Update Tuesday 30/08/11

The cake was out, the candles lit, and the familiar and expected tune rang out across the dining room - "Happy Birthday to You..."  Well, perhaps it might be expected by you or I.   I was surprised, however, when Diane looked across at out youngest daughter T.J. and spoke gently in a way that was both directed to her but meant for all of us at the same time, saying, "Do you know that no one has sung to me in 25 years."  Diane is our next door neighbour, of whom I have written before.  We have been reaching out and trying to be community for her in very practical ways, and a birthday party was just one more fun way.  Diane has been a key reminder to us of one of the key foundations to our new work - community.  God has been using Diane to remind us of the things that He has been teaching us over the last two years, and to remind us of what we are here to do.  (For a look at what we we hope to be doing click the label John 13:34-35 on the right hand side of this blog).  Diane was the first to express to us that when our weekly meeting gets going she wants to be a part of it.
I would also like to ask you to pray for another women from the city that we have met named Rose.  Rose is a Jehovah's Witness.  When I think of Jehovah's Witnesses any number of reactions come to mind, frustration, hostility, a desire to debate and sometimes the thought of witnessing.  Well, this time I thought I would try to engage.  I have to say I am thankful to God for Rose coming into my life.  It has really taught me a lot, and at the very least, it has been very good practice.  I am learning how to really listen and am learning a lot about what Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe.  It is one thing to read it in a book somewhere, it is another thing to sit down and hear it first hand from them, be able to ask questions and hear their heart.   Another thing it has done for me is help me to recognize the person.  I am not "evangelizing a JW",  I am conversing with Rose who deserves my attention and respect.  I am learning how to share the truth in love.  My relationship with Rose has also helped me to get practice supressing my urge to debate.  I know where some of the JW theology differs from what I believe, and some areas where I think they are missing truth.  I also know, however, that they have been trained in their evangelism, trained to expect certain questions and challenges, and are prepared to defend what they believe.  An aggressive debate that jumps directly to the questions that they are expecting would just be a polarizing experience in which both sides entrench themselves and would not result in anything being accomplished.  I am growing increasingly aware that I cannot be naive in my exchanges with other people.  They have a deeply entrenched belief system that they believe to be truth.  They are just as skepticle of me as I am about what they believe and they think that they are right and are trying to help me.  But rather than debate, I am learning to listen (actually listen and not just be letting them speak long enough to prepare my next point), I am learning to ask subtle, but intentional questions to sow seeds of doubt about the society that is JW and the Watchtower, and I am learning to trust the Holy Spirit to be at work.  I am thankful that God had brought Rose into my life and for all that I am learning through it.  I would ask that you pray for Rose.  She has been back four times now and we have had her into our living room despite the fact that we have asked some challenging questions and she knows that we know our bibles well.  In most cases other Witnessess have stopped coming long before this point so we are wondering what God may be up to in this relationship.  At the very least, I have grown in my walk and my work. 
We would also like to ask you to be in prayer for an event we are hosting on September the 10th.  This is a busy day in our city and our neighbourhood as it is the Locke Street Festival right down the street from our house and it is the date of the Super Crawl downtown.  You will recall that it was at the Locke Street Festival of 2010 where God really confirmed to us the neighbourhood to which He was calling us to begin this new work so it is a bit of an anniversary for us.   We thought we would piggy back on these events and host an open house to which we can invite all our friends, supporters and partners as well as all our new neighbours.  It will be a drop in between 11am-5pm and we hope to see a real mixing between or new and old friends as well as churched and unchurched individuals.  This will also mark the official beginning of our new house church community.  We will be starting the next phase of our ministry shifting from "meet and greet," to growing our missional community here in the neighbourhood.  Please also be in prayer for the development of our first home church.  This is really foundational to what we think God is asking us to start here in the city. 
Lastly, I would like to ask you to pray specifically for our youngest daughter T.J.  Ever since the break-in a few weeks ago she has been very nervous around the house.  She is scared to go anywhere by herself (at any time of day) and is very unsettled in the evening, especially at bed time. 
We thank you for continued prayers, support and partnerships.