Good morning, I pray the day is finding you well.
The members have been giving me a hard time.
I entered the weight loss challenge (which gives you and indication that maybe I need to lose weight).
I will talk about the weight loss challenge later.
It is true that I need to lose weight. Ever since I was diagnosed with SMS I have needed to lose weight.
I was diagnosed with SMS a number of years ago and I am now on medication that keeps it in check but I am still “over” in the weight department; saying that I am “over” in the weight department somehow sounds better than just saying overweight.
I just realized that not everyone knows what “SMS” is.
SMS is short for “Stupid Man’s Syndrome.”
If I had gone to the doctor right away when I started feeling bad, I would not have gained 50 pounds before I found out that my Thyroid was not working properly. It has been a battle ever since.
As I was saying, the members have been giving me a hard time.
I have been going upstairs and working out but they wanted me to get into the pool too.
They wanted me to take some water aerobics classes.
So, I did.
The first day I came to class, I ended up praying with members on a variety of subjects; everything from sick with the flu to dying on cancer. I prayed with many members that morning.
The next day I talked with another person who was “over” in the weight department. He knows he should be doing more, he told me that for a number of years a therapist would work with him and one day two years ago the therapist saw the YCMA. He said, “You need to go to the YMCA.
This man has been coming to the “Y” and while he is not in perfect shape, he is no longer in a wheel chair.
So often, we look for the great big things to celebrate. We are intent on looking for the big miracle. All we need to do is keep our eyes open and we can see the little miracles, and celebrate them.
Isn’t that what makes up most of our lives. Our lives are not defined by the huge things we do, but many small things that combined become “big” things.
The longer that I work in the “Y” the more convinced I am that God is not impressed with the “Big Deal.” He is impressed by the many small things.
I know I will be more intentional, more attentive to the small things, and celebrate them.
Blessings,
My Book
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Being open to interruptions
Good Morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
I came home after a great day of ministry.
It was around 6:30pm, there was a note on the counter that said, “I am at the store getting groceries, Love Laurie.” I was just settling in when the phone rang, I walk across the kitchen and answer it.
I say, Hello.”
The voice on the other end says, “Hello, Mr. Butler.” (Right then and there I knew it was a telemarketer. He did even get my name right.)
You ask, “Why did you answer the phone?” I answered the phone because I thought it was someone I wanted to talk to; why else would I answer the phone?
Without taking a breath Mike says, “My name is Mike from AT&T, is this a good time?”
I say, “No.” (Even though it was not a particularly bad time.)
Mike doesn’t skip a beat and asks, “Do you have a moment?”
I respond, “No, no I do not have a moment.” (Even though I had nothing else going on.)
Mike starts in again. I cut him off.
I told him that I did not want his services and that I was upset that he bothered me and I hung up on him.
Now I am fuming, my great day was ruined by Mike the telemarketer.
I fumed for a few minutes when a still small voice said, “You know Mike was just doing his job. A job that he most likely does not enjoy very much, but he was doing it just the same. It was you who was not doing your job.”
Now I am really mad.
Here I had a great day in ministry, I came home to a phone call that I did not want, and I am the one that God is correcting.
The funny thing about a relationship with God is that you have to listen to His words just as you expect Him to listen to your words.
After a bit, I said, “Ok, the next time a telemarketer calls I will be nice. In fact, I will say the following, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
The little small voice said, “Perfect.” (I am thinking to myself, “Great idea Roger, you accomplished two things; first, this is sure to get the telemarketers to hang up and since I have their names, because they always introduce themselves immediately, I can still pray for them. Two, I got God off my back on this topic.)
A few days later, I come home and the phone is ringing. I answer the phone.
It is Betty from AT&T.
Betty says, “Hello mister Butler, (I wish whoever sold my information had not misspelled my name.) I am Betty from AT&T.”
I interrupt her and say, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
Betty is silent for a moment and then says, “Ok.”
I did not expect this!
I start praying for Betty.
I share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
After twenty minutes, we go through the prayer of forgiveness and she accepts Jesus into her heart.
We are now laughing and having a really good time. She asks if she can call me back in a few days. I said, “Yes. Oh, you still need to tell me your services. I need to hold up my end of the bargain.”
Betty says, “That’s ok, I don’t want to talk to you about that.”
Now I am jumping through the roof, Laurie is wondering what happened to me.
A few days go by and another call.
Todd from AT&T calls and says, “Hello mister Butler, I am Todd from AT&T.”
