Henriet's Blog

What if we give you $100...

Five Benjamins. Five winners. Five fun stories.

That's right! We'll be giving away five crisp $100 bills at our Northwest Ministry Conference booth in Seattle, Washington, on March 19-20, 2010. Five lucky conference attendees will be walking away with a Benjamin just for coming by and celebrating the launch of our new website.

Why are we handing out money?

Because we want you to go back home and do some serious good with it. And then tell us what you did. Simple as that.

How do you win $100?

Just find the Semper Vita booth, fill out a drawing card (there will be one in your conference bag), and drop it in the fishbowl. Then wait. And pray. And hope. And wait some more.

We will have a total of five drawings throughout the event. You don't need to be present to win, but you'll want to check back periodically to see if your name has been scribbled on the Winners Board.

The early bird does get the worm. And some cool gifts. Just for registering early for the drawing, we'll give you two pretty cool gifts - one to keep and one to share with a friend at the conference. We'll keep giving away until supplies run out...

What do you do if you win $100?

Take it home with you, and get together with your family and/or friends and figure out a fun and creative way to do some serious good in your community. You have $100. No more. No less.

After you're done with the activity, either write up your story or send us a video and tell us all about the experience. We'll feature it on the website, blog about it, tweet about it, put it on Facebook and the whole nine yards - along with the stories from the other conference winners.

Let's have some serious fun while doing some serious good!

An announcement from Semper Vita:

The website is coming soon!

We're delighted to announce that we'll be showing a preview of the new Semper Vita website at the Northwest Ministry Conference in March 2010. This blog has carried the dream of Semper Vita for a couple of years now, so you can only imagine how excited we are about sharing the practical reality of that dream.

Then in June, we'll officially launch the website and invite organizations and folks living in the Pacific Northwest - primarily in the Greater Seattle region - to join us online. We're thinking big and starting small. As our resources allow and as God leads, we will then expand our internet walls to other regions.

What is Semper Vita?

We get asked this question a lot. For those who have journeyed with us the last few years, the vision and mission of Semper Vita has not changed. The question, though, is, "What does it look like practically?" That's where the website comes in.

As we've designed the website, we have focused on three primary functions:

• Volunteer. Go do some serious good.
• Connect. Share life together for missional impact.
• Grow. Develop your wiring, purpose and focus.

Simply stated, the Semper Vita website will be an easy-to-use, missional connectivity tool that provides a holistic experience as you volunteer, connect and grow with like-minded people and organizations in your community.

Why Semper Vita?

We know you're busy and the thought of signing up for one more website could put some of you over the edge. The good news is that Semper Vita is designed for people just like you...and for people who don't have a lot of interest or patience to sit in front of a computer all the time.

Here's how it will work: Just tell us a little bit about yourself - your interests, skills, preferences, etc. - and then let Semper Vita do the rest of the work as you go about your daily life. When a volunteer opportunity or an organization or someone in your community or a group comes up that looks like something or someone you'd be interested in, we'll let you know. And then you can make the connection. Or not.

Semper Vita works for you - and not the other way around.

Going to NWMC 2010?

For those going to the Northwest Ministry 2010 conference, be sure to stop by our booth and help us celebrate! We'll be giving a Benjamin ($100) to five lucky winners and asking them to go do some serious good in their communities with their Bennies. We'll then feature their stories on the website.

Our executive director, Henriet Schapelhouman, will also be teaching several workshops throughout the event, including sessions on missional volunteering, partnering with the community and women in leadership. Be sure to attend one of her sessions and stop by the booth to find out if Semper Vita is something that could benefit you and/or your organization. We look forward to seeing you!

Thankful for Hope

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

Giving thanks for the good things

Let me start out by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! May this day be filled with gratitude for what God has done in us and for us.

Though this year has been filled with challenges, tests of faith and difficult times for me and my family, there have been so many good things that I am thankful for:

• Great friends - you really get to know who your friends are during the hard times. I am so blessed with awesome friends who have supported us and prayed for us. Their prayers have lifted us up and carried us through the hardest of times. "Thank you dear friends...and please keep praying!"
• Wonderful family - while you can choose your friends and not your family, I wouldn't have chosen anyone else. My husband, son, mother and sister are wonderful. "I love you and am so grateful for you."
• Beauty and provision - living in the Northwest is an opportunity for daily gratitude. It's so beautiful here. And, God has provided for us in all the various ways. I love my house and surroundings. I'm grateful for God's provision.
• Meaningful work - having a purpose and worthwhile calling makes my life worth living - without it I feel only partially alive. (Of course I would never want to be without my friends and family!) Semper Vita is that call for me. I am beyond grateful to God for inviting me on this journey with him.
• God - well, what can I say? There would be no life, real life or hope without God in my life.

Thankful for hope

This year really has been amongst the most difficult. It's been challenging on all fronts - relationally, spiritually, mentally, physically, financially and emotionally. So much so that earlier in the year I didn't feel hope. Of course I still had the hope given by Jesus but I didn't have hope for my everyday life. In fact, I would have been happy to learn that my expiration date was coming up. Now I'm glad it didn't!

God has taken me on an immense growth journey. He's allowed me to experience the depths of loneliness. My faith has been tested. And, most significantly, he's invited me to learn about his great love, deep comfort and powerful presence. God showed me things about myself I didn't know and revealed things about him I couldn't have imagined.

