bigger eyes, wider embrace, longer stride

finish the story...

I received this reaction to my post entitled, 'devoured.'  well said!

read the blog today. so sorry to hear that. gut-wrenching and heart-breaking, and i ache for the friends who lost him. thank god that's not the end of the story.

you might take comfort remembering that while this horrible thing has happened, Sasha is in the arms of a loving God. He is safe now--safer than he was here. He was robbed of a life on earth, but there is more to life on earth.

just thought you might want to finish the story . . . :)

devoured

I'm simply forwarding you a paragraph from one of my most trusted and respected friends and colleagues in ministry at Children's HopeChest, Yana Kotyashkina.  We cannot afford to forget that the Enemy is devouring children living in poverty and as orphans.  And orphans are close to the heart of God.  What will we do about that?  Where will we stand?  With whom will we stand?

I am writing with terrible news from Bui orphanage. 4 days ago Sasha Gulaiev was shot by a drunk man. He went to congratulate a boy he knew on the boy's wedding. He and 2 other graduates from Bui were sitting around the table with other guests. Then a drunk father of that boy with a gun came in and told them to go away. Then he made a shot in the floor and then to people..Sasha was killed.

back to the real world

I had a great vacation with my family.  I got to spend a lot of quality time with my wife, playing with my 2 year old son, and snuggling my 6 month old daughter.  We tasted and drank some great wine in the New York Finger Lakes wine region.  And we caught and ate some great walleye/pickerel on Lake Temagami in Northern Ontario.  The 40 hours in 3 days drive across the US threatened to steal the rest and restoration that we enjoyed on our 2 week vacation, but I'm trying hard not to let it.  We had a great time.

Now it's back to the real world or orphan care and Julie prepping for the Colorado bar exam.

farewell for the rest of June

My wife, two children, and I are leaving on a much-needed, much-anticipated family vacation tomorrow.  We can't wait to spend time with family and friends in New York and Ontario for two weeks.  So, needless to say, I will not be blogging or checking my email again until July 1st.

There are a lot of exciting things going on here at HopeChest that I hope you'll be a part of.  There are Vision Trips coming up in Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 to Russia, Uganda, Swaziland, and Ethiopia.  Vision Trips are ways for your faith community - church, school, small group, business, online network - to begin a holistic, long-term, and redemptive relationship with an orphanage overseas.  Email me if you are interested in learning more about these opportunities.

Well, I'll talk to you again in July. I'll begin blogging daily again at that time.

60 years!

My Dad turns 60 today. 

Though I did send him an e-card with a monkey being silly and a bit crude, I am really in awe of my dad's wisdom, loyalty, and balance of strength and tenderness.  I am blessed, to be sure, by Christian parents who love, support, encourage, and advise me.  I am encouraged by an older sister and a younger brother and their families who do the same.  I am encouraged by a wife who inspires me with her courage and compassion.  On a day like today, when my dad is turning 60, I can't help but humbly acknowledge the blessing of family that I have received by God's grace and turn with hope and help toward those without.  I can't help but respect my dad more and more as I seek to grow in integrity and knowledge, dedication and affection to be the best husband and father I can be.

So, Dad, thanks!  Thank you for being a blessing to me and Julie, Jude and Lucy, and to so many others. 

And as we all approach Father's Day on June 15th, a day that holds great joy as well as deep pain for so many people here in the States, let's turn to the God whom Jesus and we call Father who loves us with perfect parental love.  Let's turn to those in our own families, and let's turn to those without families.

what i had...

Julie and I sold 2 items on eBay in the last few weeks, an electric guitar and an unopened bottle of perfume.  We were glad to follow the lead of generous and courageous first-century Christians by selling our possessions and giving to the poor.  It's a program called WHAT I HAVE.  We went to hopechest.org, selected GIVE, and gave the money toward the areas of greatest need for orphaned children around the world.  What do you have?  How will you leverage your possessions to meet the needs of kids growing up in life-threatening circumstances?

care and concern blooms in times of tragedy

We recently received news of the deaht of Sergei Ilyichev.  He lived in the Grace Home Vladimir, a small cottage-style home outside the city of Vladimir. It is supported by Grace Episcopal Church in St. Helena, CA. The church helped us purchase the cottage, and now helps sustain its operations.

After we informed Norm, the leader of Grace Episcopal's outreach to Grace Home Vladimir, about Sergei’s death, he wrote this back to us:

Sergei was truly a boy of our hearts, since he was a part of our St Helena family for many years at the summer camps. Of all of the boys at our camps, he was the one who was continually running up to me to say, "Horochaya programa, Dyadya Norm" ("Great program, Uncle Norm.")-- he was always wanting to assure us that he and the other kids were enjoying our program.  He was a grateful boy. We pray that his soul is at peace in the hands of our Lord. I also remember when we walked around the outside of your Grace Home with Papa Sergei and discussed the things that should be done to make the home nicer and prettier for you.  He made a point of telling me, "Uncle Norm, not to worry. I will work with Papa Sergei, and everything will be just the way you want it to be.”

It’s often in times of great joy and great tragedy that we’re able to see the depth of connection that this ministry can make. When you’re in the day-to-day, it’s hard to see what’s really going on. Hearts are being filled with hope again. Relationships are being repaired by love and concern. When these terrible events happen, we get to see a little bit more of God’s promises for orphans.

In their letter back to Norm and the team, the kids from Grace Home Vladimir wrote this:

Thank you for being our family and for sharing our sorrows! Family support is very important especially in difficult times. Sergei was our dear friend and we will never forget him. Three of us were able to go to the cemetery last week to say our last goodbyes to Sergei. It was very hard. Then in the evening, as we all gathered for dinner, we talked about Sergei and the time that we had spent together. Everything is going well here. We work in the garden almost every day, we planted a lot of vegetables already. We also planted flower seeds that you had brought to us. We believe they will grow into beautiful flowers. We are always looking forward to hearing from you and to seeing you. Thank you very much for loving us and caring for us.

