When Maria from Neighbourlink shared stories of the work that she and her team has done in the 415 community and the experiences that her and her team went through, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity.
Maria shared about how they recently recruited a youth yeader who started hosting youth programs in the 415 community. This guy would play basketball with the youth and eventually created opportunities to speak into their lives on and off the court. She explained that the youth were impacted by this guy’s commitment and care for them so much so that they responded with mutual care and commitment by showing up to events and even apologizing for how they behaved at times. (If you’ve ever done youth ministry, you know this is a big deal!)
When Maria was sharing that story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a similar youth leader that had the same impact on my life. Our current Elder, Joe Chong, used to play basketball with many of the youth in our youth group. He was committed to us and genuinely cared for our best interest. I am personally impacted by his leadership and I can confidently say that many of my peers would say the same.
When Maria shared about her team only having enough budget for 2 weeks worth of events and setting a goal of raising $40,000 without knowing where it would come from, I was immediately reminded of LifeSpring.
I remember when Gabe heard from the Lord about sowing 7 wells for His Name’s Sake. He was confident that if the Lord said it, the Lord would provide. The 7 wells equaled a total of $75,250, which we had not budgeted for. Maria shared a similar sentiment when she set the goal of raising $40,000. She mentioned being calm and confident knowing that God would provide for her like He always does.
Maria also shared about how she deals with difficult situations and how she responds to meeting the needs of the community. She mentioned praying as a team for the needs of others, knowing that they couldn’t do anything on their own. She shared that the team doesn’t always have all the answers and resources to care for their community. However, they pray to God because they know ultimately it is God who makes a way.
At LifeSpring, we have corporate intercession on Sundays and Wednesdays to pray for the needs of others. As a pastoral team, we pray for the needs of the people in the church. We don’t have all the answers and sometimes we don’t have all the resources to care for everyone, but we pray to a God who does have all the answers and can provide for His people. We don’t do it to be pious, we do it because we know we need God.
Ryan coined a term that best describes what I was experiencing: “Same Same, but Different.” When I was listening to Maria speak, I was hearing a genuine love for God and a genuine care for others. I was hearing the heart of Lifespring. It was the same but different.
Throughout the message, I was hearing the themes of Praise and Prayer. Every difficulty was met with praise and prayer. It was their chosen response out of a desperation for the Father. Gabe reminded us earlier this year that Patient Endurance is going to require us to respond in two ways: Worship & Prayer. This is no coincidence. It is the “Same Same but Different.”
My Prayer is that we would continue to have a heart that is desperate for the Father. I pray that LifeSpring would continue to be a light in the lives and communities that we are privileged to be a part of. May we choose to respond to difficult situations with praise and prayer because we know that only You can see us through. Lord, help us to grow in genuinely loving You and genuinely caring for others.
We pray this all in Your son’s name Jesus, Amen!