Down But Not Out!

“Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.  Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, 

the Lord is a light for me.  I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him,  Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.  He will bring me out of the light, and I will see His righteousness” (Micah 7 8-8).

Hey Gang:  Her name was Sheila and she had just gone through a very tough wilderness experience where the alligators had nearly won and she wrote the following when she was at the bottom, trying frantically to get up:

“I did not understand that God’s most precious gifts come in boxes that make your hands bleed when you open them.  Inside is what you have been looking for all of your life. Only God can do that.  Only His love is as fierce and relentless as our deepest pain and unspoken fears….I longed for rescue, He gave me relationship.  I wanted deliverance, He gave me companionship in the ruins.

Does that not sound reminiscent of the apostle Paul when he wrote, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings”.  (Phil. 3:10).

Oswald Chambers prayed “O Father, pierce a hole in the darkness so that I can behold the face of God.”

A girl on the Oregon trail, after many hardships, as they trucked to the West wrote, “I have known what it was to believe in God, but now He came so near that I no longer simply believed in Him but knew His presence there…that calm strength, that certainty of One near and all sufficient, hushed, and cheered.”

“He came so near”.  Words that are echoed in our heart and soul by many of us who have walked the path of pain. 

We cry out, “Lord, why do you allow bad things to happen to good people?”  And he quietly speaks to the deep recesses of our heart: “So that you can experience my nearness to you and understand how much I love you.  Just some encouragement as you begin this new day in the mission field.  Moses penned these words of assurance for those who love the Lord their God with heart and soul: “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the One who goes with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6).

  

David wrote the following when he was fleeing for his life from Absalom his son: “O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!  Many are rising up against me.  Many are saying of my soul, there is no deliverance for him in God.”  But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.  I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His Holy Mountain, Selah.

“You O Lord, are a shield about me!”  Hallelujah!!!  “Come before the Lord with joyful singing.” 

Blessings,

Gramps

Whose Fault?

                                                           Who ME??????

“The person who sins will die.  The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son‘s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezek.18:20)

Hey Gang:  The Japanese have a unique law in their canon of laws, ‘If you are sitting at a stop light and someone plows into your rear, the plower is only liable for ninety percent of the guilt.’  Their rationale for this law is- if you were not there or had been one minute later in getting there, the accident would not have occurred.

That brought to mind another story that I have compiled in my archives from my air traffic control,  involving a pilot. While in the process of landing His aircraft he encountered a sheer cross-wind that drove his aircraft into the ground. As he was exiting the crashed plane, the emergency crew arrived and asked the pilot what happened.  His response, “I don’t know I just got here myself!” 

God said to Adam, have you eaten from the forbidden fruit?  His response, “The woman WHOM YOU HAVE GIVEN ME, she gave me from the tree, and I ate”.   God said to Eve, what have you done and she responded “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:9-13). 

The blaming mentality became a weakness in all of mankind ever since.   Adam blamed Eve for taking of the forbidden fruit, Eve blamed the serpent.  Saul blamed the people for sparing the best of the animals instead of utterly destroying them, according to God’s commands (I Samuel 15:8-15).  In Ezekiel 18 the children of Judah blamed their ancestors for the sins they themselves committed.  

Today, some even blame God for circumstances that they have brought upon themselves.

Because of our sinful tendencies, we do not want to take responsibility for our own actions.  We feel justified in pushing our accountability on someone or something else.  In our pride we do not like to admit fault   Do we not want people to think we are sinless, even perfect? To that I plead guilty, 

Lord!  How often have we justify ourselves by saying, “It’s not my fault”?  Or what is the first thing we tend to do when we commit a grievous error? – look for something or someone to blame it on. 

The Bible is clear that when we stand before God, we will not be able to blame any other person or thing for our actions: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).  We are accountable for all the choices we make or have made.

Paul put it this way: “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am, of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very things I hate” (Rom. 7:14-15).  Again, I plead guilty! 

Paul goes on and gives us the good news: “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25a).  The point: Let us humbly take responsibility for the wrongs that we have done, instead of playing the blame game.  Keep in mind to err is human; to blame it on somebody else is even more human. Choose to ask forgiveness from God and others and be set free!

Blessings,

Gramps

Oh, Yes, God Has Prepared A Better Tomorrow!

  

In a recent blog the Scripture for the day was Luke 6:38  “Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will, be measured to you in return.”

