Sep 27 2009

the balloooooonnsss

abelara

it’s become somewhat tradition to bundle up all the kiddos and see the Balloons launch every year.  these pics were taken this morning.

deb asked me what part i like best when they’re laying them all out, inflating them, when they’re rising, or when they’ve lifted off?
my answer, “just watching the kid’s excitement.”  i think you’ll agree.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in life and family

Sep 24 2009

best laid plans

abelara
we had a fabulous time at New Staff Training last week in Orlando. we covered some really valuable information and got to know a little better what we are actually getting our selves into. but what i enjoyed the most from our week away was all of the incredible people we met.  not only did we have fabulous instructors, but the other participants from the various ministries of Campus Crusade are all top notch people.  we made some great new friends, it's hard not to when you spend 10 hours or more for 10 days together.

so we've made it home and have hit the ground running. in fact, we may have started running a little too fast.

deb and i are both pretty competitive people. so when a challenge was given during our training of who could be the first person to get 3 appointments for the following week to share our ministry, we were on it.  we each got our three, and i even got a fourth.  deb won a handcrafted pen for being the first female to get her 3 appointments by 7:31pm. and i won some books for going above and beyond the assignment of getting three appointments.

but we weren't very strategic in our calendar planning. as it stood when we left training, we had appointments on tuesday, thursday, friday, and saturday of this week. and since i have a leaders meeting at church on wednesday, that meant one or both of us was busy every night of the week from tuesday-saturday.

so it was kinda a relief for us when yesterday our appointment for thursday rescheduled for friday. it's easier to ask a babysitter to come earlier or stay later, than it is to find a babysitter for another night of the week entirely.

Campus Crusade has various goals per week/month that they'd like New Staff to aim for in order to eventually report to their assignment in a timely manner.  these goals are adjusted according to a person's work schedule at an outside job.  so for me working 40hrs/week at Efcom, plus some more hours towards church related activities, we have goals set on the low end.

well as competitive as we are, and as much as we sense the urgency of the work we'll be doing, we've overachieved our goals for the first two weeks.  which is great because it eventually gets us closer to our goal of reporting to work in Little Rock. but it's not so great being away from our family every night of the week.

i think the people at Campus Crusade have set their goals for us very reasonable, probably because they've seen thousands of families go before us and are aware of what drain it can take on time, family, and body. if we can taper back slightly and coordinate our schedule even better, we'll be better off in the long run. doing that i think we'll be able to reach our goals and maybe even overachieve every once in a while, and still have a healthy, sane family when we finally move.

keep us, our kids, and our health in your prayers.  thanks.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in faith and ministry, life and family

Sep 23 2009

for parents only: unsolicited advice

deblara
what do you do when some concerned individual offers unsolicited advice about how you should handle your children? whether it is a relative or a bothered customer at the grocery store, do you run home and implement their suggestions right away? do you start yelling, “you have no idea what i deal with on a daily basis! i’ll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself!” do you go home and bawl yourself to sleep, feeling guilty for being such a horrible parent? or is your response something a little less extreme?


i hate it when people, albeit with good intentions, point out the flaws of my children and indicate that somehow this is my fault. “your girls fight too much.” “your two-year old shouldn’t still have a pacifier.” “i can’t believe you let your twins climb on the tables and counters.” “your six girls should help around the house more.” i feel that the problem pushed on me is to transform all these selfish people into selfless servants by the age of 2. i want to scream, “these are my children! would you like to take them home with you and make them perfect?!”


instead, i remain silent. i let the  person share their concerns, trying to remain objective. like in the fable of the father & son who were traveling with their donkey to market, if i tried to do all the things the way that everyone suggested i would end up looking silly and inconsistent. and yet, it is hard when someone criticizes your children- you are the one who has shaped them, thus far.


but when you think about it, parents are not the sole molders of their children. first of all, children are not made with a cookie cutter- some are more compliant than others. there is also influence from media and peers at school or church. oh, and then there is the whole sin-nature thing; kids naturally don’t want to obey- they want things their way. so when a parent is faced with raising a child that is hell-bent on going the opposite direction, what should their priorities be?


