Reflections

Stephanie's First Solo Show

 

This Thursday, November 15th, our daughter Stephanie will have a solo show in the cafe at the Gallery at Avalon Island in downtown Orlando. We've updated her web-page to feature some of her latest work. You can check it out through the link to the right.

This picture is one of four paintings Stephanie did for her final project while studying at the School at the Institute of Art of Chicago. She calls the set "The Hope Series". She was inspired by her summer trip to South Africa where she and her sister, Katie, worked among the poor in a village called Qua Qua. As she has gotten educated about the AIDS pandemic in Africa, she noticed that you often see faces of children. She also noticed that associated with those faces are numbers--statistics of orphans and those infected with the HIV virus.

In her paintings the numbers mean something different. They are actually pointers to books, chapters, and verses of the Bible. They are verses of HOPE. So instead of statistics of the spiraling problem, Stephanie points us back to God--the real hope for those suffering.

Monday's Inspiration: Don and Sheri Deluzio

"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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came and visited me."  --Matthew 25:35,36

Don and Sheri would run into Natalie Thomas while attending children's basketball games and school functions at The First Academy. They had become familiar with the tragedy that Natalie was going through and wanted to reach out to her.

In 1999, Natalie's husband, Orange County Deputy Captain Victor Thomas, was sentenced to seven years in prison for trafficking stolen goods and what he thought was cocaine.

But this was not the only heartbreak she was facing. Just prior to her husband's sentencing she learned that she had stage-4 breast cancer. This single-mother of five not only had to deal with the bewilderment of her husband's betrayals, she would also battle late-stage cancer alone.

In an interview with WESH TV --the NBC affiliate in Orlando, she shared publicly for the first time about her struggle:

"I was angry. I was afraid. I didn't know how I would raise five children, and my children were very young, they still are young. I didn't know how I would do all of that alone," she said.

In my interview with Don, he described how he and Sheri would reach out like so many others from their church 1st Baptist Church of Orlando. They would ask Natalie, "How do you make it?" Natalie spoke with appreciation about how people regularly offered their help and support; but Don and Sheri sensed she was not letting on to how bad it was.

Jesus taught us that the very essence of being His followers means demonstrating love for our neighbors. When confronted with pain and suffering--love seeks remedy. Love goes into action.

So, when Natalie eventually confided in Don and Sheri that she was about to lose her home--they responded with love. They decided to start paying the mortgage.

In 2005 Natalie appeared to be winning her battle with cancer. She had just finished writing a book about her story, "No More Than I Can Bear". As she got physically stronger, Don invited her to come work for his company Trinity Tile. Three months later the cancer came back aggressively and got into her liver.

Natalie turned to the Deluzio's once again and set about the frightening task of finalizing the plans for her children's future.

Don and Sheri had no doubt what God was calling them to do and assured their friend, "The kids will always have a place with us." As trustee and appointed guardians, they promised to protect and raise the children according to her wishes.

When I asked Don about this decision he told me, "We just knew it was the right thing to do. It was the thing God had in mind for us. God was just showing us a piece of His heart. God did this."

In the Bible Paul writes, "Who is adequate for these things?" On January 19, 2006 Don and Sheri were responsible for their four children (Alexa, Ben, Brynna, and Joe). On January 20, 2006 they added five more (Krystal, Loren, Erika, Vic, and Kelli).

Our inadequacy is God's way of creating dependence upon Him. Don and Sheri have repeatedly seen God's hand as they have stepped through their thresholds of fear. As Don described it, "Each day is an exercise of dependence on the mercy and sovereignty of God. Each day is something new."

The challenges are immense. First is giving everyone some space in the home. Then there is the challenge of the daily routines of meals, shopping, cleaning, home work, and the need to drive two cars to all-family events. Sheri has the daunting task of coordinating 9 kids schedules, events, activities, and commitments.

But these are only the physical challenges they face. There are the challenges of cultural differences. There are the challenges of emotional and spiritual needs of the grieving kids. There are the challenges of helping their own kids with the sacrifices involved with adding five more to the family.

In their inadequacy they have also seen how God had graciously prepared them for this moment. In Sheri's case, God made her to be a well-organized, sacrificial, and compassionate care-giver.

In Don's case, God prepared him to uniquely relate to part of what the Thomas kids were going through. When Don was 7 years old his dad went to prison for three years. Two years later, when Don was 12, his dad died of cancer. Don has repeatedly drawn from these experience in counseling, mentoring, and loving the Thomas children.

What happens next in their story is one more opportunity to see God's hand at work and is the topic for next week's post...

Off to Africa

I woke up at 2:25 am this morning thinking about my girls. Earlier in the day we dropped them off at Summit Church for their 2-week mission trip to Africa.

