 2022 - Created creators

" 'Then God created man in his own image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all creation, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  Genesis 1:26-27

Even in the room I'm sitting now I see the life of man-made things. The wooden table I sit at now was once sent to a furniture store, built in some factory, cut down from a tree that grew in some forest, first created by our Creator. The curtains above our windows were once sent to a store, woven and dyed in some factory, used from some thread from somewhere in nature, first created by our Creator. Our printer, our microwave, the TV, couch, floors, roof, all made, constructed, manufactured, built and bought by man. Thinking about mankind as miniature versions the ultimate builder has been a beautiful thought. Why do we make unless it was in us to make? If we have been made in his image, and he created all things, we too have it in us to create.

I've enjoyed my March at 2nd Mile. Normally we have mission teams from colleges come for their Spring break, which I really do enjoy, but this year we had the year off from college visitors. With no after school program, I took that time to indulge in an alternate life as what I'd imagine an architect or a landscape designer does. We've received a couple grants this year specifically for improving our garden. A couple improvements we are looking to make our updating our old and rotting raised garden beds, creating a walking path with cement pavers, and as well as adding a few unique touches (a grill, a little library, a water fountain). Where these would be placed was up to me and I got to play around with locations best fit for these additions to the garden. It makes me wonder what the Garden of Eden would have looked like at the very beginning. It was probably perfectly planned out, everything in bloom/fruit, no rotting, no death, enough food for all creatures, enough shade when it was hot, enough open space for the sun to shine down. Needless to say, in the upcoming months, we hope to improve not only the functionality of the garden, but also its aesthetics.

Back in early February when the BLOCK Middle School program was painting our picnic table completely white (to be later spray painted), Devaric, an 8th grader, was painting some of the basketball court lines and his mind was working. "We should paint more of the basketball court." Why hadn't I thought of that before? With permission from the church's pastor and a lot of paint, we made plans to execute this vision from this middle school aged young man. Originally, we were going to just paint the lanes one solid color. Not if Devaric could help it. It was great to give him and the others creative freedom (within the boundaries of the "paint", the area under the free throw line). He sprinkled every color of paint we had onto the unusual canvas, like he was a chef adding a little salt and a little pepper to his masterpiece. It's fun to think of how God knitted us in our mother's womb, perhaps with a dash of joy, a pinch of compassion, a sprinkle of wonder. That will be an unbelievable conversation one day. (More pictures are on instagram at block_brentwood.)

Be on the lookout in the future for how we will use our creativity on an even bigger canvas, hopefully in the next couple months. 

Prayer requests (because God responds to us):

-That the relationships being made and built continue to grow towards a love for God and others.

-That all the programs, and fun, and activities would not distract from the importance of knowing God, ourselves, and others.

Praise report:

-We ordered a van!! A huge thank you to anyone who donated over the new year to help us upgrade. Our old 2010 Chevy Express has had many issues in the past few years and a generous donor picked up a big chunk of our remaining costs. Hopefully by June, we will be finally enjoying some working AC in the hot and humid Florida summer.

It will look something like this

February 2022 - Building Bricks

Well, February came and went didn't it? Already March, Jacksonville weather already wanting to act like it's summer, and this school year will be over before you know it. Despite the seemingly speedy month, it was packed with lots of memories. Max turned 5 (we went to Disney), Missi finally got surgery (she is currently recovering according to plan), and students have been getting creative with music and art at 2nd Mile. BLOCK's February verse of the month was Matthew 22:37 which says, "And Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" We learned that we can praise God and show love many different ways, the obvious ways being praying, going to church, and reading the Bible, but also in everything that we do. We can praise God for all the colors, for all the plants and animals and all His creations.

Two:fiftytwo - Out of our closet at home, I brought our dusty unused keyboard to the church. The plugs didn't work, but luckily there was a battery option. After cleaning and installing a bunch of AA batteries, the lights came on, and out came sound. With nearly 200 instrument, rhythm and song options, kids have been requesting to play the keyboard during their free time. Seeing them work out different rhythms and made-up songs reminded me of times I would do that growing up. I often forget how sponge-like these kids' brains are for knowledge and new experiences.

BLOCK - One of my favorite things I've learned to use in the last decade is spray paint. You can get a much brighter, cleaner, and expressive product in a much quicker time frame. I saw street artists knock out quick futuristic outer space paintings effortlessly in 5-10 minutes and my curiosity was peeked. What I love about my job is that there are so many opportunities to not only lean into the things that I love, but I can also pass down those passions to others. Last month, we painted on canvases using tape and acrylics. This month, we painted one of our two picnic tables outside completely white, then followed it up by taping and spray painting it with many vibrant colors. I think the kids may have enjoyed it too much. There were so many layers of spray paint by the end of the evening, but it turned out pretty well. Stay tuned for next month to see how this taping and painting style progresses, as one of our 8th graders got to fulfill a vision he had for our basketball court.

Check out block_brentwood on instagram for more pictures of the completed table.

Open Court - This night is steadily becoming one of my favorite each month, the night that the courtyard lights turn on, and we play. A majority of the people that come are former students at 2nd Mile or people I've seen walking past the church that ask relentlessly about getting to come play. This past month, there were even some unexpected people who showed up to hang out. Braylon, a former after school program student who has moved in recent years, and Challah, a high school senior who also happened to be our flower girl way back in 2014. I'm reminded of the 75th Anniversary of the NBA (of course) and how at the halftime show of the All Star game, the team of the 75 best players in history gathered in one place. Interviews of some of the players afterwards depicted this momentous occasion as "heaven-like" and a culmination of all they have loved and worked towards in their careers. I'm not saying that seeing a few students from the past is exactly like this, but each time I see someone unexpectedly come back through those church doors after many years, there is an incomprehensible joy and sense of purpose in what we are doing in Brentwood. I took many videos of Open Court, but not many pictures, and I am not skilled enough to figure out how to put them on this blog. The only picture I managed to capture was our basketball net obliterated by all the shots made in our pickup games and knockout tournaments. I gotta get a new net. 

Max update - For those who've been along for the ride the past 5 years, I'm happy to share that Max is beginning to willingly try a variety of foods and is eating more quickly and in more abundance. The next step will be counting calories and making sure his weight stays in a good place. Hopefully we can begin to reduce tube feedings before the next school year. Keep him and us in your prayers.

Anticipation of his 1st Disney trip