Hey gang, I shared a message centered on one Mr. Diggs recently.  As I mentioned, from world standards he was a total flop.  I mean he did not rise to the top of the corporate ladder; In all probability, he did not even move beyond the kinder-garden level on the corporate ladder.  He had no great academic credentials, had not gained great piles of bangles and beads, no stock portfolio.  By world standards he was a ‘nothing burger’.  

But what he did have was many stars in his crown for the kick ball crowd who sat under his counsel and teaching; many days he shared that Abba Daddy loved them with an unconditional love.

I was sitting on the patio several days ago and happened to look up- the sky was fabulous!  There were multitudes of beautifully formed clouds, each one unique in size and color and Paul’s words popped into my mind: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I did not know, God knows – such a man was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).

Is that not a fabulous verse?  As I laid there with my head back looking into the heavens, I wondered -if God suddenly rolled back the sky what would I saw?  John says, “One day we will see a new heaven and a new earth, and a holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for his husband, having the glory of God, her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear and jasper”. (Rev. 21:2). 

I wonder how I would feel. if I would see that city awaiting for Father God to hit the down-button and see the eternal city coming out of the clouds.  But then again there will be no clouds for there will be no sky.  I wonder what is going on up there today.

So, my young warriors, when the rubber-hits-the-road today, and it probably will, if you are walking with Jesus as your Lord, - for Satan is traveling the earth in record speeds seeking whom he can devour, for he knows his time is short- Look up beyond the clouds and see His Glory.

Blessings,

Gramps

Try his Today- A Nod, A Smile, A Word of Encouragement - A Seed

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many”. (I Cor. 12:13-14).

Hey Gang: Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden was a winner.  In a recent article that centered on his life, he gave credit for his success in. -not only how we treat each other on the basketball court- but in every facet of life.  

Simply stated it was to acknowledge and give credit to the one who helped them score the bucket.  When one of the younger players said, “But coach, there is no time to run over and pat the guy on the back”.  Coach Wooden’s response was, “A Nod, a Smile, a Word of Encouragement – A Seed” a meeting of the eyes sends the message that you recognize the opportunity he made possible for you.   

He continually drove home the point that victory was dependent on being willing to sacrifice yourself to help one of your team mates excel -whether on the hardwoods, gridiron, family, or in the corporate world.  He also made it clear that when you give up yourself to help another you are as equally important to the victory as the one who, in most cases, are the focus of the headlines.

Coach Wooden’s rule and the above Scripture are rooted in the principle of seeing our need for one another.   In Matthew 20:26-28 we read Jesus formula for success: “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

If someone were to ask me what is my favorite verse in all the Bible, I would be extremely hard pressed to answer; there are many verses that are very special to me, each designed to meet a specific need at a specific time in my life.  If the question was, “What is the verse that you used most throughout your ministry years, there is no question it is Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Wait, stop, reread that last line again “…by your standard of measure”.  By whose standard?  God’s? No!   Your standard.  Paul was a great teacher of this principle.  In 2 Corinthians 9:7, he wrote, “Those who give bountifully will reap bountifully” not under compulsion or grudgingly for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Don’t stop there! Notice there is a fringe benefit from the throne room of heaven for those who give with a loving heart: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (verse 8).  Can you say “whoopee” to that promise?

My good friends, put this in your think-tank and mull it over as you go through the chores of the day.  I suspect, if you are looking around, there will be opportunities to give a nod, a smile or a few words of encouragement to someone who really needs encouragement today.

Blessings,


Gramps

A New Season - But:

 “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet a little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.  But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrink’s back, My soul has no pleasure in him.  But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Heb. 10:36-39). 

Hey Gang:  I have mentioned my D14 Allis Chalmers Tractor in several morning messages, usually using it as an object of frustration, but I want you to know, I am not sure what I would do if I did not have it.  I also have a semi-worn out garden tractor that long since gave up its ability to cut grass but has been a wonderful run about that saves hours on the mower and D14.  Just when it was committed to the “junk heap” it gained new life.

But,  it tends to be a wee-bit cranky and I am never sure if today it will feel like running. I keep a battery charger on it continually to keep its energy at peak levels and know, if the temperature is below forty, I can forget using it that day. In other words I am never quite sure Old Charlie will get up and go.

So what is the message here?  I am 83 years of age and, like the D14 that is more than sixty years old, there are more and more days when I feel like my “get up - got up and went”.  To complete tasks that I used to enjoy doing have now entered the “act of the will” category. I have also learned that many things I used to do automatically now require thinking and planning. 