i believe parents need to know what battles to fight- what kind of adults do you want your kids to become?


do you want them to know, trust, and obey God? then, by our example, we need to show them what it means to live this kind of life. and we teach our kids to obey God by expecting them to obey us, their parents, when they are young. i have my kids sit in a time-out chair (one minute corresponding to their age) even for having a fit. i want them to know what is acceptable and to realize that they are not in charge. we must also have realistic expectations for them;  a 2 year-old cannot do the same things an 8 year-old can.


do you want your children to be kind and selfless? then encourage your child in the moments when you see them helping a sibling or loving someone when they are sad. give them opportunities to reach out in kindness at home (e.g. “your sister just fell down; would you go ask her if she is okay, and give her a hug.”) and to reach out to outsiders by looking for needs and finding ways to fill them (e.g. let them buy some groceries with money they have earned and take them to a local food bank).


do you want educated kids? read to them. do you want healthy kids? offer them healthy snacks and limit screen time. do you want kids you aren’t using a pacifier after age 2? you’ll have to ask someone else on that one.


just decide what is important to you and your spouse. yes, i want my kids to be safe. i want them to be respectful. i want them to fold ten loads of laundry by themselves. But, i also want them to know that i will love them no matter what they break; i will teach them what i can knowing that i will not always be their only teacher; i will live a life i want them to copy; i will say i’m sorry and ask for forgiveness when i am wrong.


so the bottom line is decide what you want to work on with your kids. and if someone comes to you and says, “where ARE your child’s clothes?!!” or some other unnecessary remark, you can just smile and think, “we’ll work on that issue in our own timing- every child is different.” because, honestly, nobody is really expecting an answer: they just think it would be helpful if they pointed out to you what you obviously haven’t noticed yourself.


so if you’re ever tempted to point out the shortcomings of someone else’s kids- don’t. unless of course you’d like to take the job over  yourself. ’cause, let’s face it, parenting is a big job. and we all need as much grace and encouragement as we can get. have a great day!

5 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in parenting

Sep 19 2009

it’s official!

abelara

We are now officially commissioned as Missionaries and Members of the Religious Missionary Order of Campus Crusade for Christ.

For His Glory,
 
Abraham & Deborah Lara
 

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in faith and ministry, life and family

Sep 17 2009

the called

abelara

as i sit and look at the picture above of our fellow New Staff Training attendees, my eyes are welling up with tears. these people are heroes to me.


only 14 others in the picture above will eventually be joining deborah and i on the staff of FamilyLife in Little Rock, AR.  the others are all joining other ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ. some are going to join Campus Ministry, reaching young adults at various colleges around the country. some are headed to Student Venture, to reach High School students with God’s love and hope.  still other are bound for Athletes in Action, specifically targeting athletes in college. there’s a few with a heart for Here’s Life Inner City, reaching the poor with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  and a couple of them are called to Military Ministry.  and still others are being sent to work with The JESUS Film Project®, Keynote, or other International assignments.


you see happy, smiling, young faces.*


i know the men and women who have been called by God to set apart their lives for a greater work of full time ministry.  they come from all walks of life. there are students right out of college, former military, pastors, video production engineers, IRS agents, teachers, people from office jobs or manual labor.  some have been married for years and have grown children, others have young children, and there are even two couples here that just got married 19 days ago!


these men and women have chosen to leave their friends and loved ones, pack up their families sometimes to a place unknown, and trust fully on God for their lives.  these heroes have accepted the task of raising their support not because it’s fun, attractive, or easy to do so.  no, they’re here at New Staff Training because each one of them has felt a call from God to do what He’s called them to do (and oh, if you could hear all of the stories i’ve heard).  they have a passion for their particular area of ministry.  and they have a sense of urgency to their work. the time is short, and we must begin doing the work He’s called us to do while there’s still time.


they are my heroes…my co-laborers…and my friends.


