Category Archives: Miracle Baby

When babies don’t feel welcome in The Church

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When babies don’t feel welcome in The Church

If you are acquainted with me or Hope in the Healing even just the least little bit, you are aware that we have been blessed with a miracle grandbaby, Norah Jayne. With us now just 4 1/2 months, she already trumps every plan and every move we make; our lives are centered around this little bundle of joy.

norah7

Our family took a vacation together to the mountains to celebrate my DIL’s birthday and to just be together this past weekend. We also dedicated our precious miracle and gave her back to the Lord in a beautiful, intimate ceremony in the Smoky Mountains. Norah had her Mommy and Daddy of course, norah1her cousin Liam who read a beautiful tribute he had written,norah5

her Nanny on Mommy’s side,IMG_3246

her Uncle Krisnorah0

and Uncle Koreynorah4

plus The Sweetheart and Yours Truly, a.k.a., Nana and Poppy.norah3

It was beautiful!norah

Norah’s pediatrician had given the go-ahead for baby cereal to be introduced and Mommy decided that when we were all together would be the perfect time to let Norah be fed with a spoon for the first time.norah8

I truly wish someone had been there to take pictures of all of US taking pictures of Norah. Eight people hovering around cheering her on as if she were the only person on the planet to ever eat cereal. (She wasn’t overly thrilled at first but caught on pretty fast!)

Then, Sunday night, we were privileged to be in service in Knoxville where I heard a pastor compare the attention we give to new babies, and rightly so, to the attention, or lack of, that we give to newcomers and visitors to our churches.

when babies dont feel welcome in the church

Ouch.

When you welcome a new baby into the family (btw, that term has always intrigued me…are there any OLD babies?) they don’t have to beg for your attention, do they? They don’t have to ask to be loved, held, hugged and snuggled or to be included in family functions! In fact, it is quite the opposite, they are the center of all the attention. The baby is usually the reason we gather together. There isn’t anything they do that we aren’t overjoyed with and more cell phones are pointed at that newborn than Jennifer Lopez on the red carpet.

Do we make over them as we do a newborn that has just entered our family? The Bible says the angels rejoice when ONE sinner repents!

What about when they walk in the door? Is it only the ushers that greet them? Are they then left to feel awkward as they make their way to a seat and hope it doesn’t belong to someone else? After they are seated, what about those in front and behind them? If that is you, do you turn around and speak?

“Well, I am shy. I wait until they speak to me.” Seriously? Is that what we do with a baby? Wait until they notice us, or speak to us? No, because they are a baby! They are the newcomer in the room and need someone to care for them, to love them, to help them find their way.

Anyone can say, “Hello! So glad you are here!” Especially if they are new converts or visitors that do not know the Lord, they need to feel as if they belong so that they will return. We want them to feel the presence of God and His love and it begins with us because He is IN us!

I have been a newcomer, more than once. I have also been the pastor’s wife so I have seen all sides. Recently we made a major move to another city, another state, to be near Norah Jayne. Our new church family has been amazing in making us feel at home. Some of them we have known a while, some only from a distance, and most we are just learning their names. But every time I walk in those doors, not just one person speaks and welcomes me but several. Others have given up their seats so we could have a place to sit! I have never felt as if I was taking someone’s seat and that is a testimony to great leadership, teaching and examples of servanthood.

A baby that is ignored, not fed, not loved and not made to feel welcome will do one thing.

It will die.

And a new baby in Christ will do the same thing if they are not made to feel as if they are the most important person in the room…because they are.

Love on them, welcome them, invite them out for Sunday dinner or over to your home for conversation. Go shopping with them, to a ballgame, INCLUDE them in church activities or group events. Have a Bible study going in your home? Let them hear about it! If announcements are made about something going on at the church, a dinner, fundraiser, etc., make sure and tell that newcomer that you will be looking for them there and then follow through. Invite them to sit with you so they don’t feel uncomfortable. It makes all the difference in the world.

Yes, babies are a lot of work. It takes time to care for them, nurture them and give them the tools they need to grow. But they will grow and they will become workers in the Kingdom who will then reach out to other babies and so on and so on. Remember, they are not ready for steak and eggs. It takes time for them to learn so don’t expect them to get everything right. In fact, we can learn from them! Babies are filled with wonder with everything they come into contact with. Everything. Their eyes light up with every bit of knowledge they take in.

