Subtle Changes

I'm obese.  Having been a body builder, involved in sports, I know the disciplines for losing weight.  Diet and exercise are both necessary.  Yes, it is my fault that I am obese, and yes, I'm doing something about it.  But losing weight when you're past sixty is a bit more difficult than many realize.  Be that as it may, I have noticed a difference in medical treatment.  Constantly I get the subtle message from my doctor that because I'm obese, I'm not worth taking the extra effort.  Is that truth, or perception, or both?  I'm inclined to think both!

Recently California passed the suicide assisted bill, allowing people to choose death over life.  I've called that bill the sewer side bill since its inception.  Why?  Because life is not something to be flushed down the sewer, and that is exactly what that bill allows!  Obviously it won't stop there.  How soon before Capitol Hill decides there's not enough money to support Social Security, so all those on Social Security should be euthanized?  They will find a way to identify people who are retired as worthless and useless, a drain on the economy.  I do not doubt that soon the medical profession will devise a simple pill to take to have a painless death.

There are many who would argue that this is most humane!  Why wouldn't we offer a painless death to someone?  Because life is precious.  If you want to measure the preciousness of life, answer this question:  What is the value of one drop of Jesus' blood?  Am I correct when I say that He shed His precious blood for all mankind?  Did He not say that He came to give life, and to give it abundantly?  Does the Psalmist record that every day ordained for him was written in a book before there was one of them? (Psalm 139:16)  How angry will He become when our physicians begin helping people die?

But what about people who are suffering?  That's a legitimate question.  I hate suffering, and I don't want to suffer.  But what if in the midst of all the suffering I find His perfect will and purpose?  What if that is what He uses to show Himself to me as my most intimate friend and provider?  There are many who were martyred who suffered terribly, yet through the entire experience their faith remained steadfast, and their testimony touches lives even today.  I guess the real question is:  Will I accept what God allows in my life, or will I try to avoid His desire.  In reality I often do try to avoid His desire.  Those choices always lead to unpleasant consequences.

Am I less because I'm obese?  If I lose all the weight, what real difference will it make?  My quality of life might be better.  We'll see.  But I will still be me, a human being for whom Christ died, and therefore worthy.  In the end it is not what I've accomplished that sets me apart, how many friends I have, whatever legacy I leave, how much money I made, or how many books I wrote that were published.  What will set me apart is that Jesus died for me!  Me!  My one and only claim is the blood of Jesus!  All glory, power, majesty, authority, and honor is His.  I am His. Whatever I face, I can face because He lives.

I fear that the battle for the dignity and value of human life is long lost in our culture.  That is our great shame.  Yet I know who I am in Christ, and can with confidence face whatever future there is.  I hope you know Jesus well enough, and intimately enough, to find courage when you need it most.  "Whom have I in heaven but You?  And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.  But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works."  (Psalm 73:25-28)

Vacation Observations

It has rained off and on for the past few days, but not so much it interfered with swimming in the pool, visiting town for the fireworks, or enjoying the lush green and amazing vibrant flowers of Maryland.  This morning I stood outside the back door and listened to the insects, birds, and sounds of the countryside with a deep sense of peace.  We're on vacation, and that means I can take the time to do some things related to my spiritual well-being, refreshing and recharging with my best friend and constant companion, the Lord.  His word has been especially meaningful to me over the past few days and I've experienced his touch on my life in an exciting series of insights.  "God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.  You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction."  That's the first two verses of Psalm 23 in The Message.  He is always true to me, even when I am not true to Him!

Jill and Rodney live in Mt. Airy, Maryland.  I have always loved coming here and visiting with family, especially the Lehman family.  For the past nine years Serena has lived here, renting a room from Rodney and Jill, and tomorrow we leave for California.  It is a traumatic time for her.  For us as well!  Yet I always know that as long as Jill and Rodney live here I can come and visit.  They know they're welcome in California at our house too!  Any time!  Although I miss the lush plant life and beautiful farms with tall fields of corn waving in the wind, the deer on the side of the road and in clearings during the evenings and night hours, streams, rivers, and lakes everywhere, California is still our home.  Until God moves us it will remain home.

