A Family Christmas

A Family Christmas –  When I was a child I lived in a struggling City with a continual economic downturn. Christmas to us was more about family and fellowship than it was about gifts or parties. We were a simple family with lots of love and spirituality.

 I remember the huge bulbs of color on the tree and my sister and I would sit for hours singing “Oh Christmas tree” and other favorites. We loved to string tinsel across the branches of the biggest tree that dad could find. One year we even had one that was silver and had a light that made it change colors. No matter what the tree looked like it always gave us such cheer. We would draw names and dad would give us money to go shopping at the five and dime on our way to see Santa. All the lights and fanfare of downtown Toledo fascinated us as we stood in line to sit on Ole Saint Nicks lap and tell him what we wanted that year.

One year was more special than any other in my lifetime. That was the year that changed my dad’s life forever. That was the year he discovered the true meaning of Christmas. Dad spent a lot of time in the local taverns in those days’s he would get drunk and play pool and fight. As a child I would remember crying because he scared me when he was drinking. He was our hero when sober and our villain when drunk.

One night just a few weeks before Christmas we got a knock on the door and when mom opened it she begin to cry. It was two police officers telling her that dad had been in a fight in the bar and was cut with a knife from one side of his neck to the other. At that moment we thought we would never see him alive again. Christmas suddenly had lost its cheer.

After arriving at the hospital mom found out that they had to use sheets from the bed to try to stop the bleeding. Dad was severe and in life threatening condition. The days that followed were very fearful for us all. We had prayed and ask God to touch dad and allow him to be home for Christmas.

 Just a few days before Christmas we got the news that dad would be home the next day and he would indeed be home for the big day. The joy that filled our hearts was overwhelming. It did not matter what was under the tree because dad would be home. He was alive, safe and was coming home.

The next day we waited for what seemed like ever to greet him at the door. Then he was home… he was not the same. He was frail and had a bandage around his neck to protect the many stitches. We were very careful not to hurt him as we greeted him and welcomed him home for the Holidays.

Sitting on one leg and my sister sitting on the other we told dad what we wanted for Christmas. With hope in our hearts we asked him to never drink again. We also ask him to allow Jesus to come into his heart. Tears filled his eyes as he told us he could not take us to see Santa that year but we assured him that our wish was more important than anything else. One moment we were asking for cars and trucks, dolls and doll houses and to see Santa. The next moment we were just thankful to have dad home safe.

What a joyful Christmas it was. You cannot imagine the joy to see him alive and home. Nothing else mattered but the fact that our family was all together for Christmas. The years have added some loss and deep sorrow to our family. Mom and Dad are much older and moving slower now and we have lost our baby sister to cancer. It is difficult with us living all over the Country and having our own kids and grandkids to get together at Christmas time. The memories of many wonderful seasons will have to fill our minds each year because we can never have those days back again. I often share this story around the Holidays to reflect on God’s grace in the lives of a simple family growing up in South Toledo. I hope it brings you some joy…

 By the way we did get our Christmas wish that year. Dad never drank again and he has served the Lord for over 40 years and still going strong today. Although we will all miss our little sister this year we know that we have the promise of a coming Christmas where one day all our wishes will come true. We will be together again as that simple little family from South Toledo.

 Merry Christmas

What does CHURCH mean to you?

.Is it about relationships and frienships? Is it the weekend facebook place for networking? Is it about fun and parties? Or is it about celebration a passion for God and his presence making it about him and not us?
.

Leadership in tough times

On a personal note…. A few months ago I had a tumor removed from behind my ear and began the waiting process. Yesterday the doctor informed me that it was not cancer. Today I look at leadership with a new perspective and that is one of leading in and through adversity. I can see now that our greatest leadership is not forged during the good times but while facing our most difficult times. As I watch the leadership of our State Bishop as he faces his most difficult struggle with Kathy’s diagnosis of colon cancer. He has shown us that a true leader will lead in difficult times but will also be an example of priorities. Ministry has many demands on the family of the minister. We are constantly being asked to put our family on hold while we minister to the many needs of a growing congregation. I have always ask my church to understand that my family is always first in my priorities. Most have understood and supported that choice. As I watch the example of Bill Isaacs, I understand that I have made the right decision in family first. When it is all said and done and we lay our heads down at night our first ministry priority is to the one we are holding as we fall asleep. If we fail there then we are not fit for ministry anywhere else. God is looking for those that will lead in difficult times and I believe I will not fail if I follow those God has placed in my life as an example…… Thanks to our State pastor for his leadership in adverse times.
.

