Tuesday, October 12, 2010

“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” I Thessalonians 5:12

It’s Clergy Appreciation Month. To be honest I am somewhat offended that we have to have a “Hallmark Day” in order appreciate those whom we work with preaching the Gospel; we need to be appreciating them every day.
There was a point in my own life that I was making that career decision. I was actually looking at several schools and had applied to a Bible College to go into ministry full-time. Because of several “God Circumstances” and a lot of prayer, I followed the path of Paramedic/Firefighter. Having made that decision, I vowed to be the best volunteer in service to our Lord. I never regretted that decision and God has truly blessed me in being what I call a “DuVoc”, Dual Vocation. I am a firefighter by trade and a full-time Christian by passion.

I am in one of those professions that many in the community consider as a “Hero”. “Doc” is one of our firefighters, who as a black man stands six foot three and a biscuit short of 260 lbs. He can be pretty ominous. When referred to as a “Hero”, Doc will reply back “A Hero ain’t nothin but a samich (sandwich)”. I tend to agree with Doc.

If I have to look for “Hero’s”, I look to those who can save the soul, not just the body. For every time I have interrupted Death, Death still looms in the future, waiting for age, disease or trauma to be given an opportunity again. Saving a soul is eternal.

I do not need someone to designate a month or a day for me to recognize the “Hero’s” in my life. I see them every day seeking to distribute the Gospel to those who are weary and just short of Death, seeking to bring the soul back to life. They take a pulpit, sing a praise, visit the sick, tend to the needy, teach a child, feed the poor, solder pipes, paint walls, drive nails … the list is endless, all in the name of Christ..

What defines a “Hero” to me?

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:21-22

Go now and be a “Hero” in someone’s life.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This is one of the toughest verses in the Bible for me. I want the “Peace that surpasses all understanding”, I just don’t want to wait for it. I tend to work in 911 times, the phone rings, the call comes, I grab my stuff and head for the door. All of those sermons of reaching the poor, the lost and the needy? Okay, let’s go! “This is broke? This needs repair? Let’s get some guys and fix it”. So you can imagine my angst as we wait on the Lord to give us the go ahead with the CNRM project. I’ve learned over the years to pray more than I push when it comes to doing things for the Lord. As we try to orchestrate this project, we find ourselves working against the upcoming Holidays. We are continuing to keep our construction dates in prayer. Thanks for your patience.

The following is coming from Patrice Maturkanich.. If you can help, Please contact her. patricem@crossroadschurch.com

Global Outreach Day, Sunday October 24, will showcase the mission work of Crossroads Church throughout the world in a realistic scenario of living conditions in various countries, as well as in the U.S.

The Corona-Norco Rescue Mission is our local mission field outreach. We'd like to demonstrate the living conditions of those who have lost their homes. We are looking for volunteers with a heart for these people to help us make this demonstration an effective success. The scenario will look like this:

*an old car parked on the Candle Walk patio, filled with clothing, quilts, laundry basket, misc. bags of "stuff", etc.
*adults sitting in or near the car, wearing well-worn clothing, unwashed skin (we have makeup for that), uncombed hair. Some holding cardboard signs with words such as "will work for food", etc.
*children similarly dressed, playing near car or quietly resting in a melancholy fashion near "mother"
*possibly a tired, faithful dog lying next to these people
*EZ-up shade covering with a table holding rescue mission flyers, trifolds, business cards, sign-up sheet for more info, etc. EZ-up will be covered all over with quilt-like scraps of old, mismatched material roughly sewn together.

If you feel called to serve in this ministry outreach day, we would appreciate your participation so much! We welcome 'donation loans' for any of the materials we will need, and of course we welcome anyone who would like to participate as a homeless family member.

Bill Reimer, the Chief Program Officer for the Rescue Mission efforts in the Inland Empire, will be present to answer questions all morning, as well as Todd Holtkamp, the Project Manager for the Corona-Norco Rescue Mission refurbishing.

Please respond with your interest to Patrice, admin volunteer for CNRM.

patriceM@CrossroadsChurch.com

On a personal note: Heather is home and continues to recover. thanks for all of your prayers and support.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

It would probably be a lot easier for me if God just sent me a note and said “Hey Todd, you need to work on this in your life”. Maybe He has and I was too busy to see it, or maybe it got lost in my other emails. Being a paramedic for 24 years has not helped me become anymore compassionate toward the homeless; in fact it has allowed me to build defense mechanisms. For many homeless, they use the emergency medical system to avoid the weather and get a shower and comfortable bed for a few days. Show any amount of compassion and they will be sitting in the Fire Station watching TV while you are out on a call, it’s happened to us! The guys at Station One had befriended a local homeless man only to come back from a call and found him sleeping in one of the chairs at the fire station.

