Mighty Oaks, Ministers in Need

Isaiah 61:1-3
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim his good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance to of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy, instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called mighty oaks, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."


There are a handful of people in my life who have demonstrated to me what being a mighty oak is all about, specific souls who have taken my hand and lead me down the path. I have been given a great gift from these souls who haven’t let their suffering stop them from being used of God, but have used the lesson’s learned in the valley to minister to others. It’s these brave souls that gave me hope, they showed me that survival is possible and so is learning to love God even in times of heartache. What I have also learned is that hope in Christ alone truly comes when all is stripped away, but the hope that grows is the most powerful, the most comforting and the most true. My hero’s of the faith are ones that grieve openly and honestly and yet choose to trust God. This may sound simple but in times of great hardship it is truly a matter of life or death. Will I lift my eyes to heaven and teeter forward one step at a time, still looking for his hand in my life?
Or will I turn my eyes downward to my broken limbs and never to trust his hand again?

Thankfully, I am learning that once these lessons are learned they will stay with you for the rest of eternity, they change you on a molecular level and I know heaven will be so much sweeter because of them. But that doesn’t mean that after learning them we are entitled to a pain-free existence. That would mean that our world was no longer broken and that won’t be possible until the return of the king. However, strengthened by our history we can move on into painful but familiar territory, with little fear of whether he’ll let us down (some regression on our part is only human.)

Today, I lift up a specific couple who have poured so much of their hearts into my life, Vernon and Marlys Awes, who took me in when I was in Madison, co-habitating between their home and the University of Wisconsin hospital. Long time ministers of the faith in Veitnam as a chaplain to the marines, in North Dakota as ministers to a small group of farmers and to my collection of family and friends, this is a small handful of the lives they've touched.
I will leave out most of the details but their hard journey never dampened their ability to love. Instead it refined them and they became incredible ministers of laughter, joy and compassion. You would never realize the hardship’s they had gone through unless they honored you with their story, but they touched lives where ever they went and with saint Theresa like courage were able love when others failed.

Today history is repeating itself and the son they almost lost several years ago has gone into hospice and his earthly body is failing him once again.Please remember them in your prayers, if anyone deserves the title of saint it would be these wonderful people and today the only thing I can do for them is pray. Please pray for them and the others like them who have already given up so much and are asked to give again. Let us soak up their knowledge so we can bring courage and hope to others, but most importantly lets carry them in our hands, hearts and prayers.