When I was speaking two and three times a week, I used to tell those who asked, if I would come and speak to their group, “Have mouth with travel”.  In other words speaking was a piece of cake because my mind was continually being filed with the message I felt God wanted to deliver.  But that is not the case anymore. Now preparing and speaking are much more difficult and require much more time.

Now, why in the world am I telling you this – this morning?  To set the table for this comment that I pray will dig deep into your soul.  Ready?  Every day you waste now, when you are young and your brain is vibrant and ready to receive what God wants to put in for future usage, when the rubber-hits-the-road times, might be gone forever.  When we hit a clinker, we cannot say, “just a minute, I need to go look up and see what the Lord has to say about this crisis in my life. Be ready always to share the Word God gives.

So, my young friends, take a word or two of advice from an older than dirt hombre, if you do not put God’s Word into your heart and mind now, when your mind is best equipped to receive it,  He will have nothing to pull out when you find your back-against-the-wall.

Blessings,   

Gramps

Food for Some Very Serious Thought

“And the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of Man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God, “Behold I am against you O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. 

I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords.” (Ezek. 38:1-4).

Hey Gang:  Have you taken an hour or two lately and taken a hard look at what is happening in our nation and our world today.  Have you taken Jesus’ words to heart when He said, “When all of these things…” – what things? All the prophetic signs and wonders I have given you in the Word so that you will not be confused when these things come into view – don’t get all panicky but “Look Up for your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Notice the words prior to this awesome promise: “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”.  And Luke goes on and gives us a profound statement for those who are alive in this generation, that “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place” (verse 32). Wow, is that not awesome?

Do you hear what He is saying?  “Be on guard, don’t let your heart be bogged down with the worries of this life, But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34/36).

And just what signs and wonders are given to us as wake up calls by Jesus?  The apostles and the prophets of old?  They all agree that Israel would become a place of milk and honey for God’s chosen people.  This is the most profound thing that has happened and continues to unfold in my life time.  It was foretold by Jesus, in the prophecy of the “fig tree”, that was recorded in Mathew 24:32-35;  and it has happened!

Psalm 83:2-8 tells us of the coming conflict with the Sons of Ishmael and Esau, and one has to be in a coma not to realize that the Middle East is a tinder-box waiting for someone to lite the fuse. 

Add to this the miraculous restoration of the Hebrew language, as God predicted through Zephaniah (3:10),  the blooming of the desert, their victories in three wars -each one against overwhelming odds. 

 One has to have their head deep in the sand to not see that God has His hands on this tiny nation.

Isaiah 27:6 states that, not only will the Jews recover their homeland, restore their lost language, but  they will also restore the land.  It has been my privilege, in more than ten trips to Israel, to see the desert begin to “Blossom like a rose.” (Isaiah 32:1) What a wondrous joy it has been for my bride and I to get our hands dirty in the Arabah, helping with that restoration project. 

One of the more volatile prophecies of the day is the growing fervor of the Israeli people, religious and non-religious, to take back the Temple Mount and rebuild the Temple (Isa. 2:2).   We know from the Word that it is going to happen – the only question is when.  I hope to write a blog on his subject in the near future, for I believe it is the hot button item of the day.  There is no question the Temple Mount is the most volatile place in the universe.

This could turn into a very long dissertation, for the Word is filled with prophecies that are coming into focus daily.  If you have not checked out the latest What’s Happening Man blog, I suggest you do so.  My good friends, there has never been a more exciting time to be on earth - “IF” you are locked into the Word and a praying-; member of the body of Christ but it can also be a very scary time ”IF” you are not.

I pray you are excited!

Blessings,

Gramps

What Lurks In the Hearts of Man?

“Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbath” (2 Sam. 11:1).. 

Hey Gang:  We were privileged to have most of the family home to celebrate that moment when Father God breathed life into His Son, Yeshua, and defeated death for all times for those with contrite hearts.  Among the families that were represented, each had their own unique style of how they would conduct their homes and raise their young ones. 

It can be a very eye opening study on how children who are raised under the same roof, with the same parents, with the same rules, etc, choose to raise their children in vastly different ways.  I probably should depart that train of thought before I let my key board get me into trouble.

