Riddle
August 22, 2008
Here's to another summer of ministry in Boston. Sarah and I raised high our marshmallows and doughboys tonight in celebration of this recently ended season of our lives called the "Summer Missions Program." As we reflect on the bittersweetness of this transition into a more peaceful, cooler, and calmer time of year, we are grateful. Grateful for all the amazing ways God "showed up," grateful for the things we've learned, and yes, grateful that the summer is over.
For me, this summer was beautiful. We saw at least three teenagers give their lives to Jesus Christ, and several more are within an arm's reach of our Father (their arm, not His). We saw residents of our neighborhood cared for in simple projects like painting a front porch or weeding a garden. We saw teenagers come alongside seniors dealing with loneliness and, and begin to understand their role in showing the "good news" that God cares for each and every person.
As Sarah and I reflected, we were also struck by how God honored my commitment to put my family first. While I spent less time in the actual operation of the program this year than in any of my previous 7 summers, God continued to work (shocking, huh?). Honestly, it causes me to check my pride when I step out and everything still continues on without me. Sometimes I can imagine that this or that will fall apart, or even that God will not work as powerfully without my input. How ridiculous. I am thankful that He gave me the desire and opportunity to spend more time with my family, and for showing me what He can do without my help.
In the coming weeks, I will try to post more stories and reflections from the summer. It's not easy to summarize these dozen weeks of our lives.
July 22, 2008
It is an honor to be used by God - to be His tool. We are a bit more than halfway through our summer program, which involves over 250 teenagers in service and discipleship in Boston, and I just want to share a few ways God has moved this summer:
- A teenager made a renewed commitment to seek after God, even though he's still not sure if he wants to completely follow God yet. (see Jesus' words on "counting the cost" in Luke 14:25-33). Please pray as he counts the cost of being a disciple of Christ.
- After a night of outreach to the homeless with Starlight Ministries on the Boston Common, several teenagers are now taking the initiative to continue ministering to those they met. They are making plans to serve on a regular basis with Starlight, and are passionate about loving others in their everyday lives.
- Junior high girls can be mean, but they can also be sincere, remorseful, and forgiving. We saw reconciliation happen between girls that previously had been tearing each other down, followed by a commitment to love each other and build each other up (Ephesians 4:29).
- Eyes have been opened to the reality that to care about an individual, you also have to care about the things that hurt him or her. Sometimes this means that we are concerned about more than relieving a temporary burden (food, clothes, shelter) or making sure of their eternal well-being (salvation through Jesus), but also about the people, politics, and systems that tend to push people down (see Malachi 3:5).
These are just a few of the ways God has worked this summer. We are his tools, and glad to be.
June 22, 2008
Sarah and the boys flew to South Carolina today to visit my family.
60 youth from 4 states arrive in 16 hours.
The time is 1:49 a.m.
Eighty copies of our Challenge devotional guide are printing.
It is my annual all-nighter.
June 12, 2008
Summer is here.
For our family, summer means that Joseph and Tim get 20 new "friends" to play with (our young adult staff), Keith usually pulls at least one all-nighter at the office, and Sarah either cooks or organizes several dozen meals for our large staff team. To an outsider, our life probably looks a bit chaotic, relationally overwhelming, and all-around exhausting. It is.
Over the years, we have learned to adapt not only ourselves, but also our ministry, to thrive in this environment, and we are glad that God continues to use us as His instruments in the lives of so many people. Whether having a late-night prayer session to restore a staff person or sharing the joy of living in our neighborhood with four new youth groups on a Sunday night (who we know will experience this joy, too), the ways that God works far outweighs the sacrifice of having a more predictable life.
As I told one of our inquiring staff this spring, it seems that this life suits us. And when you can say that about a life that is full of both personal sacrifice and God's glory, that is a very good thing indeed.
All this is not to say that we live without challenges (those come daily), or that we never have thoughts of a different life (let's just say, "there are those days..."). So in that respect, we invite you to pray with us this summer in the following ways:
- Pray for a balance of family and ministry. Our everyday life is intertwined with our ministry so that some days we don't know exactly where the lines between them are, and we're okay with that. In fact, we prefer it. However, we recognize that our family has needs that can not be met in the context of ministry, but only as we spend time together. Pray that Keith can adapt his schedule in such a way to spend time with Sarah and the boys for the time we all need.
- Pray for the Sarah as she (bravely) travels with the boys this summer to visit Keith's family in South Carolina. We are especially aware of how such a long time away from home (over 2 weeks) can be hard on the boys (and parents).
- Ask God to reveal Himself in powerful ways to our staff team of young adults as they spend 10+ weeks leading, serving, sweating, living, and loving together in community. This is probably the most overlooked/underrecognized area where God works throughout the entire ministry. Many times we talk about what happens in the lives of youth in 5 days at BP - imagine what He does in 10 weeks!
- Speaking of the youth, pray for the 260+ teenagers and adult leaders who will participate in the Summer Missions Program. Pray for safety, a willingness to learn, spiritual transformation, and new passions to serve God where they live.
Thank you for keeping up with us and for praying for this ministry.
