Weekly Prayer

I see one of our kids with a sour face walking back into the building. Me: “You OK, bud?” Kid: “Naw, I have to walk all the way back upstairs to get my baby brother’s cup, and my ankle is sprung” I smiled, first at the expression, and then with an understanding of the nuisance. When he came back down, before heading out, I said ManMan, you’re a good big brother, you know that? He set the cup down, gave me a hug and smiled, as he said, “Thanks”. One of the things I love mo

Dear Heavenly Father, First I want to say, "Thank You!" Thank You for a safe haven to experience healing and restoration. Many of us walk in these door broken without a start to our healing process. God I pray that You restore what is damaged and replace old ways with Your ways. For we know Your way is with truth and love. Thank You for opening our hearts to You. Help us see the love You placed in our lives while accepting the love You placed around us. Allow the love we rece

The world was surprised when Jesus brought peace through Him rather than war. It was counter-culture to the Roman structure. Peace didn’t come from defeat or war-treaties. Still, we raise guns and fists in hope of resolution. We make the assumption that we are the ones to bring about justice. Why do we want to fight? Further, how can we even reason with ourselves when we do? We struggle more with the feeling of being wronged than the desire to live in peace. We focus on who

“This is my son who flew in from out of state to surprise me! And these are my two grandbabies who I’ve never met until today!” Last week, this introduction from a Homes member brought me to tears. This member has faced family being torn apart–both through the consequences of choices and circumstances outside their control. They’ve faced dark trials and deep joys even in the few short months since joining the Greenhouse for People. Standing there in the space we call The Vine

I am currently sitting at Shechem in one of our classrooms with a newer six-year-old member, a board member, a Homes teenager, and a weekly volunteer. We’re listening to music and singing along together as we paint our pictures and explore what colors we can make when we mix paint together. Although our new member has only been coming to Shechem for two weeks, she has stolen all of our hearts with her smile, curiosity, cute conversations, and ability to eat 15 cookies in thr

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV People come to Hope Street with heavy burdens. We see it in the way people carry themselves. We see it through interactions, decision making, and simple choices. While Hope Street is a safe place for broken people to live and play, the beauty is in the invitation to experience something new. To not allow those burdens to defin

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 One of the greatest gifts one can receive is peace. Not just peace around us, but peace within us. For many, including myself, there have been seasons when sleep was hard to find because worry, fear, uncertainty, or life's challenges kept our minds racing. That's why hearing a Homes member say, "I sleep so peacefully at Hope Street," is so powerful. It reminds me that peace is more t

Your presence here is seriously overflowing. Ample. In every area. You make yourself known to people who have little been introduced to you previously. You create a sense of peace. You transform lives. You connect us to one another. You are so big here. Can I just ask you to keep doing that God? You provide all we need God. My two biggest prayer requests for Hope Street as of late have been for safety and funds. I have felt like those are the two needs that aren’t already tak

At 7 years old, he is curious, kind, and inquisitive. During a recent Family Dinner, he said “Jamie, sit next to me!” I could write several pages on the power of that simple, “you belong” invitation in and of itself. As I engaged with others around the table, I felt his little hand tracing some tattooed words on my forearm. He read the words aloud and said “what does this mean?” I explained that the words “do not grow weary” and “do not lose heart” are from one of my favorite

A familiar question, as volunteers, and staff alike get acclimated to life inside of Hope Street. That question is usually accompanied with - is what I am doing beneficial? In our American culture we value productivity. We place a heavy emphasis on numbers, and all too often allow that to determine the level of success. Inside the Greenhouse for People culture there’s an opportunity for that temptation to get disrupted. Suddenly you come face to face with one person, or may

God, can you give me limitless grace? I am not as kind, loving or patient as I should be. Not with everyone. I expect more from some than others. I shouldn't. I see some heart problems as lack of exposure and opportunity and other heart problems as lack of care. I shouldn’t. I have been judgmental. I have all but written people off. Why is it that I want to hug some to bring transformation and shake others to bring transformation? God, I need to stop picking and choosing whe

At Hope Street, we are reminded that life change doesn’t always happen in grand, dramatic moments. Most of the time, it begins in simple, intentional spaces. Sometimes around a warm cup of coffee in The Vine. Something sacred unfolds; conversations start, laughter fills the room, and hearts begin to soften. What may seem ordinary becomes extraordinary when God is present. In the book of Hebrews, we’re called to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good

A couple of months ago, I was processing a sad experience with my mentor in a virtual meeting. Sharing about a former member who had relapsed–the sadness over the whole situation, the things I saw and the fact that in that dark moment this individual wasn’t aware of how beloved they were. The moment felt dark and heavy. While in this meeting, little Chosyn came running to the glass door of my office. I tried just giving a little wave…thinking she would understand and run off.

Thank You, thank You All my worship belongs to the one who has carried me through Thank You For the wonders You've done And the ones that You're still gonna do Thank You I know words aren't enough But I'll keep showing up with these two "Thank You" Thank You: Elevation Worship These are the lyrics that came over my speaker as I pulled into our venue for the book launch this last Sunday. Teary eyed I sat for a minute as all I could think about was all I am grateful for. This

"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the LORD will be your delight." Isaiah 58:13 As a 'do-it-all' kind of woman, when I hear the word rest, I don't automatically associate it with 'delightful.' Oftentimes, it causes a big sigh from within, because it is just anot

Do you know what it's like to belong? Maybe it's my INFj -ness, or my enneagram 2-ness, or some other personality marker...but I've never felt like I quite belong. I feel awkward and unknown in most places. I expect people to not remember me, and I will avoid saying hi to someone in public because it's embarrassing to not be known. I feel dull and often un-worthy of friendship. Over the past couple of years, I've found belonging at Hope Street. I can honestly say it's th

I have an incredible team. They work hard, work well together, and each share the gifts that God has uniquely given them. In this last season I asked my team to operate pretty lean. We launched a new campaign (Sustain Campaign) and wanted to be intentional about discerning where the gaps were. This has allowed us to make sure everyone feels like they have a good workload, and that the things they are focusing on fall within areas of competency. It’s been a good exercise. It’s

Sometimes I just want to air out all the hard things without finding the silver lining. There are times where I don’t feel like saying, “but I know you have it.” I just want to lay it all out there and say, “so deal with it.” But even in writing this, I have this guttural feeling to point out the redeeming things. If someone gets in a fight, my head goes to we’ve kept so many safe. If someone relapses, I hear, we’ve stopped so many other people from not. If someone struggles,

“I am here to see what God has for me in this season” New Member at Homes at Hope Street It’s been awhile since I have done an intake. However, I was recently able to step in for Jamie, and I was reminded of the anticipation in the beginning. There is a level of excitement for what could be. Could this step be what turns things around? As days pass that anticipation turns into expectation and together, we begin to see God’s will for our time at Hope Street unfold. Some peo

Recently I’ve been struck by the impact of being in the same place. Personally for nearly 15 years, but for Hope Street 27 years and counting. It’s a place that people know they can come back to. A place where when they show up, someone will be present, and meet them right where they are. For Joe, it’s a place where a hug and a listening ear are waiting when he needs to be reminded how valuable his life is. For Terrance, it’s a place that has watched him grow, and a place f