Yesterday I started my first day as a paid staff person of SoCe Life. It is a moment I have been working towards for nearly 8 months. Yet, when it finally arrived I couldn't fathom how it would feel. For the most part I spent the day wishing I could get more done than is humanly possible.  We are arranging our new office space, working on furniture projects, drafting our long range plans, making income and expense projections, and on and on and on.  There is a never ending amount of work for a start up company and that includes a tiny little non-profit.  

All day there was this nagging feeling I kept pushing away, but could not escape. It whispered into my ear...

"this is too hard, you'll never make it, what were you thinking?"  

It is the voice of scarcity.  A voice only speaks myth, but can trick us into believing the world is small and that we aren't enough.

At the end of the day I went out with one of our interns to visit a neighbor who I had met way back in October.  A son and mother who I chatted with mentioned an interest in ceramics and our new intern is offering some pottery classes so we wanted to reconnect.  It was a little intimidating to walk up to their door nearly 9 months later.  The voice came back in my ear,

"They don't want to see you. You haven't talked to them in 9 months. Quit bothering people and leave them alone." 

When we knocked on the door the son came out.  I said, "you probably don't remember me...." Before I could even finish my sentence he said, "You're Adam".

All of those task I'd been working on all day blocked me from hearing the voice I really needed to hear.  The voice of the neighborhood, the voice of the Holy Spirit, the voice that said,

"We know your name and we've been waiting for you!"

Last night as I was journaling during my prayer time I realized the competing voices I heard all day long were symbols for the very conflict that is at the core of SoCe Life's mission. People in our neighborhood, and every where, have been duped by the voice of scarcity. It has convinced us that the problem is too big, that we don't have what it takes, that it isn't my responsibility, that people are too stupid so why try anyways. If you've heard that voice recently SoCe Life has a message for you. 

The voice of scarcity is a liar.

Instead join us in singing, dancing, and celebrating to the voice of abundance.  The voice that knows your name and your giftedness and wants you to be an active participant in the re-creation of community.  

Want to join us in abundance? Help us by becoming a sustaining donor.  Our current campaign has some killer giving incentives! Check them out here.  Or purchase a Garden Box and grow a front yard garden that will help you connect with the people who are your neighbors.  Purchase online today!