May 1, 2008
The whole Riddle household is SO excited that spring is here. I don't think we realized how much we missed getting out of the house and playing outside through the cold and snowy winter. Now that we have had two full weeks of sunny warm weather, we have thoroughly enjoyed our yard (which is large for our neighborhood).
On most days, you will find us all outside roasting marshmallows over our fire pit or playing pirates and knights in the grass. Sarah got a great start on her garden, with peas and tomatoes already in. And I have had the most fun of anyone with my new toy - a Tomos 50cc moped that is awesome to ride around our winding city streets.
So although we love the snow, drinking hot chocolate, and finding creative inside activities to do with a three year old all day, we thank God for such a beautiful spring to enjoy.
March 4, 2008
We are so thankful for all of you who keep diligently keep our family in your prayers. Some specific things you can be praying as we enter the month of March:
- A Busy March - This month tends to be one of the busiest of the year (even rivaling the summer). Please pray for a good balance of ministry and family.
- Joseph and Timothy - Ask God for continued wisdom for us as parents, especially as Joseph is testing his limits, and we have noticed a (very) stubborn personality in Timothy. Oh, for the exciting times to come!
- College Spring Break trips - Teams from Boston University (MA), Calvin College (MI), Crichton College (TN), and Georgia Southern University (GA) will be arriving in the coming weeks for an "alternative spring break trip." Pray for powerful and life-changing weeks for these college students.
- Simple living for the sake of generosity - Through our "Lazarus at the Gates" Bible study, we are continually challenged to consider how our lives, our daily choices, and even our everyday purchases can be compassionate and just. Pray with us that our finances may be used for God's purposes and not our own.
February 1, 2008
In the last 6 years, I have been in 8 different office spaces. Here's a brief history:
- Feb 2002 to Aug 2003 - 11 Elmhurst St, Third floor. Shared an office with Paul for the very first time. I also slept in a bed built into a closet in the same apartment.
- Aug 2003 to Jan 2004 - 11 Elmhurst St, Paul and Glenna's dining room. No joke. Paul and I set up our computers on opposite sides of the dining room table. Then the big move...
- Jan 2004 to Aug 2005 - 15 Elmhurst St, Second floor. Paul and I once again shared a small office (there were still only the two of us on staff).
- Aug 2005 to Dec 2006 - 15 Elmhurst St, First floor. My first office space of my own! Or at least until we started hiring more interns/apprentices...
- Jan 2007 to May 2007 - 15 Elmhurst St, Second floor (different room). Okay, now there were too many other staff. This room was bright (think sunglasses) yellow, and had no heat except for my little radiator.
- June 2007 to Sept 2007 - 15 Elmhurst St, Unfinished basement. Again, no joke. Next to the washer, dryer and chest freezer, fighting off the spiders. But hey, it was the coolest place around during the summer. Of course, it was also the coolest place (40 degrees or so) once autumn hit.
- Oct 2007 to Dec 2007 - 15 Elmhurst Street, Boston Project dining room. Yes, another dining room. Only this time, this was the same dining room used for Homework Center (I got kicked out everyday at 3pm), most Boston Project meetings (also kicked out), staff meals, hang out space, etc.
January 2008 - The New Service-Learning Office at Global Ministries Christian Church! We are so thankful for our new office - in fact, I've never had this much space, so sometimes I don't even know what to do! Kelly, Nithin, and I share the office, and are still setting up. In all, we have our desks, more file space than we need, storage for program supplies, and even a small sitting area with a sofa or two. It is truly a wonderful place, and we enjoy being in the church we all attend and working closer to a "main-streets" type area.
So if you're ever in the area or just want to say hi, please come visit me and check out my new office. After all, you never know how long I might be there. ;)
January 25, 2008
It's hard to believe, but Timothy is now ONE year old! We celebrated with a low-key evening of cake and presents. Of course, Tim didn't really know what was going on, other than he got to consume lots of delicious cake (which he shoveled in with both hands).
Joseph adds even more fun to the day because he is so excited for Tim. The day before Tim's birthday, Joseph searched through each room of the house to find a present for his brother. So we took him shopping, and he found some little dinosaur bath toys. He was so happy to give them to Tim, and I do think they have become one of Tim's favorite toys - he calls them "dog."
January 18, 2008
This past weekend, our family had a wonderful time at Trinity Covenant Church in Lexington, MA. The church welcomed us with open arms, and we really felt like family while we were there. Some highlights:
- Getting a tour of the church and meeting just about everyone. As I said, we really felt welcomed like family.
- Sharing for the first time with the church about The Boston Project. I always enjoy sharing about God's work in Dorchester.
- Preaching - this was my first time preaching on a Sunday morning anywhere! In my introduction, I said that I wasn't really a "preacher" so it was a good opportunity for people to practice grace as I spoke. Afterwards, several people said I wasn't allowed to say that anymore :) Sarah said I did well, too (I never really know)
- Coffee hour (really like 35 minutes) after the service - again, really fun to meet people
- Pizza with the youth group - most of them have come to The Boston Project before, so it was a great time to reconnect and even meet some of their families.
We are also thankful that Trinity Covenant began supporting our family financially this past year. Church partners like Trinity make our ministry possible, and also allow us an opportunity to give in different ways to their congregations. (plus we love the pizza)
Older Posts
|
