SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Blessings are when Community Gathers

What does live music, hot dogs, blistering sun and church families coming together all have in common? Community.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to hang out with some new brothers and sisters. We met some great people with fantastic hearts of service at FaithBridge Church on the other side of town. We witnessed the passion and true servants that the church had to offer. Not only that church but their neighboring church had recently come together to serve the community as one body.
FaithBridge opened up the doors of the church and welcomed the community to join them in a free block party. The block party consisted of jump houses for the kids, hot dogs and side dishes galore along with a array of tasty treats. Following dinner the FaithBridge worship band opened up the night for a free concert starring Shawn McDonald.

One of the missions that is near and dear to FaithBridge Church is the country of Haiti. Haiti is a country that many know has been ravaged by poverty, natural disasters and crime. Many people know their plight yet stand by and don’t take action. FaithBridge member Rick Reed and his wife along with many others from the FaithBridge community could not just stand by. After spending time in Haiti on mission trips they decided they would be the hands and feet of Christ in the form of The Vine.co.

The Vine.co is an organization that won’t let the children of Haiti go unnoticed. The founders Rick and Samantha Reed

An Interview: The Old Dog House

You may not be able to teach old dogs new tricks but you can give them a new lease on life at The Old Dog House.

I had the opportunity to talk with Kim from The Old Dog House, a nonprofit dog rescue located in Jacksonville Florida. They have been saving older dogs in our community for many years now. By rescuing the dogs that would otherwise be ignored at the shelters they provide them a place to live out their golden years. In doing so they save them as well as foster and provide adoption opportunities.

1. How did the old dog house first start out?
When I worked at the humane society about ten years ago, I realized that older and senior dogs were not getting the opportunity for adoption that they deserved. The shelter was open admission at this time, so space was always an issue and hard decisions had to be made. When I left the humane society, I decided to be an advocate for older and senior dogs. That is how The Old Dog House started in 2006.

2. How many senior dogs do you take in?
We have an average capacity of 15 dogs. Our adoption numbers are low with 4 to 8 getting placed in new homes each year. Dogs can stay with us anywhere from a few days to the remainder of their lives, which could be years. Adoption is our ultimate goal with each dog we bring into the rescue.

Harvest is Plenty – theVine.co

Last weekend we helped build a school, what did you do?

On Valentine’s Day while many were waiting hours to eat an over priced dinner. My bride and I spent the evening with fellow Christians that wanted to do more. The 2nd annual Valentine’s Day Gala by theVine.co was a night to remember.

The sole purpose of theVine.co is to raise money for their Mission and Outreach work locally and around the world. It is events like the Gala that make all their hard work possible. Last year enough was raised to buy a plot of land in Haiti. This year they raised funds to build a school and orphanage on that land.

At the Gala, we were greeted by rose barring kids. One of whom is from Haiti. There were numerous generous gifts donated by local companies. These items were being raffled off as well as silent auction items. All the proceeds were going to theVine.co.

Dinner was served with in several courses. Started off with bruschetta followed by a salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. The main courses were comprised of either fish, chicken or steak. I opted for the steak, my wife the chicken. Both paired with mixed vegetables and potatoes. Desert was mini cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries.

Towards the end of the meal, after Austin Adamec finished his musical set. Our emcee, local radio host Theresa from the Promise introduced our guest speaker. Many people know him as Javier (aka snake eyes) from the movie Courageous. He also starred in Mom’s Night Out. The one and only Robert Amaya.