Help us raise $6,000 before 2011!

God is alive and well here at DOOR Hollywood and we are certainly thankful!  Alayna, Alex, Brady, Josh, Kyle, and Robert are settled in, deeply invested in their work with the homeless as well as the families surrounding 5846 Gregory!  (Click on their names for their ongoing blogs!)  And we need your help to keep this mission thriving: we currently are paying $12,000 annually in property taxes while we work tirelessly to re-establish our legitimate tax-exempt status with California.  All papers are in order and have been for over a year now, but the state is moving slowly.  That $12,000 could nearly cover the living expenses of one Dweller for a year, or it could allow us to send 20 local students from low-income families on a week-long service learning trip in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, or San Antonio, covering program and travel.  Please help while we are in this waiting game, and please pray that we come out from under this requirement soon!  Click here to go directly to our credit card donation processing page.

From our sunrise hike this week.

God is alive and well in this city!

Merry Christmas from DOOR Hollywood!  Click on any photo to see more of the team in action.

Posada, December 13, 2010

Listening, by Kyle

My housemate Robert and I were heading to West Hollywood to check out a free movie that I won through a contest. As we were getting there, Robert was telling me about his job on PATH’s homeless outreach team.  They offer rides to a hospital if someone is hurt, offer advice, give a bag of food, and let the homeless know that PATH is willing to help them with a 2nd chance at life.   Robert brought up something I never thought about.  A lot of homeless have lost their self-esteem or lack the courage to seek a job. Why?  What if you’d been out on the street for months, or years, and people stare at you as they walk by, never talk to you, and just ignore you.  You may feel hopeless and think that if you tried to get a job, that boss would ignore you just like the people on the street.   So, one of the things the outreach team does is to meet the homeless and start a conversation with them.  The outreach team tries to see the same homeless people a few times every month so that those people know they aren’t forgotten.  That may help their hearts to heal, become stronger, and realize that not everybody is the same.  LA is a big city and it’s our job not only to help the homeless but spread the word about what we offer to help even more homeless with a 2nd chance at life.

From Kyle's blog: You Will Never Go Where God is Not

Fall Festival!

Thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who helped with the fall festival yesterday at 5846 Gregory!  It was a ton of fun, great new relationships were made, and please pray that they blossom from here on out.

To see more photos, click on either one here.

Blessings, Matthew

Brothers and Sisters

This is God's Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don't take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering! – Jeremiah 22:3, The Message

In a world where Glenn Beck has urged Christians to "run as fast as [they] can" from churches who care about social justice while even the Old Testament commands us to “attend to matters of justice”; in a world where some Christians walk alongside those in the margins while other Christians look on declaring judgment and punishment, no wonder the world is confused about Christianity.  Seems Christians are confused, too.  

Part of my journey involves serving as an improvisational theater and writing workshop leader in several Michigan prisons and detention centers.  At the time, this was not about being a Christian, per se, but about my distaste for the way society so readily throws people away.  “They’ve committed a crime, so they are getting what they deserve,” is what I heard, what I still hear, all the time.  But not much more than that, that’s the end of the story for those of us who don’t live with the unspoken expectation that incarceration is more likely than attending college.  So, as a college kid, I got involved with the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan.  Much to the initial dismay of my family, I was working with men with a life sentence, typically meaning that they had committed some form of murder.  Amidst working alongside the men inside to pull together a play about redemption, healing, and forgiveness, drawing from real-life experiences and hope, and putting on a show for fellow inmates and community members, I met a man we’ll call Leroy, a man from Detroit.