When I led an international missions agency, I was on and off a plane as a routine part of my job. I know first hand how tiring that can be. But, I never had a flight as long as the one they are taking. We left the home at 8:30a on Wednesday. They won't arrive in Johannesburg until 4:00p Thursday (or 10a "body time"). Anyway you slice it, that's a long trip.

We won't have much direct contact over the next 15 days of their trip. So, I am sure my nights (and days) will be filled with prayer, wonder, and concern. Both Stephanie and Katie have so much to offer the children and the suffering from the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I look forward to hearing how God uses them and how He shapes their lives and hearts through this experience.

Monday's Inspiration: "Anthony 's Friends"

"God never calls me to do great things. He calls me to do small things with great love." --Mother Theresa

Last "Monday's Inspiration" I featured Anthony Hodge--one of my co-workers at Spraggins Builder Services. (Since then Ann left a comment with a link to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel about Anthony. Thanks Ann!)

The day my wife and I first interviewed Anthony, we were at a church in the area where he conducts his Lost Sheep Street Ministry. This gave us a chance to get a first-hand look into his world and heart. Here's the story...

A lady in the neighborhood asked Anthony to come see the physical condition her church building was in. As they opened the front door the bottom half fell off! It bothered Anthony that "God's house was is such bad shape": so Anthony sprung into action.

He began donating his time on weekends to work on what the old building needed but saw that this was a huge project. So he turned to some Christian business leaders help. He first approached John Thurmon of Westbrook Service Corporation, who donated and installed a new AC unit for the building.

He later approached Michael Tremain (MT), CEO and part-owner of our company. (MT's story will be featured at some point in this blog as someone constantly reaching out to make a difference.) After hearing about this need, MT came to his management team and suggested we take a day for team-building and help work on the church.

One of our guys, Matt Hamel, has really given himself to the success of this project. Matt is a great leader and knows his way around a construction site. Under his leadership this little church received quite a face-lift. New doors, new bathrooms, new carpet and tile, new trim work, new windows, new paint inside and out, new pavers and landscaping. The "one-day" project turned into almost 2 weeks of oversight and work for Matt.

Matt Hamel at the Job Site

As the project grew in scope, more and more people got involved. Various businesses donated material. Ray Dye, who works for one of our clients, donated his time and equipment to handle the painting of the church.

In the end, Matt hit his deadline; the face-lift was completed for yesterday's church service! I have a photo set of the project in my flickr photos if you want to check it out.

Reflections: I've noticed a common theme since starting my blog has been this sense of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of "need" in this world. I mentioned compassion fatigue in my first entry. I've begun to get educated about the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I shared about the work of IJM in bringin justice for the oppressed peoples of the world. Today, I read an excellent post on JR Woodward's blog where he expresses a "holy discontentment" as he longs for more of these sorts of needs to be met.

What I like about Anthony is that he embodies the quote above. His work is not glamorous nor is it large in scope. But, I see in him a willingness to do something about the needs God brings his way. He steps out to do the small things with great love. I see that in John. I see that in MT. I see that in Matt. I see that in Ray. I see that in the many people that stepped up to get this project done.

Isaac Hunter gave a brilliant message this weekend about faithfully loving those God brings into our path. He is doing a series on holiness--which he says is best understood as becoming more and more like Jesus. He shared that God does not call us to be important--He calls us to be helpful and to love. Importance, significance, recognition are fleeting badges of honor. What matters is the many little and small decisions we do in great love.

Perhaps the antidote to "compassion fatigue" is to consistently do what I can with the opportunities God brings into my life. To do lots of little things with great love.

International Justice Mission

"Effectively helping the poor is no longer a matter of compassion; it is a matter of justice." --Bono (of U2)

Last night I was able to attend a vision dinner for International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression. Their story has been all over the news: 20/20, Dateline NBC, and even Oprah to name a few.

The President and Founder, Gary Haugen, was a former prosecutor for the US Department of Justice. Ten years ago he left that to begin IJM.

These folks are the real deal. Basically, working with the existing justice systems of various countries, they are the advocate for victims of horrendous violence; they track down the perpetrators and bring these bad guys to justice. I've attended all three vision dinners here in Orlando. Each time I was moved by the plight of the oppressed in our world. I also got fired up to see that someone is making a difference! Someone is courageously stepping into the gap and standing up against evil.

Evil. That is a strong word. But, what else do you call someone who moves to Cambodia with the goal of making little girls into indentured sex slaves for prostitution? (Some are as young as 5 years old.) They showed pictures of some of the perpetrators. I felt sick to my stomach as I looked at them--knowing what they had done. But I was also comforted to know that they had been brought to justice through the work of IJM.

Gary has written two books, "The Good News About Injustice", and "Terrify No More". Check them out to get a greater understanding of the scope of this problem throughout the world, and IJM's response to it.

