Equippers Newsletter: The Price of Serving Him is Worth It!

On Jan. 12 I stood in a concourse at in the Atlanta airport with 10 other families as we watched 12 children we'd grown to love deeply walk through gates to go 'home' to their 10-to-a-room orphanage in the Ukraine. They'd been with us three weeks, but left a permanent indention in our lives.

(Now hold on, those of you who know our passion for the homeless and may  be tired of it :), this is not a diatribe about that.)

Before we left the concourse and right after the children walked away, the host families (many who had kept their children out of school that day to let them experience the send-off) gathered together, all sad, many in tears. I shared one thought:

"This is part of the price of serving Him and serving His children," I said, paraphrasing now. "I think we would all agree it is worth it."

The Word of God says that true family is body of Christ.
The Word of God says to "let the dead bury their dead."
The Word of God says to leave father and mother to serve.
The Word of God shows a life - Jesus'! - and paints a clear picture of giving sacrificially, pouring ourselves out, which is letting Him flow through.

That paints a picture that, taken out of context, can seem hard and cold. Parents, we have a tender-hearted, bottom-line God. Those two are not in conflict. He is tender-hearted through us and bottom-line when it comes to his command to strip away everything that hinders our service to Him.


That's what those families were doing. And it hurt so good (thank you, John Mellencamp) because Jesus was alive in them! And because of that, Jesus is alive in six of the 12 children, they having come to Christ on the trip (and five being baptized in Jeff & Melissa's Birkholz' bathtub, with 48 people jammed into their master bath to watch!) And some may be coming back to a new life here.

Listen, you don't have to be taking in a child to be pouring yourself out. It's just one example. But to live this life, to know His power, to be obedient, you must be leading your family in service that requires His presence to succeed.

A vital, fundamental passage for the believer who wants to walk with Christ (can there be any other kind?) is 2 Corinthians 1, 3- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (emphasise mine)
 
In his great new book Forgotten God, Francis Chan writes, "the Spirit led the first Christians to do unexplainable things, to live lives that didn't make sense to the culture around them, and ultimately to spread the story of God's grace around the world."

Ukraine Kids Welcoming @ FB Concord on Arrival Day

So what are you doing? This isn't intended as a guilt trip. If you feel one, take a step back. Ours is a gracious God. He's calling you, not admonishing you. He's saying, "Let's take a step forward," in service, one that positions your family to be used by Him, positions you and your children to experience His power.

How do you take such steps?
1 -- Prayerfully consider (with your spouse, if married, and with your children, especially the older ones) the passions, gifts and talent your family members have. Literally write down what they are.
2 -- Consider where that might naturally lead you in types of service/ministry. Feel free to consult with a church staff member about opportunities.
3 -- Consider any impediments in family schedule that might keep you from service/ministry. You might have to make hard cuts before you are positioned to serve. 'We don't have time,' is a leadership problem, not a reason.
4 -- Make a move. Do something.

 I'd rather swing-and-miss than stand there while pitches blow by! I have found God to be very gracious about 'aggressive mistakes' (which is not an excuse for recklessness).

All around us are families who want to know His power, but are trapped in the busyness and distraction of our culture. It takes brave parents to break away, position themselves and their children to receive God's power, and then let it flow.

Are you a brave parent? Do you trust Him? Will you obey Him?

We're here to help.

Please respond with any testimonies of God working through your family, or any words of encouragement for other parents.