America Voted...and the World Fell Apart

"If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18

Disclaimer: This post is not supportive of any political candidate or my viewpoints on the election.  It is about the aftermath of Election Day.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, America voted....and then the world started falling apart.

I have refrained from sharing anything about the election on social media because I just really feel like it does more harm than good to post about my views/feelings concerning politics as so much can be taken out of context when you aren't talking face-to-face with someone.  Think about it.  How many things have you read on Facebook or Twitter and believed AND shared, just to later find out that it wasn't true or that you interpreted it the wrong way?  How many times have you read something that someone else wrote, and judged them based on what they said only later to find out that the way they formed their post didn't really or appropriately express the thoughts they truly had?  Give me a human being to talk to any day.

Admission: I am over it.  Over the negative posts about the candidates and about other people.  Over the name-calling of one another.  Over the bullying from both sides.  Over the hatred of someone believing differently than another.  It was old months ago during the election season and it most certainly is old now.  This isn't about Republicans or Democrats.  This isn't about particular candidates or supporters.  It's about everyone...all of it.

Ya'll it's bleeding into our children's lives.  In the past two nights since the election results, I have had to personally deal with kids bringing up to me the election and their fears and anger about it.  And honestly, it hasn't been just a certain race that's talked about it; it's actually been all races.  Some of them are on Facebook (yes, 13 year olds are still children).  Some of them hear it from their parents at home.  Some of them have television or internet access.  Children learn their behavior from adults and I can speak from personal experience, they certainly are watching.

I'm fairly certain that those of you who read my blog are followers of Christ.  I'm speaking to you.  A number of Christians have been just as yucky about political posts as non-Christians.  So take a minute to hear me out.

Jesus commands us to "love one another" (John 13:34) ... that includes people we don't like or have strong disagreements with (aka: enemies) (Matthew 5:44).  People are gonna disagree...we're all different, God made us that way.  Accept those differences; love them through those differences; show them the grace and mercy of Jesus.  And if you feel as though you need to speak truth, then speak it in love.  Ephesians 4:15 says, "But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head - Christ."  Let me just stop right here and say, a bunch of posts have not been very loving - instead they've been insulting and harsh; and again, I'm not speaking to one particular side...I'm talking to all sides.

No matter what the outcome on Tuesday night had been, God was in control.  And He still is...He really is.  He knew the outcome before the world even began.  It's not a cliche or a "Bible phrase."  It's truth.  Now it's up to us to carry this truth to the world.  We are the light in the dark world (Matthew 5:14).  We are to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us (Luke 6:31).  We are to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).  **side note: Jesus - the Savior of the World...the man who died on the cross for you - said all of those things.  Just FYI.

So friends, as you are posting on social media or encountering someone who has differing opinions than you do, remember these things.  Be gracious in your speech to one another (Colossians 4:6).  Encourage and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  And love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31).  

Finally, I leave you with the words of Paul in Romans 12.  Here was a man who encountered a lot of differing opinions in his lifetime.  He had, in fact, been a man who believed differently in his earlier life - I mean he was so dead-set against Christians that He tried to kill them.  But after his conversion experience and after his experience of many hardships and people who didn't agree with him, he found a way to learn how to get along with others without being hateful.  I think Romans 12 is a glimpse into his mindset about that.  I hope you will take a few minutes to read, reflect, and apply to your own life.

God is in control, people.  Don't freak out. 

Romans 12 (HCSB)

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.[fn] 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Many Gifts but One Body

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:

If prophecy,

use it according to the standard of one’s[fn] faith;

7 if service, in service;

if teaching, in teaching;

8 if exhorting, in exhortation;

giving, with generosity;

leading, with diligence;

showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

Christian Ethics

9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His[fn] wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,says the Lord. 20 But

If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

For in so doing

you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Creating On-Mission Kids

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” – Matthew 28:19-20

Recently I saw a poll on the International Mission Board’s Commission Stories website (www.commissionstories.com) that said “at what age were you first exposed to ‘missions’?”  As of this writing, 62 people had answered.  The age at which most people said they were first exposed to missions was preschool (0-5) age!  The next highest was children (6-12).  The lowest was college age.   Granted 99.9% of people who answered this poll were Southern Baptist (and probably exposed to missions at birth...ha ha) …but still, it was SO encouraging for me to see that most people were exposed to missions as a young child!

I was one of the responders to the preschool-age choice of this poll as I vividly remember going on mission trips and being in the preschool church program “Mission Friends” as a preschooler.  Before I started school, I went on so many mission trips with my parents and got to be a part telling others about Jesus – even as a little kid.  My parents had a background in missions so they believed strongly in making sure me and my sisters knew about and experienced missions as children.  Most of you know we were missionaries for two years in Hong Kong ('97-'99) as a result of their deep love for missions.  I’m so grateful for their passion in being on-mission for Christ and educating us as children because it has resonated so strongly in my heart as far as being on-mission and also helping children become educated in missions.  