True Thanksgiving

A Note that my daughter in law sent me… Everyone should read and be thankful for the important things this year.

“This holiday season is going to be one that is hard for all of us I’m sure. I know for me I’m going to miss all the hustle and bustle. I’m a city girl now and I enjoy the rush of going to 3 different houses across the state of Ohio and sometimes to NY! I love being around all of our family at the holidays. I would always tell Chris how much I looked forward to visiting with the Smiths and the Mullins. THere was always a good laugh at Papaw Smith or Mamaw’s expense. LOL!! But this year things are going to be very different for us, and I’m learning to adjust. There are a lot of things very different down here, sometimes I think I need a passport to live down here! LOL Other times the change is nice and not really that different.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately what I’m thankful for and what I need to be more thankful for, and one of those things is Chris. Sometimes I think as a young married couple with small children the busyness of life gets us in a bit of a rut, and our kids sometimes drive us so crazy by the end of the day we only have enough strength to drag each other to bed, just to do it all again the next day. But there have been some things that have happened since we’ve been in GA that have made me think, and sometimes I just look at Chris and wonder where this wonderful man came from! He is so very wise and patient, not only with me but with the kids. He loves his family more than anything in the world and will protect it and preserve at all costs. He has taught me a lot about unconditional love, something I didn’t understand until he came into my life. And when I think about all of this, the root of where it all comes from, it is the godly home he was raised in, and the example of love he had his entire life. You 2 have begun a legacy of love in your family that will carry on, I believe, until the end. Eli already knows the importance of love and family and God which is traced back to you. I believe Eli and Micah will carry this on to their wives and children. What you both have taught Chris and I, has saved us from A LOT of hardships in our marriage. We have overcome many obstacles that most marriages would fall apart over, but I definitely believe through those hard times we have grown closer to each other and our faith in God as grown as well.

So this Thanksgiving I can’t be thankful for my husband without being thankful for you. Because he wouldn’t be the man he is today with out you both. Thank you for your love for each other and family. It has made a difference and we are truly blessed by you. Happy Thanksgiving! We love and miss you very much!! “

Carrie Mullins

This is what they call grief

Last night I knelt to pray and ask God to heal you of cancer then I realized the battle was over and I wept. Today I picked up the phone like I did hundreds of times before to call and check on you and I realized the call would never go through and I wept again. The memories will be wonderful when they finally return to me but for now it is just pain and grief I feel.
I remember at the hospital wondering if I had done enough to care for you as a twin and a brother. I wondered as I watched you grow weaker and weaker if I had failed to let you know how important you were to me and how I loved talking and visiting with you. Then you called me to your side and whispered “I love you Rod” and those words gave me peace.
My greatest regret in this life is when I got the news that even as your twin I was not a match for your stem cell transplant. My heart broke that I would not be able to help you live. I still wonder about the difference I could have made if I only I was the one.
Today I ask God why I am the healthy twin and you suffered so much with multiple illnesses. You had so much more to give to this world and to your family. Your loss at 48 years old seems so unfair and I will wonder about Gods directions until I ask him face to face.
Sickness I have found can do one of two things in a person’s life. It can bring out the best or the worst in that person. Cancer brought out the very best in you. Your kind responses to the hospital staff and to your family, your sweet words of encouragement to others and you never ending faith in the God that you always praised no matter what.
Your legacy will live on in all of us. Your beautiful girls will carry the torch of kindness and care for others. They too will speak God’s word with boldness and love the unlovable. Your grand-kids will be told of your great love for them and their future. Your many prayers that have yet to be answered will live on in faith and for many years will do what they were sent to do.
Robin your life was not in vain, you touched us all and you will live through us. I was once asked how it felt to be a twin and I answered it is the only thing I knew. Today it is different, I am now without you, and the pain goes beyond belief. Often times I would feel your pain and hurts and stop whatever I was doing and pray for you. Today I long for those feelings again.
We all miss you deeply. You were a treasure in our lives and now a jewel only in our hearts. You were our little sister, my twin, Jayme and Summers mother, James beloved wife and lifetime partner, Carson’s grandmother, a daughter and a friend. So many places in so many hearts and now you are gone.
I promise to love the girls like they were my own. I will celebrate at the wedding and birth. I will tell your family stories of you over and over to keep you alive in their hearts. I promise to help James move on in his life without you. He loved you so very much and it will be tough for him the rest of his life without you. I promise to press on myself without my twin. The last few years I have grown so close to you and it was well worth the investment.
They say it gets easier with time and the grief will be replaced with wonderful memories and I hope that is true but for now I wait. I long to pick up the phone and ask you again how you are doing and pray with you.
Each one of us that was a part of your life will grieve in our own way. Each one will deal with the pain differently. Some will move on faster than others and some will need more prayer than others. Despite how we each deal with this process the truth will be no less. We each will miss you forever and wonder why you were taken from us so soon.
Today some things happened in my life that represents my future. I was excited to call and share them with you. Today I was reminded again that you would not be answering my call.
We had been planning a family reunion where we could all get together and spend some quality time but your passing broke up those plans. My greatest hopes is now that someday we will have the best reunion ever.
These emotions are difficult for me and I have never felt them this strong. They keep me up at night and cause tears to flow for no apparent reason. My heart breaks over and over again for this loss…. I guess this is what they call grief.
Bye, for now…
Rodney

