A Suffering Servant

Posted by Mark

I became aware of Matt Chandler’s (a pastor in Texas) suffering shortly after he learned of a mass in his brain discovered due to a seizure he experienced on Thanksgiving Day. Since that time I have followed him on Twitter learning of updates on his condition as he shares them. What it boils down to is this: he has a Category 3 (4 is the most aggressive) tumor caused by brain cancer. He had surgery around the beginning of December and is undergoing an intensive radiation and chemotherapy regimen in an attempt to kill any remaining traces of the cancer.

Under what appears to be dire circumstances, I have been impressed with his demeanor towards the entire situation. I cannot recall any tweets (from Twitter) that proclaimed a “woe is me” attitude which would be easy to have during such a trying time. I cannot help but think of myself when reading his story. Matt is a young man (35) with a wife and 3 children. I will be 35 shortly and also have a wife and children. If a similar scenario occurred in my own life, how would I respond? Would I remain steadfast in my faith and trust that God is in control? I pray that my heart has been prepared to weather such a storm as gracefully as Mr. Chandler.

Today I read an excellent AP article that will be disseminated across the globe that gives additional insight into the suffering that the Chandlers are experiencing. One paragraph in particular jumped off the page for me as it evidenced Matt’s Christ-likeness.

“He would never ask for such a trial, but in some ways he welcomes this cancer. He says he feels grateful that God has counted him worthy to endure it. He has always preached that God will bring both joy and suffering but is only recently learning to experience the latter.”

What a testimony! Christ learned obedience through suffering yet many times, we, as American Christians, somehow think that we should be immune to it. We celebrate the joys that God brings our way but reject the suffering as un-Godly. It is for the glory of God that we participate in the sufferings for Christ! I am reminded by Matt Chandler’s testimony that I, as a follower of Christ, have the privilege of experiencing a small taste of what Christ suffered.

This morning Matt tweeted about the AP article and asked that people pray for those all over the world who would be reading his story. I pray that lives would be impacted for the Kingdom and glory of God by the story of His servant, Matt Chandler. Also, from one young man to another, I thank you, Mr. Chandler, for encouraging me with your Christ-like attitude while living as a suffering servant.

Learning to Laugh

Posted by Michelle

In the last few years since becoming a mother, I have had the opportunity to experience many events that were frustrating at the time and hilarious later. I could tell you stories that would make you cry from laughing so hard. As I have lived through each of these trying moments, I have faced a choice to either lose my temper or just laugh. I must admit that I have not always chosen the latter. Here is a story I thought you might find mildly amusing that happened recently in our home.

In order to truly appreciate the story, a little background information is needed. A few weeks ago on Christmas morning, my toddler received a really fun toy. This really fun toy has a big button on the side just perfect for his chubby little hand to push and make play the inordinately loud jingle. He loves this toy and pushes that button several times at random throughout the day. And no, there is no off button. That jingle is never far from my thoughts. Are you beginning to get the picture?

Now, fast-forward to last Friday. As we arrived home from our errands late Friday morning, I happened to glance in my rear-view mirror and noticed that my toddler had fallen asleep in his car seat. My heart sank as I recognized that this little ten minute catnap almost certainly spelled doom for the afternoon nap that I and so many other moms of small children cherish as a priceless treasure. As I opened the van door, his little eyes popped open. There was nothing to be done now, so we continued on with our routine. We put the groceries away, ate lunch, prepared for naps, and read aloud from the children's book we are reading.

I knew I was in trouble as I finished reading the second chapter of the book and looked down into the big eyes of my wide-awake toddler staring back up at me with a grin on his face. Normally, he does not even make it through the first chapter before falling fast asleep. I admitted defeat, tucked the other children in for their naps, and took my toddler out to rock in the living room. I rocked softly. I rocked feverishly. I cuddled him closely. I released him to sit up. Back and forth we danced. He tried to do everything in his power to stay awake, and I tried to do everything in my power to get him to fall asleep. We both knew he was sleepy. I knew how cranky he would be later if the only nap he got that day was the ten-minute nap earlier in the van.

After an hour or so of hard labor, my little cherub finally fell asleep. I rocked him contentedly for another half an hour to ensure a good, deep sleep. As I carried him to bed, I was greeted with the wide-awake faces of his siblings. Of course, by this time it was time for them to get up. You moms out there will recognize that I had missed my window for a break. Oh, well, at least my toddler would not be cranky that evening. I gave each of the older children the go-ahead to get up but shot them warning looks to make a quiet departure and not wake the toddler. The children solemnly shook their heads and began to quietly climb out of their beds. I gave them one last look to ensure they realized certain annihilation awaited the maker of any noise that would wake baby brother before returning my attention to the task at hand.

