Many of us are staying at home. We are limited in our movement and venture out to purchase supplies and are taking every precaution. If you are wired like I am you will notice even taking all advice to distance and clean it seems impossible. We clean everything, change gloves, wear masks and have a plan in place to clean every item we bring into our home. I mentioned this to Pattie and stated, “We need God to help us. We need His protection. He is our only hope.” So we’ve been seeking to stay safe the best we can and lean into His promises for He is faithful and true.

A song we have been singing.
You are Faithful and true.
Our eyes are upon you.
You are Faithful and true.
Your promises are true.

Coming up to Passover several of my friends are encouraging us to lean in. Kick up our prayer life.  Change our thinking and our lifestyle. Let go of small things that really in the light of what’s going on mean little.

Paul the Apostle once stated, “Having food and clothing we are content.” In view of all that is happening among the poor and countries who have little food, hygiene, or clean water, we have little to be ungrateful for. We live so much higher than most of the people in our world.

Gratitude is an antidote.

I’ve worked in communities where people are grateful for just having an opportunity to live another day.
One lady I know just finished battling cancer. During her battle she often stated on her Facebook page, “Jesus I thank you for another day.” No complaining just gratitude. It’s interesting she continues to say the same every day. She understands and practices thankfulness. It’s who she is and what flows out of her life.

Taking our advantage of facing every day with gratitude helps us to refocus and to embrace what really matters: our relationship with God, family, and friends.

This season of pause is here for a reason.

I’d encourage you to take advantage of your advantage. Take time to pray, read, worship, ponder and be grateful.

If you have embraced the good news, I’d also encourage you to be a messenger of hope. Pray for those you meet. Offer a listening ear. Figure out how to serve and connect safely with others. Your neighbors, friends and your family need to hear from you. Make that call. Offer assistance to the poor. Give to your church and missionaries.

Thanks for your prayers and continued support.

Steve and Pattie

Filling Station Young Mom…
A few years ago I went with a friend to meet some leaders in Cincinnati. We pulled into a filling station to get gas and the clean the wind-shield. While my pal went in to grab some water I noticed a young woman with two kids pull up in a red car…

As soon as she pulled in I had an impression that I was supposed to buy her a tank of gas. While deciding what to do… I watched as she pulled a five dollar note out of her purse, stare at the bill and go inside to buy gas.

I waited and noticed she put 3 dollars into the tank and the pump turned off. I got out of the truck walked over ran my card through the machine and said, ‘I think you need a full tank of gas tonight.’

She smiled. I asked her name and the ages of the kids then asked, ‘Are you working?’ She replied, ‘I’m an accountant and I lost my job yesterday.’

We continued to talk until the tank was filled up.

I then asked, ‘Would it be ok if I prayed for you?’ She said, ‘Yes.’

I prayed a specific prayer for her and her kids asking God to give her favor; that she’d find work soon; that His peace would flood her heart and life; that she would be provided for. I shook her hand and thanked her for allowing me to pray for her.

Target…She’s everywhere.
A friend, was at Target and noticed a
lady…he walked to another department and there she was again…

he took notice…then he went to another department and yep there she was… he went to one more place in the store and there she was again…

When he finished shopping he went to the check out. Guess who was standing behind him?…the lady.

After paying for his stuff he waited until she was finished… He then began a conversation…

‘I know this might sound strange but I noticed you everywhere I went in the store. I felt like there is something going on in your life at the moment.’

Although startled she replied, ‘My son is not doing well at the moment and I’m concerned for him.’ Caleb,’ I’m a believer would it be ok if I prayed for you.‘ She of course said yes and was visibly touched by the encounter.

This is how God space is created. Being open for God’s leading, and acting on what you notice. Prayer is the connection point…the place where God things can happen.

Jesus had an amazing ability to see others differently…

He noticed people:

• A woman at a well had huge potential…She was curious, open, inquisitive, knowledgeable and was a woman of influence.
• A guy in a tree
• A guy under a tree
• Fishermen who would later fish differently
• A tax Collector
• A woman who needed forgiveness
• Lepers
• A man sitting by a pool
• A dead son needing to made alive again
• People at a party
• People needing healing

He had an amazing ability to see others through His Fathers eyes.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Eyesight has everything to do with insight. Doug Pollock author of God Space.

Inward-focused vs outward-focused
The natural tendency of the human heart is to turn inward…

When under pressure all people have a tendency to turn inward, instead of upward, and outward. Being self-centered is a sure way to side-track our ability to create God space.

