Craft, Cookout, Conspire... This Sunday

This Sunday...

Kicking off the 2012 garden season is a party! All are invited to come out Sunday afternoon, March 4th to: Craft: Get creative! Make a mosaic design of your own to be a part of the community garden stepping stone pathway! Cookout: Arrive early to enjoy the cookout, meet some neighbors around the fire pit and enjoy some community spirit! Conspire: See the plan for the community garden this year, help plant and foster seedlings, and dig in the dirt to prepare the space for planting. It will simply be a good day to participate in creating good food and good community! Begins at 12:30 on Sunday, March 4th with lunch at the Woodycrest Community Garden, located across from 2015 Hutton Dr. 37210. Just bring yourself!

Family Meeting

Leave your shoes by the door and come on in!

This January 31st Kaleo Nashville will be holding a Family Meeting! This is a time for anyone who would like to get together with us, those who are a part of Kaleo and also those who would like to find out a little bit more about us... This is a time to come and find out exactly who we are, what we believe, and why we do the things that we do... This is a time to simply ask questions... This is a Family Meeting. This gathering is not about anyone making commitments to anything... It's simply sharing about Christ's ministry through Kaleo in our lives, city, and world. And having some fun alone the way :) We will begin at 7pm with eating dinner together! So come hungry! Come on out! 7pm on Tuesday the 31st of January! 2015 Hutton Dr. Nashville 37210 Everyone and anyone is encouraged to come and hang out, eat, ask questions, and engage about Kaleo's ministry... Hope to see you there! questions? Call Caleb @ 931-698-6605 www.kaleonashville.com

New World Impacts and Kiva Loans!

Kaleo's current World Impact - Giving Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies

Every day, thousands of children die because they do not have access to basic medicines that could save their lives. This gift will multiply 11 times to help ship and distribute essential pharmaceuticals and medical supplies like: antibiotics, antifungals, anti-parasitic drugs, deworming medications, disposable syringes, gastrointestinal drugs, painkillers and surgical supplies.

This World Impact is through World Vision.

Kaleo's current Kiva Loans - Gevorg & Yomaira

Gevorg rents a booth in the city market, where he sews and sells clothing. Due to the high quality of his work, Gevorg has attracted a large number of clients. In order to maintain the high quality of his clothing, Gevorg needs to purchase a new sewing machine, as the old one doesn't sew properly anymore. With the loan, Gevorg also plans to purchase some new clothing to sell. He will develop his business and increase his working capital, allowing him to pay for his children's education and

ensure a sustainable future for his family. Gevorg lives with his wife, school-age son, and two student daughters.

Yomaira is an enterprising young woman who is 23 years old. Although she only completed her primary education, she has owned her own business for four years. She lives together with her younger sister in Río Verde parish, in Santo Domingo. This is one of the newest cities in Ecuador.

This young lady owns a grocery store in the city center. She

works 10 hours a day and her younger sister helps her out. She would like to grow her business and will take out a loan so that she can achieve her goal.

In common with all young women, Yomaira's dream is to own her own home and a car. We know that she will achieve this, perhaps in the not-so-distant future, as a result of her hard work.

Learn more at www.kiva.org

More info about Kaleo and impacting our world visit KaleoNashville.com

Your Preconception and the Christmas Expectation

Have you ever noticed how people see what they expect to see?
It's like if you're looking for it you'll find it, kind of thing. You know how some people get to work in the morning and express just how miserably cold it is, while the next person walks in and says, "Today is the sunniest day we've had this week!"

Perhaps there is more truth in "Seek and you shall find," than we realize.

Recently I've been reading "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. During one particular scene of the the story a local man is dialoguing with another man's Chinese servant, Lee.
Well the servant normally speaks in short broken English, or what they call pidgin. Except for this time. During this conversation Lee suddenly breaks out of the slow and broken English and begins discussing with the other man in a fluent manner. The man then inquires as to why Lee always speaks the way he does since his English is actually so good.
"Lee said, 'I know it's hard to believe, but it has happened so often to me and to my friends that we take it for granted. If I should go up to a lady or a gentleman, for instance, and speak as I am doing now, I wouldn't be understood.'
'Why not?'
'Pidgin they expect, and pidgin they'll listen to. But English from me they don't listen to, and so they don't understand it.'
'Can that be possible? How do I understand you?'
'That's why I'm talking to you. You are one of the rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect.'"

We often expect so many different things from Christmas every year, don't we? Lots of family time, presents, sweets, games, movies, new toys... and then perhaps we try to squeeze some of "the real meaning" of the season in on Sundays...

The question is though, what is it that your expecting to experience this season? What do you truly desire to see? What are you searching for? Because I bet, at some point, you'll find yourself in the midst of it.

This Christmas, what, or better yet, who are you expecting? Are you expecting more traffic? More travel? Are you expecting it to be filled with quality or quantity family time? Gifts, food, and so on?

