Love! Pray! Serve!

During this coronavirus pandemic, I'm proud to be part of a church staff that stays focused on loving our neighbor, praying for others and serving those in need. In the midst of the craziness, the highlight of my week was hearing a new friend at church tell me that he was ready to give his life to God and be baptized!

Food Pantry at Northeast Christian

Hard times build your character over the long-haul. We must allow this challenging time to build our character. Times like these not only build your character but reveal what's inside of you. And, I love what's inside Northeast Christian Church.

Over two weeks ago, we converted the lobby at Northeast into a food pantry as a way to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our city. We pray that the most vulnerable in our city feel the peace of Christ and have been encouraged to make it through one more day knowing that God cared enough for them to meet their needs. 

Kylee Dropping off Snack Packs

UNBELIEVABLE SNACK PACK & FOOD PANTRY STATS

•served 24 zip codes 

•served 25 schools

•served 33 NGOs

•served multiple surrounding counties 

•94 food pantry orders for non-profits/food-banks

•15 food pantry orders for individuals

•50 food pantry orders for families at partner schools

If you are looking for encouragement, meditate on these 5 principles from Tyler McKenzie to help you navigate this challenging time. 

Snack Pack Attack

“5 Life-Giving Ways To Get Through a Pandemic”

•Disciplines of Disengagement:  Use unanticipated margin to pray, study, and rest.

•Defiant Worship
Faced with fear, anxiety, uncertainty, disappointment, and suffering, choose to worship.

•Spiritual Conversations
Look for opportunities to share the hope you have.

•Total Surrender
Surrender your life into the sure hands of Jesus.

•Breath-Taking Compassion
Love your neighbor like Jesus loved you.

COVID-19 Pandemic Update

Things can change quickly.  There's no time better than now to be people full of grace and Good News! But, I miss my people. I'm concerned for friends and family who are at high risk for contracting the virus. These past two weeks have literally seemed like two months to me. We are now living during the Coronavirus Pandemic, also knows as Covid-19.  Just over three weeks ago, we found out Elliott would be moving home from the University of Cincinnati so that he could study remotely. Max hasn't had school for two weeks but is set to start NTI (Non Traditional Instruction) on April 7.  Spring break plans canceled. Professional and College Sports (March Madness, NBA, etc.) canceled. Kentucky Premier League canceled. Louisville City Soccer Canceled.

'Social Distancing' is the new word and is key to stopping the spread of the Coronavirus. Non-essential retail stores have been closed. Restaurants offer drive-thru only.  Last week, Kroger didn't have bread or meat in-stock and they still don't have toilet paper. People are filing for un-employment like crazy. Executives are taking major pay cuts. It's unprecedented times. It's a season.

The internet helps, even as we distance from each other socially. I am becoming well acquainted with Zoom calls and Google chat. I had my first zoom call with Lisa and Julie. We pray together most every Wednesday morning at 10 am and I'm glad we were able to pray together via Zoom. Wally and I had our first Zoom call with our small group on Monday night. Wally is still working. I am still working.  Northeast Christian Church's Compassion Initiative for the most vulnerable in our city has kept me really busy. In addition, our staff at Northeast has tried our best to care for the healthcare professionals on the front lines. We've set up a resource line to help people navigate challenges during this time. For the past two weeks, we've had Church Online. Elliott and Max bought two new board games for us to play and in addition we have played the Wii together. Who knew I still had our Wii? Elliott did. He found it. And, he has crushed us all in Just Dance. 

We miss our schedules. Max really doesn't miss his school schedule. He's enjoyed a break. Elliott misses the college life. I miss the energy from Iron Tribe Fitness.  It's hard to do lots of burpees without peer pressure! We miss our distant family members and just hanging out with friends. Elliott isn't able to visit his grandparents as to not pass along the virus. On another note, we've talked more to our neighbors than ever before.

I'm wondering if we will choose to live differently as a result of this pandemic. Will our values change? What will we learn about ourselves? Will we allow this challenging time to make us better?  Better citizens? More Faithful Christians?  Better spouses? Better parents?

One thing I do know is that I need God's wisdom in navigating this "new normal."  Lord, hear our prayers and grant us wisdom.  

