"You see us as you want to see us…"

Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...

Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete...

Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case...

Claire Standish: ...a princess...

John Bender: ...and a criminal...

Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?

- Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

I was that guy today. Nope, not the cool kid, not even the athlete or the basket case… I was the other guy in the quote. I was Mr. Vernon. And it felt so strange…because I more identify with the Breakfast Club that I do my new role as Administrative Coordinator of the Christian American School.

I am responsible for teacher administration, student discipline, parent & community contacts, and spiritual guidance.

In fact… this all occurred to me while I was administering a detention to 7 students. They entered the room and were greeted with the following on the whiteboard:

Welcome to YOUR detention.

You WILL sit quietly.

You WILL write a paragraph on what behavior brought you here.

You WILL write a 2nd paragraph on what YOU could have done better.

You WILL write a 3rd paragraph on what you will do differently in the future.

And then, You WILL give a 3 minute speech, explaining it all to me.

-Mr. Shepherd

The good Lord knows I've served enough detentions to know how they work best. I received absolutely no complaints or gruff. They all did what I told them to do. I had my intense face on. But inside… I was thinking of The Breakfast Club.

And as my mind does, I reflected on the long road that has brought me here. And then I felt overwhelmed with the emotion of it all. I give thanks to the God, my King and Father. Only His plan would land me here. I am the record holder of tardiness at Preble Shawnee High School in Camden Ohio. I racked up 38 tardies, served countless detentions, in-school and after school, and multiple days of dreaded Saturday School. And finally… they quit counting.

I laughed and shared my own story before I required them to tell their own. I confessed my transgressions and then sat down with them to pour a little of my life into their souls. Who knows what they thought?

"You see us as you want to see us…" Mr. Shepherd. Yes, I do. I see you as myself. I see you as a loaded spring. I see you able to accomplish far more than you can imagine. I see you as God sees you.

Chad Shepherd
Administrative Coordinator
Bible Teacher
Chaplain

The Christian American School

San Cristobal, Guatemala

Pre-school

Elementary

Accredited & Christian Based Learning

Students find direction here.

Middle & High School Chapel

Teaching Godliness & Vision using
popular media and the Bible.

After all, "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."

And to the Raven I say, "Evermore! Evermore!"

Anderson, our alma mater, guide of soul and mind

thou has taught within thy borders

to aid all mankind.

So for this thy noble purpose may our best avail;

friend of all that's good and upright,

hail to thee, all hail.

And so it begins… again. Once again I find myself at this inexplicable place, a place that is only found by the grace of God. It is written that God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the chosen. For me, life recently has been a series of responses to God. And each time it goes like this… 

"Do what? NO. Oh…yes, God."

It is a "NO" because that is always the rational answer. It is a "NO" because I recognize that I am not qualified. And yet… it turns to a "yes, God" because He speaks clearly to me that He demands it. He has sent me here at this time, to this place, to simply be faithful. And so I step forward. I step forward knowing that I do not have the means to do so. And then He simply provides the way.

I pastor a church. I was aware of my lack of a seminary degree. It gnaws at the back of my mind that I am in need of a deeper study of the word of God. But I am a missionary and seminary is expensive. I can't leave what I am doing. It simply can not be.

And then I received a email telling me that the school where I studied my undergraduate work was launching it's first ever online seminary degree and I should apply. I prayed about it and felt that it was right. And so I applied and was shocked to find that I had met the qualifications. 

I told them my story and also told them that I had the ability to pay nothing. I was told of a new scholarship that had just been created that was looking for "Pastors of congregations of about 70 people. Churches that are doing something unique." I pastor a church of about that number (it is growing) and we are a gathering of missionaries and Guatemalans. We speak English and we speak Spanish. We are shattering cultural boundaries and we are connecting people to Christ and the Church. Yes, we are unique, and so I applied.

To my shock… I was granted a full scholarship. My classes begin tomorrow. And so again… I am a Raven. Evermore!