My family and I were eating lunch at the mall when a woman approached our table with a child on her hip and another in tow. She was carrying a small sign that explained her plight and a request for money. I asked her if she had checked with the local shelter and social services, she needed to get off the streets. She shook her head and scurried away. I was irritated as I watched her move through the food court collecting money. I felt she was using her children as props to collect money.

The next day I was in the parking lot of Home Depot and another woman approached me, child on her hip, a small sign explaining her need and asking for money. I wanted information from this woman, and felt I had something that I needed to learn. “Do you have an I.D?” I asked. She replied in a heavy accented voice “No, immigration has it, no I.D.” With that reply I realized that I am not equipped to show compassion at this point. I have a lot to learn about what we can do in our community.

I was icing my shoulder, thumbing through You Tube, when I stumbled upon http://www.youtube.com/user/invisiblepeopletv . Mark Horvath makes a cross country documentary interviewing the homeless and their plight. I watched a segment of a woman with 5 children and the first thing that came to my mind was “What were you thinking when you had 5 children”? I continued to thumb through the numerous videos always looking for a “Cause” to their homelessness. Drugs, alcohol, abuse, failed marriages, unemployment all the reasons are there, so I am still questioning God “What do you want me to learn?”

Compassion not Judgment
That night I made my way to men’s group and I saw myself in the lesson.

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14.



I got it God, I am the Pharisee, and I was surprised by that revelation. For me it was that I had made the “Right Choices” in life. It’s amazing how “Right Choices” sounds like Righteousness. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable”. I was looking at others who had made the wrong choices and judged them as less. When I look to Jesus to study compassion, He didn’t hand out $20 bills to show compassion, He sacrificed His life for mine. When the world expected riches of a worldly kingdom, He gave them a Heavenly Kingdom. He gave us Love and direction, dignity not welfare. He adopted us as children of the most High God and most of all He accepted us as we were sinners and brought us to understand His Grace. We became “Family”.

I am still on that journey to understand what it means to be compassionate, I am sure I still have a lot to learn.

The latest on the Corona Norco Rescue Mission.

Thanks for all of the response and questions concerning the progress of the Harrison Ave facility. The meetings with the city have been very productive. We are about to finalize drawings, file for permits and then we are looking at about 2 weeks to start construction. Funding is all lining up. I will keep you posted on our progress. Please continue to keep the project in prayer.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58

I took a much needed vacation last week with the family; it was a nice break, after the Pancake Breakfast. I remember before we left that I just felt tired. I prayed countless times to the Lord saying “I am just tired!”. Because of the surgery on my shoulder I wasn’t sleeping well. I was only getting 4-5 hours of sleep per night. I am also not much of one to just “Sit”. I am used to being active and that seemed to be wearing on me also.

We have all become “weary” from the day to day grind of life. There are times that we all look to the Heavens and cry out “I’m tired of this Lord! Why am I doing this?. For me the answer always comes back that I am a servant of the Most High God. I understand His Grace and Love for me and that keeps me going. God does honor my prayers, eventually I do find rest. But, when we give up doing good because of our fatigue, we short change God’s ability to bless our lives.

I was sitting at breakfast with Bill Riemer and we were discussing the time schedules for the remodel on the Harrison facility. I just simply said “If this works, it will be a God thing, not a Todd thing.”. Sometimes we are so busy trying to accomplish things (And I am one of the worst offenders) that we don’t allow God’s power to come through. We work ourselves to exhaustion and then look to the Heavens asking “Why aren’t you helping Lord?. For me the answer is generally I have been standing in the way of God’s working. I am reminded of the 23rd Psalm

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”

Did you catch that? “He makes me lies down in green pastures …” Like a little child, who is cranky and needs a nap. God makes us rest, and in doing so restores our souls.

Don’t neglect God’s desire to maintain our souls to good works.



Progress report.

In the past few weeks we have been meeting with the city discussing various issues. Most of the biggest issues have been resolved and everyone is excited about the project. Kirk is working on finalizing the drawings and requesting permits. All of the funding needs are coming along. As soon as we get a few more things confirmed you will hear me publishing construction dates. I’ll keep you posted. Please continue to pray.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

“Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.” Psalm 118:19-22.