When confronted with needs of this magnitude (i.e. experts believe there are 1,000,000 under-aged girls who are currently forced into sex-slavery); each of us must ask ourselves, "What can I do?" I know I can't run off to these parts of the world and expect to do much besides getting myself into a boatload of trouble. But, that is what IJM is for. They are experts: lawyers, law enforcement officials, prosecutors...So for me, I am looking for ways to support IJM.

I know that IJM staff members would first ask us to pray. They are involved in dangerous work and are at the forefront of the fight against evil. They need God to fight on their behalf. Also, they need funding to carry out this work around the world. My wife and I hope to give as we are able. I also want to get more educated (I have obtained a copy of Gary's book.) Check out their website to find out additional things we can do--they have a very helpful link to explore ways to get involved.

The painting featured above is how my daughter decided to express her compassion and concern. Last year she heard the story of the Invisible Children of Uganda. Around the same time, she was also inspired by our pastor, Isaac Hunter, who taught that "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice." The result? Her painting: "Peace".

Stemming the Tide

The first rule of solving a problem is to understand it. For example, in business if the market begins to decline, we study the market trends and data and we assess the situation. We then formulate our response, align our teams, and act--carefully measuring results to ensure our response was effective.

In understanding the AIDS pandemic, you don't have to study very long to understand that this is arguably the most significant health crisis in our world today. Stats are everywhere. The magnitude of this problem is mind-boggling and overwhelming.

Before we can formulate any kind of response, it would be wise to ask the following questions: "Is there any progress being made? If so, what can we learn? How can we accelerate that progress?" In my research I was encouraged to learn that some countries like Uganda have seemingly begun to stem the tide in the prevelance of HIV infections. Their response includes a multi-faceted approach involving such diverse organizations as:

1. The Government,
2. Medical, pharmecuetical and other institutions,
3. Extended families,
4. A wide-variety of NGO's,
5. The Church in Africa,
6. The Church throughout the world

While the Uganda story offers a glimmer of hope, let the reader beware: this is not to say that the urgency for an international all-out coordinated response is no longer needed. The Uganda story is simply a bit of desperately needed news to encourage us in what will truly be a defining moment for the continent and our world. It is something to build upon.

The truth is: the outcome is still very uncertain. (According to Wikepedia, "The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has predicted outcomes for the region to the year 2025. These range from a plateau and eventual decline in deaths beginning around 2012 to a catastrophic continual growth in the death rate with potentially 90 million cases of infection.")

In this sense, we are in a race against time. It is time for action.

Which starts to bring it home for me. As a business leader with a family in Central Florida, what can I and my family do? How can we be involved? What difference can we really make? We'll reflect on these and other similar questions in future posts...

Weeping King

My daughter Stephanie has been given some amazing gifts. The most precious is her passionate heart. Another, is her ability to express her heart in painting and the arts.

She recently completed "Weeping King". With some insperational music blaring in the background she expressed her passion, love, and concern on canvas.

Depicted in the painting are children who are vicitims of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Behind them is the strong and regal King. As you look closely, a tear flows from his left eye.

I was very moved when I first saw the painting. I mean, I got emotional. I gave her big hug and just held her as we viewed the painting together. I told her, "You really have captured the heart of God in this piece."

She went on to tell me that you cannot tell if the sun is rising or setting...because the outcome of the pandemic is still not clear...

Check out the link to the right to see some of Stephanie's other work, including, "Peace" an award winning painting about the Invisible Children of Uganda.

Let the Journey Begin

A number of months ago Isaac Hunter, Senior Pastor of Summit Church, issued a clear and bold challenge to his congregation. He had just returned from the Global Summit on AIDS, hosted by Saddleback Community Church.

If you've heard Isaac preach you know that he's "got it". He consistenly brings a message from the mind and heart of God. On this particular Sunday he was at it again as he shared about the plight of those suffering from the AIDS pandemic in Africa. God had clearly moved him personally. It was time for us to be touched as well.

Isaac asked us all to DO 3 things:

1. Get educated
2. Pray
3. GO

In our wired-world of cell phones, Internet, and 24-hour news it is easy to get what some refer to as "compassion fatigue". Being plugged-in, we are exposed to a relentless stream of stories about suffering, needs, and tragedy. This world can be a brutal place. Voices call for our attention and our response almost daily. Over time this constant exposure can easily overwhelm us. News of tragic realities become noise. It's not that we don't care; it's just that we sense that it's too big, too daunting, too overwhelming...so we do nothing.

I see the wisdom behind Isaac's "get educated" and "pray" parts of the challenge. He's asked us to slow down and focus our attention on a mind-boggling problem. For me that means fighting through the "compassion fatigue", to apply myself a little bit, and to stay open to what God wants to show me.

So let the journey begin. Over the next few weeks, I will be doing the "get educated" and "pray" part of the challenge. I'll keep you posted on the my reflections along the way.