But I did do some research on why men fight wars, in the course of their interactions.  We are pretty well equipped in our home with toys and such sundry items to keep little people busy and happy.  And, in the midst, are two semi- trucks that I built years ago; these seem to gain the attention of most who grace our domain.  Soon after the arrival of the families, one of the little ones spied the two semi-trailer trucks and brought them out of their hiding place.

We will refer to him as the combatant from the North.  Combatant number two, whom we will refer to as the Combatant from the East, soon spied the trucks and tried to penetrate the defense lines that the Combatant from the North had set up.  The Combatant from the East probed the defense lines from several points but the Combatant from the North was to strong.

But then news came from the Supreme Headquarters that a truce should be declared.  The truce lasted as-long-as the Supreme Commanders where hovering over the battle field; but, like most truces in all wars, it soon passed away and the Combatant from the East penetrated the defense lines of the Combatant from the North and captured one of the semi’s.

Now, the interesting part of this war was, as soon as the Eastern Combatant penetrated the line of the Northern Combatant and accomplished his goal, he soon thereafter left his booty and headed for another conquest!   The Combatant from the North soon followed and the trucks were left stranded in the middle of the living room battle grounds and had to be returned to their hiding place by the host. Now, there is a principle here folks, if it is not something that someone else wants, it ain’t worth having.  

So, what is the one thing in this world that is worth fighting for?  What is the one thing that ‘what you see is what you got?’  When God created the heavens and the earth He created all there would ever be.  True, the Chinese have created several Islands, in the midst of the sea, but, if God so desires, one quick hurricane and the Islands would be history. 

Is there a point to this epistle?  Yes. As I watched the combatants move and shake, each determined warrior was vying for victory; but, when they won their victory, the war lost interest and he moved on to find other challenges to conquer.  When Alexander the Great had defeated the armies of the world and was now king of the then-known world,  he cried that there were no more armies to conquer.

As I watched these little guys vying for power, I was not concerned about their determination to win- because I have seen the determination in the hearts of their Supreme Commanders that are directing that power and molding them into something that is beautiful and useful.  But with my years of working with kids who have lost their way, I feel so sad that they too did not have the luxury of having Supreme Commanders in their lives who loved them enough to say “No” and mean it.

Would this not be a wonderful world to live in, if all accepted God’s gifts and blessings?  In Galatians 6:22-23 we read of His fringe package that is available to all who come to Him with a contrite heart.  Can you even imagine what a world where God’s ‘fruits of the Spirit’ prevailed?  Tragically, the world has chosen another agency, with a far more cynical fringe package- found in Galatians 6:19-21.  Is it not wonderful to have peace in your heart and soul knowing you are not of this earth but are just passing through?   

Blessings,

Gramps

I Pray, I WIll Not Be Shaken!

I  

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Hey Gang:  Wow, do I have some fabulous news for you this morning!   Yes, we are living in that time described by Paul as “perilous times; a time described by the writer of Hebrew’s, “When everything which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain”. (Heb. 13:27).

Notice the last words of that verse- “…which cannot shaken”.  As I have studied the Word, I have learned that there are prerequisites to the promises of God.   A neat Word study, and one that reveals the unbounded love of God for His children, is the phrase “I will”; but, to truly understand this un-boundless love, you also need to look at the “if’s” that trigger this un-boundless love. 

If I were able to ask each of you who receive this epistle where Jesus, the Son of God is at this moment, most would quickly reply, “God raised Him from the dead and seated Him (Jesus) at His right hand in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:20), You would get a star at the top of your paper!   

Now for the “Wow” lesson of the morning.  Paul goes on to give us this fabulous piece of truth: “By grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

Perilous times, yes, but God’s grace is sufficient for even the deepest and widest wilderness experience.  Isaiah gives us a promise we can take to the bank: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.  For I am the Lord your God” (Isa. 43:2-3a).

When you hit the Shaker, stop for a moment or two and remember where you are- you are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, and have no reason to fear, for He, the Lord of glory is with us; His rod and His staff are our comfort!.  Can you say a big “Amen to that?

Blessings,

Gramps   

God Does Meet Our Needs, When We Ask.... With A Sincere Heart 6

A word for today “But Moses said to the people, “Do no fear!  Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today” (Exo. 14:13a)

.