If we see only our selves… we become blind to the needs of others. My friend Doug Pollock calls this near sightedness ‘my-opia’.

I was addicted to myself. All I thought about was myself. The only thing I really cared about was myself. I had very little concept of love, altruism, or sacrifice. I discovered my mind is like a radio that picks up only one station, the one that plays me: K-don, all don, all the time.
donald miller blue like jazz

If we are honest at some point we all have radio stations tuned to our station. We need retuning. And we need to view life through a different lense.

Clues How to Notice What’s Going On?:

• Become aware…aware of God, aware of others

it’s easy to miss something you are not looking for.

• Slow down…

Slow down, you move to fast got to make the morning last. Young Rascals.

Our fast paced task orientated lifestyle prevent us from being aware of others. I’m convinced we miss every day opportunities to serve others because we rush through life.

Practicing slowing down on the inside, while everything is racing on the outside is a skill that can be developed.

• Put on Jesus Glasses…

We all view life through a lense…our back ground, upbringing, culture, country of residence, and our e:experience shape our world view.

In order to create God space we have to begin to live life and to view life differently. Just as Jesus viewed the world through His Fathers eyes… so too we need to view our world through the eyes of Jesus.
What do you see?
Does your seeing move you to action?

• Make everyday an adventure…Watch Everyday Dave Matthew’s Band

It’s easy to miss something you are not looking for.

• Take Risks… this is part of the adventure… Noticing need + Listening for God prompts + Action (meeting the need or offering prayer) = Adventure

#DoesYourChurchHaveMoreThanSocialMedia

#Whatareyoudoing?

 con·sist·en·cy:

the steadfast adherence to the same principles, or set course, day in and day out, week in and week out and year in and year out.

Creating your community awareness of who you are means your team is determined to be in your community in every season. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Galatians 6:9 NIV
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I’m reminded of the movie Galaxy Quest. The Captain always stated, “Never surrender, Never give up.“

“I’ve read many books concerning effective evangelism. Every book I’ve read points to one important aspect… consistency.

David Wilkerson in NY was always there…going out into the community, talking with people, encouraging seekers, and taking risks.

Floyd McClung living in Amsterdam was there day by day, having conversations with people on the Hippy Trail, breaking down barriers, building bridges.

Billy Graham really didn’t ever change… His messages were simple, direct to the point month by month year by year.

Loren Cunningham mobilizes the youth in our generation into their world, encouraging young people to pray, believe, to serve, and to care.

Steve Sjogren learned to serve his community by going and serving. He understands and lives the value of being out there with small acts of kindness consistently.

Mike Pilivochi and Soul Survivor in the UK serve, worship and share the good news, impacting thousands in Manchester, and London with Soul in the City.

Bethel Church in Redding California is known as a church who loves and serves by their community. Wisdom: Power To Change The World …a great must-read book.

How do you know your church has impacted a community?

Answer: People of your community begin to define your church in a positive manner. Hint: we are all already defined by our community, both positively and negatively. 
The good news! We have a major role to play in creating how we are perceived by our communities.

Questions to ask?

How do you define your church?
 We are the church who (fill in the blank)______________________________________________.

If you want to know how your community defines your church you will have to go into your community and ask:

When you hear the name of this church (say the name of your church) what comes to your mind?”

What have you heard?

When I was living in a city in Florida I worked for a church that no longer existed.

Christians often define themselves by what they say they believe, and what they say they value. In actuality, our communities where we live often define us much better than we define ourselves. They define us by what they see us do, not only by what we say we value and believe.

I once served a church where the community didn’t know we existed. Yup!
Often, I would meet someone during outreach and in the midst of the conversation I’d mention our church’s name and they would say, “I thought you no longer existed.” This was not encouraging to the person who was hired to turn the church outward.

The church was in an existence mode and was enduring a season of hardship. We had no budget to speak of. Many people left, and we had done little outreach into the community.

At the same time, an amazing leader Buford Lipscomb and his family were steering the church out of recovery mode and into their future as an Oasis of Hope and Love.

I later moved north for another assignment. I have been tracking how they have been doing. Liberty Church in Pensacola has an amazing story. They are now in five locations and growing. It’s a great church. The people they’ve gathered are loving, serving, and faith-filled. The leadership is smart, sharp and clearly has a heart for their city. They are now well known throughout their community. They are marked by their sense of family, and for their love, care and service for their community.