I bolded that sentence because it is again one of those times when the kids are poetic and prophetic. The second, and deeper meaning here is that the children are themselves the flowers, blooming into a beautiful and unique creation. Through the tender care of sponsors and friends along with the nutrients provided by the Holy Spirit—the children blossom and grow into beautiful flowers.

As Katya Celenina, National Director of Fund Nadezhda, the Russian arm of Children's HopeChest, says often, “that is worth everything.”

if you follow Jesus very far...

Jesus began his ministry on earth with a simple invitation which would offer profound implications not only for his 12 closest friends but for millions of us for centuries.  He said, simply, 'Come, follow me…'

What happens if you follow Jesus?  Where do you go if you follow Jesus?

If you follow Jesus very far…
He will lead you to a grassy hill and will teach powerfully and if you are a Jew growing up in the first century – if you revere Moses and the Law, Jesus will comment on it and illumine it in shocking ways.  This critical sermon begins with the Beatitudes.

In early April, Tom Davis and I had the privilege of meeting with a Senator – a peacemaker – and his Director of African Affairs.  His Director of African Affairs, who had been a missionary in East and Southern Africa for over a decade before joining the political scene in Washington said something profound to us: 'If you follow Jesus very far… he will lead you to the poor.'

If you follow Jesus very far, he will lead you to care for orphaned children in oppressive institutions and rural scorched-earth regions.

If you follow Jesus very far, he will lead you to poverty.  I know that for many of us poverty can be a dirty word!  But remember that Jesus himself was poor.  He was a homeless, wandering teacher and miracle worker.  The King of the Universe with only one change of clothes.  But if we look at the Beatitudes and ask the question, 'who are the happy ones?  who are the blessed ones?'  The answer is obvious: the poor.

Blessed are the widow, orphan, and stranger.

But that is not all… The beauty of the Trinity that we worship, is that Jesus will also lead us to prosperity.  I know.  Prosperity can also be a dirty word!  Remember that it is not us, but God in heaven owns the cattle on a thousand hills and gives good and perfect gifts.  God is prosperous.

If you look at the second half of each line in the Beatitudes, you see that God offers the prosperity of the kingdom, comfort, an inheritance, mercy, seeing God, and being called children of God to the poorest of the poor.

So we are invited, in the Holy Trinity, to participate in the life of God, the love between Father and Son, the power between Son and Spirit.  We are invited to participate in the poverty and the prosperity of God and our world!  Not to spectate, but to participate.  This participation in poverty and prosperity adds texture and authenticity to our lives and our Christian experience.

When you turn with hope and help to the poor and orphaned of the world, you bring to them the prosperity of God – through your financial investment, through prayer and encouraging letters, through visits.  But don't forget that they will bring to you something very beautiful as well.  When you meet the compassion of Christ in their eyes, when you meet childlike faith in their smiles, when you meet total dependence on God in their need, they will fill the canyons of your poverty (and we all have it – we all have some scorched earth and boarded-up buildings in our own lives - in our experiences – in our pain – in our loved ones).  They will fill these empty places with good and perfect gifts as well.

This is the beauty of our life here in response to the Triune God.  A loving community loving the whole world! – That is a simple definition of the Trinity. 

If you follow Jesus very far, he will lead you to the poor.

Jesus says, Come, follow me…

back after 11 days away

I am back at the HopeChest office today for the first time since a very busy day on Thursday, May 15.  Since then...

I traveled to St. Joseph, MI to launch First Congregational Church's sponsorship of Urzhum, an orphanage of about 40 children in Kirov, Russia.  It was an encouraging weekend.  I was able to stay with Dr. Bob and his wife.  Dr. Bob traveled to Russia with me in the Fall and I have through that experience and since then grown to admire and respect him a great deal.  He is a pastor and a theologian and a genuinely good guy.

Then I spent a week in class as part of my continuing education and ministry development at Fuller Theological Seminary.  I attended a class with Howard Baker called Principles and Practice of Spiritual Formation.  We looked at practices of spiritual disciplines throughout the centuries and worked to develop our own personal askesis, a plan for spiritual training.  It was a refreshing and informative time.  I recommend if you ever have a chance to read any of Baker's work or attend a class with him, do it.  He is a humble and devoted Christian scholar.

Then we enjoyed a great holiday weekend.  Sunday was also Judah's second birthday.  In anticipation of that, I spent all day on Saturday assembling a backyard playset.  I started at 6am and ended at 9pm - raising against the sunset and cooling temperatures and fielding multiple 'interruptions,' including my son sitting on my lap for most of the afternoon while I worked to complete his 'fort.'  He loves it!  Then we went to the zoo and he can tell you all about the giraffes and monkeys and elephants (phenenants in his language) and hippos and penguins and lions and zebras.  We definitely enjoyed a rich and restful holiday weekend.

And now I'm back at the HopeChest office.  I no doubt have a lot of catching up to do and am excited to work hard to connect faith communities here in the US with the needs or orphaned children in Eastern Europe and Africa.  So, thanks for reading and I promise to be more consistent in the coming days and weeks after 11 days away.

instruments of peace

We should not be surprised.  After all, we have been warned that life would be difficult and painful.  But in light of the recent tragedies and disasters in Myanmar, China, an LA high school, a lake in Vladimir, and the countless setbacks, disappointments, challenges, and trials that every one of us encounter... I have been praying a prayer attributed to St. Francis.  Pray with me.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.