Everything's Cool

To discover the true character of a man, meet his son first.

On Saturday, March 16th, my wife and I along with our two daughters found ourselves just below the Mason Dixon line in a church lobby in Maryland. The event was a Casting Crowns concert.  Our purpose for being there was to represent two organizations that are associated with adoption and assist people who are interested in helping the least of these.  To put it lightly, I was out of my element and hoped to defer any tough questions to my wife who is much better at explaining when it comes to adoption details.  In the midst of my uncertainty, I met a young man named John Michael who went a long way toward easing my anxiety.

While my family and I were waiting for the doors to open John Michael introduced himself as the guy who would be overseeing us that evening.  He asked if we needed anything and mentioned he would be checking in periodically throughout the event.  Then, off the cuff, he mentioned that this dad was in the band.   However, he never clarified that his dad is Mark Hall, lead singer of the Grammy award winning band, Casting Crowns. In hindsight, he didn’t need to because his resemblance to his dad gave him away.

So, here is a young teenage guy, as tall as me with rosy red cheeks, great hair, a big smile and a walkie-talkie strapped to him like he was about to call in an air strike, taking care of business. When it comes to leading, I always felt it is best to show people what to do, rather than just tell them.  And this seemed to be the theory that John Michael subscribed to as well.  He had the booth already set up and stocked well before we got there and then afterwards helped us break it down in less than ten minutes.

Needless to say, the thing I remember most about him was the catchphrase he used when he would walk by me during the concert.  He would glance over at me and put one of his thumbs up in the air and say, everything cool?  To which I would put my thumb up and say, everything’s cool.

I am a firm believer that how children learn is more caught than taught.  Consequently when Mark Hall sent his son to represent him and the band I believe I caught a little glimpse of what God the Father did when He sent His Son, Jesus to represent Him on this earth.  Especially at Easter time it is great reminder that only through Christ and His death can we really, truly know God the Father.  Although I never did get to meet the lead singer of the band I did meet him indirectly, he sent a better example, his son.

Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that I will be sending my son, Jordan, indirectly to represent me on April 4^th at another Casting Crowns concert to do the same thing I just did a weekend or so ago. I have no qualms that he will do just fine discussing with people and sharing adoption stories about his sisters who were adopted from China. My son, and I’m bragging here, is a fine, young man.

Jordan is a young man who just turned twenty two last week and who God has taught some life lessons not all of us have entrusted to our care. You see, about thirteen years ago my son nearly died in a car accident and at the very least should have been paralyzed, but by God’s grace is neither.  He currently attends a college in Texas in his fourth year and still beats his dad every year like a drum in our March Madness bracket.

But, at this special time of the year, I am reminded so fondly of how so many years ago when I held his precious life in my hands on March 21^st, 1991.  It was a truly awesome gift that God had given to me.  To this day, I still remember how unworthy I felt as I realized that this little boy would carry my name and how I would have the privilege of spending every day with him till he was grown.  Hopefully, throughout the process, my wife and I have taught Jordan more good than bad.

Although I cannot speak for Mark Hall, as far as I’m concerned, if you really what to know me get to meet my son first.  With the embarrassing stories aside, which I’m sure Jordan has plenty of, odds are I’ll look better than I truly am

Easter is the perfect example of how to get to know the Father you must first meet Him through his Son.

Swavel

 

Nice To See

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life start by being kind over being mean.

Just the other day I saw something that was so refreshing, so nice to see, I just felt I had to share it with you. My wife was in a different room of the house when she saw a video on YouTube and told me I should watch it as well. So, when I was done brailing in the kitchen, I sauntered over to the laptop in the living room and was pleasantly surprised by something that made me smile. I think it will make you smile too.

So, before I go any further, here it is…… (instructions for video link: right click on the colored http link below, then click on open hyperlink, then click on play, sit through commercial and then click play again and enjoy)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/mitchell-marcus-special-needs-teen-basketball-game_n_2766354.html

Allow me to summarize, just in case the YouTube clip didn’t function properly.

In a world where we are constantly surrounded by negative role models this basketball video is a like a breath of fresh air. This story had it all:  a.) underdog  b.) caring coach  c.) compassionate teammates  d.) crying mom  e.) the unexpected. Alone it was a nice story, the way it ended - WOW.

When I first started watching it I began thinking “I’ve seen this kind of thing before,” and wasn’t expecting much. Man, was I wrong.

Hollywood could not have written a better script. The underdog, Mitchell Marcus, is a special needs teenager with a developmental disability, who is a senior at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas. He happens to be the team manager, with a deep love for the game of basketball, but had never suited up to play in a game.

Then the caring coach surprises Mitchell in the last game of the season by allowing his manager to suit up. The coach, Peter Morales, was even willing to sacrifice the outcome and put Mitchell in regardless of the score. So,with about a minute and half to go, with Coronado up by ten points, coach Morales put Mitchell in and gave him his chance to score, his moment.

Despite the efforts of his compassionate teammates, going out of their way to get him the ball, each time Mitchell shot the ball it would not go into the hoop. The game seemed destined to end without Mitchell making a basket. To top it off, with less than ten seconds to go he booted the ball out of bounds. It looked like he would never get his name in the box score.

With disappointment hanging in the air, then came the crying mom moment. There seemed to be no fairytale ending in sight as Mitchell’s mom made a cameo. I thought she was going to say how much she loved her son and that it didn’t matter if he scored or not, that he was still a winner for trying his best. However, she was speaking of it as a moment she will never forget.

Then it, the unexpected, happened. Jonathan Montanez, a senior forward for rival Franklin high school, took fate into his own hands. In an unbelievable gesture of pure kindness, he called Mitchell’s name and passed him the ball. The rest is history as Mitchell finally sunk the shot and the fans rushed the court.

With one simple pass, a young man showed a whole nation that, “kindness is treating others how you want to be treated.”  And in my book that is always nice to see.

Swavel

 

My favortie cup (2nd serving)

My favorite cup (second serving)

Forgiveness, like a cup of coffee, has the unique ability to transfom what was once weary and worn into something fresh and vibrant once more.

 

   

 

 

When it comes to the subject of forgiveness, Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Tutsi (pronounced tootsie) from Rwanda,  has a story you won’t soon forget. 

Her  unbelievable story bgins on April 7^th, 1994, at the time Imamaculle was in her early twenties and  home from college on Easter break.  It was  during this day that the pesident of her native country, Rwanda,  was shot down in his plane and killed.  Consequently, the Hutu (pronounced who-two)  tribe, which is rival of Imacculee’s Tutsi tribe,  went on a torrid killing spree which is now commonly refered to as the Rwandan genocide.  The Hutus blamed the death of the president on the Tutsis’and  claimed they would kill every tribe member in order to take revenge. 

On that terrible spring day she was rushed immediately to a friendly Hutu neighbor’s house, who was a Protestant minister.  Once inside she was taken immediately to a seldom used bathroom in a remote part of the house and locked inside with seven other Tutsi women. It was their only hope to remain safe from the  Hutus who had declared war on her people calling them cockroaches, going from house to house killing everyone from her tribe that they could find. 

For ninety days, she and seven other women stayed trapped in this secret three foot by four foot bathroom, as death lurked right outside the bathroom window.   On one such occasion for two hours, her enemies came looking for her and other Tutsis inside the minister's house, even calling her by name in attempt to frighten her out.  As the Hutus looked thoughout  the house, in desperation Imacculee prayed  this, “ God if you are real don’t let them find the door of the bathroom.”  That moment her faith in God was renewed when her assailants, who once had their hand on the doorknob, never entered the bathroom and then left.

Imacullee and her seven friends would survive the holocaust, however, in those three terrifying months  a staggering one million people died.   The equivalent of three out of four of the entire Tutsi population was wiped out.  Sadly, included in the dead were all of  Immaculee’s family: her father, her mother, grandparents, and two brothers, leaving only her one brother, who was out of the country at the time of the masacare.

Needless to say, you would think that Imaculee would have every reason be bitter and full of rage at this outpouring of evil leveled on her, her family, and her people. This however is not the case .  She claims that her truning point of leaving the hate behind and seeking forgiveness instead happened during those desperate days in that little room.  Imaculee prayed the Lord’s prayer every day for ninety days.

While she was praying the Lord’s prayer over and over again she happened upon  a part she could not pray,  “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  The reason she could not pray it was because she didn’t want to pray a lie.  She realized after much thought, that the Lord’s prayer originally was a prayer that God Himself our Lord gave us.  So, she turned to the author of that great passage to help her out. 

It was then  in that tiny little bathroom that Imaculee had another epiphany. In her own words, she realized this .... "you being mad at them, you getting angry wanting to do what they are doing doesn’t change a thing."  Something just became clear in that moment, that told her , “everyone has a chance.. to …see the truth.”  In essence what Immaculle did was what Jesus said as He hung on  the cross, " Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  

If  it were not enough, Immaculee felt she needed to forgive the people who were trying to kill her.  What she choose to offer her enemies was forgiveness, not hatred.  For this expressed reason she went to prision to meet the leader of one of the gangs who had sought to take her life. After an awkward pause, they both began to cry as their eyes met and she touched his hand as she said these healing words, “I forgive you.”  Imaculee’s heart eased immediately as she saw the tension release in the man’s shoulders, who once sought to obliterate her and her people.

She concludes her book, Left to Tell…. with these words: “ the love of a single heart can make a world of difference.  I believe that we can heal Rwanda – and our world – by healing on heart at a time.”

The following are truly acts of God: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and  forgiving those who wrong you.

Swavel