A Lesson In Giving

 by Chris Jones

I realized I was in the middle of making a huge mistake by not taking my son’s money. Actually, my awareness was mostly peaked by the hole my wife’s eyes were burning into me. She saw it before I did. My son was growing into the man I pray he will be, and I was standing in his way.

Working in the finance industry, I make every attempt to raise my sons with a good sense of value and proper money management. Similarly, being a Christian, I try to take advantage of each chance to build a strong sense of charity into their daily habits. Every month, they learn exactly what amount of their allowance to set aside as tithe to their youth ministry, and how to make wise decisions with what the have left. So, when my eleven-year-old handed me five dollars, saying, “Dad, I want you to take this and spend it on something just for you,” the finance guy in me immediately thought, “Buddy, I don’t want you to just give your money away. You need to learn the value of your hard work, earning your allowance.”

Some piece of that “logic” was even coming out of my mouth when my wife’s wide eyes signaled the error I was making. For as much as I talk to them about the importance of having and the blessings that follow a generous spirit, I was in the process of blocking one of them from that experience becoming real in his life. Humbling myself, I took five, hard-earned dollars from the hand of this young man who just seconds before, had walked into my kitchen as a little boy.

Should I really be surprised, then, that the very next day, God delivered two blessings He was preparing for my son? First, a new soccer jersey came in that tracking notifications said would take another two weeks to arrive. Later, we found “THE” soccer cleats he wanted, for about half the price he expected. Certainly, such occurrences could easily be dismissed as coincidence. Thankfully, this eleven-year-old boy rightly identified them as God’s providence and encouragement to grow in charity. Meanwhile, his father was thanking God for leading us both through a lesson in giving.

A Father In His Image

 by Chris Jones

Parents, how many times have our reactions to our children been triggered in a moment of our own frustration or anger? I’d guess that, in an easy majority of those instances, we’ve reacted with emotion and consequences that were well disproportionate to the perceived offense. Let it stand as reason enough to live in the power of The Holy Spirit, relying on His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control to rule over the emotions we’d otherwise release.

Ephesians 6:4 says, “And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.

A comment to this verse in my Life Application Study Bible says, “The purpose of parental discipline is to help children grow, not to exasperate and provoke them to anger or discouragement. Parenting is not easy. It takes lots of patience to raise children in a loving, Christ-honoring manner. But frustration and anger should not be causes for discipline. Instead, parents should act in love, treating their children as Jesus treats the people he loves. This is vital to children’s development and to their understanding of what Christ is like.”

I like the way Paul’s letter is interpreted in Colossians 3:21 (NLT), where he warns, “Fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.”

God, help us to love like you love and discipline like you discipline. Help us to nurture the tender spirits in our children. Help us to always build, and never tear down. Holy Spirit, help us exhibit the image and character of Jesus in our interactions with those over whom we’re in positions of authority. Allow us to clearly see the mercy and grace we’ve been shown by the Father, and dispense guidance and correction accordingly. I pray that your peace and presence will rule in our homes, as we yield ourselves to Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

El Salvador Journal: Day 3

Friday, July 16th 2010

Our first day of ministry began as our training day did. We were up and at breakfast at 6:30. We probably had “salsa eggs” with beans. This was something we had several times, with the occasional cereal mixed in. Again, breakfast was delicious.

Before we headed out, we were introduced to the final member of our ministry team. His name was Oscar. He was a Master’s Commission student from Nicaragua.

Each day, as we headed out for ministry, we stopped at a Texaco on the highway to stock up on water and whatever other little items we felt like we might want to nibble on. I got a bottle of water and a honey bun of some kind.

Driving into the city in the daylight was a bit different from what we saw when we arrived during the night. The houses were small, concrete structures. We wound our way though San Salvador until we were good and lost. We finally stopped in what we were informed was a particularly dangerous neighborhood.

We walked down steps and past small, concrete houses to a playground, where the team quickly sat up a PA system and began drawing kids out of their homes. Two members of our team were dressed as clowns and started making balloon animals. I quickly learned how to make a sword and handed them out to a couple of the boys. It was especially frustrating to not be able to communicate with them through the language barrier.

Since Castle adheres to a strict standard of dress, as requested by the leading missionary for El Salvador, our guys wore long pants, while our ladies wore skirts. We were also issued a couple of “Castle” t-shirts, so locals would identify us as members of the ministry. We were told this was key to our safety while ministering in the city.

Friday was probably our hottest ministry day. Some of our guys started playing basketball with some of the kids. It wasn’t long before there were a good many people hanging around, and we started our program.

However ill-prepared we might have felt for ministry after our whirlwind day of training, our host team did a miraculous job of pulling us through our first couple of songs. Even through the last day of ministry, I was reliant on positioning myself behind other team members, so I could watch and follow their lead.  I was impressed by how quickly Courtney and some of the others caught on, and how much they retained from our day of training.

