A Dream to Realize - A Promise to Keep

Almost 22 years ago, Maria-Luz Roda Bautista became my wife and immigrated to the United States of America. Though many who casually observed our union assumed she was eager to come to the U.S. and live the good life, all those who truly knew her understood that accepting my proposal and following me to minister in various ministries, missions and outreaches in the inner cities of the US and around the world meant stepping away from deep involvement with a tremendous ministry in the Philippines. In many ways, it was for her a heart-rending decision. When she left, Luz always dreamt of reestablishing a deeper presence of ministry in the Philippines for us. We nurtured that vision through financial support, by sending others to the Philippines as both short-term and career missionaries and always dreaming we ourselves might be able to do more than just participate in a once in a while ministry visit that had to piggy back on urgent family business as a condition of our return.

As I write, My Luz is now on her way to the realization of this 22 year-old dream and the promise I made to her that we would one day re immerse ourselves in mission involvement in the Philippines beyond giving and sending others. For the last 4-5 years, we have been laying the ground work for what we sensed was the Lord’s moving us towards the opportunity to bring our dreams into the realm of reality. Through the pioneering ministry efforts of her Brother Ramon and his wife Nene, we have all worked together to establish a beachhead in the Bohol community with a broad spectrum of ministry that includes very needy families in extremely poor conditions, street children and college boarding students away from home.

Thanks to the involvement of our home church, Grace Church in Racine, we have made significant steps towards building upon the foundational elements of ministry we’ve been establishing in Bohol. For starters, our church collected supplies for over 200 children which we shipped a week ago for the children we have supported in Manila and Bohol. Luz has 4 duffel bags of supplies she is hauling by herself to distribute immediately upon her arrival that not only have those supplies, but contain hundreds of Ziploc bags that will assist us in distributing rice Luz will purchase with donated funds for hundreds of families! It is our desire to assist the growth of the mercy ministries we've help to start there and to partner with local churches to minister on a broad scale including church development, poverty relief and educational support with deep and lasting impact. Luz will recon the areas we have targeted, plot a course for our next steps and prepare the way for a team we hope to send from Grace Church Racine in 2012. Luz is ecstatic and we’re thrilled as a family to be directly engaged in ministries we have prayed for and supported for so long.

The time Luz will spend in the Philippines will be both challenging and fulfilling. I will try to keep everyone abreast of her progress and prayer concerns. Thanks to all of you, our friends, for your encouragement and support over the years and for this mission in particular. This is only the beginning of a great opportunity to serve others and bring greater glory to God. Stay tuned and stay prayerful! Until Next time…


Sam.

I Can't Help Myself

I just can't help remembering. 20 years ago, I was sitting on a "Big Iron Bird" in the middle of a 22-hour + adventure, making my way towards my new bride-to-be and two beautiful little girls who knew me at the time as "Daddy Sam". After a summer of challenging ministry, a conviction that the Lord was changing my ministry focus and unexpectedly falling head-over-heels in love in the Philippines I returned the the U.S. with an unrelenting drive and determination that I would get back to the Philippines before Christmas. As a seminary student with no job, no house and a really, really beat up car, it seemed improbable that I was in a position to get married, let alone support an entire family, but when God opens a door he also provides what it needed once the threshold is passed!

There was quite a bit of concern that I had bitten off more than I could chew. My mentor's wife asked me with great concern in her graceful Southern Bell style, "Sam, I concerned about you Dear. How are you going to support a wife and TWO children?" I didn't know the details, but I had spent literally every day of my life since my 5th birthday praying for the Lord to lead me in my choice of a wife and now His guidance had led me to Luz. I didn't know the particulars, but I knew I would lead me step by step and He would provide the way.

My presence on the plane was proof that the Lord WOULD make a way. On the heels of returning from the Philippines, I had just raised support for a pretty costly mission trip and here I was convinced that the Lord wanted me to return to the Philippines in less than 4 months. A dear Brother from Brazil gave me some great advice - "Sam, tell the people you know what you honestly believe the Lord has done, and what you believe he is doing now. All the while work, pray, plan, do all you can, but leave the results to Him. If it's truly His will, you'll be on a plane by December." In the last week of November 1989, I was on a Northwest 747 headed for Manila. I can't help but remember how the Lord provided.