Be A Good Neighbor

Today I attended the 2020 Violent Crime Summit at the Attorney General's Office in Louisville, Kentucky. The United States Attorney, Mr. Coleman, brought together a room full of community leaders with varying political beliefs to begin to imagine how we could reshape the narrative around violent crime. I heard the heartbreaking testimony of a mother, Krista Gwynn, whose 19-year was killed walking home from dinner in the Shawnee neighborhood just days before Christmas. He was a brother to 5 and was full of ambition and life. His parents and siblings are dealing with unimaginable grief. This is not okay. The children in our city deserve better. His death marked the 93rd homicide in Louisville in 2019. It's not okay that children do not go outside and play after school because they are afraid of gun violence.  It's not okay for children to sleep under their beds because they are afraid of being shot in their own home. Our city is better than this. We are better than this.  

In addition to hearing first hand stories of violence in Louisville, we also heard from LMPD Chief Conrad about the Synergy Project to build trust with the public and new LMPD initiatives. We also heard about the positive community developments from non-profits such as The Urban League of Louisville, The Family Scholar House, The Metro United Way and the Pivot to Peace Program. Professor David Kennedy, a noted national public speaker and author, closed out the summit with proven strategies of preventing homicide and gun violence.

What do we do with this information?  I'm not sure yet. I have to be honest. I think many of us who are white east end residents of Louisville need to learn about redlining. We need to make sure we are supporting educators as they teach children who have been traumatized by gun violence. I know it's important to support and pray for our LMPD and continue to come together to have conversations about how we bring about policy change for the under-resourced neighborhoods in our city. Personally, I want to begin to discover the assets of neighborhoods that many of us are scared to visit. It's not us and them. It's us.  We are community. We are the city of Louisville.

I'm curious how many of you who may read this have traveled west of 9th street.  If you haven't, I encourage you to travel west of 9th and you'll meet some amazing people. I'll go with you! Ask me about Priscilla sometime and I'll tell you how resilient she is! Ask me about non-profits in West Louisville who are sharing the HOPE of Jesus as they are living in solidarity with families and children.

Never been west of ninth? Once again, you can start by visiting restaurants in West Louisville or by serving with non-profits in West Louisville.

Let's continue conversations about poverty and racism.  Let's continue learning even when it makes us feel uncomfortable. Let's continue getting to know people different from us.

I have to give a special shout out to the #LOVETHEVILLE Family at Northeast Christian Church for traveling with me to West Louisville this year.  We've learned a lot and there's more to learn!

Read the story of The Good Samaritan and figure out to whom you need to have mercy! Be a good neighbor.

Ballard Bruins Soccer 2019

The Men's Varsity Ballard Soccer Team played in the semi-finals of the 7th region.  Unfortunately, they lost to St. Xavier High School.  I'm proud to say that Ballard was the only public school in the 7th region semi-final! Ballard did win the District Championship over KCD - Kentucky Country Day. 

These six words...

Last week, Wally, Elliott and I had the opportunity to visit and serve at Loma De Luz www.crstone.org with our friends Matt and Melissa Janes. Wally and I first visited Loma de Luz in 2012. Every time we visit, we are encouraged by the missionaries - their zeal for the Lord, their sacrifice, their humility, their authenticity, their reliance on the Holy Spirit and their faithful work despite dark and lonely times.

Melissa and Tomara in front of Hospital Loma de Luz

Throughout the week, six words kept coming to my heart and mind: He must increase, I must decrease. These six words have meant more to me as a Christian leader than just about any other words in scripture. I recall these words in seasons of rejoicing, in seasons of suffering, in seasons of frustration, in seasons of confusion and in seasons of contentment.

Each morning I was reminded by the gentle whisper of God that the larger the Lord of your life becomes to others, the less they see you. The Christian life is about Him, not us. He always gets the glory, the praise. When I visit Loma de Luz, I don't just see Dr. Judy or Peggy or Mike or Dr. Jeff or Rosanne or Dave or Marinajo. Instead, I see the glimpses of a God who breaks the power of sin and darkness. I see the God who brings chaos back to order. I see the God who makes an orphan a son or daughter. I see the God who rules the nations with truth and justice. I see the God who shines like the sun in all of its brilliance.  I see a God who gives constant grace and perfect peace. I see Jesus. I see all that He has done. And, I see good and faithful servants who find their joy not in being known but in making Him known.

The Christian life is about Him. He must increase. We must decrease.

