Living in a prison

Razor wire, metal detectors, pat downs & locked doors at every turn…my first experience in prison. I was there to tell ‘my story’. I was there to show them hope.

Asked by a good friend to share my life story with a group of 13-18 year old young women incarcerated for all sorts of crimes. These were young women who were victims of abuse, who struggled with addictions & who often felt lost and searching for purpose. So, what do young 13-18 year old ‘girls’ have in common with a 40-something single mom of 3 young ‘boys’? Everything.

I didn’t know what to expect. I spoke to 2 groups and their reactions were the same. As I was being introduced, some were looking around, some slouched in chairs with arms defiantly crossed over their chests and some simply politely sitting, probably thinking of 100 other things they wished they were doing. But it all changed as I shared…

With each part of the story, their interest and our connection grew. I could see it in their facial expressions, in their posture in their chairs and in the tears some of them shed. Real emotions, raw hurt & sincere reactions emerged. Doors were opening & God was speaking. I was being used to show His power to overcome.

When I finished speaking, we offered question & answer time. Knowing teens, I really didn’t expect much feedback, but I was so wrong! They began opening up, sharing, questioning & searching. It became obvious that they were living in a prison, not simply one of 4 walls, but a prison of their pasts. I remember that prison. They wanted out and me standing there in front of them gave them proof it could happen.

Some talked of speaking someday like I was, some questioned about faith. Some sat quietly thinking, some broke down in tears & others wanted to simply talk…and be heard. The responses exceeded any expectations that I could have imagined. Connections were made & hope was seen. I prayed that their hearts will stay open & they will remember.

I’ve been asked to return as new groups of young women move in. Unfortunately, there will always be more. My prayer is that they will one day truly get out.

“If you don’t turn your adversity into ministry, then your pain remains your pain. But if you allow God to translate your adversity into ministry, then your pain becomes someone else’s gain.”–Mark Batterson, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

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Seeing the potential

I’m a home improvement junkie. There, I’ve said it. I admit it. I love seeing dramatic change to a home or yard. I love the process, the progress, the anticipation & hope and then the sense of accomplishment when it all comes together.

I’m a ‘people improvement junkie’ too. It all starts with seeing the potential.

My current home was for sale for 2 years before I bought it. It needed work. Trees bowed touching the yard where grass was non-existent, bushes were overgrown and flowers consisted of a single random rose that grew alone. Inside, the carpets were obviously rarely vacuumed, bathrooms were disgusting, original lighting (1970′s style) was darkened and the screen porch was a ‘walk-through’ for any animal that ventured past. The family that was still living here had 3 very young children. They were selling this ‘worn-out’ house to purchase a brand new, double-the-size, no maintenance home in the newest trendy neighborhood.

Many people had walked through the home, only seeing what was wrong and grungy and broken. I saw potential. Many people had been scared off by the amount of hard work that would be needed. I saw the end product. Many thought it couldn’t be saved. I knew it could.

I’ve been in that same house for 3 years. It’s not finished, but then again, what house ever is? Yet, you would not believe the transformation! Without seeing the potential, I would have like many others, passed by this house, turning away from the dirt & ugliness. But I would have missed the beauty and home it has become.

If I had been ‘for sale’ like the house, I would have been passed by too (and maybe you can relate). But, like this house, that’s not the end of the story. Seeing potential is a powerful start. What an old home can become, what you or I could emerge to be,  or what that person you ‘wrote off’ could be transformed into…it all starts with seeing the potential. But you have to be willing to tackle the ‘grime’.

Whether it’s houses, people, or dreams, we need to look at what amazing things that can be, not simply what is. A broken home can be rebuilt, a broken life saved, a broken dream rekindled. See the potential and let’s make it happen!

