jonathan bow: Move in Day

Yesterday, seeing Tasha move into her home was a beautiful moment I will reflect on for quite a while. I asked Steve to summarize the day. This whole journey started with Steve's burden for the homeless of Raleigh. His path crossed with other like minded people like Roberta and when they presented us with this opportunity we immediately jumped on it and the West's Life Group has stepped up incredibly. Anyway...I'm so thankful for Steve's initiative in this, his heart, and his presence in our church community. Love that guy.

Here's his summary:

We talked about poverty a few weeks ago in the context of a message on Kindness. Though poverty certainly includes "not having stuff", it's been helpful for me to see it through the broader lens of "limited choices". Much of what we see in the life of the poor- how it affects their soul and their behaviors and their hopes- comes from the relentless limitation of choices. Helping Tasha get moved in yesterday was a great reminder of life-change being, in part, the gift of options.

Early Saturday morning, members of Chris and Shelley West's LifeGroup, as well as many others, worked hard to turn an empty house in Cary into Tasha's new home. Tasha had been taken to run a few errands while all the furniture, boxes, clothes, kitchen stuff and toys that had been donated were unloaded at her new address to be moved in and set up for her arrival in the afternoon. Yes, a certain home make-over show crossed our minds, but I'm confident Jesus had the idea before ABC. When my wife and I walked in and saw all the energy and excitement, it was right away evident that this was going to be just incredible for Tasha and her children. Shelves being installed, kitchen cabinets being packed, mismatched furniture being brought together well with artwork and strategically placed pillows, clothing being packed into closets, pictures hung, cribs and beds and headboards being assembled and in some cases- made from scratch. The boys' bunk-bed was missing a significant portion of the frame, to the extent that guys like me would have thrown up their hands and gone to the store to buy a new bed. But real manhood prevailed, the scream of power-tools and saw dust filled the air, and now there is a nice, sturdy set of bunk-beds erected. Nice job, men. (I hope the men noticed that I installed, in my manliness, a curtain rod. Almost got it centered and level, too.)

After a ton of work and sweat, a fury of clean up and last minute decorating was followed by Tasha finally being brought home. The smile on her face as she walked into the house made us see it all again for the first time. As you can imagine, she was completely overwhelmed. She was so excited. This was going to be a much different life than the previous seven years. For the first time in a long time, she had stability, peace and her dignity back. And an address. She thanked Crosspointe through tears of joy.

She was thankful for the "stuff", sure- but I think she, whether she thinks of it this way or not, is thankful for the gift of options. For the first time, last night, she could bathe her kids in their own tub, and put them in
their own beds. She could stay up as late as she wanted. She could watch TV, read a book, or stare at her peacefully sleeping children. She could sleep in her own bed, or on her own couch, or on the top bunk in her boys' room. Today, her kids can wear pink, blue, green, brown, stripes, plaids, shorts, pants or stay in their p-j's. She can have cereal for breakfast, or fruit, or both or a heaping plate of spaghetti if she so chooses. She and her kids can watch TV, color, sit on their porch, play ball in the yard, board-games or nothing at all. Rather than wonder who's going to be there for her, Tasha can now call the Wests, the DiProfios, the Haymans, the Schades, the Bones and the Atwoods.

Tasha has options.

Choices. And these choices equal life-change, because every time followers of Jesus limit their own choices for the sake of someone else's increased choices, the Kingdom breaks through and changes people-eternally.

Thanks, Crosspointe, for not just being a people who "go to church", but for being it. Tasha thanks you as well.

Steve