The C.O.O.L. day is fast approaching. So many things to get done to make sure the day goes as smoothly as possible for the volunteers and residents. During June 4^th we will be so busy, will we be able to see God’s presence? I hope so. As I take a moment to reflect

back over the preparations, I am drawn back time and again to God making Himself known all along this journey….

There was the time Cindy and I were sitting in her car, we had just gotten a call from a church leader. He said that although the day was approaching, he was unable to recruit any help from his church. He was a leader of no one, with no tools.  What were we to do now? We had assigned him a house for his “team”. As we began to discuss options we received a second phone call. And I mean the phone rang within minutes of the first one. The man on the line said he was wondering if he could participate in C.O.O.L. Day. But he had a problem.  – Oh great, another one. We hadn’t figured out the first one yet. – His problem, he had a team of talented, hard workers who had the tools, but they did not have anyone who could be a leader for the team.

Let’s let that sink it for a moment…..

WE didn’t have to figure out the answer to the problem. God already had it covered.

Then there is the house that had great disrepair. And I mean a LOT of repair work. The people inside have a need to know Christ and the house almost reflected their brokenness.When Cindy and I walked away from that house the first time our thoughts were ‘who in the world could take on this project’. A few weeks passed and we were giving homes to churches for the day. We always passed over this one house. Who could take it?

One day we talked with the Home Coordinator of a church who had a specific house in mind for the day. Oh I know what you are thinking. But let’s ride along on this journey. The HC said he had assessed the house and really felt called to help the resident, but he wasn’t sure of the address. We agreed to meet him in the Hartford neighborhood to find the house in question. We drove around the streets, up and down in a few block radius. The broken house was driven by several times.  Finally we stopped, right in front of……a different house. We walked up to the house and talked about it. I checked the records to make sure we had not handed it out. Turns out the owner was moving and did not want to participate. The house he felt called to do, unavailable.

So we decided to walk along the street and view other homes. We stopped at a second house. The HC got out his flashlight and measuring tape. Said it was a do-able job. Check the records? – Taken. We kept walking. Then he stopped and took another look at the broken house. We talked about the great need and the family inside. Then, the door opened. Out came the family to say Hi. The HC felt it, Cindy and I felt it, needs were being met. It was confirmed. God closed one door, and opened it for a broken little family in a broken little house.  I am excited about the God opportunity waiting for all of them.

I pray with all my heart that EVERY one of you have a God moment on C.O.O.L. day. That you see a door opening, an opportunity to be exactly where God wants you at exactly the right time. Thank you so much to those sharing your time and Love. God Bless.  – M

It is getting closer to the big day, the C.O.O.L. Event of JUNE 4th, when Jesus followers lovingly descend on Summit Area to demonstrate the very reason we live to share Christ’s love with our neighbors through actions, and hopefully, even in words.

One lesson I learned in C.O.O.L. 2009 on Henry Avenue is that I have to adapt to just about any situation. Cindy likes to tell us to be like Gumbys, flexible and willing to change easily if needed. This is not an easy task for me. I tend to think linear. If I do a certain task, I’ll get a specific result, and people will react accordingly. Guess what! It doesn’t often work that way in situations such as with C.O.O.L. Events. So many people, so many tasks, and so few hours. It’s all about being willing to change in a moment’s notice.

When you think about it, isn’t there a parallel between flexibility inservice (such as C.O.O.L.) and flexibility with our bodies? When we physically exercise, we know that taking time to stretch beforehand helps prepare our body for a vigorous workout with less pain after wards. Using that same analogy, when we spiritually participate in ministry, taking time to stretch our spirits and our minds by listening to God’s leading helps prepare us to be more effective for Christ’s kingdom.

* Will our plans be fully realized?Probably not.
* Will there be changes to our expectations?Absolutely.
* Will things go smoothly?Sounds sort of boring, I think.
* Will all our efforts be appreciated?The Residents are so sweet and kind. But if things don’ t work out the way we think, it’s not about us anyway.

