dates and details

here are the notes from the other night...if there's no input, i'll assume we're good to go...

this friday - yummies at the clontz's (more to come)

thurs 4.5 - maundy thursday @ the crockett's [6:30- 7:30]...if you would like to help let me know

fri 4.6 - good friday @ clontz's...read [matt 26:36 - 27:66, mark 14:32 - 16, luke 22:39-23, john 18-19] and we'll discuss

fri 4.13 - study @ the clontz's...read & discuss matthew 28 & mark 16 [faciliated by the heltons]

fri 4.20 - study @ clontz's...read & discuss luke 24 & john 20 [facilitated by the dawsons]

fri 4. 27 - open friday...go out, invite in...we'll discuss later

ri 5.4 - read & discuss james 1 [facilitated by the clontzs]

fri 5.11 - read & discuss james 2-3 [facilitated by the thornbrughs]

fri 5.18 - read & discuss james 4-5 [faciliated by the crocketts]

Fri 5.25...memorial day weekend...let's PLAY!!!!!

let the continued discussion about exiles thrive here on the blog as desired...!!

MORE THAN SHAPING YOUNG MINDS

When our community, Haverim, gathered and discussed where we thought God was leading us, it was interesting and exciting to learn that though we are all SO different, it was unanimous that our marriages, our families as a unit and our kids were all number one priority! One of the ways we decided as a group to place higher focus on our children was to mentor each others children. When I have told people outside our “immediate” community about this they always think it is so cool. Having been a mentor before, I understand the benefits and necessity of kids having a Godly role model OTHER than their parents in their lives, but as I have pondered what we have undertaken here I cannot help but just praise God for this unique opportunity!

Being a mentor to a child through a church or a non-Christian based program has so many wonderful things to offer kids, especially kids who have a difficult home life. The value of these programs is, truthfully, priceless! However, as I have been thinking about our situation, talking to the people active in our Haverim community and seeking God’s face on how to guide this endeavor, I am completely blown away by the “uniqueness” and the incredible opportunity to have SIGNIFICANT impact on people’s lives.

Unlike the many church and community programs out there, we have greater potential to grow deeper, richer and more transparent relationships not only with the child we mentor, but with their family. The higher potential in that lies in the commitment we have made to each other as a group. Regardless of our individual issues, the baggage we carry and all the little annoying habits we have, we have vowed to stick with each other through thick and thin. Some of us may be “higher maintenance” than others, but that is ok because we genuinely LOVE each other and are learning to look beyond the issues and love the child of God that each of us is! The coolest part of this is that this love carries over into every single member of this community, regardless of age. We have the potential to develop ties that are as tight, or for some of us, tighter than blood!

With this potential in mind and the fact that our Haverim community has taken such great strides in building deep, honest and unconditional love bonds for each other, the vision I see for our kids is truly astounding! Not only will our children learn by example and participation about how to develop meaningful relationships with good, solid communication, but they are being embraced by a whole community of people who care deeply about every aspect of their lives AND their families lives. Our children will get the amazing benefits of having a mentor, but as a bonus, they are getting an entire community of people who want to see each one of them grow into confident, bold followers of Christ and amazing human beings. You cannot put a price tag on that!

I don’t know exactly where God is taking this Haverim community or how mentoring each others children will actually work out, but the POTENTAL is endless. I, personally, am excited about what God has dropped in our laps. I am eager to pour everything I have to offer into my own children, my mentee (Amanda) and ALL the children who make up our Haverim community. We are growing this new generation in a unique way; at least in a way I have never heard of before! I think if we continue to seek God’s face, continue to be fully dedicated to our families and each other, we are going to see God move in this community; both adults and kids! Thank you Lord!

CLEAN WINDOWS!

Today I spent a good 2-2 1/2 hours cleaning the windows in the front part of my house. I have 12 windows just in the living area of my home. This window pictured is 1 of 8 huge picture windows that give a panoramic view of the back part of our property and the surrounding countryside. The view is gorgeous....when the windows are clean!

I truly do not clean my windows unless we are having a large fellowship or someone is visiting who has not seen my house before! I HATE cleaning my windows, as you might imagine, simply because it takes me 2-3 hours to do JUST the front area of my house! I still have 10 other windows throughout my house that I have not touched yet because the front part of the house wears me out!