Hey Gang:  As I watched the new dining facility rise out of the ground, I noticed a change taking place in my attitude.   I was becoming less of a “but Lord” person and more of a “Try Me” person.   I was learning the lesson that God loves those folks who are willing to say “Yes Lord, I dig;”.  He also loves those persons who understand that it is okay to try many doors and He will close the ones that He knows are not right for them.   But the biggest lesson learned was He will never ask me to do something that He does not equip me to do

Yesterday, I mentioned the unfinished kitchen wall and the answer given when questioned as to why it was left open.  The worker said, “Lunch time had rolled around and they just had not gotten back to it.”  I also mentioned that was not the reason at all

You see, we had established a relationship with the chief honcho of the Dow Chemical Salvage Yard and made weekly trips to pick up salvage materials that we could use.  Dow was also purchasing the houses along what they called the Green Belt into the city and were tearing the houses down.  We were given access to the house to remove anything we could use or sell.  I am not sure, up to that point if it was a profitable venture, but as one of my good friends once advised, “If you are offered a bucket of dung take it, tomorrow they may give you the cow."

And then I received a call with a “cow”, a very large cow- a wonderful and critically needed cow!  The chief honcho of the salvage yard explained to me that Dow was preparing to build an atomic plant in the local area and they were removing everything- in order to build a cooling point for the atomic plant.  He said there is a nursing home that must be removed and wanted to know if I was interested in the kitchen, closets, in rooms and all the bathroom fixtures. 

The commercial kitchen had not reached the sign off on the guarantees.    An immediate sortie involving builder and architect  and me -with tape measures and levels in hand- visited the kitchen and made several discoveries: first, with the exception of cutting off one foot off a drain board, the entire kitchen fit in the space allowed by the architect.   That was miracle one.  Miracle two was the two walk in freezes fit perfectly between the A Frame trusses!  And miracle three was, if they had finished the kitchen wall, the huge refrigerator and freezer units would not have gone through the door! 

God had now provided for the kitchen, a thirty-thousand dollar gift.  We could now turn our attention to the needed cooking utensils and dishes, table and chairs for the dining room.   But God knew the need and had made provisions for that also.  I received a call from a realtor that had heard me speak at a service club meeting; He- informed me there was to be a state auction of a restaurant in a near=by city.

It was a rather old restaurant and, on Auction Day only a few bidders showed up.  The first item that was put up for bid was eight boxes of dishes and glasses which I was able purchase.  When the other bidders found out who I was bidding for, they no longer bid against me.  I purchased table and chairs, pots and pans, slicers, milk shake mixers, toasters, etc, etc.  At the end of the auction we had every item needed to run a full commercial kitchen.  The bottom line, $137.00!

There were some items that we were not interested in which and  I sold to other bidders who were there. THis reduced the out of pocket cost by more than half.     In one week God provided for a full kitchen and all shower room needs, lockers fore or storage areas, all of the dishes, glasses, serving bowls, all of the equipment in the dining room to sit more than sixty people.    Our out of pocket cost was less than sixty dollars! 

What say you, my friends?  Would you agree with me that when God says “Try Me” what He really means is “I will supply for your every need in Christ Jesus”.  We were blessed through these early years and have been since with a strong prayer warrior crew who have been faithful in praying diligently for the Village.  If you are not one of them, I strongly encourage you to become one today.

Contact ewoods@eaglevillage.org  

Blessings,

Gramps

God Does Meet Our Needs When We Ask... WIth a Sincere Heart 5

“Do not fear!  Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He has accomplished for you today” (Exodus 14:13a).

Hey Gang, We were now established in the new Residential Unit and our daily chores centered on what had to be done immediately.  There was no time to plan for tomorrow. You might say we were living on God’s manna. 

Do you remember the call from the Judge, “Help, we have kids on the street that need to be off the street;. can you help me?”  At the time of that call we had land, a storage building and a small cottage -that was our sum total of assets.  But in two months we had, on a very (extremely) small budget, established a bare-bones camp for sixteen boys. 

Keep in mind, it is now early December and our main focus each day was keeping the alligators from nipping at our tails in the residential program and foster care program.  But lurking in the back of my mind was the memory of the past summer, We had over eighty boys who had compiled more than a hundred police contacts the year before and now had compiled but two misdemeanors since that camp experience. 

Also, do you remember the health department had condemned the water supply, sewer and kitchen to be used in like manner ever again?  There was no way we could do a repeat performance as last year.  But, Lord, the calls are beginning to come in asking “Are you running? I have kids who need your camp”. 