My online self-introduction to my peers:

Hello from Guatemala!

by Chad Shepherd - Sunday, January 12, 2014, 4:58 PM

It is an amazing opportunity to share this forum with each of you. I am thankful for Anderson University and the powerful provision of God that it affords us all. 

My undergraduate degree was completed at A.U. in 1996. Since that time I have worked in mental health, and in corporate management with The Kroger Company. I have studied off and on with The University of Cincinnati, and well as Indiana Wesleyan University to pick up necessary skills for those positions.

This past year my wife and I moved our family to San Lucas, Sacatepequez, Guatemala to become missionaries. We have adopted international children, and we felt God calling us to this place where there is a tremendous need among the children. We are seeking obedience to the call of James in chapter one where he is urged that true and faultless religion is caring for orphans and widows.

Our ministry here has several components, but they all advocate toward this cause… of caring for orphans and widows, with our focus being largely on orphans. My wife teaches as a volunteer at a local school, and I am the Academic Coordinator at a second school. Along with this, I pastor a campus of Journey Church, based in West Chester, Ohio, pastored by Tom Planck.

Journey Church Guatemala is a unique gathering of missionaries and Guatemaltecans who together share the mission of connecting people to Christ and the Church. Together with the two schools, we all share the mission of reaching the children of the community and bringing their families in to fellowship with believers.

My wife, Kellie and I also work with an organization, Catalyst Resources International. We lead short term mission teams into nearby 3rd world villages to offer feeding to children, medical & dental clinics, education, sustainable food projects, and home construction. Priority to relief is given to widowed mothers with children. They must be active in the local church, the children must be in school, and the family must have the endorsement of the local pastor and school director.

The true heartbeat of our presence in Guatemala is the final piece of our mission. We are establishing a home where we can take in 15-30 orphaned children in a residential setting, supported by qualified Guatemalan staff. This process will take several years, and so it affords us to reach out the other directions at this time. 

We have 3 children, Caleb (13), Aleksandra (10), and Sterling (3). Recently we were able to purchase a puppy, a miniature schnauzer that helps our family feel more at home here in our new place. We landed in Guatemala on June 11, 2013, and God has honored our steps as we continue to pursue His vision for our lives.

I look forward to discovering more of His purpose as I learn aside each one of you. God bless.

Walking with God

Brown County, Indiana ~ The Harbron Cabin

The leaves cracked to my left and held completely still. I realized that I was desperately  holding my breath and so I slowly let it out. In the periphery of my vision I could see him, a young deer, taking steps toward me. 

He was looking me directly in the eye. There was no mistaking the direct, intense gaze of the creature. I had no idea what his thoughts were as he continued walking towards where I stood.

I had been gathering wood for a campfire behind our cabin. Our friends from Anderson University had recently reached out to us and become significant partners with our work in Guatemala. We had been thrilled with their invitation to stay in their cabin in the woods, and this week... only a week before we leave the country... we find ourselves at a wonderful retreat.

Retreat is a funny word. I think of retreat as soldiers running in panic as bullets zip past their heads and through their flesh. I think of retreat as a full on attempt to flee a bad situation... but that is not what retreat means to us today.

This retreat is more of a strategic divergence... away from the in your face type of intention of of recent days. Each word of late has been measured. Every action has been weighed. When your days tick down to single digits... you realize how precious each moment has always been.

We have goodbyes to make... embraces to hold, tears to be shed, and a mission to be told. And so we questioned this brief departure... was it right to pull our family away right before we make our permanent move?

Sometimes you just have to jump. This was one of those gut type moments... you can’t really explain why, but you feel strongly compelled that it is just... right?

I am relieved and content to say that yes, this was right. Our family of 5 has spent the last two days simply being together. Talking, playing games, gathering wood, cooking meals, enjoying those meals, speaking of dreams in the dark at the top of bunk-beds, these moments have been vital for us as a family to acknowledge the moment.

