Extreme Heart Makeover March 24, 2009

Every Sunday night our family makes some popcorn and we watch Extreme Home Makeover. It’s a great family show, and we really love it. I must say though, that by the time it is over – I am usually an emotional wreck. There are times that I am almost SOBBING.  My family makes fun of me, but I just can’t help it. (Sometimes I think – why do I watch a show that makes me bawl…..but it is GOOD to cry sometimes!)

Every week I am struck by these amazing stories of people that are making a change in their world. Huge massive changes. One week there was a lady who recognized that there were children starving just over the border in Mexico – so she started a feeding program – feeding 1000 kids a week. Making the food herself in her small kitchen. Giving her own furniture away. This week there was a little girl who has a rare blood disease, and instead of becoming a victim – she has become an ambassador for the Red Cross – campaigning for blood donations across the United States. Week after week, stories of ordinary people – doing incredible things. It really inspires me, and sometimes it also makes me feel like there is so much more that I could be doing in my life. I am so blessed. I have a home, I have food on the table, I have healthy children – so many things to be thankful for. But I don’t want to take that for granted. I want to be aware of the world around me, needs that are in my own little community. Lives that need to be touched by the love of Jesus through simple actions that show love.

I am praying that God will give me eyes to see needs. I am so encouraged by the array of ministries here at CP that are uniquely meeting needs in our community. I think it’s very exciting. I think it’s where God wants us to be.  I want our children’s ministry to catch that vision as well. I want our kids to catch that vision. Look soon for some FAMILY SERVE initiatives that will provide opportunities for children and families to begin serving together. Let’s allow our eyes to be open. I love that we have beautiful buildings, with many resources and fun programs. But it has always been my heart to not just do ministry inside our church walls. Walls can be confining and limiting. Walls can box us in and create a barrier between us and the outside world.  It’s beyond these walls that we need to go. Where we need to pray and ask God to direct us. Where we can be world changers. I know it sounds lofty. But Jesus gave us a great commission. I think he meant it!

I’m praying for an extreme heart makeover in my own life. I’m not satisfied to just go on, business as usual. I want a little messy in my life.  I want to be stretched. I want to be used. I know it’s not all about me, it’s about Jesus. It’s about sharing his love. It’s about seeing Extreme Heart Makeovers all around us.

sc

A mouth to speak kind words March 16, 2009

I have been thinking about words today.  I know that sounds a little strange. But I do love words. One of my collegues here at CP (his name rhymes with rug…) manages to occasionally slip a word into an email of which I have NO idea what it means. It drives me crazy because I thought I was pretty word savvy before I started working here. But I seriously have learned 4 new words. Words I never even knew existed.  My favourite one is effulgent.  It is actually what I want to be.  My new goal (I’m not telling you what it means, you have to look it up yourself)

There is so much power in the spoken word. A few weeks ago at our midweek program, we did an exercise at one of our stations that involved the children each getting a piece of paper with their name on it. Other children then had to write kind words about them on their papers. It was very interesting for me to observe that the younger group just LOVED this activity. It was so cute. I heard things like, “You are SO pretty, You are great at drawing, You have lovely sparkly teeth, I think you are the nicest girl I know, You have the best red hair!”. My heart was warmed as I heard these young ones speaking words of life into each other, and the ones receiving the praise would beam – it’s NICE to hear things that are positive about yourself! It feels good!

Then we switched groups. It was like night and day. My older class sat there very ackwardly. They did not know what to do. It was a struggle to participate and they needed TONS of encouragement on how to encourage. It was a little painful for me to see that it was hard for them to speak kindly to one another. It took effort. There was more pressure. It did not come as easy.

I wondered why that was. I wondered what changed in those couple years of age difference.  I wondered to myself why is it harder to speak words of life as we get older. Maybe our life experiences catch up to us. We are more aware of rejection, we’ve been hurt, we don’t know how people will react. Sometimes we hear so many words that are negative that we struggle when we have to be positive. I think that in the word around us, more often we hear words spoken that hurt rather than heal.

When my son was little, we would pray a special prayer each day before I’d bring him to school. I’d pray that God would give him ears to listen, eyes to see how to be a good friend, and a mouth to speak kind words. I wanted him to be aware that people around him needed encouragement and that he could do that – he could listen, he could be good to others and he could also SPEAK with kindness.  Now that he is older, I still pray that with him and his sister. I want my children to be speakers of life,  in a world where often they unfortunately hear things that I can’t always control.  That is my prayer too for our CP Kidz. They can learn to be speakers of life. I know many of them already are.  Why can’t our children show the love of Jesus through the way they speak to others – they can!  I love Proverbs 16:24. It says, “Pleasant words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” I love to think that word can bring healing. It’s like a sweet medicine, a balm. Repairing and mending.

As I continue my quest for words, I pray that God will allow me to use each day the words I do know to speak his love to others.

sc

Princess March 3, 2009

This past Saturday, Compass Point Kidz hosted our first Princess Tea! What a special day we had. I am a little bit of a princess fanatic. I love frilly pink prettiness and dressing up, and sparkles – all of that stuff. So this day was extra fun for me! Beyond all the sparkle, there was an intentional purpose to the day. We wanted to make our little girls feel special, and we wanted them to be treated like royalty. Some may think encouraging little girls in this way is silly, but as a girl who struggled for many years with self image, and the true meaning of beauty – I think that telling our girls that they are beautiful and loved is a positive thing. I believe that words of life were spoken into their young lives, and my prayer is that in their hearts was also planted a seed that will grow and that they will remember how loved they are by Jesus – their Heavenly Father. He is referred to as the “King of Kings” in the Bible. So really, as his children, as his “daughters” – we really can call ourselves princesses!  The media that our children are exposed to has distored beauty and what that means, many young girls look at that and judge themselves accordingly. I trust that our celebration, made them realize that they are special just the way they are, and that the beauty of the heart is also of great value, and part of being a true princess.  

Thanks to everyone who helped make this event amazing! It was a day I won’t soon forget! Now, off to plan the Boyz Bash….from princesses to lizards……yikes….

Shelly

P.S. To check out some pics and a video from this event, go to www.shellycalcagno.com/Princess_Tea