What If I Give All I Have?

This old Ray Boltz tune always makes me cry. When he sings about the Son talking to His Heavenly Father with the words, “What if I give all I have? What will that gift do? My child, a gift like that could change the world, it could feed a multitude.” Whew, that’s pretty powerful when you think of what Christ gave up for us. It surely feeds my soul and multitudes of others, too.

But…what if we did give all to Him? I mean really give Him all of ourselves and what we have. Would it feed a multitude? I’ve got to tell you that I held some things pretty close over the years and didn’t want to give them up, but when I finally did the multitudes were fed.

Which brings me to a story about my only daughter, Leah. When she was around 7 years old she began telling us she wanted to be a missionary some day. I guess she’d seen and heard plenty of them in our church and even in our home as we entertained and had some stay with us for a while. She learned they were just normal people with different hearts tuned in to where God would send them to serve. Little did I know…she was serious.

As she grew up and graduated from high school I could tell she was praying for a plan. She had a boyfriend and I thought that would be the end of the missionary idea. She would settle down, get married, and have kids right here in the US of A. But she was praying for something different. As she left for college she turned her attention to earning a teaching degree. She had been on a mission trip to the Philippines and really took it all into her heart and mind. I think even then, she was praying for God to use her in a way no one else could.

Now as I think back on how God’s plan unfolded over the following years, I know it was perfect for her. She married a wonderful young man who went to seminary in our town. They began to pray about where God could use them best. Taking the initiative to go on camping adventures as campers then as leaders in Canada, they developed a love for the concept. After they served as camp programmers for two summers at a Christian camp, I thought, Ah, this is where they’ll land. But no, that wasn’t the final destination either.

Through much prayer and research, they became convinced that God wanted them on the foreign mission field—in Romania. OK, Lord, that’s a little too far away! I thought to myself when I heard the news. That wasn’t MY plan for them. Man, I was holding on tighter than ever. I was also thinking about my daughter’s three lovely children who were such a blessing to us. How could God take them away to a foreign place? Where’s the manual that goes with this part of parenting?

Eventually, my husband and I had to realize WHOSE they were. We only had parenting rights for a few short years; they were really God’s kids. Letting go was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I kept praying they’d change their minds; after all, this was my only daughter! But realizing the impact they would have on the thousands of kids they’d touch as camp directors in Romania, we knew we had to let go and let God! It was quite a trip coming to that conclusion, but four years later I can see the Lord in it all as the master planner. We learned how to let go and it taught them to do the same. It wasn’t any easier for them to leave all of us. It was a two-way street.

So what if you gave all? Maybe it’s a child, or a mom and dad, and maybe it’s all of you. God doesn’t ask us to give what we have left, He ask us to follow Him, pure and simple. Are you willing to give it up for Him? All of it?

Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes up to free our kids for service. Thank you for giving them the hearts to serve. Thank you for being the One who comforts in times of need and loss. Thank you for showing us how to give our all!

Laugher...is my secret weapon

Have you ever laughed so hard you’ve cried? I have many times! I love to laugh whether it’s at a good joke, a funny comedian, my grandkids, or my own kids telling stories from when they were young. There are so many things in which to find humor.

Like the story about when one of the women who works for me went hunting with her husband for the first time. He put her in a tree stand and said he’d be back to get her in a few hours when he was finished hunting. She waited until the sun went down and then waited until it was about 9:00 at night! She was petrified to get down from the tree stand by herself! After he went home, read the newspaper and finally remembered his wife, she could hear him calling over and over, as he ran through the woods, “Honey, I’m sorry! I’m so very, very sorry!” The first time I heard that story I laughed until I cried.

Another time was when our church’s pre-school kids were singing Away in a Manger on the platform. When the singing finished there was a slight pause where one precocious little boy said, “When you like somethin’ you’re supposed to put your hands together and clap, like this!” He brought the house down, believe me.

Old-time comedian Milton Berle said, “Laughter is an instant vacation.” Then there’s Woody Allan who once said, “I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose!” Doctors have proven that laughter is a great physical healer…except when you have stitches in your tummy—then it just hurts!

So find something to laugh about today. Tell your coworkers a funny story or listen to someone else tell one. Google a few good clean jokes to get your spirits up, it will do your soul good! Be glad you have someone to laugh with today!

