HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS!???

Yesterday I was driving and listening to Christmas songs and thinking how much I enjoy the season of Advent and Christmas. The songs, smells, and the overall sense of joy that one can experience this season is tremendous. Then my thoughts went to two little girls we foster parented some time ago. I wondered how they were doing and whether they were experiencing joy during this season. As I thought this thought I was a bit annoyed by the intrusion into my “joy” of the season.

Selfishly, I wanted to keep singing “Holly Jolly Christmas”. I turned off the radio. I knew I needed to pray. For a brief moment I was tempted to turn the radio back on. Something made me do otherwise. I began to pray. I started praying. I did not know what or how to pray. I akwardly began by asking God to watch over those two dear ones. I do not know what their current situation is, whether they have been reunited with their mother or whether they are still in the home we took them to after we cared for them. I simply prayed that God protect them, uphold them, and guide them both. By the time I finished these brief and akward prayers, I had arrived at my destination.

I sat in my car and realized that a significant victory had occured. If left to my own devices, today I could have simply listened to the radio and sang along with the “Holly Jolly Christmas” other similar songs, and enjoyed my own Advent/Christmas time. Instead, by the grace of God, by paying attention, and because my thoughts went to these little girls and children like them, I was able to turn the radio off and focus on a more robust understanding of the reason for the season. I was able to pray on behalf of these two girls and all children who are away from their families in foster care. The reason for the season of Advent and Christmas is to celebrate proclaim the Good News that God is with us in the Babe who was born in the manger – Jesus. I plan on celebrating, embodying, and proclaiming this Good News, this Advent/Christmas season and beyond in similar, tangible ways by stepping out of my comfort zone to proclaim the Good News by act and deed like I briefly did while driving yesterday.

Have you had a similar experience? Please do share

Paul. 

Exciting News, Gratefully Excited/Nervous!

Today three people agreed to partner with us as advisers/board for Everykidmatters.org. Now, the hard work begins in earnest as we move forward to educate, mobilize, and fund the effort. Of course, the primary focus is to continue to give Hope to “kids”/orphans by giving children and orphans Hope!

I am grateful to Dave, Sarah, and Clint for their willingness to partner with Jody and me. I look forward to working together, as a friend of mine says; “In The Fields of the Fatherless.”

I am excited and a bit nervous since this is moving the mission to the next “level”. But I am confident that together, with many others, and God's help we can  ]in some way change the lives of many “kids” and orphans so that each understands how much each is incredibly loved and valued, no matter what!

Want to hear more? Want to join us? Contact me.
Paul

paul@everykidmatters.org

All Saints Day - Are You A Saint?

All Saints Day, also known as Allhallows or Hallowmas, festival celebrated on November 1 in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, and by the Orthodox churches on the first Sunday after Pentecost, in honor of God and all his saints, known and unknown.


The feast of All Saints began in the early centuries as a "catchall," remembering martyrs whose names were not known and who therefore did not have their own festivities. It was introduced in Rome on May 13, 610 as the "Feast of All Holy Martyrs" by Pope Bonifice IV. The occasion was a gift of the ancient pagan temple of the Pantheon to the Church by the Roman Emperor, Phocas. First celebrated on May 13, it was transferred to November 1 for the universal Church by Pope Gregory IV in 835. By then it included all the saints.

The reason for the new date may have been a practical one. It seems that so many pilgrims came to Rome for the feast that it was moved to the fall when more food would be available after the harvest. November 1 may have been chosen because it was the day of one of the four great festivals of the pagan nations of the north, and it was church policy to supplant pagan with Christian observances. The new date spread throughout the church. Its eve, All Hallows Eve or Halloween, gave its name to a pagan Celtic Druid custom still popularly observed on October 31.

(Most of the following italicized below is from: http://www.scborromeo.org/biblestu/allsaint.pdf, which I read some time ago.)

"A reading that periodically appears on the church calendar is from the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5:1-12, also seen in the parallel gospel of Luke (6:20-23) and also known as the beatitudes. A beatitude can be defined as "a declaration of blessedness on the ground of some virtue or good fortune'".

Read the beatitudes.
"1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down
"This is the posture of" Asian teachers".


“his disciples came to him. “
The teaching was not just to the twelve but in reaction to Jesus' seeing the crowds. Commentators have postulated that the crowd formed concentric rings around Jesus with the twelve making up the innermost ring.
2 “He began to teach them, saying: 3 "Blessed”
To understand the meaning of blessing we must look to the Old Testament where it is conceived as a communication of life from God. With life comes vigor, strength, and success, which brings one peace of mind and peace with the world.


