Fall Fest!

Do you remember the 80's slogan "Where's the beef?"

Last night, I believe the appropriate slogan would've been "Where's the heat?"

As frigid temps peppered the Valley yesterday (hey, when you're used to 100+ degree days in October, a plunge into the 50's and 60's is frigid!) and the usually absent wind picked up force, we had a Fall Festival -- outside, of course!

Frigid around here just means you wear a sweatshirt with your shorts.

There was cotton candy made by sugar chef Amy and her assistant Jovani.

There were yummy, warm tostadas (over 200 of them!) made by chef Darrell and assistant Jasmine.

There was cherry-apple juice poured by Mrs. Darrell.

There was face painting......by Emily:

.....and Flerida (and others)

There were crazy clowns.

There were games....throw-a-dart, pop-a-balloon, win-some-candy:

throw-some-balls-in-the-buckets, win-some-candy:

throw-a-ball-through-the-bases, win-some-candy:

guess-the-answer-to-Ro's-question, win-a-CAKE!

throw-a-line-in-the-pond, catch-some-candy!

Sponge Bob also showed up in the form of a bounce house, but he jiggled too much when I took his photo, so His Royal Blurryness isn't pictured here.

Despite the coolness, it was still a fun-filled night for our Kids Klub children and their families and others in the community. We were blessed to receive a large donation of candy from employees at Qwest, where our Kids Klub director Ro's wife works. They are the founding partners of our new organization called Children At-Risk for Cavity Formation.

We have also recently been blessed with the opportunity to purchase food in bulk very cheaply through St. Mary's Food Bank. Since we provide a snack at the majority of our programs, this way of purchasing food has already been a big money-saver, plus we can offer more variety in what we serve.

Well, I'm off to work on the incorporation papers for Children At-Risk for Cavity Formation.

Just kidding. Have a lovely afternoon!

The Weekend

As has recently been the case, Teen Night was a packed house Friday evening. Caleb shared about forgiveness.



Former intern Brad Beachy ('06-'07) was here over the weekend. He connected with these ornery guys during his internship, and they still have a grand time hanging out together.

Brad organized a Saturday morning hike up Camelback Mountain.

On Sunday, Aim Right had a fundraiser meal at Trinity Mennonite Church, where one of our board members attends. Staff and volunteers made the food, and teens served it to hungry worshippers following the morning service. God blessed us with around $1,400 in donations for the meal. (Sorry, no photos....kitchen action had to take precedence over photo shooting).

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Tomorrow, if you pop by the corner of 13th & Roosevelt between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., you're likely to see some of this:

It's our annual Fall Festival for our Kids Klub families, and this place will be a poppin' and hoppin'!

They are precious in His sight

It's a hard life when your week involves playing kick ball, looking at picture dictionaries, eating chocolate chip cake, and chaperoning a few rounds of musical chairs. Oh--and viewing fine artwork like this:

(My favorite is the flying piglet)

I think it's pretty good stuff, considering it's the creation of 1st grader. I had the privilege of tutoring him on Tuesday. We read a story about a dog named Biscuit that visited a farm, and some of the words shown above are vocabulary from the book. It's been awhile since I've tutored such a young reader, and I literally had a blast hearing the excitement in his voice as he conquered new words by slowly sounding them out.

Yesterday evening, Kids Klub kicked off with some energetic singing:

Then, it was off to classes to learn about David & Goliath! In the 3rd grade class, students had the opportunity to write down some of their "Goliaths" (i.e. big problems) and compose a prayer to God about them. From parents fighting and yelling, to scary bullies at school, they poured out their little hearts to Him.

In a few years of interacting with many children from dysfunctional homes, I have observed that sometimes they don't seem to realize how unhealthy their families really are, while at other times, they feel it most keenly. As a case in point, yesterday I had a brief conversation with a young boy while I was picking up children for Kids Klub. When a child blurts out, "My dad wants to kill my mom," it's a bit of an attention-getter. As I tried to probe deeper, I only grew more confused. It sounds like the dad is already in jail, and the child lives with his grandmother, mother (step-mother?), and sister (half-sister? step-sister?). He was randomly answering my questions while fiddling with his seatbelt, looking out the window, and relishing his time in the coveted front seat.

His family is clearly dysfunctional, yet nothing in his body language or tone of voice showed any distress over it. His situation reminds me of that of a little girl who used to attend Kids Klub. Over the course of a few years, I spent enough time with her to know that her dad was in jail and that her mom shoplifted and partied. Those details were often relayed to me matter-of-factly. During a prayer time at Sunday School where a lot of "churched" kids were present, this girl requested prayer for her mom's drinking habit. Later, she told me she wished she wouldn't have said her request aloud, because "I know that other kids don't have parents that do that."

