And this is why it is a good idea to always be kind. I was just thinking about losing my Grandmother and my Aunt one week apart, 11 years ago. The pain this brought my family can only be compared to losing my cousin, Lynn, and losing Nolan. You feel helpless! I remember going to my Aunt Brenda’s funeral and I felt like I couldn’t take the steps necessary to get inside the church and be there with the rest of my family. I told my husband, Billy, on the way there “how am I suppose to even walk in the door”? “I cannot do this”. I felt the same way when Nolan passed away…I did not know how I would put one foot in front of the other to go say goodbye to him.

Pastor Bill, preached a message Sunday on encouraging one another and how important it is. His sermon made me think of the many people I know facing the hardest times of their lives. Not only is our country in a mess with everything going on, but many people I know have lost their loved ones in the last year. I think a lot of times we do not think about what the people we encounter everyday are facing. In the time we live in, encouraging others is more important than ever.

I think a lot about one of my clients, who in the last year has lost her brother (her only sibling) and her mom and dad. I cannot imagine the pain she feels. On the outside, she looks like she is doing ok. If you saw her out and about you wouldn’t think she is in a massive amount of pain. That is the thing, you cannot look at someone most of the time and know what they are feeling.

She gets up everyday and goes to work and does what she has to do, just like we all do, but it has to be hard for her to even get out of the bed. That is why it is so important for us as Christians to always be kind. Someone could be on the verge of tears and your kind words make their day. It takes zero extra effort to say something nice and make someone’s day.

I think about Zach Williams song. “Face to Face”. The words speak to me, give me comfort, make me know there is hope. “When we all see Jesus, no more sickness, no more madness, no more pain… when we all, when we all see Jesus face to face!

For me, I know I am running through those gates! I want to see Jesus! I want to see my sweet grandparents who have gone on, my aunt who loved me from the moment I was born, and Nolan…his smile lit up my whole world. My daughter picked the cream of the crop. The hardest thing is seeing her without him.

So, when you see someone who you think has it all together, please stop and remember that is probably not the case. They could be walking through a nightmare. Something you could never fully grasp. Pray for them, and know they are thankful you do not know the pain they feel. They would not wish it on anyone.

If I am going to be completely honest, I dread the start of the new year. It is certainly not because I do not want to get out of this year, but I am just so apprehensive. I do not feel like I can live through another year like the one we are leaving behind and I know I am not alone.

2020 has not only been the hardest year in terms of loss of loved ones, it also has brought about tons of uncertainty. Being told you cannot go to work, being told to stay home and not leave unless it is necessary, is so foreign to us as Americans. Being told to stay home from work after living through the hardest time of my life, was a really hard blow. As many people will understand, when grieving someone like I do Nolan, going to work and keeping a “routine”, would have been the best thing for all of us. That for so many was simply not an option.

We also faced the issue of going back to work and trying to get back to living in the real world again. It wasn’t easy! It was harder than I could have imagined and I never want to have to redo any of the scenarios of this year ever again. That being said, what will happen in the upcoming year? We have new leadership and do not know if we will be sent home again, or what kind of “different”’we will face. I don’t like “different”. I want some “familiar”!

While listening to the sermon this morning, I began to catch of glimmer of hope. I sat in church between my daughter, Alexis, and my friend, Amy. All 3 of us have had a year like no other. We are all desperate for hope and healing in the new year. I sat there thinking, our only hope is Jesus. At one point in the service, Pastor Bill asked that we stop and just all simply thank God for what we have. I think it is something we just do not do enough of in our lives.

While we are eager to leave this year behind us, we should stop and thank God for what He has brought us through. Never for one second, did He leave us. Even when we were living the hardest moments of our lives, He was there.

The sermon this morning was titled, “You don’t have to fear the new year”… and I am thankful even though I feel apprehensive at times, I do not fear. Hebrews 13:6 says, So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (ESV). We have a helper, and that helper is the Holy Spirit. He never one time walks away and leaves us alone.

In a time of great uncertainty, let’s just focus on the One who never leaves or forsakes us. He is there when we grieve, when we lose our job, when we just feel like we cannot go on…He is there. Knowing that, has gotten me through a heartache like no other. I have to stop and thank God for all the little things. I thank Him for the blessings of two precious babies that have kept me going this year as well. Just like I have mentioned before, the words of one of my sweet friends, the Lord knows what we need before we even need it.