The verse on Psalms is a messianic prophecy that is repeated by Jesus in Mark the 12th chapter, but can you see the application to the Corona shelter? We are opening the gates of righteousness to those who have been lost in our society. The little brown building nestled in that commercial area, rejected by some, neglected by others, will become the corner stone of salvation for many through Jesus Christ. It will be there that many will regain their dignity and freedom from sin and affliction, stepping back into society as a whole person.

Some have asked if we abandoned the vision of building a new facility from the ground up, the answer is a resounding “No”! We knew that serving the homeless in Corona would start with what we already have, which is the shelter on Harrison Street. Vision and prayer is already being lifted up to expand our service, the Harrison St. Mission is just the gate opening to greater things.

The Pancake Breakfast was an amazing event! We had 109 people in attendance. Everyone was so excited about the vision and the work to be accomplished at the Harrison St. Mission. Thanks to my wife Jolene, Patrice Maturkanich, and Beth Hassman for helping to organize the event. Doug Husen, Kirk Lansea and the Men of Crossroads for cooking breakfast. Cameron Thomas for making sure we all had coffee.

Bettie Shultz fell ill during the event and is doing better, she should be home now. She is thankful for all of the prayers.

What’s Next? Our team continues to work on design and funding. The next 30 days is crucial, as we set about finalizing plans and putting them in motion. We continue to pray that these are God’s plans and that we are doing His will. We will keep you posted on our progress.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

It’s always interesting on what adventure God take us on when we surrender to Him. We did the last of the scheduled tours of the Village of Hope in Tustin last Saturday. We had a total of about 70 people make the trek to Orange County to be inspired by what God is doing there and it was a chance to see what is possible in Corona


The vision continues: This Saturday, at the pancake breakfast, we will talk about the changes that will take place for the existing facility in the next few months. Bill Reimer will talk of the service the mission will begin to provide. Whatever your occupation or talent, this is the meeting you want to attend if you plan to be involved. There is still room at the table for you!

I look forward to seeing you this Saturday August 7th 8am.
420 Harrison, Corona. The corner of Harrison and Sheridan (God’s Kitchen)



Prayer Requests

• That all lives are changed that come into contact with the Mission.

• For the overall purpose of the project and safety for all those involved in the project.

• We need a Structural Engineer.

• We need Roofing Contractors.

• Construction dates.

Information:

Village of Hope/Orange County Rescue Mission http://www.rescuemission.org/

Corona Norco Rescue Mission http://www.rescuemissionCN.org

Join Corona Norco Rescue Mission on Facebook.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

We will be truly blessed this Christmas with six grandchildren under the age of five years old. We look forward to the excitement, as cousins get together and view all the gifts under the tree for each of them to unwrap. I imagine wrapping paper flying through the air, screams of joy and parents prompting the appropriate “Say, Thank-you”. Toy trucks and princess dolls will be the topic of discussion throughout the day.

I see the same excitement in the eyes of those who have toured the Village of Hope in Tustin and then reviewed plans for the work at the Corona Norco Rescue Mission. It’s going to be a lot of work, but so is Christmas. Both celebrate the Birth of our Savior and rejoice in His redemption of the lost. People are talking about all the gifts they can bring to the project and how it will bring joy to the hearts of all of those involved.
Unlike Christmas that is over in a day and to quote my granddaughter who at the end of last Christmas showed a pouty face and said “Now we have to wait a whole year till Santa comes again!” Corona Norco Rescue Mission will continue to bring a gift of joy to the community throughout the year.

Come join the celebration. This Saturday will be the last scheduled tour of the Village of Hope in Tustin. The following Saturday, August 7th ,will be the Pancake Breakfast at the Corona Norco Rescue Mission. See you there.

Prayer Requests

• That all lives are changed that come into contact with the Mission.

• For the overall purpose of the project and safety for all those involved in the project.

• We need a Structural Engineer.

• We need Roofing Contractors.

• Construction dates.

Coming Events

• Tours of the Village Of Hope in Tustin. July 31 at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Please RSVP to alexis.broske@rescuemission.org . A map and information are available at: http://www.rescuemission.org/about/location/location.htm

• Pancake Breakfast and tour of the Corona Norco Rescue Mission. August 7th at 8 a.m. This is an opportunity to be able to walk through the current facility and discuss the construction changes that will be made in the months to come. If you would like to know what you might be able to do, come and sit with us, enjoy breakfast and talk about what God will do in the Corona area. Please RSVP to Todd@crossroadschurch.com

Information:

Village of Hope/Orange County Rescue Mission http://www.rescuemission.org/

Corona Norco Rescue Mission http://www.rescuemissionCN.org

Join Corona Norco Rescue Mission on Facebook.