And a little child shall lead them...

A few days ago, my youngest walked into our living room and announced to me and my husband that his New Year’s resolution was love.  Now, I don’t have the faintest idea how he came up that-we’ve never had any conversation with him (or the older one) about what a resolution is, and we’ve certainly never given him the idea to make one-but somehow or another, he knew what it was, and he made one.   And you know what else?   The kid gets it.  Really and truly-that’s what it’s all about.   Love.  Just love.  Love your family, your friends, your neighbor, the struggling, the hurting, the downtrodden.  Everyone.  Just love.  Anything else will take care of itself.

You know, little ones just seem to get it period.  And they do good too, which is, after all, the point of all of this.  I got to be on the receiving end of it just a bit ago.  You see, over the last year or so, due to illness, I have spent time in and out of wheelchair.  It’s been more than a bit of struggle for me-I used to be an athlete, and I have always been active and mobile-so how I self-identify has taken quite a blow.  With the help of some really great friends, though, it’s gotten better, and when I’m in it, I’m learning to just go about my business as usual, making adjustments when necessary.  That being said, in the best of circumstances, I do not enjoy the spotlight, and sometimes that chair seems to add to it-and one place in particular is in my job.   I am a minister by trade, a while I’m not the big dog on the church campus, my ministerial duties often require that I assist at the communion table and that, on occasion, I preach-both of which I have recently done for the first time with wheels. Hello, self-consciousness!!

After my first seated sermon, I was approached by one of two nearly three year old twins.  Now, these precious girls are fairly familiar with me.  Their mother is one of my dearest friends, and they attend daycare with my aforementioned youngest.  But I really just wasn’t sure how they’d react to my being in a wheelchair, especially up close and personal.  The first question was, naturally, “Why are you in that?”.  I explained to my little friend that my legs were a little sick.  And then, the wonderful thing happened:  She just smiled at me, said okay, and crawled right up in my lap like it was the most natural thing ever--so we went for a little ride.  Well, it wasn’t long before her sister had joined the party, and we went for a ride (followed of course, by my youngest, who often goes for a ride with me!). 

Now, I know this seems like a terribly small thing, but for me?  Well, it made me day!  Not only did I get to feel like I did something “cool” (and trust me, kids, cool is something I have NEVER been!), but they weren’t put off by anything at all.  They get it from their mom-and their aunt, and the rest of their family.  And let me tell you, that’s a confidence builder right there, folks!  I’m ready, wheels and all!    

I tell this little story to say this.   Simple, small things still count.  Just bringing a little extra joy to someone-be it a smile, a hug, even a hello-that’s doing good.  We can all do a little good every day.  And if we all make a point to be good in the world, well, it’s going to look like a lot better place to all of us. 

Get up and go, my friends!   

The First Page of a New Book

Happy New Year to all of you!  I pray that you may experience God’s richest blessings this year and that He will use you according to His purposes!

Last night, as I was scrolling through Facebook awaiting the arrival of 2014, I saw a post that read “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book.  Write a good one.”  Well, tomorrow is now today, and the writing begins.   Here’s to a great beginning, and to one amazing book!

I won’t lie to you, I’m not even entirely sure myself what this is all about.   I just know God said “Go!” and I’m trying my best to follow.  Get Up and Go 2014 I hope will encourage and inspire us to focus on the good, to serve others in love, and to pray for each other as we go in the name of Christ.  Past that, I don’t know what’s coming.  But I feel like it’s going to be something good.

At my last check, the Facebook page (found at http://www.facebook.com/guag2014) had 73 likes.   That’s not a bad deal for something that’s less than two days old!  Some of you I know, some of you I don’t-but that’s okay.  We’re all here to do good, and to pray for each other-and we’re all precious to God-that’s all that matters.  

Looking forward, I want to encourage you to think about the possibilities.  Now, those of you who know me know that math is not my strong suit, but I’m going to give it a try here.   Let’s say that all of us who like the FB page do good for one person this year.   Well, that’s 73 people who have gotten to experience a dose of Christ’s love.  PRAISE THE LORD!!!   If we all did one thing each month, that number increases to 876!   Talk about something to celebrate!!  If we were so bold as to do something each week, 3,796!!!   HALLELUJAH!!!  And if we all dared to do something good in the Spirit everyday this year, 26,645!!!  AMEN and AMEN!!!  And, maybe, just maybe, someone else jumps on board with us??   It just grows from there!!!   God is at work, ladies and gentleman!   And I can’t wait to take this journey with you!

I am from the Methodist tradition, and we take a lot from the thoughts and writings of John Wesley.   I leave you today with a quote that is often attributed to him:

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Get up and go, my friends!