My sweet on-mission family during our mission time in Hong Kong

Also while on the Commission Stories website, I found an article entitled “Families on Mission: A Guide for Every Stage of Parenting” which contained suggestions for families …and really anyone that works with children…to keep missions at the forefront of your family and children’s heart.  I absolutely loved the fact that the article was divided into the different stages of childhood because it allows parents and teachers to see what learning styles/activities work best for that age group. 

I did not come up with any of these ideas…they are solely the work of the author of the article and you can read this article in its entirety here…Families on Mission.  However, I wanted to share with you briefly, the different points the author brought up as well as some of my thoughts… ‘cause you know I can’t write a blog and not have any opinions… ha ha!

Preschool-Age

1. “Talk about missions.”  Preschoolers are such sponges for information.  This is the time of life where they are learning SO many new things…why not let missions/missionaries be one of those new things that they are learning?!  Adding to that…as you talk about missions, remember that a picture is worth a thousand words…especially to preschoolers.  They are observing the world around them, most especially visually, so show them pictures of missions and missionaries so they aren’t just hearing about missions, but they are seeing it too!
   
2. “Invite Internationals to family time.”  Church workers, you can also invite Internationals to your class time.  Preschoolers are very curious people and they LOVE to ask questions!  As preschoolers meet new people and learn about new cultures, they may be able to better understand what a missionary does and where they go.  Encourage your international friend to bring objects or food from their country/culture.  Visual/tangible items resonate strongly with kids…especially preschoolers.
   
3. “Collect money for missions.”  This is the #1 answer I get from kids when I ask “what can we do to help missionaries?”  Children know that money is needed to get something and so they have a frame of reference to understand that missionaries can’t get things or do things without having money to help them.  I love what the author said about setting a goal, keeping track of it, and celebrating when the goal is reached.  Allow your kids to see what the results of their collection efforts will be.  If you are collecting for a specific project, show them pictures or video of what their money has funded.  If you have collected money for a missionary, see if the missionary can write a letter, call, or Skype you.  Help children see that what they are doing is having an impact.

**One thing that the author didn’t mention, that I think is very important, is to make sure preschoolers understand that missions is something that Jesus has asked us to do.  Put the Great Commission and Acts 1:8 into language that preschoolers can understand and help them realize that we don’t do missions just because we want to…we do it because Jesus asks us to “love our neighbor” and tell our neighbors about Him.

School-Age

1. “Collect supplies.”  In the article, the author offered a specific project for which to collect supplies – the Baptist Global Response’s Bucket Project.  The Bucket Project is a great project to be a part of, but there are also many other great projects that children can collect supplies for, such as, Operation Christmas Child, your local food pantry, care packages for missionaries, etc.  Allow your child to have the opportunity to collect these supplies – let them make the decisions (with your guidance) on what kinds of items to collect for others around the world.  By allowing them to make part of the decision, they are able to see that they have made a personal investment in something/someone else.  Church leaders, maybe you can make your collection a competition.  At my church, we like to have collection competitions between the boys and the girls.  The kids get really into the competition and in turn we are able to help a lot more people because we have a lot more items.
   
2. “Adopt a People Day.”  I know a lot of school-age kids that love to find out cool facts about people, places, and things.  Help your kids find interesting books or websites about different cultures or countries so that they can read about and see what is going on in different parts of the world.  The IMB has a couple of great missions websites for kids…visit “Kids on Mission” and “The Caravan.”  The Joshua Project website has information on how reached or unreached various countries are around the world.  I encourage you to visit these websites with your kids so that they can find out for themselves about different parts of the world and missions work there.  When I was 11, I made a scrapbook about Hong Kong…granted, I lived there…but still, it was an opportunity for me to discover more about this unfamiliar country as my family was living “on-mission” there.
   
3. “Take a family mission trip.”  This doesn’t have to be a 15 hour mission trip to another country…it can simply be taking a trip across town to the soup kitchen to help feed the hungry.  The important part is to let your kids EXPERIENCE missions!  I can’t put into words the value that experiencing missions has on a child.  All I know is that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the experience of missions.  If you have the opportunity to take your family on a mission trip out of town or out of the country – DO IT!  Your kids will NEVER forget it and the things they see and do will make a lasting impact on them.  Experiencing missions is when it becomes REAL to them.

 **Something else to mention here…introduce school-age kids to not only historical missionaries, like Lottie Moon/Adoniram Judson, but also introduce this age group to missionaries in the Bible like Paul, Barnabas, John Mark, and others.  Help them realize that Jesus didn’t just ask today’s generation to be missionaries…His words were also meant for those that lived during the Bible times. 

Teens

1. “’Give it up’ for global hunger.”  Really what I think the author of the article is saying here is to help your teen realize that missions is a sacrifice.  Give up a night at the movies and spend that extra time doing something for missions or make a low-cost meal out of items that someone in a third world country might have and give that extra money you have to missions.  Teenagers are at a time in their life where they understand that it can be difficult to do without something.  Helping them realize that so many in the world don’t have the luxuries we do in America opens their eyes to appreciate the world and people around them.
   
   
2. “Be a World Changer.”  World Changers is a great organization that teens can be a part of as they aim to change the world for the sake of Christ.  It’s an opportunity for teens to experience missions in a peer-team setting.  Teens don’t just have to go through World Changers, though.  Encourage your teen to go on a mission trip with their youth group or your church.  The IMB Students website, theTask.org has great opportunities too.  Again, missions never becomes more real until you experience it!

 **If at all possible, allow your teen to get to know (Skype, Facebook messaging, personal visit) a current missionary and/or missionary kid.  Whether the missionary be on Stateside assignment or on the field, a personal interaction can help spur the interest of a teen to get involved in not only praying for this missionary, but desiring to help them and others as well.

-------

One thing that ALL age groups…preschoolers to adults…can do for missions is to PRAY.  Your prayers to the Father on behalf of missionaries and missions work mean more than you’ll ever know.  The hardest hearts and most impossible situations can change in an instant when ALL of God’s children come to Him in prayer.  Make sure your children always know that “where two or three are gathered in [His] name, [He] is there” (Matthew 18:20). 

Mission-minded children lead to mission-minded adults and in this world that is ever-so changing and where so many have never heard the name of Jesus, having mission-minded adults is something that is GREATLY important.  What better way to live with a servant heart than to be mission-minded?!  I pray that our future generation will live with a servant heart, be on fire for Jesus and have a desire to help others come to know Him either through missions involvement or as full-time missionaries themselves.

Source: "Families on Mission" by Susie Rain, July 21, 2013, http://www.commissionstories.com/asia/interactives/view/families-on-mission-a-guide-for-every-stage-of-parenting#teens

"Resurrection Eggs" - An Easter Tradition

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  - Proverbs 22:6

One of my favorite childhood memories from the Easter season are "Resurrection Eggs."  No, they aren't eggs that resurrect from the refrigerator...rather they are plastic eggs with some object inside that relates to the Easter story.  It's kind of like advent calendars for the Easter season.  So many days before Easter, you open up the plastic egg, look at the object and read the scripture that corresponds with that object.  It's basically a mini object lesson for the day, taking no more than 10 minutes.

I've seen many types of "Resurrection Eggs," but my favorite are the ones my parents created.  Many of the ones you can buy in the store today are like 10-12 days long.  My parents took that idea and expanded on it.  Instead of a 12-day "Resurrection Egg" lesson plan, my parents developed a 40-day lesson plan using these simple plastic eggs.  They searched the scriptures and found 40 different objects that relate from everything beginning with the Triumphal Entry all the way to Pentecost.  We would begin it way before Easter and end a few days after Easter Sunday. 

As a child, I remember being so excited each year as we opened each egg.  Every year the objects were the same and of course the story never changed, but I learned something new about the Easter story every year we did the "Resurrection Egg" lessons.  I can still remember some of the objects that would be in those eggs...one that comes immediately to my mind was a nasty fig (I say nasty because it never got replaced from year to year and that plastic egg stunk after a while J).  The fig represented the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-25).  Another was a wet Kleenex representing when Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).  Of course there were plastic eggs with nails in them, a stone, an angel, and so on...and you can figure what those represented.

I am so thankful for parents who valued teaching me about the Bible at home.  This can NOT be underestimated!  When I was in college, our education professors drove this home - learning can begin at school (or in this case church), but it MUST continue in the home!  I'm not a parent, but I know the value of having parents who taught me the God's truth at home.  My parents were the ones who helped me memorize Scripture, answer my questions about Christ, teach me Christian praise songs, and use object lessons to teach me about the Bible...not my teachers, not my friends, and not myself.  My teachers definitely were God-sends and helped me learn, but my parents reinforced my learning at home.  Kids are pretty awesome people, but they need the influence of godly, Christian parents (or guardians) to grow into even more awesome teenagers and adults!  Remember Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

If you've never done "Resurrection Eggs" before, I SO encourage you to do it with your children!  Kids are visual and love to be able to "see" how something relates to a story or concept...doesn't matter the age.  I'm a firm believer in using object lessons with kids and "Resurrection Eggs" are a great help in teaching kids about the Easter story. 

You can buy these in stores...but honestly you can make it yourself using common things at home too.  If you're interested in the 40-day one my parents developed, comment below and I would love to send you the plan.  I've included below an awesome DIY (do-it-yourself) below...this is one of the easiest I've seen in a while.

Parents...teachers...children's leaders....we are responsible for teaching the Truth to the next generation.  In order to impact future generations for Christ, our children have to be ready and knowledgeable about Him and their knowledge begins with us. 

Here's the DIY "Resurrection Egg" tutorial I was telling you about:

(C) Tasha Sawyer, 2013 - http://www.commissionstories.com/asia/interactives/view/resurrection-eggs-share-christ