Some of you are aware of the delicate procedure of trying to place a sleeping toddler in bed without awaking him, and here is where the information that I presented earlier about my toddler's new Christmas toy comes into play. I turned to gently rest my little boy's sleeping form in his bed when I accidentally kicked something hard hidden under his bed. That loud, annoying jingle erupted and shattered the quiet as my foot hit the big button on the side. My toddler's eyes burst open, and he immediately began to scream in terror at being jerked so rudely from a sound sleep. To their credit my older children never made a sound.

I looked down at my wailing toddler and then up at the pale faces of my other children as they froze waiting for my response. Now, I must admit that I was frustrated and that I may have reacted differently a few years and a couple of children ago, but the irony was not lost to me on this day. All I could do was throw my head back and laugh hysterically as I scooped up my toddler to comfort him. My other children gathered around me with relieved faces to join my laughter and offer additional comfort to their baby brother.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I chose to laugh instead of lose my temper. I am not saying that the rest of the evening was a piece of cake. My toddler was whiny and clingy, which I'm sure is everyone's favorite combination for a child to be. He only wanted to be held until it was finally bedtime. He went off to sleep without a fuss. As I gazed down at his peaceful form snuggly asleep in his bed, I smiled contentedly. I am so thankful that I am learning to laugh.

What are some frustrating events that you have learned to laugh at in your life?

Saluting the Secret Service

Posted by Mark

Book Review: In the President’s Secret Service by Ronald Kessler

I just finished reading the book listed above and thought I would give you some insight into the Secret Service as well as honor them for the job they do.

In the past you may have heard some curious discussion regarding the Secret Service as a branch of the Department of the Treasury. Why would the Department of the Treasury contain a unit that protects the President? It harkens from their beginnings, in 1865, as an agency that was tasked with tracking down and arresting counterfeiters. In the late 1800’s Congress authorized the Secret Service to investigate other crimes. In 1894 upon investigation into a plot to assassinate President Grover Cleveland, the Secret Service detailed two men to protect the President from the suspects. Also in 1894 the Secret Service began to supplement the police that were protecting the White House. In 1902 the Secret Service began the official duty of protecting the President. However, it was not until 1913 that Congress authorized permanent protection of the President. Over the past 100 years, members of the Secret Service have taken on many additional responsibilities as the threats that they are to protect against have evolved. In 2003 the Secret Service was transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the responsibilities of the Secret Service is to protect major Presidential candidates. On May 3, 2007 protection was initiated for Barack Obama. This was the earliest start of protection for any candidate in history. As you may imagine, protection for his inauguration was a massive undertaking for the Secret Service. They coordinated 40,000+ law enforcement officers for the event. The long list of other precautions that were taken to secure the inaugural festivities is detailed quite thoroughly in one chapter of the book.

I quite enjoyed the various stories that Mr. Kessler related concerning most of the Presidents over the past 50 years. I think it was most intriguing to read how various Presidents treated the Secret Service agents charged with protecting them. Mr. Kessler includes stories about the following Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama. Given that these agents are with them 24/7/365, I think that stories about who the Presidents really are when not in front of the cameras is somewhat revealing.

Mr. Kessler attempts to shed light on what he believes is mismanagement of the Secret Service. He gives numerous examples of the agents not receiving continuing training, working too much overtime, and not being properly armed. His hopes for the agency are revealed in the last statement in the book - “My hope is that the problems revealed in the book will lead to reforms that could avert a calamity.” The book was compiled with the cooperation of the Secret Service, and more than one hundred agents were interviewed. Assuming the book is accurate in its representation of the management issues prevalent in the Secret Service, it would not be surprising if a calamity does occur at some point in the future.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about the Secret Service. It was an entertaining, yet sobering, look at the agency that is tasked with one of the most important jobs in our government. The ultimate responsibility of the Secret Service is to maintain the safety of all its protectees. This is quite a job given that every day the Secret Service receives, on average, about 10 threats against any of the people under its guard. To keep our leaders safe, is a daunting task that takes untold man hours and excruciating attention to the smallest of details. I salute the sacrifice that members of the Secret Service make giving of their lives to serve the American people.