I Don’t Want FRA!

By Janet Morris Grimes –

She walked her daughter gingerly into the school for her first day of Kindergarten. Other students dwarfed the tiny girl, and her new school uniform was bigger than she was. Her eyes widened as she took in all that surrounded her. Brightly colored letters splashed across the walls, more intimidating than welcoming, as they announced things she could not yet understand.

The teacher knelt to meet her face to face. She seemed friendly enough, but the girl buried herself into the legs of her mother. She attempted to climb up her mother. To squeeze tighter. To somehow regain the life that she felt slipping from her fingers.

How had she gotten here? Just yesterday, her days were filled with playtime with her baby sister, splashing in the backyard pool, or riding her bicycle. Popsicles dripping down her chin after lunch, staying up late and sleeping as late as possible. Just yesterday, her home was the center of her universe.

Each day, the same scene played itself out. Tears, sobs, and unanswered questions. Why did it all have to change? What happened to the way things used to be?

Every day, as she put on her uniform, she cried all the way to school, saying over and over again. “I don’t want FRA! I don’t want FRA!”

A dear friend shared this story with me about her daughter’s first week of Kindergarten. It took them most of the week to figure out what she was saying. And why.

FRA, as it turned out, stood for Franklin Road Academy, the name of the private school where she attended. Those initials were on the sign in the front, on the uniform shirt that she wore each day, and on the shirts of her classmates.

She didn’t even know what to call it. Her unexpected surroundings. And though she couldn’t read, she was smart enough to know what those letters said. And to know that she wanted no part of it. Whatever FRA stood for, she wanted out.

I fully understand how she feels. There are many times when my surroundings were changed without notice. My life shifted to a completely new direction, without my permission.

There are many days I feel like screaming, “I don’t want FRA!” Whatever this is, even if I don’t know what to call it, I want no part of it. I want everything to go back to the way it used to be.

The good news is that Jesus is already there, in the midst of our FRA’s. He makes a way for us. He is never surprised by our circumstances. When we face them, and it’s all that we can do to cling to him and cry, he is there.

This beautiful girl went on to adore her Kindergarten experience. As a matter of fact, she thrived.

Jesus wants the same for us. And He knows us well enough to know that it may be our unpleasant and unexpected circumstances that cause us to reach out to Him.

“You hem me in, behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5 NIV).

Living Productive

By Carin LeRoy –

Working in a mission organization, I have the privilege of seeing and talking with many people who are living and working in overseas locations. Part of my job is to do a closing interview with all of those who go on short term trips to discuss how their time went. I enjoy hearing their stories as their share about their experience. Recently while talking with a medical intern who spent six weeks in a village hospital in Papua New Guinea, I asked him “What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from your time there?”

“While living there, I saw how hard the people had to work each day just to survive. Their lives are difficult. I want to become more diligent. Rather than having a day to sit around and watch a movie or do something I like, I want my life to be productive,” he said.

In Psalms 90:12 (NET) it says, “So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.” It’s easy to let a day slip by us. Whether we sit around watching movies, playing video games, or spend hours with friends, we need to ask ourselves if the day could have been better spent. We can never recapture a day. Once spent, it is gone. But we can change the future and how we live each new day. A bit of prayerful planning can provide us with both the relaxation we need as well as fulfillment from our accomplishments.

God desires that we live productive lives. Don’t let time pass each day without a sense of fulfillment from a day well spent. Let’s stay focused on what God desires for us to accomplish each day and use our energy to work toward things that show diligence in our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, keep me focused on living a productive life. Give me wisdom to know the balance between relaxation and wasting time. Help me to accomplish Your purpose for each day.

“Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NET).

Bible Camp: It’s a Ministry

By Janet Morris Grimes –

You have to be there to understand.

No one from the outside world would get why people would load up 90% of our belongings, pack them into a tiny cabin with bunkbeds and no air-conditioning to inhabit the world that the snakes and the skunks clearly believe belong to them. Why would we bring enough audio/visual equipment to snap the breaker system on what little electricity exists in this tiny corner of the world? Why would we find creative ways to tell to stories, or better yet, help these kids become a part of the story? Why would we hike through waist deep water, only to climb the steepest of cliffs in our soaked clothing? Why would we hike through the dark with only every tenth person carrying a flashlight?

Why would we sing underneath the clouds, loud enough to rattle them? Why would we hold an obstacle course competition, with water, only to make sure that it ends in a massive mud and shaving cream fight? Why would we wake each morning at 7 when the previous night ended way too late? Why would we walk a mile through the last week of the life of Jesus, so that we might focus on what it felt to literally walk a mile in his shoes? Why would we remove ourselves from restaurants and computer screens and sickening daily news bulletins so that we might sit across the table from a teenager and look him in the eyes until he knows how much we care? Why would we make a point to write a note of encouragement to every person at camp during the week? Why would we spend a year planning something that is over so quickly? Why would we stand in line for a shower when only cold water remains? Why would we gather around a campfire to end a day spent in intense heat?