I can't help but remember thinking about those two little girls and how my dearest friends worked so hard to help me to communicate my love to them. These friends had helped me make some flip page picture books with sound for the girls describing life in South Carolina as well as helping me make some cassette tape recordings of children's stories Like "The 3 Little Pigs", complete with sound effects and supporting cast voices. Our dorm mates got more than a few laughs listening to us make silly voices and use sound effects from our record collections to simulate the Big Bad Wolf blowing down houses! I'll never forget the HUGE hugs I received from my girls when I got back to Manila and how my friends' support had helped me to connect just a little bit closer so that I could lay a foundation for the family God was building.

I can't help but remember waking up after my first night back in the Philippines in a mission house surrounded by missionaries from New Zealand who had heard bits and pieces of the story of how Luz and I met and who were so gracious in offering encouragement and support as brothers in the Lord even though we were so newly acquainted.

I just can't help but remember feeling the Lord's peace as a coup attempt erupted 2 days after my arrival and I politely declined an invitation to leave the Philippines until a "safer" time arrived. I remembered being told that there is "No safer place than the center of God's will." As planes flew overhead and shelling was audible in the distance, I knew what God was doing, and new that he would see us through.

I just can't help but remember the joy I felt as the 4 of us stood together in a Manila park and a friend took a picture of us as night fell. God had answered the prayer of a lifetime and an abundance of prayers for daily guidance, and I was right in the center of His will, enjoying the fruit of His provision.

Over the next month, I'll be sharing my thoughts of this special time of my life. Anniversaries are designed to help us to remember times of great importance and to reflect on the impact of those times on our lives. At the 20-year mark of my amazing life journey as a husband and father, I am compelled to remember a time when God blessed me in such a powerful way, that even the gleanings of that wonderful life harvest are producing more fruit than I can contain. I hope you'll indulge my testifying of God's greatness to me through this life changing time. I'm sorry, but I just can't help myself. I hope you'll remember something wonderful that God has done for you and perhaps feel moved to some spontaneous praise too! Until next time...

SAM.

Real Men and Umbrellas

An endearing character in a 70's slapstick comedy had a recurring line that boiled down the challenges of manhood in a sngle phrase: "It's hard to be a man, Baby!" During my own growing years, my father must have felt the same way. His sentiments about the difficulties of manhood were expressed in a careful mixture of tenderness and toughness, designed to make me a caring, but tough man. One of the elements of my dad's toughening process was teaching me to deal with being wet. If it rained, we didn't stop any outdoor physical work activities. He held to the Army axiom, "If it ain't raining, we ain't training!" Besides that, I was never allowed to carry an umbrella. "You're not made out of sugar! You won't melt!" My dad would teasingly taunt. The principle that real men couldn't be stopped by water was reinforced time and time again. When I walked to school and it started to rain, I knew better than to expect a ride. "I wasn't made out of sugar. I wouldn't melt." The years passed and it kept raining. Even after I left my parent's home, through military training, missionary ventures, ministry experiences of all kinds, married life and fatherhood, it kept raining. I still wasn't made out of sugar and I still wouldn't melt.

Then came my latest visit with my father. I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to see Dad for a day in North Carolina this week. We spent a day laughing and recalling times past - retelling stories of the tough and tender lessons my parents meted out and how those lessons had provided wisdom and guidance for me in all sorts of situations. My father was curious about the "full details" of many of the stories I had abbreviated over the years to keep him from worrying and to prevent him from knowing just how painful some of the events of my life had been. I shared about the loss of our daughter Samantha and just how close we had come to losing our daughter Victoria at birth. I told of almost being shot in the Philippines on a couple of occasions. I shared some of the more harrowing stories of our ministries among the poor and some of my most emotionally trying times in ministry, like the time when fellow minister absconded ministry funds and used them to corrupt a vulnerable coworker and to support an extramarital affair that almost collapsed our ministry. I shared the victories too, the funny tales and the miracles - all of which made my dad laugh with glee. Still, I could see that he continued to reflect on the tougher times I had just shared with him.

All the talking made us hungry, so dad and I went out for Chinese Cuisine. I drove us both to the nearest take out restaurant and Dad decided to wait in the car. While the order was being prepared, it began to rain - hard. Remembering our conversation, I began to chuckle. It looked like I'd have another opportunity to prove my manhood! A few minutes later, I turned to face the cashier to pay for the order. I turned to see how Dad was faring in the car and couldn't believe my eyes. Dad was shuffling along towards the door with an umbrella in his hand. He came to the door and closed the umbrella as he stepped inside. I just couldn't resist the temptation. "It's alright Dad!" I gently teased, "I'm not made out of sugar!" He smiled but I noticed tears were in his eyes. "I know," he said. "But I think you've been rained on enough." Then he handed me the umbrella. The tears were mine now. I paid for our food,and Dad and I walked to the car arm in arm under the umbrella . The was nothing more to prove, just a whole lot of love to share. A great lesson in parenting, and my dad barely said a word. Just a day in my life, with the man who gave me life - a real man who continues to teach me what manhood is all about. Until next time...


