It has been my prayer since beginning this little blog that God would take what I write here and use it for His glory. He has been so faithful to bring readers here day after day, and it is exciting and humbling to see how He uses the words I write in the lives of His children, many of whom I’ve never met. I’m always amazed at how He connects His children to each other in the craziest ways that only He could orchestrate. Such is the case with our new partnership…

I am so happy to announce a new partnership between The Hill Hangout and aTeam Ministries.

aTeam Ministries is an organization started by our friends Jan and Andy Thrower. Because of their son Anderson’s journey with pediatric leukemia, Andy and Jan became aware that in addition to medical expenses, many pediatric cancer families have significant travel and lodging expenses. They were blessed to live in Birmingham, where Children’s Hospital located. However, there are families all over Alabama who travel from out of town to Birmingham for their child’s treatment, and they must foot the bill for hotels, gas, food, and more. I don’t have to tell you that hotel stays add up quickly, especially when some children are in the hospital for weeks and even months. And besides expenses, there are many situations in which pediatric cancer families find themselves that are best understood by people who have walked that road. Andy and Jan set out to minister to those families.

In 2009, they founded aTeam Ministries with the sole purpose of providing spiritual, emotional, and financial support to families within the pediatric cancer community. It is their desire to breathe life into 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which ourselves are comforted by God.”

aTeam’s provides spiritual support by meeting every Monday morning to pray for the children and families going through the cancer journey. They invite anyone to join them at their office in Homewood to pray with them. aTeam provides emotional support through programs like Personal Care Bags, Guess Who Is Coming To See You, Warm and Fuzzies Program, and Day at the Game. These programs provide much needed light during a very dark journey. Patients and their families are given the chance to forget about cancer for a little while and have a time of regular childhood FUN. aTeam provides financial support in two ways. The How Can We Help? financial grant program provides professional financial counseling for planning prolonged medical expenses and extends grants to families in critical financial need. The Home Away From Home program provides a place to stay for families experiencing extended stays away from home. This program seeks to offer hospitality and comfort by providing the practical necessities like free extended lodging in Birmingham, meals and snacks, and help with transportation expenses.

As part of the Home Away From Home program, we will be partnering with aTeam Ministries to open their SECOND apartment in which pediatric cancer families can stay while their children are receiving treatment. Shades Mountain Baptist Church has generously offered to pay the rent on the new apartment for three years. Because of the generosity of several supporters, aTeam has a very good start on furnishing the new apartment. The goal of The Hill Hangout is to leverage our relationship with corporate and individual sponsors to provide interior decorating services, as well as providing the remaining items needed to provide a beautiful, comfortable space for these families. Since we are called to follow Matthew 25:37-40, we will approach this project as if we are providing it for Jesus Himself.

If you would like to be part of serving pediatric cancer families in this way, please let me know. I would love to have you join us on this project.

Look for more posts coming soon. We will keep you updated as we progress through the project. We have already experienced the generosity of so many individuals and corporations who are making this dream a reality.

I shared with you a few months ago that I have stepped up my involvement with Freeset, a business that employs women in India who have left prostitution. These brave women have walked away from the only line of work they’ve ever known and the only life they could have imagined. They never chose the sex trade; many of them simply don’t have another option. With no education, no husband, no job, and no way to support themselves, most of them enter into prostitution as the only way to feed their children.

Though the sex trade employs over 10,000 women each day in Kolkata alone, Freeset is a light burning brightly into some very dark situations. They offer women the opportunity to walk away from the sex trade. Freeset employs women to make bags and t-shirts, which are then shipped to warehouses around the world and sold for a profit.

Profits go directly back into Freeset so that we can employ more women. The Freeset business model is mind-boggling. Take women who have no sewing skills, train them, pay them far more than the going rate, and throw in medical insurance, education, childcare, and retirement benefits.

And bring hope and healing to women who have never dared to dream of any other life than what they’ve known.

While I could talk all day about the beautiful Freeset women and what they do, I want to give you a chance to hear from Annie Hilton, the co-founder of Freeset. Annie and Kerry Hilton left their New Zealand home several years ago and moved with their four children into the red-light district of Kolkata to begin working with the women there. For twelve years they have tirelessly worked to bring freedom to women trapped in the sex trade. The situations aren’t easy and women and extremely reluctant to walk away. They’ve been tricked and lied to so many times that they are afraid to trust anyone. But Annie and Kerry keep trying.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me… 2 noisy pigeons…

I woke one morning to a pair of pigeons proudly sitting on top of the wardrobe in our bedroom. Now, I usually love visitors but I didn’t particularly appreciate these 2 legged ones and they quickly got sent away! But, it did get me thinking of the unexpected knock on the door the day before.

With arms full of the day’s washing when it happened – I quickly chucked it on the bed, shut the door and rushed to open the front door. In came 2 Bengali women – one whom I had met a few weeks before, who quickly introduced me to Roshni, a quiet, beautiful younger woman. Sitting on the floor together, sipping a cup of “cha” (Indian tea) I heard Roshni’s story.

(PS – we have each others phone numbers, and Roshni knows where I live. May it be the start of her freedom journey!)

So why are we so vigilant about selling bags and t-shirts here in the US? So that women like Roshni can have a job other than prostitution. We have been given so much, and with great blessing comes great responsibility to speak up for and work for those who can’t do it themselves. Women like Roshni need our help.

