To my grandmothers...

My pastor was preaching today about the role of women in the world. Especially the impact a mother can have. Like the mother of Moses and what she did so he would survive (Exodus 2) and Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, and how she dedicated him to the Lord (1Samuel 1) and how Paul, writing to Timothy, mentions the faith of Timothy's mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5).

This made me think of my Grandma Evans and my Nana Scheiring. Both were quiet women of faith. And I have become convinced over the last couple of years that both spent significant time in prayer asking God for a grandson that would serve the Lord in full time ministry.

And I am convinced of another thing: I am the grandson.

So I look forward to being an answer to their prayers, bringing heaven to earth for neglected children by showing them they matter deeply to God. And I look forward to standing with my grandmothers in heaven when one of these lives gets there. And Jesus points to these women and says "there's the ladies that helped get you here."

Quickaholic x 2

Not sure why but I've always thought that pineapples grew on trees similar to coconuts.

Not true.

A pineapple is a plant that, if well cared for, yields exactly ONE pineapple.............after about 20 months!

You and I took 9.

Quickaholic

Bad news if you're a quickaholic like me.

Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah, Reedemer, King of Kings, Lion of Judah, son of God, trained 30 years for a 3 year ministry.

I Want

I wonder if as a child I used to hear God loud and clear. And I wonder if God speaks just as loud now but it seems like a whisper because of all the noise of "adulthood".

I WANT:

.............wild unpredictable mystery.

.............my childlike curiosity and naive daring back.

.............to live in dangerous proximity to Jesus.

.............an uncomfortable encounter with God.

A handful each way

Here is a neat story by writer Sue Monk Kidd:

Many of my childhood memories come from times I spent on my grandfather's farm in Georgia. I especially recall the day he gave in to my begging and let me pick cotton. I was seven, and the burlap sack I was given to collect cotton in was bigger than I was.

The cotton field stretched endlessly ahead of me freckled with white and drenched with heat. The pickers were paid by the pound, and their hands moved swiftly. They skinned the bushes of their fluffy white balls leaving me far behind. I wanted to quit. Frustrated and tearful, I looked back for my grandfather's truck and realized he was gone, having left me in the care of the field workers. Noticing my distress, a black woman idled over, her hair tied in a faded red bandana. "Mind if I pick with you?" she asked.

"No ma'am," I said. "I don't guess so."

Her fingers worked like music along the row, and every time she dropped a handful of cotton in her sack, she dropped one in mine too. "One for you and one for me," she said.

My bag grew plump. When we took a break in the plum tree shade at the fence, I asked her why she was putting cotton in my sack.

She laughed. "For every handful you take in life, that means you've got to give," she said.

Later she would come to work in my grandmother's house, where I would hear her repeat this incantation many times. There is brilliance in it. Imagine a world with a handful of giving for every handful of taking.

Your comments please

Read this in a book by J.R. Briggs titled When God Says Jump: Biblical Stories That Inspire You To Risk Big and I would love all of you who read this blog ( okay both of you ) to comment on it.

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." -- Joseph Campbell

What does this mean for you?

architecture and environmental engineering

Spent all day in College Station, PA yesterday meeting with a Penn State architecure student. He wants to partner with ChildReach Ministries to build an orphanage on the same property as Hannah's Home in Chilca, Peru. He told us he wants this project to be his masters thesis. And when I first heard about this I was hopeful but skeptical. A lot of people tell us what they would "like" to do but there are really only a few "doers".

Dave is a "doer". He had a scale model to show us as well as a presentation on structure, air flow, lighting, etc. This project has gone from dream to reality. He is planning on bringing between 45 and 60 Penn State students and alumni on a trip at the end of this year to build it. He has a team raising $75,000.00 for constuction materials and is a fourth of the way there or better.

He had a buddy that is working on a PHD in environmental engineering present several options for wastewater treatment, one of which is called a "living machine". This uses plants and snails and fish along with anaerobic and aerobic (I'm not talking about exercising here - this is some kind of tank system that treats wastewater) systems to make the grey water from sinks and showers recycleable. I told John I loved how he was using his skills for God. He said he was just learning to help build a system that God already designed in nature. Pretty awesome view of it if you ask me.

Chris - happy mothers day! Thanks for being a great mother to our kids.

Mom - happy mothers day! Thanks for sticking with your kids when you were alone and it was hard and you didn't know how you'd make it. You made it.

High blood pressure, diabetes and.......Compassion International?

Huh? Okay what do these have in common? What kind of crazy correlation am I up to? Read on amigos.

I've been on high blood pressure medication for nearly 2 years now ( family history ). My doctor has been trying to encourage me to lose some weight and exercise. And I've been meaning to......for 2 years. Well early this year he wanted to re-check my sugar number 'cause it was elevated ( no family history ) and told me I was headed for type 2 diabetes if I didn't make some changes. He sent me to a dietician and I went.

I must admit here that I am motivated by money. I really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars a month on medication. So I've basically cut back on carbohydrates, which for me is potatoes and sugar. And I love potatoes and sugar. I like a lot of sugar in my coffee. A friend once saw me dumping it in and asked if I wanted any coffee with that.