Sterling is 17 months old. The longest she has ever stayed anywhere is the orphanage that saved her life. The closest thing to that was the basement of my parent’s home where we lived for nearly a year. 

The funny thing is... Kellie and I were discussing tonight, we have never left home. We have stayed in more places than we can count on our hands this past year... and still, home has always been wherever we are. 

God owns it all. We follow His plan. When we go where He tells us to go, well... then wherever we set our feet, wherever we lay our heads... the land is already His. Yes, the land is already His... and so we are home.

Our hearts tell us that this is true. We have never felt so secure than during this past year when we have been so transient and the future is so unknown. We are on the path that God has called us to take... and this path of His will... it brings peace and familiarity to our souls. We are all here together, where He has called us...

...and this is home.

I was talking to Caleb and Aleksandra tonight about fears and the unknown. Their young minds were grappling the concept of death. They had worries that were not so unexpected... what if the plane crashes, what if we have tough times ahead. Caleb mentioned Paul. He said, even Paul suffered terribly, so should we expect the same?

I babbled on for a few minutes about statistics and how too many people perceive safety as a sure thing, and then I finally hit on the truth.

“There is no safer place to be on this entire planet than to be walking in the will of God. No matter what happens, you have the God of the universe walking at your side. I can think of no safer place than that. No better place.”

Can you imagine that? You are walking beside the God who created everything? The God who spoke it into being. The God who created you and loved you so much that He allowed His own son to die to give you the chance for redemption!

How can I not notice this and simply turn to gaze at Him?

Have you ever looked a deer in the eyes? I have hunted and killed animals. I hold a concealed carry permit and am adequate with a firearm. But as I looked in the eyes of that young buck, I would not have pulled the trigger even if I had the shot lined up.

We stood there, a mere 20 feet apart, the deer and I, considering each other. Kellie had gathered the 3 kids and I could hear them observing my encounter from the window in the cabin above. I imagined that time had stopped. I could hear the wind shifting individual leaves and I watched one slowly fall in the distance between me and the deer.

We stood that way, simply considering one another for an indeterminate amount of time. Finally, he raised his hind left leg to scratch his fore-quarter. He snorted, observed me with a nod, flicked his white tail, and vaulted off into the foliage of the forest.

He was gone. He had made his retreat.

Sometimes you just have to jump. And I am fully aware that this is our moment. I think it is harder on our family than it is for us. I have no answer for this. I acknowledge that it is so difficult for our mothers and even our fathers that it takes their breath away and causes them real physical pain... and yet, I know that this is undeniably what we must do.

All I can tell you is this simple fact that I found when talking to my children... there is no better place on earth than walking with your God. I am reminded again of that moment when the deer stepped in front of me, holding me in her deep gaze... this place and this moment are significant. Don’t miss the power of the present. 

In 6 short days we are off to fulfill our calling. I am confident in this walk. It is amazing to have the peace of mind to simply KNOW that you are exactly where you are to be.  I thank God for these past two days, for these simply encounters. 

I want to look on His face with the attention and apparent peace that the deer had when he gazed at me.

He will not harm us. 

He stands and shares this moment with us.

A Letter to Kellie (the mind of a missionary a week before the field)

To my dear wife... and anyone who takes a moment to peer into our life. 

There is no fear in my heart in this moment. We are a mere days away from our big move to Guatemala and all I feel is peace. I have to laugh in my heart because everywhere I look people are tossing terror my way in the form of the unknown.

But I have learned who I am over these past years and I understand that what we have gained cannot be lost. You and I have learned how to deeply love one another. We have learned what it means to reach together toward an unbelievable, unreachable goal... and then to hold it in our hands.

Our daughters... and now this dream of throwing everything we are onto the great stake of showing that our faith is worth our everything. I think you are uniquely made for me. I know we have been uniquely shaped for this purpose, this moment, this mission, with these people, in this country, now.

I love you because you are brave. You know the risks as well as I do. These risks that are real and make our family tremble and react in their individual ways. 