The best way to support Roshni and so many other women like her is to give them a job with dignity. When you purchase a Freeset product, you keep the Freeset business going. Christmas shipping is in full swing around the Freeset warehouse. There is still time to order for Christmas. And we are offering our readers a CyberMonday deal! Use code cyber50 to receive FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $50.

You can read Day 1 on Teri Lynne Underwood’s blog. Day 3 is on the Allume blog.

Y’all leave me a comment and let me know what you purchase. I’d love to know!

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

The Word of God is life and abundance and strength and health. Lord, lead me in Your path through the study of Your word, that I may stay far from destruction.

Hey, friends! If you are local to Birmingham, I want you to know about a fabulous opportunity to support Urban Purpose. Urban Purpose is a ministry run by our friends Jim McFarland and Mark Jenkins. The ministry is really two-fold. Jim and Mark lead a team who go downtown every Sunday afternoon and feed about 100 homeless people. Their purpose is to go to the same place each week so that people know where and when to expect them. They aim to not only feed people, but to build relationships with them in order to provide further ministry to them. People become homeless for a variety of reasons, and the Urban Purpose volunteers do a terrific job of listening to their stories and providing help in any way they can.

Because of the relationships that are built over time, Urban Purpose then has the opportunity to help people on a deeper level. Sometimes they help people find jobs. They often assist in finding addiction treatment. They help make housing arrangements. And they do it all very overtly in the name of Jesus. Each person they work with is introduced to the gospel. They is a lot of prayer that goes on. People are taught that God is bigger than their circumstances and He wants to give them His Son. Many of the homeless have never been told that someone loves them and wants them and has good plans for them. Urban Purpose is a place of hope and healing for them.

There are several ways you can become involved with Urban Purpose:

Pray for them: Light doesn’t break through darkness without a fight. The ministers and homeless that are involved with Urban Purpose go through some major warfare as they try to pierce the darkness. God desperately desires for these folks to come home to Him, but many of their lives have been so entangled with sin for so long that they have a hard time letting go of their past. Please pray for the ministers to have strength and patience and persistence to do all they have to do. Please pray for the homeless to see their worth in Christ and come to Him for salvation, hope, and healing. And pray that they would then use their past for His glory.

Go downtown with them: The team meets at Shades Mountain Baptist Church student building each Sunday at 2:30 rain or shine. They spend a few minutes getting updates and praying and then head downtown to set up the tent and get the serving line ready. There is always a line by the time the teams arrive. This is a fantastic way to get your entire family involved in ministry.

Provide a meal: If your family, Sunday school class, baseball team, small group, or whatever other group you’re involved in would like to provide the food for a Sunday meal, go here to sign up. There are usually around 100 people to feed. If you need more info before signing up, please shoot me an email or contact Urban Purpose through their blog.

Buy a Boston Butt: Urban Purpose holds two major fundraising campaigns each year. One is the Urban Purpose 5K race, held in the fall. The other is a boston butt sale, GOING ON NOW!! The boston butt sale provides a major chunk of the funds needed to run the ministry for the year. If you would like to purchase a DELICIOUS smoked boston butt, please click here for ordering information. Butts are $35 and can be picked up from Shades Mountain Baptist Church on either Friday, October 25 (2:00-6:30) or Saturday, October 26 (7:30-11:30).

If you’d like to become more involved with a ministry like Urban Purpose, there is always room for more help! To read more about our family’s involvement, check out their blog.

My love for scripture started young. I was raised in the church, and memorizing Bible verses has been part of my Christian walk for longer than I can remember. And for good reason. One of the first stages of a child’s intellectual development is memorization. In the preschool and early elementary years, a child’s brain is wired perfectly for memorizing facts. A child might not yet have the critical thinking skills to fully understand what they are learning, but they can memorize and recite with near perfect clarity. (And the days will come soon enough that they begin to analyze the facts they have stored.) These early years are the perfect time to store up God’s word in their little hearts.

We have discussed the life-long value of memorizing scripture and a good system to memorize scripture, so I won’t re-tell that story here. I have even given you a list of Memory Verses for Beginners. ADULT beginners, that is. However, I would like to give you a list of terrific scriptures to use as a starting point in teaching your little ones God’s word. These are given in an easy-to-understand translation so that even the youngest ones can grasp how big and wide and deep is God’s love for them.

Of course, there are a few things to remember when teaching tiny tots about God’s word. We want scripture memory to be exciting for them and not a dreaded chore. So make it fun. Explain what the verse means. Make up a dance. Incorporate hand motions. Use music (Seeds Family Worship is a great source). Doodle it. There are many ways you can engage a child’s mind AND body in scripture memory, which helps them remember it better. And now on to our suggested verses…

1. Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”

2. Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another.”

3. Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

4. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

5. Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all everything through Jesus, who gives me strength.”

6. Psalm 139:14 – “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

7. Isaiah 43:5 – “Do not be afraid for I am with you.”

8. Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases God.”

9. James 1:19 – “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

10. Psalm 145:9 – “The Lord is good to all.”

11. Matthew 28:20 – “I am with you always.”

12. Psalm 136:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

13. Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you want them to do to you.”

14. Joshua 24:15 – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

15. 1 John 4:7 – “Let us love one another, for love comes from God.”

16. Mark 10:27 – “Everything is possible with God.”

17. Philippians 1:3 – “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”

18. Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our GOd stands forever.”

19. Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

20. Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away anger.”

21. Genesis 28:15 – “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.”

22. Psalm 104:33 – “I will sing to the Lord all my life.”

23. 1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your worries on the Lord, for He cares for you.”

24. Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find.”

25. Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything.”