Or this Christmas, are you expecting the Living God? Are you expecting the God who is coming to us in millions of unexpected ways?

Are you expecting the Jesus who would even to us come as a child?

May you this season, seek out, look for, expect the coming of our God... if you will expect with an open and humble heart, you will find Him. In countless ways.
Expect the unexpected this Christmas.

Merry Christmas,
~ Caleb

Culturally Appropriate Giving and Kingdom Living

Recently I was watching a brief segment on one of our few news channels that involved the topic of Who to buy for this Christmas... and What should you buy...

As I began to view this short piece of "news," I realized what was happening here. I was getting the privilege of hearing an "expert" on the issue of Christmas present purchasing!
How enthralling! (to be said in a sarcastic tone)

What struck me is that now we actually have our culture letting us know who its appropriate to give gifts to this season (which apparently involves my babysitter, my mail-carrier, my beautician, my daycare person, and my office assistant) and also what gifts and dollar amounts are socially acceptable... We've really got this down to a science don't we?

So lets take a second and lift the veil to see the issues that are really behind this discussion:

- Christmas has become primarily about consumerism. I'm culturally obligated to give gifts to all these people, and i'm afraid that if I don't they will either be hurt or insulted etc.

- I'm not giving because of some overflowing affection toward these people, i'm giving perhaps then out of guilt, or manipulation, or some other false motive...

Recently, I had someone say to me how they are "so sick of the consumerism of Christmas."

The fact is, we all should be. It should make us sick. It's a sickening thing to think that Americans spend $450,000,000,000 (that's billion) on Christmas every year... and the estimated cost to give clean water to everyone in the world is $20 billion...

It should make us sick to think about children going to bed hungry while other kids are swimming in new toys. Something is disturbingly wrong here.

For too long, the only difference between those who claim to follow Jesus and those who don't during Christmas is that they go to church. This is ridiculous.

Christmas holds so much more hope than this! This season we participate in a story that involves the salvation of the world!

As followers of Jesus we are called to live a life that rescues the world, that brings healing and restoration... not to live in such a way that we consume, take, and fed ourselves with no consideration for our neighbor.

When it came down to it, Jesus gave Himself. This Christmas, lets do the same.

Instead of buying guilty presents this Christmas... or even presents for people you really want to give to. Instead give your time, give yourself. Be creative!

There is great work to be done this season... be part of God's work in the world this Christmas!

-Caleb

Co-Pastor at Kaleo Nashville

Check out this video!

The Truth will set you free

We are getting ready to wrap up our study at Kaleo walking through the chapters of Love Wins. The book has provided a good platform for us as we've journeyed together in this discussion. The best part of the book, naturally, is the end. The Good News is Better Than That. Bell spends the chapter discussing the issue of trust.

Truth is, that we pretty much all have trust issues. One person feels unworthy, the other feels overqualified. Some feel unwanted, and some feel like they are the center of the universe. Some people feel handicapped to help the world. Some people feel like they've single hand-idly saved the world. But to each person, Jesus is there calling us into a better story.

When truth is extravagant, it becomes hard to swallow for most. But there lies the issue, the Truth is extravagant. If it was anything less, it would not be the Truth.

Even though for most, this extravagant truth is a tall order to swallow, deep within our hearts we wish it to be real. We long and yearn for it to be the Truth. Did you know that we are designed for glory? God glorifies us as He has made us in His image, and being so as receivers of glory in the image of God, we also are glory givers. Our only hope of living a life where we find “happiness” and joy, is by living a life for God and receiving glory for Him, and then in turn giving it back to Him in worship.

This is the story of all creation. Even the beauty of the trees reflect the glory of God, the earth declares the work of His hands and gives Him glory. So, how much more as we are human, created in His image, do we carry this beautiful glory and the responsibilities of it?

But to begin to do that, to begin to live in the way we are created to live, we must accept God's story for us. There is no alternative to finding life.

Here is the truth: God created you in His image, God loves you in an unconditional way, there is nothing you can do to make yourself more worthy of His love, there is nothing you can do to make yourself unworthy of His love. The Love simply is. This is the Truth, trust in Him - this is your story.

Maternal Health in Afghanistan

Current World Impact: Maternal Health in Afghanistan

Every 30 minutes, an Afghan woman dies of childbirth-related complications. In fact, tragically, almost half of all deaths of women age 15-49 in Afghanistan result from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths could be prevented with increased access to maternal health services.

World Vision is hard at work in Afghanistan, training midwives and implementing child survival programs In order to reduce maternal, infant, and child mortality rates. They need our help to continue improving the health of women and children in Afghanistan.

Our gift will provide training for midwives, prenatal and ongoing medical care for mothers and children, improved nutrition, immunizations, and other critical interventions for those in need. We can help save the lives of mothers and children in Afghanistan today!

www.worldvision.org

See you Sunday at the Garden!
- Kaleo Nashville