Update Tuesday - Its getting chilly!

It is a little after nine in the morning as I write this post and I am on the front porch with a blanket over my legs and in my peripheral vision I see the steam from my coffee cup rising over the screen of my laptop.  On a very cool morning like this morning, the steam is especially noticeable.  In fact, earlier this morning, as I headed out for an early morning appointment, I was struck by the fact that for the first time this year I could see my breath.  Autumn in certainly in the air, and although this might be a short blast of unseasonably cooler weather, it is certainly a prelude of things to come. 

This cooler weather has been a great reminder to me that as winter quickly approaches, we need to begin to get things organized for our winter outreaches.  Over the past few years we have been blessed by donations of hats, mitts, warm socks, winter scarves, winter coats and warm blankets that we have been able to take out to the streets to hand out to the homeless and others unlikely to be able to afford such necessities for their families.  We are, once again, beginning to collect these items in preparations for the winter months.  If you are able to donate any such items then please contact me directly.  Your past support has been so helpful and encouraging, and we look forward to serving many of our neighbours agin this year.

On a similar note, I would ask you to join with me in celebration, as well as continued prayer for one of my friends from the Beer Store Church who is scheduled to move into an apartment October 1.  He has been homeless since I have known him and this is the first time he has secured a permanent residence.  I would ask for your prayers that everything would go smoothly and that this would be a positive step towards him finding more stability.  He has been gathering stuff now and storing it with us, and we have a number of donations in preparation for such a transition to help him get the best start possible.  He still faces many issues and challenges, but I pray that this is a significant step forward.

Lastly, if you are looking for something to do tonight around 10 ET, then my daughter is going to make her television debut as the new ABC drama Lucky 7 makes its premiere.  She plays Emma, the daughter of one of the main characters.  In the Toronto area you can find it on City TV, and you can see it across the states on any ABC affiliate.  You can see a sneak preview here:

Number 7 Preview

Doors

One of my favorite #HamOnt artists, Julia Veenstra,  recently tweeted a picture of a purple door in the neighbourhood exclaiming, "I must paint this." I can relate to that sentiment.  I actually went through a bit of  door phase a while back.  They had to be old, they had to be unique, and other than that a door.  I can't really explain why my attention was captivated, but it was.  It does, however, remind me to slow down a bit and to be attentive.  There is so much that we walk by everyday and just take for granted.  But if we begin to look a bit more closely then there are amazingly fascinating things all around us all the time. 

So there they are...doors of Hamilton (except for the red barn door...that is a shout out to Milton!)

Update Tuesday - Jackson Street

Just yesterday I had the opportunity to send a note to a faithful prayer partner who, along with others from her church, have been faithfully praying for one street in our neighbourhood.  They had the opportunity to visit this past summer and did some work and a lot of praying on the street.  Since their visit, there have been some interesting developments.

One of the tasks I gave them was to spend some time on a lot which holds an abandoned building awaiting rezoning.  It is an eyesore situated on one of the main intersections and the lot is left uncared for and full of weeds.  The ladies spent a morning weeding the side of the lot that faces Jackson St., the street they have been praying for.  Since their visit, the weeds had begun to creep back and I was just about to organize a time to go and weed it again.  When I passed the property the other day, however, someone had already attended to it.  I am not sure whether it was the owner (who I met while weeding the property with the team) or some other neighbours who did it.  Regardless,  I am confident that whoever did it were inspired by the team of ladies (as well as a team from the summer before who also helped us work on the property) who would see a need and step up to meet it.  Our teams have helped us to help our neighbours recognize that we can all be a part of chipping in and contributing to the good of our neighbourhood and city.

A very similar thing occurred on another abandoned lot that our teams from the summer worked on.  One of our teams helped us to weed and plant flowers in an abandoned planter on the corner of a very busy intersection while another team helped us to weed the rest of the property a few weeks later.  Since that time there has begun a weekly event at which Food Trucks use the abandoned lot to host a charity fundraising event each Saturday.  Colourful pic-nic tables now adorn this once derelict property where a lively food extravaganza takes place each week in support of local causes.  Although I cannot say for certain that we had anything to do with it, I like to think that as we tried to see the potential in the spot, and to bring the beginnings of redemption to the lot, it may have inspired others to see things differently and see a once overrun, forgotten spot as usable space for the good of the city.

Lastly, and on a more personal level, I was able to report about one of the residents that our team of ladies met, who has since recognized a need for help to treat an addiction.  He is a neighbour of some of our Fellowship members, and our members  have been loving and caring for him for some time.  He has now decided to take steps towards addressing his addiction.   There have been many ups and downs, and there will continue to be ups and downs, steps forward and steps backward, but we would ask you to also consider joining us in prayer for his journey towards health.

So those are some of the reports since our busy summer.  Now we take time looking forward as we prayerfully consider what God has for us in the next few months and, importantly, the upcoming year.  Kim and I had a great opportunity to attend a leadership boot camp last week and I am eager to begin to apply some of what we learned to our work here in Hamilton. 

Update Tuesday-Boot Camp

Try not to be jealous, but this is my view this morning.  

And to be honest, this picture does not do it justice at all.  I am in Cochrane, AB attending a Finish Well Boot Camp hosted by my friend and colleague Bob Shelton.  I so appreciate his heart to see leaders thrive...to enjoy the journey, stay the course and finish well.  It has been an intense few days, but there have been some powerful moments.  I am excited to get home, continue to process and begin to implement some of the insights into our ministry.  

Before I do that, however, Kim and I will be spending our 15th anniversary in Banff!  

Alright, break is over so back to work! 

Looking for your help...

September, with the start of school here in Canada, in many ways marks a new beginning.  Schedules begin, routines are re-established, and life begins to come as close to getting back to normal as it gets.  It is often a time that I find myself looking ahead to the year to come, thinking about what rhythm our ministry should be living out and how to best do that.  With that in mind, I thought I would once again solicit some help from you, friends and partners of our ministry.  

As we look to the coming year our goal is always to see our network of fellowships growing.  If we are to see this happen it means developing future hosts and leaders for further fellowships.  Here is where I need your help.  I have been hosting and leading groups for some time now.  Sometimes it is hard to remember back to how I felt before doing it.  What were the questions and concerns I had that kept me from stepping out to host or lead?  I remember to a certain extent, but I could really use your input as I plan for the coming year.  So let me pose this question and ask that you give it some thought and let me know what you come up with:

What would you need to feel encouraged challenged, and equipped to host and/or lead a simple fellowship in your home or other public space?

Your feedback will be very helpful as I think through training possibilities.  Reply here, e-mail me at jason@hamiltonfellowships.com , or comment at twitter or Facebook.  

Thanks!!!