So I went cold turkey. And enter the lovely invention called SPLENDA. No sugar tonight in mah coffee, no sugar tonight in MAH tea. If you have to ask then you missed out on some good classic rock.

Anyway, I've lost nearly 20 pounds and the sugar number is coming down and I'm doing some exercising. Dr. T even said I have a chance of ditching the high blood pressure med. And that is my goal. In fact I can't wait to go back to the doc this fall 'cause I fully expect this to happen. And when it does I plan on adding to my growing family. Me, Chris, Sara and Andrew here in beautiful sunny Ohio. Richard, Karen and Rosita in Ecuador. And and another Compassion child with the HBP money, probably in Peru.

Thank you Starbucks

I read an article in the paper today about a woman who is kicking her Starbucks coffee habit becuase she was offended by a statement on the side of a cup. Apparently Starbucks has started an effort to collect different viewpoints and spur discussion (www.starbucks.com/wayiseeit ). Here is the statement that offended her:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

The Starbucks coffee habit kicking woman says "as someone who loves God, I was so offended by that. I don't think there needs to be religious dialogue on it. I just want coffee."

And I don't like the statement on that cup either and I love God too but I think He is big enough to handle this. I mean, is God more offended because this got printed? Because you and I read this thought? I guess I really have risked everything on my belief in someone I've never seen. That's the beauty of free will.

The great theologian Morgan Freeman said it best I think in the movie Bruce Almighty. Jim Carrey is given the task of being God while God ( Morgan Freeman ) goes on vacation. This is because Carrey thinks he can do God's job better so God gives him a shot and says he can do anything but mess with free will. Well Jim messes up his relationship with his girlfriend and is talking to God about it. In exasperation Carrey bluts out "why can't I just make people love me" to which God responds "welcome to my world son."

So thanks for the conversation Starbucks. This is just another example of how this little coffee house grown up really knows how to market a product. I mean it got them some free press in the newspaper.............oh and on this blog too. Dang they're smart!

God laughs....

So I'm heading to work the other day and I've got a pretty bad attitude about it. So I start to pray as I'm driving and I ask God to make me a servant like His son Jesus. And I think God responded right away. I think he asked me if I thought he was a magic genie or something. So I told God that I thought I understood what He was getting at. I asked him to TEACH me to be more like Jesus.

And about 5 minutes later I'm arriving at my office and I'm the first one there. Except there is a customer at the dock. Presumably to pick up an order. And I realize I'm the one that will have to dig out his material and load it up. And I start to think things like "just what I wanted to do first thing" and "so this is what I get for being early"........

And then I laughed. And I think God did too. Because he gave me the opportunity to serve someone and learn to be more like His son.

Trees

I like trees. Especially since they are so good at taking the carbon dioxide that I breathe out and converting it to oxygen that I get to breathe in. Anyway, here is a neat story about trees. It's from www.theruncontinues.blogspot.com

Three trees were discussing what they wanted to be after they were cut down. The first tree wanted to be made into a beautiful treasure chest so all the treasures of the world could be locked in it. The second tree wanted to be carved into a big ship so it could travel around the world with the prince and princess. The third tree did not want to be cut down. It wanted to grow taller and taller and reach heaven.

One day a lumberjack came and cut down all the trees. The first tree was sent to a carpenter who made it into a feeding trough instead of a treasure chest. The second tree was sent to a shipyard and made into a small fishing boat. The third tree was left at the foot of the hill.

The trees were sad because their dreams were shattered. They had not become what they wanted to be.

A few years later a woman gave birth to a son but had no place to lay her newborn. She had searched for a cradle but found only the feeding trough to lay her son in. At this the tree realized its value was greater as a feeding trough than a treasure chest because in it laid the baby Jesus.

Thirty years later the small boat, which was made from the second tree, was in the sea facing a raging storm. The boat seemed uncontrolable and about to meet its fate, but destiny had something else in store. There was a man sleeping in this boat, and all he had to do was raise his hand and the sea was as calm as ever.

A few year later some men were in search of a tree on which to crucify Jesus. At the base of a hill they found the third tree, cut and lying there for years. On this tree Jesus died. And it came closer to heaven than it ever dreamed it could.

Many times in our lives we are not what we want to be. But maybe we're on the journey and don't realize it yet.

pardon the interruption....

Yesterday my wife wanted McDonald's for lunch. Did I mention that we work together? For over 10 years? And going on 22 years of marriage! Did I mention that we work together? Okay back to McDonald's.

So I left work to go get said McDonald's and I was kinda upset because this litte trip was going to take like 15 minutes from my lunch hour.......and lunch is like the second best part of the day........and now mine was even shorter! Can you even imagine this attitude? How stupid and selfish can I get? This is the single most important person in my life! Que baboso! (What an idiot!)

And then I drove past a funeral.

So I thanked God for the little interruption and privilege of getting McDonald's for my wife. I bet God wonders if I'll ever get it. I wonder if He gets frustrated with my selfishness and stupidity. I wonder if He thinks I will ever learn gratitude. And I wonder how He can want to use me to build His kingdom. I mean no offense Lord but you must be desperate.....or way bigger than I ever imagined.