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
Monday, September 12, 2011
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
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
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
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
This past Friday, Robert came to start setting these up and we now have 3 working computers! Thanks, Robert!
-- Behind Every Door Ministries
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)