As we go to our Father and ask him what he wants to accomplish, may we experience the joy in knowing that we are his hands, his feet, his mouth,and his ambassadors. God will direct us even in the most unlikely circumstances.

Isaiah 30:21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.”

Let me tell you about my friend named Henry. Last year he was going to take the trip of his lifetime. He had always dreamed of going to Italy, and so Henry saved his money for several years. He planned his itinerary carefully and told all his friends about the famous landmarks he would visit. On the day of his departure, Henry packed his suitcases, locked up his home, and jumped into the car as he headed to the airport. Once he was on the road, Henry called the airport to reserve his flight to Italy. Wow, was he surprised when the airline told him they had no reservation in his name. He responded, “Well, yes, I know. I just now told you where I was going and when I wanted to leave!” Needless to say, he was devastated when he found it was impossible for the airline to book a flight for him at that time.

OK, Henry is a fictitious character. I really made him up because surely there is no one who would be naive enough to believe that one waits until the last moment to make airline reservations. If Henry were to ask you why his plan wouldn’t work, waiting until the last minute, you might respond, “Henry, airlines have to make plans ahead of time so that the logistics of having huge flying machines in the right city on the right day at the right time would occur. You can’t wait until the last minute!!”

Henry’s mistake was that he thought the airlines could accommodate him on his own time schedule. He knew where he wanted to go. He knew what he wanted to see and when he would see it. Henry’s major flaw was that he failed to communicate to the right people at the right time. After all, airlines have to think ahead and place planes, pilots, flight attendants, and thousands of support personnel in the right locations.

Just as airlines have to know weeks ahead of time what our plans as flight passengers are, those in C.O.O.L. leadership need to know how many volunteers they can count on on C.O.O.L. Day–Saturday, June 4th.  This means each of us needs to communicate with the right people (register) at the right time–now.

Although C.O.O.L. is not working with flying machines worth billions of dollars, it can be mind-boggling for these leaders when they look at the wide range of people involved in this endeavor:  resident homeowners in the Hartford Neighborhood, teams of prayer warriors, dozens of pastors from area churches, city officials, local media people, home coordinators who lead teams, C.O.O.L. volunteers who are the backbone of the workforce, and many, many other support people. Not only are there people to consider but also there are tools and supplies and dozens of other decisions to be made.  All of these depend on the volunteers–YOU! Although it is not absolutely essential that registration be early, it is most appreciated because it makes planning so much smoother.

Don’t be a “Henry-come-lately!” All of us need to register early. Why not now? Ask Jesus if the people in the Hartford Neighborhood are your neighbors.

Do you remember when an expert of the law asked Jesus who his neighbor was? Jesus answered by telling him about the good Samaritan. Then Jesus turned the tables on the expert and asked him,

“‘Which of these was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’

parable and who Jesus said was a neighbor to the man in need? What would Jesus want you to do? Then obey Him.

1) REGISTER AT THE C.O.O.L. SITE

2) REGISTER NOW!

God bless you as you plan ahead to bless others for the Kingdom’s sake.

Greetings C.O.O.L. PEOPLE!

Thank you for visiting our COOLunication page. We hope that as you look around our web page and start to understand God’s heart for this ministry, soon your heart will follow and you will make the choice to volunteer June 4th and become a part of Team C.O.O.L.! This page will become a very important component of the C.O.O.L. Day preparations as we get closer to June 4th.  We will share devotionals, heart meditations, principles of unity to prepare us to have the right heart attitude as we serve the Hartford Neighborhood neighbors in agape love with unity of purpose.

With Kristin Potler

“What a great idea!”