I interrupt him and say, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
Todd says, “Ok.”
The same result.
Now I cannot wait to get home and talk to the telemarketers.
This goes on for a few weeks.
Then it happens.
The phone rings.
I run to the phone.
I answer and say, “Hello.”
It goes like this.
“Hello Mr. Button My name is Marsha from AT&T.” (Now I know that I have some sort of trainer on the line. The voice on the other end is stern and has a leadership quality to it. It also sounds like she is talking on speakerphone. I instantly get a mental picture of Marsha at a conference table with all these telemarketers sitting there and she is going to show them how to handle people like me.)
I start my shpeal.
Marsha interrupts me and says, “Mr. Button do you realize that my people only have 2-minutes per phone call?”
I respond, “I did not know that Marsha, but now that I do, I can work with that.”
Marsha says, “I don’t think you understand. My people have a job to do.”
I respond, “I understand that your people have a job to do. You see Marsha, I am a pastor, and I have a job to do as well. In the end, you did call my house. Now do we have a deal?”
Marsha says, “No” and hangs up.
I prayed for Marsha after she hung up.
A funny thing happened.
I did not have to get angry.
I did not have to put me name on the “No-Call” list.
They took me off their list.
The only problem was that I no longer wanted to be off their list. I started filling out those cards in the magazines that end up with a call from a telemarketer.
The phone would start ringing again.
After a few weeks they would figure out they were calling me again and the phone would go silent.
God knew what He was doing.
A funny thing happens when you stop seeing things as interruptions and start seeing them as opportunities to share Jesus with people.
Being a Christ follower is not a 9-5 job, nor is it a Sunday only thing. Sharing the Good News isn’t reserved for missionaries and pastors.
We all have stories to tell.
Tell your story. Someone needs to hear it.
Post log; These events happened many years ago before everyone had cell phones and many did not have answering machines. Names have been changed. I was at lunch the other day with friends, I told them this story and they asked me to share it. This is for you Jett and Lorretta.
Blessings,
Roger
I pray the day is finding you well.
I came home after a great day of ministry.
It was around 6:30pm, there was a note on the counter that said, “I am at the store getting groceries, Love Laurie.” I was just settling in when the phone rang, I walk across the kitchen and answer it.
I say, Hello.”
The voice on the other end says, “Hello, Mr. Butler.” (Right then and there I knew it was a telemarketer. He did even get my name right.)
You ask, “Why did you answer the phone?” I answered the phone because I thought it was someone I wanted to talk to; why else would I answer the phone?
Without taking a breath Mike says, “My name is Mike from AT&T, is this a good time?”
I say, “No.” (Even though it was not a particularly bad time.)
Mike doesn’t skip a beat and asks, “Do you have a moment?”
I respond, “No, no I do not have a moment.” (Even though I had nothing else going on.)
Mike starts in again. I cut him off.
I told him that I did not want his services and that I was upset that he bothered me and I hung up on him.
Now I am fuming, my great day was ruined by Mike the telemarketer.
I fumed for a few minutes when a still small voice said, “You know Mike was just doing his job. A job that he most likely does not enjoy very much, but he was doing it just the same. It was you who was not doing your job.”
Now I am really mad.
Here I had a great day in ministry, I came home to a phone call that I did not want, and I am the one that God is correcting.
The funny thing about a relationship with God is that you have to listen to His words just as you expect Him to listen to your words.
After a bit, I said, “Ok, the next time a telemarketer calls I will be nice. In fact, I will say the following, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
The little small voice said, “Perfect.” (I am thinking to myself, “Great idea Roger, you accomplished two things; first, this is sure to get the telemarketers to hang up and since I have their names, because they always introduce themselves immediately, I can still pray for them. Two, I got God off my back on this topic.)
A few days later, I come home and the phone is ringing. I answer the phone.
It is Betty from AT&T.
Betty says, “Hello mister Butler, (I wish whoever sold my information had not misspelled my name.) I am Betty from AT&T.”
I interrupt her and say, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
Betty is silent for a moment and then says, “Ok.”
I did not expect this!
I start praying for Betty.
I share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
After twenty minutes, we go through the prayer of forgiveness and she accepts Jesus into her heart.
We are now laughing and having a really good time. She asks if she can call me back in a few days. I said, “Yes. Oh, you still need to tell me your services. I need to hold up my end of the bargain.”
Betty says, “That’s ok, I don’t want to talk to you about that.”
Now I am jumping through the roof, Laurie is wondering what happened to me.