People say to me... what if something happens? And I think... they don't know the half of it. The risk is so real. And yet... my eyes and yours have a glimpse of a greater truth. Our words must mean something!

This faith is more valuable than our lives. It is worth more than our children's lives. God awaits us all with open arms. This time here on this earth is just a slip of time. How we spend our days is just the brief prologue that sets the novel.

The truth is that I am willing to give my life. I am willing even to see the life of our entire family snuffed short if it is the required payment that we encounter God. Why do we as a people fear death when we say that God holds eternity?

Should any of us fall in the service of God, HE will pick up our brokenness and carry us into His kingdom. So... tell me, why should I fear? Did Jesus not conquer death? Does He not hold the keys? It is refreshing for me to cast myself into the power of the experience of my God as He walked this dirt in human form.

I am done with the fear of man. I am over fearing sickness and death. I am filled with a fervor to seize this inheritance that is promised us. I have taken the time to consider these things. I have glimpsed what my life would look like without you, without God... and I would rather spend a few days in His service than live a lifetime without.

I believe now that God has given me a boldness. He has prepared me for this moment, and He has placed us together for this mission. This world is no longer my home. 

My work is now rewarded by smiles, tears, and embraces in the dust of a hard-working village. The applause I seek is the sound of the feet of children as they run toward us on our arrival. We are servants of the King... should He bless us or should He slay us... it changes nothing that matters.

Our families put on a brave face and yet I recognize their pain and I understand it. But... I hope they do not miss the power of the truth we pursue. A few years ago... our marriage was nearly forfeit. I yielded my life to God and each day now is an affirmation that He walks with us. 

I recognize where we are and I am keenly aware that God has brought us here from the brink of destruction. Our lives are already His. Our children are ours because He blessed us. Our experiences are His gift. Even the pain that we walked together... it has purified our hearts.

It is with pure joy that I watch these next few days tick by. God has brought you and I together my wife for this moment.

I step into the future with one hand in yours, and the other in the hand of God.

Indeed, we have reached beyond ourselves and found our hands in the embrace of our God.

It is well with my soul. Finally.

You Don't Have to be Born Here to Belong Here

Me: (with a grin and a wink) 

"You eat that sandwich Sterling and be a good American, Americans love sandwiches."

Aleksandra: (head tilted sideways with attitude)

"But we're not Americans!"

Me: (after a pause appreciate her attitude & to reflect)

"You are Americans, you don't have to be born here 

to belong here."

______________

This exchange, while admittedly non-politically correct, made me chuckle and reflect on one of my favorite animated movie scenes...

Rango: [after some kids throw rocks at him] Hey! What was that for?

Priscilla: You're funny-looking.

Rango: Well? You're funny-looking too.

Priscilla: That's a funny-looking shirt.

Rango: That's a funny-looking dress.

Priscilla: You got funny-looking eyes.

Rango: You got a funny-looking face!

Priscilla: [small pause] You're a stranger. Strangers don't last long here.

[walks away]

Soon all of the Shepherds will be strangers! Funny looking for sure... especially me. But, more than every before we will be right where we belong, and we will be known by the God who created us.

There is a great deal of fear in the world right now along with a heightened concern for safety. I think it holds us back. I think we too willingly give up on our pursuits for fear. 

I believe it is in fact our inaction that allows the evil from which we hide to exist.

There are greater things in life than what can be taken from us. Our belief, our passion, our ability to love through action, our willingness to stand in the face of the unfamiliar because we know who we are. We are children of God.

We, you and I, are created for this unique moment in time. There is life to be lived. There are things worth the risk.

It is time for us to stand...where we are...FOR we believe.

We can savor the days, embrace our belief, and still understand that our time here is only the prologue...

...and we must understand that it is the prologue of any great story that begins a life in motion with forever consequences.

