Time…

July 12, 2010 in Journal with 0 Comments

…is something you take for granted until you start losing it. Another lesson I’m learning here at the New Mexico Christian Children’s Home is that time is precious. It flies by like dust through Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.

We are adjusting well to our new surroundings and new labors. We are working now with our second group of kids and we are loving it. We are tired from a trip to Ruidoso, NM, though. We, and a number of other cottage parents, took the kids to Mountain Family Fellowship. It was an amazing weekend.

School is still incredibly demanding. They make for late nights and early mornings.

I’m trying to finish writing a review of Sarah Cunningham’s Picking Dandelions: A Search for Eden Among Life’s Weeds. She’s got a blog tour going. My post goes live on July 15th.

Also got invites from Chris Gallagher and Bobby Cohoon to guest post for their blogs, later this month. I’m excited about it.

I’ve been working on a post entitled, AGAPE, that I can’t seem to finish. That is frustrating. My family is waiting. Please be patient. It is coming soon. Just gotta find more time. LOL

Time is precious. Remember that. Love your wife. Hug your kids. Appreciate your family. Engage your work with passion. Don’t take your time for granted.

Day 1

July 2, 2010 in House Parenting with 5 Comments

It happened almost overnight. Two days ago, Tisha and I went from having three children under our roof to 12. The oldest is 13; the youngest is 18 months. They will stay with us for a week, then a new set of kids will spend the week with us. When House Parents have their week off, we take their kids for them for that week. That’s how it works.

As I type, we have had them for 48 hours. Two days down, five more to go with the kids from Cottage 1.

So what have I learned in those 48 hours? Here are a few things.

  1. Kids are desperately seeking validation. These children know there are voids in their lives and they are seeking people to fill those voids. That is what makes this kind of work so rewarding. Adults are filling holes in the hearts of kids and filling them will love, concern, and hope.
  2. Patience. I told Tisha the other night, “It will be impossible to strive to be so patient with these kids and that not spill over into becoming more patient with our own kids.” It’s true. I’ve had such unreasonable expectations of my own kids. Patience hasn’t been one of my virtues, and I am certain that God has brought us to this place, not only to help make a difference in the lives of these kids, but to also teach me to be a more patient person. This is something I welcome.
  3. Kids want to be engaged on so many levels. Wednesday afternoon I took our whole cottage of 12 kids (mine included) and we had a huge soccer game. Kids from other cottages played as well. It was a blast. But it wasn’t for all of them. Some children had to be engaged on a different level and in a different venue. It’s easy to want to compel kids to conform to things that simply aren’t who they are. Every child is unique and must be considered as such. We are going to have to learn each one and seek to engage them where they desire it.

I am sure that there will be tons more we learn. For those of you who’ve been wondering what children’s home work is like, this is just a taste. More shall come later, but I am going to have to find the time. Time, consequently, is a precious commodity around here.

He Got It…

June 29, 2010 in Christian Life, Ministry with 12 Comments

He had a bodybuilder’s physique, tattoos that covered the entirety of his massive arms, and a shiny, shaved head. By all appearances, he might not be the kind of person you’d think would get it. But he did. That’s what we get for thinking in terms of common stereotypes.

I’m sure, for some of us, his job description might not help. After all, he cleaned carpets for a living. He might have been the owner for all I know. That’s inconsequential. What matters is that he got it.

He was cleaning my carpets in conjunction with my residential lease agreement. There were several companies to choose from; I made the call; he came.

He, though, asked the question: “Why are you moving?” Here’s how the conversation went.

“New job,” I responded.

“Military?”, he inquired.

“Nope… I’m in ministry.”

“What kind of ministry?” he probed.

“Well I was a pulpit minister, but now my wife and I are going to work with a children’s home in Portales.”

He developed a look on his face that said it all. He smiled with a particular look on his face, shook his head, and we continued to converse about which home we were working with. But as we parted company, I couldn’t help but think to myself…that guy got it. He really got it.

My decision to give up pulpit work for something else hasn’t been well received by all. There are not few who believe that pulpit work is about the only to do ministry. I use to think that myself.

I knew there were a variety of spiritual gifts one might use, and they weren’t necessarily connected to a preaching ministry (Romans 12: 6-8), but I still thought pulpit work was the only legitimate way to serve. Youth Ministers were a waste of money. Family Life Ministers were silliness. Both might be “unauthorized.” Looking back, I wound up being the one with the silly thinking.

Real ministry happens when service takes place in the name of God. It might be at a church building, a homeless shelter, and/or a children’s home. Scratch that…I’m now 100% certain that it happens at a children’s home. It is odd, though, to see who really gets it.

Let the Craziness Continue

June 28, 2010 in Journal with 2 Comments

Where do I start?

The last week has been one of the more interesting weeks of my life and I think this week will probably wind up topping it in the “interesting” catagory. We’ve been doing a lot of staffing at NMCCH, learning more about the kids who live here and observing how other houseparents operate their cottages.

We finally got completely moved from Clovis, as well as got everything from the apartment on campus here over to Cottage 3, where we’ll be living.

Yesterday, I went back to Clovis to preach for my friend, Larry Tittle, at the West 21st Street Church of Christ. Later we came back to Portales so I could teach the teen class at Southside on Sunday evening. I’ll be preaching for Southside this Sunday.

Tonight I am going back to Clovis to play softball and working with a couple for whom I will be officiating their wedding ceremony soon.

Tuesday we have another big staffing before we begin keeping the kids from Cottage 1, the largest cottage on campus with the most the youngest kids, Wednesday morning. We are very anxious!

Our kids are loving it here. We are meeting and working with some wonderful people.

Today, I  also begin a new class in my MACCR program entitled, “Identity, Culture, and Conflict.” Can’t wait to see what this class entails.

Things have been crazy, but I think they are about to get crazier!

Relationship or Rule Keeping or Both???

June 19, 2010 in Christianity with 3 Comments

In the field of dispute resolution, we refer to it as framing. Framing is analyzing something by noting everything we can about it. Our understandings of things tend to be based on the frames through which we see them. We call it a “frame of reference.”

And then there is what is called reframing. To reframe something is to see something from a different angle or perspective and then communicate it in that way. Reframing allows us to see things we might not otherwise see.

It is safe to say that perspective is everything.

People, myself included, have tended to look at Christianity in a myriad of different ways. Their thoughts are predicated upon how they’ve framed it. But I’ve noticed I have not always been very comfortable with how others have framed it.

Is Christianity about relationship or rule keeping or both? How you’ve framed it makes all the difference.

In the below YouTube clip, Jason Gray has framed Christianity in a way that may or may not make you uncomfortable. I think I understand what he’s getting at, though. How do you feel about it?

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