- – - – - – - – - -
* picture intentionally blurred and darkened for various reasons. email me or call me if you’d like to know why.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in faith and ministry

Sep 15 2009

talk it out

abelara

this morning, for various reasons, deb and i got off on the wrong page together. the first two sentences we exchanged turned into a misunderstanding.

as a guy, everything within me wanted to clam up, try to forget about it, and hope for the best later in the day.
but the fact is: it doesn’t EVER just go away. over the last 10+ years of marriage i can attest to that fact.

fight the urge to put it off, ignore it, or forget about it. if you absolutely can’t talk it out right now, then at least agree on a time to get back together to talk it out.

yes, it’s hard. yes, there may be more confusion as you’re trying to talk it out. and no, you won’t always resolve the issue with one session of talking.

but your spouse deserves to know that you care enough about them to talk it out. and that’s the real issue. you’re working on your relationship, not necessarily on the issue.

talk it out.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in marriage

Sep 14 2009

how do you know God is God?

deblara

Ezekiel 34:26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing.

Ezekiel 34:30 Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD.

I really enjoy reading this chapter in Ezekiel. It shows God, in all His power, taking it upon Himself to go, find and rescue His own sheep, His people. It paints a creative picture of sheep who technically belong in the fold. However, because of negligence on the part of shepherds that have been put into place to care for the sheep, the sheep have wandered away. But this is not okay with God- He desperately wants to maintain relationship with each of His children.

And so, the chapter goes on to point out how God will care for and provide for His people. He will send “showers of blessing.” And the part that really stuck out to me is found in verse 30: “Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them…” God’s heart is to bless His people; He wants them to be blessed and to know that it comes from our Heavenly Father because He is good.

There are other passages throughout the Bible, as well, that show when a person or nation chooses active rebellion or passive indifference against God, they receive justice from God. This is simply so that they would get the clear picture that there is one God, and they are not Him.

So the bottom line is God wants us to make good choices that result in blessing. And if we have wandered away from Him, He will actively pursue us until we can once again walk in the abundant life that He can offer us.
God wants us to know that His character is good. We do not “know” He is God because He alone says it or simply because nature displays His majesty. In and of itself, that should be enough proof. However, God wants to prove His love to you through His power to find you and to bring you into a place of blessing.

——-

Dear God, thank you for passionately pursuing me. Thank you for the showers of blessing that You have in store for me. Today I choose to give you glory & honor because of who You are! Amen.

no comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in faith and ministry

Sep 10 2009

saying goodbye

abelara

this is pretty much the scene a couple times a week when i’m leaving for work. but this morning it was especially hard to go since i’ll be leaving for 10 days.

we’re heading out to New Staff Training with Campus Crusade for Christ in Orlando, Fl. just like with our trip to Little Rock this past june we’ve been waiting and anticipating for this week for a long time.

we’re so excited about what God is about to do, for all we’re going to learn, and the new friends we’ll be making.

and we also know that people have invested in us and are looking forward to hearing great things from us.
here we go!

no comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in life and family

Sep 10 2009

no. 7

abelara

we’re so excited that we start our journey today.

 we’re heading to Seattle today and spending the night with deb’s sister. and then we meet up with our old pastor’s and friends, Steve & Christine Hayes, who will take us to the airport.

 we’ll still be updating the blog and all our other social media outlets during our trip. so stay tuned for the latest from Orlando.

 thanks again to everyone who has given towards our ministry. we’re very greatful and humbled to see God’s confirmation on our calling.

 for the family,

 Abraham and Deborah Lara

no comments   |  tags: , , | posted in faith and ministry

Sep 9 2009

in search of Solomon

abelara
the Bible says that Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. and that he astounded people with the decisions he made with his great wisdom (see 1 Kings 3 for full details).

but i’d have to think that even Solomon would be stumped as to how to advise the couple in the story below.  i found this story when reading through the FML app on my iPhone. (if you don’t know what FML means, google it)

Today, I found out why my husband had wanted to wait until marriage to get it on. Last night was the first night of our honeymoon, and he informed me that he wasn’t always Ben, but used to be Brenda. His ‘penis’ doesn’t work and he had wanted to know I “truly loved him” before he had let me know. FML 

i’m stumped as to how i would counsel this couple if they came to me. as much as deb and i believe in reconciling marriages and that divorce sucks, i have to wonder would this be an exception? maybe an annulment? 

what would you say?

no comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in marriage, random stuff