When I worked at the Dayton Vineyard I lost my phone. I went to my phone provider with an old phone to activate. I was asked, “What business name is your phone under?” I said, “the Dayton Vineyard“. The lady standing next to me exclaimed: “Oh you’re that pretty good church that serves the community! I’ve heard about what you guys’ do!” I asked, “What have you heard?” She then told me about the positive things she and others have heard and seen us do. Humbly, but joyfully I replied, “Yep that’s us, we’re just pretty good.”

I walked away encouraged. I thought, “It really does work. What you sow you will reap.”

How does this happen? It’s simple. Years of hard work, sowing, caring, praying, going, being out there in season and out of season. We were consistent. Our consistency redefined church too much of our community. People came to see. As a result, many people become Christ-followers as they heard our messages and observed The Vineyard’s lifestyle. I remember the time we baptized ninety people on one Sunday!

We also knew we needed God’s favor to be upon our lives and upon what we were doing. We consistently asked Jesus to place His favor upon us as a church.

God’s Favor is what empowered Daniel, Esther, Joseph, and Jesus to impact their world. In fact, the early church ‘had the favor of all the people’ … Jesus ‘grew in favor with God and man.’

How do you gain favor?
1. You ask for it? It’s a gift that increases with proven character…and sometimes even stays with people who have bad character…the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.

Samson was a bad character but was a ‘having God’s favor’ – kind of guy.

In his last season of life, He stood up as before but didn’t realize God’s grace for battle had vanished. Realizing he was left alone he turned toward God and asked for strength for just one more exploit.

Favor brought Daniel, Joseph, Esther, Jesus before Kings, shut mouths of lions, delivered men out of prison, spared a race of people, and received a crucified risen Savior…all because of God’s favor.

2. You serve where you are, with what you have, while you can. A simple word study on the phrase good deeds is pretty revealing, especially in the pastoral epistles.

 1 Timothy 6:18 NIV Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (The epistles were written as instructions for local church leaders Timothy and Titus.)

3. Serve with the attitude of Christ. see Philippians Chapter 2. True humility, embracing genuine love, a having great attitude, and a servant’s heart.

Jesus said, don’t hide your light under a bushel basket but let your light shine in such a way so that when they see your good deeds they will glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Peter said, let your good deeds shine in such a way that they will glorify God on the day of His visitation.

So what is visibility evangelism?

It’s consistently showering your community with good deeds done in the name of Jesus.

It’s living consistently within the love and grace that God provides.

It’s being out in the community, day in day out, moment by moment serving, loving and caring.

It’s being wise how you answer every person who talks to you about the hope you have.

There’s no great secret why serving churches are energized, thriving, and growing. It’s simple: someone is praying, someone is serving, someone is loving, someone is caring, and someone is going out into the community sharing God’s love with the people in their sphere of influence in a practical way… consistently.

Kindness-to-Go: Relational and Connective.

Kindness-to-Go: Relational and Connective.

Kindness-to-Go encourages outward-focused-ness to flow from a congregation, a seminar or a conference.

Description of kindness:—noun


1. the state or quality of being kind.


2. a kind act.


3. favor: his many kindnesses to me.


4. kind behavior: I will never forget your kindness.


5. friendly feeling; liking.

Kindness-to-Go Outcomes: 
Small simple acts of kindness bring the giver and the receiver of the act of kindness into a relationally connective experience.

Len Sweet uses this communication filter E.P.I.C. to encourage leaders to develop sensory elements (see, taste, smell, hear and feel) when communicating with not-yet-believers.

EPIC Filter/Grid: Experiential, Participatory, Image-Based and Connective.
Kindness-to-go incorporates all of the filters.

I ask the question before every outreach,”Does this outreach contain E.P.I.C. components?“

• Experiential: Is there a positive experience exchanged? 
Yes, the giver experiences an emotional, spiritual lift when giving or serving someone. The person receiving the small gift or an act of service experiences kindness and love.

The experience is heightened by adding a prayer component. Praying with a person is both a spiritual and an emotional experience for the person praying and the person receiving prayer.

A kind act, done with great love, enables both the giver and the receiver to experience a positive touch of God’s love.

If the kindness is an offered drink or food, the receiver receives the gift, and experiences the pleasure of eating and/or drinking. This reinforces the positive experience in the memory/feeling part of a persons being.
A relational experience also flows through a positive personal conversation and connection.

• Participatory: Are the giver and receiver participating? 
Yes, the giver gathers, serves and gives; the receiver receives the gift or the act of service. Dialogue, encouragement and grace touches both the giver and receiver.