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Through the hurt, there is hope…

You just never know when you might be used by God…

I was at a patient’s home today, in an area that was relatively low income homes. As I was leaving her house, her neighbor was at the door coming in. I said ‘hi’ and proceeded to my car to head to the next house. As I pulled out of the driveway, I saw the neighbor walking back to her house. I started driving past & she flagged me down.

“Can I ask you a favor?” was what she asked. I tentatively asked her what she needed, aware that I only had a few minutes to spare so I would not be late to my next patient. She proceeded to ask me if I could help her move a speaker from her house into her car. “I’m pregnant & shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy & don’t have anyone here to help me. I’ll be glad to give you $10.”

I answered with “sure, but you’re not paying me anything”, honestly hoping it wouldn’t be a huge task that would take too long. I entered her home & saw the living conditions which ‘weren’t the best’. I saw the speaker she needed moved & beside it was a 2 foot tall white wooden cross with writing ‘in memory of…’ on it. As I moved the cross gently she told me that the cross was for her baby who died.

We carried the speaker out & kept chatting. She asked if I was a nurse (I wear scrubs) & as I told her I was a physical therapist, she then told me she had a lot of PT after her car accident, when she was 9 months pregnant, which was how her baby died. She then told me she had some medical problems & has lost other babies during pregnancy, so she was very nervous about being pregnant again. We stood by my car & I felt a ‘nudge’ to ask her name, when her baby was due & if I could pray for her. I’m not usually one to say that to ‘strangers’ but knew it felt right. She said “yes, I would like that” and bowed her head.

OK, I didn’t really mean right there, right now…well, I sort of did but I didn’t think she would respond like that. So I prayed. When I finished, she said “Can I pray too?” and of course I said yes. That’s when she prayed this:

“God, I can’t believe how good you are. Thank you for this lady who helped me move the speaker. I can’t believe a complete stranger would help me like that. Thank you for this home so I’m not homeless anymore. Please help my homeless friends too & let them have hope. Thank you for the car that I now have. You’ve showed me that you really will take care of me….”

Through the hurt, there is hope…

Taking action–tornado relief

Every time there is a natural disaster, I want to help. There have been a few times when I’ve really felt called to action. When the tornadoes hit the southern states on April 27th, it was one of those times. Then I saw this tweet by my friend Casey Graham on twitter:

“It all sounds good about “helping” tornado victims but the people who help take action.”

It was time to take action. It was one week ago, on Saturday morning, when I heard about the goal Casey and another great guy, Pastor Dave Anderson of Crosspoint Community Church in Decatur Alabama, had set. They wanted to raise $10,000 in 24 hours for tornado relief. At that time, they had about $100.

Fast forward just over 24 hours later and well over $100,000 had been raised!! Yes, you read that right—10 times more than what the goal had been. More importantly, this money wasn’t just sitting somewhere. It was going to people on the ground in the form of gift cards for basic necessities, such as diapers, toothbrushes, food and all the things that we take for granted every day. Here’s what has happened in one week:

• The team on the ground have been working with multiple churches, both in the area and ones who have sent teams in to help
• Churches from all over the country, including Georgia, Kentucky, Utah, Texas, Missouri & Ohio (and more!) have sent money or have jumped in on the ‘Tornado Tithe Challenge’
• We’ve distributed $1000′s of gift cards for immediate assistance
• We’ve contacted mobile home dealers to negotiate discounts for purchasing new mobile homes for families with total losses 
• We’re partnering with Diversified Services, a utility company that replaces utility lines for Alabama power, Georgia power & local utilities
• We have forged a significant relationship with Epic Church in Decatur and they have provided refurbished FEMA trailers for approximately 20 people through their team and fund raising efforts.  We contributed to this fund.
• We are sending churches, supplies, and now working to send teams to help them as they have secured funding for 20 more trailers
• Every day we are partnering with more churches & organizations and reaching more people who have suffered & lost so much

What am I doing? Even though I’m 6+ hours from the destruction, I’m helping serve on the tornado relief team and my major role is communications with all donors, including updates from those on the ground. I’m also hoping to get a team together from Cincinnati to go and help. I’ve met so many awesome people and am overwhelmed at how people have come together to help so many. This is how the church is supposed to be!

