Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Uptown Station, Day 1

I woke up today in New Orleans with 20 other folks from Woods Chapel. Kyle and I flew down yesterday to join the others who arrived on Sunday. It is a cohesive group of kind and caring people who have made the commitment to give themselves away for a week by helping those who are still living in trailers, post Katrina.

Why do these groups always get along so well? Maybe it is Bob's cooking. Maybe it is te fact that they are gathered together around a common heartfelt cause. Maybe they are just good, healthy, mature human beings.

I read a book on the way down here on the plane about healthy churches and how they get that way. One of the main points of the book is that leaders and members should choose to fight off anxiety. When something happens that we don't like, human nature is to become anxious. When one becomes anxious, often others will feed off of that and there is an anxiety feeding frenzy.

What if instead of getting stressed and stressing everyone else out, leaders and members chose to relax and see the good. I like that thought. Choosing to believe that things will work out, that everything is ok, they become healers instead of fire starters.

Healthy churches are able to focus on their mission because they are not distracted by every little upset fruitbasket that comes along. Sounds like good advice.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

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