A few days go by and another call.
Todd from AT&T calls and says, “Hello mister Butler, I am Todd from AT&T.”
I interrupt him and say, “I am so glad you called. I promise that I will listen intently to whatever it is you have to say. I may even buy whatever it is you have to sell, if you first allow me to pray with you and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
Todd says, “Ok.”
The same result.
Now I cannot wait to get home and talk to the telemarketers.
This goes on for a few weeks.
Then it happens.
The phone rings.
I run to the phone.
I answer and say, “Hello.”
It goes like this.
“Hello Mr. Button My name is Marsha from AT&T.” (Now I know that I have some sort of trainer on the line. The voice on the other end is stern and has a leadership quality to it. It also sounds like she is talking on speakerphone. I instantly get a mental picture of Marsha at a conference table with all these telemarketers sitting there and she is going to show them how to handle people like me.)
I start my shpeal.
Marsha interrupts me and says, “Mr. Button do you realize that my people only have 2-minutes per phone call?”
I respond, “I did not know that Marsha, but now that I do, I can work with that.”
Marsha says, “I don’t think you understand. My people have a job to do.”
I respond, “I understand that your people have a job to do. You see Marsha, I am a pastor, and I have a job to do as well. In the end, you did call my house. Now do we have a deal?”
Marsha says, “No” and hangs up.
I prayed for Marsha after she hung up.
A funny thing happened.
I did not have to get angry.
I did not have to put me name on the “No-Call” list.
They took me off their list.
The only problem was that I no longer wanted to be off their list. I started filling out those cards in the magazines that end up with a call from a telemarketer.
The phone would start ringing again.
After a few weeks they would figure out they were calling me again and the phone would go silent.
God knew what He was doing.
A funny thing happens when you stop seeing things as interruptions and start seeing them as opportunities to share Jesus with people.
Being a Christ follower is not a 9-5 job, nor is it a Sunday only thing. Sharing the Good News isn’t reserved for missionaries and pastors.
We all have stories to tell.
Tell your story. Someone needs to hear it.
Post log; These events happened many years ago before everyone had cell phones and many did not have answering machines. Names have been changed. I was at lunch the other day with friends, I told them this story and they asked me to share it. This is for you Jett and Lorretta.
Blessings,
Roger
Monday, December 24, 2012
Merry Christmas everyone
Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
We had a wonderful communion service last night.
We transformed the YMCA Gym into a sacred space. The theme was to be relaxed and casual. We music, thank you Kaleb and Jessi. We had the elements set up and prayer stations which we manned. People would come in, listen to the music, when they were ready they would come sit with us at a station. We would administer the elements and then pray with and over them. The service was supposed to last until 6pm. It lasted until 7:30pm.
People just kept coming.
Chirstmas is a funny season.
It heightens our senses.
When life is going well, Christmas is a very joyous season.
When life has turmoil, Christmas can be rather tough.
I am amazed at the number of people that are having a tough time.
I am also amazed how the simple act of prayer can lift peoples hearts.
I am humbled to be part of Christs redemptive work, giving me the opportunity to show people His love and His desire for their lives.
As beautiful as last nights service was, I cannot get over the feeling of, "What if we had not had a service at our YMCA?" I know that some of these people would have gone to a church. I also know that many of these people would not have gone to a church, for whatever reason.
This is the time when we focus on the birth of Christ. A time when, "The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John 1:14)
It is a time to remember that God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that we may have eternal life.
That is a great big Love. A love that we cannot even wrap our minds around.
During this season whether life, at the moment, is going great or you are having a tough time; remember these things.
God loves you.
Christ is with you.
Christ is the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas everyone & amy the blessing of God dwell in you richly.
Roger
I pray the day is finding you well.
We had a wonderful communion service last night.
We transformed the YMCA Gym into a sacred space. The theme was to be relaxed and casual. We music, thank you Kaleb and Jessi. We had the elements set up and prayer stations which we manned. People would come in, listen to the music, when they were ready they would come sit with us at a station. We would administer the elements and then pray with and over them. The service was supposed to last until 6pm. It lasted until 7:30pm.
People just kept coming.
Chirstmas is a funny season.
It heightens our senses.
When life is going well, Christmas is a very joyous season.
When life has turmoil, Christmas can be rather tough.
I am amazed at the number of people that are having a tough time.
I am also amazed how the simple act of prayer can lift peoples hearts.
I am humbled to be part of Christs redemptive work, giving me the opportunity to show people His love and His desire for their lives.