• Image-Based: Is there a positive image connected to the small gift or act of service?
 Yes, the image may be an item: a connect card, a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, a gift bag, a granola bar etc. The caring serving person is also part of the positive image.

The image seeing someone serving another human with no strings attached is powerful. The kind acts often remain embedded within a person’s memory.

Definition of kindness: kind behavior: I will never forget your kindness.

• Connective: Is there a positive connective act that relationally connects the heart to the giver and the receiver?
 Yes, the positive connection intensifies as conversation develop and authentic love flows.

Small things done with great love will change the world. Sjogren.

Good deeds create good will that opens hearts to the Good News. Rusaw

There is also a spiritual dimension of an intentional act of kindness.
When we join Heaven’s kind intention toward the people the Father loves, the Holy Spirit bears witness to our kind acts/good deeds.

A spiritual seed is placed within the heart of those serving and those receiving.*see article at the end.

(See Ephesians 1 NASB and Titus 3 NASB.)

• Kindness-to-Go Practice / Experience:

People quickly pick up items to be shared with others after a church service, a conference session, or a seminar.

They read or listen to simple instructions.

They then go and do.

Example Gift Bags:


People pick up gift bags and go.
They give the bag and the connect-card as a positive intentional act of kindness to restaurant workers, servers at drive-thru eateries, grocery store check out people. Some take the gift bags to hospitals, or to their work, or to an office where they are relationally known. i.e. Their doctors office. etc.

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Why Acts of Kindness Matter to Your Wellbeing

Article below by Sandra Ciminelli; Cred. Dip.Couns.(Chris6an) Sources: David R Hamilton, PhD., ‘The Five Side Effects of Kindness‘ (Hay House,
February 2017).Random Acts Of Kindness/The Science of Kindness

Making others feel good through an act of kindness can be really rewarding by making us feel great about our actions for doing the right thing. Practicing kindness also has a profound effect our own mental & physiological health, helping us to become happier and compassionate towards others. Being kind to others has been known to help boost our own immune system, slow down aging, elevate our self esteem and improve blood pressure.

Both practicing and witnessing acts of kindness can help reduce blood pressure by producing oxytocin, known as the ‘love hormone.’ Oxytocin causes the release of nitric acid in the blood vessels which effectively expands the blood vessels thus reducing blood pressure.’ Self-esteem, a better outlook on life (optimism) and a healthy heart are said to be the benefits of kindness. But it doesn’t stop there. Kindness has a positive effect on others that spreads.

Kindness is Contagious

Experiencing an act of kindness can improve our mood, it can make our day and increase the likelihood of spreading kindness to others.

Exercise / Practice Kindness
“It’s kind of like weight training, we found that people can actually build up their compassion ‘muscle’ and respond to others’ suffering with care and a desire to help.” Dr. Ritchie Davidson, University of Wisconsin.

You can’t win a person over with hatred or indifference
“Kindness makes a person attractive. If you could win the world, melt it, do not hammer it.”  Alexander McClaren

HERE IS A LIST ON THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF KINDNESS ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH
• Pain – kindness releases endorphins in the brain. It’s a natural painkiller.
• Stress – kind people age slower and have lower stress than the average person.
• Anxiety & Depression – kindness improves mood, depression and anxiety. Kindness stimulates the production of serotonin which heals wounds, calms and increases happiness.
• Blood Pressure – kindness helps release oxytocin, a ‘cardio protective’ hormone that releases another chemical called ‘nitric oxide in the body that dilates blood vessel, thus reducing blood pressure.
• Pleasure – elevated levels of dopamine in the brain causes pleasure/reward centers to light up. This is known as the ‘helpers high.’
• Self-Worth – kindness can make us not just feel good about ourselves, but begin to believe in ourselves, increasing our self-worth.
• Relationships – kindness helps improve relationships by reducing the distance between individuals.

God wants us to be kind to one another, be good Samaritans and help the less fortunate.
God in his infinite wisdom, love and kindness presented mankind with salvation. The ultimate act of kindness was the death of Jesus Christ giving himself up for us. Not because of our own righteousness but by the
mercy of God.

“The kind intention of his will.” Eph. 1

“When the Kindness of God appeared…” Titus 3:4-5 “Be kind to one
another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Sandra Ciminelli; Cred. Dip.Couns.(Chris6an) Sources: David R Hamilton, PhD., ‘The Five Side Effects of Kindness‘ (Hay House,
February 2017).Random Acts Of Kindness/The Science of Kindness