My Pops, Francis Chan, Christmas, and a Birthday

Hi everyone...I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything, but I wanted to take a minute and share something that happened this year at Christmas. Many of you know my father, Rick Wages (a.k.a. Pops). Here he is:For those of you who don't know him, you might have seen him and thought to yourself, "hmmm, that guy sure looks like Santa Clause!" and you would be right! :) Some of you may even have pictures of him with your kids who go to Bright Beginnings and not realize who he is...but, that's my Pops!

At any rate, the middle of December my entire family went to Disney World for a couple of days.

While this, of course, was our Christmas gift, my Pops decided we just had to have "something" to open as a gift. Well, when my brother and 2 sisters and myself opened up our gifts from Pops on Christmas Eve, we all received the same thing...a photo album along with our normal yearly silver dollar with Santa on it. But when you opened it up, it was a lot of pictures and stories typed out from my Pops. It started when he was a child. There were pictures of the houses he lived in, street signs, schools he attended, places of employment, places he hung out at when he was a teenager, etc. It was one of the coolest things I have ever received!

Last night my small group finished Crazy Love by Francis Chan. The end of up asked us this question: what legacy are you going to leave? While my Pops is far from perfect, as are we all, he helped us this past Christmas know him all the more and know who he was, what he did, and where he came from. One day, when I have kids, I hope to do the same thing. And I'll hand them my Pops as well...so that they are not to forget about who their Pops was either! I love ya Pops! You're the best. Happy Birthday!!!

Traditions and A Christmas Carol

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! The weather is getting colder, basketball season is here, and Christmas is just around the corner!!! Now, I know my family is strange in many ways, but one of the things that makes us so close is the fact that we have many family traditions that we do this time of year. I want to share with you one of the many...simply because it is so special to me personally.

About 9 - 10 years ago (depends on who you ask) my family began going to see A Christmas Carol live at the Alliance Theater downtown at Christmas. If you have never gone, it is truly one of the best plays you will ever see!!! For years we have taken many people with us to share in this family tradition. However, 4 years ago it was even more special. December 3rd, 2005 was the day that I asked Mattie to be my wife. I did it after an incredible steak dinner at a nice restaurant. On the way to the play Mattie said, "I really thought you were going to propose at dinner tonight!" With my heart beating out of my chest, I simply replied, "I told you...just wait, I have a plan of when I want to do it!" Little did she know that the others who went with us that year ALL knew what was about to happen (that year we took 48 people total!!!).

At any rate, here we are 4 years later (she did say "Yes") and this past weekend we went to see the play again. It was awesome as usual. But it made me wonder...part of the reason it is so special is because of the tradition. I just tagged onto it to make it a more memorable evening. But every year, we go back down memory lane and remember that day 4 years ago. It's a great memory!

My Pops always says, "Let's make a memory"...what are some of your traditions that your family does that helps make memories for your kids? As we enter into the holiday season...have you considered starting another tradition for your family this year? I love stories and I love traditions...share with me some of yours!

Help Support the Children's Ministry

Hey there everyone...how many of you shop online? How many you purchase things online from Amazon, iTunes, ebay, shop.com, etc.? This week I wanted to bring something to your attention. There is a website that is a referral based program that helps raise funds through people who shop online. Of course this time of year is the busiest for online shopping! It is so simple that even a child could do it! :) Just go to: http://sendthemforhim.com/files/Groups/LoganvilleChildren/Categories.html

Choose a category and click on the store you want to purchase from. The cool thing is this: it does NOT charge you any more money than you would if you went to the regular store online in the first place. However, by going through this website FIRST...we will receive a "finders' fee" for bringing the shopper there. So, help support the Children's Ministry by going through this website for all your online shopping...and try to remember to do it throughout the year as well. It's a great way to help us...without costing you any extra money whatsoever!!!

2 of my girls...

Today's post is simply one of those things that I don't feel quite often because I am not a parent yet...however, there are times (because of my position here) that I just get very excited, proud, and everything inside of me wants to just burst forth and scream "YES!!! THAT'S IT!!!!" One of those moments happened recently...

During the Summer, I found out that Myla Roberts (a girl in the children's ministry) felt like God called her to go to South Asia on a mission trip. Her mom told me that she had to pray about it, but that Myla "just knew that God wanted her to go". Also, Audrey Talley, another girl in the children's ministry, felt like she wanted to go.