During those agonizing days I would say, “But God, there is no way!” His reply “Try Me”.  “But, Lord, we don’t have cooking, dining, bathroom, showers, staff, finances!” – and His response, “Try Me”. 

Now folks, hang onto your hat because I am going to share what God meant when He said, “Try Me”.  The Board, after hearing the pleas from the communities, made a decision to build a dining – shower facility now.  I am not sure anyone in that room that day thought we could pull it off.  Our motto became “We won’t know if we don’t at least give it our best effort”.  

The next day I received a call from a Board Member who said, “Call the architect, we have a donor”.  Now the architect just happened to have a full set of approved prints on an “A” Frame building that had everything that we needed to provide cooking, dining, bathrooms and showers.

We then met with a local contractor who just happened to be between projects and could put his whole crew on erecting the building.  In the following months as we watched the building take shape and we were blessed with many more “It just so happened” experiences. 

The building literally exploded from the ground, with the help of a barn full of fantastic people, but there was still a major problem – we had no kitchen materials, no table or chairs.   

And then tragedy struck!  We were nearing time for the first installment on the building and learned the donor had had a disaster in his business and requested forgiveness from his pledge.  A double whammy- for we were barely making budget in the other programs and I had vowed to never go into debt to build a building.

Now folks, hear me- “God said try Me!’  Keep in mind- we were a new facility and not many even knew we existed.  I do not have a clue how it happened but when the contractors bill arrived there was more than enough in the checking account to meet his needs and when the building was completed it was debt free!!!  

One day when I was visiting the building site I noticed they had completed the walls around the kitchen- except for a six-foot area where the door was to be placed.  When I asked one of the workers why, he said, “It was lunch time and we never got back to it.”  My friends, that was not the reason at all.  He was sincere in his answer but once again we saw God’s “Try Me” at work.

Well, I will end this epistle for today.The rest of the story is a continuation of “God’s promise to supply our needs.    What was the real reason the workers did not close the wall where the door was to be located?  Come along and see.

Blessings,

Gramps

God Does Meet Our Needs when We Ask.... WIth a Sincere Heart # 4.

Promise: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth” (Eph. 3:16-18).

Hey Gang:  I ended the last blog by saying “so ended crisis number _____! “   We now had our growing family settled and felt we could turn our attention to preparing for the opening of the first residential unit and moving from temporary status to a full blown residential treatment center for boys.  But we quickly learned that was a pie in the sky attitude. 

When one of the boys, who was in the community foster care program, blew out it created yet another crisis- where to put him.  Keep in mind the on-campus cottage was only twenty-four feet square and housed two adult men and two young lads.  It was also our everything else; space for cooking, eating and office needs.  But we got out the super huge shoe horn and squeezed yet another body into this tiny limited space.  We were already violating every foster home law at that time, so what is one more?

We also had another growing crisis that had to be dealt with, like right now!  We were now into November and the night- temperatures had begun to drop abruptly; my family were still living in a tent.   God was about to show us what He really meant when Paul wrote, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).  Our six praying grandmothers must have been in overdrive that day when, to our amazement, a sixty-foot Mobil home suddenly appeared in our driveway.   Crisis number ??? ___had passed!! 

Needless to say, we were praying diligently that the doors and windows for the new residential unit, the last remaining piece to complete the project, would arrive quickly and the home completed.  The mobile home was now in place and hooked up and we were able to move the cooking duties and office needs from the cabin and beginning a normal routine – or as normal as one could get under these conditions. And then all of that changed very abruptly when one of the boys began to yell, the cabin is on fire. 

No, no this could not happen – BUT IT DID. So what does one do when they have three residents, two staff standing in the driveway watching their home go up in flames?    Decision!  Move into the new unit, ready or not!  We hung plastic sheeting over the open doorway and windows and fired up the furnaces and water system for the first time.  Praise the Lord, it all worked!  But there was a problem, we had no furniture and cooking utensils and little food in the house.  

When I notified the licensing consultant that I had moved the entire Village Family, including my family, into the new unit he said he would be there in the morning and take me to Mount Nose, the hill on the Village grounds and sacrifice me to the god of disobedience.  Just joking of course.  Arrive he did early the next morning and anther temporary license soon appeared on the wall of the new unit.

To describe what transpired the next several days in making the home livable would take pages.  But once again God reinforced Paul’s words, “I will supply your needs” became an integral part of our lives.  We were seasoned campers from our summer in the camp program.  We simply set up camp in our new one-hundred- thousand dollar tent and loved every minute of it.

