The New Kid

I probably have as much experience as anybody at being the “new kid.”  I changed schools seven times from first grade to high school.  Seriously.  And it wasn’t all that much fun.  Being the new kid gets old pretty fast.  At best, you get a couple of days of sympathy from a teacher, and then – you’re on your own.  Along the way I developed some skills at adapting, so that has served me well through the years.  Still, it is never, ever fun to be the new kid.  Even when you’re a grown up.

So, I teach Fifth Grade Sunday school.  I have done that for many years and, as a result, my Sunday school friends are ten years old.  I am technically a member of an adult class, but I don’t attend because I’m always teaching kids.  Here comes the dilemma.

I was invited to the Christmas party for my adult class – the one I don’t attend and – for the most part – don’t know the people in the class.  But, I wanted to go.  I wanted to meet those folks.  I wanted to be a part of them.  And, I thought it would be a good way to ease into it.  After all, it was a Christmas party at night and how many people would actually show up?  TWENTY-FIVE!!   That’s how many – twenty-five – when I was expecting something like TEN.   Quite a surprise.  It turns out that these ladies really enjoy spending time with one another.  And there I was – the new kid all over again. 

But something was different this time.  I got pulled right in.  I was welcomed at the front door and it never let up!  I participated – I even got asked to read out loud.  Imagine that – the new kid getting a speaking part on her first day!  It was kind of a Christmas miracle on a small scale – after I stepped inside, I never once felt like the new kid!  I’m even in the pictures.  I played the Christmas gift game and got confused like everyone else – I  ended up with two gifts at one point when everyone should have had one.  It didn’t matter.  It was fun and funny. 

Now, here comes the advertisement.  Ladies, if you need a place to feel welcome and accepted and loved, I HIGHLY recommend the Kendrick Sunday School Class.  Nobody cares how old you are – you can be a grandmother and bring your granddaughter; you can be the mother of young children or the grandmother of grown children.  You can just be you – in fact, it is highly encouraged. 

So, here’s a message to my fellow party-goers: thanks for a wonderful time.  I had so much fun and I greatly appreciate being included, new kid jitters and all.  Y’all are the best! 

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.  Romans 15:17

Hope Heals

When I was growing up, I was surrounded by a family that cherished children.  We were not expected to be little bitty adults.  We were expected and allowed to be children.  And we all turned out just fine. 

Our imaginations were regularly stimulated and encouraged, fostered in a large part by my daddy, who loved to hear us make up stories.  My brother probably gets the prize for the most imaginative and outrageous story any of us ever told.  Here it is:

Daddy:  David, what happened today?

David:  Well, I saw a little boy walking down the road.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  A big snake came up and scared that boy.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  That snake said he was going to eat the little boy.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  The little boy asked God to come help him.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  Before God got there, the snake ate the boy anyway.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  God came down to help.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

David:  The snake ate God, too!

See what I mean?  That was a whopper.  How thankful we can be that the “snake” will never eat our almighty, invincible, omnipotent God!

As Easter approaches, I have been thinking a lot about how much God loves us and what I think of as “Easter hope.”  Easter hope is never based on our circumstances (the appearance of any kind of “snake!”) or anything we might receive in the world today.  It is, instead, hope that is from and through Jesus – independent of our worldly, human situations.  And I have been thinking about something else:

I am honored to be a part of the Hope Heals Launch Team.  Many of us know the story of Katherine Wolf and the brain stem stroke that forever altered her life and the life of her husband, Jay, and her sons, James and John.  Just so you know – John was born this past June and was just a dream and a prayer in April 2008 when Katherine’s stroke occurred.  Hope Heals is the book that tells the story of this sweet family, the struggles, the pain, the triumph, the laughter, the impossible made possible, and the incredible hope in our Lord that persisted through this on-going journey.  They have taken an unspeakably horrifying experience and used it to reach out to others who are hurting.  Katherine, Jay, and their family are taking their years of suffering and offering their story to the world in anticipation of giving the hope of Jesus Christ to others who are suffering.  And make no mistake, we are ALL suffering in some way!

 Hope Heals is a beautiful story, but I double-dog-dare you to read it without crying.  The book will be released on April 26, 2016, but you can pre-order it at christianbook.com or on Amazon.  Better yet, click here for some free gifts when you pre-order.   Why not Hope It Forward?  Purchase a book for yourself and someone you know who is suffering.  We are all broken; we all need hope.  Katherine and Jay’s story will renew every feeling you ever wished you had in the arena of hope!  Get this book.  Read this book.  Pass this book on to someone else.  Maybe at this moment, you don’t even know the person who needs it.  God will send them your way – your job is to be prepared.

Remember that “snake” that ate God?  That was just a pretend story from a child’s imagination running wild.  Hope Heals is the real thing.  And God wins. 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  Hebrews 6:19