Together

Whether it’s in real life, books, or movies, I enjoy reunions, of people being together again.  Our son, Chad, recently returned from a mission trip to Brazil.  It had been ten days since he had seen his family.  Due to their delayed flight schedule, the five people that went on the trip did not arrive back at the church until just as Vacation Bible School was beginning that evening.  Since we weren’t there, I had Chad give me a detailed report of how the kids reacted when they saw him. 

Lori had already taken the older three to where they were meeting and was walking with their youngest when they first saw Chad.  Della kept yelling, “Daddy!  Daddy!”  Chad took her and gave her hugs and kisses and then started to give her back to Lori so he could slip in, change shirts, and brush his teeth before going into the church.  Della clung to him and did not want to let him go so he had a little helper for a while.

Three year old Sawyer was the next to spot her daddy walking down the hallway.  She ran to him for hugs and kisses and then immediately went to find Ryen to let her know that Daddy was back so she could go and see him.  David knew Chad was to be arriving about that time, so he was on the lookout to see Daddy, too, and soon received his hugs and kisses.

Chad’s four kids know they are loved and treasured by their earthly daddy.  My prayer is that they will always know and remember that they are also dearly loved by their Heavenly Father. 

May they…

… want to be so close to God that they don’t want to let Him out of their thoughts and what they choose to do

… joyously respond to His presence 
... freely express their love and gratitude

… eagerly anticipate spending time with their Heavenly Father each day

… willingly share, with their siblings and others, God’s love so others will also know how much they are loved and treasured

… continually be on the lookout to where and how God is working and moving so they can join Him in His work

… experience much joy in their journeys. 

And may these qualities be ones we desire and put into practice, as well.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

Come near to God and he will come near to you.

James 4:8a

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1

Overcomer

“No matter how you feel:

Get up, Dress up, Show up,

and

Never give up!”

~ Genevieve Rhode

Overcomer:  A person who wins or is successful, especially in spite of obstacles in their path.

Because of its impact and example, the story of Heather Dorniden has resurfaced.  Ten years ago, while racing in the 2008 Big Ten 600-meter final race in Minneapolis, Heather was leading the race and had a bad fall.  Even though now in last place, she got up and continued to run to the finish line to complete the race.  There were cheers from the crowd as she began to run again.  As she ran, Heather thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I caught them all?”  She picked up her pace and one by one she passed the other runners to win the race!

Heather was surprised at the impact her getting up and finishing the race had on others.  She commented, “This race is so easily relatable to everyone’s lives.  I’ve heard from cancer survivors, people battling addiction, struggling artists, parents, athletes and coaches of every sport, runners of every age and ability…the list could go on.  I always tell people this race isn’t just about not giving up, it’s about discovering what you’re capable of when you are given the opportunity to rise above adversity.  It’s worth getting up every time.”  Heather Kampf, now married, is a professional runner and says her mission is, “constantly striving to represent God who has blessed my life abundantly.”

“Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.” ~ Author Unknown

Alex Idrache grew up in a slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  He saw things happening on a daily basis that no adult, much less a child, should have to witness.  Several years ago, after the massive earthquake in Haiti, US soldiers were deployed to his neighborhood.  It was the first time Alex remembers experiencing hope.  He asked his dad who the people were that were helping them and he was told they were American soldiers.  He told his father, “then one day I will be an American soldier.”  Alex’s father tried for several years to come to the United States and was finally granted a visa to Baltimore.  After his dad purchased passenger tickets for a boat, Alex and his family left Haiti.  Remembering the US soldiers, Alex began to look for a way to join the military.  When the time came he joined a National Guard program which allowed him to join the Army and receive his citizenship.  Even though Alex had very little formal education, he was granted a spot at West Point.  Alex Idrache recently graduated West Point in the top 5% of his class physically, academically, and militarily and was the top student in the Physics department.

We don’t always have control over what happens in situations and events in life, but we do get to choose how we will respond and what we are willing to do in order to have the desired outcome.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

I can do all this through him (Christ) who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

"The Power of Love"

In March, Austin Perine, 4 years old, was watching a television show on pandas with his dad and teenage brother.  The mother panda left the cub and it was mentioned that the cub would be homeless.  When asked what homeless meant, Austin’s dad replied, “It’s somebody who doesn’t have a mom and dad around.”  To show his son the meaning of homelessness, he took Austin to see the men and women outside the city shelter in Birmingham.  Touched by the experience, Austin asked if he could use his allowance and birthday money to feed the hungry people.  Although he wasn’t expecting to feed the homeless, his father took him to Burger King to buy chicken sandwiches and drinks to give to the people outside the Firehouse Ministries Shelter.

Austin has taken his mission to heart.  He forgoes new toys in order to buy food and drinks to feed the homeless.  Once a week, his dad, TJ Perine, takes Austin to the shelter to give away “food and smiles.”  Austin wears a bright red satin cape and a shirt with “#ShowLove” across the front of it.  When he arrives each week, Austin is met with high fives and pats on the shoulder.  After giving the people their sandwich, drink, and hug, he reminds the recipients, “Don’t forget to show love.”  Moved by Austin’s heart and generosity, Burger King is giving Austin $1,000 a month for a year to help him feed the homeless.

What a delight and privilege to hear Bishop Michael Curry, the current presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, speak of “The Power of Love” at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.  The soon to be Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose the scripture text from Song of Solomon for him to use in their wedding ceremony.

Excerpts from Bishop Curry’s message:

From the Song of Solomon 8:6 in the Bible: Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world, for love is the only way."

There is something right about it [love]. And there's a reason for it. The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love, and our lives were meant - and are meant - to be lived in that love. That's why we are here.

Ultimately, the source of love is God himself: the source of all of our lives.

The New Testament says it this way: "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God, and those who love are born of God and know God. Those who do not love do not know God. Why? For God is love." 1 John 4:7-8

There’s power in love.  There’s power in love to help and heal when nothing else can.

Jesus said: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

And then in Matthew's version, he added, he said: "On these two, love of God and love of neighbor, hang all the law, all the prophets, everything that Moses wrote, everything in the holy prophets, everything in the scriptures, everything that God has been trying to tell the world ... love God, love your neighbors, and while you're at it, love yourself."

Someone once said that Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in human history.  A movement grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world - and a movement mandating people to live that love, and in so doing to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself.  I'm talking about power. Real power. Power to change the world.

He died to save us all.  He didn't die for anything he could get out of it. Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying. He wasn't getting anything out of it. He gave up his life, he sacrificed his life, for the good of others, for the good of the other, for the wellbeing of the world... for us.

That's what love is. Love is not selfish and self-centered. Love can be sacrificial, and in so doing, becomes redemptive. And that way of unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love changes lives, and it can change this world.

Think and imagine a world where love is the way.

Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. 
Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way.

Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. 
Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way

Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. 
When love is the way - unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.

When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again.

When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook.

When love is the way, poverty will become history. 
When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary.

When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more.

When love is the way, there's plenty good room - plenty good room - for all of God's children.

Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well... like we are actually family.

When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all, and we are brothers and sisters, children of God.

My brothers and sisters, that's a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family.

Dr. King was right:  “We must discover love - the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world, a new world.”

In these coming days, may we, too, take every opportunity to share, live, experience, and show the power of God’s love.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10