This is Your Life!

As a 17-year-old co-op student in high school, I worked half a day and went to school the other half every day. I loved it. I could make money, finish school, do my homework, and even have a boyfriend all at the same time. What a life.

But the job, well, it left a little to be desired—actually, a LOT. I worked in a hospital doing dictation and typing, but that wasn’t the worst and most unusual part. I worked in a Pathology Lab at Pontiac General Hospital for a little known man named Dr. Jack Kevorkian. You remember him, don’t you? Dr. Death! Yes, it was my job to type up lab reports for him and I even went to the morgue to take dictation while he did autopsies. Oh heavens, what was I thinking? I have stories only my family will hear of that experience. If my parents had known what I know now…I’m sure they would have flipped for sure.

We all have stories like this in our past. Some of them are funny, strange, and even down-right weird of places we’ve worked and people we’ve worked with. That’s the part on your résumé that goes under experience, you know, that part you always need so you can get the job you want! I love listening to other people tell their life stories. Whether I’m sitting on a plane going overseas, meeting someone new at a party, or even reading a biography, I enjoy learning about others’ experiences.

When the end of life comes and I pass on to Heaven’s gates, I’d sure love my family, friends, and business associates to think of me as part of their life experiences. What have I given to them? What have they poured into my life that has made me who I am? Have you ever thought about that?

So today make an impact on someone with your life. Whether you tell them about your jobs and family or you ask them about theirs, you make an impact. Be known as the person who gave and who cared, not the person who didn’t have the time and didn’t think it worth the effort to share with anyone. It’s all part of enjoying your time on this earth and you’ll grow from listening and sharing. That’s what Jesus did, didn’t he?

Ever feel like the Lone Ranger?

“Hi-ho, Silver! Away!” Yes, The Lone Ranger! I loved that show. Black and white television was great to me because I didn’t know what color looked like—and I had no idea what HD or Blueray was. Black and white was all I needed to escape for an hour.

The tall, dark stranger in white, riding into town, rescuing the damsel in distress, and saving the bank from robbers by capturing the thieves! All of it done on the back of a white stallion. Ah, my hero! Although, I truly believe I just loved the horses best…so much for heroes.

We often think of the Lone Ranger as one guy by himself, but the greatest thing about the show was his side-kick, Tonto. Tonto and the Lone Ranger also had very well-trained horses that answered their whistles and commands. I don’t think life could get much better than that, do you?

Lots of single people sometimes feel like the Lone Ranger. Their lives consist of work and long weekends and evenings alone. They become depressed and almost like hermits as they sequester themselves inside the four walls of their homes. Here’s what I have to say about that…GO DO LIFE! You’re only a hermit because you choose to be. There is so much of life to experience as a single. I know, because I am one.

Four years ago my beloved husband of 40 years was finished with his mission on this earth and took the early train to heaven. I could sure sit around and be upset about that. I could pout and cry and even stomp my feet at God if I chose to. But the day he died I stood in his hospital room looking out the window onto the hospital roof covered with large stones. There were so many it was hard to count and they were all touching each other somehow. I thought to myself, Those stones are like my family. We’re all touching each others’ lives and however I react to my husband’s death is going to affect them all. Will I be upset, sure. Will I grieve, you bet. Will I be mad at God for doing this? I couldn’t do that to my kids and all our connected family. I choose to take the road less traveled and rejoice in all Tom was able to accomplish in his life, rather than focusing on the negatives of his passing.

So I’m the Lone Ranger now and I am choosing to travel through this mission called life with God by my side and with a peace that couldn’t be found in regret, pouting or being mad. I’m not alone, I’m looking for God’s leading and to be amongst the living until my mission is over. There’s nothing black and white about that. And I sure would love to finish my ride on a horse! Hi-ho, Silver! Away!

How do you love a proud person?

My dad says there are two kinds of pride. There’s the good kind of pride in your work or doing the best of your ability to accomplish a job well done. Then there’s the pride of life, that smug little sneering smile you see on some people that says, “I’m better than you.”