“are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Emphasizes less the literal lack of possession than the lowly condition of the poor--they have no arrogance or assertiveness and instead are servile in nature. Christians are called to serve one another.

4 “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Those who mourn--they have compassion. This could mean those who mourn the evils of Israel which are due to its sins.


5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.”
These are the same class of people who are poor in spirit.


6 “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
The condition of good relations with God; achieved by submission to His will. The Pharisees thought that the condition of righteousness was assured by observance of the Law. Jesus insists that His disciples strive for something higher than this.


7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
This seems to indicate those who are compassionate. The two works of mercy most emphasized by Matthew are almsgiving and forgiveness.

8 “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”
Clean of heart can be interpreted as pure of heart as opposed to external purity gained by ritual washings. Purity of heart is described in Matthew 15:10-20.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Peacemakers are those who reconcile quarrels. Reconciliation is a Christian office often recommended in the gospels (see Matthew 5:23-26).


10 “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Persecution for righteousness is persecution that is endured in order to maintain good relations with God by obedience to His will. Persecution is one of the rewards of discipleship. (Mark 10:30)


11 “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. “
There are only eight beatitudes -- this is an expansion of the previous verse.


12a “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
This refers to everlasting life in the kingdom of God."


As one reflects on the beatitudes, one can recognize that the term saint can apply to persons who have some, or many of these qualities.  As I reflect on the beatitudes and the qualities noted, I recognize that on a good day, I may manifest one of the saintly qualities.


Then ask yourself on this All Saints Day, what qualities of the beatitudes, of All Saints, do I manifest regularly?

Have a "Saintly" All Saints Day!
 
Paul

Collaborating is it "Anti American"?

As a citizen of the United States living in the west, it is easy for me to think I have to do things "on my own."  This translates from simple and mundane tasks like cleaning the house, to very complex activities like solving the global orphan crisis. I can easily think, "if it's to be, it's up to me." Among other reasons, it seems to me that this is in part due to the cultural influences of living in the United States, and particularly from living in the western portion of the country where individualism sems to be highly valued. This is wrong headed thinking. Do I have a part in whatever activity I am doing, absolutely. Am I the only one to "make it happen"? Absolutely not.

Several organizations  have partnered together to mobilize people to get educated, think about, and act on behalf of children and orphans. This is is in part how change happens. Many people get together to educate  and mobilize others to think and act! Consider the children and orphans that may need your personal help today.

Click Here to begin to get educated, review resources, or Act today.

Humbly Serving Children and Orphans;
Paul
paul@everykidmatters.org
http://paulewilliams.blogspot.com/

The Most Difficult and Rewarding "Job" In The World = Parenting!

I re-read this post from some time ago and was reminded that parenting is difficult, BUT it has been the MOST REWARDING thing I have "done". Whether you are a parent or not, what do you think?

Parenting is the most difficult and rewarding "job"in the world - BAR NONE! It consists of hours and days of laundry, dishes, cooking, and many other mundane tasks not generally thought about when one considers becoming a parent. All these issues considered, I would not change becoming a parent, and a foster parent! The rewards are indescribable and at times very, very funny! One such incident happened the other day when I took our two foster children to the doctor. He showed each of them a few pictures and asked what the horse, cow, and several other animals say. The answers were as expected except for one. When he asked the youngest what a man says, the three year old responded, "What's up Dog?" I almost fell over I laughed so much. This is one precious moment that I will remember for a long time! These moments in part make all the effort and laundry and dishes, etc worthwhile! Share a precious moment or event that you experienced and let's all laugh and celebrate the gift of parenthood together!


Laughing Out Loud And Humbly Serving Children And Orphans;

Paul

Parenting Lesson #41

Parenting Lesson #41

Today I delivered a between 5-10 minute lecture to my children about not throwing food in the sink since the disposal was broken. After trying to keep their attention for longer than 2.2 seconds, during my "lecture",  I  fixed the sink in approximately 2 minutes.  It was only then that I realized and laughed at myself because I realized that  a lecture is not effective when it takes 2 minutes to unclog the sink and repair the disposal. My wife and I had a good laugh!

  Lesson Learned: Parenting is about figuring out what is worth a lecture.
What is a recent "Parenting or Life Lesson" you have learned recently?

BE A MISSIONARY, RIGHT NOW, IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY!

You do not have to go across the world, learn another spoken language, or give up everything to be a missionary. Some people do have to do some or all of these things, but I believe that the vast majority of Christ followers are called to serve right where they are in their own communities.

I do not recall having a sense that God has asked me to drop everything and go somewhere else to be a missionary. More often than not, He has asked me to pay attention to where I am now and to be a missionary right where He has placed me.

