Tag Archives: The Lamb Center

A Table of Hope

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in Brave, Faith, Grace, Justice, The Glorious Table, The Lamb Center

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gttableofhopeEvery Tuesday afternoon as we finish the mid-afternoon prayer, Dave invites everyone within hearing range to gather for afternoon Bible study at the twenty-foot table in the center of the room.

“It is a very exclusive table,” he says each time. “Only sinners allowed!”

The Lamb Center, a day shelter for homeless and poor individuals, recently moved to a bigger, better-equipped building. Three times the size of the old building, the new space enables us to serve our guests in a number of new ways. In spite of the improvements, though, the heart of what transpires continues to happen around the old table in the center of the room, the only piece of furniture that made the move from the old building to the new. Built lovingly by a volunteer who has since passed away, the table was created especially for The Lamb Center. Staff, volunteers, and guests couldn’t imagine a Lamb Center without this table–a symbol of hope, healing, and transformation for so many.

I understand the attachment to this special table. I too have sensed God’s presence there and have been repeatedly moved by the vulnerability, compassion, and hope I have experienced within this community during the years I have been leading Tuesday afternoon Bible study. If I know anything at all about the kingdom of God, I’ve learned it at this table.

All are welcome

Everyone is welcome at The Lamb Center table. Whether sharing a meal, gathering for Bible study, or engaging in conversation during the hours in between, there are no requirements for a seat at the table except a willingness to pull up a chair. This is a place of radical hospitality. Whether guest, staff, or volunteer, we are all invited to come as we are. We can show up hungry, show up confused, show up with a smile, or show up with tears in our eyes. We can show up in our finest clothes or show up in our last filthy shirt. We can share our perspectives or sit quietly and listen. The table is a safe place, and we are all there by God’s invitation. My friend Dave often says to those who hesitate at the edge of our circle, “We won’t be complete without you.” At the table and in the kingdom, we are loved, our stories are valued, and our presence matters.

People are messy

The Lamb Center table is raw, honest, and real. Life is hard, and many of our guests are living in difficult circumstances. My friends at The Lamb Center are under no misconceptions that they have their lives under control. The pride and self-sufficiency which plague many of us with comfortable homes and money in the bank has long since been left behind by my friends who sleep in the woods. They know they need help because the situations in which they find themselves leave them no alternative. Around this holy table, masks of invincibility have no place. We laugh a great deal…

Continue reading the rest of this post at The Glorious Table

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This week marks the one year anniversary of The Glorious Table, a contributor blog where “life is shared and grace is poured out.” I am honored and humbled to be a part of this community of brave writers. If you aren’t already, please visit The Glorious Table and sign up to receive our posts in your Inbox. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Glorious Table!!

Would I Rather Be RIGHT or Would I Rather Be KIND?

05 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by in Current Affairs, Friday Five, Grace, Justice, Link ups, Politics

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Would I rather be RIIGHT or would I rather be KIND-I spent much of this morning following a breaking news story about a local politician embroiled in what will likely be a career ending scandal. Sadly, I would usually be right there with the rest of the public shaking my head in judgment and cynicism, lamenting the lack of morals and good sense so often on display in our public officials.

In this case, I am just heartbroken.

I know this man and I have worked with him. In spite of the demons he appears to be battling, I have always liked him and found him to be an outspoken champion for the poor in our community. Without his advocacy and leadership, the dreams of our recently completed shelter for homeless individuals would not have been realized. While we may not personally be friends, I consider him a good friend of The Lamb Center and I am deeply saddened by his struggles.

If I didn’t know from personal experience the good he had done in other areas of his life, I could easily read this morning’s news story and paint him into a monochromatic corner. The crimes with which he is being charged would make it easy for me to categorize him as a “bad guy” and write him off as just another example of evil, corruption and abuse of power .

But life really isn’t that simple or clear cut, is it?

I made the mistake of reading some of the comments people are posting beneath the online story. As I was reading, I wondered if any of these people would say these things to his face. Yet, even as I “judged” them for the joy they seemed to be taking in his public fall from grace, I recognized myself. While I might not post an ugly comment in an online forum, I too have looked at someone I don’t know personally and silently congratulated myself on my moral superiority.

But hopefully, I am still a work in progress. In honor of my 52nd birthday on Monday, here are five things I am still learning. More specifically, here are five things I would like to learn to live without.