How many times have we thought or said those phrases?  I know I have many times. Today’s COOLunication is being used with permission from one of my fellow Youth With A Mission Missionaries (we affectionally refer to ourselves as  YWAM’ers) Kristin Potler. Kristin and her husband Devon host a house church in Baltimore, MD. Prior to that they owned an outreach coffee shop sort of like our Muggswitz in Canton. Kristin and Devon truly have God’s heart for the lost, the hurting, the homeless…the least of these. The true story you are about to read exemplifies the heart we all need to have June 5th and every day of our lives. oh… and lest you think Kristin has all the time in the world to stop what she’s doing to whip up a batch of something… please note she also is the mother to five pre-school and school age children.  If you would like to read more of Kristin’s blogs please go to:

http://www.lovefeasttable.com
http://circlesministries.blogspot.com/
http://potlertribe.blogspot.com

Last week, I was home with Little Man.  I got a call from Miss Preschool.  She was my daughter’s preschool teacher over 4 years ago.  The preschool is in a church up the street.  Miss Preschool began to tell me about a problem she was having and she didn’t know what to do.  “Kristin, there are these two young people sleeping outside the doorway to the preschool.  They were here yesterday.  The church wants me to call the police and have them arrested.  But, I just don’t feel right about it.  You came to mind.”  I asked Miss Preschool a couple of questions and gave her some suggestions, it was then I heard it in her voice.  Fear.  “This is so far out of my comfort zone.  I don’t know what to do,” she said.  I asked her, “Do you want me to come up there and help?”  I heard a sigh of relief.  “Would you?”

I quickly turned on the cast iron skillet and cooked up some eggs and ham.  I toasted a couple of English muffins and made sandwiches.  I loaded Little Man in the car.  When I got there, the couple was still asleep under their blankets.  They had a stroller loaded with all their possessions.  I went in to get Miss Preschool and drop Little Man off to play with the kids.  We went outside.  “Good morning!” I said.  “I have a hot breakfast for you!  Time to get up.”  I heard the couple mumble under their blankets, “Really?”  “Yup” I said. “But, you have to get up.”  Miss Preschool and I waited for the drowsy couple to pull themselves together.  It’s kind of weird to be so close to someone’s personal space.  I mean, how many friends have you stood over when they were waking up?

They sat up.  I introduced myself and Miss Preschool and handed them their breakfast.  We sat down on the lawn and waited.  As they started to eat, I began to ask them about their story.  *Mary said they had been on the streets for a couple of months.  She had gotten in a fight with her dad because her dad didn’t like her boyfriend *Tim.  I asked if they were looking for a place to stay…had they tried the shelters?  Tim said, “They won’t let us stay together in the shelters because we’re not married.  We don’t want to be separated.” I asked them what they needed.  “How can we help you?”  I don’t think they get asked that question very often.  They just looked at me.  Then Mary spoke up, “Can I use your bathroom?”  “Sure,” I exclaimed as I hopped to my feet.

Miss Preschool was a little concerned that the church wouldn’t be happy with me inviting her in.  I said, “I’ll take the heat for this one!”  About 15 minutes later Mary emerged from the restroom looking freshly washed and changed.  I was so glad to have a few minutes with her.  You see, I’ve been working with a friend on starting transitional housing for under aged girls who want to leave the sex industry.  I’ve been receiving training and basically just having my eyes opened to the reality of how prevalent this industry is.  I was pretty sure Mary was working the streets to help (said) boyfriend.  She denied it of course, but all the signs said other wise.  I asked her what she needed.  Again, she wasn’t sure how to answer.  “Do you need clothes? Shampoo? A clean towel?”  She slowly began to roll off a list.  I gave her my number and told her to give me some time to pull it all together.

Miss Preschool and I walked her to the door.  I let Tim and Mary know that even though I understood they needed a place to sleep, they couldn’t sleep in front of the preschool.  We said our goodbyes.

I went inside with Miss Preschool and she began to cry.  “This just breaks my heart,” she said.  “But, Kristin, you made it look so easy, so natural.”

It doesn’t take much to make someone feel special, even for a moment.  I can’t solve their problems.  They really didn’t want to change their circumstances.  But, for a moment, they received a hot meal (not peanut butter and jelly), I asked them about themselves and what they need.  For a moment, they were treated with dignity and shown a little love.  Have you everLoveBombed someone?  Would you?

*Names have been changed.

