No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets

Dorothy B.

I knew I was getting into something way beyond my comfort zone. I even prayed as we walked down the sidewalk. "God, you know I get really nervous about things like this. Please help me not to trip up on my words. Please be in our conversations." 
 
Aaron and I set out this week to pray for, bless, and connect with our business park neighbors by delivering 8 goodie baskets filled with snacks.  Thanks to Susan C., we had a beautifully packaged array of treats to offer the office workers in our business complex.  We stepped into the first business, and all my fears came to a head.  We were met by a very unhappy man who wanted nothing to do with us.  "No thanks," he said.  "I'm not interested."  I thought about sinking back to the Spectrum ministry center. Then I remembered what we were taught by Gary Watkins in service last Sunday – no reserves ... no retreat ... no regrets.

We decided to re-start on friendly ground by going to the management office where we were known.  The complex manager was delighted to see us and genuinely touched by our gift.  We stayed and chatted awhile, letting her know how blessed we feel to be part of this business community.

Armed with a good experience and feeling God's presence, we set off to another business whose name I was familiar with.  After learning about the business for a few minutes from the receptionist, she called out the other staff members.  We were met with “praise Jesus” when we told them a church is now part of the neighborhood and made a great connection as these ladies talked of their involvement with the homeless community and with pregnant teens.  We said, "Let's get lunch some time," and arranged to talk again. 

Then Aaron said, "Let's go visit the deli!" The deli? Really?  Bringing treats to a deli? He said "Why not?" so off we went. As soon as we walked in, the owner asked if we were from Spectrum Church because he’d seen our banner when he came in on a Sunday.  We learned about him and his wife, and that they have two boys, including a newborn of a few weeks.  Now when we go for lunch (and I recommend you try it sometime as everything is fresh and delicious), we can connect with them by name.

We didn’t get to the other 5 baskets today, which was actually a surprise. We never dreamed that we would have such interesting conversations – but we’ll be back out there tomorrow.  There are many businesses in our complex, and our plan is to visit a few each month with some gift to show we care and we pray that we would be an encouragement to everyone we meet. 

Won’t you consider joining us? I was so energized after our time, and God took all my jitters away.  It was so great to meet the wonderful people around us, to make connections, and begin new relationships. I know He’ll do that for you, too.

Special thanks also to Kathy Z. and Del V. for their awesome baking skills!

Trust In Times of Doubt

Donna O.

Original artwork by Donna Ogle

What if my prayer wasn't good enough?  What if I left out something really important?  What if Mel wouldn't be saved because my prayer was inadequate?

Recently, Bob and I went to see Mel, our dear friend, who was in the hospital to have brain surgery. The news was not good. The tumor in his brain was cancer, stage 3-4. I was urged by another friend that I MUST share the Gospel with Mel. Mel, who is Jewish, had been going to church but had always held back from committing his life to Christ.

In a moment when we were alone, I told Mel that Bob and Michele, Mel’s wife, and I would all be in heaven together for eternity, and we wanted him to be with us. I told him that the only way to get to heaven and have eternal life was through accepting Jesus as Lord and believing Jesus died for his sins. Then I asked him if he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart? Mel whispered, “Yes, I do.” Then I prayed with him….

Later at home that evening, the doubt started creeping in when I started thinking about my prayer with Mel.  I had a hard time sleeping that night because I was so worried.

The next morning I drove a friend of mine with bladder cancer to City Of Hope for her treatment. She is a mentor to me. I love her and trust her. God has given her so much wisdom. I shared my story of bringing Mel to Christ, along with my doubts and guilt over my prayer. She had also been praying for Mel and his new diagnosis of brain cancer. She looked at me, and said, “Donna, that is Satan attacking. The minute that Mel said yes, he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart, he was saved. You could have said blah, blah, blah, after that, and he would be saved.” God knew it was Mel’s heart that changed and saved him, not my words! I immediately knew that she was right. I clearly saw Satan's plan to rob me of the joy of Mel’s salvation! That is what Satan does.

Just a little later that morning Mel’s wife called to tell me that Mel did not even remember us being there the day before. Since I was still with my friend, I told her. She said, “Donna, it does not matter if Mel remembers asking Jesus into his heart or not. He is saved!" She said, “Suppose someone accepted Christ then hit his head, and could not remember. Would he be saved? YES!”