Now I'm overflowing with hope. God is so good. He really, really does work in all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).God is good - all the time. He knows just what we need (even the hard stuff) to get us to where we need to go. 

Blaming God?

In the midst of the turmoil I did have very honest conversations with God. At times I told him I could not go on. Other times I told him that this was not the script! (He reminded me that it was his script and we were right where we needed to be.) I told him I didn't like it. I told him that I could not do what he was asking of me. And, each time, after I poured my heart out, I re-surrendered to God and told him that "of course I would follow." After all, who else is there? Who do we have but God?

These experiences and conversations did lead me to think about the fact that so often we blame God when things go wrong. We might even be tempted to turn our backs on him or decide there cannot be a God. Are you there now or have you been there? Can I challenge you to a new thought? I dare you to persist through the hard times. Trust God to get you through it. And then watch...just watch and experience how awesome God is. He restores our life. He gives us back our hope.

Thank you God - for the hope!

Life is not totally back on track and we still have challenges...but we are not without hope. God will see us through. I rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2)and remember that the source of my hope is Jesus. As Colossians 1:27 states, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

This Thanksgiving, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Do Good - Endure Suffering

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

John Wesley

Do good - it's rewarding

As Thanksgiving is approaching, it always prompts in me a sense of wanting to do some extra good. Of course I believe that doing good should be part of every Christian's life - but at Thanksgiving it seems like we should do more. This started me thinking about doing good...

When I do good I associate it with reward - not monetary but the intrinsic reward of feeling good and having helped. My particular brand of this often comes as people face their last chapter of life. I know it is not the norm but it's how God wired me. I love to come alongside a family when they've lost a loved one and do the memorial service. Tamara Dull jokingly calls me the "Last Chapter Pastor."

Now, rest assured, that's not my ultimate focus. In fact, it's because God's called me to be missional and serve beyond the walls of the church that serving families in time of need appeals to me. People without a church want a pastor to come alongside them and do the memorial. I get to love them and be Jesus' hands and feet. I get to share God's comfort. To me that's an honor and privilege.

How about you? How do you do good?

Suffering for doing good   

It is better, if it's God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil...So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."    

1 Peter 3:17; 4:19

Doing good when there's a real cost and even pain is a lot harder. We don't often hear sermons about suffering for doing good. I suspect that's because pastors might fear that the people wouldn't continue attending their church. But suffering is mentioned a lot in the New testament. Obviously Jesus suffered and he made it clear that we shouldn't expect any different. He told his disciples, "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20).

Paul talks about the need and normalcy in suffering. Peter also makes it abundantly clear that suffering is part of the package. However, it should not keep us from doing good!

Wow. How does that change my view of doing good? Do I still want to do it? I've been tested this year and many times I wanted to walk away. Sometimes I hid for a while. I like the "doing good and being rewarded" idea better. And yet, we are called to do good and be willing to suffer. It's a tough call. But Jesus bids us to follow him.

Semper Vita and doing good

As we get ready to launch Semper Vita this coming March, we are asking people to step into a life of doing good. We will make it easy through our software. We believe that people will benefit and be rewarded as they do good. Are you ready to do good regardless of the cost? Will you follow Jesus?

Sustainable Volunteering: Give What You Can

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus

Please volunteer to help those in need.

The needs in the world are overwhelming. Everywhere you look - in your community, online, on television and around the world - there are appeals for help. People need our time, money and service. Last week I drove past a food bank and the line wrapped around the building. It tugged at my heart. The commercials for starving children and abused animals tug at my heart. People in hurting relationships, parents of at-risk youth, and abused children tug at my heart. The need is so great. I want to solve the needs but what can one person do? The temptation is to either serve too much and get exhausted or hide and pretend all will be OK somehow.

Come away and rest

Jesus and his disciples faced all these needs in his day. On one occasion he sent out his twelve and they went around the villages healing and teaching. After a successful trip they came back and reported to him all they had done and taught. As a result many people were coming and going - so much so that they didn't even have time to eat.

As I read that story, I think about the fact that he could have done it all - solved every need. And yet....

In Mark 6, the account of the disciples tells us that they had been serving and ministering to those around them. And they were tired! I can understand that - since I lean to the side of over-functioning and trying to do it all. Jesus recognized their need and didn't give them a visionary speech to inspire them to keep going.

Instead he said, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went with him. However, the people followed. As they arrived at their quiet place, the crowds were waiting. Jesus didn't turn them away but had compassion. Then he tells the weary disciples (now they had just rowed or sailed across a big lake) to feed the masses. What? I thought we were going on a much needed retreat.

Probably a bit stunned, they point out to Jesus the fact that they don't have the practical resources - not to mention their emotional and physical condition. Unfazed Jesus tells them to bring what they have. They really have nothing to bring, but Jesus uses it to feed over 5000 people.

Jesus is more than enough.

The disciples had no resources but Jesus didn't need anything from them. God has been showing me that I need to live at a sustainable pace. It's not up to me. All I need to bring is what I have - though it is not much as far as time, energy and ability - it's more than enough. When I show up and rely on Jesus, he will provide and take care of all the needs.