Because Facebook Took It Off

Claim to Fame on The Filipino Channel

 

In 2006, I was able to go back to the Philippines for the first time in 34 year.  Courtesy of TFC, I was also able to meet my sister for the first time.

From Jhen: On Just a Little Taste

Just A Little Taste

The following Sunday after Jhen, my five-year-old little lady was baptized, she taught me another big lesson.  It happened at my parent’s church, where the Lord’s Supper was being served, and she would be allowed to partake for the first time.  She had seen the covered table and knew what was about to take place.  She sat beside her little sister on the pew in front of me and was quite subdued and well-behaved throughout the message.

When the time came for the bread to be served, she sat up tall, and I remembered my first Lord’s Supper.  I had picked out the piece of cracker I could find in the two seconds the plate was in front of me, then passed the plate on, over my younger sister who looked longingly at the plate, wanting to but knowing she couldn’t take a piece.  I remembered squaring my shoulders in a self-important way, but I kept my head bowed because that’s what the grown-ups were doing.

When my younger daughter, her face full of disappointment, scooted as close to her sister as she could, I was sure the older one was doing the same thing I did many years before, because that’s just the way little kids are.  When they began to whisper to each other, I tapped them both on the shoulders and shook my head disapprovingly, and they sat still.

When the instruction came to “Take, eat,” I watched as my first-born put the wafer in her mouth, and then handed a tiny crumb to her little sister, who then proceeded to chew like everyone else, her eyes filled with gratitude to her sister.

“Oh, no,” I groaned inwardly -- people had seen the whole thing!  Hadn’t I explained many times before that not everyone that’s there got to share  in the Lord’s Supper, and hadn’t I explained why?  Didn’t they know the rules?  It was bad enough that some people hadn’t approved of Jhen’s “early” baptism, and this just seemed to prove their point.  Embarrassed, I leaned forward to reprimand my daughters but something held my words back. 

Then I heard my little lady gently and lovingly explain to her little sister – not in a self-righteous or superior way, as I would have done at her age, but as tenderly as she could, “Jax, (a nickname reserved only for when they are best buddies) that was just a little taste.  You can’t have the whole thing until you ask Jesus into your heart and let people know it.”

“Yes, Jhenny,” Jax nodded softly.

I sat back and thought about what had just transpired.  Sometimes people are like Jax, and get a little taste of what Jesus has to offer, knowing they can never have the “whole thing” until they make a commitment .  Even life here on earth is but “a little taste”  and we can’t have “the whole thing” – Eternal Life – without Jesus.

But more than that, my little lady taught me that sometimes we are so caught up in rules and regulations that we lose sight of our purpose.  Yes, my little ladies broke a rule, but they taught me a great lesson in doing so.  The Lord’s Supper represents what Jesus did for us, and the bread and wine are the symbol of Jesus Christ.  So, when Jhen broke the rules and shared her wafer, she symbolically shared Jesus with her sister in the most innocent, unselfish way.  Jax didn’t take the wafer from the plate, she got a taste of it when her sister shared it with her.  Jhen willingly offered part of her most prized possession at that moment – her first Lord’s Supper wafer – to her sister.

When the time came to serve the cup, the usher paused before offering the tray to my little lady, and looked at me inquiringly.  I nodded slightly, giving my approval.  Jhen took her cup, held it with her head bowed, and drank it when everyone else did, but she left a tiny drop for her little sister, who put the cup to her lips to get a little taste.

I am forever thankful that God allowed my little ladies to teach me a lesson, and in doing so I was able to witness the first time my little lady shared Jesus, and it was  with her little sister.

From Jhen: On Getting Baptized

(From Lessons I Learned From My Kids When I Was Supposed to Be Teaching Them)

On Getting Baptized

When she was five years old, Jhen relentlessly asked us if she could be baptized.  My husband, Jim, and I were hesitant – neither of us were keen on infant baptism, and we  weren’t sure Jhen knew exactly what it meant to be baptized.  She had prayed at the dinner table to receive Jesus into her heart many weeks previously, but baptism?  Such a big step for a  such a little lady!

One day, after worship service, our little lady ran off, and we were quite upset:  it was against our rules to run off away from our line of sight.  We eventually found her talking to our Pastor, and the scolding I was about to give her never happened as I watched her skip happily toward us, her face beaming.

“I told Pastor I want to be baptized,” she announced breathlessly.  “I told him I already asked Jesus into my heart a long time ago.”

A few nights later, Pastor came over to counsel her.  He talked to her about salvation, being born again, growing spiritually, et cetera, and he did his best to use words a five-year-old could understand.  I sat in another room and asked the Lord to lead and guide Pastor and us as we “witness” to our little girl.  We didn’t want to be hindrance to her spiritual growth, but baptism?  Such a big step for a such a little lady!

After Pastor left, I tried to talk to her and ask her about her decision, and all she did was complain about the fun she was missing outside as her sister and friends played.  Oh, well, I thought to myself, so much for that.  Baptism?    Too big a step for such a little lady.  

Later that evening, I was eventually able to coax her with a fudgesicle to join me in the back patio to have our discussion.  I asked her if she knew what sin was.  She said sin was doing something that makes God sad.  I asked her if she ever sinned, and she said yes, and that made her a sinner.  I asked her what sin does.  She said it keeps people from being with God.  I asked her if she knew what Jesus did for her sin.  She told me Jesus’ blood washed away her sins when He died on the cross;  she went on to say that she asked Jesus to forgive her for all the times she made Him sad.  Such a big thought for a such little lady!

Then I began talking to her about being born again, and spiritual growth, and all that good stuff.  I noticed that her eyes began to wander, and I knew I had lost her.  When I came to the part about the Bible being our spiritual food, I finally regained her attention.  Her eyes lit up as she her words came out.

“Momma, ‘member when Jimmy was just born, you had to feed him ALL THE TIME?  That’s like when you and daddy and Pastor Mark and Miss Janet tell me stories from the Bible or you ‘splain to me what the verses mean --  that’s like you’re all feeding me spiritual food, huh?”

She continued, my little lady, to “’splain” to me that as a baby  gets older, Mama has to be careful not to give food that’s too hot – Baby would get burned; too hard or too big – Baby would choke; or too spicy – Baby would get an upset tummy.

As she went on, my prepared speech on conviction, commitment, and competence went out the window.  Sure, she was still a little girl, and if she accepted Jesus as her Savior, it didn’t make a difference whether she were baptized next week or next year.  Baptism was not required for salvation, but it was the first step of obedience.  Who was I to stand in her way?

First things first, Mom, hold off on the meat.  Give her the infant formula that she can easily digest, and we’ll go from there. 

Such a BIG lesson from such a little lady.  She was baptized the following Sunday.

In a Heartbeat

In a heartbeat, two souls meet and suddenly two hearts beat as one.

In a heartbeat, a harsh word or an angry glare changes the course of an evening, but in the next heartbeat, a gentle word of love and grace changes the course of a lifetime.

In a heartbeat a dream becomes reality, and a shell of a house becomes a home filled with love and laughter.

In a heartbeat, reality becomes a nightmare, and a life full of love and laughter becomes an empty shell, and the heartbeat stops.

In a heartbeat, the world falls apart as a heart shatters in a million pieces and nothing will ever be the same. But in each broken piece is a heartbeat.

In a heartbeat, there is hope.

In a heartbeat, there is healing.

In a heartbeat, there is life.

One heartbeat at a time.

We miss you. Our hearts are broken that you are no longer with us, but we will go on, one heartbeat at a time, until we meet again. Until then, rest with Jesus as we rest in Him.

When God is Your 911

When God is your 911, the 411 is that all things work out 828.  Romans, that is.

Exactly a year ago today, I received a phonecall from my brother that  my nephews were in a serious car accident.  One of them walked out of the hospital the same day.  The other did not.  The first seven days, we didn't know if he would ever make it out of the hospital.  The rest is HIStory -- how God used what could have been a tragic accident and turned it into a triumphant incident.

A picture may be  worth a thousand words, but this video is worth a thousand tears and ten thousand hallelujahs.

From Jimmy: On Giving Versus Getting Rid Of

(From Lessons I Learned from My Kids When I Was Supposed to Be Teaching Them)

On Giving Versus Getting Rid Of

            When Jimmy was about 8 years old, he collected  trading cards, mostly basketball cards.  There was always something about the way his eyes would light up when presented with a fresh, unopened pack of trading cards.  He would carefully PEEL the packet open, and then slowly fan the cards to see if he got a “good” one.   He would set aside the cards he deemed were “worth SO much” (mostly Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ones) and then discard the rest of the pack into his “give to Momma’s class” stack.  He was meticulously careful about not folding corners, leaving smudge marks, and keeping his valuable cards in mint condition so as not to lose their value.

            One day, some friends we hadn’t seen in a long time came over for a visit.  Jimmy wanted so much to give something to these friends, so he asked his dad and me if we would care if he gave a gift to his friends.  We told him, no, we didn’t mind, and that he was being very thoughtful and generous.  While the grown-ups visited, the young ‘uns traded cards, and we heard squeals of delight, and Jim and I shared a secret smile, knowing Jimmy had just bestowed his gift upon his friends.

            Later, after they had left, we asked Jimmy how his gift-giving went.  He said his friends LOVED his Kobe Bryant mint condition rookie card.  HIS KOBE BRYANT MINT CONDITION ROOKIE CARD!  His dad and I saw red when we heard.  “Son, you had all these other Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan mint condition cards – triples of them!  Why didn’t you just give away the ones you had a lot of?  That was your one and only rookie card!  That was worth a lot!” I cried.

            He looked at us, puzzled.  “I know that, Mom.  That’s why I gave it,  because it was worth a lot.  If I gave them one of the other ones I had extras of, I wouldn’t have been giving a gift, I would have just been getting rid of a card.”

            Then he went back to rearranging his trading cards.

How often do we deceive ourselves into thinking we are giving to God and His cause, when all we’re really doing is getting rid of our extras?