O Lord, thank you for my mentor, and for her wisdom. Thank you for being so loving, and amazing, and powerful. Thank you for saving us and for protection from the evil one, and from the darts he throws to rob us of our joy. Thank you for Mel. Please continue to heal him completely. Amen 

My Friend Rebecca – A Person of Peace

Kathy Z.

“From the beginning, it felt like I was sitting with my best friend”, said Kathy Z. when she first met Rebecca. They met when Kathy sold her Irvine home and relocated to Tustin. Rebecca is her realtor and showed her a property in Tustin, but when it didn’t work out, Rebecca invited Kathy to have a soda and to just talk about life instead. 

Kathy reflects now that "you never know when God will place a 'person of peace' in your life!" She sees Rebecca as a person of peace – a person who is not a Christian but who God has placed in your life and in whom He is actively working. We might recognize them by how easily we connect with them, serve them, or how they want to serve and encourage us. They are receptive when we intentionally want to be friends and bless them, and they respond to our efforts in a similar fashion.

Since their initial encounter, Kathy and Rebecca regularly keep in touch. Rebecca loves animals so much that when Kathy’s dog, Robina, was sick, she came and cooked for her. Not Kathy, the dog. When Kathy fractured her kneecap, Rebecca was there to walk Robina. One of Rebecca's clients owned a pontoon boat, so she invited Kathy to a lunch on board. Another memorable invitation was a lunch they shared at the Capitol Grille, which was one of the times they were able to connect at a deeper level about personal and spiritual things. 

Rebecca enjoys the relationship with Kathy so much that she always asks to be squeezed into Kathy’s busy schedule. Kathy says, “To me, a person of peace is someone that can be closer than perhaps even my family. The connection with Rebecca was automatic, and we both accepted that. God handed me a lifeline in my quest for friendships. That lifeline has multiplied. Rebecca knows about my church involvement. I believe God was working in her heart before we met, and I am now praying for that time when I can share my faith with her and invite her to talk with me about God.”

Brownies???

By Aaron S.

Yes, I bake brownies, :-) and after our community group the other day, we had so many brownies left, I decided to bring some over to our neighbors, Big Jake and Karen. Jake is a big guy, with a big truck and a big dog. I have been trying to get to know them since they moved in 9 months ago, but it's tough to catch them in. Today I saw his truck in the driveway, so I went over, and as I walked up to the door, the first thing I saw is a big sign ... "NO soliciting, fundraising, politics, salesmen, religion. Thank you!" Not exactly the welcome that I was hoping for. Feeling discouraged, I started to walk away, but then I thought, "Well it didn't say no brownies," so I turned around and knocked. I could hear their big dog bark in the back, and then Jake came to the door.

As the door opened, I wondered if he was going to tell me "Thanks, but get lost." Instead, he had a big smile and was so surprised to see me. I told him that we had way too many brownies to keep in the house because we would eat them all, and he told me he would be happy to help. Jake has two preteen kids, and he said they would be home soon to enjoy them all together.

We talked for a few more minutes, and then I had to get going. I am excited to get to know Jake and his family better as neighbors. Jake and I agreed that we would figure out another time to connect. It reminded me that when I make the effort to walk a few houses down and knock, there are new relationships waiting. And in those new relationships, God wants to bless me and bless others through me. I am hopeful that I can continue to encourage Jake and others as a neighbor, and my prayer is that they would see God through me and be drawn to Jesus and experience his love for them.

If you haven't had a chance, take a look at the book, "The Art of Neighboring," by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. It's all about building genuine relationships right outside your front door, which is the subtitle. The premise is that building relationships with our neighbors helps to build better neighborhoods, better communities, and ultimately a better world--a world where people love each other and love God. That's the type of world I want to live in, and as a church, that's the type of world we want to help build together. 

Relationships Right Outside Your Door

To the Women of Dean Street:  I would like to invite you to an evening of fellowship in my home on April 23 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.  My hope is that we can get to know each other better.  It would be nice to connect a name with a face and learn more about our neighbors.

This was Kathy Z.'s first step into building relationships with the women in her cul de sac.

"After losing my husband last year, I was feeling negative effects of living alone.  Although I had a "hello" relationship with several neighbors, I didn't feel a friendship with any of them.  As suggested in the book, The Art of Neighboring, that we read together for the December Spectrum Church gatherings, and as I felt God leading me, I decided to have a get together with some of my neighbors.

