A Matter of Trust

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Well, for about 6 years now, Lauren and I have been talking about how we are going to go sky diving together when she turns 18. (Actually, Dennae was always part of that but for some reason she has been distracted lately). I have to admit, in the back of my mind I kind of hoped she had forgotten, but she did not. Not long after school started Lauren started to remind me of our plan.

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When she was home from college for the Christmas holidays she mentioned it again, and I knew she meant it. We weren't able to make arrangements prior to her return to Boston, so I was off the hook until Spring Break. But, I promised her I'd make the arrangements and we would go when she came home. It seemed like a long time away, so I made the arrangements and just sort of filed it away in my brain.

Over the next couple of months, as I thought of it from time to time, I would vascilate from being excited to being really nervous. All I knew was my 19 year old daughter wanted to go on an adventure and she wanted to do it with me. There would be no way I would miss out on that! So, I kept mustering up my courage and looked forward to sharing the experience with Lauren.

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Then the fatefull day arrived. It was hard to sleep the night before. It is really hard to describe exactly what I was feeling: Yeah, honestly, a little nervous, also really excited, but also very honored that this young lady would want to share this experience with her Dad. I tried to keep my mind off of what we were planning to do as we drove down to Casa Grande Airport that morning. It was almost like a dream the whole time.

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When it came time to go and I was paired up with my instructor, Paul, I felt really at peace. This guy has done this thousands of times. He really enjoys himself. He is not going to let anything happen. As we climbed to altitude in the little plane, I was fully enjoying the experience. I had this indescribable peace in trusting that Paul was going to do this right. After all, his life was on the line along with mine.

The peace lasted right up to the moment when Lauren scooted over to start her jump. Then, I looked at her hanging out of the plane and I thought: Oh my gosh, my baby is jumping out of an airplane!

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I reached over to squeze her leg before she jumped, and before my hand got there she was gone. Then, we started to get in postion for my turn. The peace and trust returned. It is very hard to describe how I felt. It was a total dependence like I have not felt before. I was glad I didn't have to remember much other than "arch your back". It was all in Paul's hands.

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I have been thinking a lot about that the past couple of weeks. Here was a guy I didn't even know a couple of hours earlier. He was a falable human being. He didn't really care much about me. He did five or six jumps the day before; five or six that day; and the same number the next. Yet, I developed, a level of trust and confidence in him and a feeling of dependence that I have not experienced with anyone before.

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So, I have a Father, God, who loves me infinitely and unconditionally. He cares about me to the point where all the hairs of my head are numbered [ a bit easier for Him than it was when I was younger :) ]. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnicient. He created me and knew me in my mothers whomb. He knows how many days I will spend on this Earth. So, do I truly trust Him, the way I trusted Paul, my dive master? I mean do I REALLY trust Him? When I go through a trial, do I "count it all joy", because I know He is in control and is working it for my good? Seriously?

Trust in the Lord always, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

God Loves Starbucks!

I am a real quality time guy. One of my favorite activities is just going to Starbucks with someone I like to be with and hanging out. Sure, the coffee is great and the atmosphere is fantastic. But, what it really is about is the person I am sharing time with. (It doesn't get any better than Starbucks in Providence in the winter with Dennae).

Sometimes we talk about serious issues in our lives, sometimes we solve the world's problems, sometimes we plot our next adventure, and sometimes we just talk about silly stuff.

So, if you are like me and like that too, I have a question for you. When was the last time you took God to Starbucks? I mean really, have you ever just gone there alone for the specific purpose of hanging with Him and talking to Him? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. If you are not a Starbucks fan, you can do this anywhere. You could hike to the top of a mountain (or a big hill if you live in Phoenix). You could go sit in a park. You could stay at home (NO TELEVISION). The point is to have some serious hang time with your Heavenly Father.

I think a lot of times we are so used to being busy and being around people that we do not like to be alone. But, if we are hanging with Him, we certainly are not alone. Rather than deciding to spend time with Him as a last resort, because we are lonely, why not do it on purpose? Why not take the initiative to block off some time and just hang with Him. Take Him with you, have Him sit in the seat across from you and just hang out with Him. I believe that He really does love Starbucks, and you won't even have to spring for a double decaf non-fat latte for Him. :)

Reflections of an Empty Nester

For the past few weeks our home has been filled with boxes. There have been boxes in the hallways, in the rooms and in the garage. Most of the rooms have looked like they were turned upside down. That is because within just a few days of each other Dennae has purchased a condo and moved out and we have dropped Lauren off at Gordon College near Boston, Massachusetts. So, tomorrow we will fly home to an empty house.