Examples of my God shall: ”The Clare High School Students pledged, and delivered on their pledge, to provide living room and dining room furniture which they did within one month.  The boys and I built their bedroom furniture, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to spend one on one time with each boy- keeping his hands busy and his mind open. Within days of moving into the house- with no doors and windows- the contractor arrived with the needed materials to complete the building. 

Within two months of occupancy the building passed muster and was fully furnished.  It was a wonderful day when our licensing consultant took down the temporary license and replaced it with a license stating we were a legal child care facility!  As he mentioned, it was probably the first thing that I had done legally, up to that point, but on the other hand he was as proud as I was to see Eagle Boys Village come to life.

I feel the need to make a confession here, folks.  When we left California to come to Michigan to do what we were confident we had received as a call from the Throne Room of Heaven, we did not have a clue what was in our future.   Would I have done it knowing what was ahead?  Yes, I think I would have.  Would I have done it if I did not have full support and endorsement from my mate? Probably not.  But, I also confess, there have been many times throughout the years of development when I said, “Are you sure Lord?

In the next blog I want to share with you what I consider to be the greatest miracle that we were blessed to be a part of in- those early years of development.  So, I challenge you to tune in and see what it was.

Blessings,

Gramps  

God Does Meet Our Needs When We Ask... With A Sincere Heart part 2

Makeshift dining room 1970 when it rained on our outdoor dining room!

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them and I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains.  These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.” (Isa. 32:16).

Hey Gang:  When God called my family to leave our home, jobs, church and friends in California and come to Michigan I believe I felt a lot like Abraham must have felt when God told him to pack it all up and “Go forth from your country to a land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1). 

  It was our firm belief that God was leading us to the Eagle Community, north of Clare, to move into a farmhouse and take four young lads that needed specialized care and prepare them to return home or foster care.  In the very early stages of what we felt was our mission of four boys at a time, the local judges said we need much more than four beds.

The nearly two years of agony and pain, waiting for the Lord to open the door, seemed like wasted time, BUT we learned, after the final dot was dotted and the Eagle Boys Village became a legal entity, that God had prepared our hearts and spirits for the rope burns to come, in keeping up with the rapid development and growth of the programs.  And I emphasize – PROGRAMS. 

We were advised, by those who were in the know, to begin a program for delinquent children was more than a full cup to bear, and to add a second program at the same time was deemed to be foolish indeed.   Shortly after the papers were signed creating the Village, a call was received from a judge with a plea – “We have kids on the streets that need to be off the streets for the long hot summer – can you do anything to help while your first house is being built?” My first response was “But I…!”

God finished the “But I” will, If you trust.  I, God, will supply your every need!”  A promise that we tested that summer with every ounce of grit that was in our hearts and souls.  When people asked why, we said, “It just seemed like the right thing to do!”.   Never having been in a camp setting, I did not have a clue where one begins to develop such an entity.  But, I had an advisor who knew all about such things and advised me every step of the way.  His name is “Jehovah GOD”. 

With less than a month to go from scratch to a full-fledged camp, bordered on the impossible.  Any normal person would have given a big fat ‘no’ but, as I learned later, we were far from normal in the development of what was to be the path chosen for us.   Now think about that for a moment.  We had a beautiful property, a tiny cottage, and a large cement block building- and that was the sum-total of our assets. 

It would take many pages to describe what happened in that month following our decision “Yes, we will go for it!”, but will restrict this to the very, very short version.  We learned very rapidly that our plan, which had been hastily drafted in very short form on a date planner, would never be completed and has not been since that day in May 1969, but when we greeted our first campers, that summer, we were ready to meet the challenge – we thought!

That first summer we had more than eighty young, very active boys for two to ten weeks; these youth had more than one hundred police contacts the year that brought them to our door.  We had nothing to work with, no facilities, a green staff of several young college students and a retired couple. God did a mighty work through this group of people who did not how to run a camp but whose hearts oozed with a love and compassion for this group of troubled young folks. 

In the year following that first camp, we learned that same group of kids compiled two misdemeanor police contacts the next year. This resulted in our first major change in what we thought was to be our mission statement.   The results of that first camp, built with blood, sweat and buckets of tears became a permanent piece of what was to happen on that property in the wilderness and can only be described as a miracle.