Rango: What are you doin' out here?
Spirit of the West: Searchin'. Same as you.
Rango: I don't even know what I'm lookin' for anymore.
I don't even know who I am.
Spirit of the West:  Doesn't matter what they call you.
It's the deeds makes the man.
Rango: Yeah, but my deeds just made things worse.
I'm a fraud! I'm a phony! My friends believed in me,
 but they need some kind of hero.
Spirit of the West: Then be a hero.
Rango: Oh, no! No! No! You don't understand.
I'm not even supposed to be here.
Spirit of the West:  Don't you see? It's not about you. It's about them.
Rango: But I can't go back!
Spirit of the West: Don't know that you got a choice, son.
[he draws a square on a piece of glass]
Spirit of the West: No man can walk out on his own story.
[he looks through the glass at Rango then drives away on his golf cart]
______________________


Friends, this world is not your home, 
so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. 
Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul…

1 Peter 2:11-12

The Message (MSG) 11-12 

"I think he had that surgery just so he could get the cane."

If you've ever watched HOUSE on the FOX network, then you are probably familiar with his sport jacket, t-shirt, torn jeans, and of course... his cane.

I have admired the way his character wears the cane without apology. And so, after having a surgical procedure on the bottom of my right foot... I figured, why not?

I hobbled my way out of the store and immediately met the eyes of my laughing and smiling wife. As I dragged my bum leg into the car, I heard her cough out between laughs, "well, of course you would."

As my life would have it, this Sunday involved an announcement at church regarding our mission in Guatemala.

I absolutely love these last few days as we near the horizon. I am consumed by the desire to get there and to begin taking steps into the summer. I somehow can feel the future in my hands. We began counting down the days last July... 300 days ago. 

My surgery finds me forced to sit still and unable to drive. The timing was perfect however for me to sell my car and so I concentrate on preparation via Skype, email, telephone, and Rosetta Stone. 

Our 2 vehicles await us, we are enrolled to begin with 4 weeks of language school in Antigua, we have an apartment rented there for that time, Caleb & Aleks are scheduled to go to Camp Guamiski (a camp for missionary kids), they are also enrolled in the Christian Academy where Kellie will volunteer, my role is becoming clearly defined, passports, plane tickets, and suitcases are secured and in position!

Standing where we are now and looking back across the landscape of these past few years is absolutely breathtaking. The path of our lives is simply the shaping of the hands of God. He gave us the vision... we began walking... and He has indeed moved mountains.

Since the spring of 2012 our family has travelled to China (adoption), Texas (training), Guatemala twice, lived in my parent's basement and at Kellie's parents upstairs. From here we will stay at Mimi's house for a few days, then move to Antigua for a month, move to the house next door to Mimi's House, and will stay there as we adjust to the culture of Guatemala.

This past year has been incredible. We know God has used these days to prepare us for the journey to come. I think we have learned to enjoy each step of the way. We have found joy and happiness in a lot of unexpected places.

Even in a busted foot and a fancy cane.

While I did not have foot surgery just so I "could get the cane," I certainly am not going to let the opportunity pass me by! Ha!

21 days to Guate! 

By then my excuse to use a cane will be gone, but still I will be working towards our calling, our passion, our dream...

opening our home to the lost and hurting of Guatemla.

So then, I won't be Dr. House, but I can be a pastor and missionary who lives in SHEPHERD HOUSE!

(and if I ever hurt my foot again... I have a kickin' cane just for the event)

4675 Days At Kroger

12 years, 6 months, 11 days of my life.

Farewell to Chad party from Kroger 

I sat in my car and called Kellie to tell her that I decided to quit. Surely AK Steel would call me this week to offer me my job. It was the fall of 2000, and I had been working for the Kroger Company for just over a week. I was sure that I was done. This company was not for me.

They had shipped me out to Greenfield, Ohio where I was to assist in the grande opening of a new store.  Caleb had been born only a few weeks earlier and my wife was home alone with him. 

Kroger had given me an option of going to Greenfield or resigning. I had expressed my opposition to staying in Greenfield for a week and my supervisor had shown me a stack of candidates who were willing to replace me. I apologized and went to work.