My childhood giant

My childhood giant

I remember as a young boy that I stood in wonder as I looked up to a man that seemed 7 foot tall. He worked hard with his hands and lived with the heart of a lion. His love for his family took him to two and sometimes three jobs to make sure food and fun was a regular part of their lives. He was in my eyes the strongest man in the world. There were no degrees on his wall and few people called him sir. His pay at times was small but his salary was the joy in knowing he was doing what he had to for his family.
Over the years I watched as this giant of a man was stricken down time and time again as his body failed him. His mind still filed with a dream of seeing his children at their best and led by the hope that he would see each of his children rise to their potential.
Over the years I have fought many battles and faced many struggles. My dreams at times felt like unreachable goals. My heart has been crushed by the wounds inflicted by those who could not see or hear it. When the struggles seems unbearable and doubt tempts me to see my weaknesses and not my strengths I remember that giant of a man with calloused hands that never stopped no matter the odds and I press on.
Some grow up on the right side of the tracts but we grew up on the wrong. Some had the resources to go where ever and when ever their resources could take them we had not much more than our dreams. Our conditions were difficult and many times it was way too hot in the summer and way too cold in the winter but our dreams kept us moving forward.
Today I still stand amazed at the struggles of little education and resources that my father was able to overcome. Did he give me an education? Did he give me resources? Did he place a silver spoon in my mouth? The truth is he gave me none of these things but what he gave me was so much more than any of that he gave the ability to persevere in tough times. Never in my childhood did I ride in a new car nor live in a new house but I grew up in a wonderful home. He kept it a secret, he never let us know how tough it was to provide for us, and he made it look so easy.
Way up in his seventies he is much slower now and he is weak and struggles to keep his balance. He sleeps more than ever and it is easy to see his struggles on his face.
As I sit here today thinking about my father I smile. I smile because I realize that he has given me more than money could ever buy. He gave me a drive to see my dream come to fruition. He gave me the hope that all things are possible. He gave me the perseverance to fight every battle till the end. With all this the greatest gift he gave me was a love for the hurting and a compassion for the less fortunate. I hurt when others hurt, I weep when others weep, I bend down to the broken, I bleed with the wounded and I pray for those that cannot or will not pray for themselves.
There has never been a moment in my life that I was not proud of my father. There was never one second that I didn’t appreciate the price he paid to provide for me the ability to be who I am. Once while I was presented a sermon to a small group of people I noticed him crying. Why was he crying? It was pride. Although he was proud of me it cannot compare to the pride that I have for him.
My greatest hope in life is that one day my son’s will see and know my heart. I pray that they will have a heart for the hurting and walk in a spirit of compassion. If they weep for those that are wounded and if they sacrifice for the needs of others then they have captured who and what I am.
The greatest shock in my youth was when I realized that my father was only 5’6 and had very small hands and feet. I wondered what happened to that giant I called dad. Today I realize he is still there because it wasn’t his height or his weight that made him a giant to me…. It was the size of his heart. Thanks Dad.
Rodney

The Birth of a new Church

Four years ago God laid it on my heart to give birth to an all African congregation in Columbus. This had never been done in our denomination in our State. The odds were against a young congregation surviving the birthing process let alone the growth of a full grown church. With that in mind God put me in contact with an African minister from Gahna Africa that lived here in our City. After some early meetings we joined hearts to plant a congregation.

