Working with one hand

A shovel in one hand, a defense in the other: Armed with an umbrella in my left hand, and a camping shovel in my right, battled the rain. It came down in buckets which is why I was out there, one tent was on one side of the campsite, the other tent was on the other side, but the rain came down the hill, crossed the road, and drained all across the campsite. The water was pooling up on the uphill side of the tents. It was only a matter of time, before my girls were sleeping in water. I trenched around the tents, but it was much like New Orleans during Katrina, there was so much water the trench was full and levees couldn't hold back the water very well. I trenched again, and again, I was soaked, but the girls slept on in the tents. I worked at it for a long time. When I was done, my hand wouldn't open up. It had gripped the shovel so firmly, it was nearly frozen in place.
It reminded me of Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem. The people were under the threat of attack. He armed the workers, a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other to keep rebuilding the wall.

Nehemiah 4:16-18
"From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me."

That's hard work, using only one hand just to scratch a ditch in some hard packed sand, they were carrying boulders and rock and mortar! This was not a human effort, only God could have sustained the work one handed. For He is able His strong arm is our shield and our refuge in a time of need.

II Samuel 23:9-10 (NIV)
"Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead."

My hand didn't save many, or a whole field of grain, but it saved three girls from sleeping in water (and myself).
When your strength gives out, God's strength begins.

What's in a name?

I have been doing a lot of photography work, and part of the not as much fun side is the bookkeeping/processing. One of the things I noticed was the last names of the kids, many don't match the parents. I once heard of a couple who when they decided to get married, he took her last name, because it was respected and had a godly local heritage and he felt that it was important to his new family.

What's the value of a name?

• Heritage.
  
• Stability.
  
• Belonging.
  
• Security.
  
• Hope.
  
• Being known
  
• I am loved.

If all goes well, we shall adopt our niece and give her our last name sometime this year! She has found stability in her young life, here under our roof.

Unfocused Eyes

I was holding our new little Gwen, (7 lbs 11.5 oz, 20 inches) She finally opened her eyes so we could see more than a slit. She was searching for my voice, Dad was somewhere out there, just beyond sight. It is an interesting fact that babies can only focus their eyes a few inches out.
Here she was searching for the voice of her father, who loves her and will care for her, more than any other man in her life. I have her matching ID bracelet. Only her parents can access her and take her from the hospital. If anyone tries, the whole floor gets locked down! The elevators stop working!
There's only one relationship that has more love, more safety, and more security that than: God as our heavenly father loves us so much that no one can take us from His hand. His hand never grows tired or weak, and nothing has the power to snatch us away.
As gazed into her eyes of slate blue gray, she wanted to see me, she wanted to know who loved her so much, it hurt. Do I want to see God like that, knowing that He's there and loves me, holds me and cares about everything about my life. I can't focus on Him, because I can't see Him.
Do my spiritual eyes improve as I grow? Yes, but I'm myopic. Myopia which is the noun from which we get the adjective is defined by Miriam-Webster's as 1 : a condition in which the visual images come to a focus in front of the retina of the eye resulting especially in defective vision of distant objects 2 : a lack of foresight or discernment : a narrow view of something.
I'll admit it, I am. God take away my myopia and focus my eyes on You.

Hope for the future

There is hope for the future. As I sat in the hospital holding our little Gwen Adele, I cried. I thought of who she might become. A woman someday who loves God. For now, her little eyes just peeked open, unfocused, trying to understand this new world of light, cold, and swaddling. I got on my spiritual knees and prayed that I would be the father she needs, that I could slay the dragons at the beginning of her life and protect her from evil with God's help.
April been a very difficult month for our family, but God's timing is perfect on everything. He has never let the righteous go hungry (or eat cat food). But holding my new little girl, who barely opens her eyes, there is hope for what God is going to do. April may have been a dark canyon, but May is the golden morning sunshine of a new chapter.
As I drove into the hospital and listened to KLOVE. I heard a listener story, she had lost a baby at 5 months and she gave it all to God. God gave her the peace that what had been taken away would be restored of her future daughter-in-laws, one has the same name of the daughter they lost and one's birthday was the day she was due. I remembered how we lost the first pregnancy very early on, and how many times we nearly lost Moriah during her pregnancy. God has been very good, no real complications, a great OB office, we had an awesome midwife, and got a 2 for 1 deal on doulas. Those two doulas worked hard and stayed with Elaine the whole the time. The early labor was long, but the end was quick and Gwen has a whole head of curly brown hair! Dad finally got to cut the umbilical cord. Elaine got to hold her prize, Gwen, a few seconds after birth.
It seems to me, what the locusts have eaten, God is beginning to restore.

