Our Missions Pastor Is an Enzyme (Now I Am, Too)

I want to say here in this public forum that I have been jealous over the years of our missions pastor at CHC, Jim May.  Particularly in one aspect of his ministry.  I have watched Jim many times over the years receive money from a church member to anonymously pass on to another church member for a mission trip or to meet a need.  I’ve often thought, what joy there must be in that.  Think about it: he gets to experience the joy of the giver and the joy (and often, astonishment) of the recipient of the gift.  He’s an enzyme in the body of Christ, the church.

A Definition

A quick biology lesson from Wikipedia: 

Enzymes (ˈɛnzaɪmz/) are biological molecules that catalyze (i.e., increase the rates of) chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates sufficient for life. Since enzymes are selective for their substrates and speed up only a few reactions from among many possibilities, the set of enzymes made in a cell determines which metabolic pathways occur in that cell.

Enzymes, then, serve as catalysts.  They don’t create; they cause or speed up a specific reaction.

Enzymes in the Body of Christ

Enzymes are extremely important in the body of Christ.  Enzymes in the church cause the speed of ministry to accelerate.

Since we began the 4theVoiceless ministry, our team has had the privilege of acting as a catalyst for movement toward God’s command to care for orphans.  One of our team members suggested sending the young adults who went to Russia earlier this year to minister to orphans to our small groups to lead worship and tell their stories.  Our groups served as catalysts to help them go.  Young adults tend to have more flexibility than, say, families with young children.  Young adults also tend to be broke.  The enzymes of the body of Christ (in this case, our small groups) sped up the process of the body (in this case, these six young adults) being able to reach the need (in this case, orphans in Russia and the college students there who regularly visit with them).

During last Wednesday night’s message, I was able to pass along a sizable check to help a family in their adoption process.  I was able to pass along a Wal-Mart gift card from one of our church members to a couple who are serving as the “go-to” couple for a family waiting for their first foster child.  We have sold bracelets and paper bead jewelry that will be a catalyst for ministry that we are able to do.  All these things may have happened anyway; catalysts have certainly sped up the process.

There is one important difference between enzymes in the body and enzymes in the body of Christ.  Enzymes in the body of Christ may be anonymous, but they are not left unchanged. Helping others – whether givers or recipients – live out the commands of Christ can’t help but change us.

I can tell you from years of talking with Jim May and now from my own experience that there are few things more rewarding that getting to act as a catalyst for ministry and, ultimately, the gospel.  Keep in mind, though, that for catalysts to work in the body of Christ, there have to be those who are willing to go and those who are willing to send them.  Back to Wikipedia for this:

“Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules. Inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity; activators are molecules that increase activity.”

When it comes to ministering to orphans, are you an inhibitor or an activator?  We who get to serve as catalysts in the body are always ready and willing to accelerate ministry in the church.  Give us the opportunity.

Thanks for reading.  Feel free to continue the discussion.

4theVoiceless,
Al

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4 Reflections of God’s Care for Orphans

God never called the ancient Egyptians or Romans to care for orphans (and this was certainly not their legacy).  Non-believers today do not have any responsibility to God to care for orphans.  Caring for the fatherless has always been a unique characteristic of the Father and those who are called His people. 
God has revealed Himself in different ways throughout the ages in regard to His care for the fatherless.  Let’s look briefly at four ways that God’s care for orphans is reflected throughout Scripture:

1.  Creation –  Genesis 1.26-27 (HCSB): Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. Orphan care begins with the sanctity of all life.  To God, all life is valuable.  Many pro-lifers resent the descriptor “anti-abortion,” but pro-life must be more than what we oppose and must include all human life, in the womb and beyond.  Because human life is valuable to our Creator, to their Creator.  God’s original design was for children to grow up in families with two parents.  That original design was messed up by the Fall.  Every story of adoption or foster care involves some sort of tragedy, some consequence of the Fall.
2.  Israel – God’s people, chosen to reflect His holiness to the rest of the world.  They were commanded to care for orphans and make sure they received justice.  Israel was soundly rebuked for failing to care for those, people, including orphans, who had little or no rights in that culture.  Deuteronomy 24.17-18:  Do not deny justice to a foreigner or fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as security.  Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.  Isaiah 1.16-17: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
3.  Jesus – Jesus went to all the disenfranchised of the world, including children, though even His closest disciples saw them as a hindrance to His work.  One of Jesus’ greatest promises came in John 14.18:  “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.”
4.  The church – Interestingly enough, there is little mention of orphan care in the New Testament.  However, James, in defining what “pure and undefiled religion” looks like, writes this in James 1.27: Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.  Sounds remarkably like God’s commands to Israel.
Elevation Worhsip’s song “The Church” contains some strong words to followers of Jesus.  Reflect on these as you reflect on God’s revelation of Himself as the Father to the fatherless:

     Now’s the time
     For us to rise
     And carry hope
     To hopeless eyes
     And show this world
     That mercy is alive.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to continue the conversation.
Al

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Entitled to a Family Vacation?

According to my younger son, we are entitled to a family vacation every summer (even if it consists of my sister’s family coming to town and staying at a hotel that has a pool, as it very well may this summer; he has checked off on the validity of that counting as a family vacation).  As God has opened my eyes to the plight of the world’s orphans over the last year-and-a-half, my filters have changed.  I have begun to see normal family activities through their eyes.  For example, does an orphan in sub-Saharan Africa even know what a vacation is?  How far outside his or her reality would a vacation be?

I spent some time with both of my boys one night a few months ago talking about the things we take for granted that orphans do not.  We came up with all sorts of things:  our own beds and bedrooms and bathrooms, goodnight kisses and prayers at bedtime, choices of what’s for dinner (or any other meal), family pets, toys galore, collections, closets full of clothes, and – maybe most importantly – a mom and dad.

Since that conversation, the “does an orphan even understand what that is” filter has been on high alert in my life.  If my daughter needs to go somewhere, she can drive one of our three vehicles there; do most orphans her age have that ability and access?  My sons and I have spent countless hours shooting basketball in our driveway; how many orphans have access to that?  Two of my kids get back today from church camp: how many orphans get to go?

I don’t provide all these things for my kids because they’re entitled to them; I provide because I love them and want them to enjoy life with our family.  So the sidewalk chalk that the orphans in Haiti were so enamored with wasn’t the thing; it was the love and care of the team that took it and gave it to them.  The new basketball court, soccer goals, and playground equipment that our team recently installed at the deaf school in Jamaica weren’t the thing; it was the international language of kindness that reflected the kindness of the Father.  The stuffed animals and songs in Russia weren’t the thing; it was the connection with people outside the walls of the orphanage that said that there were those outside that wall who hadn’t forgotten them.

I wonder, will you ponder the things you take for granted and consider what that might look like for an orphan somewhere in the world.  I would love to hear what your filters catch.  Use the Comments section below to continue the conversation.

Thanks for reading,
Al

Technorati Tags: vacation,orphan,Africa,Haiti,Russia,Jamaica,kids,entitled,family

So Check My Man Card Already…

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I make jewelry.  And I like it.  I have spent many hours over the last couple of months making paper beads for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  My daughter, Ashton, actually makes the finished products, but the beads…they’re mine.  Last night, Ashton taught me to make paracord (also known as survival) bracelets; they’re all the rage right now, and I know how to make them!

Before I have to turn in my man card, let me explain.  I didn’t grow up with an inner jewelry-maker screaming to get out..I am compelled to make jewelry for a few basic reasons:
    
1. There are 140 million+ orphans in the world who have very little, if any, voice to cry for help.  They   
don’t have a mom or dad to protect them, to care for them, to give them direction for the future, to
teach them how to live in this world.
2.  God hears them and knows them and cares for them.  Each one.  By name.
3.  The church is God’s ears to hear them, His feet to go to them, His arms to hold them, His hands to
provide for them, and His voice to tell them about Jesus.
4.  4theVoiceless needs some operating funds to get started ministering to the orphans near us and the
ones far away.  There are many ways to help, and some of them will take resources beyond what we
have, which is not much right now.
5.  Handmade jewelry is providing some of those funds while providing a platform to tell others about
our mission, God’s mission, to orphans.

So, really, I don’t care if this costs me my man card.  With every bead, every bracelet I make, I am reminded of God’s call to care for orphans.  With every piece of jewelry we sell, we hope that others are made aware of God’s call to care for orphans.

The Old Testament affirms God’s care for the voiceless in Israel.  “The widow, the orphan, and the alien among you” are mentioned many times in Scripture among God’s commands for His people.  These were the ones who had no protection, no inheritance among the people.  Yet God called for His people to protect them. 

As I have read through our church’s chronological Bible study this year, I have noticed that the call to care for the voiceless was peculiar among God’s people.  The Egyptians, Arameans, Philistines, etc., were not commanded to care for the voiceless; Israel, the nation through whom God chose to reveal Himself to the world, was. 

When Jesus walked the earth, the leaders of the day often came to Him, but the ones Jesus went to were the weak, the downtrodden, the voiceless.  The early church took the lead in caring for the voiceless, and the rest of the world took note.  If you have studied the early church at all, you know that they were persecuted and oppressed; their care for the voiceless didn’t come from abundance but from obedience.  It has become more and more apparent to me that to ignore the voiceless is to ignore the very heart of God.  So that’s why I spend my free time making jewelry, so that orphans near and far will be able to see and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here is a bracelet I made last night, the first of its kind.  There is a message in it:

Red and yellow, black and white.  They are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world.  Whether they have a mom and dad or not.  Whether I have a man card or not.

Thanks for reading.  Make a difference today.

Al

Over Our Heads…How Great Is Our God

At the very beginning of the 4theVoiceless ministry, there was no name.  There were only people with a passion to minister to the fatherless.  We didn’t know what that looked like on a churchwide scale.  There was no clear direction, but there were others willing to come alongside us to help get us started.  Russell Moore helped us see how inextricably tied adoption is to the nature of God.  The folks from the Abundant Life Ministry at Lifepoint Senatobia, notably Jay Adkins and Lauren Johnson, gave us direction in organizing an orphan care ministry.  Rick Morton helped us break down orphan care into “do-able” segments and, unknowingly, gave us our much-discussed-but-never-agreed-upon name.  This was all in February of this year.

Months later, we still feel overwhelmed in many ways.  But we knew we would. We couldn’t look at the resources at our disposal and the enormity of the need of the world’s 140 million+ orphans and feel anything other than overwhelmed.  But, using the analogy of the Starfish Story, we determined that we would allow God to use us for whatever He desired of us.  So we began to move ahead with plans to help couples adopt or foster, to minister to orphans in homes both domestically and internationally, to provide transitional assistance, and to one day host orphans.

Then, the Basingers announced they were moving back to west Texas.  They were foundational to 4theVoiceless and the first couple to complete an adoption during 4theVoiceless’s ministry.  Then, the Beesons announced they were moving to Pennsylvania.  Their energy and organizational skills have been vital to our shaky first steps as a ministry.  Their adoption from Uganda won’t go through before they move; we will have to celebrate with them from a distance.  We’ve lost other people who were part of the beginning of 4theVoiceless for various other reasons…

but…

…that’s looking ahead and around.  We can drown in the overwhelming tide of the need of the world’s orphans and also in the tsunami of present circumstances.  Perspective is often best gained in looking back.  In just four months, God has shown Himself true to His nature in His care for the fatherless through 4theVoiceless and Colonial Hills Church.  The Basingers have adopted their beautiful daughter, Annie Faith.  At least two other adoptions are in the waiting stage and others are considering adopting a child.  One of our couples who came to the ministry kickoff with Rick Morton as a favor to their small group leader, are now nearing certification as foster parents.  We’ve make lots of paper bead jewelry items and paracord bracelets to sell in order to support these folks.

Our people have ministered to orphans in Haiti and Russia in these past four months.  Two teams just returned from Jamaica, they built a playground (including full-court basketball court) at a deaf school where we have ministered for years.

In looking back over just four months, we are amazed at what God has done through CHC and 4theVoiceless in ministering to the dear children who may have very little voice in this world but whom He cares for very much.  Many of our people who had never considered the plight of orphans near and far are now actively involved in serving them.  How appropriate that as I bring this blog of praise to the Father to the fatherless to a close, I find myself listening to “How Great Is Our God (World Edition).”  He is great, indeed.

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.”  --Proverbs 31:8 (HCSB)

Waking Up

Today, on our way home from church, Lynleigh and I were listening to my ipod.  The song "Slumber" by Need to Breathe came on and as I listened to the words, it really got me to thinking about CHC's orphan ministry.


Days they force you
Back under those covers
Lazy mornings they multiply
But glory's waiting
Outside your window
So wake on up from your slumber
And open up your eyes

Tongues are violent
Personal and focused
Tough to beat with
Your steady mind
But hearts are stronger after broken
So wake on up from your slumber
And open up your eyes

"But hearts are stronger after broken."  Is that true?  Absolutely!  I think back to last summer when we were "patiently" waiting for our Letter of Acceptance from the People's Republic of China and how heart broken I was that my baby was sitting in an orphanage while here at home, life was going on as normal!  I use the word patiently lightly because in reality, I wasn't patient at all!  From the day I laid eyes on Lynleigh Ren, my heart was broken for her!  I couldn't fathom one more day of being with out her and the thought of her sitting there waiting for us was unbearable!
All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation
Wake on up from your slumber
Come on open up your eyes
I don't know what life was like for her in the orphanage but I do know she was hungry and very skinny!  "Just enough to get by."  My baby lived almost two years with just enough to get by and here we all sit in a world where our next meal is in our oven or the local drive through.  Now that my eyes are open and I'm officially awake to this worldly issue, how can I even think about not becoming a voice?

I'm so grateful that God has opened this door for ministry in my church.  Since we have been home with Lynleigh, two teams have visited two different countries in an effort to minister to orphans.  When God wants you to have a focus, He makes the way!  This is a slow process but I know that in the end, God's glory will be celebrated each time another family brings home an orphan or opens their home to a foster kid.  My challenge for you today is this: where do you fit in?  James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  That's not a suggestion...it's God's word!  Wake up from your slumber...open up your eyes!

-Tobie Pillstrom

Defend the cause of the Fatherless

I write this blog from the International Concourse at the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.  I look around and see a representation of many cultures.  As I look around, I cannot help but think about a woman who is making the hard choice to give up her daughter for adoption.  I also cannot help but be heartbroken for a little girl who is sitting in an orphanage crying silent tears in China. 

When my wife and I talked about the prospect of adoption a couple of years ago, we just thought it was us making this decision.  Well, God confirmed our call to adopt one day at CHC.  It is a long story, but the short version is that we missed church for a quiet a few Sundays in a row.  Well, when we finally made it back to church we noticed there was a bunch, and I do mean a bunch, of kids from various countries running around by the “front porch.”  We were excited to see these little ones and we quickly grabbed a front row seat in anticipation of their special program.  As the “International Orphan Choir” (I think that was their name) performed, our attention was stolen by this precious little Asian girl.  We wept the entire service and knew at that moment that we were going to adopt. 

It has taken us a little while to get to where we are in the process, but watching Tony and Tobie Pillstrom walk through this process was amazing and life changing for us.  When we stood in the lobby of Memphis International Airport and greeted Lynleigh, it made my heart melt.  The process of watching Lynleigh adapt to her “forever family” has increased our desire and excitement as we move toward the end of our home study and get ready to tackle the incredible task of the dossier.

Myke and April Satcher