It was not easy but we created a place for this young group of three in a small room in our building. We gave them a key some directions and a promise of strong support while they were in the womb. Over the next year three grew into fifteen and the fifteen turned in to twenty. Within three years this young congregation became 60 in regular attendance.

Our church mothered this congregation as we built a sanctuary for them in our fellowship hall. This space cost them nothing while they saved and learned the concepts of American finances. At the start of the fourth year we began asking them to pay reant on their part of the building. This was only to prepare them for the financial strain of their own building. We met often with the leaders and worked through any difficulties.

Here it was four years later and this young congregation has been organized as a Church of God congregation and paying their own way. Seeing that it was time for the eaglets to fly on their own I met with the pastor and said it is time for them to move out into their own facility.

On July 14th 2009 I met the pastor and several of his leaders at their new facility. It is a wonderful place that will serve them very well as their own church. They expressed strongly how they could not have done it if it were not for our strong support of their young congregation. They were setting up chairs and hanging drapes as the pastor proudly showed me around the building.

As I left the building my wife and I share with them our pride in what they have accomplished, we hugged their necks and pulled out of the drive way. Tears begin to fill my eyes as it felt as if a child just graduated high school heading out on his own. You will never know the pride I feel in knowing that we gave birth and mothering leadrship to a brand new congregation that has succeded to be on their own.

Sunday they will have their first service in their new location. Reflecting on the pastors words as he shared of two coming baby dedications and one wedding already on the schedule I remembered that first meeting we had. I committed to cover he and his work until they can stand on their own. Today they stand on their own, their own idenity, their own vision and their ownpurpose for serving in Columbus.

I beem with pride as the pastor said “You Bishop will be our very first guest speaker” – I am now the proud spiritual father of a vision that will reach Africans in Columbus Ohio. The best part is that we ask for no financial assistance from our denominational leaders and God is returning the seeds we planted to us 100 fold.

Tomorrow night we will be in attendance with a mission work in Westerville Ohio. A work that God is allowing us to mother while they too are in the womb. I know by faith in a few years we will be able to repeat this story of another baby moving out on it’s own.

Life

Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy but Christ comes to give us abundant life. It is all about the joy of life. So many hide away in a dark cave and wait for the rapture. I want to enjoy my life in Christ. Maybe this video of my precious grandson Micah will help.

more about “Facebook | Your Videos: Jul 7, 2009 1…“, posted with vodpod

 

 

A Fatherless Generation

A Fatherless Generation

One of the weaknesses I see in the emerging churches is that of Fatherlessness. It seems to me that there is a very real danger in churches that hold no one accountable. Lifestyles are rarely challenged and discipleship is not a priority. In my personal observations of this rapidly growing movement I find young adults that are angry at the established church and are flocking together to resist the teachings of the Fathers. There is an inherent danger in this overt disregard for the use of spiritual maturity and wisdom in the church.

Most homes in America are broken in one way or another. The worst case scenario is that of a home without the leadership of a good Father. Our Nation is reaping the seed of Fatherless homes. A total disregard of authority and accountability has become the rule. Our Nation has become very passive and we face injustice with a weak and feminine defense.

I am not ready to throw away the “Spiritual Fathers” of the church. Every church needs the authority and accountability a Father adds. Just as our Nation has become passive and feminine so has the church in America. People are looking for a church that will allow them to do whatever they want. Whenever accountability is placed on a life they whine and throw fits of rage. Churches have become a place where real men and real Fathers are looked at as legalist. I am concerned with churches that have an entire leadership team made up of young adults and where wisdom is seen as authoritive and legalistic. I am concerned when I see morals so lose that any code of morality is seen as outdated and out of touch.

