My wife and I finally got home for Thanksgiving today… Thanksgiving day that is, around 2pm in the afternoon. Life has been crazy for sure. We came off the road just in time to hop back on a plane and fly to North Carolina for a memorial service in honor of our dear friend Ronnie Coleman. The last time we saw him before he passed he reminded me that I was to play “You Carried Me” at his funeral, and there was never a question that I would be there with my beautiful wife to honor one of the most amazing men we had ever known. I’ve got to say that after watching a family that I’ve known and loved for the last 8 years walk through the mourning of their loss and then turn it into, not only worship and celebration, but a challenge… I am a different guy. I left his funeral thinking, Lord I’ve got some work to do. I think that was the message of his life: We’ve got work to do… we’ve got love to give, and we have hope to share… that was Ronnie, and I see it echoed in his family that he leaves behind. Which brings me to the other amazing thing that happened to me on the last night of our tour… well, last Sunday.
Anyone who’s been to our shows or read my blog knows that my wife and I have wholeheartedly embraced World Vision and their mission. You may have heard me speak at length about what it’s like for my wife and I to sponsor 3 children and how we challenge people to listen to their hearts and take a leap of faith to find that when God uses us… a lot of times he uses us in spite of ourselves and our weaknesses, (i.e. Moses and his speech… Paul and his past). You wouldn’t believe who the last three people to sponsor children on our tour were.
1) One of my crew
Honestly these guys hear about child sponsorship all the time and I worry that they get immune to it.. but the last child out of my hand in the building that night went to my good friend Johnny who had served without failing the entire tour. He didn’t miss a night of my speaking about WV.. mostly cause he had to run the sound board while everyone else stepped out to get a break… but when I counted down my last 10 children… I never thought that I would say zero after giving the last packet to him. It was truly an amazing moment.
2) My 6 year old son Avery
Ok I know what you’re thinking… “Yeah right, where’s the money gonna come from?” Which is exactly what I was thinking when I met him at the table. He said, “Daddy I want to sponsor a child that’s my age.” Ok son, but don’t you understand that we already sponsor 3 kids? “Yeah daddy but I really think I need to do it, those kids need some help and I’ve got lots of money at home in my room” BTW he has a jar full of quarters that he was talking about…. And I almost started arguing with him until I preemptively heard what he would probably say next: “But daddy, you said it doesn’t matter where the money comes from… cause if God calls you to do it then you have do it, RIGHT?” In that moment I realized that God was telling me that I had a blessing and a chance to teach my son and allow him to know that it’s alright to lead with his heart. And so after about 10 minutes and 40 child packets my son picked out a boy named Enerst from Zambia. He filled out all the paper work himself and today my family sponsors 4 children. My son will get his first allowance this month and he will begin a relationship with this young boy that could last the next 14 years!!!
3) Our nanny… and her quote said it all. “Well my gosh, if a 6 year old can do it then I know I can.”
Wow what a night… it was truly amazing… and it made me proud to say that our son showed me something first hand that I would be reminded of a few nights later at a funeral service for an amazing man. Ronnie Coleman’s life was about love. I left his funeral thinking, Lord I’ve got some work to do. I think that was the message of his life: We’ve got work to do… we’ve got love to give, and we have hope to share… that was Ronnie, and I see it echoed in his family that he leaves behind. I see it in a 6 year old boy who doesn’t know how, he just knows that he must. My son is the man… and he’s inspired me. How about you and your children/ family… what have they done that inspires you?
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jason