I think I will expand on this epistle in the next blog because I want you to see what God can do with a person who had such limited experience and knowledge about what God can do when we are willing.  Today, as I write this epistle, there are more than two hundred children under Village care now attached to the shirt-tail offered beginning on that day in May 1969, when the first five boys arrived on campus. It was a camp that put together with bailing wire, Elmer’s glue, a roll or two of “Duck Tape, hard work and a few prayer warriors.

Tune in tomorrow and see the next step in God’s miracle called Eagle Boys Village.

Blessings,

Gramps

God Does Meet out Needs When We Ask.... With a Sincere Heart!

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them and I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains.  These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.” (Ia. 32:16).

Hey Gang:  In my 50 years, since God called me and my family to sell all that we had and move to Michigan and wait for further orders from the Throne Room of Heaven, I have wanted to- even tried on several occasions- to write a short version of what led the Hainley family to quit their jobs, sell their house, move their family across country when, for all apparent reasons, there was nothing at the other end of the journey that would provide for our needs.

Tried, but I found the task impossible.  The story had too many side trips and soon turned into an epistle I feared no one would read.  So, it has laid on the back burner of my mind for many years. 

Then one day I felt that tug in my heart to share ,not what I did but the things God did through me. 

The message received was to be one of not how much talent and ability I had, for I had very little, but rather when we make ourselves available to God’s leading and commit to allowing Him to use us wherever He chooses, we are able to do far greater things than we ever dreamed we could do.

I could title chapter one of this narrative “Don’t Get Too Comfortable”.  When I did a quick review of how I arrived at the door of becoming, as my wife said many times “The unemployed director of a non-existent boy’s home”, I found there had been plateaus in my life when God told me, “Don’t get to comfortable” I have other things for you to do.

As an Air Traffic Controller in the Air Force, I found a nitch that really rang my bell.  For the first time in my life I found something that I was very good at and I liked the discipline of being part of our nations protection system.  I had made up my mind to accept the Air Force offer of moving up in rank, if I re-enlisted for four more years.   It was settled, right?  Oh, by the way, during the Air Force years I married the love of my life who later presented me with a son- so my planning now included three.

A day or so before I was to sign the papers for the re-enlistment there was no question that was not God’s plan and that door was closed.  But I had gained a skill in the Air Force that was in demand in the civilian world, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) was looking for military-trained controllers that they could retrain into civil controllers. Once again I had found my niche.  I liked the opportunities provided by the government and was moving up the ladder with each passing year.

Settled right for life, right?  Wrong! There was that voice again, “Don’t get too comfortable”, I have other things for you to do!  At that time the Pittsburgh Control Center was being merged with the Cleveland, Ohio Control Center and the Pitt controllers would have been at the bottom of the totem pole; that was my message to cut and run.  Oh, by the way, while in Pittsburgh my bride presented me with my second child.

Prior to enlisting in the Air Force there is a side story;  I had received my draft notice the week before and knew, if I did not open it, I could enlist in any of the services I wanted to serve my time.  My brother happened to be a pilot in the Air Force and made a very strong pitch for me to choose the Air Force.  Many thought it strange that I choose the Air Force for four years when I could have allowed the draft to fill my obligation in two years.  

Oh, I forgot to mention, prior to my enlisting in the Air Force I had successfully flunked out of college three times.  The dean called me in one day and informed me that at the rate I was progressing it would take me seventeen years to graduate.  He also suggested that I take a hike until I became more serious about what I wanted to do with my life.  Uncle Sam helped me with that process.

Upon leaving the FAA ,I chose to finish my college; my bride, became our main bread winner.  I, too, added to feeding the family- which consisted of four plus one on the hanger deck..  An interested side road to this part of the story, we lived in a mobile home during this time and my bride, who was very pregnant, provided high school tutoring services for ten young lassies who were with child.  The old gentlemen of the park had a tendency to look at me with a jaundiced eye until we let them know our sole service was restricted to the girl’s education.  

Graduation day arrived!  After received my diploma I informed the Dean, who had suggested I get lost until I grew up, that it didn’t take me seventeen years- only twelve to finish. It was now time to get very serious about what our future plans should entail;  not only did I gain a college diploma, in that two-year period, but two additional mouths to feed.  We were now a family of six.

One might say we were up to our arm pits in alligators during this time.  No job, no home, so we began to look for the next open door that God wanted us to go through.  Off to California we shall go!

Stay tuned – there is a point to this story that might impact you!

Blessings,

Gramps