We need a revival of spiritual Fathers. I am not talking about holding on to traditions of man or belittling a wonderful harvest of young adults. I am suggesting that every church needs spiritual Fathers to speak into the lives of the younger adults. They need spiritual Mothers that speak into the lives of young moms. I see a growing contempt of our spiritual heritage and total disregard for basic biblical truths to please a post modern demographic.  This in my opinion is very dangerous.

When friends with each other are more important than friends with God we are in trouble.  When young adults will sacrifice their own maturity in order to fit in with others we are in trouble.  When the wild heart of a young man is tamed by the untamed heart of a Fatherless church we are in trouble.

The answer is not to dismiss what God is doing in the post modern church but it is to facilitate this movement with the leadership and wisdom of spiritual Fathers.  I don’t agree with every way my 60 something District Overseer does things and I am not that hyped on the older music that he loves but I would fear a church without guys like this. He is more than a District Overseer he is a spiritual Father. He speaks with wisdom and character. He loves but holds accountable. He enjoys relationships and respect. He has become a spiritual Father to me. I could never lead my church the way he leads his; we are from a different era. I could however lead my life the way he does his.

We need to be able to use the wisdom of the age to grow churches that honor the past, respect the present and dream of the future. Every church needs church mothers and fathers that speak into its life.

Every child will go through a season where they think the parent knows nothing about life. They rebel against rules and boundaries of the parent. They attempt to stretch the lines and push the authority to its limits.  One day however they grow up and mature and realize mom and dad where not as much out of it as they thought. They realize that life is not as simple as they once thought. What happens? They grow up. I pray for the day that the post modern church will grow up. I look with hope for the time when the mature will be celebrated again. I long for the day when the wisdom of the aged will be honored and followed.  Just like the young man that thinks he knows it all one day realizes he know very little. I pray the emerging church will one day realize its need for a spiritual daddy.

To my two sons I may seem out of it and un-cool. My way of doing things may seem outdated and out of touch. My hair style may seem old fashion and my music may seem to have a oversimplified rythm. My words and preaching may seem to be non-relevant. But, I have one thing that I hold onto in my relationship with the two of them. That is, they will one day have their kids feel the same way about the way they do things and they will be told that they are old fashion.  The difference is that a church is not about style as much as it is about being biblical. The church is less about being relevant than it is about being Godly. The church is less about being man pleasers than it is about being God pleasers. We must be more about being Christ followers than trend followers. I just heard of a growing church where the pastor celebrated fathers day with  the ministry of his grandfather and his father along with himself all ministering on the same platform. I think he has the right idea of the importance of spiritual fathers.

Let the Fathers rise and lead this generation into the truth of God’s word. Let them rise and be the Fathers that we need.

Thinking outside the box ministry

Thinking outside the traditional box.

Ministry to the complexities of this post modern generation demands that we each re-think our approach. What really matters in the long and short of things is what reaches others with the message of Christ. We can stand firm in our support of sacred cows that are outdated and have lost their effectiveness and miss the greatest opportunity for harvest in our history.

A couple of thoughts on thinking outside the box have really thrust me into a new way of thinking about ministry. Here are a few…
1. Becoming Missional in our approach. This includes but not limited to researching your target areas and becoming missionaries to those cultures.
2. Team Ministry – Networking with others and combining resources to accomplish the greater mission.
3. Multi-purpose use of our facilities to gain as much use of them as possible.
4. Training our members to see the harvest as a mission field and the members as missionaries.
5. Multiple services to facilitate a missional approach to ministry such as….
Young adult services with modern music and teaching
Youth services with a planned purpose to reach the youth
Services that minister to those that love Pentecostal worship
Care groups for fellowship and equipping
Using Sunday mornings to celebrate the gathering of these various groups and styles
6. Opening our eyes and hearts to see the true harvest and target them with purpose.
7. We must learn to filter everything through the vision to reach the lost. If what we do does not reach or equip the reached then we must re-evaluate their necessity and continuation.
I am convinced that the greatest hope for this world is the local church and our ability to bring people to Christ. There is nothing in my opinion that has more value than the local church. We must create an environment that will draw and win the lost. Very simply put we must act like we are the hope of the world and not like we are a useless entity that is going out of business.

Become relevant and missional and God will anoint us to reach our harvest.