Tribute to my Mom

My experience with motherhood was different from many people. I was given up for adoption as a baby. I was adopted at three months old by Al and Ida Faustin. I have always been thankful that abortion was not common in my birth year like it is today. If it had been, I probably would not have survived.

My mother Ida could not have children. She always had various medical problems and as a result lost the ability to give birth herself. Yet, she desperately wanted to be a mother. My dad and she adopted three children. I was in the middle. An interesting thing is that the earliest memory I have is being at the orphanage when we got my sister. I would have been about three years old. I have several snapshots in my mind from that time. One was going through the orphanage looking at different kids; one was sitting in a courtroom and another of my new sister in the front seat between my mom and dad looking back at my brother and me when we took her home. She had a huge smile on her face.

My mother was sick a lot. She had rheumatic fever as a child and many other health problems. From what I heard, there were many surgeries and hospitalizations. As a child, I remember many of those. It seemed that even when she was home, much of the time she wasn’t very well. I’m sure that made it very hard to be the mother she always wanted to be.

My mom died when I was 15. That changed things dramatically around our house. It made the job harder for my dad but I know he did everything he could to provide structure and care for us. I am absolutely thankful for the parents God provided for me. They were devoted to God and to their family.

Here is a line from a poem that many of us have heard: The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. Here is the rest of it:

They say that man is mighty,
He governs land and sea,
He wields a mighty scepter
O'er lesser powers than he.
But a mighty power and stronger
Man from his throne has hurled:
For the hand that rocks the cradle
is the hand that rules the world.
-William Wallace

What truth! Be thankful for a good mother. And something so important for today is for us to recognize and support motherhood. It’s value has been diminished both in and out of the church. We need to bring it back.

Even Mother’s Day has been diluted in the church. Something that bugs me is that it is not the big deal it used to be. There may be a mention but then we get on to other things. Or, it is broadened to cover all woman because we don’t want to exclude the infertile, the childless-by-choice, the single, etc. Sorry, it’s Mother’s Day and there is a reason for that.

So I give tribute to my mother and to the mother of my children. The world is a different and better place because of the job they have done.

Philip

Help Someone Live

Recently Barry Fey said to a reporter friend: "I really don't have anything to live for." A week later suicide came. Yet there were four sons and grandchildren. What about that?

Darkness comes and our vision is severely decreased. Life closes in and we see little good.

I see why encouragement is so powerful and needed. Most of us who have an honest view of our life feel pretty crappy about it especially in the dark times.

We can help other people have a reason to live and live better by giving them a little encouragement. We can bring some light to the dark place. Our words can help them see that they are better than they think.

But here is what I know for sure. I want to make sure people know they are crappy. I fear my good words may empower them to keep on going in their bad ways so I may withhold the encouragement that would help.

The truth is that most of us are our own worst critic. We know what we are doing wrong and feel helpless to do anything about it because our best efforts fall short. That is where encouragement can make a big difference. Someone from the outside can show us where we have changed and those sweet words will help us move beyond the dark place when we feel stuck and wonder why we should even try – again.

Think about this: If you treat a man as he is, he will stay as he is.  But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become the bigger and better man.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Philip

How to Raise a Brat

I took Matt and Andy to the opening of the new Light Rail line yesterday. There were larger crowds than we encountered several years ago when the other section opened. At most of the stops there was music, businesses represented, and some games for the kids to play and a few giveaways. Oh, did I mention massive crowds?

I was reminded of how to raise a brat at one of the giveaways. You would spin a wheel and depending on where it landed you won various prizes. Of course many of the kids were disappointed that they didn’t get something other than what they won.

As we were getting ready to spin a dad brought his boy up and said that the child wanted to trade his cheesy prize for the coveted ball. The people at the booth obliged and then the dad tried to get the boy to give back the first prize of which bratty boy was unwilling to part with. He soon walked away with both, having learned that the threatened meltdown in public does get you what you want.

It was sad that the parent was unwilling to teach this little tyrant that you don’t always get what you want and that is how life is. Instead this reinforced behavior will lead to increased demands in the future and someday little boy will get slapped in the face by life and find out that he can’t bully everyone.

Many of us are screwed up later in life because we and others were unwilling to confront our lusts when they were budding. In the same way we have to take the small, good steps back to a healthy life.

Philip

Bible Reading is a Waste of Time

Many Christians believe that; at least it's what we practically live out.

I eat food every day. For a good part of my life I ate too much. I can't think of a time in my life where I had to force myself to eat or had a day go by where I forgot to eat or couldn't find the time to do so.

But with the Word of God, the spiritual food, we see something else. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Here is the food we really need but when we forget, neglect or can't find time, we show we really believe that Bible reading is a waste of time.

If we treated our daily food like many do the Scripture, we would be very unhealthy. So too, the church is very unhealthy in a spiritual way.

I see a lot of the problems many of us face as a result of being spiritually malnourished. People are being led astray by the world because they have little input from God and what He tells us is true.

Someone can be a theologian and a heretic. They may study doctrine and various systems but neglect eating the food. Many seminary graduates have knowledge but lack wisdom because they have been taught about Scripture but don't eat it daily.

Make time every day to renew your mind and spirit with nutritious and life changing words from the giver of life.

Philip