Essentially I was a shelf stocker and a cleaner. This was not what I had signed up for. Just a few months prior I had been a mental health professional in the state of Indiana... but life had taken a turn.

I sat in my car and received a reality check as my wife reminded me that she was on sick leave, my son was only a month old, Kroger provided me a paycheck and insurance, and I'd better realize that I needed this job for my family.

Having received my scolding, I sheepishly tucked the phone back into my pocket and stepped out of my car. I slipped back into one of the side doors, walked back the to the toy aisle and found my name badge below the Hot Wheel pegs. I picked it back up and fastened it back to my shirt. 

I had quit and returned... no-one had noticed.

That was 12 and a half years ago. I have been co-manager, program roll-out coordinator, Seafood Merchandising Representative, Meat Representative, Meat/Seafood Coordinator, and Food Manager.

Today I was greeted by Barb Griffis as she walked through the door of my going away luncheon. She was my first interview with Kroger. My entire career here was possible because she called me for an interview and flagged me as a "Yes" for a second interview.  I remember those days, and I remember being told that I was not a typical Kroger candidate... they asked me to make the case as to why I might be Kroger material.

Kroger liked business majors and advertising majors. I was a Psychology major with experience in churches and mental health. After two interviews and 3.5 hours later... I was offered a position with Kroger.

This was a job that I never really wanted and never really felt comfortable doing. And yet... it taught me what I needed to learn. 

Stick-to-it-ed-ness, patience, discernment, flexibility, compassion, and yielding to the control of my superiors. I had to learn that I wasn't always right, and even if I was... I still had to yield to the desire of my supervisor. Customers aren't always right, but they get their way anyway.

I was taught that "the little sh*t makes all the difference" and that "if you can't get it done, I don't need you." I learned that it was my job to simply "make it work" and that excuses were like butt-holes... everyone has them.

I learned to suck up my ego, lift my perspective above my circumstance, and somehow find joy and happiness in the living of my day. People, relationships, and how we all walk through life together trumped any corporate troubles or petty annoyances. 

I learned that life was about taking the day and living belief in the moment. I learned to share my faith and walk my belief with those whom I shared my hours.

Today as people I had worked with through the decade plus walked through the door to shake my hand or give me a hug... I realized that this time spent at Kroger was time well invested. I had grown as a person to be at this place today.

Barb Griffis, Russ Umberg, Randy Brandt, Bryan Foltz, Mike Martz, Christy, Sue, Jim, Nakeya, George, Dru, Mike, Heather, Erin, Trina, Skye, Pam, Terri, Cassandra, Mel... you all helped me realize how blessed we all were these past few years and months.

I am thankful to have been a part of this team. I am grateful to the lessons that I needed to learn. I am deeply appreciative of your affections and your kindness to my family. 

I am privileged to have been a part of this Kroger family, and I am thankful to take each of you with me as my family is faithful to our calling. 

Now that the timing of God is right... I have made my exit from Kroger. 

45 days and we will be serving in Guatemala. God is good. Thank you all, for walking these days as I found my way.

A Penny For Your Thoughts (A Sunday School Story)

She approached me as we were exiting the sanctuary. I had preached for the past 40 minutes about our calling to Guatemala and how faith compels us to act on belief. She took my hands and asked me if I remembered her. 

Her face was distantly familiar, and deeply comforting. Yes, somehow I knew her. She told me of how she had been my Sunday School teacher in a little converted trailer in Camden, Ohio. I remembered the mobiles hanging from the ceiling, and the Tootsie Rolls given for correct answers.

Several people were talking to me at once and I heard her mention something about giving me a loaf of bread that she had kept in her Sunday School classes for the past 30 years. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I smiled as she took my hand and I said, "yes, that would be wonderful." 

She said she knew Kellie's grandma and that she would get it to us. I forgot about the moment and continued to talk about our mission until finally packing up the table and heading out for lunch.