Get Up and Go - some highlights from Sunday's Sermon

Several years ago, my husband and I found ourselves with a decision to make.   He had unexpectedly been offered a new job.  The pay would be slightly better, but it would require us moving to a new area, an area that we knew very little about.  I would have to leave my job at a church I loved very much, my husband would leave behind a school (and kids) that he loved very much, our oldest would have to begin kindergarten in a new school system, our house would have to be sold, we would have to find a new place to live that would accommodate us, our two kids, and at the time, four dogs and two cats.  No small feat.   To stay would have meant safety and security, and maybe most importantly, familiarity.    We prayed and prayed, and talked and prayed some more.  A few mornings later, as I sat in line to pick our oldest son up from school, I read the following quote in a Guideposts magazine:  “A boat is safe in the harbor.  But that is not the purpose of the boat.”  And there was our answer.  It was time to take a step in faith, and trust that God was leading us to other things.  It worked out, of course.  As it turned out, the very next day, the DOT decided that they would need our home for a new highway.  We would have been moving anyway.  We moved to the new area, a new church, and new school, and fell in love with the people and town.   We have been blessed beyond measure in the years since we moved, and now couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Yesterday morning, I read the text from Matthew 2:13-23 regarding Joseph’s dream and his subsequent flight with Mary and Jesus to Egypt at the urging of God’s messenger.  I imagine that Joseph must have felt a great deal of anxiety and stress about fleeing to Egypt.   I’m sure where Joseph was must have felt like a better place to be.   He was surrounded by people he knew, maybe even family, he had a way to provide for his family.  I’m sure it was stressful enough being tasked to care for the Son of God under the best of circumstances, and few would argue that fleeing from a murderous temperamental Herod were anywhere near the best of circumstances, if albeit certainly the best option.   Nevertheless, Joseph stepped out in faith, and followed God once again, and as always, God provided for the needs and protection.

It’s interesting that one of the first actions of Jesus’ life involves “going.”  One might say that Jesus was always “on the go”.   He frequently traveled, delivering a message of love, healing, and forgiveness all over.  We know, by mention of name, over 25 times-pretty impressive, especially given Jesus’ relatively short time on earth and that much of it occurred in a roughly three year period of ministry (not to mention in a society without planes, trains, and automobiles).  It should come as no surprise, then, that His last words to his followers, before he ascended back to his place with the Father are “Go into the world, and proclaim the good news.”

I guess you could say Jesus’ ministry was framed by going.   One of the first actions he experienced as a child was going to Egypt, and the last command he gives is for his followers to go and spread his message.  And in the middle, we find the example of how to do it, lived out by the Son of God himself. 

Shifting gears just a bit here, I’d like to give you a few facts I've found about the world today:

Today, there are roughly 842 million people who do not have enough to eat. 

There are an estimated 153 million orphans in the world.

Human trafficking is one of largest international organized crimes in the world right now.  There are approximately 20 – 30 million slaves living in the world today. 

At least 80% of the population of the world lives in poverty. Over 20,000 children die every day as a result. 

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Over One Billion people live with inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack decent sanitation.  While less than 5%, there are still people in the United States without adequate access to safe water.

There are 2.4 million in U.S. prisons alone.  Around 500,000 juveniles are brought in to the system in a given year. 

A new year is coming.   A time when we reflect on the past, and plan what we can do better.   These are but a few of the problems that exist in the world around us today.   What will we do to fix them?  Where are you being sent?   Maybe it’s time or work with some of the many children in foster care, or maybe just spending some time getting to know and mentoring some of the youth and children near you.   Maybe it’s work in a food pantry or a soup kitchen.  Perhaps prison ministry?  Maybe it’s here in your own backyard, maybe it’s somewhere else.   Maybe on one of the many native American reservations here in the United States.  Maybe in Appalachia.   Maybe even the inner city or third world developing countries.   The possibilities are limitless, and none, no matter how great or how small is less needed than the other.  It may take a baby step in faith, it may take a leap or two.   It may even be frightening.  I’m sure Joseph and Mary were frightened-scared for their baby boy, and afraid of leaving the familiarity of home for the uncertainty of a future in Egypt.  But God doesn’t call us to safety. He doesn’t call us to comfort.   He calls us to trust Him.   He calls us to have faith that He is calling us to something greater- to go and deliver the good news-the good news that a savior has been born and that he loves even us, and offers us a grace and forgiveness in that love He has for us.   He calls us to follow Him and His plan, just as Joseph did when the angel said “Get up and go.”

 As you make your New Year’s Resolutions this year, I want to ask that you add two.  First, pray for each other.  Pray that the name of Christ will travel in love through each other, pray for discernment that each may hear where God is calling them, and pray for those who need to see Christ amongst the rubble and despair in the world around us.   Second, I ask that you commit to do good this year in the name of the Savior who loves you and me.  Take that step, large or small, in faith.  It doesn’t matter whether you do it for one or one thousand.   All are precious in His sight.  Even a pebble dropped in the ocean changes the ocean.  If we all touch just one, there are that many more who have been served, and who can then serve someone else.   Love is contagious, folks.

I leave you with this:  Where will you show God’s love and goodness when God calls you?   What will you do for Christ? Take care of going where he sends, and I assure you, Christ and his love will show up and show off.  It’s time for the boat to leave the harbor.   Get up and go.