Leroy had a booming laugh that you’d feel in your bones, was 6’5”, 300 pounds, and loved to give bear hugs.  I’ll admit, my first hug from him, I was a little nervous.  He could literally have squeezed the life right out of me.  Through the several months we worked together, I came to learn that he was a Vietnam Vet, came back traumatized and over-medicated, got thrown in jail for drug addiction and dealing.  After serving his sentence, he was on a type of house arrest for his parole.  One night, his sister went into premature labor and had nobody to watch her infant son.  She called Leroy, and he hesitated, but thought it would be understood and explainable.  Until the unthinkable happened: during that night, someone began to break into his sister’s house, into the bedroom where the baby was sleeping.  Leroy reacted, charged at the perpetrator, and startled him so that he fell through the window, off the fire escape, to his death.   Now Leroy is in for life: murder while violating terms of his parole.   Does Leroy deserve another chance?  That’s not my place to judge, though I feel he ought to.  (AKA: Should the thousands upon thousands of dollars Michigan is spending to keep him locked up go towards improving schools?)  Was it worthwhile to meet with him in the marginalized realm of his “correctional facility?”  Absolutely.  For so many reasons, including the fact that all along the way, Leroy prayed.  For me.  He openly prayed that God would touch my heart in good time.  And years later when that ultimately occurred, what memory of being embraced and lifted up did I feel?  Who’s face would appear in my mind’s eye?  Leroy’s.  The face of God in the image of Leroy.   

In that spirit, when I heard that Professor Buzz Alexander, co-founder of the Prison Creative Arts Project and longtime friend, was coming to LA to promote his new book, Is William Martinez Not Our Brother?, I decided DOOR Hollywood needed to host this event.  Last Friday at Mama’s Hot Tamales in MacArthur Park, Buzz read to a diverse audience of about 40 people.  During the discussion that followed, incredible questions were raised: Are we any safer as a society for increasing our prison population sevenfold over the past 15 years? Do things like the sex-offender registry actually stop these crimes from re-occurring, or does it allow us to gloss over and ignore the fact that the vast majority of sexual offenses happen within homes, families, and with acquaintances? What does it mean to humanize instead of dehumanize?  What should forgiveness really look like?  And then, I received a comment from a non-Christian guest, saying that she was so surprised to hear about Christians who care about justice, as opposed to judgment.   Her idea of Christianity looked like Bible verses on signs proclaiming hate.  Can we blame her?

Current Dweller Alex recently blogged on her experience participating in a walk to raise money for AIDS research:  As the walk began we came up against radical Christian protesters holding awful signs declaring things such as “Homo Sex is a Sin” with scripture references of John 3:16, “For God So Loved the World….” I am unsure how this verse of salvation and love supported their message of hatred and exclusion.  Why they needed to come and protest a walk raising money to find a cure to a disease that is killing millions of people around the world I do not know or understand. I DO understand the gospel and the light that I have been studying it in. The greatest commandment Jesus gave us was to love God and love our neighbors. Our neighbors are not geographical; our neighbors are all of God’s people; every tribe and every nation. As we walked past the protesters we also walked past the group in their “Jesus Saves” t-shirts. Suddenly I loved these shirts….

Jesus did come to save the world.  The World.  For everyone.  Even people who confuse their need to discern with God’s, and only God’s, power to judge.  Even people with AIDS.  Even people who hate people with AIDS.  Even Glenn Beck.  Even you.  Even me.  All of us, brothers and sisters.

Peace be with you all,

Matthew

First Impressions of Hollywood, from Robert

Work is interesting. I’m on PATH’s Street Outreach Team based out of Hollywood. Here’s what I tell people when they ask me what exactly it is we do on Outreach:

Basically, we spend our time in the various neighborhoods of Los Angeles looking for the homeless. When we find them, we approach them and talk to them (if they'll let us), meeting them where they are and offering a lunch and, sometimes, a hygiene kit. What we're trying to do is build trust with these people, our clients, with the eventual goal of motivating them to come in off the street to shelter where they can get help.

