Mighty

"Listen... to your father’s instruction… " Proverbs1:8

Ephesians 6:10-20;24

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then…”

“…with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…”

Glenn Cash follows Christ with dedication and fervor. He has a heart that ardently pursues truth. He trusts in the words of Scripture and, from a heart of love for God, adheres to the principles and wisdom He reads and studies. His persistent resolve to obey God, trains a righteousness that guards our hearts. Glenn taught Jeff the truth of Jesus’ salvation. Jeff embraced that truth with his whole being effecting generations and other nations for Christ. Glenn’s pursuit of understanding echoes and deeply influences Jeff’s personal choice to explore the depths of the mysteries of God. We are  thankful for Glenn's faithfulness and consistent prayer. We honor  his commitment to love and serve to the glory of the Lord. 

 “…and with the your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

My Dad means the world to me. Always has. He easily engages the people in his world with love, grace and humor. When people in his community are hurting, my Dad gets the call. He cares genuinely and is ready to go. Dad is always ready to go. Out the door-- to the hospital, to the funeral home and to death beds. He brings peace. The peace of Christ which transformed his own life dramatically, decades ago. My Dad carries Christ with him to every place, especially the dark and shadowy ones where Jesus’ light can soothe and comfort. Dad offers this peaceful support with such deep abiding joy. I’ve always wanted to be just like him. It is no surprise that I found my feet ‘fitted’ with the same readiness that I witnessed in his. I guess I was ready to go too. His sacrificial support of my calling sustains in places no one else can touch. He is my hero and my dearest friend.  

  

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

I spent many days and hours in the company of my Granddaddy. He was an extremely reserved man, so most of those hours were quiet but his constant love was very, very loud. The complete assurance of his adoration and care for me affected me deeply. During a very trying time in my life  I was asked by a spiritual mentor to design a shield that would protect me from some of the arrows (figurative) being flung in my direction.  After I completed the task, I described the shield to my wise friend. When I was finished, she nodded and said, “If this shield was the strongest, most impenetrable shield available, who would you have build it?”

Without hesitation or even conscious thought I replied, “Granddaddy. Granddaddy would build it.”

Love conquers all. Granddaddy’s love for me was fueled by a faith he rarely spoke about but instead lived out daily one faithful, generous step at a time. Even though he is physically gone from my life, his steadfast devotion continues to protect me in the battles that I face. I miss him so very much. 

"Take the helmet of salvation…”

This picture sits on Jeff’s desk. It is a photo of a very young Jeff with his Granddad, AJ Small. Jeff tells the story of his Granddad delighting in watching him baptize his cousins and sister in the irrigation ditches that ran alongside Grandad’s house. They were little children acting out the blessing of obedience and salvation--a salvation AJ received and proclaimed with his life. AJ was a finish carpenter, an amazing one. He worked hard, loved his family, endured heavy physical illness and delighted in God’s word. Jeff recalls his love for scripture, his determination that Jeff could handle responsibility and his constant encouragement for Jeff to exercise independence. Granddad Small realized his salvation fully before I joined his family. I’m sure he would delight to know that his grandson would continue baptizing and proclaiming salvation. We will all be together again someday. I can’t wait to meet him around that Throne. 

“...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Granddad Cash was the captain of the police force in the town where he raised his family. He was a protector and a guard for the just and the good. He carried a gun every day, but only fired it once in his lifelong career. He said that there were better ways to solve a problem than with a gun. Weapons had their place, he taught, but should be respectfully wielded in conflict. 

Granddad Cash loved Christ and His church and served as an elder for many years. He acted as defender in that capacity too, utilizing the most valued weapon in his arsenal, the word of God. He trusted the tenets of scripture with his life and taught his children and grandchildren faithfully to follow Christ with their whole hearts. His influence penetrated deeply as he spoke truth about following God. 

Jeff often tells about Granddad's advice while hiking: "Lift up your eyes and see the views around--don't just watch the path at your feet."  

It was a moment that would echo in Jeff’s mind and spirit for decades. Jeff has nurtured a powerful, visionary heart that confidently lifts eyes to see the expanse of God’s design. Granddad Cash encouraged this vision by carefully carving inspiration with a weapon he very much respected--the words of God. We miss Granddad Cash very much, but walk out his wisdom still. 

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

My Grandpa Money was a strong man; a very hard worker. He and my Granny raised seven children on an oil field worker’s salary in dry West Texas towns. He was diligent and dedicated. He adhered to strict roles as he led his home. He was the provider and my Granny took care of the household responsibilities.  My Granny suffered through many strokes in the years I remember her most. I watched my Grandpa step out of his well-practiced role of working outside the home and walk confidently into the kitchen. He cooked and cleaned and took care of my Granny who became increasingly debilitated in the last years of her life. Grandpa stepped up, in exorbitant love. I witnessed him keeping his promises and serving his wife and his God, beautifully. He was a good, good man. 

Of all the memories I have of my Grandpa (dominoes, silly songs and the way he closed his eyes when he was remembering the details of a story he was telling) it is his prayers that emerge prominent. I remember how he held Granny’s hand and leaned in close over her bed when he prayed for her meals. I remember where he sat at the table in the kitchen and how his hand felt when he held mine. I remember his voice and how he ended every prayer the exact same way, “…we beg in Jesus name, Amen.” You could count on Grandpa's prayers. They were just like him. Solid, dependable, consistent and full of faith. 