Sam.

When Sammy Became Daddy!

During the early years of my childhood, I called my father by his first name. It wasn't out of disrespect. It was just that as an only child, I only heard my parents refer to each other by their first names and mimicked what I heard. "Good morning Sammy!" I would greet him each morning. "Sammy, can we play horsey?" I would ask. He was always ready with a quick smile and a "Yeah Man, let's play!" This really bothered Mommy, but my father was simply so delighted about the world of fatherhood that he insisted that as long as he could have a relationship with his son, he could care less what his son called him. So, the name stuck.

When I turned 3, "Sammy" had to go far away. He had been away many times before, but this was the first time that I would be old enough to remember. The far away place was on the news all the time, and there were lots of pictures and film footage of people dressed just like Sammy. They called the place Vietnam, and Mommy and Sammy said lots of prayers and shed lots of tears before he left. After he departed for Vietnam, Mommy and I prayed everyday for Sammy to be OK and for a lot of other things that I didn't quite understand. We saw the patch that I remembered being on his shoulder on the news all the time - Mommy said it meant Sammy was in something called the 173rd Airborne, and that they were doing very important work. We stayed with both sets of grandparents in Mississippi during that time, and we would make unedited reel to reel recordings of family conversations, including arguments, chaos and everything. Sammy wrote back and said that he and his friends in Vietnam loved those tapes and listened to them over and over again.

Everyone in Mississippi worked hard to make sure Mommy and I had a good time and didn't worry about Sammy too much. One project Mommy had was that every day she would show me Sammy's picture all throughout the day and say, "Daddy!" It seemed that at least 100 times a day, she would show me his picture and repeat, "Daddy!" No lectures, no speeches, just a constant repetition - "Daddy"! Mommy said Sammy was Daddy.

After about a year, Mommy and all my relatives got very excited. They said that we had to get everything ready, because Sammy was coming home! It looked like we were going to have a big party! There was so much food being cooked and people I had never seen before were saying that they knew me, Mommy and Sammy. They were always pinching my cheeks and saying how cute I was and how much I looked like Sammy. After a day or two of getting ready, Mommy said it was time to go to Jackson to pick up Sammy. I didn't quite understand where Jackson was - I thought it was our last name and was a little confused that now it was a place! Anyway, off to Jackson we went! There were so many people at the Airport, it was hard to see, but I wanted to help and looked as hard as I could to see if I could find Sammy. I searched and searched - as did everyone else - and still no sign of Sammy. Then, as I gave it one last try I saw that smile - I would know that smile anywhere! Then I saw his Khaki uniform and his spit-shined Jump Boots and there could be no doubt! I broke away from everybody and ran to him as fast as I could, "DADDY!" I blurted out! If I thought he had been smiling before, I thought his smile would light up the whole airport after he heard me shout for the very first time, "DADDY!" I was surprised by it myself, but somehow, it just felt right. We all hugged and laughed and cried and prayed and celebrated! Sammy was my Daddy and I was so happy and I was so proud!

In a little more than a year Daddy would once again leave for Vietnam and travel to many other places. The reunions were always sweet and his smile was always the first thing I saw. In short order, however, I began to understand that not everyone who went away was fortunate enough to come back alive. The losses our military community suffered always hit close to home. My teacher lost her son, our school librarian lost her fiance, and some friends lost their dads. I was amazed by the strength of character showed by these friends during times of crushing loss and the dignity and hope they displayed as they pressed on. It would be an understatement to say that their courage was inspiring.

Though I am no longer directly connected to the active military community by service or relations, I am nonetheless Army born and bred and by virtue of rearing and training inextricably bound to the ideals and values that continue to characterize a community that serves without reservation and at a cost not easily understood by our society as a whole. My personal understanding began when Sammy became Daddy. I am committed to honor and remember his many sacrifices and the sacrifices of dads and moms, daughters and sons and their families who have served and supported so that the rest of us can pursue the blessings of liberty with joy and abandon. As Father's Day approaches, take the time to remember the "Sammies" in your lives who are away from their loved ones and homes and to thank them for what they do to make our world a better place in which to live. You may not have experienced their world, but you can use my story as a beginning point of reference. They will be grateful and your expression of gratitude will make a difference for them and the ones they love. Until next time...

"Little" Sammy :-)
Sam.

Georgia On My Mind

The last time I saw my mother, in the summer of 1996, we were bidding her farewell at the end our vacation at my parent's home in North Carolina. I remember seeing her sobbing as we pulled away from the house and being strangely overcome with the foreboding thought that I would never see her alive again. My thoughts proved to be true, and I was only to have a few now precious conversations with her before receiving the news that she had passed into eternity only a few months later. The last thing I was ever to do directly for my mother was to officiate her funeral. It was a day of extreme emotion. I was profoundly sad at not being able to talk to her or be with her when she died. No last "I love you's", no last hugs, no last laughs - just the faint memory of our last conversation and a deep frustration that I didn't make more of a mental note as to the exact content of our discussion. I remember at the time of that last conversation thinking, "I'll be able to share more with her later." The "later" never came.

Though I was somewhat haunted by these regrets, I nevertheless had a true sense of peace and confidence on the difficult and heart-heavy day of her funeral. My peace and confidence came from the undeniable truth that I knew about my mother's life - She was not just a "nice" or "good" woman, she was a true woman of faith. Her love of God was strong and deep - rooted in the knowledge that Jesus had paid the price for her sin and that she would spend eternity with Him. She shared her love of Christ with anyone who would listen, and showed her love of the Lord by loving all she met without reservation. Though I couldn't remember the specific context of our last conversation, I received comfort from the fact that I knew our exchange included a simple admonition that she always delivered as we ended our phone conversations for the last years of her life. She would simply say, "Darrell, trust the Lord. Don't forget about the Lord. Don't stop giving your life to the Lord. If you do that, no matter what happens, you'll be alright. Trust the Lord! You hear me?" It was her nature to make sure that I had a grasp on the "Bottom Line" at all times.

This Mother's Day, Georgia Laverne Jackson and her bottom line exhortations are at the forefront of my mind. Her hugs, her kisses, her laughter and her words have never left my mind and her love and care continue to sustain me more than a dozen years after her passing. Of course, because she is no longer with me in this life, Mother's Day always brings very mixed emotions. My celebration is always bittersweet because I simply miss her so much. Nevertheless, the pleasant and loving memories of her love and service to our family and others bring me great joy and call me to a higher standard of faith, service and parenthood. I am also able to celebrate the strengths I saw in her through the strengths I see in my wife Luz and the legacy of Faith-filled womanhood she has passed on to our four daughters. It is that testimony of on-going faith and legacy of godly strength that still bring a smile to my face each Mother's Day in spite of my mother's absence from us and presence with the Lord. With that in mind, let me encourage those of you who are able to give your mom a call, hug her, kiss her, shower her with praise, don't hold back any outpouring of love you can give in honoring her on this dedicated opportunity established in her honor. For those of you whose mother's are on the other side of the veil, let me challenge you to use this day as an opportunity to be thankful for the woman who invested so much in making you the person that you are. That's what I am doing this weekend. Thanks to Ray Charles it's easy for me. It's just an Old Sweet Song that keeps Georgia on my mind. Until next time...

Sam.

All Grown Up!

This past Sunday, our youngest daughter, Victoria, celebrated her 4th birthday! Any child's birthday is a big deal and a wonderful time of celebration, but each birthday is especially so for our Victoria! As most of you remember, Victoria was born very prematurely at 28 weeks gestation and struggled for her life for the first two months after her birth. The Lord graciously touched her body and she grew stronger and stronger until she was able to graduate from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and venture out into the great big world that awaited her. Now that she is four, she is walking, talking, running and jumping and eager to do things on her own and to help any of us in our various tasks too whether we need it or not! It's so much fun to hear her exclaim, "I'm all grown up now! I can help!" It just brings smiles to all of our faces!

Even though Victoria is the most vocal daughter we have in declaring her womanhood, we have three other daughters who have the right to brag about womanhood, but refrain from doing so - Coco and Maris who are fully grown and out on their own, and Joana who is incredibly mature for her age and nearing the threshold of adult independence. I can remember when each of my three older girls were tiny too, and I often find myself feeling as if I'm caught in a time warp, remembering them in early childhood striving towards independence and seeing them actually having achieved mature womanhood right before my eyes.

I think what has most blessed me beyond any expectations I had when they were children, is their earnest concern for others, their eagerness to be of help whenever and however they can and especially their unwavering dedication to look after Luz and me. We all have problems and challenges, and I am no exception. My girls have been of amazing assistance to me, encouraging me, pushing me onward and even gently yet effectively giving me advice when I find myself "stuck" in search of solutions. I cannot adequately describe the joy and overwhelming gratitude of having a grown daughter hold your hand and offer to pray for you without your asking for it, or to have a teen aged daughter listen to a problem and offer a hug and a word of encouragement. There's just nothing so rich as having your own "little girl" listen to you ramble on about some problem and to have her offer sound advice on making things right and moving ahead past the challenge.

When Luz and I were busy raising our older girls in their early years, it never occurred to us that as they went on to live their own lives and deal with their own problems, they would actually present themselves again and again to help us whenever we needed it! Now, lest I be accused of false advertising, we do have our moments where the generation gap is evident in communication breakdowns and differences of opinion. Nevertheless, I have found that even in the midst of the times we don't see eye to eye, it is imperative on my part to acknowledge what the Lord is doing in the lives of my daughters and to be open to the possibility that the Lord just may have given them some pearl of wisdom or nugget of truth that could help to address whatever difficulty that faces me.

A dear friend saw a picture of my family taken during the summer and called me a rich man. He was right. I have so much to be thankful for - things that just can't be measured by a bank account, but things that really do give one wealth. I'm thankful for the blessings of daughters who are all grown up, not quite grown and who think their grown. My prayer is to treasure these wonderful women and the woman who gave them to me all my days and in everything I do to honor the love and blessings they have showered upon me ever since I became "Daddy!" Until next time...


Sam.

Healing Roots

This past week, my paternal grandmother, Mrs. Lucille Noble, passed away at the amazing age of 91. She was the last of her generation of our family which included her older brothers and 3 inseparable sisters who were the epitome of what close sisters should be. As is the case with the passing of any pillar of a family, my grandmother's home going brought family members together who had not been in the same place for many years. I was privileged with the honor of officiating her funeral service and was struck by the presence of so many loved ones who had grown up, were raising families and who possessed countless family traits and quirks that served as subtle reminders of a shared heritage and a rich family history. As I interwove my own recollection of how our family history had affected me and my family, I had no idea of how my understanding of my family history was to be deepened and reshaped in a single afternoon.

After the service, we gathered at my cousin Claudine's home for some down home hospitality and serious Southern soul food. As we all talked and laughed and ate, my cousin Frankie began sharing about "a little family genealogy project" he had been working on. As it turns out, his "little" was serious major historical work which he has been pursuing since about 1977 and which had been published. Armed with hundreds of family photos and obituaries dating back years, Frankie began a quest that led him to trace our family lineage to ancestors born into slavery in the mid-1800's, a link extending all the way back to Africa and even to a slave owning ancestor born in the late 1700's! That's right! We have our own Jefferson/Hemmings saga right in out own back yard! We no longer had to guess about where that red-hair originated! It turns out that there was not only a name, but a portrait with a face that displayed features that were clearly definable as ours! Even more incredible was the fact that because this slave owner had no other children, he worked tirelessly after the civil war ended to pass on a part of his wealth to his descendants birthed by slaves he had previously owned! As Frankie shared this spellbinding history, I couldn't help but think of the words of Martin Luther King who in the most famous speech of his lifetime shared the following hope:

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.

I now had historically indisputable facts, not just anecdotes, with dates and names provided, that confirmed that I was both the son of a former slave AND the son of a former slave owner! It also occurred to me that this hidden heritage might somewhat explain the burning desire deep within me to see people of all sorts of backgrounds come together in love, fellowship and harmony - it is literally a part of who I am! Within the blood that runs through my veins there exists both the genes of one who cracked the whip and of the genes of one who endured the scourging! I was reminded of Acts 17:26 which states that "He [God] has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth." If we dig deep enough, we will find common roots. This commonality can serve to remind us that those we struggle most to understand and live with are part of a larger human family that shares the same beginnings and are literally more like us than we often choose to believe.

For me personally, the new discoveries of family origin place me in a position to be less likely to assign blame - knowing I have ancestors who helped cause and perpetuate problems blocking understanding and healing - and less likely to claim vitimhood. What a motivation to know that I have ancestors who in full knowledge of where they came from, overcame tremendous odds to produce loving families and wonderful individuals like my grandmother, who raised 3 amazing children - one of them being my father - who in turn overcame his own challenges to go on to raise me. What examples for me to pass on to my children!

Through the serendipitous discovery of personal roots, the Lord has blessed me with a new perspective that has helped to understand more about the complexity of history and its effects on the human spirit and made me more desirous to be a conduit of healing for others. It has shown me furthermore that the love of God can overcome even the most tangled roots! Isaiah 61 reminds us that the Lord desires:

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness,The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

I knew the weekend would be a return to my roots. I just didn't have any idea it would also be a call to produce better fruit and more glory for the Gardener! So let me challenge you not to be afraid to dig into your past. It will show you just how far God has brought you and challenge you to allow Him to take you even further than you thought you'd be able to go! Until next time...

Sam.

A Taste of Heaven!

My family and I have just returned from a vacation we have been planning for the last 3 to 4 years. Our adventure took us from our familiar stomping Grounds in Detroit, MI to the majestic mountainous wonder of Western Canada where my wife's sisters and their families make their homes. It was the third such trip for Luz, my older 3 daughters and I, and the first for our youngest Victoria and our son-in-law Mike.

Plane rides are always exciting and we all enjoyed our flights, but did note that the cost of fuel was leading to a more "No frills" flight experience - no meals, a small glass of soft-drink or two and maybe a very small bag of 5 or 6 miniature pretzels - NO FRILLS! Nevertheless, we wanted our focus to be on our time with family in Vancouver and Victoria, BC and what a time we had!

There were over a dozen of us assembled in Luz's Sisters homes - first Liza and her husband Tim hosted us in Vancouver and later Lanie and her husband Mike hosted us in Victoria. As always, first came the screaming and unrestrained emotion from sisters who had not seen one another for a few years, followed by waves of sumptuous food. In Vancouver we were treated to the traditional Filipino delicacies, Pancit Canton, Adobo, fish and rice with the added benefit of some healthy alternatives of fruit salad, blueberry pancakes made with unrefined flour and numerous other healthy and tasty dishes added by Liza's husband Tim. In Victoria, we had more of the same thanks to Lanie and to Cousin Ruby, and we got to witness first-hand the amazing handiwork of Lani's husband Mike, who built their house by himself - 4,000+ square feet of it, an amazing display of craftsmanship that provided more than enough room of all of us to live comfortably for the week. This was capped by a spa day at Lanie's professional Salon, where our wives and daughters were pampered at Cerelina's, the spa Lanie has named in honor of the woman who gave birth to her and her 5 siblings. I know of three of us in particular who have been blessed by the fruit of Cerelina's labor as it has manifested itself in the lives of our amazing wives!

One aspect of British Columbian living that was a real fringe benefit, was the physical element to all of the fun. We were told that BC is the healthiest of all of Canada's provinces. Everywhere we went involved walking, hiking, lakes, beaches and hills. Talk about guilt-free indulgences! As soon as you ate, you burned it off with some kind of outdoor physical activity. Another characteristic of the area that struck a cord with us was its diversity. There are parts of Vancouver that make it difficult to determine just where in the world you are! For instance, when we visited one of the Asian Night Markets, the sights, sounds, tastes and smells were so overpowering that our youngest daughter Victoria exclaimed with loud and unrestrained joy, "Mommy,I love it here in the Philippines!" That phrase got me to thinking. Though what we experienced in the night markets was wonderful, it was just a shadow of what a market experience in the Philippines is like. Granted, it had many elements one might find in the "real thing" but it was only a faint reflection of a totally different reality altogether.

I believe that is a part of what the Apostle Paul was conveying about our understanding of eternal truths and perspectives when he stated that in our walk of faith we often "see through a glass dimly." There are times when we are blessed to enjoy amazing manifestations of God's love and purpose for our lives, but even at their best, these instances are but a "foretaste of Glory Divine." Our trip was wonderful, but it had to come to an end. Tears of joy were replaced by tears of melancholy as we embarked on the ferry leaving Victoria and heading back to Vancouver and the road back to Seattle, USA. Having family members in your sight gave way once again to wondering how they were doing and keeping them and their problems in prayer from afar.

As wonderful as our time was, it makes me remember that this world isn't really my home and that there is a place being prepared for me and others who have placed their faith in the Jesus Christ. We are promised inheritances that can not be denied and loving relationships that cannot be diminished by time, space or trouble. The little bit of Heaven my family and I experienced this past week made me yearn even more for the Real Thing that will never end. I am eternally thankful for the goodness of God who gives us good things in this world to help us appreciate the great things in store in the world to come! In the meantime, I look forward to another taste of heaven as soon as He allows it! Until next time...



Sam.

Barney Rides Again!

Early this Sunday morning I dropped off our daughter Joana at her High School, Grosse Pointe North, to embark on a 4-day Choir trip to New York City. She and her schoolmates will not only be treated to see the sights, take in a couple of Broadway Shows and have the total NYC tourist experience, they will have the honor and privilege of singing in Carnegie Hall! Joana has been away before on church youth retreats and regional school events, but this trip is the opening of a new chapter - those preliminary signs that another Jackson Eagle will all too soon be leaving our comfortable and protected nest and heading out on her own. As this thought whirled around in my head, I was comforted by another strange idea - "At least I don't have to deal with Barney anymore!" When Joana was much younger, that overpoweringly Pleasant Purple Reptile lived up to his species name, Tyrannosaurus Rex - King Tyrant - by ruling our home with a Velvet purple fist for almost 2 years as Joana went from toddler to elementary aged child. Not a day went by during that period without Barney's effusive charms being in full display for hours of video on end! Any attempt to squelch his reign was met by a hysterical scream for , "BARNEY!! BARNEY!!" The King had his way again! I remember the absolute joy I felt on the fateful day Barney's reign ended. "Daddy" Joana began matter-of-factly, "I'm too big for Barney. He's for babies and I'm a big girl now!" If I had been thinking clearly, I would have realized the bitter-sweet nature of the moment. Instead, I was so consumed with Barney loathing that I missed the true significance of the moment and almost jumped with glee in celebration of his retirement form our home. Barney was through, and our lives would be back to normal!

13 years later, this Barney memory was fresh in my mind as I drove away from Grosse Pointe North High School on Sunday and contemplated Joana's amazing transformation from a child to a young woman with so much to offer and so much to enjoy. I also smugly considered that now that we have another toddler, how fortunate we were that kid's programming had so much more variety and sophistication now and Barney was old news - or so I thought.

Joana's being away has allowed our daughter Victoria to grow up some on her own and to establish a little independence. She has quit the bottle, insisted on helping us with household chores and shown a greater appreciation for the variety of ways she can choose to learn and be entertained. She can choose everything from Noggin to Playhouse Disney to the Nick, Jr. with countless choices of wholesome "edutainment" that we can all enjoy together. An amazing variety of programming available at the touch of a button. Nothing could have prepared me for the programming choice she made on Sunday evening as we settled down for some rest and some family TV time together.

"Mommy and Daddy", she stated confidently, "I want to watch Barney!" "OK Sweetheart", I replied, "we'll tune it to...BARNEY!" "What do you mean BARNEY?" My brain had suddenly locked up and I was in disbelief. Attempting to recover, I blurted out, "DO you mean Lem Barney, the Detroit Lions legend?" She looked at me with the strangest look and simply said, "No Daddy, Barney the Purple Dinosaur!" I turned to Luz and asked, "How did she hear about him? You mean, he's still on TV?" Luz calmly responded, "I guess so. After all, On Demand has a ton of classic programming including children's standards, so why wouldn't they include a program as classic as Barney?" I was speechless. Somehow, Barney was riding high again and now Victoria had 24/7 access to him via On Demand programming. How did he do it? How could he manage such a comeback?

After what seemed to be an eternity of the Purple One, when it was bedtime, Victoria asked for story from her Children's Bible and we opened up to the account of Jesus and his love for children. It's a very familiar passage where children rush to Jesus with delight and the disciples recoil in horror attempting to mute their fun and to keep Jesus at arms length. Jesus rebukes the disciples and forcefully commands them to let the children come to Him because their child-like faith is the kind of faith God desires for those who serve Him. Then Jesus embraces and blesses the children. When I settled down with Victoria and watched Barney on the video, it occurred to me that Barney has a wonderfully welcoming demeanor that children recognize and are drawn to. Barney is always ready to play, teach and to affirm in a way that is vital to a child's well-being. As I looked at Victoria's young face and thought back to Joana's face at that age, I realized, contrary to my personal preferences, I needed to encourage her enjoyment of Barney, not resist it. In fact, as the weather warmed up, I even found myself emulating Barney and joined Victoria at the playground, swinging on swings and sliding on slides - really acting like Barney - without the Dinosaur suit, of course! The importance of this attitude really hit me when Victoria and I got home. As we approached the end of the day, Victoria ran and got her children's Bible and asked me to read another story about Jesus. She was eager to hear what the Bible said, because she had seen it applied in very simple terms in our time on the playground Barney style. Imagine - a theological application from a purple dinosaur! So now, I am thankful for all the rich variety the Lord has allowed in my life, including that Purple Reptile who always has time for children. If Barney can carve out some time for kids, we can too! Let the children come to you and bless them all you can. You'll never regret the silly, child-like moments that yield a lifetime of healthy, loving grown-up fruit. Until next time,


Sam.

18 Years!

 

Eighteen years ago today my life changed forever! It was a day that ranks in the top three most important days of my life, the other two paramount days being the day of my birth and the day of my re-birth! Eighteen years ago today, I took Maria-Luz Roda Bautista as my Bride. It wasn't an easy accomplishment! In the course of our courtship, she had turned me down three times! When she was finally convinced of my sincerity, we had to grapple with our respective governments, immigration, inoculations, her Mission Agency's approval, my seminary's approval, our families' approval and most importantly the certainty and conviction that we had the Lord's approval. Praise God, everything came together in God's timing and we were married just a few days before Christmas at Youth With A Mission's Balut Base in Manila, the Philippines, on a sunny and hot afternoon on December 20, 1989. It was a wonderful wedding. As the ceremony progressed it occurred to me that while I had given a lot of thought to marriage I had not given much thought to a wedding, but the wedding was just the kind I wanted - unique and personal, in an exotic location with a lovely woman who loved me and who was right by my side - all in the presence of the Lord and people who loved us.

That day, I took the beginning step of the adventure that is marriage with all it can entail - romance, passion, problems, insecurities, fatherhood, adult-childhood, triumph, failure, pride, shame, teaching and ever learning, laughter and tears. Luz and I have seen our family grow together, buried two parents together, and buried a child together. We have soared to tremendous heights, and trudged along life's terrible swamps. Marriage continues to be all I have hoped for and more than I can handle. When I look at what the Lord has done in and through Luz and me these 18 years, I am so thankful for seeing Jesus' power and mercy manifested in our lives. Without Him, our marriage would never have come to be, let alone survived 18 years after its beginning.

As Luz and I celebrate God's provision and grace over 18 years as a married couple, we will commit ourselves anew to asking the Lord to keep us abiding with Him. The marriage journey is a wonderful adventure, but a perilous one as well. We are as vulnerable as any other couple to the myriad of traps, pitfalls and obstacles that can undo any marriage, good, bad or ugly. We will not just be praying for ourselves, but for others who have embarked on this journey as well. Bringing a man and a woman together in the holy institution of marriage is a God-sized task. Our Almighty God is up to challenge and able to do more than we imagine or could ever hope for. Spend some time today asking the Lord to bless the marriages of people who are dear to you and please include Luz and Sam in your list. Continuing the journey in faith...



Sam.

How To Honor Your Mom All Your Life

My mom passed away unexpectedly over 10 years ago, and Mother's Day always brings mixed emotions. On the one hand, I have a great deal of joy remembering what a great Mother she was and the wonderful mother my wife is. On the other hand, I still feel a bit of sorrow at not being able to honor my mom personally with cards, flowers, gifts and other tokens that symbolize the great love and respect I have for her.

Nevertheless, as I thought about it, I realized through reading Proverbs 31, that there were some substantial ways that I could honor my mom for all the days of my life that go beyond the token efforts of cards, candy and flowers. In Proverbs 31, King Lemuel (aka Solomon) receives valuable instruction from his mother on how to live his life with integrity and goodness. His mother gives him advice in the areas of relationships, economics, compassion, justice and leadership. These life lessons are capped with a call to fear the Lord above all. Ephesians 6:1 tells children to obey their parents in the Lord, for it is the right thing to do. There is no statute of limitations on godly instruction which can be applied effectively for a lifetime, not just one's childhood.

Therefore, the wise words of Proverbs 31 provide each one of us with a template for living in a manner that allows us to honor our moms long after they have departed this life and long after our hair has turned grey. Are you honoring your mom today? Micah 6:8 lays out the template in terms that are easy to understand:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Live by these words and honor your mom today! Until next time,

Sam.