This One's on Us

Can a Garden Help?

2010-03-04T21:41:00.007-06:00

Some of us around ONEONUS are thinking about a community garden on the Gun Club property. What do you think. If you might be interested here is what you can do...

email us

attend one or more of the following interest meetings at the potential location 1712 N. Gun Club

March 12 6:30pm

March 13 6:30pm

March 18 6:30pm

Come by and learn what is in the works, give your feedback, and find out if this might work. If you know someone who might be interested bring them with you.

Upcoming Project

2009-08-03T15:54:00.003-05:00

This One's on US (www.oneonus.com) is partnering with theEDGE Fulton to help move students into the dorms at ICC. We will be working at Sheffield Hall between 8:00am and 3:00pm. Come out and join us, spend an hour or spend the whole day, as we "do something for someone else." If you'd like more information drop us an email or call Mike @ 662-231-9187.

Birthdays are Selfish...

2009-06-24T14:01:00.005-05:00

My birthday is just around the corner.

One of the most "me" moments of most of our lives is our birthdays. It is hard in the self indulgent climate of today's American culture to banish the thought that my birthday is only about me. My selfish desires make the list of things I want - iPhone 3Gs, new sporty sunglasses, a Kindle, just to name a few. I even have had the thought that I should find something to do on my birthday that is about someone else (perhaps so I could tell everyone how unselfish and humble I am). It is a sad thought that we are so programmed toward self-centeredness that we can't simply do something for someone else without making it about us.

One of the goals of ONEonUS is to learn how to, and then iencourage others to let go of selfishness long enough to do something for someone else -no string attached.

What can I do for my birthday that helps get "me" out of the way?

Margin

2009-05-19T10:40:00.002-05:00

As I understand it, in a general business context the difference between the selling price of a product or service and the costs is margin. I don't believe it a stretch to describe margin in one's life a the difference between what one has at his disposal for use and what is already spent or otherwise allocated. In terms of my money my margin might be what I have left to spend after I've paid all my bills. If I have been saving my money and putting it aside for the proverbial "rainy day" I might have enough money to buy that classic car that Aunt Laudie has in her barn when she decides to sell it.

In terms of time management those who procrastinate tend to have less margin when it comes to having the time to respond with minuteman urgency.

Relationships are no less prone to the impact of margin. The amount of encouragement or help I can give someone is often directly related to the relationship I have with them. I was speaking with someone this week who described this idea with this example - His wife was sick and out of commission for the better part of a week. One person close to the family who knew she was ill sent an email speaking to that fact. Another friend whose friendship was more once a week at church calls wondering why no one called and was disappointed when she had to hear it in an email. Perhaps life gives you opportunity to be close to people at certian times so you can develop the margin in relationships to be close enough to see the need and respond according.

Taking care of business today is the key to having margin tomorrow.

If I want to live my oneONus, I may need to learn to develop margin in my finances, my time, and my relationships.

Birds...

2009-04-05T08:43:00.004-05:00

The last few days I've noticed birds - birds building nests - nests right where I live.

One bird has managed to pull apart the seam on some siding on my house and built a nest in there. One has built a nest on the top of a pillar under the entry at the church building. Then for the third year now a bird has nested on the gravel in the parking area.

I want these birds to have their families and their homes. I however wonder how inconvenienced I need to be. I also wonder what is my responsibility to what may actually be the vanity of their efforts. The bird at my house is only an annoyance to me. The bird makes little noise that I ever hear, and it is on a back corner that I only notice on rare occasions.

The ones at the church are a different story. They have chosen nesting sites that will prove a difficult interrelationship. I can help protect the one on the pillar with some hope of success. My concern is that she - if it is the she who sits- leaves every time someone walks up, can she sit enough to do any good? The ones in the parking area are a different story. They seem to be working in vain. I cannot control the ever increasing traffic in the parking lot. I could set up cones and flags and by drawing that much attention I would suspect that the neighborhood kids would become overly interested.

The dilemma is not as much a question of how much effort to give the birds. It really causes me to wonder how much we should go out of our way when we are helping others. How much of a personal sacrifice is enough? What level of giving do I need to reach in order to give as much as the widow who is described as giving her last penny? Is that the goal? Can I give my all and not violate the order to care for my family? These and the countless other questions that arise as we learn to give.

This One's on Us

2009-03-23T10:12:00.003-05:00

My first attempt at doing something unexpected for someone came Monday morning, and required that I leave the coffee shop where I was working and go to the store to purchase something on the spur of the moment for this person.

At first I was a little frustrated when the first store didn’t have what they needed -- this wasn’t supposed to take all day was it. As I exited the second store with the item in hand, I was stopped by someone who needed a jump start. Usually I carry a jumper box in my car, but this weekend I had taken it inside to charge and didn’t have it. Good, I thought to myself, after all I’m in a hurry to do my good deed. We may have cables they declared when I explained I had none. So they painstakingly and slowly dug to the bottom of the tool box in the bed of the extended cab Chevy diesel they were driving. With time ebbing away rapidly, I just knew my little battery would never turn that engine. To my pleasure one of his two batteries was new, and with only a little effort his engine rattled to life.

As he asked “what do I owe you?” I reached in my pocket what a great opportunity -- this one’s on us. Two for the price of one.

I received a "This ONE"S on Us" card...

2009-03-23T09:50:00.001-05:00

If you received a card that said "this one's on us," we'd love to hear from you. Please take a moment and leave your story in the comment section of this post.