Today, at TreeHouse, is our All-Staff Fiscal Year-End Celebration. Today’s event is our annual review and celebration of what God – through people – has been doing at TreeHouse in the past fiscal year. We’ll enjoy lunch, have fun together and sing celebration songs.

Today will also be the announcement of our “Persons of Hope” award winners.

Each year, staff submit their votes for awards are given to recognize TreeHouse employees for their excellence in what they do. As our Executive Director Becky Walker explained, “we know that some go above and beyond the ‘call of duty’ each and every day and we want to acknowledge those efforts!”

Is grace happening to you?
Is grace happening in you?
Is grace happening through you?

I’ve been stuck emotionally and spiritually more than I’d like to admit. Raise your hand if you can relate? Okay, we’re all “not alone.” But, let’s not stay stuck!

Looking to take a step forward in your life?

Want your actions to more closely match your intentions?

Me too!

Each of the themes below links to a previous mysilentscream post that has been helpful to readers looking to make a change. 1

Love – Tired of empty expressions of “love”?

Yesterday as Josh Groban walked toward me I smiled and thought to myself, I wonder if he’ll pause look around the room and ask, “Whose writing all those mysilentscream posts about my songs?”

If you missed those posts, here they are:
Hidden Away
Our Hiding
Secrets & Hiding
Secrets: As If.

Josh Groban and TreeHouse
False Alarms by Josh Groban
Brave by Josh Groban
War At Home by Josh Groban
If I Walk Away by Josh Groban

Human Trafficking and The Prayer by Josh Groban
Believe by Josh Groban
You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up) by Josh Groban

Reader JenniferMacLeod[~= @JenMacAtlGA82 recommended that Josh Groban’s “You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up)” be included in this series.

I had forgotten about the song, and when I watched the video I fought back tears.

Watch You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up) here. (Lyrics below)

I cannot begin to tell you how accurately this song describes what I have experienced at TreeHouse since 1989.
– Teens lost, lonely, and screaming-longingly to feel heard.
– Parents seeking, searching, and silently-longing to be encouraged.
– Friends hoping, hurting, and helping their friends limp along.
– Youth ministers, teachers, counselors, politicians and police officers looking for solutions.
Every week I see the looks on people’s faces when they feel heard and find hope.

While watching footage of the recent Boston Marathon, I, like you, felt shock and awe watching brave people run toward the scared and injured. I felt humbled by their bravery. Josh Groban wrote a wonderful song about being brave.

Josh Groban – Brave

Wake up, wake up, the sun cannot wait for long
Reach out, reach out before it fades away
You will find the warmth when you surrender
Smile into the fear and let it play

Josh Groban’s song False Alarms is about a dating relationship, but the feelings he’s feeling can also apply to other relationships where there have been hurt feelings.

False Alarms

Far across this red horizon
I am walking down the line
I am picking up the pieces
That this storm has left behind

After all the clouds are fallen
I would breach the battered ground
Turn your darkness into light love
Turn your silence into sound

But I can’t cage you in my arms
When my heart is jumping forward
To avoid your false alarms
And you can’t tell me not to stay
When I opened up your window
And I watched you fly away

Today’s insightful guest post comes from our friend Angi of peepsarecool fame. Angi and her husband Aaron have a beautiful daughter Anika. I’m her proud godfather.

Hey – Angi’s work friends – pass this around. She shares my thoughts with you, please share her insights with others!

Here’s Angi:

Today I put in an “old school” CD, and brought Anika to child care. It was Michael W. Smith’s Go West Young Man.

The song that I was blessed with was “Seed to Sow.” 1

I sang to Anika and then sang to myself on the way to the bus stop.

I gave out my cell phone number to a new friend this week.

As soon as I shared my number I felt obligated to explain a few things:
– I don’t answer very often
– I don’t text back very quickly
– I don’t answer when I’m busy
– I don’t respond to people who call or text repeatedly

A few years ago I decided it was easier to explain this list of annoyances when I share my number than to have to make apologies.

This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God’s love is not living in that person.

My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.

- 1 John 3:16-18, NCV

If you’re like me when I want to get to my destination delays annoy me.

I feel embarrassed how often I’ve heartlessly passed wrecks on the road and felt annoyed.

People had their lives altered, perhaps injured or worse, and I’m just glad I can move on with my day.

God challenges us to “be kind and merciful to one another.” 1

God challenges me to be less self-centered!

Wrecks On Our Road

We might not have a chance to stop for a motorist, but will we stop to listen?