Now that sounds pretty cool, but it really doesn't encapsulate everything I've experienced in these last two weeks. What it amounts to is that we spend a lot of time riding around in a van looking for people and then looking for parking. But it also means that we spend our time getting ignored and rejected. It means shaking hands with people who don't look clean (because they aren't). It means getting yelled at and hated. It means meeting people who genuinely want help but are fed up with the system. It means joy when dropping off a client at shelter. It means listening to a man in a worn-out wheelchair quote Maya Angelou while talking about the social division that exists between residents of West Hollywood (with an average rent greater than $2200) and the homeless. It means asking a delusional client if he needs any clothes as he eats the baloney sandwich you just gave him across the street from the Beverly Hills Gucci.

It also means sitting in meetings listening to law enforcement speak about homeless as trespassers and criminals, which they may be, though it's difficult to reconcile this image when I spend my days looking into their faces and listening to their stories. After all, where else are they to go besides street corners, park benches and alleyways full of dumpsters?

Did you know that there's an area of central Los Angeles called Skid Row that is widely accepted as the homeless capital of the nation, meaning that there are more homeless per square mile than anywhere else in the country? Even if you have heard of Skid Row, you may not be aware that there is a law in place only in that area of Los Angeles that prevents any person from sleeping in the streets between the hours of 5am and 9pm. Initially, the law was in effect 24 hours a day, but the State's Supreme Court ruled that, without enough beds in the city to shelter the homeless, criminalizing sleeping in public was unconstitutional. Estimates of the Los Angeles county homeless population vary between 48,000 and 90,000. There are 13,000 shelter beds.

Now, I want you to take a second and step off a ledge with me. How many empty bedrooms would you estimate are in Los Angeles? How many are in your own home? What if they all were opened?

So, I don't know. What I'm feeling right now is a lot of frustration with the problem and the systems and locales we're working in. This weekend, Brady and I went to see a movie in Universal City, which is like hyper-Los Angeles. Basically, it's an outdoor mall dedicated to the bright and flashy lights of consumerism (literally, every store advertises with huge neon signs). It's a place teeming with excess and higher prices charged just because, at this place, you're meant to feel like you're somewhere special. I wanted to vomit. I thought about Eddie, fresh from having two stints placed around his heart, still wearing hospital bracelets, heart-beat sensor stuck to his chest, pulling two grocery carts behind his wheelchair that looks to lose its front wheels at any moment.

Prayers

Please pray for the people that my roommates and encounter in our work. And pray (this is a big one) that God can use us and the many other Christians here to change the culture a city that is often blind to its shortcomings. Lastly, let us not forget to pray for ourselves (because I often do), that we may see and hear God everyday.

Every Day a New Adventure, by Alayna

It’s been a busy orientation week for us. Six of us live in this duplex on Gregory Avenue: Alex and I on the girls’ side and Brady, Josh, Kyle, and Robert on the boys’. We have begun crafting our house covenant, a contract we will all sign that outlines how we agree to live together and hold each other accountable as an intentional Christian community. We have spent some time evaluating the unique spiritual gifts each of us brings to the table. We are learning to value and use our individual strengths.

We have all participated in a morning of service together. We volunteered at Project Angel Food, an organization that prepares and delivers 1,600 meals every day, 365 days per year, for people with terminal illnesses.

We’ve had dinners with several of the past “Dwellers,” the people who have lived in this house on Gregory Avenue in the years before us. It’s been interesting to hear their stories and their advice, to see the lasting relationships that formed from their year here.

One of my favorite field trips from the week was Homeboy Industries and Homegirl Café. Homeboy Industries was started by a pastor who saw firsthand how gangs affected the young men and women and their families in his neighborhood—the violence, prison sentences, and deaths. He saw how difficult it was to get out of that lifestyle once a person was tattooed or had a record. So he began to give them an alternative, paying them out of his own pocket to work for him. I loved the tshirt that our former gang member/tour guide was wearing: “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” Homeboy Industries has become the largest gang intervention program in the country; it includes Homeboy Bakery, Silkscreen, Maintenace, Merchandise, and Homegirl Café. They provide all sorts of classes, and they can even get their gang tattoos removed for free! I got goosebumps hearing about all the success stories that have come from that place—and it all started with just one man.

