Friday, September 30, 2011

Making Bracelets!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Feast


Have you ever been to a joyous, abundant feast?  A table full of food, friends, and merriment?  You talk for hours and you enjoy being with one another.  You share the hard things in life and hurt together, and fifteen minutes later you are laughing so hard your stomach hurts for a different reason.  The food is incredible and makes you wonder if you have ever been to a better meal.  It feels like a taste of what life should be like.

That's Communion.  Jesus is offering us an incredible feast.  The best ever.  Of all time.  Except, it's bigger than one special night.  It's forever and it is lasting.  Time doesn't run out and send you home wanting more.  And, it is so much better than a good meal with good friends.  It is life.  We are feasting on life as it is supposed to be.  Full, rich, and abundant; a life of freedom!

Enjoy these pictures from a special time with some of the men at Village Oaks who are feasting with Jesus.

 
 
  

-- Will Dowell

Monday, September 26, 2011

Women of Wisdom at Village Oaks

 

For starters, we about doubled our first meeting attendance from 7 to 14 this month!  September's topic was "Etiquette" - ranging from the proper etiquette of a lady to table etiquette.  After this month's meeting, a table set for a 3 course meal is a cinch for our W.O.W. group!  Also, the ladies were provided a tip chart for how to graciously tip restaurant waitstaff.

 

We also interviewed three eligible bachelors.  One with an MBA, one with a BA, and one with a high-school diploma. We asked each of them, "What do you look for in a lady or a potential mate."  They each had a long list, but number one on each list was the same thing: a Godly woman!!  And, how a woman carries herself in public is key.

Our next meeting is the 2nd Saturday in October!  Please come join us for refreshments and conversation.  Our next topic is "The Beauty of a Woman of Wisdom" (specifically our hair, skin, and nails!).

-- Jayda Ekundayo

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Nickel Club

“Can I have a dollar for a soda?”  I hear that almost every day.  My reply is always, “I work hard for my money and I expect you to work hard for your money, too.”

And then there is the reading problem!  Reading with accuracy is a missing link in most kid’s educational process.  They come to an unfamiliar word, sound out the first couple of letters, and then guess - almost always incorrectly - throwing off comprehension.  Getting them to slow down and use word attack skills for the entire word has proved to be a difficult task.

Thus, The Nickel Club was born.  The kids sign up to read with us, and with each unfamiliar word to which they apply attack skills and conquer, they receive a nickel.  We make a big deal about counting out their nickels in front of their friends.  Now I have kids begging me to read with them.

And now, they can work hard for their money by joining the Nickel Club.

-- Suzanne Wallace

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Behind Every Door September Update!

 
 
 
 

The vision that inspired Behind Every Door is from Isaiah 58.  Isaiah speaks of spending ourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfying the needs of the oppressed. And then our light will rise in the darkness.  He will guide us. He will satisfy our needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen our frame.  We will be like well-watered gardens, like a spring whose waters never fail!  We will "rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations"...we will be called "Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." And our friends who are won will join us!

Here we sit in 2011 in a tough economy with problems everywhere.  I was sick in bed last week and made the mistake of watching CNN for about 12 hours. This arguably prolonged my illness.  Hurricanes and floods. Earthquakes. Stocks and home prices are down and unemployment is up.  Political candidates fighting.  Wars and rumors of wars. Out-of-control national debt. And then we got to the commercials!  Fear, fear, fear.  And two principal encouragements: buy gold and medicate yourself.

The message of our Almighty God?  Spend yourselves.  Satisfy the needs of the oppressed. Believe Me for your provision. You take care of them.  I'll take care of you. In sharp contrast to the world, He calls us out from under the wet blankets of fear, anxiety and worry and out into a gloriously free adventure.

*****


"All Things New," Clothing Closet and Blessing Fund:

It has been a blessing to witness friends blessing residents with couches, beds, dining room sets, chairs, toys and other items.  We are calling this effort "All Things New." Some of our friends turn the key and walk into their new apartment with very little, or sometimes nothing at all.  What a joy and a privilege it is to be a conduit of God's blessing them in different ways.  As always, we invite you to bless a friend in need.  It could be furniture (new or used)...or toys, books and games for children.  We have also opened a Clothing Closet at both Willow Pond and Village Oaks (in partnership with the wonderful brothers and sisters at Greater Ebenezer Church).  So if you are cleaning out your closet, we'll take everything off your hands!  Finally, we continue to be blessed by The Blessing Fund.  This fund blesses residents in crisis and hires many of the men of the "Real Men" Friday morning group to work.  If you'd like to give to this fund, we'd love to have you be a part.

*****

Snapshot from Willow Pond:

One of our friends at Willow Pond, Felix, graduated out of his failing body last weekend and now sees Jesus face-to-face.  Felix has been without family--and so Suzanne Wallace, Rickey Fanning and Mike Downey were able to befriend him over the last couple of months.   He shared with Mike about his faith in Jesus Christ as he suffered from the effects of cancer.  Last Thursday, they held a memorial service outside of Felix' apartment with about 15 friends.  His was a precious life and we thank God for Him.

-- Dean Wilson

Monday, September 19, 2011

Willow Pond Newsletter

Here is the Fall Newsletter for Willow Pond.  This is a great way to keep up with everyday life at our properties.  Just click on the pictures below to see a larger version.  Enjoy!

