As the page turns from 2013 to 2014, I’m reminded of some great memories from the past twelve months and one of the best surprises I’ve experienced in a long, long time. It was a cold February day and I was – to put it mildly – a bit stressed. I was reeling from a week full of meetings, while staring down the barrel of two back-to-back weeks of intense professional training. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself about my schedule, and was looking for ways to thin out my battery of appointments.
In the midst of my personal pity party, though, I received an invitation from Dana Ortiz to visit the Family Promise day center and I felt compelled to do both – more out of a sense of leadership responsibility than genuine “desire”. You see, our church had been involved with FP for quite some time, but I had never personally engaged and I was feeling like I should accept the invitation, even if I didn’t particularly want to. Even as I parked my car and prepared to meet Dana, I knew my heart wasn’t in a great spot, so I paused to pray, asking for God’s mercy for my bad attitude (and for grace to help me finish Sunday’s message prep once the meeting wrapped up.)
Less than an hour later, though, I sat in Dana’s office with tears streaming down my face as I prayed for Family Promise, completely overwhelmed with a sense of God’s compassion for their team and the families they exist to serve. So what caused the change? The only I way I know how to put it is this: God surprised me there that day, and He was kind enough to let me experience a small piece of His heart for Family Promise. It was an incredible gift, one I’m continually grateful for.
Since that day, our church family has expanded our financial investment in FP, and is dreaming of ways we can more tangibly interact with the families they serve throughout the year. Over Christmas we had a “giving tree” in our lobby before and after services, allowing everyone at Vintage to join in blessing FP families during the holidays. The Godsey family also had the privilege of getting to know a single mom and her daughter as we partnered with Jesus to bless them in some basic, tangible ways during the Christmas season.
As we start leaning in to 2014, our family – and our church family – is already dreaming of ways we can further partner with God as He expresses His heart of compassion and generosity towards the ministry Dana and her team are engaged in. And all because God was kind enough to meet me in the midst of my immaturity and weakness, to turn my perspective away from myself, and to invite my heart to beat with love for something He loves and was already doing in the midst of our city: blessing the people and ministry of Family Promise.
I’m convinced of a number of things in my life. I’m convinced I married way over my head and have an incredible wife and son. I’m convinced I serve with one of the finest church leadership teams around, leading one of the greatest expressions of the local church we’ve ever experienced.
And I am convinced – beyond the shadow of a doubt – that God loves the people of our city, and that He specifically loves the ministry of Family Promise. I am unspeakably grateful for the chance to partner with Him – and them – as they make His love known in tangible, practical ways, and I encourage you to seek His face and pursue His heart for how your family might further engage with Family Promise in the months ahead.