Joel 2:24-26
24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain,
and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts,
the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.
It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.
26 Once again you will have all the food you want,
and you will praise the Lord your God,
who does these miracles for you.
Never again will my people be disgraced.

This is what God is doing in our life. He has begun to restore what we have lost. Sometimes this is hard to see, when we're in the midst of turmoil. I had to sit and hold Gwen to slow down long enough to see God working, to hear Him speak in a still small voice. Yes, its been that busy.
Is the road ahead free from trouble and easy? Probably not, but for a moment, I was offered a glimpse beyond the here and now to where my family is going in this adventure called life.

The Ripple Effect

The world focus has been on the Middle East. The rippling has gone out from there. Turkey, India, Tibet, Lebanon, Algeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Iran, and Papua New Guinea have been in recent mission headlines. It is interesting to note that most of these countries are in or touch the 10-40 window.
The clash between major world cultures, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism seems to have increased. As we have our men in harm's way to build a democracy in the middle east, there are many that would like to crush the freedom. I'm treading on dangerous ground, politics and religion, so bear with me:

God's Spirit is on the move, He will bring people from every tribe, every nation, every tongue into His kingdom and when we sit paralyzed at the thought of danger, God's plan keeps going without us.

Matthew 28:18-20 The Great Commission

18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The command is go, through out the history of the world God has used those who went, despite the circumstances, the finances, the dangers, the sacrifices. Those that went wholeheartedly, sacrificially, determined, and called by God -- those He has raised up, and blessed them, through generations. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Brother Andrew, Jim and Roni Bowers, these are people who made a difference in the world and their children, their disciples children have been blessed by the sacrifice.
The announcers on the Christian radio station were having fun, seeing who was related to famous people. To be part of the legacy is exciting, but how much greater is it, when we leave a legacy for our children, and their children. Yes, I am blessed to be related to Roger Williams and all that he stood for in his day and all that he did, he was a righteous man, but how much greater is the legacy that my daughters will take from me and give to their children.
I had a long conversation with a ministry friend, he asked a lot of tough questions about ministry. We need to have passion, calling and desire to stir up those around us, to make waves, to further the kingdom. We should be making waves in our world, that go out to those around us, they will see that we live what we believe, we trust in a God that we can not see, but we know

Are you floating in the ripples or are you making waves?

Rehoboth Congregational Church

Rehoboth Congregational Church

Rehoboth Youth Are "Homeless" on Redway Plain

Cardboard boxes, burning fires and weary people will be dotting Redway Plain in the heart of Rehoboth during the weekend of November 9-11^th. If you’re thinking, "That’s a sign of homeless people," you’re right. That’s exactly the picture the organizers of Rehoboth’s first Homelessness Awareness Weekend want to paint.

This curious sight will be part of "There’s No Place Like A Home", a project organized by the members of the Rehoboth Youth Group, which is sponsored by the Rehoboth Congregational Church. The intent of the three-day event is to increase community awareness about the on-going crisis of homelessness in America and to raise money to assist local aid programs such as the Rehoboth Food Pantry, Crossroads in Providence, Our Daily Bread in Taunton, and other food pantries and soup kitchens in our area.

Inspiration for the project came from a week-long mission trip to Washington, DC undertaken by twenty members of the Rehoboth Youth Group. During the trip, the teens worked hand-in-hand with members of the homeless community in shelters, soup kitchens and community outreach programs throughout the city. They learned unforgettable lessons about the true causes and effects of the plight of homelessness. After the experiences and education of the trip, the teens returned home eager to find ways to do more to help others in their own community.

This is a great short terms missions project that any church can do. The impact on the youth can be life changing and the impact that it has on the homeless can change generations of families.

Recently I've begun to see with spiritual eyes what God can do with one, that changes the generations following. How one person has shifted the course of history for their family...

....Perhaps they refused God's call to service and that has reached down through their family to their children and the grandchildren. The grandchildren have scattered and their lives are indiscernible from the world. Another family has been effectively neutralized in the spiritual battle.

....Perhaps they responded to the call of God and abandoned everything to serve. Their legacy lives on in their children and the people they ministered to. Missionary parents raise missionary children and missionary children raise missionary grand kids.

I once heard it said that Dr. James Dobson was the blacksheep of the family. He was the only son who was not a pastor. There are millions who look to Dr. Dobson as a pastor for their family.

What's your legacy?

Are you intentionally shepherding your heritage, or is it all about you?