What can you do? Please help. Please take action.

• Donate!! It’s easy (and tax deductible) Just go here: Immediate Relief Fund
• Talk to your pastors & join the Tornado Tithe Challenge
• Follow some of the updates here: Tornado Relief updates
• Watch these videos from the teams on the ground of real people, like you & me, with their lives torn apart in one day:

I wasn’t looking to be ‘special’

He’s an 85 year old World War II veteran or as he describes it, he was ‘in Patton’s army’. When I met him a few weeks ago, he couldn’t speak much, couldn’t stand on his own and was unsure of me helping him. I was told he didn’t understand a lot of what was being said.

I continued to work with him and always spoke directly to him. It didn’t take long to realize he really did understand what was being said, he simply couldn’t express that he could. One day I looked right at him and said, “I know you can understand. I know you’re just having trouble saying what you want.” With that, he smiled his huge smile and nodded his head enthusiastically while muttering, “Yes”, as a tear fell from his eye.

We’ve continued to work together and share his progress. Last week I began asking him more about his time spent in World War II and though I couldn’t understand all he was saying, I was able to decipher and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. A few times he teared up as he told me about D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and more. I asked him if he considered himself a hero and I told him I did. Again, a few tears and a big smile when I acknowledged and recognized all he had done.

Here was a man who had once been a strong warrior who fought in multiple battles. Here was a man who was now trapped inside a body that wouldn’t cooperate. I didn’t treat him any differently than I treat anyone else. He deserved respect for who he was and who is still is today. Unfortunately, what I’ve learned is he didn’t always get it and too often neither do many others.

As I was getting ready to leave at the end of the session, he said something that I didn’t quite understand. I looked at him with a puzzled look and he repeated it again. Still unable to understand what he was insistent on saying, I told him, “I’m not quite understanding.” His reply, with every ounce of energy he had to say it just right was, “You’re special.”

With that, my own eyes began to tear and with my smile, he knew this time I understood. One little phrase that I wasn’t looking for and definitely wasn’t expecting, had absolutely made my day. At that moment diverse emotions hit me, sadness that something as simple as respect was considered ‘special’ and joy that I was able to gvve him a little bit of it.

There are some moments that will always stick with you and continue to influence you, long after they’ve occurred. I know this was one of those moments.

The heart of God in a single-wide

He lives alone in an old rundown single-wide trailer set on the side of the road. He’s in his 70′s, has only a handful of teeth in his mouth and tells me that he was one of 14 children in his family & grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky. He only went to school until the 3rd grade and can’t read or write. I met him as he sat on his front porch, enjoying the warmth of a sunny day. I instantly knew this was going to be a special visit.

As I walked into his home, it was hard to miss the 100′s of family pictures that lined his walls and shelves. He told me about his siblings, his kids and his grandkids and you could just see the love in his eyes. He told me he was a ‘preacher’ and how although he had never been able to read a Bible, could recite verses and explain exactly what they meant. Spiritual gifts galore became glaringly evident as he told stories of hearing God’s call and his words, speaking into other people’s lives and stories of praying & healing. Even though I had only just met him, his kind heart shone through.

Would anyone speak to this man if they didn’t know him? Most drive past his trailer and don’t think twice about it. How many people like him do we pass by every day? Matthew 25:35-40 says this:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I was blessed this week by a man who has often been shunned and ‘written off’ because of his lack of formal education, his poverty level, his appearance and his Appalachian roots. As I stood with him talking, I felt the presence of God right there with us. As I drove away I knew that this man was truly special and I can’t wait to chat with him again. Today I challenge you that the next time you see ‘someone like him’, look beyond the surface and don’t ever doubt that God can and will use anyone who is willing.