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

I see in Jeff attributes of each of these strong men of faith. Jeff embodies a true soldier spirit, armed and ready, prepared and sure. I so greatly esteem and depend on Jeff’s fearless heart as he proclaims the mysteries of the gospel to those in our community, in our churches and to the treasures in our home. Our children are following in Jeff’s courageous steps as he has followed in the steps of those before him. How grateful I am that these footfalls rest on a trail blazed by a Faithful, Merciful King. A King we have watched, in the generations before us, redeem, heal, sustain and welcome home. 

I honor each of these men today for their dedication to their families and for loving as Christ does. Because of their choices and their faithfulness my world and the world of my children was set on a solid foundation. I am forever grateful. 

“Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

Praise the Lord!

Unlikely

(a remix from the archives)
Jeff is a delightful story teller. A master really. I've always admired it. He told me stories from the first time I met him and I was as taken by them as the crowds who love his stories now. 
But those stories aren't what convinced me. 
Instead, I was convinced in that one moment when I said all those things. 
Things I hadn't spoken in years because I was trying so hard to overcome all of my seriousness. But with him I said them. 
And he was leaning in. Not pulling back. 
I loved him. Right then. I know God made that so. 
All the Unlikely would continue to swirl through and around us, but it was that moment (how could we have known?) that gives me chills even now. 
I am so very grateful for this story, our story, that we live and tell together.

He was born to two parents who loved Jesus.

He grew up the adorable third boy, afraid of nothing.

He climbed his first mountain (Mt Hood) at age 5 and lived a majority of his childhood hours and days outside. He discovered, delved, created and dared over the beautiful forested acreage he grew up surrounded by.

Somewhere along the way he fell in love with Jesus. Not just an obligatory confession of faith, but an actual, “Jesus knows ME!” experience. It happened at a baseball field and involved a dramatic home-run. He was forever changed. Forever known.

He was well acquainted with limits. Because he loved to get right up in their face and push through them.

He dreamed BIG dreams. He never quit.

He learned to seek the Lord where he played. In the forest. Among all the adventure and freedom. He talked to God about whatever. Everything and nothing. Feeling full confidence that he was heard and adored.

He hurt. And fell. But he continued to pull toward the lingering, pervasive calling of his Savior and Friend.

He always had something to say and a story to tell.

He never ceased leading, but was saved in the following.

She was born to two parents who loved Jesus.

She grew up the first born of two girls.

She was cautious and afraid of everything.

Inside was her favorite place. Her sanctuary. She disliked the heat and wind of outside. She had an aversion to bugs and the way dying grass crunched under her feet. She preferred playing with dolls in the sanctity of her own space or reading books for hours on end.

She liked to know what to expect. She liked a plan.

She  followed every rule laid in front of her with obedience and persistence. She understood fully the concepts of right and wrong.

She never knew life without Jesus. She was told that following him was the right thing to do, so she obeyed.

She addressed her Lord as she addressed life—through the rules. She sought to do what He would want her to do. She read, studied and adhered to the regulations and expectations laid out for her by her family and her church community.

She came to know Christ as a trusted and faithful friend, falling more in love with Him as she realized how his gracious presence remained despite any errant choices she made.

She followed obediently to the ends of the earth listening intently to the stories of others, but ultimately she discovered a most astounding freedom that proclaimed in her own leading voice.

They were Unlikely in so many ways. Raised thousands of miles from each other, with completely different histories and communities and memories and friends.

Like dynamite they exploded intense at the counter balance of their strengths. Their early moments together were chock full of intrigue and interest as they discovered another one so completely different from themselves. They admired. And they were inspired.

Africa was decided long before they ever set eyes on each other. And over many long conversations and very many prayers, they turned their gaze together toward a faraway continent and a way bigger than them dream.

But they gazed from very different windows.

The disparate qualities of their home cultures threatened and taught them.  But they did not have a name for it. They just saw everything from a vastly spaced chasm—roles, rules, church, men and women. Life.

There was a constant pull in their conversations and in their decision-making and in their plans.

'Unlikely' was the street named for them. Where they lived. What they were called. How they were critiqued.

From where they were judged.

They realized in time, that this Unlikely was not what pulled them away from each other, but, in fact, was the force that anchored them close.

It wasn’t their own promise that made it so (though this did matter).

It was His promise.

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. Luke 1:37 AMP

In a country called Uganda, they became Us.

And more than any other hospitality Uganda offered, this was one of the most sacred treasures.   One of the sweetest fruits.

In that third culture-- different from hers, different from his—they started from scratch. Together.

And in that wrenching, glorious transforming Uganda became their Home.

It was mercy that brought them there. Sweet mercy.

And for far more than the initial proclaiming they had in mind.

Their strongest commonality was always the story of Christ. And they moved to Uganda SURE that this was their purpose. To tell His story.

And they did. (They do.)

But they learned, as they spoke His truths, that the most astounding power in His story is how it redeems your own.

For this reason seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ, I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named...Ephesians 3:14-15 AMP

And His Redemption radiates brightest in every Unlikely place.

Now to Him Who, by... the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—Eph 3:20AMP

Their very union required His power.

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].Eph 3:16AMP

His Love did what they could not.

May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ... Eph 3:17-19

And it was complete.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6AMP

They, the Unlikely Ones, are the Declaration.

God is Able.