The Bible does not say we will never have hard times, it says when we have hard times. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2, ESV).

I will be with you…As you enter 2021, remember who will always be with you.

Ephesians 1: 3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” 

    Recently, my youngest cousin and her husband, adopted a baby. To say the process of adoption is tedious and costly, is putting it lightly. Many steps are involved in bringing a child home to be a member of your family, but it is worth every bit of time and money spent. The blessing this baby has brought to our family is immeasurable. The process of adoption gives us a little insight into what Christ has done for us, so that we might be adopted into His family. Jesus paid the ultimate price when He died on the Cross, leaving His children spiritually wealthy by making salvation possible. He longs for us to be His sons and daughters and receive the blessing of salvation, so that we may begin to claim our “inheritance” He has so richly provided. Paul’s theme for the first few chapters of Ephesians focus on the blessings of God. 

    *We are blessed and chosen. (vs. 3,4)

   God seeks the sinner, wanting all to know the blessing of salvation. We often see in the Scriptures just how much God wants us to be one of His children. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” We have a loving Savior ready to heap spiritual blessings on all our lives. By God choosing us before the worlds were formed, He knew us and began preparing a place for us in Heaven. We may receive an inheritance from a family member at some point in our lives, but no inheritance here on earth can compare to the inheritance we have in Jesus Christ.

   *We are adopted and accepted. (vs.5,6)

   Once we accept Christ into our lives we are “adopted” directly into God’s own family, born again as his child. This gives us the ability to immediately be able to claim our spiritual inheritance. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. This passage in Galatians goes on to show why Christ wants us to be adopted and accepted in the family of God. Galatians 4:7 says, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” God’s desire is not to leave us as slaves. His desire is to have an intimate and personal relationship with us, just like we desire to have with our own children. Furthermore, God doesn’t want born-again children to remain newborn babes. Salvation is only the beginning of our adopted life as children of God, and we continue to grow through the “sincere milk of His word,” as described in 1 Peter 2:2. If we as sinners want the very best for our children, imagine what the Lord, God of the Universe, wants for our lives! 

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for your many blessings. You paid the price for your children on the Cross, leaving us the biggest inheritance we could ever ask for. We desire a relationship with you and thank you we are not slaves but your sons and daughters. We are truly thankful you desire none of us to perish, wanting all to come to repentance. May we always be thankful and not forget the sacrifice you made for us to be holy and blameless before you. We love you so much and praise your name.

In the name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen

I have so many things today I do not understand. The list seems, at times, to be endless. I can start with the subject of abortion. That is one of the main subjects I have so much trouble wrapping my head around. There are so many women who would love to have a child and simply cannot, so why kill a sweet, precious, baby who could have parents who love them. You do not have to look very far to see a couple who struggles with infertility. There are many reasons for these issues and most of those issues are not in any way that couples fault. So, if a girl finds herself in a hard situation, why not find a loving family for her child?

The second thing I question the most is the horror of human trafficking. Why do we harm one another? Why do people believe it’s ok to take another human and make them a slave? Make them do things they do not want to do. This is a hard subject, but one I have never understood. God did not put us on this earth to bully and push each other around. He put us here to love, honor and glorify Him and His children. Honoring His children does not include using them for monetary, sexual or political gain.

I think about the man from the ROCK organization yesterday who came six hours to give Laney a beautiful rocking horse. He said him and his wife were sitting out in their porch one Saturday morning after a law enforcement officer in their area was killed and they decided together to start doing rocking horses for any fallen officer who has a child 1-3 years of age. It made me think…why aren’t we all sitting on our front porch talking to one another anymore? Why are we playing on our phone when our family and friends need us more than ever.

Other things I think about are why a loving God would forgive us over and over for our sins and mistakes? We know He will always love us, even when we are just wore out and not doing as we should. He dries our tears, and at times they are many. Why does He do all of this for us? Because His love is never ending. You may have people in your life who put conditions on your love, but Jesus never will. He is always ready to dry our tears and put His arms around us and give us the biggest hug we have ever had. Even bigger than the hugs, Laney gives her favorite bears!

Not everyone will always accept and love you. They will ignore you and not want you around despite your best efforts, but you can be assured you have a friend in Jesus. He is always there. He wants only the best for you! Do not live a life of anxiety and fear. Instead, choose to live in victory! So many of us today find ourselves anxious and feeling panicky, and I understand that completely. We live in a different time than any of us have ever known. A time of complete uncertainty, but may we never forget who we are in Christ. He wants us to live anxiety and fear free!

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” (KJV). This is my favorite version of this verse. It ends with a sound mind. A sound mind is a valuable asset. Many days most of us feel like we do not have anything close to a sound mind. We are walking with family and friends through cancer diagnosis, death, divorce and pain. We all want a sound mind. Jesus is the answer. He offers power, love and a sound mind.

I know many people these days say I wish this year was over! I completely agree! Can it just be over already? Why do we have to keep on wishing our lives away because of the craziness this year has brought on our lives? My answer is most of us have in our heads if the election is over we can go back to some kind of normal, but my skeptical mind has trouble even believing in that these days. 

As you can probably tell from many of my post, music comforts and encourages me. This morning I was driving to do a grocery pick up and I heard Jeremy Camp singing “Keep me in the moment”. It goes something like this, “Oh Lord, keep me in the moment, help me live with my eyes wide open, cause I don’t want to miss what you have for me…Oh Lord, show me what matters, throw away what I’m chasing after, cause I don’t want to miss what you have for me.” 

I listened to the words and got to thinking, I need to live in this moment. I have two sweet babies in my life who I want to freeze in the moment! I do not want them to get any bigger. I want them to hold and snuggle for as long as I am able. I know this is not possible, they are going to grow, but I want to live in those moments. Moments where those sweet babies learn to walk, learn to talk, learn to say I love you! 

Even though we all want to hit fast-forward on this year, and I am with you 100%! We need to stop and think about what we have right this moment. What can we do to keep it in the moment? Can we realize we are fortunate to live in a country that has elections? That is able to unanimously decide who we want as our president, instead of being told who that will be and how we must act every day of our lives. 

Do we stop and appreciate the people who ask so much from us? Children and grandchildren, sisters and brothers, moms and dads asking us to do them what seems like a million favors weekly. Can we just stop and be thankful they are here to ask something from us? If they weren’t here tugging at us, we would be beside ourselves missing them. 

“I’ve been thinking about time, and where does it go, how can I stop my life from passing me by I don’t know”… I love these words, but I think we do know what happens with time and where it goes. We know time is fleeting. When someone is taken you get an even bigger picture of that fact. 

We have the ability to live in the moment. Quit rushing around and slow down and focus. No, I do not want the babies in my life to grow up. I don’t want my sweet niece, Ava Claire to turning 11! No, I do not want these things, but I do want to keep doing life with them. I want to get up every day and know even if I do not see any of these sweet people I love, I can call them. I can text them and tell them I am thinking of them. As long as they are here, that is all that matters. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”. (ESV). The Bible tells us for time for every purpose. Every moment of time, God has already worked it out for us, for His good. Let us always remember wishing our lives away is not the answer. There is a season for everything. Don’t forget to live every moment in that moment…live as not another second is promised, except for right now. Cherish the ones you love!

And I am gonna laugh like it’s going out of style” this is the opening to the chorus from a song Garth Brooks did many years ago. It plays in my head so often these days. We are all learning to live again, and it is painful.

My daughter, Alexis, just turned 30. She has been through so much and she too is having to learn to live again. It is not an easy task. It takes a lot of drive and determination and even more depending on Jesus. He is the truest comforter. He makes our days brighter and easier to navigate.

Not many years ago, a dear friend of our family, and someone Alexis grew up with lost her husband as well. How can two precious girls, two girls who love their Savior, have found themselves in the same places in life. For this question I do not have an answer, except to say, God has walked them every step of the way. To say I am proud of Katie and Alexis is a vast understatement. They have done what not many could do. They chose to love someone with all they had, and when the day came Jesus chose to take that person, they chose to keep on living the best way possible for their children.

I have always laughed a lot. I have a very bubbly personality, I guess it would be called. I have not always had this personality. When I was young, I was an introvert and did not do well interacting with others. As the years went on, this changed. I started to work with the public and learned how to interact with people. The first time this came to a stop, after years and years of being me, was the day Nolan left us.

The pain became so great I wanted to crawl back in my shell. The person I had become,in my adulthood, was leaving and I was not able to catch up with her again. The person my child was, strong and confident, had lost her way. Just this week, I have been told I am just blah now. This hit me hard and I honestly I did not know what to make of that statement. I really try hard to live a life that would make Nolan proud, but I guess I am not accomplishing what i hoped for.