You’ve all known one or two people like this. The person who walks into a room and expects everyone to take notice and are a little put out when they don’t. This kind of person spends an enormous amount of time looking in the mirror. Life, more or less, revolves around them. The Bible calls them arrogant and says that arrogance is evil (James 4:13-15).

The people I’ve known who possess pride and arrogance are usually the saddest people I know. Outward appearances mean everything to them whether it’s the latest fashion, the best car, or even the smoothest skin. They’re perpetually late because they come just to be noticed. They accept the credit for everything good that happens in their life.

You might be thinking I’m being too critical. Maybe so, but sometimes we just need to take a good, solid look at ourselves and see if we possess any of these evil traits such as pride. Something we don’t do often enough, I’m afraid.

I can speak from experience on this subject. Growing up with two older siblings who excelled in everything, I was often told I would never amount to anything. I was too chubby, I possessed no talent, and I had few friends. What could anyone do with all of that? Nothing, from what I could tell.

Then I found Jesus. He told me just the opposite of what I’d been hearing. He told me He had given me gifts, talents, and abilities, and I could use these things to show people His love and compassion. He encouraged me and gave me a mate that was an extreme encourager, too. Going from one extreme to the other was great, but also a little troublesome for someone who had been told all her life she would never amount to a hill of beans!

But then I became prideful with the talents God gave me. I was prideful in my up-front position as a ministry leader and haughty in my attitude toward others. I used my talents in a way that brought glory only to me and God was not pleased. In one instance I was doing Vacation Bible School at a church for a week and absolutely nobody was getting saved. I thought, Man, what kind of a group is this? They’re just not listening. Then my best friend took hold of my shoulders, turned me around, and asked me this simple question, “You do realize that you’re not giving God any credit for anything this week, don’t you?”

The hammer came down…hard! All my prideful nature shattered to the floor with a resounding CLANG! I saw myself for what I had become and it wasn’t pretty. If I didn’t like myself then surely God didn’t like me either. How could I be acceptable in His sight the way I was? I started to pray. I asked God first of all to forgive me for being so prideful and wasting my talents building myself up. I asked Him to forgive me for accepting all the praise that belonged to Him! I gave myself back to God and asked Him to use me in a way that would honor His name and give Him glory.

The following summer, I did my first Vacation Bible School since the new me was born. I went into it with fear and trepidation but also with the knowledge that God was once again in control of my life. I should have known. He did the most amazing thing that week and I’ll never forget where I was or what happened. That week 31 kids came to know Jesus as their personal Savior! AMEN! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I was thrilled, fulfilled, and humbled to the core.

How do you love a prideful person? You tell them the truth. You turn them around and hold them by their shoulders to help them face their pride head-on. You love them enough to tell them what a difference their life could make by putting Jesus first and themselves last. The truth may hurt for a while, but if the person has an open heart to God’s will for their life, they’ll see how they’ve missed the mark. Let them know you love them enough to confront them with the truth. A true friend will be glad you did!

That's a piece of cake!

This English language we use is a strange bird sometimes. The colloquialisms we say are regional for sure and are pretty much created within individual families.

While in Romania, my husband told a young professional that raising the money for a project would be a piece of cake. Startled, the young man looked him right in the face and said, “And why would we want to raise a piece of cake when we need money?” HA! I think my husband laughed so hard he busted a gut!

We often use the phrase: “Those folks are going to nickel and dime me to death.” Or this one: “If you’ve got the money, honey, I’ve got the time.” Is it possible that you could phrase yourself right out of the true English language if you tried hard enough? If you believe that, I’ve got land in Florida to sell you…

Those phrases may seem funny but have you ever noticed how we’ve brought that same style into our local church? I know you’ve heard this one: Baptists have food at every function and it isn’t a function until they take an offering. Ouch! So people that go to Baptist churches eat too much and don’t donate enough. Hmmm, I wonder what the kids are picking up from this one.

How about, “If you sit in somebody else’s pew you have to pay twice.” Yeah, that’s really friendly to a newbie. Then there’s “Pastor preached so long I thought I’d have to shave twice today!” Now, that’s a comment that will urge your kids to keep coming to worship!

Watching what you say may be more important than you know. You may think it’s just a simple joke and that it doesn’t mean anything, but little ears have a way of listening when you don’t think they are. If you’re riding home from church this Sunday, remember that you’re not alone. Whatever you say about the preacher, the worship service, or the congregation just might get imprinted on some little mind to hold for future reference! Button it up and watch your words!