We enjoyed the swimming pool, playing with Ethan and Grant, and their friends, Katherine, Nicole, and Andrew.  The house was full of children and the usual noises that accompany a house full of kids.  We played games, read stories, and enjoyed spending time with the children.  Talking to Jill and Rodney, older relatives we met for dinner one evening, and other family that came to visit on the Fourth was rewarding and sweet, and we will leave with those memories warming our hearts.  Every time I am with my family I thank God that they are part of my life.  None of us are anything more than sinners, saved by grace, but we love the Lord and we love each other, and somehow that's more than enough!

Meeting some of the kids for the first time was a real treasure.  We got to meet Kristyn and Will's son Grayson and daughter Ella was precious.  I told Mom, Aunt Irma, Aunt Gladys, Uncle Charles, and Aunt Ruth that Cathy and I knew we were so blessed because we came from a rich Christian heritage, a family that followed the Lord Jesus and prayed.  We hope to follow that tradition, praying for our children as they grow up.  Our most urgent prayer is that the children will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.  These two dear ones so desperately need to know Him, it has become part of my daily prayers.  Will and Kristyn, you are precious!  I know you are great parents and it fills my heart with joy to know these two precious lives will grow up with your love and leadership.  Duane and Teresa, I know how proud of your kids you are, and with reason!  You too were good parents, and set a good example, and I love you for that!

I didn't get a chance to photograph Travis and Judy with little Emmy.  Here Judy is with Teresa and Emma, and I have one I really like of Travis with Emma.  Again, dear and sweet parents with a life to raise and nurture in faith will be challenged with all the difficulties of parenthood.  Yet I have complete faith in these two!  You two are in my prayers, and I was so impressed with what loving parents you two proved to be!  Watching Teresa and Duane with their grandkids was especially sweet.  Cathy and I love our grandkids to distraction, and love them deeply.  We're not perfect, just sinners saved by grace, but we love them as best we can.  Yet both of us know that we need the Lord to help us.  I guess as we all get older we are realizing just what that means!

Tomorrow Serena, Cathy, and I will get in this amazing Kia Soul to begin our trip home to California.  I'm really looking forward to the scenery and discoveries we will make along the way.  But behind us we will leave family that we love.  Yet the Lord Jesus is watching over them, so I needn't worry about what they might face when we're apart.  That doesn't mean I won't worry about it, because we all know I will.  Yet each time I do I will give that concern to the Lord in the knowledge that He is far better at caring for my family than I will ever understand!  What will tomorrow bring?  I don't know!  But He does!  I am anticipating many things tomorrow, but first and foremost is His tender loving care for us. At least of that, I am sure.

He watches over every creature, knows when a turtle scoots off a float into the water, what it eats each day, and though it neither toils nor plans, He cares for it.  Such beauty reminds me that He is a creative genius, His wisdom and power far beyond my understanding.  What will He weave into my life tomorrow as part of His design for my life?  I can't wait to find out.  Yet it is today that I must focus upon.  Today He is touching my life and weaving into it His plans for me.  Will I see them?  I pray that it is so!  So often I get so busy that I miss His touch!  I'm very thankful for vacation!

Empowering to Thrive

Obviously, and of utmost importance at Grace Resources, working with those in poverty and the homeless the major challenge is to help people regain hope.  Our mission is to empower people to thrive with dignity, not just survive, through training, education, food, clothing, shelter, medical care and spiritual investment.  Most of the people we work with have given up on hope, more as a self-protective survival mechanism than anything else, so that when they come to us they aren't really looking for change.  Most of the time they are going through the motions of survival, unaware that there is hope!  Until a person regains hope he or she cannot believe that such change is possible, and therefore he or she isn't going to seek change.