Even though I hate the act of cleaning my windows, when I finish and gaze through them out to the beauty beyond I soak in all I have missed since the last time I cleaned my windows. If you think about it, the dirt, dog nose smudges, finger prints and rain drop spots all work together to distort the view through the window. Dirty windows are so ugly when the light hits them just right and all you see is the filth and the beauty beyond is forgotten because all we concentrate on is how dirty the window is. When surprise guests arrive and I know my windows are filthy I often close the blinds and hide them, not allowing people to see the view from my dirty windows. I also get very frustrated when I clean my windows because they never stay clean for long. It seems like not 5 minutes goes by before a dog smudges the glass with thier nose, or the kids put their hands on the glass as they exit the sliding glass door! In order to have the perfect view, I would have to clean my windows daily!

The Lord spoke to me today as I worked diligently to clean my windows. He said "isn't it funny how our lives are just like these dirty windows?" As I thought about that, I had to agree. Like the beautiful views out my window, so is Christ! He is beautiful and he wants us to experience him, soak him in and share him with others. We are the windows to all Jesus Christ has to offer! As we allow this window of Christ to get dirty and smudged with sin, character issues, anger, defensiveness and the list rolls on, we distort the view of Christ for others. They are unable to look past our filth and see the beauty of Christ that lies just on the other side of the glass. We need to allow Christ to come in and clean our windows and get us shiney and beautiful again. It is a daily task, heck sometimes it has to be a minute-by-minute task!

These past several months I have recognized the value of allowing Christ to come into my life and clean my windows. He has shown me some real "ugly spots" in my life that probably have distracted others from seeing Christ in me. These "cleaning sessions" have not been fun, but as the smudges, dirt and spots are rubbed away I feel Christ shining through me more and more. I want to proudly show others the view of Jesus Christ through the clean window of ME! I won't always be perfect and, just as my dogs quickly smudge up my windows at home, so I will smudge up the window which shows Christ. However, like any good home owner, Christ will always come back and clean me up again. The question is...do I want my windows clean? Am I willing to sacrifice time and energy to do the "maintenance" needed to keep the view of Christ through me clear and beautiful? Lord, help me get into the habit of asking myself these questions DAILY!

Melanie is going to Africa!

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know the past year has been a very interesting time for me, with everything going on in my life I am more than excited to let you all know of an exciting trip coming up in my life. I have always hoped and prayed for an opportunity to go to Africa. This summer I will travel with Georgian and Winne Banov’s ministry Global Celebrations to South Africa and Mozambique. This trip will be full of what I love to do best; love on others. I will be traveling from June 29th though July 14th. My trip will start off in Johannesburg, South Africa with two days of ministry. We will travel to Maputo, Mozambique for three days of ministry with Heidi and Rolland Baker’s ministry Iris ministries where will be have “bush crusades.” It’s a lot like all of my trips to Mexico, but in Africa. We will also be traveling to Nampula and Pemba, Mozambique for more ministry. The trip will end with a special visit to Kruger National Park in South Africa for a little Safari.
I am so overjoyed to be able to join this team of people to minister to the African people. I look forward to being able to love and share the joy of Jesus Christ with them. I would like to invite all of you to join with me in this amazing opportunity of the spread of God’s love. I would like to establish a team of people who will pray for me everyday while I am in Africa. Prayer has been one of the strongest and most important things in my life over the past year. As I have been pressing into the Lord, the times when the Lord has pressed back into me has been in prayer. Prayer has changed my life and I believe prayer is key for me while I am in Africa. The second way you can partner with me is to financially support me. I have to raise just under $4,000 by May 10th. This will cover the cost of my airfare to Washington Dulles airport where I will meet and fly out with my team. It will also cover all of my flights to and from Africa, as well other cost important to making this trip happen.
If you would like to support me though prayer or would like to receive email updates on the status of my trip please email me at chuchukatt@yahoo.com. I’m not sure yet if I will have internet access in Africa to email yet. If you would like to support me financially you can in two different ways. You can support me monthly, like a bill. Except this is a check that will allow a life changing experience not only for the African people, but for me. It will a joy for you to write it every month. You could also give a one time donation. To support me financially please make checks payable to Melanie Potts, as I have to send payments in one check. Please mail them to:
Melanie Potts
1701 Marshall Road
Apt 147
Vacaville, CA 95687
No matter how or if you choose to support me I want to thank you for investing in me, my life and every one else around you. I would not be the woman of god I am today with out you, not matter how small or big your influence in my life has been. I value the influence that every one of you have had in my life and pray that the Lord would bless you and fill you with his everlasting joy. Please feel free to call, write or email me any questions, words of encouragement, or would like to pray for me.
Melanie Potts