Being a missionary is more about a mind-set than a being in a different location.  Being a missionary is paying attention to opportunity be in relationship with and serve people who are in and around your life daily; whether that is at work, home, in your neighborhood, or wherever you dwell in community each day, week, month, and year.

One of the ways I believe God is calling me to be a missionary right where I am is to serve children and orphans right in my own city, county, state, and nation. Many thousands of individual children  are lacking some of the basic necessities that many people enjoy in abundance; clean water, food, medical care, a safe place to call home, a loving family, an education, an opportunity to know God, and Hope. I know that as a missionary right in my own community I can help to give these dear children some or all of these basics.

Have you wondered how you can “be a missionary” and live out your faith in a very practical way right where you are? You can help bring Hope to children right in your own community!

If you are  interested to learn how you can be a missionary right where you are now in your current community,  a group of people will meet in the metro Denver area on Sunday October 3, 2010 at 4:00 PM. 

We will discuss how we can be a part of a practical mission right in our own communities. Please contact me at 720-690-0892 for the location or additional information. 

"Act Enthusiastic"... OR "Fake It Till You Make It."

In a Dale Carnegie course I took and taught years ago one of the principles was; "Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic." As a principle, this rings true. In reality and practice, it's easier to "act" some days than truly "be"  enthusiastic.

Today I am having an "easier"  day to truly “be” enthusiastic rather than “act” or “fake it till I make it. This day is certainly not without the pains of life and real struggles. However, I am  thankful to God for the gift of enthusiasm today. What are you thankful for today?

AN ATTITUDE… CONDEMING OR REDEEMING?

I embarked on a slightly different work schedule last Monday. It was not much of a change, in terms of tasks but my hours have changed from days to nights. I continue to work from Sunday - Wedneday but now work from 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM. I have worked this type of shift before. It is a bit different now because due to reorganization within the company, the workload is less, at least for now! What actually is different this time around is that my approach to the situation has changed. There are several reasons the situation is different.
First, I had been working Sunday's daytime for approximately the past year. As of last Sunday, I was able to attend Worship and partake of the Eucharist together with my family. It has been sometime since I have been able to do so on a regular basis.
Second, my attitude is different. This time I was not put on the night shift because somebody else decided that this should be so. I made a choice. Because I was able to make a choice, I am approaching the night shift differently. This time, as one of my friends has put it, I have the opportunity to bring "Kingdom Moments" to bear on the night shift.
Three, I anticipate that night hours will allow me to spend more effective and quality time working the mission that I am passionate about - being an advocate and mobilizer on behalf of and for children and orphans.

Given all three of these reasons that the situation is different, it seems to me that the most powerful reason is that I decided to approach the situation with a different attitude. I am amazed how much difference a change of attitude makes. In this case, my attitude could be negative. If it was, I am confident that the negativity would come out in my behavior as in "shortness" of speech, curtness in attitude and demeanor, and a general "harshness" towards and around others. This in turn would influence others attitude towards the people they will interact with and effect these others attitude as well. I am determined to not let this happen.
When circumstances are not as we desire, should we be disappointed? Yes, I think so. If we are disappointed, we should express our disappointment in appropriate ways to appropriate people; especially by letting God know of our disappointment. Leaders, especially ones who call themselves Christ followers must vigilantly be aware of our attitude, how it resonates internally, and how it can affect and express itself in relationships.

How have you seen "attitude" express itself in positive or negative ways in your relationship, at home, at work, at play, at mission, or at other?

Paul

Leadership, Laziness, and Change

True leaders seem to be able to see their own faults, or at least allow their own faults and brokenness be revealed. Based upon the prayer of St. Ephraim that follows, he appears to have been able to pursue being a true leader. Paul Williams - not so much. Here is the prayer in an English translation.
"O Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk. Instead, grace me, Your servant, with the spirit of modesty, humility, patience, and love.
Indeed, my Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults, and not condemn my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen."
I find it not surprising that during and after I said this prayer, I realized how much of my "self talk" and thoughts are similar to the first part of St. Ephraim's prayer. Left to my own devices, "a spirit of laziness, meddling, self importance and idle talk" permeates my being as well as my actions each day.
It seems easier to allow this to happen than to say this prayer, become aware of my own self-centeredness, and brokenness, and ask God to give me the grace to "see my own faults, and not condemn my brothers and sisters".
Realizing that some of my own spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk had been manifest earlier today in interactions with my wife and children, I have written this on a 3 by 5 card and stuck it in my pocket. It seems a good "touchstone" to help me change.
How do you find yourself trying to change to be a true leader, like St. Ephraim?