Yesterday, I practiced my route to work: bike one mile to the bus stop, put my bike on a rack on the front of the bus, ride 20 minutes, then bike the last couple blocks to my agency. I can already tell that I will have a lot of stories from riding public transportation every day.

So this is my life right now, still in the transition to starting our jobs and neighborhood ministry. It is such an encouragement to hear from home, comments on my first blog, emails and Facebook messages, texts. I’ve been busy so I haven’t gotten to respond to everything, but I just wanted you to know that I do appreciate it. Thank you all for that.

I can’t wait to begin working at my agency and in the neighborhood. More updates to come!

~Alayna

"Hide it under a bushel, No!" or, Blogging Commences

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine!- Matthew 5:14-16, The Message

I feel like its going to be a great year (of course I feel that way about every year though.) I am living in a house with five other similar minded young adult volunteers. Our house is located next to Paramount Studios, just a few minutes walk from Hollywood and Vine. It is all quite exciting but also quite whelming. I'm not overwhelmed yet, but I think parts of my brain are. We have gone to the beach once; walked to Grauman's Chinese theater on the walk of fame; prepared meals for a massive operation that gives 1600 meals to people with terminal illnesses every day; and stumbled into a free big name band concert in a music store where we just wanted to buy a CD. - From Josh's blog, Adventurer Friend

I will be working 32 hours a week as a case worker with Alegria. Alegria is a ministry in Hollywood that serves families who were previously homeless and have at least one family member affected by HIV or AIDS. The ministry provides these families with transitional housing, health care, and works to equip these families in the transition back to housed society. 16 families are currently housed in our facilities. I am excited and also intimidated by the work expected of me at the agency. Please keep this ministry in your prayers. - From Alex's blog, Changes

After dinner, Mrs. Kerr asked us to read a part of the chapter in Romans. It was about serving God. Mrs. Kerr asked us what we think about it and what do we accept the hardest will be for us? Each of us told our part. I told the Kerr family that I hope I become closer to God each day and stay on his path and understand his ways, not mine. Then I was trying to tell her the verse of Proverbs 3: 5-6. I didn't even give her a clue and she just said, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Then I said yes, that is it. - From Kyle's blog, You Will Never Go Where God is Not

We have also begun meeting the kids in the neighborhood as they walk by, curious about the new people at La Casa de la Comunidad. The Community House has a longstanding reputation in the neighborhood as a safe place for the neighborhood kids to come for tutoring and fellowship. They have already been asking when the tutoring will begin again. Alex and I are both anxious to begin work in the community garden as well. I must admit all this work at the Community House is what I’m most excited for. - From Alayna's Blog, the space between

Please pray this week for my fellow YAV's as we spend this week in meditation and worship to help us focus on the journeys that lie before us. Pray for the friends and families we left behind and the new friends we'll make at our sites, and pray for the little things we can all do to make someone's day better. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." -Psalm 139 v7-10. - From Robert's blog, Keepin' On

Welcome Alayna, Alex, Brady, Josh, Kyle, & Robert!

"God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind." - Isaiah 40:29-31, The Message

Tonight, when I got home from orientation activities, I found my 11-month-old daughter eating beets. In some people's minds, possibly and odd baby food, but she loves them. She studies their deep purple-red, kisses them, offers to share them with you, and delights in the purple stain on her fingers that lingers after she eats slice after slice. I marveled in how beautiful beets actually are: such a rich, deep, and pure color. And after a day filled with excitement, a little stress, and the newness of all that is initiating a new Dwell year, I saw the face of God in my baby's love for beets. And it filled my spirit.

From Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and North Carolina, our six new Dwellers came together this week. It is such a swirl of newness, all the excitement of witnessing Los Angeles and Hollywood for the first time, all the intrigue of slowly getting to know the people who God has lined up as the members of an intentional community for, at least, the year. There is something so pure about it all, something so honest, human, and beautiful. And even though reality dictates that as the "rubber hits the road" and the work of the ministries begins, conflict will most certainly arise. My prayer for these six is that they can work to see those conflicts as opportunities, as chances to learn even more deeply who God is and who God can be. My prayer is that they constantly seek the courage to "wait upon God," as the Scripture urges, and that God would infuse them with energy and joy in the struggle and challenges they've been called to this year.

Won't you join me in praying for them? That God would walk alongside each of them every step of the way, and that each one of them and every neighbor they connect with while living here is richly blessed...

Please click on any photo to see more about how the year is coming together and how to connect with any Dweller personally to offer encouragement and requests to learn more about the ways God is being witnessed here on Gregory Avenue and in Hollywood!

Goodbye Will, Kenna, & Alex

Another Dwell year comes to a close. Thanks to the generosity of the Schiess and Barbour families, we were able to wind down high above San Bernardino. From a year on Gregory Avenue to a goodbye near Lake Gregory and Lake Arrowhead, we celebrated the many ways God moved through and blessed these Dwellers all year.

Time for quiet, rest, reconnection, and praying for the arrivals of Kyle, Robert, Alex, Josh, Alayna, and Brady.

Thank You

“So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.” – John 13:14-15, The Message

A small but mighty group from down the coastline closed our summer out. Poway Incarnational Lutheran Church brought a sense of heart and humor to the mission this week. To see more photos, click above!

Sometimes, if the Spirit moves, we perform a foot-washing to close out a week of service. It struck me last week, that the act is actually humbling on both sides: humbling to kneel down and wash another’s feet, and, humbling to expose your own feet to the person doing the washing. Once again, I am floored by the brilliant majesty of our Creator, especially in the paradoxical wisdom of our Savior. An act that is equally humbling, and in the right mindset and spirit, equally satisfying, for both persons involved could only be divined by God. Wow.

I’m not a numbers person. Ask any participant if I’m good at dividing large groups into 7 smaller ones whilst standing in front of that audience. Ha! I also am not someone who is typically bottom-line oriented, in that I’m not concerned about quantity, especially if the aspect of quality is forgotten. So it’s surprising to me that I find myself drawn to looking at the collection of full-group photos we have over the course of this Discover year, currently moved by the number of faces. But I guess I’m touched by the magnitude of God’s kingdom, in what it looks like to see huddled masses coming together in the name of Christ. While it is satisfying to know that over 7,000 hours of service throughout Los Angeles occurred collectively by all these wonderful folks, I find it is more joyful to recognize the humility that occurs when you observe the groups, altogether, as a collective. Much like foot-washing, we can feel insignificant when we imagine ourselves one in a crowd of many, one small actor in a play of many good works, and yet, when that crowd is woven together through faith and service and love, it feels like a celebration, like being part of a really huge family party.

I’ll close simply with those photos I’ve been looking at. My humble thanks to all of you who graced DOOR Hollywood with your enthusiastic joy, service, and compassion this summer. You have certainly washed our feet. We hope and pray, in line with the pattern Jesus laid out for us, that we did the same for you.

Matthew

Not Good to be Alone

"The LORD God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone.'" - Genesis 2:18, NIV

For more photos from our Dwell Celebration, click above!

My friends who are in seminary might raise and eyebrow and call me out for eisegesis (inputting my own interpretation, or 'reading into it') with this piece of Scripture, but please bear with me. Yes, I recognize that when God says this in Genesis, it was in reference to Adam needing a direct companion. But that companion would be Eve, and from that union would came children, more children, and eventually, all of society. I think God may have been suggesting more togetherness than even a spouse. With many parables and other Biblical stories that go on to celebrate redemption and reunion, I believe it becomes clear that God is a God who enjoys bringing us together.

For more photos of our latest Discover groups in action, click on any of the photos above.

