a father's love

This past week I have had a terribly tragic reminder of the beauty of love. It has been gutwrenching for our church and community.

A 46 year old man and his family were vacationing in Wyoming, and had stopped for a picnic on the bank of the Snake River. The 10 year old son was playing on the edge of the river and somehow got pulled into the current. The father went to his rescue, and they were both swept into the strong pull of the river. After floating together for a short distance, Dad was finally able to push his son into the slower water where he could climb out safely. The son was rescued and unhurt. But the dad was pulled underwater, and never seen again. Rescue crews still have not been able to find him after 5 days of searching.

This family was a precious example of stability and love. Dad, Mom, Son (10) and Daughter (7). Father was incredibly engaged with his children and wife, and extremely active in his church and school community. He was an elder in the church, and the chair of the school board. He was well respected and admired by all. And he will be extraordinarily missed by all.

The son is dreadfully heartbroken, of course. He will live forever with the knowledge that his father died trying to save him. The challenge for his mother, and others who love and support him, will be to help him see that his father loved him so much that he gave his life for him, rather than his father died because of him. As he grows and matures, will he let that knowledge eat at him and discourage him; or will he let that knowledge uplift and encourage him?

That is exactly what Jesus did for us, too. He loved us so much that He gave His life for each of us. He willingly died on the cross for our sins, to save us, so that we could live with Him in Heaven forever. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Our purpose, as mothers, pastoral wives, daughters, sisters and friends, is to help others see how much God loves them, and what He gave for them. Our job is to help others be encouraged and uplifted, and even challenged, by that love.

I ask for your continued prayers for this family. Thank you for lifting them up to their Heavenly Father during this tragic time of their lives.

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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milk & honey

Dear Girlfriends,

Today I'm writing you a letter, normally I have an article but I felt a letter was needed.

There are times in ministry where it's just plain ugly and hard. Summers can be one of those times. (I think I just heard a chorus of amens across the internet.)

Summertime brings amazing memories and laughter but also sometimes tears. So many times in ministry Summer beats us down... way down. People are gone on vacation, they sleep in, they are busy with activities and church becomes an afterthought. Tithing drops, attendance fluctuates and your hubby can get discouraged. If God has promised great things for your family and your church, then you need to keep reading, and stand on this in discouraging times.

Numbers 23:19 says "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promiseand not fulfill?"  When summer makes other people flaky, don’t evaluate God’s reliability like a human’s. God will never lie, never deceive, never mislead, and God will not change His mind. You can trust God, you can rely on Him, to keep His promises in every detail.

Joshua 23:14: "Not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."

I truly believe that there are times that are so hard in ministry. So I want to encourage you to use the slow summer months to spy on your city.

Go see that your city is flowing with milk and honey, but don't be discouraged by that fruit. The city is powerful with lots of people, issues and things to overcome, but use this time to ask God to direct you and your husband where he may lead.

Pray over your city. Instead of fighting against the things that seem so heavy, flow with it, change it up, and speak life over your city, your church and your marriage.

Spend your influence wisely and leave your sweet smelling scent wherever you may go! Meet new people, and develop relationships. Enjoy your family!!!

And go read Psalm 48!!!

Embrace your summer, ladies, it goes so fast!
Rachael

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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on VBS programs...

Last week our church held VBS. 

We had about 50 kids, ages 3-11, and another 15 teenagers as assistant staff. About half of the kids were from the community, and quite a few returned this year because they came last year. 

It was my first time doing VBS in this church district, since we moved here last winter. This was also my first time using a pre-packaged set of materials. In the past when I've done VBS, we've always done it the "hard" way - you know, where you make all your own crafts, come up with all your own decorations, and create all your own program elements. There's definitely something to be said about the ease of a fully packaged set, but I've enjoyed the uniqueness of having original material as well. 

Every church, in every country, has a different experience and unique ideas to offer. 

A friend of mine is a youth pastor in the UK. She does an adaptation of something called "Messy Church", a hands-on, whole-family church service once a month. She says it's kind of like VBS, but every month, all year long. 

So what does your church do? What's your favorite way to minister to children through VBS or something similar? How do you make it scriptural yet engaging?

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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going home

Ahhh…the feel of coming home. As we drive around the serene Pennsylvania countryside, with the peaceful cows munching on grass, and the gentle rolling hills dotted with farmhouses and barns, a sigh escapes my lips. My husband asks, “Why the sigh?” and I honestly don’t know the answer.

You see, we left Pennsylvania four years ago to take a call in Georgia. We have come back to visit family. His family. He is the PA native; I am the GA girl. Of course they are my family too, as I love them with all my heart; but my family is all in Georgia. So why this sigh of nostalgia, of longing? When I lived here I longed for Georgia. But now that we are living in Georgia, I long for here.

“Do you wish we could come back?” my husband asks.

Do I? Yes, in many ways. However, things have changed here. People have moved, new people have come. Places are different, dynamics are different. We could never recapture now the way it was then.

I turn my thoughts to our current home. I love the people and the church dearly. I love the Georgia way. I love the vibrancy of our ministry. I especially love being near my family. My husband and I have grown so much over the four years we have been in our new church, and our children have thrived. So why am I so melancholy at this moment?

I ponder this question, and quietly pray for an answer.

The answer comes to my spirit in a whisper:

Because that was your home. But where you are now is your home. Every place I have put you is your home. I have grown and developed you in each place, and each place has become a part of who you are. And I will continue to grow you where I plant you in the future. However, you will never be fully content, because your true home isn’t here on this earth—it is in Heaven, with Me. That is where your Home is, and that is what your heart longs for.

Perhaps this combined sense of longing for the past, but yearning for the future, that I live with--that I thought plagued me—is straight from God. It doesn’t mean I’m not content where I am. It means that I am always ready for whatever God has in store. Each place, each new adventure, is just one step closer to our final destination.

Ahhh…the feel of going home!

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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insurance

A few weeks ago the mail carrier came to our door with a package. I LOVE packages, and since I’m a homeschooler, the package is usually filled with books. Well, this package was SUPPOSED to be filled with books, but the box was ripped and torn, and there was nothing in it. The mail carrier looked apologetic, and said that the box had apparently broken, and the contents had fallen out somewhere between here and Denver. She gave us a form to fill out, and left me with not only a broken box, but a broken heart.

You see, inside this box was about $500 worth of books, a year’s curriculum for my boys. The thought of all those beautiful books lost in a some postal warehouse--or even worse—dumpster, just about brought tears to my eyes. My son was equally devastated, because he loves books as much as I do, and he was especially interested in the subject of many of these books (world history through the perspective of transportation).

However, I did have some consolation: I had purchased insurance! Even though the contents of the package were lost, I knew that I would be reimbursed the monetary value of the books, plus the postage price. Now, considering that the USPS is a government agency, I knew that it would take some time to see that money, but I would see it nonetheless.

I was reminded immediately of how our lives are broken and lost forever, but God has given us insurance as well, in His Son, Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for us, He purchased an insurance policy, if you will, on each and every one of us. We each can choose whether to “cash in” on that policy, but it is available to every. single. person. Yes, we may have to wait a while until He returns and takes us home to Heaven, but we have the assurance of His return. Insurance. Assurance. What a beautiful thing.

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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