---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: REAL Life Community Services <rod@reallcs.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 10:18 PM
Subject: March Enews
To: philandkelly@gmail.com

REAL March Enews

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ANNUAL FUNDRAISING BANQUET

Come hear from Chuck Holt who has been the leader of developing a new model for community services! He travels all over the country sharing about his successful "The Together Initiative"; empowering the community to affect positive change! REAL Life Community Services is on the verge of something great! Hear about what we've been doing and our vision for the future. We continue to grow by leaps and bounds and helping so many people take steps out of poverty! A free-will offering will be taken at the dinner.

Tickets are free. Sign up online www.reallcs.org.

Deadline is March 26, 2017.

Watch our new video about the Denver House!

DENVER HOUSE PROJECT UPDATE

It's hard to believe we've been at this for four months! It's incredible to see all that has gotten done. If you look at the building from the street, not much has changed. But inside, it's amazing! We have had over 200 different volunteers, for a total of 1,700 hours of volunteer labor and hauled out 660 yards of debris. That is 22 dumpster that are 22ft x 8ft x 6ft high. We've hauled out close to 12 tons of scrap and recyclable material as well! We have had businesses groups, church groups, and school groups, all join our regular volunteers to come out on a Saturday morning and work to clean up and demo this blighted building.

There will be great excitement when the baton gets passed from the volunteers to the professionals! We hope sooner than later, but that depends a lot on our fundraising! We'll share more about that later this year!

As for now, a deep appreciation to all our volunteers who donned old clothes, dusk masks, and gloves and started ripping and tearing down the old plaster and wood. We could not do this project without generous volunteers that serve so graciously.

We are on task to complete the building later in 2018! We'd like to get it done sooner, but the "powers to be" say that would be a "miracle"! Rod says, "It's all in God's timing!"

If you've worked at our site and have not gotten your FREE t-shirt yet, please contact rod@reallcs.org for one. If you didn't but would like to purchase one, they're by suggested donation of $20. Get your very own piece of history!

(Click to volunteer!)

ROD'S RAMBLINGS

We are all created for a purpose! That's what I tell everyone I come in contact with an opportunity to take charge of their life. But destinies don't just fall into our lap. It takes work to find them. Below are five things we should expect as we fulfill God's divine destiny in your life.

1.    Expect there to be a need – Matt 25:35-40
2.    Expect God to speak – Acts 8:26-30
3.    Expect opposition – 1 Peter 5:8
4.    Expect the unexpected/divine
     intervention – John 14:12-14
5.    Expect an opportunity to give back
       1 Samuel 30:16-31

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21)

God has given you the power, He's given you the authority. What are you waiting for?! I dare you to move!

THE HUB

Chris Hibbert has been working with families for several months and we're starting to see some huge successes. We were able to help a homeless family find shelter at the Water Street Rescue Mission. We are pleased to report the mom now has an apartment and her daughter has decided to follow through with the Mission's residential track program. Also, due to a huge collaborative effort between REAL Life, CVCCS, Cross Net, Tabor, and Love INC, another homeless family (with two adult sons with special needs) has been able to finally get into a home! It's because of your support, we can see lives not only changed, but transformed!

LIGHTHOUSE UPDATE

Only a week ago, I sat on the floor near my son. He sat on his couch as I asked him question after question about his beliefs. He kept saying, "I don't want to have this conversation unless you are willing." He didn't want to disappoint me, hurt my feelings, or cause me to question my faith.

My son was raised in the church and attended youth group. He was taught to boldly walk up to people on the street and ask them, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?" The question was not asked in love, but as a haughty challenge. So much changed when he left home to attend college and started to experience the world. There is a huge middle story left out here, but he no longer believes in God. He will offer reason after reason. It was a painful journey for him to come to this conclusion and he doesn't want to cause anyone else to lose faith.

As a matter of fact, he says he wishes he could believe in something with such conviction as I believe in Jesus.
Yesterday, he called to say, "There is no good way to lead into this, but my friend committed suicide". She was the mother of three little girls; a four year old and a set of one year old twins. Listening to him, I sensed anger, overwhelming sadness, confusion, numbness, guilt, great loss, grief, and fear. He told me he was sitting on his sofa with his two children and the woman's four year old daughter. They were watching TV and eating fruit snacks. He was going to take the four year old girl home soon so she could be told that her mommy was dead.

This is life. This is the kind of stuff we want to discuss with the youth at Lighthouse Ministries on Monday nights. We want to grapple with the tough situations you deal with. We want to talk about depression and suicidal thoughts. We want to talk about suffering, bullying, addiction, self-image, etc.

Lighthouse will be starting something new on Monday night. The youth leaders, headed by Mike Brill, Director, will be meeting with kids who are serious about taking their relation with Jesus to a new level.

There will be time to hang out, play games, and have a snack, but most of the time will be spent in worship, prayer and delving into God's word. For those who read this, cover us with your prayers as we minister in this way and may God be praised and glorified.