Have you divested your Stuff Mart?

I loved Veggie Tales when they first came out. My absolute favorite was Madame Blueberry and the Stuff Mart. It showed all the stuff she kept buying and taking into her tree house. Pretty soon the tree house began to bulge and bend and finally blew up with all the stuff in there! It was funny…until you applied the message to your own life.

I recently moved from a house where I’d raised my family for 36 years. It wasn’t a move I’d planned on. God moved me because I needed moving. My kids planted a dumpster outside on the driveway and said very nicely but firmly, “Fill it.” Since my home was being rented and I was moving to a condo, I knew I needed to divest as much as possible. Some of it was very difficult to go through because of a loss in our family, but the rest of it really needed to go.

I’m not a collector of any one thing, just a lot of little things that were all in tubs in my basement waiting to be…ah…well…I’m not quite sure what I was waiting to do with them. They just seemed like something I should keep. You know, hang on to until the rapture!

Then I got to thinking. What other things am I holding on to that maybe can’t be dumped in a dumpster? You know what I’m talking about. Those things that a relative said to you that hurt and upset you, or something a friend did to you that you can’t get out of your head. All that stuff that’s just hanging around waiting to come up again somewhere down the road in your subconscious and upset you again. Why do we hang on to that stuff? Why can’t we just let it go, divest it like garage sale leftovers? I don’t ever want to be compared to a Madame Blueberry who keeps imputing and never divests anything.

How about you? Are you holding on to something pretty tightly right now? Something that you think you can’t let go of but know you should? Just give it up and hand it over to God, the one who can help you get rid of it. He knows where a good dumpster is and will even lead you right up to the edge with a good hefty throwing arm. Just do it!

No, is not the right answer!

In early 1997, my husband, a very compassionate leader type person, took his first trip overseas. He was on a mission to Romania to scope out an area for Life International, a pro-life ministry, to start a crisis pregnancy center. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He just knew someone had asked for help from that nation and since he was the board chairman and had the funds to make the trip, he was selected.

When he returned home, he slapped his passport on the kitchen counter and said, “There, that’s done and I’m not going again!” Whoa! He told me he had experienced a wonderful trip but didn’t like the international travel part of it. He wanted to be on American soil and made up his mind that was where he could be used best.

Well, when he said “No” to God’s plan for his life, I don’t think God was very happy about it because after that day, it seemed the desire, the need, and the urgency for Tom to go back just grew. Within just a few months he was packing again, wondering just what the purpose of this trip would be. He was on his way to a pro-life conference in Hungary instead of Romania.

Little did he know that God was using this ministry trip to change his life forever. In the conference he was introduced to a young lady named Ana. Ana was just over twenty when they met and her story turned Tom inside out. Ana’s father was a drunk and a wife-beater. He had raped his beautiful daughter and put the fear of men in her. She didn’t trust any man. When Tom saw that scared rabbit look in her eyes as he listened to her story, his heart broke. He wanted to help her but didn’t know how, so he began praying that God would use him.

Ana had come to the conference because she wanted to start a crisis pregnancy center in her town, up in the northern region of Romania. She had some college training in counseling but needed more information. Tom took her under his wing and there began our first experience with Romania’s hurting women. When he came home from this trip I could see he was changed. I could see what God was doing in him and wondered where it would lead.

Years later, now that Tom is gone, I see the path God chose for him so clearly. He needed to be a father to the fatherless and show a father’s love to Europe’s lost daughters. Ana was not the only daughter; there’s Rosie and her three children—Ana, Raluca, and Innes. There’s Felicia from Romania, Olesea from Moldova, and Laryssa from Ukraine. Ana, Felicia, and Olesea were eventually brought to the USA and attended Christian universities. Ana and Felicia are married to wonderful Christian men and each has two lovely children I call my grandchildren. They are happy and have learned how to trust God in trusting their husbands, all because one man was willing to show them the Father’s love.

So are you saying “No” to God about something right now? Have you looked beyond your current circumstances and wondered where saying “Yes” could take you? With the finality of saying “No” you might be missing the greatest blessing of your life!