Why would we carve out time to read the Bible, to memorize a part we may not have known before, to ask questions and take the time to find the answers? Why would we spend hours in prayer for each individual, each activity, each moment to make sure that above all, God shows up? Why would we worship under the stars, where it seems that the crickets, the deer, the raccoons, and even the waterfalls worship right along with us?

It’s the relationships. It’s the changed lives. It’s the growth, from one year to the next. It’s the exhaustion and thrill of knowing you left it all out on the field. You held nothing back. It’s the joy of knowing that life is better with each other, and our burdens are much lighter when left behind for a week. It’s the feel of becoming invisible, translucent, so that others can see the love of Christ shining through you. Not because of us, but through us.

The fact that it’s a ministry really hit me this past year when I received an email from a girl who had gone with us for one year back in the 90’s. Now in her 30’s, her life was in shambles. But she had this to say: “I always remember your family being nice to me, and I want to do whatever it takes to get back to the way I felt that one week at camp. I think that was the last time I had any peace.”

Antioch Bible Camp at Fall Creek Falls State Park. That’s where you can find our family over the next week. It’s where we’ve spent just about every year of their lives, but they are no longer campers. They serve as staff, because they remember how much it matters. It’s where all three of our children were baptized.

A true ministry indeed. And worth every sweaty minute of it.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

Leaving a Legacy of Yourself to Yourself

By Jarrod Spencer –

Legacy is defined as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” As a parent, I am conscience of the choices I make with and in front of my children will affect them long-term. I am creating a legacy for how they will operate (act, prioritize, associate, etc.). For example, how I treat their mother, how I walk the Christian walk, how I treat others, or how I raise them.

I think that when we go day to day, as parents, we may forget that compromising on some areas in life may have some detrimental outcomes to our children’s future. But think about how some of the same areas of compromise can have detrimental outcomes to our own future. That reminds me of this quote from Foster C. McClellan, “Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life.”

If you’ve ever played Jenga you know that it is inevitable that the tower will fall. You build and build, but sometimes things happen that causes the tower to fall and you start the game over. Each day is a building process, even adding to others’ lives. Some days we may “tear down” others with a choice we made. Then, other days we are building back up. Hopefully, there is more building than tearing down!

As you are building on your own life, you should look to create a legacy, within you, so that the future will be a good one.

I am not talking just about morals, treating others, the Christian walk, but also our physical health is important. Other choices we make now will reflect on ourselves in the future. One nutrition fact I heard of late, that it takes about 60 minutes of walking to expend a 12 oz. can of soda. So, you can either increase your exercise for the day or decide to cut out that extra and drink water for one meal. That really put it into perspective for me, both from a personal and parenting perspective.

What will the “you” look like in 5, 10, or 30 years? Will you be happy to live with yourself at that time in your life?

PRAYER: Father, thank You for my children. May I always be conscience of the choices I make affecting me, my family, and others.

“Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. A man will reap exactly what he plants” Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

Conversing with Horses

By Hally Franz –

There’s a youth horse competition next week, and my daughter has been preparing under the watchful tutelage of her grandfather. I don’t ride, but have observed enough lessons and practice sessions to know that riding success and safety is largely dependent on proper communication with the animal.

The rider uses her body to let the horse know what is expected. A gentle squeeze of the legs sends a message to the horse, as does an affirming pat on the horse’s neck. Riders are trained to look beyond where they are going rather than where they are. The horse senses this slight movement of the rider, and it conveys direction. Likewise, a horse may lean into his owner when the grooming feels especially good, or resist face grooming if struck there by a previous owner. When verbal commands are used, they are simple one-word communications. Good horsemen have mastered these communication cues and signals in order to get the best from their horses.

Communicating with husbands can present different challenges. I am a counselor by profession and by nature; my husband is a military-minded mechanic. I enjoy talking and listening; Tim—not so much. In our nineteen-year marriage, I have tried to educate him on the complexities of verbal and non-verbal communications. For example, it is rude to frantically thump your fingers on the table while someone is talking to you. That tends not to build rapport. He has tried to convince me of the merits of the K.I.S.S. Method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Typically, by the time I have finished my introductory lines in a conversation, he has cautioned me not to “beat a dead horse.”

Talking to horses mandates knowledge of a certain equine language. Communicating with husbands often requires patience and acceptance.

Talking with our Heavenly Father is much easier. He understands any language we wish to use, but enjoys a respectful approach when we come for a visit. He has offered suggestions on what to say, but will listen to anything that burdens us. We can tap our fingers and use lots of words, and it is fine with Him. We need not look for just the right moment or make an appointment. He is there, ready and willing to listen.

That’s something worth talking about!

PRAYER: Gracious Father, thank You for being available whenever I need You, for understanding my needs when they aren’t communicated just right, and for accepting my muddled prayers exactly as they are delivered.

“The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29 NKJV).

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