She had come to the realization that there was something so not normal about her home life, and it saddened and embarrassed her. At that moment, she felt the difference most keenly.

Jesus, You love these little children.

They are precious in Your sight.

You are bigger than their Goliaths.

Fight for them, dear Jesus!

An Outreach Scholarship for Youth Groups

Since this blog is already a hodge podge of how to make play-dough or a ghetto slip-n-slide, why not add in how to get free money for your youth group?

It's not a gimmick.

It's legit.

And you can read about it all here.

Mission: Possible! is a scholarship program offered by Kurt Warner's First Things First Foundation, and it is specifically for youth / college groups who are interested in doing an outreach or missions trip within the United States. Awards of up to $1,000 are given to 50 groups per year, but you must apply by February 1, 2010.

In previous years, at least two youth groups have received scholarships to come to Aim Right to assist us with our summer VBS. They were blessed, and we were blessed.

There is another opportunity for blessing if you know of a youth group seeking an outreach venue for next summer. Our first week of VBS (June 28 -July 2, 2010) is still available, and I'm sure that with a bit of advance planning, securing a First Things First scholarship is highly likely.

Little Tough Guy

There's this little tough guy who has been coming to Kids Klub.

It's a harsh world when you learn to be tough at only six or seven years old, but this is life as he knows it.

In the Projects, where he lives, it's not unusual to see a police car or two or three as I'm picking up children or taking them home.

Little Tough Guy's standard remark is this:

"I HATE COPS."

I've discovered it's basically fruitless to try to argue that cops are there for his protection, and that if you're not doing anything wrong, you don't need to fear them.

He still hates cops.

I recently had a chance to talk to his older sister and gained a little perspective on the situation. You see, there's no daddy at Little Tough Guy's home.

He's in jail.

Who do you think put him there?

It's those cops he hates so much.


Lord of reality,
make me real.

I don't want to tell it like it is,
but to be it like You want it.
I don't want to be a census taker
but an obstetrician,
nor an involved person, a professional,
but a friend.
I don't want to be insensitive,
but to hurt where other people hurt,
nor to say I know how you feel,
but to say God knows,
and I'll try if you'll be patient with me,
and meanwhile I'll be quiet.


- Excerpts from Joseph Bayly's A Psalm of Singlemindedness

The Lord has done great things...and we are glad!

He's back!

After a two-week hospital stay, after enduring a feeding tube, IV's, multiple tests and shots, sleepless nights and boring days, through times of uncertainty and times of rejoicing--

He's back!

The one we affectionately refer to as "Peanut Butter" was at Bible study yesterday evening, and it was so good to see his face there. Maybe in the near future I can rope him into sharing his story with you, because he is really a living, walking miracle!

With his twin brother

"The Lord has done great things....we are glad!"
Psalm 126:3

24/7 Prayer: A Glimpse

Return the Cross to Golgotha

by George MacLeod

I simply argue that the cross be raised again

at the center of the marketplace
as well as on the steeple of the church,

I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified

in a cathedral between two candles:

But on a cross between two thieves;

on a town garbage heap;

at a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan

that they had to write His title

in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek...

And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut,
and thieves curse and soldiers gamble.

Because that is where He died,

and that is what He died about.

And that is where Christ's men ought to be,

and what church people ought to be about.

The cross was there.

Standing in the center of the room.

A symbol of suffering, of healing, of the moment when the One who perfectly completed His Father's mission poured out His soul unto death, purchasing victory.

Around that ancient symbol of the church prayers flowed.

Some chose to pray for the youth of this community and the many factors that contribute to the barrenness and emptiness in their lives, as symbolized by this tree:



Some chose to write their personal requests on the prayer wall so others could come along later and intercede on behalf of those requests, too.

Some chose to pray for the many teachers and students in this area of Phoenix, as illustrated by the map below.

Still others gathered to pray for those in our community who are in bondage to addictions, placing heavy chains on their shoulders as they prayed to identify with the weight of sin that those struggling ones endure as they sadly attempt to do life without Christ.

Others prayed for the expectant single mothers and the wee ones who are being raised by parents who are still children themselves.

Some prayed while sitting, standing, kneeling, writing, or painting. Some prayed on the hard floor or cushioned by a pillow. Some prayed silently and alone or corporately and aloud, at 4:43 a.m. or at 4:43 p.m.

The cross was there.

Standing in the center of the room.

He was there.

That divine presence that promises to be present where two or three are gathered in His name.

That One who declared, "My house shall be called a house of prayer."