He Lives For Kids!

February 18, 2013 by 3 Comments
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Mom, pregnant with Azaiah, and his big brother and big sisters

As I stripped the clothes of my son’s body to see if there were any signs of life, my eyes connected with both of my oldest daughters, ages 7 and 9. They were kneeling on the ground, screaming and crying out with me. My twelve-year-old son had to take charge of the house, calling his father and directing the paramedics to our place. My youngest daughters watched fearfully.

This moment changed the fabric of who they are. They watched their brother die.  I hate that. I despise that moment.

I hate it because death hurts. Death scars us. Death mutilates us. Death is a curse. It is a curse that we suffer because we, as mankind, chose evil over the goodness of a holy God. I hate that.

So what do I do for my kids? In this season of our lives we have cried with them, prayed with them, held them. We have encouraged them to share memories, write in journals, paint pictures or yell and scream. Whatever they need to do. Our four year-old has a bag of notes that she writes to Azaiah throughout the day. Our seven year-old daughter wrote him a song.

We may have been stung by the consequences evil, but evil is not undefeated.  The truth is evil can be conquered. It will be conquered by doing good.

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21

And there God placed us. Asking us to do something good. We will heal, not by blaming God, not by suffocating in our walls of sorrow or by numbing our grief. We will overcome by immersing ourselves in the pain of death and serving other children who have also lost a brother or sister. We will reach out our hearts to these children and send care packages. I like to call them love in box.

Our nine year-old daughter had the name HE LIVES placed on her heart. Yes, Jesus lives. The one who conquered death himself.  And so the ministry, He Lives for Kids, was born.

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. Matthew 28:6

When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. Romans 6:10

Go right now and check our new Facebook page He Lives For Kids!

 

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff, Matters of the Heart, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Tuesdays with Morrie… Monday’s With Frank

September 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

(Stage production of Tuesdays with Morrie)

Several years ago I read Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. I just wept through the book as the friendship between a young man and an old man grew more intimate.  As Morrie’s ALS worsened and death drew near Mitch drew out lessons of life than changed the fabric of his identity and purpose in life.

Well, I had no idea all those years ago that I would have front row seats to our own version of this story… Mondays with Frank. 

The story goes like this… Our family moved to Chillicothe, Ohio to be part of a church plant, a start-up church. One of our first community ministries was in a local nursing home. One of the aides directed my husband to a man that she saw something special in. Frank was alone, blind, and suffering the consequences of multiple suicide attempts.

As they sat discussing the word of God, Daniel shared the gospel of Jesus with this broken man. If you die with Christ you can live (Romans 6). “Do you want to die with Christ today, Frank?” With tears streaming down his weathered face he said, “If you can make it happen I’d love to.” That moment they found water and immersed Frank into Christ.

As time went on Frank grew in the Lord. He gave up his old ways. And his mantra became “I’d never go back.” Eventually Frank was able to move out of the nursing home and into an independent living facility. Months later he was told his cancer was back. This time in his lungs. Daniel sat with Frank through doctors appointments discussing treatment options. Frank said, “No more. I am done. Let the cancer take its course.”  Daniel and Frank then decided together that if he was going out he was going out right.

Frank took every opportunity to meet with the church, go to concerts, and especially go out to eat. Daniel and Frank had a lunch date cemented in for Monday afternoons. They talked about it all. Sometimes I would call during their time and hear them laughing at some obnoxious joke or a story of Frank’s mischief. They discussed life. They discussed death.

One year later, Frank suddenly declined and is now waiting. He is in pain. His body is tired. Yet his spirit longs to meet the man who saved him. He longs to meet Jesus.

Last night our church gathered around his hospital bed. We sang. We prayed. We cried, not for him, but for ourselves. We rejoice, not because of his pain, but because his death will lead to life. Frank will have eyes that see, not just the world around him, but the glory of the Almighty.

And last night, as I watched my husband comfort him and wipe bloody mucus from his mouth, I couldn’t help thinking, “How beautiful.” How beautiful to see my husband serve this man as a son would serve his father. How beautiful to see the humble compassion that my husband has for his friend. How beautiful to hear him call out Daniel’s name knowing that he’s there for him. How beautiful that they talk about Frank’s homecoming with anticipation. Frank said, “I am not afraid.”

I have cried uncontrollable tears for the past two weeks. I am simply overwhelmed standing at the foot of eternity and watching Frank cross over knowing that he is not afraid. Thank you. Thank you Jesus.

Tomorrow…  I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned from Frank in the past 6 years.

Follow-up: Life Lessons From Frank

Filed Under: Christian Life, Death and Dying, Serving Others Tagged With: , ,

Expect to Get Lice: Serving Others in the Name of Christ

July 10, 2012 by 4 Comments

So my plans for Monday’s new series of articles sort of got derailed. I say sort of, because I think God just gave me a crash course in the past 24 hours.

I was planning on writing about radical teachings of the bible that get ignored. I was thinking something along the lines of “sell all you have and give it to the poor.” But now I see that’s not where God wanted me to go, at least for today.

Yesterday I felt the nudging of God… well actually it was more like a smack, to aid a little girl who had lice.  It was one of those moments when you are driving a long and planning your own quiet evening then the Lord says, “No thank you, I have other plans for you.” I have learned, at this point in my faith, to go with the nudging.