Vision, Self Centeredness, and "Seeing"

I am not normally a viewer of this particular program but this caught my attention and was worth the time spent watching the video. Some brief quotes from people on the program about adoption-caring for children…
"This story is not about me."

"I get to be the mom. I get to be daily rescued from my selfishness and my impatience and things which are just as disease ridden in my soul."
"It (is) about having a vision,…seeing things from an eternal perspective, through God's eyes and putting aside my convenience and comfort to grab a hold of what God is doing."
"We have… resources and we need to be using them for what God wants us to be using them for."

These are powerful and compelling words from people who are doing what they are being lead to do. It encourages me and reminds me that these issues need to be struggled with and answered each and every time one see or hears of a child in need. I have to remind myself and check my motives each day to make sure I am asking God for the grace to operate out of other centered perspective. I ask myself and check m y motives for wanting to foster- perhaps adopt another child, in our current case, a 15 month old boy....What perspective are you seeing from, a self centered perspective of comfort or an eternal perspective and what are you doing with the resources God has given you?
I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards;
Paul

http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=700clubinteractive

Influence, Do You Have It, Over Who, When, and Why?

I had a dream last night. It was compelling and vivid. My sense was one of gratitude and my attitude in the dream seemed to be from a stance of humility and gratitude for what God has given me. In this dream I was grateful to be in such a position of influence to be able to influence persons and situations for God and His Kingdom.


again, it was compelling and vivid. There seem to be some truths about it that resonate. One, that I am an heir of the Kingdom of God through grace and it has nothing to do with what I have done. Two, I have a responsibility to teach and act out the word of God. Three, I can simply be me and people will recognize me as me and also as an heir by what I say and especially by what I do. Four, perhaps our preconceived ideas of who should be what are not so accurate when it comes to God given abilities and roles. Five, I have influence. In reality I am in the same situation as I thought I was in the dream, I was and am able to influence persons and situations for God and His Kingdom. I have great opportunity to influence persons to act, either for good or for ill. I have influence upon my children, my neighbors, my work colleagues, the people I interact with in any situation. Some of these people include the teachers I interact with at the children’s school, people I briefly interact with at a coffee shop, neighbors I meet walking down the street. It reminds me also that I can influence people via what I write each and every time I write, whether it is a blog post, a brief comment to a post, or a telephone conversation, or an e-mail. All these things are opportunities for influence of and for the Kingdom of God and to bless others instead of myself, my desires, or my agendas. Today, and going forward, I am more careful to speak, write and act with these truths in mind. How can you influence others for good or for ill, for the sake of others instead of yourself, for increasing the Kingdom of God instead of your own Kingdom?

"Loving/Living My Life For Others"

The other day spent most of the day in the home caring for the children and doing things that are directed towards their care, making lunch, planning meals, giving baths, and more. As I was mixing up the tuna for lunch, I thought about my mother and my father and the 20-30 plus years they devoted to doing just these tasks, raising their children, and a few others from the neighborhood. As I stood there listening to one of my sons make an obnoxious noise and obnoxious comments about the lunch I was preparing, I thought…."What would it be like to truly love/live my life for these children and love doing it all the time?" and "What heart transformation needs to continue to take place for this to come to pass? The only answer I could come up with was, much more! Lord Have Mercy! What does Loving/Living Your Life For Others Look Like on a day to day basis?

Illness Humbles...

Illness humbles.
When I am ill and I can rest and take appropriate medications for the illness and wait for the illness to run its course. I recognized today that since I am ill, I am not in control.
I recognized today while being ill that in many significant ways, I am not the master of my own destiny. Today I had to rest. I was not able do any projects. I was unable to work a "to do list" I was even effected in my relationships with the children in my care and with the relationship with my wife. When the body is not feeling well, the spirit and the mind, and the emotions are affected. I am a physical being and illness effects me. This is a simple fact. As much as I do not want illness to affect my attitude, the way, and me I relate with others it still does affect me. Illness humbles.

I recognized a few minutes ago that my ability to be patient with my children is diminished when I am ill. I had to apologize to my second oldest daughter just a few minutes ago because I reacted wrongly to something she said. Illness humbles.
The good news is that there is forgiveness and redemption within the mess of life when we are ill and perhaps short tempered with our children, spouses, coworkers, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances. Illness humbles.

It makes me realize that I am still an imperfect being in need of grace, forgiveness, and mercy. There is a lot of work "to be done" on Paul still. I am still imperfect. The good news is that God is more gracious and forgiving. I find that when I allow myself to be humbled, I can see God's graciousness that is always present, especially in the relationships I have with my wife and the children in our care.