I zeroed in on 12 homes and invited the women to meet at my house one evening for two hours.  But then I began to worry.  Would they come?  Would we have enough to talk about?  I can tell you now that the results were super positive.  Seven women came with wonderful snacks.  I compiled contact lists for everyone, we planned a garage sale, talked about a July 4 party, got to know more about each other, and said how we needed to do it again.  When I mentioned something about my church, one of my neighbors excitedly said, 'I'm a Christian, too!'  As we get together in the future, I pray there will be opportunities to share our faith with one another.

The results of that evening made me ask myself why I hadn't done it before.  I feel confident that I can now call some of my neighbors, 'friends.'  I hope to make that circle larger in the future.  And now I no longer have the feeling of being isolated."

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

"I have come to believe that, as followers of Jesus, one of the worthiest endeavors we can undertake is to take the Great Commandment seriously and learn to be in relationship with our literal neighbors."
 

This quote from Jay Pathak in his book, "The Art of Neighboring," has been a motivation for many of our friends at Spectrum Church. We don't want this to be a catchy phrase, but instead, we want to live it out and see its impact in our lives and in the lives others. The picture above is from a recent event at Spectrum, "Dogs and Dogs," where several families came together to invite others in their neighborhood to the park for a grill-out and some "dog time" (both the food ones and the furry ones). The event helped create new friendships and new opportunities to show and share the love of Jesus through our church to those around us. When we break bread together, intimacy is created, and people open up, giving us a chance to pray for them, serve them, and share the good news of the gospel with them.

Others are planning to host upcoming events around their homes as well. Kathy Z. has invited some women on her cul de sac for an evening together; Susan C. is planning a dinner with her neighbors; Dorothy and Ros B. regularly host block parties on their street; and Ed N. is hoping to have a grill-out in his front yard in the near future. As we live out our faith by connecting with neighbors, we trust that they will see God's love for them, and as God brings opportunities to share, to hear the gospel.

How is God calling you to love your neighbor? If God is prompting you to consider hosting an event or to connect with a neighbor in some other way, start to pray. And if you want some ideas and support, contact Dorothy Bregozzo, dbregozzo@me.com or Jennifer Dietz, jenniferpwdietz@gmail.com.  They would love to coach you and help get you started. 

Blessed to be a Blessing

Chuck W.always wants to be open to the Lord's leading to connect and pray with those where he teaches. "I am blessed to be prompted by God to pray and reach out to my friends at work." 

Sometimes the Lord answers our prayers in His amazing timing. - "My friend, Jackie, told me in January that her mom had to be admitted into the hospital due to a serious infection.  I began praying. They got to her quickly enough to save her life, but her liver was damaged.  A week later, she told me that her mom needed to wait for a liver transplant.  That was a Friday.  I told her I would keep praying, and learned on Monday that her mom had a liver transplant over the weekend!" 

Sometimes our prayers bring "soul-deep" comfort to others.  - "Another friend, Laura, has a rare, incurable disease that attacks middle aged women’s lungs. I see her every day at work and tell her that I am praying for her.  One day she came into my room in tears and told me how much my prayers meant to her, saying 'that is the only thing that keeps me going.' God is so good to me, and I want to be a blessing to others."

Who knows the immense impact that God is making through the intentional prayer and connection that Chuck makes with his friends where he teaches. What seems small to us can be used in a big way by God.

Sharing A Meal

In the early parts of Jesus' ministry, he spent a great deal of time in prayer and relationship with those around him.  Early Christians continued to walk in these footsteps of Jesus and were known for their hospitality.   

We would like to do the same as a community, enjoying many dinners, lunches, breakfasts, coffee times, walks, etc. as we build community with one another and invite others into the body God is building in our midst.

Ed on a recent trip to Tijuana Christian Mission. 

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, 
just as in fact you are doing."  1 Thessalonians 5:11  

Ed N. shared one experience:  "You in the office today? I’m across the street at a meeting.”  This was the text I got from Steve.  It was code for, “Let’s get together.”  I love those kinds of texts.  I love opportunities to meet with friends, however brief, to hear what God is doing in their lives, to encourage and be encouraged to a deeper and stronger faith in Christ.  