As beautiful as last nights service was, I cannot get over the feeling of, "What if we had not had a service at our YMCA?" I know that some of these people would have gone to a church. I also know that many of these people would not have gone to a church, for whatever reason.
This is the time when we focus on the birth of Christ. A time when, "The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John 1:14)
It is a time to remember that God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that we may have eternal life.
That is a great big Love. A love that we cannot even wrap our minds around.
During this season whether life, at the moment, is going great or you are having a tough time; remember these things.
God loves you.
Christ is with you.
Christ is the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas everyone & amy the blessing of God dwell in you richly.
Roger
Saturday, December 22, 2012
I cleaned my office, almost!
Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
I have been on the run since Thanksgiving.
My office has literally become a place to dump stuff as I go from one thing to another.
We, the YMCA, have partnered with the Salvation Army and placed a Christmas "Giving Tree" in our lobby. The Staff and members really outdid themselves this year and the lobby began to overflow with gifts. This meant that gifts started to pile up in my office. The other morning I came into the "Y" to find my door open and a little red wagon sticking out the doorway. I had to move the little red wagon just to get through the door.
Norm, Zac (One of our staff's kid) and I loaded three carloads, and when I say car loads I mean carloads, not little cars but station-wagons and suv's full of gifts. Over 200 kids will get Christmas this year because of the generosity of our staff and members.
I could see the floor of my office again.
After a mid evening meeting I came back to the "Y" with the intention of getting my office back.
The "Y" was a buzz with activity as usual, but the usual suspects that usually take time away from "admin stuff" were not there. It would be a good time for me to clean.
I had been cleaning for about ten minutes when the Welcome Center brought me a family.
Christina, one of the Welcome Center staff offered to watch the kids as I spoke with the mom.
Heather (not her real name), is at her wits end. She is a single mother of three boys, ages 9, 8, and 6 years-old. She has had a rough life. She has been homeless in the past. She has been working very hard to get her life together. She recently graduated from college. She lost her job and will be evicted soon.
It is Christmas.
This is a terrible time of year for things like this to happen, as if there is a good time of year for this kind of thing to happen.
I listened to her talk.
I watched tears come to her eyes as she lamented her situation.
I watched her tremble as she thought about the future.
I prayed with her, and over her and her family.
I then started emailing my resources.
I contacted Sharon.
I contacted Darcy.
I gave Heather contact information.
Heather and I talked some more as Christina played with Heather's kids.
I prayed with Heather again and said that I would be in touch.
Needless to say I did not get my office cleaned that night. As usual it would have to wait for a quieter time.
The funny thing about Christ is that He usually throws a monkey-wrench into the plans that I make. It seems that He has other plans. I guess that is why He is the boss.
I continue to pray for Heather and her family as I work to find a job for her.
I have faith that she will come out of this intact. I will continue to work with her to help her heal and become whole.
I am told that Christmas is a time for miracles, but I have found that miracles don't just happen at Christmas, they happen all year long.
We just need to eyes to see them.
My prayer is that we not only have eyes to see miracles all year-round but have the eyes to see the possibility of a miracle, and the courage to act on this possibility.
Blessings,
I pray the day is finding you well.
I have been on the run since Thanksgiving.
My office has literally become a place to dump stuff as I go from one thing to another.
We, the YMCA, have partnered with the Salvation Army and placed a Christmas "Giving Tree" in our lobby. The Staff and members really outdid themselves this year and the lobby began to overflow with gifts. This meant that gifts started to pile up in my office. The other morning I came into the "Y" to find my door open and a little red wagon sticking out the doorway. I had to move the little red wagon just to get through the door.
Norm, Zac (One of our staff's kid) and I loaded three carloads, and when I say car loads I mean carloads, not little cars but station-wagons and suv's full of gifts. Over 200 kids will get Christmas this year because of the generosity of our staff and members.
I could see the floor of my office again.
After a mid evening meeting I came back to the "Y" with the intention of getting my office back.
The "Y" was a buzz with activity as usual, but the usual suspects that usually take time away from "admin stuff" were not there. It would be a good time for me to clean.
I had been cleaning for about ten minutes when the Welcome Center brought me a family.
Christina, one of the Welcome Center staff offered to watch the kids as I spoke with the mom.
Heather (not her real name), is at her wits end. She is a single mother of three boys, ages 9, 8, and 6 years-old. She has had a rough life. She has been homeless in the past. She has been working very hard to get her life together. She recently graduated from college. She lost her job and will be evicted soon.