For the days of ministry, our team was divided into two parts. When it came time for the more serious portion of the program, one team would go to pray while the other would stay and perform. We would alternate these roles throughout the week.

As Herbert gave the request for kids to come and receive salvation, it was obvious that he had a gift for communicating to children. Each time we prayed, at the end of the program, we would go through a routine of praying for salvation, illnesses and problems in the home.

When the program was done, we packed up and headed out for our next destination. It was in these early moments of the trip that we began to realize the tight bond that was forming between us, our host team and our intern.

Our next stop was at the office of the “zone-one” church, where we met Pastor David. While there, we ate lunch and had another opportunity to upload some pictures and communicate via facebook, since we had a couple of hours before our next ministry opportunity.

Our next stop was similar to the first. Again, there was little hope of keeping our bearings, as we twisted through the city. We stopped at another small basketball/soccer court. This time we organized a game with some of the kids in the neighborhood. It was my team’s turn to pray. After the first couple of songs, we headed back to the bus. As was the plan, they called us back to the court when it was time to pray with the kids.

Each ministry site, for me, was made memorable by the faces of those who lived in that neighborhood. Here, one of those individuals was an older lady in a green dress, who strolled by several times as my team was praying. She seemed to have been made curious by the spectacle.

Our last stop for the day was a darker site. The walk from the bus to the court was a bit longer this time, giving more opportunity to take in the smells of raw sewage, signs of gang activity and the hopeless expressions on the faces of most residents. There was a foreboding presence about this place.

Again, we picked up a game of soccer with the kids. Even the youngest of them were impressively skilled with the ball. There was a small market at the corner of the court and a place where Pastor David said the gang members would hang out. The perimeter of the court was surrounded by more concrete brick houses and a couple of swing sets.

Our ministry time was typical. Although some of the kids were distracted by various conversations, our host team pushed forward as if all eyes were fixed on them.

This evening was highlighted by Pastor Nick and Pastor David praying for a young gang member who accepted Jesus as his Savior.

Towards the end of our first day of ministry, we settled into a routine of wrestling away from Sarah, Meilssa and Karen (our intern and host-team members) whatever props, equipment or supplies they might try to carry back to the bus. The basic instruction was, “If they wont give you what they’re carrying, you carry them.”

When we returned to the bus, Sarah, congratulated us on a successful first day of ministry. Pastor David also commented that our team was “one-hundred-percenters”, remarking that we would go and do whatever we were asked. This made us very proud of the guys and girls we took to El Salvador. The praise was well-deserved.

Each night, dinner was served at 6:30. I don’t know that we ever made it back on time. Like breakfast, diner was always good. Dinner after our first night of ministry was baked chicken breast. Honestly, it tasted just like home.

Everyone was more than ready to get to bed after an exhausting day. We had a great group of men and women on this trip.

We compiled a recap video from each day of ministry. This is the video from day one.

We also captured some of our student’s thoughts each day.

If you were there and remember details or any interesting stories I missed, please add your memories of our third day in the comments below. Thanks for reading and look for another post from my journal, tomorrow.

True Greatness

 by Chris Jones

As Mother’s Day approaches, I’m reminded that greatness is a relative concept.  The word itself implies something remarkably different in scope or dimension, from what we might considered ordinary.  It creates a perception that greatness isn’t for us, that we’re destined to commit our lives to common endeavors, supposing greatness is reserved for better people, more important people.  It’s necessary, then, to bring to the light of reality, just how great and uncommon are these tasks to which we’ve been called.

To whom might one turn to shift these perceptions?  Who has the wisdom to shape the generations?  It’s Mr. Rogers, of course.

My boss gave me a book called “The World According to Mr Rogers”.  It’s saturated with deep, simple thoughts.  Among them is this:

“A high-school student wrote to ask, ‘What was the greatest event in American history?’  I can’t say.  However, I suspect that like so many ‘great’ events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history).  The really important ‘great’ things are never center stage of life’s drama; they’re always ‘in the wings’.  That’s why it’s so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial.”  (Rogers, Fred. The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember. New York: MJF Books, 2003, p 144)

Greatness happens every day, everywhere there’s a loving mother.  Greatness happens as children are being read to and tucked in at night.  Greatness happens during conversations around the dinner table.  Greatness happens every time a scraped knee is kissed and bandaged.  It’s happening when homework is being checked and teacher conferences are being attended.  Greatness is happening as mothers with careers inside and outside their homes, work to ensure needs are being met.  Greatness happens when mothers pray that their families will always know a loving home, and extend that love to those who don’t.