Babies, kind of like puppies, also think YOU are wonderful and new converts are no different. Just as a baby and toddler will copy their parents or siblings, so will a newcomer to the Lord. They will imitate you and watch your every move. Make sure you practice what you preach so as not to be a stumbling block to them. Remember what it felt like to be the new kid on the block whether it was at school, a job or your church. You don’t want them to get six weeks or six months down the road and say they just couldn’t fit in or feel as if they didn’t belong.

You do not get to pick and choose who enters God’s family. He does the calling, you just love.

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This is the Gospel in action. This is what Jesus came to do and this is the commission He gave us as well. Preach the Gospel, walk in love so that we can point others to Him. It’s not about us when the baby enters the room, it’s all about them.

Love those babies, He has entrusted them in your care!

For the Kingdom

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Happy 240th, America. Ten reasons why you’re still Beautiful.

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Happy 240th America

Happy 240th, America. Ten reasons why you’re still Beautiful.

Independence Day has been relegated to July 4th or Fourth of July for quite some time. Unfortunately, I am sure a roving reporter could go out on the street and ask what we specifically celebrate on July 4 and most would not know that we are celebrating our INDEPENDENCE from the rule of Great Britain.

Ironically, just this past week, Great Britain pulled out from the European Union, declaring they wanted their independence as well. Alas, it is much more complicated than just bringing back the pound and it has created more potential EXIT’s than a football stadium, (GREXIT, CHEXIT, SWEXIT, and the list will grow…) but the concept is the same: Freedom to do as they please.

When we lived in the country of Latvia for a year, this tiny country, along with the other Baltic States of Estonia and Lithuania, had only know their independence from the Soviet Union for twenty years! If I remember correctly, for their thousands of years of existence, they have only been an independent people for approximately forty years. 40 years!

For all of my soon-to-be 55 years on this earth, I have experienced Freedom. I have been free to say what I think, live where I want to live, go where I want to go, marry who I want to marry (whew!), choose a career path or be a SAHM, and gather to worship without fear of authorities busting down the door. I do not take any of those things for granted, especially today as I see my children, and now grandchildren, introduced to a seemingly different America. I am sad, in many respects, that they will never know the America I grew up in….not a perfect place, just a different place.

As I watch so many freedoms slip away, I will never forget one of the Russians in our Home Group asking me why the United States was so willing to give up their freedoms? “You have everything there, why go backwards?”

It’s a good question to ponder; yet we know God is in control and He has a plan. HIS freedoms are forever, HIS promises never fail! Everything He told us in His letter, the Bible, is true and WILL come to pass. This is where we place our forever hope, our forever confidence and our forever dreams. No matter where you live in this world, no matter what your future holds, whether there be darkness or light, joy or turmoil, freedom or captivity, Jesus is still God and everything centers around HIM.

So, on this Independence Day, what we now call The 4th of July, I can still find things about this great country to love and I hope you will add YOUR sentiments as well. We could make a massive list of the things wrong with this place we call home, let’s see what we can find is right…and pray it stays that way.