This little girl is a foster child who couldn’t stay at church camp because she had nits. God reminded me he prepared me for this moment a few years ago. We were plagued with a particularly resistant lice bug for months. So I called her caretaker and offered to pick nits. I spent 5 hours last night shampooing, combing, and picking. Unfortunately, even after treatment and all my efforts, another nit was found when we tried to return her to camp. She could not stay. She was offered no compassion. No help. And for the second time in 2 days was rejected.

Now, I don’t want to debate policy and procedures on contagious diseases and communal living, but I do want to use my small platform here to defend those who have no voice. “The Lord defends the rights of orphans” (Dt. 10:18) and so should I.

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed” (Psalm 82:3).

So here it goes… when we put the name “Christian” on anything, we better make sure that it re-presents Christ to those we serve. I understand that whether we are talking homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or kid’s camp there are policies that have to be in place for health and hygiene. But, if there is nothing else that anyone hears from me today, hear this:

PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLICY! 

As we serve we must remember all of our words and deeds shape other people’s view of the God we claim. Even more, every child we encounter will have their perception of the heavenly Father shaped by us. What message is received by a child who has been rejected by physical family, then rejected by a potential spiritual one?

I will let James, Slave of Christ, say his part:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans… in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you…

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor!

Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,  and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Think about how Jesus interacted with social outcasts. No one wanted to touch lepers, the diseased, crippled or the blind.  But notice how Jesus treated them.  He ate with them. He healed them. He spoke words of life to them. He led them to a family of God where they would never be rejected again.

How about if one of those outcasts happens to be a child?

On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Mark 9:24 MSG

So today, my prayer for all of us who put on the name of Christ, is that we will serve others with his spirit. Honestly, we’d be better off to stop serving than to blaspheme his name with our hypocrisy and law keeping (Rom. 2:17-24).

My friends, if you are called to ministry, expect to get dirty. And if you are called to minister to children, expect to get lice.

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Serving Others Tagged With:

If We are the Body What Should Christ’s Church Look Like?

June 6, 2012 by 2 Comments

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:4-21

What should Christ’s Church look like? Simply put, it should look like Jesus.

Because the idea of “church” has been temple-ized, I think too many people who are claiming to be Christians have missed the beauty of being His temple. When Jesus’ physical body left the earth an amazing thing happened. He  took up residence in His people. Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”  (Gal. 2:20). We are His body.

With that, we have been given this incredible opportunity to re-present our Lord and Savior to everyone we meet. When some one meets you are you getting in the way of them meeting Jesus? Are the people in your church feeling Jesus’ touch through you? How about your family? Are your parents, children or our spouse catching glimpses of Jesus through you or are you eclipsing Him?

Each one of us has been gifted with some portion of  a spiritual gift to share with others. It is our way to “show Him” to others.

So what’s your gift? Romans 12 lists numerous gifts. One of those could be yours.

  • Prophesy
  • Serving others,
  • Teaching
  • Encouraging
  • Giving
  • Leadership
  • Kindness

Not everyone will be a teacher or a leader. Not all of us will be recognized publicly for our gifts. But we all have a gift that God purposed in our life.

I want to share a few stories of quieter members of my fellowship who use their gifts to touch others.

  1. One stay-at-home mom who is a couponer brings a stock of supplies to be distributed to the church. Then whatever is left she sends to the women’s shelter.
  2. One brother gave up his secular job and financial security in order to dedicate himself full-time to ministering in a local prison.
  3. Another sister who lost a grandchild has translated her grief into service by “adopting” my children.
  4. Others give rides, free hair cuts, prepare meals, offer child care, etc.

I love when I see that so many of us are using their “cups of cold water” (Matt. 10:42) glorify God  with whatever they have.

So if you are struggling to find your gift or your purpose I want to leave you with this.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Rom 12:1-2

Now GO! Use your gift and be Jesus to someone today.

 

 

Filed Under: Christian Life Tagged With: , ,

Adventures in Serving

May 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others…”

Sometimes… well most of the time, we tend to get caught up in our own little world.  We treat our problems as if they are the worst.  But the truth is, we all have problems.  The best way to solve our problems is to help someone else with theirs.

Recently, I’ve been burdened, dealing with morning sickness, weeks of bad allergies, and managing a house with 5 kids.  Needless-to-say, I’ve  had a pity party or two.  No one else is invited.  Just me and my bucket of whining.  When the going gets uncomfortable I have this horrible inclination to cry and quit.  Throw in the towel.  Resign.

In my distress I sought the advice  of  an older woman who has served alongside her husband in his ministry and eldership. A funny thing happened, actually a biblical thing (Titus  2:4), I got wise counsel.  In the midst of all the wisdom was the directive to go serve others.

So yesterday I took to it.  My husband kept the younger girls at home with him and set to find opportunities to look out for other people. I didn’t donate organs or anything drastic.  I just put on eyes to see others.  In the process an amazing thing happened. I forgot about my troubles.  I laughed with others.  Shared meals and fellowship with others.  Lightened the load of someone else, just in a small way.

Thank you Jesus for your life of service.  May we bring glory to you through imitating your example.

Filed Under: Christian Life Tagged With: