What Just Happened?

We stopped at Sheetz in Bellewood today and ended up paying for an unexpected performance.  What I mean to say is: I think we were scammed.  As I was closing the door to the Suburban, a women approached asking for help.  She appeared to be on the verge of hysteria and rather in a hurry.  She told us that her mother had been in an accident and was life flighted to Pittsburgh.  She had called her sister-in-law to come take her out there, but had left in such a hurry she didn't have any money for gas.  If we could just give her $10 she would mail it back to us later.  Yes there were definitely yellow flags all over the situation, but I looked at Eric and he pulled a ten dollar bill out of his wallet.  He handed it to me, and I handed it to the lady.  She said again, "I can send it back to you."  The words that came out of my mouth were something like this:  "In the name of Jesus, God bless you."  Meanwhile I grabbed the woman's hand and squeezed it for a second.  It was like I was not myself.  As she turned to get back in the car with her "sister-in-law" I told her we would pray for her mother, and she said, "God bless you." 

I did glance over to see what she did when she got in the car.  She was talking to the other lady and still seemed to have her tears on.  As I took Eric's hand and bowed my head to pray over a situation I suspected to be fake, the car backed out and drove away without stopping at the gas pump.  They even yelled thank you out the window.  It seemed they were much more cheerful.  A moment earlier she had said, "God bless you," as she had gotten in the car still acting shaken and frightened.  Now it seemed they might be laughing at us.  I had hoped they were sincere despite the feeling that it was a set up, and yet I didn't want her mother to be hurt.  When they were gone and I had prayed for the mom, I expressed my thoughts about what had just transpired.  My sweet daughter didn't want to believe it, and was a bit shocked that I would jump to that conclusion, but after she recalled the details I think she was in agreement.  We all know that $10 worth of gas wasn't going to get them anywhere near Pittsburgh.  I told her that we want to be able to think the best of people, but we have to be cautious too.  We all know that $10 worth of gas wasn't going to get those ladies anywhere near Pittsburgh.  My girl wanted to know why she would have done that for $10.  I told her that if she gets $10 from 300 people she'll have $3,000.  As fishy as it was I don't think we would have given her much more money.

The truth is that we did give her much more than $10.  We showed love and compassion for her.  We treated her as though the circumstances she described were real, and we cared about her.  We shared our faith with her in a couple of short sentences.  We didn't get to tell what Jesus had done for her, but as I squeezed her hand I felt something.  I felt like I was being used as a conduit of God's love.  In a way I received a blessing.  I have no idea what she will use the money for, but maybe that scene will replay in her mind as it does in mine.  Maybe she felt God's love for her at that moment as I did.  Maybe it will be one of many signposts along her journey that point her to Jesus.  Maybe, though, she will just laugh about it and talk about what fools Christians are;  God's Word does say, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  1 Corinthians 1:18.  Regardless of what she does, we can have peace in knowing that we did what we could in the moment.  I will pray for the mother despite my suspicions, but I will pray for the daughter all the more.  

Maybe I am wrong.  I don't think so, but I could be.  Maybe she was so happy that someone helped her that she forgot to get gas.  I doubt it, but either way neither Eric or I see any other way that we should have handled the situation as it was.  Maybe we were meant to just show her love.  Maybe we were meant to pray for her.  Maybe we were meant to warn others to beware of the scam in that location.  Watch out if you stop at Sheetz in Bellewood.  I would guess that is not the only location they are visiting, and they are surely not the only ones out there doing this kind of thing, so please just use caution wherever you are. As it is we are only $10 poorer monetarily, but we are a bit more rich in experience.  I pray that God uses the interaction to shine a little light in the woman's heart.  It's a very weird feeling, having the feeling of being taken advantage of, and yet not knowing for sure.  If something like this were to happen again we could consider offering to make the purchase ourselves instead; the tank may have already been full. It was so surreal, though, and neither of us really hesitated.  I have the feeling that we were meant to deliver the message as we did. 

Celebrate Life!

On the morning of October 4 our family is planning to participate in the Celebrate Life 5K and 10 mile bike ride.  We won't all be doing both.  They start at the same time, so we will have to chose one or the other.  I, Juanita, plan to run the 5K, while the kids will likely want to ride their bikes.  Eric will probably run or walk depending on his physical condition.  His back often bothers him, so it will depend on how he is feeling in October. I may end up walking with Eric or we might both decide to ride with the kids depending on the circumstances.  We don't have to decide that quite yet, but we are all going to get out there and do this!  Each member of the family was given a choice of whether or not to participate, and they all said yes.  :)

Celebrate Life is an important fundraising event for the Pregnancy Resource Clinic in State College.  PRC's mission is  to educate, encourage, and empower men and women to make informed life choices. Their services include free and confidential pregnancy tests, ultrasound, STI testing/treatment, materials assistance, abortion recovery support, and more.  Our family wants to help by raising $1200 ($200 per person) in sponsorship for Celebrate Life.  

There are a couple of ways you can get involved!  If you would like to contribute to our fundraising goal you can do that at The Huyett Family's Fundraising Page, or if you are not comfortable giving online, you can mail a donation to Pregnancy Resource Clinic, 423 South Pugh Street, State College, PA 16801. The other way you can get involved is by signing up to walk, run or ride.  Participants have the option of paying a $25 registration fee if they prefer not to raise funds.  There are also volunteer opportunities available year round.  You can find information by following this link. 

We count it a privilege to be able to participate in this event for a worthy cause.  We appreciate each of our sponsors and fellow participants, and are blessed by their encouragement, sponsorship and support.  Sometimes people just need a helping hand and someone to guide them.  Your generosity to PRC provides that for people facing unplanned pregnancies and STIs. 

I leave you with this passage from Matthew 25: 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Making A Mark

The world is mourning over the death of one man today.  Robin Williams was loved by so many people.  People who never met him thought the world of him because he made them laugh and he made them cry.  He made a mark on the world with his humor and wit, as well as compassion and kindness, and in his passing he has brought instant attention to the cause of Mental Heath Awareness.  The question has been asked, why would a man like this take his own life?  As I watch the struggle to understand flood social media, and as I read post after post on the dangers of depression, I can't help but reflect on my own struggles.

As a teen I remember thinking about suicide.  I remember the feeling that I just wasn't important to anyone, how could I forget, I still struggle with the same thoughts today.  I remember scratching at my wrists with an object that barely had an edge.  What was I doing?  Crying out for some attention is probably the best answer, but flirting with the possibility might be a close second.  I was just making a mark, but what if I slipped and cut deep enough?  It wasn't really going to happen, but what if?  All I really succeeded in doing was scaring my closest friends and causing them to worry about me, but truthfully I still think about dying and wonder how much people would care if I were gone.  I'm only being honest here.  Maybe someone can relate to how I feel and know that they are not alone.  Maybe someone out there is searching for the listening ear of someone who understands.  I understand.  
 

About two years ago I was caught in a pretty tough depression.  As I read the posts of the current day about what depression is really like, I definitely understand what they are talking about. I don't really flirt with suicide anymore. I firmly believe that when I leave this earth is not my decision to make. That may be why I only ever flirted with it in the first place, or it may be because I have just never hit the ultimate bottom.  Either way, instead of planning out how to end my life I would sometimes think about how I might die quickly in an accident or sudden collapse without taking anyone with me.  I would be driving down the road alone thinking, "I am going to drive like I always do, but if that tractor trailer hits me it wouldn't be so bad as long as I die instantly." 

The outcry of today is, if you are depressed go get help!  One of the articles I was reading said that for someone who is depressed, asking for help is counter intuitive.  It is true.  When I was struggling I thought about going to see my doctor, but I didn't have it in me to actually do it.   I hope I never have to go through that again, but if I do I hope someone will take the initiative to step in and help.  While I am sad that Robin Williams ended his life and view it as a tragedy, I hope that good will come from it for others as the seriousness of depression is finally being recognized.  I don't think anyone else could have raised awareness to this degree.  As more and more information is shared I hope that more and more people will be helped.  I hope that they will find the thread of strength that they need to admit what they are going through.  I hope that many will take comfort in the fact that they are not the only one struggling with this, and I hope that friends and family will be understanding, compassionate and willing to get involved.  May the loss of one man's life save the lives of many others.  I don't mean to glorify it or treat it like a heroic thing, nor do I intend to blame or accuse him.  I just know that God can use even tragedy to bring about something good.

Just Because I Can

Last week I helped with VBS.  My job was to hang out with the first grade group and take them from station to station.  It was a large class, and most of the kids were quite upset that they were being called first graders when they were just about to begin second grade.  After the first day they settled down about that and I tried to refrain from calling them first grade.  Since the theme was undercover agents, and as part of the opening skits the students had been ranked as "cadets," that is what I would call out to get the group's attention.

There were several boys in the group who were challenging for one reason or another a it took a lot of work to hold their attention.  There was a pair of cousins who talked a lot, and a couple of kids who seemed to enjoy wrestling.  There was one boy who liked to express defiance, though he usually complied afterward, and there was one boy who was particularly fond of yelling.  Most of the week I didn't notice the yelling, it's not so bad when it's part of the rally, but Thursday night he was doing it while there was relatively little other noise.  There was a big crowd because  it was the evening when all the parents were there to see what the kids had been learning all week. I looked at him and I told him that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.   I explained that there are times when it is appropriate to yell, but this was not one of them.   I told him it would be alright if he raised his hand and was called on to answer a question.  I felt bad though, like I had somehow taken the fun out of it for him.

Later Thursday evening I was talking to Eric, and telling him that a ministry need I had been thinking of filling to had a new volunteer.  I told him that I was glad, and that my words to the boy at VBS were ringing in my ears, "just because you can doesn't always mean you should." For the time being God has specifically placed me in the ministry that leads worship through music.  That doesn't mean that I can't be involved elsewhere, but I want to make sure I am serving well where I am called.  I have served in children's ministry in the past, and still do to some degree with VBS and Good News Club, but I was thinking of  engaging in an aspect of it that it is simply not my time for.  I didn't know it until that moment.

The following morning when I saw the little guy with the big voice I told him that he had taught me a lesson the previous day.  I asked if he would like to know what it was.  He said he did, so I explained that when I told him, "just because you can doesn't mean you should," it helped me see that I don't have to do everything I can do either.  A good friend of mine says that multitasking is the art of doing more than you should worse that you could.  I think I have that right.  That's the general gist anyway.  I happen to agree.  Over committing is a lot like multitasking, only it stretches over a longer period of time.   I am thankful for the peace and relief I felt, for what I learned and that I could share it with the child.

Later that day the same little boy was asked a question by another leader.  "Who are you going to tell about Jesus when you go home?"  His answer was, "me."  The adult replied that he already knew about Jesus, he needed to tell someone else.  I understood him to mean that he knew about Jesus, but he really didn't know Jesus personally.  I stepped aside with him where the other kids couldn't hear and talked to him about it.  He was very emotional and misty eyed.  He said that he wanted to trust Jesus as his Savior, but not then and there; he would do it when he got home.  I don't know if he really went home and began a relationship with the One who gave His life for him, but I am praying for him.  I would rather see someone take the time to really think it through than to just go through the motions.  The words we say and the prayers we pray are meaningless until they are real in our hearts. I do know this, that little guy unexpectedly touched my heart and blessed me.

No Cookie Cutters, Molds or Stencils

If you try to fit people into a mold, either the people will end up bruised and damaged, or the mold will break.  You can't force other people to preform a certain way. There are usually many acceptable ways to accomplish a goal, and each person will have a method that is somehow different from everyone else's. God's a freehand artist.  He created each person uniquely, and each one should be free to serve Him the way they were designed to.  We should be able to express our heart for Him as we minister to those around us.  I am sad and frustrated today because of man made rules and  procedures that must be followed to the specifications of a human taskmaster.  I am burdened.  As a servant I am inhibited by these restrictions.  

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  There is nothing in there about doing things a certain way, it's just about love.  There is nothing about following a stencil pattern program, it's just about love.  There is nothing about filling a certain number of positions or seats in the pew, it's still just about love.  If each member of the church would truly devote their heart to loving God, they couldn't help but love their neighbor.  If each neighbor was truly loved by a member of God's family, the church, they could hardly avoid being drawn to Him.   

We complicate things with our lists and demands when we could be so effective by just following His two greatest commands.  What were they again?  Oh yes...  Love and love.  Love God, love your neighbor.  He didn't say you had to do it by standing in a certain spot each Sunday morning forcing a smile and speaking with an assigned group of people.  He didn't say you had to do it by following a certain protocol or decorating scheme invented by this or that committee, and he didn't say you had to do it by fulfilling a job description contrived in a document.  He just said love.  Love should flow from inside, not be manufactured on the outside to fit a cookie cutter pattern.  Love must be given freely, not extracted forcefully by a set of expressed expectations.

What if we were to just let down our walls and facades and really do it?  What if we were to love God with all our hearts without reservation or fear, and then let the cup that He fills in our hearts overflow to the people around us.  What if  instead of trying to fix everything that we perceive to be wrong around us we simply reached out our hand to help where we saw a need?  What if instead of targeting people as possible new recruits we welcomed them as friends?  How different would our world be?  How much more joy would we experience if we were acting sincerely instead of staging an act?  How much more would God be glorified?  

I love the church, but I am fed up with programs.  Events are great, and schedules valuable, but I have had it with agendas that bypass the heart.  I don't want to approach visitors like a businessman approaches a customer in a restaurant or retail store.  I don't want to be a waitress who serves because she is hoping for a tip and a repeat customer; I want to serve because I am someone who genuinely loves God and cares for people.  There is not much I can do to change the overall atmosphere, but I can affect the temperature right where I stand.  I can live out a life of authentic love wherever I go.  I can pray that God will use me as a spark that sets the church ablaze for Him, and you can do the same. Together our little lights can illuminate the darkness, but we have to be allowed to shine in our own unique shade of the spectrum.  

Judging For Yourself

Judge not lest ye be judged also. How many times have you heard this or even said it yourself?   It seems that Matthew 7:1 is being taken out of context more and more.  Everyone knows this verse, it seems, and will quote it to make their point whether they believe the Bible or not.  People seem to think it means we aren't supposed to think for ourselves or disagree with anyone else. Of course by saying this a person often implies that it's perfectly acceptable for the them to judge the person they are quoting it to.  How ironic, since it's context is about being hypocritical.   It's about seeing our own faults for what they are before we fault someone else.  It's about making sure that we are dealing with our issues.  We must not ignore our problems while putting our neighbor's under the microscope.  Perhaps it's time our society learns the difference between using good judgement and being judgmental. 

It is possible to use discernment without condemning, and one does not have to condone a persons actions in order to love them as I have often heard folks insinuate.  I will explain a couple of rather ordinary way this applies to me.  I do not mean to offend anyone.  Hopefully these examples are not too controversial.  Discernment leads me to disapprove of smoking cigarettes, and therefore I do not engage in this behavior or encourage it, but I still love people who do it.  If I could help a person quit I would, but I don't have the right to condemn them.  Please understand though, I may have to keep my distance at certain times because of the second hand smoke.  I also do not approve of dirty jokes. It's not that I don't love a person who tells them, but I may not be able to spend a lot of time with that person because my mind is too easily drug into the gutter.  There is a long list of things, some specifically spelled out in the Bible and others that are not mentioned, that this concept can be applied to.  We should learn to discern what is right and wrong and live by our beliefs, but knowing the correct  criteria for establishing this discernment is crucial.

Judgement to condemn or pardon is the right of God alone and given to no man.  Only He is perfect, and only He is able to judge righteously.  He would be completely justified in punishing all of us, but He is gracious and paid for our ransom with the blood of His own Son.  The cost had to be covered.  Jesus paid this price willingly in obedience to His Father and out of compassion for us.  He is love, and therefore He acted lovingly toward us, giving up the opportunity to give us the  penalty we deserve, and giving us gifts we do not deserve instead.  

 Judgement that discerns is a gift from God that should be exercised continually by all of His children. We would all do well to learn discernment.  Understanding that an action is wrong and avoiding the temptation to do it is wise, as is knowing what is right and proceeding to carry that out.  We live in a world that is trying to blur the line between right and wrong.  There is a double standard that says, "everyone should have the right to do as they please, as long as it doesn't affect my special interest."  There are those who would defend a persons choice to have an abortion, but would punish them for leaving their dog in the car while they run into the grocery store.  There are others who would condemn the person who had an abortion and yet would abuse their own child.  To use a more commonplace example, there are those who would criticize someone for smoking cigarettes while over indulging in unhealthy doughnuts themselves.  We are inconsistent.  There is only one way to eliminate this type of contradiction, and that is to acknowledge the line where God drew it.  As humans we are unable to establish a system without contradiction because we all have a conflict within us.  Eventually we will find that we want two different things that cannot exist together.  Our only hope for justice is surrender to God's will.

The following words are part of a song by Casting Crowns, "I'm not pointing my finger, I'm holding out my hand."  The song is called "Love You With The Truth,"  and it's about loving people and inviting them to meet Jesus just as they are.  He accepts us with all our flaws and failures.  Jesus gave His life so that everyone could be delivered from their destructive lifestyle, and all of us are born self-destructing in one way or another.  Those of us who have been freed from our bondage should be eager to share with others how they too can be released from their chains.  Sometimes it seems we are more interested in pointing out the shackles a person wearing than we are in shining a light on the key.  Jesus told the Pharisees, as recorded in Mark 2:17, that it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.  He told them He didn't come to call the righteous; He came to call the sinner.  The truth is:  none of us is righteous.   We are all sick or in a state of recovery.  The question is:  Are we willing to admit it and ask the Great Physcian for the cure?