  1. Beauty. It’s simply everywhere. From sea to shining sea, as the appropriate song sings out, we have it all. Mountains and gorgeous valleys, rivers, lakes, oceans, hills and hollows, America really is The Beautiful.
  2. Seasons. I have always been a lover of seasons and most places in our great country experience at least some of them. Coming from Indiana, we had them all and when in the middle of one, we were longing for the next! The anticipation of the first flower of spring, the fun activities that accompany summer and all of its heat, the breathtaking splendor of fall as the leaves change their colors, and winter. True, not many look forward to winter but most everyone is still in wonder, no matter their age, when that first snow begins.
  3. People. We are a country of diversity, it is our foundation, what we are made of! “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Emma Lazarus
  4. Abundance. True, it is not always a good thing but we should be thankful that we can walk into any store and buy just about anything we want to eat or drink. There are plenty of things to find wrong with our economy, to be sure, but when you have visited other countries, you truly appreciate being able to get clean water and decent food.
  5. Air conditioning. Okay, we are halfway through so I have to throw in a little humor. But seriously, do you know who invented air conditioning? Willis Carrier invented the first modern air conditioner and forever changed the world. Again, when you have lived without it, we did for a year in Latvia, you appreciate these little things. Thank you Mr. Carrier!
  6. Education. Almost anyone can receive an education in this great country if they work hard enough. It is expensive, exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. We have some of the finest universities in the world right here out our back doors.
  7. Free speech. I want to keep this a positive post and I know mentioning this one brings up a firestorm of “We won’t have that for much longer!” “We are losing it every, single day…” When something is precious, you appreciate it and freedom of speech is what makes America what it is. If we lose that, we have lost it all. May we fight with everything that is in us to keep that basic right that our country was founded upon 240 years ago.
  8. Online shopping. Did you know you can now get some things delivered to your door in TWO HOURS instead of two days or two weeks? Say what?! This boggles the mind but saves the consumer time, gas and mental anguish fighting for that front parking space. Genius.
  9. Clothes dryers. Again, until you have gone without…the neat thing about America is that even the Average Joe, making an average wage can live a good life with all the modern conveniences the majority of the world will never experience! Friends, we pay $4 for a cup of coffee here and don’t bat an eye. We have much to be thankful for.
  10. Worship. Sure, this one could be filed under Free Speech but I think it deserves a category all its own. Today, and any day of the week I would choose, I walked into a church building with hundreds of others and we worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ without fear. And today, we, as a body of believers, gave thanks and praise to God for that privilege and right. Thank you, God, that we are still able to do this and may our children and grandchildren be able to worship You whenever and wherever they so choose.

Naturally, there are hundreds more reasons to appreciate this great country. What are some of YOUR reasons for loving America? Please share! 

Here is another reason I am thankful today, I am able to see Norah Jayne’s sweet face whenever I want. Every day is celebration of this miracle God has given.

Praying you all have a safe and happy Independence Day with your friends and family. Let us remember what we are celebrating…240 years of FREEDOM! May we be able to celebrate many, many more that those who died for the freedoms we enjoy will not have given their lives in vain.

God Bless America.

 

 

 

15 Fun Facts for Father’s Day!

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When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape. ~ Dave Attell

15 Fun Facts for Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is celebrated around the world, although not always on the third Sunday in June as we do here in the USA. Enjoy some fun trivia about the day itself and Father’s in general! Happy Father’s Day to all of our Dads!

Kyle and NorahA special Happy Father’s Day to my son, Kyle, who is celebrating his very first Father’s Day because of our miracle, Norah Jayne.

  1. In the country of Thailand, National Father’s Day is also the King’s birthday. They celebrate by setting off fireworks and committing acts of charity, such as donating blood and setting free animals who were captive.
  2. Did you know that the male seahorse is the partner that carries the eggs and births the babies? Say what?!
  3. The song by Stevie Wonder, Isn’t She Lovely, is all about his newborn daughter, Aisha. If your hearing is good and you listen closely, you can even hear her crying on the recording.
  4. Things are a bit different now with cellphones but Father’s Day used to be the busiest day of the year for COLLECT phone calls.
  5. The birthplace of the official Father’s Day is Spokane, Washington. Sonora Dodd wanted to honor her father who raised her when her mother died during childbirth. June was his birth month.
  6. There are more than 70 million dads in the U.S.
  7. In 2014, consumers spent $19 billion on Mother’s Day and $12.5 billion on Father’s Day.Happy Father's Day
  8. There are more than 214,000 stay-at-home dads in the United States.
  9. Females spend 50% more on gifts for their dads and husbands than men do.
  10. Kids who lived in a home without a father make up 63% of youth suicides in the U.S
  11. The word “dad” was first recorded in 1500 but is likely much older than that. It probably comes from the first sounds that a child makes and is similar around the world. In Welsh it is tad, Irish it is daid, tata in Greek, and tete in Lithuania.
  12. The official flower for Father’s Day is a rose. You wear a red one if your father is still living and a white one if your father is deceased.
  13. Number One gift for Father’s Day is still the necktie!
  14. And finally, it is noted that one of the oldest “Father’s Day Cards” was made by a boy named Elmesu more than 4,000 years ago. A clay tablet, found by archaeologists in Babylonian ruins, had a message on it from the son telling his father he wished for him good health and a long life.

Poppy and NorahNot to leave out The Sweetheart…you knew I wouldn’t. He is celebrating his first Father’s Day as Poppy. God is good! Now, fire up the grill, dust off the lawn chair, and make sure you tell your Father how much you appreciate him!