Partnerships

I love how Solomon portrays his life experience through the book of Ecclesiastes. He has experienced the height of success in having become the wealthiest person on the face of the earth and also one who has gotten everything he ever wanted. He discovers that having 1,000 wives or mistresses isn’t the best way to live, but his lifestyle would be applauded by most in today’s society!

I love how Solomon paints a picture of how bringing a couple or a group creates a strong bond, rope that is comprised of many strands, that is more capable of doing work. He most likely is referring to the strength that exists between a husband and a wife when it comes to facing life circumstances. The challenge for many today is that we live in a very individualistic society where it becomes more and more difficult to have real friends, people that will be there when you crash and burn and a real sense of having a home or safe haven.

What is exciting me about the work that we are doing in our South Phoenix neighborhood are the real partnerships that God is bringing through many different avenues. I am thrilled to have the City’s help in what we do. Last month the City provided a clean up trailer that had all of the tools and equipment for doing serious neighborhood cleanup. I am spoiled to have a couple of contractors that have provided most of our paint. This has enabled us to paint 50 houses in the last four years and brought over 1200 volunteers to help make a difference. As I build more friendships they become partnerships, which impact lives on both sides of our families and volunteers.

The reality is that there are only a few who share similar passions in my neighborhood for doing community work with a servant’s mindset. So I am so blessed to do a Community Service day with Tim and the Rio Vista Center and Linda with First Pentecostal in January. Looking back it was only a month ago that 150 Grand Canyon students helped do some great work in our neighborhood. Last night we had 40 students with over 15 adult tutors at the South Mountain Community Center.

I had breakfast with a good friend who I don’t see very often. It struck me as we talked, listened and shared our stories how incredibly blessed I am to have so many friends who are involved in neighborhood transformation! We are helping one of our painting grandmas, who has serious health issues and just had a granddaughter take advantage of her. It will take a month and many hours of working with a banker to get her finances back on track because of the selfishness of a relative.

I think of the friendships we have with our kids and teens. I know that not everyone is capable of hanging around teens regardless of their background. I am overwhelmed as one of our little ones comes running to me and gives me a hug or jumps into my arms. I also have a better understanding of the impact of sin in a person’s life. Too many of our families have suffered real tragedy. I think of a few sisters whose mom died because of driving while totally wasted. The mom wasn’t really thinking about the impact of her choice to drive while on drugs and what it would do to her daughters who range in age from 5 to 15.

I am so thankful that God has placed us next to many so we can be family and share both in the joys of life and also the heartache.