It is Christmas.
This is a terrible time of year for things like this to happen, as if there is a good time of year for this kind of thing to happen.
I listened to her talk.
I watched tears come to her eyes as she lamented her situation.
I watched her tremble as she thought about the future.
I prayed with her, and over her and her family.
I then started emailing my resources.
I contacted Sharon.
I contacted Darcy.
I gave Heather contact information.
Heather and I talked some more as Christina played with Heather's kids.
I prayed with Heather again and said that I would be in touch.
Needless to say I did not get my office cleaned that night. As usual it would have to wait for a quieter time.
The funny thing about Christ is that He usually throws a monkey-wrench into the plans that I make. It seems that He has other plans. I guess that is why He is the boss.
I continue to pray for Heather and her family as I work to find a job for her.
I have faith that she will come out of this intact. I will continue to work with her to help her heal and become whole.
I am told that Christmas is a time for miracles, but I have found that miracles don't just happen at Christmas, they happen all year long.
We just need to eyes to see them.
My prayer is that we not only have eyes to see miracles all year-round but have the eyes to see the possibility of a miracle, and the courage to act on this possibility.
Blessings,
Update on Grampa Jim
Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
Many of you have been asking about Jim. I apologize for not posting earlier, it has been a whirlwind couple of days.
Grampa Jim is fine.
The storm abated. They were able to transfer him to Minneapolis. He had his surgery and is recovering nicely. Thank you all for your prayers. It is a Christmas miracle.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Blessings,
I pray the day is finding you well.
Many of you have been asking about Jim. I apologize for not posting earlier, it has been a whirlwind couple of days.
Grampa Jim is fine.
The storm abated. They were able to transfer him to Minneapolis. He had his surgery and is recovering nicely. Thank you all for your prayers. It is a Christmas miracle.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Blessings,
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
Today I am asking for prayer.
My father-in-law, Jim, went in for a routine angiogram and during the angiogram it was discovered that he had 95% blockage to his heart. They are trying to rush him to Rochester or Minneapolis. There is a blizzard going on that is causing quite a delay.
Laurie and I are nervous.
Please pray for:
1. A safe trip.
2. That God guides the hands of the surgeon.
3. That Jim has a quick recovery.
4. The presence of Christ to all the family members as they are living an anxious time.
Please pray for those things that I have failed to mention.
Thank you and God Bless you.
Roger
I pray the day is finding you well.
Today I am asking for prayer.
My father-in-law, Jim, went in for a routine angiogram and during the angiogram it was discovered that he had 95% blockage to his heart. They are trying to rush him to Rochester or Minneapolis. There is a blizzard going on that is causing quite a delay.
Laurie and I are nervous.
Please pray for:
1. A safe trip.
2. That God guides the hands of the surgeon.
3. That Jim has a quick recovery.
4. The presence of Christ to all the family members as they are living an anxious time.
Please pray for those things that I have failed to mention.
Thank you and God Bless you.
Roger
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tis the Season
Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.
‘Tis the season.
I often wonder about this term. Why in the world would we have a season for giving? Why not give all year long?
But alas, ‘tis the season.
As usual in our YMCA, it starts with a conversation. Someone, somewhere, comes into relationship with one of our family and because our family cares about people, a conversation ensues.
Many times, it is face to face.
Sometimes it is an email.
Hi Eddie,
I received a call from L___ L_____ (a member) asking if we could provide a temporary membership for a family she’s helping through sharehouse. It’s a single mom and 3 kids (14,8,5); the father was killed in a car accident last year. They had been living in her car until recently, they are now in temporary housing. Could we perhaps find a way to provide a month’s membership for Lynn to include in their Christmas?
Thanks!
Sarah Greene
Membership Services Supervisor
Clark County Family YMCA
11324 NE 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA 98682
So, the conversation starts.
From: White, Eddie
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 7:24 AM
To: Greene, Sarah
Subject: RE: Sharehouse request for temporary membership
I don’t have an issue with this we just need to make sure we capture the story.
Thanks,
Eddie White
Executive Director
Clark County Family YMCA
11324 NE 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA 98682
As you can probably guess, I am the “Story capturer.”
Of course Eddie did not have an issue with helping a family in need, he is Eddie of course. A man who loves Christ, and through his love has grown to be a person who loves others.
But why do we do these things? Things that do not help our bottom line or that seemingly have no benefit to us?
We are the “Y”, that’s why.