Thank God for Mothers who make greatness an everyday occurence.  Your dedication to family is sunlight to the darkest places on Earth, as your children spread the love you’ve deposited in their hearts.  To measure the impact you’ve had in the world is an impossible task.  This is why I stop and say, thank you loving mothers, for demonstrating true greatness.

Next Generation

 by Chris Jones

I had a cool experience Sunday.  I participate as a member of the video team at our church.  Yesterday, I had my eleven-year-old son in the booth with me, running video.  This was his second week in “big church”, since he graduated from kid’s church at the beginning of this school year.  He did an awesome job!  He got the words up for all the songs.  He was ready for every transition.  He followed Pastor through his notes.  Needless to say, I was a very proud daddy.

During worship I brought his attention to all the people around the altar, praising God.  I made sure he took a second to look down and see what was happening.  I wanted him to understand his contribution to that moment.   God was obviously touching lives, and he played no small part in creating an atmosphere for it.

It’s easy to miss the role we play in God working in people’s lives.  He puts us in the right places at the right times, as He moves according to His will.  I want my sons to always recognize the contributions they make to the Kingdom of God.  I don’t want them to think they have to be front and center to have an impact.  I want them to understand that every link in the chain is important, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to us.

I know he’ll remember these lessons, and pray that he’ll always determine, as it says in Colossians 3:23-24, to do everything for the Lord.

Experience Makes All The Difference

 by Chris Jones

My boys are getting too big!!! I can’t believe my oldest is entering Middle School this year. One definite consolation is that my wife and I LOVE the school he’s going to. Our first opportunity to visit was at an open house they conducted last year. We love the classes they offer. We love the administrators. We love the teachers. We love the reputation and reviews we’ve heard from other students and families. All of our experiences have been extremely positive so far.

Despite the great feelings my wife and I have developed, our son was less enthusiastic. No kid wants summer to end, for sure. Whenever we asked if he’s excited about starting at his new school next week, he responded with equal parts of looking forward to seeing his friends again, and fear of the unknown. Well, that all changed when we visited for orientation Tuesday night. He loved the building. He loved his classrooms. He loved his locker. He loved his teachers. He loved seeing his friends. Through his experience, he was able to confirm for himself what my wife and I already knew to be true.

Sometimes you just have to experience something for yourself before you really get it. It’s that way with God. If you’ve never experienced a life with Him, you have no idea what you’re missing. Take some time to visit with him today. Take some time to read His Word (The Bible). Tell him about your fears and frustrations. There’s no wrong way to do it and he’s always available. My experience tells me that He’s more real than you know. Have your own experience with God. It’ll make all the difference.

Father and Son

 by Chris Jones

I spent the weekend celebrating the birthday of one of my best friends in the whole world, my nine-year-old son. Both of our boys are tremendous blessings to my wife and me. I sincerely hope I can teach them half of what God is teaching me through the gift of being their father. With them, I feel I better understand the relentless love God has for us.I take very seriously the role I play in their lives.

Just as God is teaching me about being a father, I want them to understand their position as His children. I want them to be confident of His total provision for their lives, understanding their best course is in complete obedience to His will. I try to not miss an opportunity to further refine the example I attempt to set for them, of God as a loving father.

My favorite moments come when I pray with them each night. I see the evidence that God is answering those prayers. I want them to sink in deeply. They’re simple, but powerful. I pray…”Dear Jesus, watch over and protect this precious little buddy of mine. Thank you for everything he says and does. Let it all be for your glory. I pray that You’ll keep him safe. I pray that he’ll grow up strong and healthy and loving you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

You’re being watched!!!

 by Chris Jones

As parents, like it or not, for better or worse, your children are always watching.  Your every word and action is recorded and evaluated.  Your witness is among the weightiest evidence they’ll have as a basis for their belief in God.  Will they have a proper context within which they can accept a revered, almighty, powerful, sovereign God as a loving, gracious, merciful Father?

In Matthew 22:29-30, when responding to the Sadducees’ challenge concerning the resurrection, Jesus seems to suggest that we don’t understand the eternal nature of our temporary, earthly relationships.  If we believe the Bible, we know that everything we have is God’s.  Since this also applies to our families, before we consider our children ours’, we need to recognize them as men and women of God’s Kingdom.  We have a great responsibility to live before them as an example of Christ, being quick to recognize and apologize when we fail.

Do you commonly speak judgmentally and out of frustration to them, or with grace and understanding?  What habits are they seeing?  How do they see you treat your spouse?  What do they hear you say about others?  Let your witness to them be powerful and decisive.  Let there be no room for gray.  You will either lay a solid foundation for their faith or raise obstacles to it.

Set a clear example for your children.  As they grow, they’ll want to be like you, like Christ.