Unfortunately, our work is becoming more and more of a challenge.  The combined effects of lack of affordable housing, extreme poverty, decreasing government supports, the challenge of raising children alone, the changing demographics of the family, domestic violence, and fractured social supports are all contributing to an increase in the poor and especially homelessness.  As the gap between housing costs and income continues to widen, more and more families and individuals are at risk of homelessness.

By the time these people come to us, they've been through the very worst, and somewhere along the way they lost all hope.  Many feel abandoned by the world, and especially the society, in which they live.  Forced to move frequently, double up in overcrowded apartments with friends or relatives, live in their car, or send their children to stay with relatives to avoid shelter life, often they are hidden from view.  Here in America more than 1.6 million children are homeless!  In fact, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness, "among industrialized nations, the United States has the largest number of homeless women and children.  Not since the Great Depression have so many families been without homes."  Homeless families comprise about a third of the total homeless population!

It is to our shame as a nation that one in every thirty children in the United States will experience homelessness this year.  Between 2012 and 2013 the number of children experiencing homelessness increased by 8 percent nationally!  In 13 states it increased by 10 percent or more, including the District of Columbia!  Why is this happening?  How is this happening?

Seventy-one percent of our single-parent families consist of mom and kids.  Without childcare, and a way to pay for it, many of these women cannot obtain a job, not because they are unemployable, but because they have no one to watch their children!  Those who do work find that housing costs and the cost of childcare exhaust a greater percentage of earned income.  Here in Southern California childcare can cost between $15,100 and $18,350 per year per child!  You do the math!

There are a few other statistics that should be mentioned here.  Single-parent families are among the poorest in the nation and, as such, are extremely vulnerable to homelessness.  Many family shelters do not accept men into their programs, causing families to separate when they become homeless.  Among all homeless women, sixty percent have children under age 18, yet only 65 percent of them live with at least one of these children!  Among all homeless men, 41 percent have children under age 18, but only 7 percent live with at least one of their own children!  Traumatic experiences, especially domestic violence, precede and prolong homelessness for families.

Families experiencing homelessness usually have limited education. Fifty-three percent of homeless mothers do not have a high school diploma.  Most of them don't believe they can succeed in education.  Most of them don't believe they have what it takes to be independent!  Twenty-nine percent of adults in homeless families are working, so a job is not the final solution!  When Sareena at the left first came to us she was homeless and hopeless.  This year, eight years later, she realized a dream, graduating from college with a 3.9 GPA!

Is there a solution?  The answer to that question is an emphatic "absolutely!"  Real solutions to this problem involve a four-way partnership between homeless families, trained evangelical church-based mentoring groups, trained case managers, and evangelical local small business owners.  Some models that have achieved great success don't include the latter.  For practical purposes this writer added this particular component.

What do we do?  We work together with each family individually to encourage and empower them to thrive with dignity, to regain hope, to grow, develop, and achieve independence.  Naturally, this writer is talking about a continuum of care model that will take time, tremendous effort, sacrifice on the part of all, but surprisingly less money than one might imagine.

Development is a process of ongoing change.  Remember, many of these dear people don't believe they can change.  Even more important to remember is that development is not done to people or for people but with people.  Promoting an empowering process in which an individual can change and improve his or her life in all areas of relationships is the key dynamic.  In fact, the main goal of development work is for an individual to take charge of his or her life and community.

Never do for someone what that person can do for him or herself!  If he or she needs help, give it, but if they do not, your giving may cause harm!

Rather than thinking in terms of producing houses or other material goods we should instead pursue a process of walking with the materially poor so that they are better stewards of their lives and communities, including their own material needs.  Far more important in this process is their spiritual need.  Paul said it so well in Philippians 4:11-14:  "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction."  (NASB)

One might ask at this point, why this writer is not talking about the popular idea of producing houses or other material goods?  I Timothy 6:6-8 gives the answer:  "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (NASB)  For all of us the key is godliness with contentment.  I trust God completely, and follow Jesus implicitly!  Humble means or prosperity don't matter.  Jesus matters!  My cry with the Psalmist at this point is simple:  "Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set."  That is from Psalm 119:5 in The Message.