To God be the Glory Forever and Ever. Amen and Amen.

----------------------------------------------------

Loma de Luz is in need of teachers for the bi-lingual school, full-time childcare workers for the Children's Center and Doctors (including Dentists) for the Hospital.  If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.crstone.org or email me at Tomarafoxbrown@gmail.com.

Rain Is Coming

One of my favorite weeks in the church calendar year is Holy Week - the week immediately before Easter.  Holy Week brings to light that the road of suffering is universal. We all walk it. Even though we may have experienced a cycle in our lives of pain and death, Holy Week shows us that the rain is coming. Resurrection is coming. New life is coming. Hope is coming.

As I enter into Holy Week, I am reminded of a story from 1 Kings 18:16-40. Elijah was an Old Testament prophet during the reign of Ahab, perhaps the most wicked ruler in Israel’s history. Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, in particular, led the Israelites to worship Baal and killed many of the Lord’s prophets so that Elijah was the only courageous prophet left. The people stayed so far from God that He sent a drought on the land for three years.  

As God was about to lift the drought on the land from Israel, He told Elijah to present himself to Ahab and show the people of Israel once again that he was the only true God. So, Elijah gathered the people of Israel, including the 450 prophets of Baal, at Mount Carmel. Baal’s 450 prophets, after hours of shouting, dancing, and even violently beating themselves, were unable to call their god to bring down fire from heaven to consume the bull they had sacrificed. Elijah, however, said a prayer to God, who sent down fire to consume not only the altar and sacrificed bull, which Elijah had drenched with water, but also the water in the trench surrounding the altar. It was an awesome display of the power of God and the importance of serving Him alone. 

Yet what happened next intrigues me the most.  God had promised Elijah that if he presented himself to Ahab, He would lift the drought from the land. Elijah knew how desperately the land needed rain and how anxious the people were for food and drink. Elijah, on the top of Mount Carmel, knelt down with his face to the ground, prayed for rain and told his servant, “Go and look toward the sea” for a cloud or sign of rain.  When the servant returned, he said he saw nothing.  The servant went to look five more times but reported he saw nothing. Finally, on the seventh time, the servant returned and reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”  This was all Elijah needed. He knew the rain was coming. 

The cloud was as small as a man’s hand yet it told Elijah that there was hope for Israel after all, that God had not abandoned His people despite their years of unfaithfulness.  Wrapped up in that little cloud, Elijah saw the promise of God’s steadfast love and His commitment to His people. He saw the Lord’s new mercies about to be poured out on Israel. In the cloud, Elijah found the hope he needed to keep going. 

Holy Week encourages me to find those clouds as small as a man's hand.  Holy Week encourages me to look and see that the rain is coming.  

Respect and Awe

Tonight I'm hanging at Panera while Max & friends enjoy their KPA session in the rain.  I currently have a hot cup of coffee as I begin week two of the Open Your Bible study.  I couldn't make it past day one without pausing to reflect on the idea of "reverence."  Google tells me that reverence is a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe.  On page 39 of the study, the authors tell the reader to do the following:  Make a short list of some things that make you feel deep respect or awe.  

So, here's my short list in no particular order:

Watching my kids sleep (kinda weird I know)
Mountains of Costa Rica
Being invited into Señora Paula's home for Orange Fanta
Monastery of Monserrat
Grand Canyon, Sedona, Lake Powell, slot canyons, Horseshoe Bend
Carmel, Santa Cruz, Big Sur
Loma De Luz, Honduras
The mountains and the sea
Generosity and sacrifice
My mother's strength
Lyrics such as What A Beautiful Name
Snow covered mountains of Austria

Outside of God himself, I believe there is nothing more powerful than God's word. I recently had someone ask me, "What fills you up?"  My response was "reading God's word." Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God's Word is living and active. I stand in awe as I see his Word come alive every day of my life.

What amazes me most about the Bible? Why do I stand in reverence of God's word?  It's because His word is consistent and never changing.  In a world where things are changing constantly,  I see that God's justice and his faithfulness never change.  His grace is sufficient - always!

Take a moment and make your own short list of some things that make you feel deep respect or awe.  Then reflect on whether you feel that same respect and awe when you read the Bible.

Today, remember God's grace is sufficient for you - always! 2 Corinthians 12:9

Peace, Tomara