Long story short, Audrey was on a plane this past week and was sitting beside a gentleman she didn't know. She shared with him about her upcoming mission trip...he happened to be an FCA director not far from Loganville. He has committed to giving them the sports equipment that they needed to go over on their trip.

Now comes the good part...I believe that God is going to do some incredible things in the lives of so many kids. In particularly, these 2 girls, because of their desire to serve Him...they are going to see things that most of us will never witness face to face. I believe that this trip will be on that will change these 2 girls lives forever! I could not be more proud or excited of Myla and Audrey than I am right now. It is so encouraging to see them having a heart for God...and putting action behind their faith. Many of us could learn a lesson or two from a couple of the girls in the Children's Ministry. Due to security reasons, more information about the trip cannot be posted...however, if you are interested in learning more...please contact Stephanie Cannon at scannon@fbclognaville.org.

I hear Crickets...

Are you afraid of silence??? I think I am!

This is one of those weeks where there isn't a lot going on here at the church (with Wednesday night stuff cancelled due to Fall Break). I am sitting here in my office and it's very quiet. Almost scary quiet. This doesn't happen often, except if I am here late on Saturday or early on Sunday! :) However, today, in the midst of the quiet...I'm reminded of the nights when I was a kid and was scared of the dark. I slept with a nightlight, the door open, and the same ol' Batman cassette tape reading the same ol' story each and every night. It's kinda crazy, but here in my office, I still have that cassette (which I just checked and the copyright is 1981). I am constantly reminded of not my desire for Batman or anything like that...but my desire for noise. I don't handle silence very well. I sleep with a box fan (turned as high as it will go) every night. If I don't have a radio on (not that I am paying attention to it anyway), I am listening to the hundreds of voices in my head go 90 mph. In the midst of that, I have come to realize that it isn't the noise that I like so much...it's more that I DON'T like the silence . BUT...in the midst of silence, I'm reminded of Psalm 46:10 which says, "Be still and know that I am God." So many times in my life I get so busy and so caught up in doing things and being places...that I forget to take time not just to spend with God...but really...to sit and simply "be still". Silence isn't a bad thing...it actually makes hearing from the Lord that much easier! Try to find a quiet place to just sit and spend some time with the Lord...I'm sure that it will be far better than listening to a cassette that was made in 1981!

What are you willing to give?

Have you ever sat there and wondered why everywhere you turn, the same topic seems to come up? Whether it is in a message, a conversation with a friend, a blog, a news story, or even a TV show? Well...the past several weeks I feel as though God has really been talking with me about what am I willing to give up. This past week, in our small group discussion, we were talking about how "rich" all of us are...despite the fact that none of us are "financially well off". We all have everything we need: roof over our heads, food on the table, family that loves us. But what are we doing for those who don't have those things? It might be as simple as something that you have plenty of, yet you can't seem to part with them all. Our lesson was about Dorcas (Tabitha). She was the only person in scripture that Peter raised from the dead. He did it because she was important to the widows in Joppa (Acts 9). She had made robes (or Snuggies, as Pastor Ronnie said) for the widows and the poor. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We as a group began looking at what "pollution" we spend money on and what are some ways that we can provide for the widows and orphans. What are you willing to give up?

HELP!!!

Alrighty...if you are reading this, then you probably already know that our staff attended a conference called Catalyst last week. While we were there soaking in as much wisdom as possible, a group did something extremely odd. Hope International is a Christian Organization that is set up to help rid poverty by providing small loans (average loan is $100) to help families, or even villages at times, purchase the needed materials to create something that they can sell. It is NOT a gift, but rather a loan. They also claim that 99% of the loans are actually paid in full in six months. So...where do we come in?!?!?!

There were 12,000 people in attendance at this conference...they handed each and every one of them an envelope with a $10 bill in it. Their challenge is simple: find a way to turn the $10 into $100 and send it in to provide a loan for one of these groups. If you have any ideas about how me personally, or collectively we as a staff, can turn all of our $10 bills into $100 each, please let me know. If you want more information, visit their website at: www.hopeinternational.org. Thanks! And keep those ideas coming in!!!

Keith Wages
Children's Pastor
kwages@fbcloganville.org