A week later I came home from work and saw sitting on the folding table in our kitchen area a small plastic loaf of bread. It was then that I remembered the conversation about receiving bread from my old Sunday School teacher. 

Like a wave that hits you when you aren't looking and pulls you under… I was momentarily pulled back 30 years to my Sunday School class. I looked at that little Daily Bread piggy bank and I remembered her holding it out to me and the other kids and saying to us, "one day we will give this money to a missionary that will go and help children like you."

I was shocked by the memory and by the incredible significance that it now sat on my table, donated to me, for our mission.

When I was a boy my father gave me a collection of wheat back pennies. He told me not to spend them, that they would be worth something one day. I typically did what my dad said, but one Sunday morning I was scrambling around my room as my mom tried to get me out the door… I didn't have any money for the offering in Sunday School. I desperately wanted those missionaries to get money for those kids!

I glanced at the doorway, sure that my actions were unnoticed, and then I slipped into my coin box and withdrew a single wheat back penny. 

And so now, an adult 30 years later, I pick up the box and smash it open against the table top. Frantically I dig my hands into the pile of coins and I start pushing the around…

… and then I see it. A single wheat back penny. 

My penny. The penny that I stole away to give to the missionaries. 30 years ago. And now it is in my hands once more. 

I am now that missionary!

How is it that God can work in such incredible ways? How is it that He knows that little boy will one day need a reminder… a confirmation that faith is real? 

How can it be that a Sunday School teacher holds onto a loaf of bread…

that contains a penny…

that fulfills a promise…

 made by a little boy decades ago? 

This penny will indeed go to help little children in need.

I am humbled. I am in awe of my God.

For I know the plans I have for you,” 

declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)

Thankful for Un(answered) Prayers

The Miracle of my daughter is through un(answered) prayers.

All the unanswered questions of our life became the rock and sand that formed the concrete under our steps today. We now hold hands and celebrate these days of walking together. How is it that our daughter was born 5 years after we began the process to adopt her? We found each other across the years, across the multitudes, and across continents. Through all the turmoil in the world and in the struggle of life, our feet moved together in shiny shoes on  sidewalk today.

This particular moment was captured by my wife, Kellie. My mind was replaying the events of the past two days: Kroger, sleep, drive, ordination workshop, drive, Kroger, sleep, drive, preach, fundraise, drive, and Caleb's piano recital (stay awake). As for Sterling... well, she was just glad that she had a chance to move around after being held in various laps during all the preaching, fundraising, and piano recitaling.

Our hand-in-hand slow steps on the sidewalk gave our minds a chance to settle from the fray and re-establish perspective on the simple truths of a warm November afternoon. We are here in this place together now. Each step we take down this path brings us closer together in experience, and further along the plan that God has for our lives.

From this place along the road I can look over my shoulder and see the the Family-Circus-style-foot-print-dashes that mark my crazy, chaotic, and wandering path. I have driven trucks, volunteered in church, worked in mental hospitals, brokered mortgages, worked trade shows, sold shoes, trained to be a COP, butchered meat, and managed grocery stores. Memories fill my mind of the experiences along the way that unknowingly prepared me for this moment... and made me the man I am today that holds this tiny hand.

These days are beautiful. Our mission from God is breath-taking. We're finding that we love to tell our story... how adoption has changed our lives. We are adopted as children of God, we are recipients of the miracle of adoption on earth, and now we have become evangelists of God's love & agents of earthly adoption. We celebrate each time a person or a church takes our hands to walk this incredible adventure of joy with us.

There is room for you. This is your invitation to allow your heart to be filled overflowing. There are children to be sponsored, trips to be made, monthly support to be pledged, and renewed faith and hope that can change the course of your life.

I spent years questioning God and being frustrated that He wasn't answering my prayers... not realizing that He was shaping me along the way to become a holder of tiny hands. 

Wherever you are today, take heart. Your un(answered) prayers are laying the foundation of who you are to become. Come and walk with us. I can use your help to hold tiny hands.