Illness humbles.

God is Gracious and forgiving.

Both are good for us as imperfect human beings.
How do you experience being humbled, forgiveness and graciousness?

The Most Difficult and Rewarding "Job" In The World = Parenting!

Parenting is the most difficult and rewarding "job"in the world - BAR NONE! It consists of hours and days of laundry, dishes, cooking, and many other mundane tasks not generally thought about when one considers becoming a parent. All these issues considered, I would not change becoming a parent, and a foster parent! The rewards are indescribable and at times very, very funny! One such incident happened the other day when I took our two foster children to the doctor. He showed each of them a few pictures and asked what the horse, cow, and several other animals say. The answers were as expected except for one. When he asked the youngest what a man says, the three year old responded, "What's up Dog?" I almost fell over I laughed so much. This is one precious moment that I will remember for a long time! These moments in part make all the effort and laundry and dishes, etc worthwhile! Share a precious moment or event that you experienced and let's all laugh and celebrate the gift of parenthood together!

Laughing Out Loud And Humbly Serving Children And Orphans;
Paul

Haiti, Children, Orphans, and Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics

I am tired after a long yet productive day of ensuring my team of drivers, equipment, and freight depart on time. I am ready for some chicken enchiladas with my family! I had an opportunity to sit down in with my wife for 15 glorious minutes of "alone time" watching the heartbreaking scenes of human suffering in Haiti especially that of children who have lost parents before and recently through the earthquake. Yet, I am hopeful!!!

I am thinking about how to leverage my knowledge, opportunity, skills, experience, connections, and potential partners with needs to be a blessing to children and orphans both short and long term. How can an initiative in this and peripheral industries: transportation/distribution/logistics weave into helping children and orphans, in the U.S. and worldwide? I have some germinating ideas, but no new revelations… Yet!

The "basics" are the same, get material, food, medicine, whatever is needed for the benefit of children and orphans to the locations needed at the lowest possible cost with the greatest possible impact to the children, donors, and partners.
I remain hopeful, open, looking for ideas, and available! Are you?

Humbly Serving Children and Orphans;
Paul
paulwilliams@isaiahscry.org
http://paulewilliams.blogspot.com/

"IF" is a little word with BIG Consequences!

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

Hebrews 4:1-13 (NRSV)

Will we hear God's voice today?
If we hear God's voice, how will we hear God's voice?
If we hear God's voice, we will we recognize it?
If we recognize God's voice, will we harden our hearts?
….or soften our hearts?
If we soften our hearts to God's words, will we obey?
If we obey God, will we act?
If we act, who will be blessed by our obedience?
All these "if's" are a string of decisions we have to make every day. Our ability to hear, recognize, soften or harden, obey, and bless is dependent upon our ability to be able to listen! If our lives are so busy, even with seemingly good things, that we are not able to hear and recognize God's voice, we will miss the blessings God has for us and God has for others through us.

If you hear God's voice, what does he say to you today?
How are you going to act on it?
SHARE... with whomever you should share, I would love to hear.

Humbly Serving Children and Orphans;
Paul
paulwilliams@isaiahscry.org
http://paulewilliams.blogspot.com

NOT TOO MANY GIRLS ALREADY...Another step into a life of caring for children and orphans!

This morning we received a call from our agency. They have two girls, aged three & five who need to be placed into alternate care by 2/3/10. While this was out of the guidelines we told them we wanted to work within, we are willing to forge ahead into unknown territory for the sake of keeping two birth siblings together in one family.


Our faith in the Triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and His plan remains steadfast. It makes us willing to step into into unfamiliar territory and circumstances. There are definitely obstacles to overcome. There is lack of information, uncertainty; one more child potentially in the home than anticipated and all the associated space issues like tight living quarters, tight automobile space, etc… We remain, committed to doing God's will, and with the support of our friends and family, pressing into the situation in faith.

Please pray for discernment, that the 4 current children in our family will all be receptive and flexible and that Jody and I will stay the correct course. Early next week, we will speak with our agency and the county human services agency on behalf of these dear ones. I will provide further details as they become available. Thanks for your partnership in our ongoing endeavor to love children that need special love.

Sunday-Sabbath-Worship, & Rest?

Sunday is typically the Sabbath. I had to work today. Yesterday was my Sabbath. What does a day of rest and worship look like for a contemporary Christian? How do I/we rest AND worship? Does it mean we refrain from all activity? Alternatively, does it mean that we do activities that are worshipful and life giving to others and ourselves in service to God? Regardless of the day you call the Sabbath and not referencing biblical evidence, I think it is both. What do you think?