I have been known for my laugher, for my outgoing personality, but these days that is not the case. After, Nolan left us, I wondered if I would ever smile again. Would me and my family ever be okay again? Six months out, what I know is without Jesus we would not be where we are today.

We are in search of something. Something Nolan did for all of us everyday….He kept us laughing, wanting to have fun, seeing the best life had to offer. He gave us a gift we need to hold onto! He laughed, he loved, he wanted nothing more than to see his wife and baby happy! What more can anyone ask of someone? Not a thing in my eyes.

Some days I just don’t have the energy and strength to move on. I just can’t! I have had to realize things in life, at times, cannot be changed. They can’t be fixed. We have to face them head on, whether we want to or not. I don’t want to! I want the life we had. A life with Nolan. A life that was the best! He made me smile all the time! Made me laugh. Made my child laugh, which made my heart glad.

“And I’m gonna smile my best smile. I’m gonna laugh like it’s going out of style, look into their eyes and pray they don’t see, that learning to live again is killing me, Lord, this learning to live again is killing me”. (Garth Brooks, 1992).

I look forward to hearing Jesus tell me how Nolan made an impact on so many lives. I cannot wait to hear the stories! Nolan lit up any room he walked into. He made this heart of mine smile all the time! Hang on to people you love. No one is promised tomorrow.

And today in the Passion Translation. Philippians 4:6-7 in the PT says, “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith filled request before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. I read this and while this version will never be in my mind when I think of this passage, I love the way it is worded. What we can learn from this translation and the comfort we can find from reading the Bible from different translations is comforting to say the least.

Yesterday, I once again got news I did not want to hear. As I have mentioned in earlier post, this year has been one heartbreak after another. Last night, so many of my friends text back and forth about the heartbreak we had recently learned about, which prompted me to share the song “Peace be still” I talked of in my last post. The song plays in my head many times throughout the day when I start feeling like my heart is breaking. One of my friends, Ericka, who is good friends with my sister, said she sings this song throughout the day. Many people are hurting right now and some, like me, find comfort in music. I have never had a year in all my 46 here on earth I have hurt so badly. My heart stays heavy. First and foremost, I miss Nolan. I miss him so much I want to go roll up in a ball and not get up, but I know that is not what he would want for me and all of us who grieve for him. Second, so many things have happened in my circle of friends who have lost or who are losing loved ones right before their eyes, my heart stays sad for them. Lastly, this world we live in is a mess. That is the only word I know for the situation in this country we are facing today. 

I started this blog, not knowing what was lying ahead for my family. I just wanted to do something I love and write and be as transparent as possible. I want others to know that everyone faces hard times, I just had no idea how hard they were going to get. I have found in dealing with everything going on I have to do several things so I can cope. One is getting enough sleep at night so I might be able to face the next day in the best way possible. Recently, Pastor Bill said something that stuck out to me. He said God works the night shift! How great is it that the God of the Universe never slumbers or sleeps? We can call on Him in the dark, quiet of the night. He is ready to hear our cries. He is able to wrap His loving arms around us and put us back to sleep. 

Second, I love to walk and listen to music. It comforts me. I can listen to the powerful words in songs like “Peace be still” where she sings, “Peace be still, you are here so it is well, even when my eyes can’t see, I will trust the voice that speaks Peace, Peace over me….” I want to trust the voice that speaks peace over me. I know you do as well. We have to trust the voice that speaks. It is the only way to get up every day and put one foot in front of the other. We need His peace…

Lastly, I have to remember who is in control. I have to remember everything that happens is for a reason. We may not know until we get to Heaven why things happen, but we still have to trust in the One who knows all things. We have to take comfort in the little things. Just today, I have spent time with my sister, and we have visited with Jennifer, Josh, and Karlee. Those three always bring a smile to our faces. I have been able to see Laney for a few minutes and feed her some dinner. It is a joy to see her enjoying some good food. Sometimes, I just stare at her and know she is one of my true loves. She brings so much joy to my life, so does Karlee. They make my life have joy and laughter. For both of those sweet babies, I will be forever grateful. Like I said my friend, Cathy told me a while back…God knows what we need before we need it. He gave me those two babies to lesson the pain. Y

Yesterday, a friend so many of us share went to Heaven. She was a gift from God for so many. No, she was not my best friend, I did not talk to her all the time, but she is someone who has made my life better. I pray for her sweet husband and her four beautiful children and I hope you will as well. They need the comfort only the Lord can provide. So, do not forget when you lay your head down at night to remember everyone who is hurting. God knows who they are. He will wrap His comforting arms around them as well. 

Lord, I ask you to give my friends comfort. The hurt we feel from losing a beautiful soul is hard and painful. We ask for comfort. I ask you to comfort my family and Nolan’s family as we navigate through the hard times. Grief comes in waves and I know you are with us in every wave of that pain. We love you! We ask you to heal our country and cease the chaos we see every day in the news. We are thankful for your protection and your grace. In your name, Amen

I am not going to lie, I have had it! Some days I just do not know how much more I can take, and I know I am not alone in feeling that way. Everyday, if we dare turn on the news, all we see are people rioting day after day and innocent people being hurt and killed. We read about the horror of human trafficking, the tragic loss of loved ones, the heartbreak of someone getting another cancer diagnosis, and the craziness of the Covid pandemic. I find myself getting mad because I am about to walk in a store and I forgot to grab a mask, so I have to walk back to my car. I find myself angry I have to wear a mask to work. I find myself upset I can’t go back to living like we all did pre-corona virus.

I recently messaged my friend,Donna, and asked her a question. I did not like the heartbreaking answer she gave me, no more than she liked telling me the answer. I said to her if next year turns out like this one I am going to go back to bed and stay. She added, me too and pull the covers over my head. I think we can all relate, so today I decided I needed to get a better attitude and start counting my blessings.

I realize what I should do is be thankful I can walk back to my car when I forget my mask. I should be thankful I have a job. I should be thankful I can still go do things even though we cannot do all we want to these days. I am thankful if next year starts off like this one I have a bed to go crawl back in, and I think I can speak for my friend, Donna, she is thankful for that as well.

It seems like this year has been full of heartache, but I know God is still in control. A lot of evenings I go for a walk. It helps me clear my head and gives me time to process the things I am feeling. The last two nights I have listened to two songs that have really spoke to my heart. One is Jenn Johnson singing “Goodness of God” and the other is “Peace be still” by Hope Darst. It is amazing what music can do for our soul. Sometimes I just want to raise both of my hands and shout while I am walking as I hear the words of these two songs, but I do not want to make my neighbors think I am any crazier than they probably already do! Lol! I love my neighbors!

Back to being serious, I look for brighter days. For days that aren’t so painful. When I hear the words in the song “Goodness of God”, when it says, “His goodness is running after, it’s running after me”, I know in my heart He truly is. He is always chasing after us and wanting to show us His unfailing love, we just need to slow down and let Him wrap His arms around us.

So, if you feel like I do these days and you are just overwhelmed with everything going on, slow down and let God work in your heart. Let Him show you how many things you have to be thankful for. When I think about how good He is to all of us, it changes my attitude.

Lord, please give us all a better attitude and pour out your love on us all. Heal our broken hearts and bless us as only you can. Give us a new perspective so we can face hard time ahead. In your name, Amen.

• 

Recently, I did research on the subject of human trafficking, for my public speaking class. We were asked to do a persuasive speech on an issue we are facing in our world today. I could not think of a better subject to try to persuade people to get involved with than the subject of human trafficking, because it is rampant in our world today. One of my friends asked me to send him my speech, because he wanted to know more about this subject. He said post it and let people hear it, but i am not allowed to use a speech for a class in another platform, so i decided to write my findings here in my blog. 

According to the U.S State Department, 24.9 million people worldwide have been stripped of their freedom in one form or another, worldwide. That is 3 times the population of NY City! These statistics are staggering and hard to hear and comprehend. I want to talk about what is being done to end this heinous crime and what we can all do to help. 

As a Christian, and a Mom of 2 daughters, a grandmother to 3 precious grandsons, and a beautiful granddaughter, and a gorgeous, kind niece, I want to be educated about the dangers we face in the world today. It is important we all understand what is happening all around us and how we can help end this crime against our children. I do understand that my research is probably lacking and I only understand a small portion of the severity of this issue, but I plan to learn more and change that fact in my life. I hope you will so the same.

Cry Freedom Missions, here in Goldsboro, works tirelessly to help trafficked individuals in our home town. The way I understand this situation we face here in our hometown, is that girls are trafficked through our town using I-95 and I-40. Both are thoroughfares that go all the way up from Florida to NYC. It is important anyone being trafficked and coming through our town this way be rescued, because once they make their way up to New York they are usually killed. If we can reach them here, we can make a difference in their lives. 

A-21 Campaign is also worth checking into. They go worldwide and rescue children from sex trafficking and from the slavery of working 12 hours a day and never getting a break to eat or even get something to drink! I recently read about 2 girls who were rescued from 12 hour work days without even as much as a water break. This broke my heart. How much of this is going on in our world and what can we do to stop this horrible crime of our children? 

Today, I read where US Marshals rescued 39 missing children. I am thankful for the hard work that these Marshals did and what many other agencies are doing worldwide to end trafficking. Human trafficking and modern day slavery has recently come to light more than any other time in history. I believe this is due to the fact Jeffrey Epstein and other operations such as his have been uncovered and been made known to many people worldwide. Some of the ones arrested have started naming names of powerful people who are involved in this horrible crime against our children and people are taking notice. 

I do not know everything that can be done to help these agencies, but I know a few things we can all do. First, we can pray! Pray for these people to have safety as they go in and rescue these men, women and children. Second, we can give of our time and money. Ask local agencies what you can do to help. Do they need volunteers? Do they need financial resources? 

I do not understand (and I never will), why people do horrible things to other people. Why would they hurt a precious child? I have always chosen to believe most people are genuinely good and I still believe that to some extent, but recently I have come to realize there is a level of evil in the world many of us cannot comprehend. 

At the end of my speech, I talked about being the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus says in his word, in I Corinthians 15:58 we read, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”. (ESV). Everything we do, no matter how big or small, is not in vain. God can use the smallest financial gifts and all the behind the scenes, unnoticed, work we do for Him to make a huge impact. 

Dear Lord, I ask you to pour out your blessings on everyone who works to rescue anyone from slavery. I ask you to comfort the many who have been trafficked and bring them a peace only you can provide. May this crime come to light even more and come to an end. Please save our children. In your name, Amen.

I recently watched Jeff Foxworthy speak about sponsoring a child through Compassion International. He said I tell my children,”you don’t get a practice lap, you get one lap around the track, so why not do it right”…. God gives us life and He gives us a life richer and fuller than we could have ever dreamed.

If you do not know a lot about the Foxworthy family or the other comedians who worked with him on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, they are worth looking into. Jeff Foxworthy does a Bible study every Thursday morning, no matter what he has going on professionally, for homeless men. He says it is the most authentic church he has ever attended. He goes on to say one man told him that he stole his grandmothers life savings to support his crack habit, to which Jeff replied, “come on in, the Cross covers that too”.

Jeff is right. Christ covers it all, all of our sin and all of our shame. He takes the lowest person and puts them back on top, so they are able to proclaim what He has done in their lives. Yes, Jeff has been blessed with enough money to help many people, but that is something he doesn’t take for granted. He gives out of the abundance God has given to him.

This interview of a familiar face and his thoughts on what we should be doing for the kingdom of God, made me stop and think, “What are we doing for the kingdom”?…. I also recently had a sweet conversation with my friend, Andrea, who is an assistant teacher with the Wayne County School System. She is worried about the children she hasn’t seen in 3 months. She is legitimately worried about children who depend on their teachers, and the hot meal they receive every day, to make their lives be a little more bearable.

Most of us have never worried about where our next meal will come from. I know I have never had to worry about that in my life. So I ask, what if we were one of these precious children who depended on their teachers for everything they knew in this life? If we could grasp the severity of this situation we are facing today, we would run to help these children!

Luke 12:48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and for him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (ESV). This verse tells us, if you have been given more than you deserve, share it with everyone who needs a blessing.

God gives us all as believers the chance to make someone else’s day a little brighter. I want the children in our community to know how much we all love them. Reach out to a teacher or a teacher’s assistant, like my friend , Andrea, and ask them what you can do to help a little one in need.

We do not have to go to another country. We simply only need to cross the street, to help a child in need. My heart breaks for what is happening right now and how much these children need to be back with their teachers and the ones who continually look after their best interest.

May we pray continually for these children. May their lives be on the forefront of our minds.

Dear Lord, I ask you for a divine intervention in the lives of all these children. May You put your loving arms around these special children and give them the comfort only You can give. I beg you,Lord, to look after these children today and let them be back soon with the teachers and caregivers who love them so much. In your name we humbly pray, Amen.