One of the things that one quickly realizes when one studies the history of the YMCA is that we (the YMCA) are not in competition with anybody.
One of the things that one quickly realizes when one studies the history of the YMCA is that we (the YMCA) do not compete, we fill niche voids.
There is only one reason that we started having pools in our “Y’s”. It was because kids were drowning in rivers, ponds, and lakes. There was a void that needed filling. Kids needed to learn how to swim so they would not die in rivers, ponds, and lakes.
There is only one reason that we started having gyms in our “Y’s”. Positive activities during people’s “free” time was needed.
There is only one reason that we started housing people. As social institutes started having problems in this area, the YMCA was there to fill the void.
There is only one reason the “Y” has childcare. It is because there was a void, and we are doing our best to fill it.
Most people have no idea what it is that we really do.
I do know who does know though.
One of our staff’s husband works for a big box gym. He was at a meeting in which a suit came in from corporate. This is what the suit said, “We are about profits, people. We are about ROI. We are about the bottom line. If you care about people, go to work for the YMCA.”
I could not have said it better myself.
We care about people.
We care about you.
We do not compete.
We fill niche voids.
This family had a series of horrific things happen to them, something that we seem to be inundated with lately, horrific things happening to people.
They had a void that needed filling.
I thank God that we were able to fill this void.
‘Tis the season.
For us in the YMCA our season lasts for more than a month or two.
We measure our season in years.
When I think of Christ, I think that He measures seasons in years too; actually He measures seasons in eternal measurements.
Can we extend our season too?
Blessings,
I pray the day is finding you well.
‘Tis the season.
I often wonder about this term. Why in the world would we have a season for giving? Why not give all year long?
But alas, ‘tis the season.
As usual in our YMCA, it starts with a conversation. Someone, somewhere, comes into relationship with one of our family and because our family cares about people, a conversation ensues.
Many times, it is face to face.
Sometimes it is an email.
Hi Eddie,
I received a call from L___ L_____ (a member) asking if we could provide a temporary membership for a family she’s helping through sharehouse. It’s a single mom and 3 kids (14,8,5); the father was killed in a car accident last year. They had been living in her car until recently, they are now in temporary housing. Could we perhaps find a way to provide a month’s membership for Lynn to include in their Christmas?
Thanks!
Sarah Greene
Membership Services Supervisor
Clark County Family YMCA
11324 NE 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA 98682
So, the conversation starts.
From: White, Eddie
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 7:24 AM
To: Greene, Sarah
Subject: RE: Sharehouse request for temporary membership
I don’t have an issue with this we just need to make sure we capture the story.
Thanks,
Eddie White
Executive Director
Clark County Family YMCA
11324 NE 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA 98682
As you can probably guess, I am the “Story capturer.”
Of course Eddie did not have an issue with helping a family in need, he is Eddie of course. A man who loves Christ, and through his love has grown to be a person who loves others.
But why do we do these things? Things that do not help our bottom line or that seemingly have no benefit to us?
We are the “Y”, that’s why.
One of the things that one quickly realizes when one studies the history of the YMCA is that we (the YMCA) are not in competition with anybody.
One of the things that one quickly realizes when one studies the history of the YMCA is that we (the YMCA) do not compete, we fill niche voids.
There is only one reason that we started having pools in our “Y’s”. It was because kids were drowning in rivers, ponds, and lakes. There was a void that needed filling. Kids needed to learn how to swim so they would not die in rivers, ponds, and lakes.
There is only one reason that we started having gyms in our “Y’s”. Positive activities during people’s “free” time was needed.
There is only one reason that we started housing people. As social institutes started having problems in this area, the YMCA was there to fill the void.
There is only one reason the “Y” has childcare. It is because there was a void, and we are doing our best to fill it.
Most people have no idea what it is that we really do.
I do know who does know though.
One of our staff’s husband works for a big box gym. He was at a meeting in which a suit came in from corporate. This is what the suit said, “We are about profits, people. We are about ROI. We are about the bottom line. If you care about people, go to work for the YMCA.”
I could not have said it better myself.
We care about people.
We care about you.
We do not compete.
We fill niche voids.
This family had a series of horrific things happen to them, something that we seem to be inundated with lately, horrific things happening to people.
They had a void that needed filling.
I thank God that we were able to fill this void.
‘Tis the season.
For us in the YMCA our season lasts for more than a month or two.
We measure our season in years.
When I think of Christ, I think that He measures seasons in years too; actually He measures seasons in eternal measurements.
Can we extend our season too?
Blessings,
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