So it would happen that, this week, we were graced with the infectious joy, enthusiastic service, and vibrant humor of two wonderful Discover groups from Canada, more specifically, from British Columbia and Winnipeg. While volunteering throughout Los Angeles, several small teams generously helped our neighborhood ministry by working on repairs at La Casa de la Comunidad, under Wendy's leadership, and helping to prepare for our Celebrate and Be Celebrated party for all the Dwellers. This gathering would draw together nearly one hundred friends from the neighborhood, supportive mentors and prayer partners, friends from Hollywood Presbyterian Church, Grace Community Church, Reality LA, Silverlake Presbyterian Church, Christian Assembly of Eagle Rock and others, DOOR Hollywood Board members, and Dwellers' co-workers from places like PATH, Salvation Army, and Door Of Hope. While we specifically celebrated the successes of the Dwell team before they start heading back home, the undercurrent was truly a celebration of how God worked through all these amazing servants' hearts. How God delights in bringing people together in the name of Jesus, how God pours out blessings upon those who give of themselves to help build bridges, help bring togetherness, and help encourage one another. Alone, none of this is possible. But in unity.....

Alex joked during his presentation that he felt like he was receiving an Oscar and, thus, scrambling to thank everyone he could think of before the music shooed him off the stage. Hmmm. America, indeed, identifies so strongly as a place to celebrate the overcomer, the lone ranger, the "pull-yourself-up-from-your-own-bootstraps" brand of success. And even in this land of rugged individualism, every Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy acceptance speech; every MVP award ceremony; even every political victory rally all have one thing in common: one person spends most of their allotted time thanking the batallion of others who helped them along the way. "This would not have been possible without your help."

We are designed to need one another. We are designed to work in concert and in unity. What a blessing that is. We don't have to go at it all alone.

And the two pinatas bursting forth with pounds and pounds of candy at the end of the party seemed to be a glimpse of the overwhelming outpouring that is the heart of God.

Please pray for Wendy as she heads back to the Air Force Academy this afternoon. Please pray for safe travels for our new Canadian friends, too!

-Matthew

To find out how to get more involved with our neighborhood ministry, click above.

The Ministry of Zorch

Let me live that I may praise you,and may your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant,for I have not forgotten your commands.- Psalm 119:175-176, NIV

Photos of Discover participants from Palo Alto, CA and Lakewood, CO. For more photos, click on any one above.

Boundless energy. That is how I heard one of the group leaders describe the combined forces of Palo Alto Presbyterian and Green Mountain Presbyterian Churchs' youth groups, serving and learning together in Hollywood this week. Indeed. And every morning at breakfast, I heard full stories, at lightning speed, about how the week was going. Between bites of Lucky Charms.

So it was that I learned of the game Zorch! It is a favorite of the Palo Altians, and they have taught it to the Green Mountainites. Basically, it involves a very dark room, one person who has a flashlight and must remain stationary at one end, all others stand at the opposite end of the room and must carefully advance forward towards an item. If the person with the flashlight shines the light on you, yells "Zorch!" and your correct name, you must go back to square one. The person who reaches the item first without being Zorched gets to become the new Zorcher.

As I listened to the kids argue about how to best explain the rules and moments from one of their games, I smiled. What intrigued me most was that even though the goal is to not get caught moving forward, recalling moments of being Zorched sounded like it was just as much fun as being the winner. The item they were going after was a Bible (how perfect is that?) Having flashlight's beam shine upon them and hearing the Zorcher call out their name accurately seemed to feel good, too.

So, I started to imagine God as the perfect Zorcher. Isn't that kind of what we're all doing down here, stumbling forward in the dark to find truth, and isn't it exhilarating when we feel God find us? Isn't it like a beam of light cutting through the fear of night? And, in Zorch, when others are found, I imagine that the light also illuminates pieces of the room, making it easier for everyone else to make their way to the Bible. Kind of like when we share our testimonies, when we expose stories about how great God has been to us, doesn't that shed some light of hope for others who overhear it?