Steve and I met at Costco for some hotdogs (you gotta love the price!).  But it wasn’t that the total bill was under $4 (Steve bought this time), but the opportunity to first pray and give thanks, then just listen and share.  I was appreciative to learn more about Steve and to have a better insight into what his daily work life entails, and how I can pray for him.  I was thankful for Steve listening to me as well.  There’s a sense of Christ-like calm and peace that Steve imparts that is truly a blessing."

We encourage you take a step out of the boat.  Ask God to show you who you might invite to connect over a meal or another activity.  When you are together, try to get to know that person and his/her story.  Share your story, too!  And ask how you can pray for one another.  Watch what God does!

My "Mission" Was About Candy

by Susan C.

The other day my "mission" was to bless three neighbors by giving then a jar of candy. :-) The first doorbell I rang was beside the wide open front door of a couple I really wanted to reach.  The sound rang through the house twice, but was not answered.  I felt awkward, vulnerable, and rejected knowing they were home. Doorbell two rang in a home where no one appeared to be present.

My third try resulted in contact with a neighbor I had met twice.  She was embarrassed to be in her pajamas, but smiled and relaxed when I complimented her attractive “leisure wear."  We chatted, she thanked me for the candy, and I think we both had a positive exchange.

After that, I saw a formidable man unloading groceries from his car, and he became my fourth "target".  :-) He was guarded until I introduced myself and my task.  He accepted the candy with a smile and thanks, so I didn’t interrupt his unloading any further.

My last stop was at the home of a lady I barely know.  Her chronic health issues prevent her participation in many activities.  She was resting when her doorbell rang, but seemed pleased to chat a little while.  Why had I not reached out to visit this sweet, gentle soul before?

None of the five homes I visited are more than three doors away.  I’m ashamed that I have lived in a twenty home cul-de-sac for forty years and could not recognize any of the occupants  of these five households, and others, in a crowd.  The eight original homeowners know and support each other, but outreach to newcomers has been dismal.    

I started this day aware of my nervous feelings, but have since reflected on how my neighbors would describe their jar experience.  It’s not about me! I learned that God requires action.  He will set the stage, but I must step out on it. I learned that good intentions don’t get you where you need to go, your feet do. My next step is to ask two neighbors to join me in organizing and promoting a “neighborhood garage brunch” for early next year. I can't wait to see who I meet next.

Gifts Unwrapped Through Trials

Dorothy B.

I was visiting family in San Diego in August 2015 when I woke up with vertigo and a stuffed up feeling in the right side of my head. Although I saw a doctor immediately, I was unaware of the severity of the problem until the following Wednesday when the ENT announced that I had completely lost the hearing in my right ear. This began a journey of healing that continues today, where I’ve encountered the deepest pits and the highest mountains, with friends nearby and Jesus completely in control. In a nutshell, in the first few months, I experienced:

• Miserable side effects from taking high doses of oral steroids
• Weekly steroid injections directly into my eardrum
• Sudden rapid heartbeat and blood pressure spikes when trying to wean off the steroids, usually in the middle of the night
• Head-splitting ringing in my head
• Difficulty sleeping, even with a sound machine

All this time, the doctors were saying, “Get used to it.” In the 3rd week I had regained 27% of my hearing, so I tried four different hearing aids. None worked. My hearing wasn’t functional, and the hearing aides only made the squeaky and echo-y sounds worse. I couldn’t imagine going through the rest of my life like that! And then, my “good” ear started making noises, which set off panic attacks that woke me every night around 5:00 a.m. That sent me into several months of depression.

From day one, I turned to prayer, not only my own, but from all my wonderfully faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. During that time, one friend was truly the “light of the world” for me. Coty and I had been friends for many years, chatting on Sundays and occasionally getting together for lunch. As Coty checked in on me nearly every day, sharing words of encouragement, support, prayer, and even laughter, our friendship grew deeper.

There were so many ups and downs the first year. When I realized one day that my first thought upon waking in the morning wasn’t my hearing loss, I knew I’d turned a corner.

Fast forward to now. I never did regain my hearing. There are always junk noises and some form of ringing in my ear. I still panic a bit when I don’t hear my alarm clock. And I do admit that I still hope for a miracle. But what I did gain through all this goes so far beyond the loss. Most important, I gained a closer relationship with Jesus.

But I also gained a closer relationship with Coty. God has continued to use this friendship as we still “talk” every few days and have supported each other through many joyful moments and new challenges. We remind each other that God knows our hearts and that we are his beloved children. Coty has been and continues to be such a dear friend and an amazing gift from God!