It isn’t like we have not had plenty of time to prepare for this. We have known Dennae would move out one way or the other this year. She was gone overseas for four months in Africa and Europe and has now graduated from college. We have raised her to be an independent young woman and we are very proud of her. Lauren has been leaning toward going out of state to college for several years. She decided on Gordon College around the first of the year. We knew this day was coming. We are also very proud of her and excited by the opportunity she is pursuing in her new life. We encouraged her to have the courage to make a decision like this. We are truly blessed to have two daughters who love their God and their family. We are confident that the world will be different because of the lives of these two very special young ladies.

As we sat on the bank overlooking the pond at Gordon and prayed with Lauren this afternoon, many emotions rushed to the surface of my mind. For some time, all I could do was sob. They were emotions of joy for what lies ahead of her and excitement over what she will experience and what she will become. There were emotions of relief and satisfaction that we had completed our mission of raising her in fear and admonition of the Lord. There were emotions of intense love for this young lady who calls me Daddy. There was a sense of loss that she no longer will look solely to me as her protector; and a sense of total trust in the Lord that He will be. There was a strong sense of sadness in knowing how much I will miss this sweet person who has truly become one of my best friends. Yet, there was also a sense of joy over how our relationship will now grow to a deeper level as she has less of a need for me, but still chooses to be my friend.

The college orientation staff chose a theme for the class of 2010 of Digging Deep and used Ephesians chapter 3 as its scripture. Besides this, my prayer for Lauren is that she will experience a scripture that she and I memorized together about a year ago. That is Colossians 2:6,7

"as you have received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him being rooted and built up and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving. "

There is also a sense of what is next for Roxana and me. We have had as our primary calling for the past twenty-two years the raising of these two special people. Every decision we made, whether about our work, our recreation, or our ministry had been made in the light of that responsibility. Now we stand at the edge of a great gulf. We can truly say to God: “Lord we are available to you, send us where you will to do whatever you will”. We have always had that attitude, but have also known that He would not contradict our primary ministry calling. So, we have been children’s directors, and youth leaders, and we have made our home available to young adults and children to match the ages and callings of our children. All of this we have done with great joy and much blessing. There has never been a doubt that it was what we were called to do. But, it was also always a secondary concern to our most important calling.

I am excited to see how God will use us over the next several years. I am also excited to see how He will help us grow together in our marriage, now that we don’t have the children as a common thread to our relationship anymore. Sure they are still our girls and we will have grandchildren before too long (at least I hope so). But, that is not the primary focus of our lives any more.

Please pray for Roxana and me, that this will be a time of growth for us. I am confident that we will grow spiritually as individuals. But, I also want to see us grow together as a couple spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Life is good, because God is good!

Oh My Gosh, She's in Africa!!!



A while back I did a post called "What Weighs Me Down". One of the things I talked about was the mixed feelings I had about the possibility of Dennae going to Africa. Well, time has flown bye and she is actually there. It is having an amazing impact on her life and she is having a huge impact there. I am so excited for her and proud of her.

Oh My Gosh, She's in Mexico!!!

Meanwhile, my niece, who is more like a daughter to me has headed to Guadalajara, Mexico for an extended missions and education program. She really has a heart for these people and is already learning Spanish quickly. She called me the other night and rattled off a whole bunch of Spanish. Of course, I have no idea what she was saying. Allie is an awesome young lady. I am so proud of her and the choices she is making in her life.

Oh My Gosh, I'm Going to India!!!

Now for my part; in just a few short weeks I am headed to India. I will be working with a small team training local Pastors and Leaders. These are precious people, many of whom have only known Christ for a few short years themselves. They are in great need of materials and practical training in discipleship and evangelism. I am totally stoked about it!!!

So, at the end of this month, our little Rogers family will have members in four countries on three continents. We definitely covet your prayers for protection, provision, and for blessing on the people we humbly go to serve.

OK, I'm Back
Life has been crazy busy and excuse, excuse, excuse .... so that is why I have not blogged in forever. The real truth is that may of my favorite blogging buddies have been quite inactive as well (you know who you are), so the incentive hasn't been there to go on and check them out. So, I'm back.
Here is a very simple example of the "abundant life". Roxana, Lauren and I went to RI to spend a few days with Dennae before she headed out to Africa for five months. We were just hanging out at Chris and Brent's home late one night (after mid-night) and having fun remembering old times and fun we've had as a family, when Roxana tried to remember how to do the Three Stoges Alphabet. She got all mixed up as usual with it, so I proceeded to try to teach the family how to do it.

Roxana tried really hard, but it was a real challenge!

I took my responsibilities as a teacher very seriously.

Dennae really applied herself to getting it just right!

And Lauren ... actually gets it!!!

The point of all of this is that we had an awesome time just being together. Good clean fun, with the people we love is a big part of the "life and life more abundantly" John 10:10