 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Friday, September 16, 2011

Teens At Work

 

The "Teens at Work" initiative is an 8-week program that educates, trains, and readies teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 for the workplace.  Because of the great number of applications filled out by teens at Village Oaks, the "Teens at Work" trainers have offered to come to Village Oaks on Thursday evenings from 5:15-6:30 pm to train the youth!  The classes will be held in the Community Center, and the first class will begin soon!

I am so proud of these teens!  They are willing to invest in themselves so that potential employers will invest in them.  We have announced that a pizza party will be gratefully provided by Behind Every Door at the end of the 8 week period to celebrate their efforts!

 
 
 
 

-- Jayda Ekundayo

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

SMU Football

This past weekend we were blessed to send some kids to the SMU football game.  The kids had a lot of fun and SMU put on a great show!

 
  
   

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Monday, September 12, 2011

You Are Family To Me!

This is the note that the Village Oaks Residents Council wrote to the residents of Village Oaks in the most recent newsletter.  We are encouraged by it and hope you will be, too!

Dear Family,

John 3:16 says, “God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son, that who ever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life!”

It is a fact that we did not have any choice in determining how we got here, where we were born, or who our parents are.  And, we have no understanding of this matter.  But, whoever raised us taught us and instilled in us unity as a family.  We were told that we are of the same bloodline.  This fact makes us separate from other families.  It is what makes our family…our family.

Through time our families have grown through marriage and other arrangements.  They have taught us that the true value of what family is about is to Love one another and ourselves.  Families consist of Love for one another.  That is the power that keeps us a family.

We should never forget that our power is “Perfect” in Love.  With Love we can forever be a family.  With Love we can please God.  With Love we can forever live in our own garden of Eden.

We share this message today so that we may all understand what we are and who we are.  If we abide in this Love, we are a family!

God Loves us even when we play with the devil, and the option is always there to Love Him back.  His Love is perfect and He is inviting us in to the best family of all.

We don’t know who you belong to or how you got here, but you are all family to us.  Why?  Because you are all family to God.

As the old folks would declare (and Sister Sledge), “We Are Family!”

-- The Village Oaks Residents Council

Friday, September 9, 2011

Property Newsletters!

Every 3 months we send out newsletters at our properties.  This month we are excited to announce that the Village Oaks Resident's Council played a big role in helping produce the Village Oaks newsletter.  In these newsletters you can find information and updates that are specific to each property.  Just click on the images below to see a larger version!

Enjoy!

Village Oaks:
 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Updated Website & a Joy-filled Video

We hope this video from Village Oaks brightens your Wednesday!  We walked in to this yesterday during the Kids Club.


Also, if you are interested in what goes on at Behind Every Door properties, head over to the new and improved website!  You can find plenty of pictures and information: like ways to "Get Involved" or property specific information (such as the Village Oaks page).

Click on the links above or below to check out the updated website!

Website: http://www.behindeverydoor.net/ 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Monday, September 5, 2011

Patient Friendship

I want to tell you a story about a young man at Willow Pond.  Let’s call him Mike.

Mike has been one of the hardest kids to build a relationship with yet.  He did what he wanted to do and didn’t care what you said to him.  He would come to the Kids Club to make an appearance, but he regularly took one or two kids with him when he left.

Mike was a natural leader.  People liked him, but he usually led them down the wrong path.  He never really wanted to be a part of what we were doing in the Kids Club.

One day I had a conversation with him about how he wanted to be remembered.  He looked at me and said, “I can’t be like you...a good Christian and all.”  Over a 6 month period Suzanne and I began to talk with Mike about his life: what he wanted out of it and what kind of man he wanted to be.

Slowly I noticed a change in him.  He started to come to Real Men, a group we have to talk about what it means to be a man.  He had a lot of questions and I could see he wanted to live his life differently.  He talked a lot about how he wanted to be a Real Man.  How he wanted to be a good father.

One day at a Real Men meeting the group went on a scavenger hunt for wisdom.  What the boys didn’t know was that I had given a "box of wisdom" to one of the residents at Willow Pond!

So we began our journey.  We looked for wisdom in the dumpsters and in the pond.  Hot and sweaty we looked for wisdom all over the apartments, but we couldn’t find her.  So, I asked them “When you don’t know where wisdom is, where should you go to find it.”

I was happy and surprised by Mikes answer: “You go to the person that knows where it is.”

Then Mike looked at me and said, “Do you know where wisdom is?”

I looked at Mike with a smile and said, “Well, yes I do.”

I took the Real Men group right to the spot where earlier I had dropped off the "box of wisdom."  I told the boys, "When you need wisdom, you go to the one that has wisdom."  Proverbs 2:6 says, "For the Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding."

I am happy to say that Mike is now at every Real Men meeting, attends the Kids Club on a regular basis, and has made a monumental change in his life!  Praise God!

-- Rickey Fanning

Friday, September 2, 2011

New Computer Lab

We are so thankful for a new friend: Robert.  After seeing the news story about Village Oaks he contacted us.  He wanted to donate 5 computers!

This past Friday, Robert came to start setting these up and we now have 3 working computers!  Thanks, Robert!

 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries