Christmas, Kelley, and a man from Bethlehem

Christmas eve, when all parents do their last minute shopping. Such is the case this year, but this year we shop in Florida. While visiting my parents, Felicia and I were shopping this afternoon and stopped for a bite to eat at a Steak & Shake (one of her favorites that I hate:). We ordered some food and when it came to the table I spoke with our waitress Kelley, and mentioned to her that we were going to pray for our food and ask if there was anything she would like for us to pray for. Apparently shocked at my question, she said yes there actually was, her mother in law had had a stroke this morning and she was finishing up her shift, and leaving to go see her. And also that she had five kids and one on the way, she always was in need of prayer. So we invited her to join us and we prayed for her needs as well as our food.

Now the point of this story is this: In all our shopping, running around, fast paced, lives do we ever stop to notice the simple people we come in contact with. By simple I don't intend to mean less than, or subservient, but what I mean is the people we just brush in passing, not the ones we have appointments with, or family, just the casual moments we share. Like a waitress named Kelley.

Christmas is a time of celebration, a time of family, a time of reflection, and a time of joy.

I also met a man from Bethlehem today at the mall. Now I don't mean that jokingly, actually from Bethlehem. He was a vendor selling Holy land treasures, some wood carvings of nativity scenes, and such. Felicia and I made a small purchase from him, and sparked up a conversation. Turns out his family, and his brothers' family makes these things and sell them to tourist in Israel, and two months out of the year he comes here to sell them. He was going back on January 4th. After our conversation, he wrote his name down for me and ask me to look him up if ever in Bethlehem. I assured him I would.

People are the only special commodity we have here on this earth. Now where in scripture does it say Jesus came to save the temple, or to save the land, or to save anything but people. They are just that important. So as my family tears open enough paper to start a bon fire, and settles back down for coffee, I plan on reflecting on the true blessing we have each day, looking at us across the breakfast table. The ones we have on speed dial in our cell phones, with the cool ring tones for. The ones we neglect most by working to much, the ones that seem to get under our skin. The ones we love. I'm thankful for my family, and this year has been a tough one for us, so I'm thankful for them all, including my mom, who has looked death in the face, and by His grace, starred it down and smiled for another Christmas.


Lord,
I am so humbled by the grace you have shown me and my family. We thank you for the special gifts of mercy you have shown us this year. Thank you for seeing us through. Forgive us for getting excited about the presents and not being as thankful for your present in our lives. Thank you for this trip and getting to spend time with my parents. We are so blessed.
Remember Kelley and her family in their time of need. Bless them with your goodness and mercies this season. Remember Hanna Mitri and his family back in Israel. Bless there business, and the ministry these carvings will bring. And above all we are thankful that you loved us enough to give us Jesus. In His name I pray... Amen



Merry Christmas to you all.

Kevin

Look up, Live life, and be thankful.

Go Ministries Haiti / DR

Where do I begin? This year has been full of trips and adventures. To simplify let me talk bout my trip to Haiti / DR back last February. I went on this trip with some friends, then I met some people down there, like John Martinez of whom I wrote a post a few weeks ago (go read). My trip to Haiti was an impactful trip. I will never be the same.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with John Martinez to discuss several things, this was followed by a meeting with Brook Brotzman, founder of GO ministries (www.go-ministries.org) where we discussed several things, but the topic was what I can do to be involved from here. Also we discussed this topic of a trip back to the island in Feb '08. The details of which we are still working out as we speak.

Eddie:

One of my friends and I were discussing this trip (only in theory at the time) and what it would entail to get me back to the island, i.e. fund raising, resources, time off. etc. He shared my desires with some family and friends and the ball started rolling. Fund raising has already began, and the project is underway. The purpose of this trip has several dimensions:

1. Make a video documentary to share my passion with others.
2. Continue relationship building with John Martinez and other GO staff on the ground.
3. Work with construction team on projects currently underway.
4. Visit several ministry sites around the countries.
5. Explore ways to help GO Ministries.

Here's where we are:

1. Pray and search out God's will concerning this trip.
2. No BS assessment of resources.
3. Set Goals and priorities.
4. Develop Master plan and assign tasks.
5. Information download with Ministry and partners.

We are in phase 1. For more info, support, or to help contact me directly or by email khatfield@insightbb.com . Thank you for all the encouragement and support. My 1st and most important need is prayer.

Kevin

Look up, Live life, and be Thankful

Justice - Third Newspaper Article

Just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Thank you for your encouragement and support in all that is going on. I saved this article for this week, it was a touching moment in our lives and a prime example that everything is an event we can learn from.

The following weeks will include a video blog, if the technical aspects can be handled appropriately, and the details of the Haiti trip.

Article #3 Justice

The judge comes back into the courtroom and the bailiff addresses the court. “Would the defendant please rise.” The Judge smacks the gavel and says “I hereby sentence you to 20 years for the crime of…”

Sentencing…what a grim time, all hope is lost. Rules; as parents we are not only the law makers for our families, but also detectives, judges, and executioners (so-to-speak). The kids do pretty well as their own defense counselor and it’s usually quite a defense. I’d like to share a story from my household of such a trial.

One of my children came to a crossroad decision involving a sucker of the most desirable flavor that she wanted, but it belonged to someone else. Overtaken with desire…she took it, knowing it was wrong, but committed this offense just the same. When she began to eat it in the presence of her sister, the sibling with a prosecutor’s enthusiasm proclaimed her crime to my wife. Both of my children are great kids, but kids do sometimes learn the hard way. As my wife put on her detective hat to determine the validity of the case, a tear filled confession was heard. Now since I wasn’t present 1st hand, my wife ruled over the case. In light of the confession she moved to the sentencing.

Every crime carries its own punishment. Some are just minor infractions that can be handled with simple disapproval and a verbal reprimand. But some like the ‘Big Ten’ from the bible receive maximum punishment, which refers to the “Rod”, a wooden paddle we keep hanging in the laundry room. Just before the execution is to take place, I felt the usual feeling of mercy wash over me, not wanting my daughter to go through this. Then, I felt in my heart a way to teach a lesson in her time of crisis. I stayed the hand of justice for a few minutes to remind her of how Christ came to earth to save us from our sins, not by mercy, but by taking our punishment for us on the cross. But, here in this situation, a full reprieve wasn’t justified. Therefore, I volunteered to take half of her punishment for her. So my daughter and I bent over the couch holding hands and received two licks each. The three of us shared a moment of embrace and then I told her, like Christ from the cross “It is done.” Sentence served.

Maybe you’ll find my methods unusual or uncanny but my youngest daughter will remember the cross and her salvation in a memorable way. And my wife had a dream come true (She’d been threatening to spank me for years).

This Christmas, don’t miss the opportunity to share in God’s love with your children. One day, we all will sit in front of God’s judgment seat and I want to hear “It is done. Sentence Served!” Don’t miss the real reason for Christmas.

Lord,
Bless the people of Meade Co. with the knowledge of your undying love. Help us see your goodness in this season and find that special gift called Christ. In Jesus name… Amen




Kevin

Remember Look up, Live Life, and be Thankful

Speed bumps - Newspaper article for this week

Here's this weeks article for our local paper. Enjoy.


Speed bumps

On this journey we call life; one thing is not only for certain, but a guarantee. That is…we will encounter life’s little troubles. Some of them are major redirections, while others only slow us down, like speed bumps. How we handle these troubles usually determines which kind they are.

We had an incident the other day. A young man slid off the road and ended up smashed into our church building. No one was seriously hurt, but there was a lot of damage. People usually react in hostility when they feel someone has wronged them in some way. For instance, have you ever seen an accident where one driver is in an irate storm and screaming at the other? We can take these times of trouble and dwell on the negative and become redirected. Or, we can treat them like speed bumps…minor inconveniences’ that slow us down but not off course.

In our case, no one was present at the time of the accident. But upon the news, the leaders rallied the troops, did an assessment, called the necessary people, and began to make needed repairs to open the church. Life must go on. Church was scheduled to open later that evening and did so on time.

The nice young man did stop by to apologize for the damage he had caused, which gave us the opportunity to do one of two things; play the blame game and act like the irate driver mentioned above, or make sure he was okay and use this opportunity to show kindness. He unwillingly touched our church family, but in doing so became the object of our family’s prayers.
Christ didn’t come to save church buildings, but to change people’s lives. God is more concerned about our character than our circumstances. If we can affect this young driver and show him kindness, than this opportunity is a blessing not one of life’s troubles, just a speed bump.

Lord,
We pray for this young man and his family. Let this Christmas season touch him with the kindness only you can provide. Show light into his life and peace into his heart. Touch his body and heal the aches and pains. We are thankful for this opportunity to have met him and to pray with him. We are thankful for the speed bump. In Jesus name… Amen



Kevin

Remember Look up, Live life, and be Thankful

Article in Local Paper this week

Each year about this time Children from around our country start their Christmas list with “Daddy I want this for Christmas, and this, and this, and this.” It’s no secret that the retail industries will do a bulk of this year’s business from now till the end of the year. But what is Christmas? For some it’s a marketing campaign. For some it’s a pagan holiday, for most of us it’s at least a day off, a day of gifts, good eating, and family time.

Christmas isn’t just a calendar day we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas’ greatest present is recounted all through the pages of scripture, its stories that teach principles to live by, how to have a relationship with almighty God, His grace through Jesus to forgive our sins. But that isn’t the whole present. Now before I loose you, let me say this, all of those things are very important, but it was not only the Gospels, not even only the forgiveness of sin, but it was God’s love for you that makes up the whole Present. He gave us instructions in the Bible, He gave us Jesus to serve out our sentence for the sins we’ve committed, He gave us a direct phone line to heaven through our prayers, but His love encompasses it all.

He has made a way for us to live this life in relationship with Him, and to prepare for what comes after. We celebrate that with the image of a baby in the manger. God’s gift to the world, His love and forgiveness, his provisions and care, all wrapped up in swaddling clothing in Bethlehem (Luke Chapter 2).

Dear God,
May we never forget what Christmas is all about and teach our children it’s not about what we get, but what you gave. May your peace and love find its way into our homes and into our hearts this Christmas. In Jesus name…Amen


Look up, Live Life, and be thankful.

Kevin

Lunch with John

I had lunch today with a missionary friend that I met last February in Haiti / Dominican Republic. He shared a story with me that I think bares repeating.

Preface:

John Martinez is a missionary living in Santiago, Dominican Republic. He moved there from Louisville, KY and is part of the GO Ministries staff (see link below). He has been on the missions field for 6 yrs, and serves as a Short Term missions trip facilitator, as well as many other things including Haitian Missions Coordinator.

K Note: John like most of God's servants has needs that must be met. He is currently in town for a family visit as well as Ministry business. Above all things his biggest need is prayer. I have met with John and know that his heart is for God and ministry. Please add him to your prayer list. If you would like more details on how to help John with missions ministry or missions needs, please contact Vicki at the GO Ministries office ( Link http://www.go-ministries.org/ ) All else fails contact me and I'll get you going in the right direction.



While on a trip to Haiti from his home town of Santiago, he traveled for 12 hrs by bus over roads that were, let's say less than maintained for a simple description. Having traveled a majority of the day they arrived at their destination, an orphanage.

Haiti, besides being war torn from the revolution, and being poverty stricken, has also met with some natural disasters over the past few years. The most recent Hurricane Noel last month. The flooding has left families torn apart and some children have lost not only their few belongings but both parents. Left to live on the streets. Such is the fate for so many in Haiti. This particular orphanage is sponsored and ran by two local Haitian Pastors.

When they arrived at the orphanage the children (several hundred) where lined up outside awaiting their arrival. When they got off the bus the children began to sing. They lifted their voices in praise to God. Now to plant an image, these children have no personal belongings. They have only the clothes they wear, a small bunk to sleep on, and one sheet to cover up with. John's exact words were '...nothing. If they wash their clothes they have to stand around naked til they dry' One of these children, a little girl while praising God in heaven with excitement for the visitors, dropped down to her knees and began to say to God 'thank you! thank you!' She took a minute and worshipped him. John's heart just melted.

Stories like these always get me. Here the two of us, grown men, sitting in a restaurant nicer than these children could even imagine, let alone ever see, discussing impoverished children with 'nothing', thanking God for what they have. John was tearing up telling the story, I was swallowing my own lumpy throat as I heard it. It reminded me of a one armed girl I saw in '95 at an orphanage in the mountains above Port Au Prince that smiled at me and gave me a hug. Children of innocence, to young to realize the cruel world, yet with a child's love for an American visitor, a soldier that came and spent the day. She may not of even understood that I was American, only that I came to visit, because I could. I will never see that girl again this side of heaven, and if I did I surely wouldn't know it. But like so many I saw this past February she's one I'll never forget. And I pray that she too remembers some soldier that spent some time at her orphanage. Christ said in Mathew 28 " Go into all the world and make disciples..." And that is what's happening in Haiti. Two Pastors reaching out into the streets and taking orphans into their care. Not that they have it much better, but that they are willing to do with what they have. Providing the bare essentials, two meals a day, and the Word of God. There's still Hope in Haiti. There's still a cause. There's still Pastors mentoring and teaching the next generation to continue in the fight for the kingdom, in a land riddled with the nightly beats of the Voodoo drums. The prayers of young children ripping holes in the enemies strong hold, with a simple 'thank you God!' Needless to say even after 6 yrs of missionary work, I think John's visit was memorable. He shared with me that every morning he gets up and loves what he does. It's not a job to him, it's a way of worshipping God. It's a way of living in His presence.

To tell you the truth if I could have just paid the bill and left, I'd be back on the dirty streets under the Haitian moon, praying with them tonight. You see, they really know God. When you have nothing, there are no distractions. Like the Children of Israel in the desert wilderness, if all you have comes from God, you stay close. We like to look at them and feel pity because they don't have what we have, but really we don't have what they have, they trust God. And to trust God as a little child is worth more than all we store up. We are like the rich young ruler, given the choice to choose God. It was more than he could bare. As John so eloquently put it today over lunch 'comfortable'. We have become comfortable with ourselves so much so that we think we can't do without all the comforts. Now God doesn't intend for us to live impoverished, but he does mean for us to trust Him, and serve Him. You see, I left something there when it was my time to leave, a part of my heart, some of my compassion. Many people describe mission trips as life changing. I would agree to that, but maybe a better way would be life impacted. I'm not the same, and nor do I want to be. It's a lot of emotions and feeling to process. I sometimes dream of laying in my bunk at night in Haiti, listening to the dogs howl, looking out into the night as people walk by in the dark, and in my dreams I feel peace. The peace I can only describe as being in God's presence. Not the kind of presence you feel when you worship at church on Sunday with your tie on, or in a prayer meeting kind, but maybe the kind Moses and the Children felt. The ' in his presence' kind. Not supernatural, just the He's here kind. One of the things I pray, is that all that I am, and all that I have, be used for His glory. That when I end this life, I have nothing left. All my resources, all my energies, are used for His purpose. That I didn't hold anything back, no regrets. That I can bow down on feeble knees, look up and say 'Thank you Lord!'


Lord,

Let my riches be in Heaven, and let my heart be as this little child humble before you. May your Spirit and provisions find their way into the hearts in Haiti. There's not a child that goes hungery that you don't feel their pain. Not a person's grief that goes unnoticed. Not a prayer unheard. I pray protection for the Pastors who have reached out to these children. I pray guidance for the missionaries and my friend John to do your will. Grant them the resources needed to serve and support. I pray Divine protection to cover them as they work your fields. And bless the harvest with workers to disciple these children. In Jesus name.... Amen.



Kevin

Look up, Live Life, and be thankful.