Of course, God doesn't guess, God knows our names before even reaching out to us. But being recognized for who we truly are is, I believe, one of our deepest desires. Children of a loving and merciful God. And these energetic and fun-loving kids reminded me of that.

May you feel God's finding of you today, wherever you are as you read this, wherever you go to from here. Be found, and spread the light.

Matthew

Stepping Back to Allow

"Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." -2 Timothy 3:16, The Message

For more photos from the week, click above

DOOR Hollywood, as with any DOOR City, is very busy in the summer time. We have Discover groups coming in each week, Dwellers coming to the end of a year while others are preparing to embark on theirs, and the neighborhood kids are off from school, looking for fellowship and fun at all hours of the day. It's easy to feel over-stretched, overwhelmed, and over tired!

This passage from 2 Timothy, though, calms me down. When we root ourselves in the Word, really lean up against it as a solid rock, we find that our energy levels are restored to the tasks God has put before us. And, for over-achievers like myself, we can better discern what God is NOT intending us to do by noting where our energy is not present. The beauty here is that, we can step back sometimes and allow others to take part in the action, the growth, and the joy.

LEAP365, from Eastern Mennonite University, on a tour at PATH.

So it would be that this week, fantastically energetic high school and college kids came to serve from the East Coast through a program called LEAP365. They sorted materials, met with and served the homeless, and explored Los Angeles all along the way. Wendy is taking on many of the repair and maintenance projects at the house before she leaves later this month by connecting with members of Hollywood Presbyterian, friends from the neighborhood, and other skilled folks like herself. And our incoming Dwellers: Alex, Josh, Brady, Alayna, Kyle, and Robert are beginning to connect with agencies, sending in resumes and holding phone and Skype conversations with potential supervisors for next year. All this is happening at once, by the grace of God, and when I step back and allow, rather than let my need to be over-involved prevail, I learn just how good our God is, and just how amazing it is to be a part of the body of Christ. Just a part, not a whole.

May God humble and bless you this week as well.

Matthew

Dweller Wendy allows her fix-it gifts to bless both the physical DOOR House as well as fellowship building opportunities with neighborhood kids.

Dwellers 2010-2011: from top left: Kyle, Josh, Alayna, Alex, Brady, and Robert

"I Want to be the Start of a Chain Reaction"

"No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We're not keeping secrets; we're telling them. We're not hiding things; we're bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don't become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity." - Luke 8:16-18, The Message

Eric prepares food at a homeless shelter in Hollywood. For more photos from the week, click on any of the images you see here!

Last night, during our closing worship and discussion, Eric from Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church made a statement that almost got overlooked. We had just completed a 20 minute sharing time, where teens and adults from the Church of Christ of Goshen, Connecticut and Walnut Creek (CA) Presbyterian Church discussed a "rose" (something beautiful from the week), a "thorn" (something annoying or challenging), and a "bud" (a hope for the future.)

Eric raises his hand, right after everyone has shared, and says, "I have one more bud." My first inclination was to keep the evening moving along, because we had many more elements to cover, and so I almost said, "hold your thought until after we're all done." But I didn't, and Eric blossomed this incredible idea, linking a commercial he had seen with the work and experiences they had had this week:

"I want to be the start of a chain reaction of helping others and encouraging people."

Indeed, it touched the entire group. We certainly do need to keep our light out in the open, to brighten the lives and souls of others. I am so blessed to sit back and watch how God allows the service and the outreach to unlock doors, no pun intended, in the hearts and minds of these young people.

To the Goshen Creekinites, or the Walnut Goshians, you have reached out across this huge city called Los Angeles, and from what I see, you're reaching out across the country in new connections with each other. I assure you, the love and joy that you all radiated this week is bright, and inspiring, and fills us with new hope.

Bless you all!

Matthew

Impromptu Worship, God brings it all together!

Working at Project Angel Food

Before saying goodbye....