My dear daughter-in-law, Polly Stark, has recently been teaching me some great life lessons. About three months ago she told me of her decision to start running. Her goal is to run 5K races about once a month. She started her training slowly, but steadily, and in a few weeks she ran her first race with good results. Her second race, three weeks ago, was much better. And she is looking to improve that next month. Polly has much more energy, has toned up, and even lost a few pounds (although she surely didn’t need to).

When I think about C.O.O.L. next month, I can see the challenge put before me. Like my daughter-in-law, I want to be prepared to give this ministry my very best. For one thing, I’m starting to really get excited. Whenever I get together with friends, we’re always comparing notes about what to pray for this week. We can see God meeting one need after another. It’s amazing!

In just a little over three weeks we’ll be gathering together to make a dynamic impact on dear people in the Summit Area. So what can we do to make this a day of blessing for all those involved?

I have to return to prayer time and time again that God would be glorified in all of this; I registered for C.O.O.L. on the website several weeks ago; I’ve got my list before me with the required tools, flowers, and soil that I will need; and My home coordinator and I have talked twice already, so hopefully he is ready to go as well.

God is challenging all of us to run the race set before us. The goal is not to come in first, but to be found faithful. I have resolved to prepare myself for the C.O.O.L. Event on June 5th!! I’m looking forward to seeing hundreds of my brothers and sisters in Christ on that day as we work together to change lives for Jesus’ kingdom. Hope that I will see you there prepared and ready to bless others as we work together.

Hebrews 12:1 “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

I’ve always hated matching socks. Saturday mornings are for this sort of chore, and for this reason, I’ve always hated Saturday chores. I’ve just never seemed to perfect the art of matching a sock with its corresponding sock of the same size and color, and what about all those left over white ones?! It’s simply frustrating and I although I would like to avoid it at all costs, it must be done. We need socks.
One particular Saturday, I was having an especially hard time matching socks. I was overwhelmed, to say the least, and almost in tears. I wanted to be done. My Dad must have noticed my hardship and called in the team, because the next thing I knew, He and three of my sisters were sitting cross-legged with me on the floor, piles of assorted socks all around. “We can get this done if we do this together,” Dad encouraged, and with our eyes set on the finish line, we worked and sorted, matched and triumphed, throwing socks to each other and asking “pass that yellow and gray one from over there, please.”

The weather is warming now, and sandal season is coming, which, to my delight means less sock-matching, but I know without a doubt other chores and difficulties will arise and more than anything I need to know I’m not alone. We are not meant to be alone.
In fact, Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs, and the early church is the story of a people who were together, and who were of one heart and mind, sharing all in common. When the Holy Spirit came on the early church in Antioch, Jews and Gentiles alike united in worship and shared life together like a family. They weren’t sure what to make of this new union, because they had only known Jews and Gentiles separately. So they decided to make a new name and called themselves “Christians” (Acts 11:26).  They became united in this because Christianity was a new identity, neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free (Gal. 3:28).

Today, the church–the capital C church, a community of God’s disciples, is to be united the same, as a body. We’re all different, like a huge pile of mismatched socks, but together, we are something beautiful and powerful.

A body is a unit–made of many unique parts with their own unique functions, but together, they form one body. All the parts of the body must work together for anything to get accomplished. Imagine the impossibility of matching socks if the eye were to say to the hand, I do not wish to work with you!! Each part is important and each must be focused on the same goal.

I learned awhile ago, a quote from the brilliant Helen Keller. She said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” From my experiences in serving, loving, yes, even sock matching, I’ve found this so true.

Ultimately, what I’m getting at is that we need each other and we’re in this together.We need each other so that we can be encouraged and inspired, strengthened and   united. We need each other to do the things we’re best at–to be an ear if you’re an ear, or an eye if you’re an eye. We need to feed each other hope as we press on together toward the same goal. Otherwise, the socks will never be matched.
So, may we move forward, together. May we live together, work together, pray together. Bring your laughter and your pain, your youthful dreams, and your age old-wisdom. Let’s build together.

Psalm 33:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Ephesians 4: 3-6 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”