A devotional word from Dallas McGinnis, our Celebrate Blessings coordinator(and Homeless Update)Hi Everyone, this is a short devotional and update because things are so hectic, but things are also going very well and I feel truly blessed.
Recently I was reading my bible and I came across the phrase "his spirit." I realized again that we are all so blessed because we carry His spirit inside of us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT) says: "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself." We all know that this is an awesome responsibility - if we carry His Spirit within us then what others see matters a lot. We represent the Spirit of God to others - we reveal Him through our actions.
But after last week's opening day at our new location for our homeless outreach, I saw "His Spirit" from another perspective. When Jesus said that if we have served "the least of them," then we have served Him, He is reminding us that His spirit is inside of the people we serve as well. When we recognize the fact that His Spirit is in all people, it makes it easier to love and to appreciate everyone who we serve and everyone who we serve with.
I got to see God's spirit in our guys in a lot of ways this weekend: when I saw Ronald, who has a withered arm and a bad limp and more faith inside of him than we can imagine, riding one of our children around on his motorized scooter chair; when I saw one of the guys pick up a guitar and sing a Third Day song with such beauty and talent and feeling - then I got to see His Spirit in action. And that is such a gift!
And coincidentally (if there is such a thing), one of our leaders, Susan Yancich, has decided to name her first Saturday team "His Focus." It is really a gift to know that we are all "His" and that He is also inside of so many others, and that we have the blessing to be able to give even more people the opportunity to receive His Spirit and to experience the same joy that His Spirit brings to us.
Romans 8:16 (NLT) says "" For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children." When we serve others we get to practice this verse over and over again, and nothing can be better than experiencing this within ourselves and witnessing it in others.
This weekend at the Mission was a success and went off without a hitch. There is a lot more space and the guys really seemed to enjoy the new location. We had 75 people, which isn't bad for a first day before the word has really spread. We have a feeling that this number will double very soon, and will continue to grow. Pray that we can keep up with the demand and that we can continue to minister to all of the guys who cross the doorway, continuing to show them that they are loved by God and by us.
Susan is starting a blog, which is really exciting. (note from Susan: This is the first devo entered into the blog) It will keep everyone current on her menu and what others can contribute if they want to bring something with them when they come to serve. She has offered to do this for the other three teams as well, and this is really gong to be awesome. We are so blessed with so many people who love Jesus and all of His children.
I'm asking for prayers as well about the growth of this ministry - we have been presented with the possibility of being able to open a shelter thru a new nonprofit and some grants that wlll provide permanent housing and other programs. If it is God's will, it will happen, I bow to His will.
God bless all of you! He is truly good!
Peace and Blessings,
Dallas McGlinn
Celebrate Blessings 504-463-3296 or 504-453-6034
Eph. 4:1: As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
we first arrived, but began to ‘ham it up after the photographer showed respect for his privacy by agreeing not to photograph him if he didn’t want to be photographed. He complained about how people just come up and start photographing him without asking - just snapping and flashing in his face. Otis wanted us to pray for him, and then when Angela suggested that he throw away the 16oz before prayer, he agreed to ‘down it’ and then throw it away. We prayed that Otis would develop Christian friends and receive his deliverance from alcohol addiction. 
we first arrived, but began to ‘ham it up after the photographer showed respect for his privacy by agreeing not to photograph him if he didn’t want to be photographed. He complained about how people just come up and start photographing him without asking - just snapping and flashing in his face. Otis wanted us to pray for him, and then when Angela suggested that he throw away the 16oz before prayer, he agreed to ‘down it’ and then throw it away. We prayed that Otis would develop Christian friends and receive his deliverance from alcohol addiction. 