The need for judgment

We are right to be outraged by outrageous behavior and we are right to hold each other accountable for our actions. Yet, too much of my judgment of others is based on incomplete information. Continue reading →

Hold Hands and Pray

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Faith, Grace, Justice, Missions, The Lamb Center

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Grand OpeningSome of the best moments of my life have been marked by the decision to hold hands and pray.

One of the places where I have learned the most about holding hands and praying is The Lamb Center. At The Lamb Center, we hold hands and pray at least six times a day as a community. We pause, we gather, we join hands, and we bow our heads. We talk to God about what has happened so far in our day and what is coming next. We acknowledge how much we need our Heavenly Father and how much we need each other. We say thank you and we ask for help. No fancy words or rituals, just a moment to say We love you too, Lord. 

In this community, prayer is a part of the moment-by-moment rhythm of each day, as natural as breathing. If I’m honest, this kind of “praying without ceasing” is a way of living to which I have always aspired personally but have never been able to consistently maintain on my own.

Yesterday, we again held hands and prayed at The Lamb Center. Yesterday’s time of prayer marked an extremely significant milestone in the life of our LC family. Yesterday, after years and years of waiting and hoping, we celebrated our beautiful brand new building with an enormous party. Over 400 people wandered through and took tours of the place God built in answer to thousands of prayers. Community leaders spoke, we cut a red ribbon with giant scissors, and we took hundreds of pictures. It was a day brimming with joy, laughter and gratitude.

Two years ago, we set out to raise 4.5 million dollars to build a more welcoming place of respite for poor and homeless individuals in our community. When the party started yesterday, we were joyfully celebrating the fact God had already provided 4 million towards our goal through the generosity and prayers of his people, an amount beyond our wildest dreams. When the party ended yesterday, Continue reading →

Miracle in May: God’s Big Dreams Coming True

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in #LiveFree Thursday, Faith, Justice, Missions, The Lamb Center

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Miracle in MayHave you ever had a front row seat for a miracle?

Just to make sure we are all operating from a similar starting place, here is the dictionary definition of a miracle:

  • a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.
  • a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences.
  • an amazing product or achievement, or an outstanding example of something.

Two years ago, after a decade of searching, the Board of Directors of The Lamb Center decided God was leading us to embark on a bold adventure. Based on many years of work, the staff and the Board felt the time had come to take the leap and finally begin the process of acquiring a desperately needed new building for the ministry of our day shelter for the poor and poor in spirit. Faithful servants of TLC had been searching and praying for  years. Finally, it appeared the potential property had been found and all systems were go.

We just needed 4.5 million dollars to make this dream a reality.

One of the older and most highly respected members of our Board at the time, the type of person who exudes such wisdom and grace the room grows silent each time he begins to speak, said these prophetic words:

The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has the resources to build this building. The Lord doesn’t like debt. I believe God will provide all the money we need to build this building.

Over the course of the next year or so, he repeated these words to me several more times. Kelly, the Lord doesn’t like debt. The Lamb Center belongs to Him and He will provide.

Each time I agreed, but quietly set my expectations just a tiny bit lower: Continue reading →

Broken Places, Healing Spaces

18 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in #LiveFree Thursday, Brave, Faith, Grace, Link ups, mental health, Social Work, The Lamb Center

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serenitychipI will always wonder if I did everything I could to save him.

I sat in the coffee shop with my new friend talking about our mutual love for the day shelter for homeless individuals where we both volunteer. As we shared our stories, I discovered we were drawn to this unique place of grace and mercy for some of the same reasons. Like me, she had a family member who battled addiction. Like me, she had helplessly watched someone she loved deeply hurtling head long down the path of self-destruction. Like me, something about this holy place brought healing to the broken places left behind.

When Daddy died in 2008, I wrote about the complicated messy reality of saying goodbye to my intelligent, charismatic, loving, tragic hero of a father. In spite of multiple treatments for his illness, he could never escape the demons which haunted him and ultimately killed him. My siblings and I, along with his parents and his multiple wives, begged, cajoled, scolded, ranted and cried hoping to convince him to stop drinking and take care of himself. We alternately tried to take control of his life and left him to fend for himself in our efforts to persuade him to do what he needed to do to get better. Ultimately, I couldn’t stand by and watch him bring about his own destruction and my contact with him in the last decade was strained and infrequent. He called on Thanksgiving, 3 days before his death, but I was too busy preparing the holiday meal and told him I would call him back later. I never spoke with him again. Continue reading →