In reality, it is much easier to focus on relief because we have a material definition of poverty.  It is far easier and quicker than development, and much easier to raise funds to support those efforts.  Yet even if working with the poor through relationships is much longer term, isn't that what we who follow Christ are to be about?  Growing and developing people through long-term discipleship is hard, sometimes seemingly impossible work!  That is why we need Jesus in the mix!

What does our solution look like?  In the end, it looks like discipleship.  At the shelter level we develop a relationship with our families, and introduce them to our trained evangelical church-based mentors who are individually committed to long-term care.  Working hand in hand with the caseworkers from the shelter and the pastoral staff of the churches that participate we encourage our parents to grow and change, and we strive to give them hope and confidence.  We invite them to participate at church, provide certified safe childcare so that parents can learn and work, and take all the risks that entails for everyone involved in the process.  At every appropriate opportunity we present Christ and invite people to trust Him.

Local business owners who share the same goals of discipleship work hand-in-hand with these families, and when they are ready, provide opportunities for employment, first as an intern, and then as a paid employee.  Unless these men and women are involved from the very beginning they can have no idea of the entire process, and that is very important, especially when training someone for employment in his or her business.

Collaborative efforts of this nature require constant communication, healthy relationships between the caseworkers and mentors, pastoral staff, and businessmen and women.  Prayer is so important, and getting together to pray over these people we are serving is the only thing that will keep us going, and keep them motivated!  Above all, we must remember that if Christ is not in it, anything we try to build is an effort in vain.

People need the Lord.  I need Him.  You need Him.  We need Him.  Let's covenant together to reach out to our struggling homeless families with unity and power in the Lord.  You and I can bring the Lord Jesus into the lives of needy people with real power and life-changing results! 

Standing Firm

Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life.  Tune your ears to the world of wisdom; set your heart on a life of understanding.  That's right––if you make insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer, searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, believe me, before you know it Fear–of–God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God.  And here's why:  God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in knowledge and understanding.  He's a rich mine of common sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.  He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.  –Proverbs 2:1-8 The Message

Set your heart on a life of understanding.  Knowledge is important, but it is not the same thing as wisdom or understanding.  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.  I know many people who have a great deal of knowledge, but very little in the way of understanding.  The Bible is clear.  If one wants to understand something, he or she must first understand that wisdom is God's provenance.  He alone is omniscient, has all knowledge and wisdom, and therefore the only true path to understanding is through Him.  That is why when Yale University was founded one of the founding statements was "Cursed be all knowledge that is contrary to the cross of Christ!"  Our founding fathers understood that true understanding or wisdom must come from God.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB

Observation of our world reveals the amazing wisdom and power of God.  Out of a clutch of turtle eggs no two turtles will be identical.  Each one will be unique!  As it grows its markings will be different from all other turtles.  Similar, yes, but still unique to that turtle.  God is still involved in creation, even today, and we see His hand at work.  But there are those in our world who refuse to accept this truth and instead try to fill the gaps in their understanding with man-made philosophies and theories that fall far short of explaining what we can see clearly.  The devil is seeking to lead us astray, to take away our wonder at God's mighty hand in creation, to cloud our eyes with darkness!  But he is incapable of succeeding with those who stand firm.

