Wednesday, February 18, 2009

saddle up, cowboy

I got news this morning that I didn't want to hear. A call from the local coroner telling me that Cowboy passed away yesterday. David Hervert, aka Cowboy, was a special man to us. He was a homeless man who had first come to the church for assistance maybe eight years ago. I met him at that time with his wife. They were living in a small trailer a few miles away and needed a little help. Shortly after that time, she passed away and he ended up on the street.

Dave split time between the streets and area motels, doing odd jobs for cash. He gave his life to Christ and became a part of the family at Knott Avenue. His edges were rough and he had issues (don't we all), but he had found his home. A couple of years ago he became ill and fell into a coma, having to have both legs amputated. Dave
was comatose more than three months and I was asked by the hospital's board of ethics to sit on a panel evaluating his situation. I shared with a group of doctors about Dave's contribution to the community and to our church. It was ultimately decided to remove life support and prepare him for the death that was already near. Two days later, I received a call from the hospital. Dave had awakened and asked two things: "Where am I?" and "Where's Mike?!" The nurse said, "I think we need to take him out of hospice and place him in convalescence!"

The time that followed was not easy for him. His recovery was slow and incomplete, and his inability to get healthy meant he returned to a convalescent home, where he ultimately died. But he was a fighter. He struggled, he tried with all he had and knew. We'll always remember him as the one who wrote out nametags at each the Community Supper. The one who shared a large, toothles
s (mostly) grin so easily. The one who was writing his own Bible, patiently transcribing the Scriptures day after day onto a pad. He had finished a lot of it, by the way.

I miss Cowboy a
lready. And I'll sure miss him when we gather for our Community Supper Friday night, the 27th. We'll put together a memorial service for him that night, because even though our society as a whole won't miss him, we will. Those on the street, and his church family as well. Dave made an imprint on a bunch of us, and we're the better for it. The good news is that his new body has legs- and teeth too, I suppose. And he's resting in the presence of the God that he'd come to know. No more pain. No more sorrow. No more tears. Only rejoicing, praise and gratitude for who God is and what He's done.

Hold the gate open, Cowboy. We'll be there soon enough and will dance together. That'll be a good time- I can hardly wait. And I know you'll be good at it.

Even with those boots I'm sure you'll be wearing.

Friday, February 13, 2009

GO! Teams '09 Revving Up

So many places, so little time and opportunity.

That's what it feels like at times as we make our plans for destinations of our Global Outreach (GO!) Teams at KACC. There are lots of places we could travel, lots of people to meet and things to do. There are so many chances to make an impact for God's Kingdom...and yet we are bound by time and means. So how do we determine just where we will invest our time, resources and energy?

More than anything, it comes down to relationships. While we could make trips to so many locations, we look at the connections we have with those we desire to serve. First, we try to direct our efforts to those people and projects that we actively support as a church. It makes sense to channel our time into places where we already channel our resources. This helps to deepen that relationship, and gives us a greater understanding and appreciation for those to whom we are committed. Secondly, we look for places where we can return in order to invest our lives deeply. We don't want to do "hit-and-run" missions, because we believe the greater blessing comes with greater investment...for us and for those we serve. And since we only spend from a few days to a few weeks in any location, it takes many times on site to develop the trust and camaraderie that allows us to speak deeply into lives.

With this kind of criteria in mind, we have our trips ready for 2009:
  • San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona- April 23-26; November 5-8
  • Atascadero, CA- May 14-17; October 1-4
  • Tecate, Mexico- May 15-17; December 11-13
  • Brisbane, Australia- June 28- July 13
  • Baguio City, Philippines- July 8-22
You may notice that we are adding shorter, closer, more affordable trips, while dropping some of our longer ones (for this year). Our hope is that more people will be willing to "wade into the shallow end" of missions, tasting and seeing just how rich the experience is by taking a smaller step. Our ultimate goals? Among others, to understand more fully what God is doing outside our own neighborhoods, to connect with others in life-changing ways (for us and them), and to discover what God might be saying to us about our role in getting His message of life and hope to ALL peoples. Interested in knowing more? Contact us at church and find out what part God may want you to play in His bigger picture in 2009.

We're ready to GO! Are you?