The Lord is a shield to those who walk in integrity.  We can stand firm because He is before us.  My beloved children and grandchildren, I want you to understand that all power, wisdom, knowledge, and authority belongs to God alone.  If all of it is His, there's none for me apart from Him.  As I've grown in my understanding of this I've realized that without a real growing and intimate relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am incapable of grasping truth.  I can never have power or authority.  It is His.  Can I speak with power and authority?  Of course!  As long as I speak the words He puts in my mind and heart.  Can I act with power and authority, wisely and with knowledge?  If I act in obedience to His word, yes!  Set your heart on a life of understanding.  Stand firm with the full armor of God.  Set your mind on Him and your life will be filled with understanding.  I love you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dedicated to my beloved Cathy

Devotion

by Robert Frost

The heart can think of no devotion,

Greater than being shore to the ocean,

Holding the form of one position,

Counting an endless repetition.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church––a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor––since they're already "one" in marriage.  Ephesians 5:25-28 The Message  I love the way this reads in The Message.  This isn't a one-day effort!  It is a lifetime effort, an every moment of every day effort!  And on Valentine's Day we can celebrate that kind of effort.

Frost's poem, Devotion is one I've always loved.  It reflects the kind of love I'm talking about.  Devotion, two bodies coming together (shore to the ocean), steadfast (holding the form of one position) and eternal (counting an endless repetition).  Cathy and I married in June of 1974 on Saturday, the 15th, a typical Lancaster County, Pennsylvania summer afternoon.  Oddly enough, I remember very little of that day with the intensity I remember seeing this beautiful bride walking up the isle and knowing that the commitment I was making that day was a lifetime commitment of selfless love.  The moment she appeared I realized the enormity of what we were undertaking, and understood that only with the help of the Lord Jesus could I ever hope to succeed.

We were young, crazy in love, and believed that we were ready for marriage and everything it needed.  What we learned along the way was that this commitment to love each other needed lots of hard work, prayer, Bible study, more prayer, and God's loving parenting.  Through it all, despite our shortcomings we kept our love for each other burning brightly, not just a candle, but a roaring forge fire hot enough to allow God to purify and mold us.  We've given each other Valentine's cards, kisses, and "I love you's" for the 44 years we've known each other.  This June will mark our 41st Anniversary of marriage!

We look a little different now.  Our children are grown, and our sons are married and have children of their own.  Serena is thirty now, so she can start dating.  Do I still look at Cathy as the most beautiful woman in the world?  Absolutely.  She is, as far as I'm concerned.  Eat your hearts out, guys!  She's mine!  Does she still thrill me every time I see her?  You betcha!  And what of those verses I quoted earlier?  As to that I learned a very important lesson early in our marriage.  Cathy is not mine. She belongs to God!  He gave this precious and wonderful gift to me, and entrusted to me the stewardship of loving her as He loves us!  I haven't always succeeded in emulating Him in our relationship, but when I fail I apologize and try harder.  Cathy knows that she belongs to God, and that I love her second only to Him.  She loves Him first, and then me.  For that reason she has become an amazing lady, a true woman of God, the very embodiment of Proverbs 31.  She constantly amazes me.

To the right we are walking together after Jeremy and Savanna married.  Note that we are holding hands.  We do that often.  I still thrill to the feel of her hand in mine!  I get a kiss goodbye every morning, and kiss her when she comes home, or she kisses me if I get home after her.  Our lives are all about saying "I love you" at every opportunity.  So when Valentine's Day comes around I love it.  It is one more day to tell this amazing woman how much I love her.  Does this make me the perfect husband?  Hardly!  I still have to work hard every single day to keep from putting self before God.  She does the same.

A hundred years from now, no one will remember either of us.  No one will know what we accomplished, how much we loved each other, how we lived our commitment.  Yet the world will be a better place because this amazing woman left a legacy of love and tenderness.  She taught elementary school for many years, and is now a Principal.  As a pastor's wife she touched the lives of every woman in every church we ever served.  As a mom and grandma she has created a legacy of love and prayer.  Not long ago we were talking and she said that in many ways we have lived charmed lives, and that she believes it was because we had praying parents who loved and followed the Lord.  I agree with her!  The Bible is clear that.  The first few verses of Psalm 112 in The Message read this way:  Hallelujah!  Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God, who cherish and relish his commandments, their children robust on the earth, and the homes of the upright––how blessed!  Their houses brim with wealth and a generosity that never runs dry.  Happy Valentine's day, honey bunch!  I love you!