God & People

What I learned at Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2010

This year on Christmas day we loaded up our car and headed to my Aunt Martha and Uncle Donnie’s house for our family Christmas get together. We always like going to their house because it is warm and welcoming. It is a log cabin with a huge fireplace and many other features that make it awesome for Christmas and family get togethers. As a boy I have fond memories of going to Asheboro, NC for Christmas. Now my boys are able to go and enjoy it just like I did. As we gathered around the table for a wonderful Christmas meal Aunt Martha had place a gift for everyone at each place setting. It created an atmosphere of suspense wondering what is in the pretty paper. We sat down and Aunt Martha told us to open our gifts. We opened our gifts and each person was given something from my grandpa’s house who had died 5 years earlier. I got his wallet and file. Laurie got a sausage grinder. My boys got tools that my grandpa had used at one time. My brother Barry got a old refillable oil can similar to the one used by Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. It was cool and we for moment remember a wonderful man who loved all of us. The gifts were old and smelly and were not brand new but they allowed us to go back in time and enjoyed some warm memories of Grandpa Lewis. The strange thing that happened was that we all remembered him but then we realized that he is not with us and it brought a tear to our eyes. You see grandpa loved Christmas and he called it shirt day because he always got shirts for Christmas.

I get some of the same thoughts when I look at the cross. I feel good because I know Christ and his love. My heart is thankful for what Christ did for me. Then I get a little sad because it was because of me He had to endure such a cruel death. My mixed emotions are painful and yet very satisfying. Similar to when I think about my grandpa. The amazing thing is that Jesus is with me now and is helping me everyday to live for Him. I am so thankful for the baby Jesus that came to earth in a manger but I am more thankful that he did what He was supposed to do. He went to the cross for me and died for my sins. Thanks Jesus and thank you, Aunt Martha, for giving me some old tools to remind me of a great man and for reminding me of a wonderful Savior.

Lewis Family Christmas Letter

2010-12-24T13:38:00.001-05:00

Another year is coming to the end and we are preparing for Christmas. We are thankful for God’s greatest gift to mankind through the Christ child that came so many years ago. We are thankful that this child changed the world for the better. May His joy be yours this Christmas. This year has been an exciting one around the Lewis home. Let us share a little about what has been going on:

Cameron is growing up to be a fine young man who enjoys life to the fullest and has a great sense of humor. He is also very compassionate. He loves football but this past fall decided to play soccer with his brother so not to disappoint him. They played well together and enjoyed a great season. Randy and Cameron got to go to a preseason game where the Panthers played the Jets. They sat right behind the Jets bench and Cameron got to watch his favorite player, LaDainian Tomlinson. It was a great night. Cameron still excels in school and is loved by all his teachers.

Kyle is growing up and maturing right before our eyes. He played soccer for the JV team last spring and started. He was playing against players who were 2 and 3 years older than him. Right now we are in the middle of 9^th grade basketball season and he is playing more than last year. He took a step in his faith this summer and was baptized by his dad. It was a special moment for both. God is developing in him a heart to help others. Laurie and Randy pray that they can help him do the things that God is asking him to do.

Laurie has moved from subbing to full-time employment in the York county school system. She is an assistant in a severely handicapped class and is enjoying her work. She is still involved in church a lot. Back in January her dad had major surgery and Laurie was able to go home for a few weeks. We are thankful for friends who help us in times like those. Her dad has had a full recovery and is doing great. We got to go to Canada this summer and visit with them.

Randy has had a good year. He has coached both the boys in sports and enjoys that most of the time. He is involved with a group of pastors here in York that are helping him in his ministry.

We are thankful for this time of year where we remember all the blessing that God has given to us this past year! May you have wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas from Randy, Laurie, Kyle & Cameron

Kyle's Baptizm

2010-08-11T10:20:00.003-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been quite good. I have had a goal of walking through a discipleship/mentoring program with Kyle. We have started it and I have thoroughly enjoy it. This past week we talked about Authentic Faith and where it comes from. I am using a book written by Andy Stanley called the Seven Checkpoints. We will continue to work through this book and continue to discuss other things that I think he needs to know to become a godly man in our world today. It is going to be an awesome journey together. I told him last week that this was one of the best hours I have ever spent. He was excited about it. So, this past Sunday evening I had the privilege to baptize Kyle. It was completely cool. I don’t know how my dad did it with me and my brother and sister. It was a very moving experience for me and for Kyle.
Kyle has been asking me to baptize him for quite a while now but I didn’t feel good about it. I thought he was too young to understand what the true meaning of baptism is. The discussion came up several times and I continued to say no, I did not think he was ready. I stuck to my guns. We are pushing kids to do things that they are not ready for and they really don’t appreciate what they have. I could name a dozen things that I think kids get too early and are not ready for it. Like pushing kids into guy-girl relationships, they are not capable to understand what it means to be in this kind of relationship.
Sunday night when I baptized Kyle he came out of the water with tears in his eyes thankful for what Christ had done for him. It was awesome. We got home and I asked if he was glad I made him wait and with out hesitation he said “YES”. Then he hugged me again and said thank-you. I know I am not a perfect parent but I am thankful that I made him wait so he could understand what Baptism is all about. He is making a stand to live for Jesus and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you Lord for this wonderful experience with Kyle. I can’t wait for Cameron now. God has blessed me with 2 wonderful boys that love Jesus.

Zipline Fun

2010-07-16T10:38:00.000-04:00

Cameron was the brave one among the Lewis' and he decided to zip on the zipline at Caton's Island. He was very excited after this run. Rob also was brave and zipped.

Campfire with Smores

2009-10-04T20:31:00.000-04:00

Cameron's Egg Drop thoughts

2009-09-25T15:07:00.002-04:00

Today, Laurie and I went to Cameron’s school for an egg drop competition. It was cool. The kids put together containers to contain an egg and then a firetruck with a ladder was raised and they dropped it. Take a look at the video. Those that did not crack either had a great parachute or had plenty of padding. I was amazed at those who survived. The eggs that made were ones that were light and well insulated. The students had a good plan and understood how it should work. My son had a great idea but it was too heavy and hit pretty hard. It got me to thinking. Our lives are similar to this. What we put around us determines whether we will crack up or not when life gets crazy. A good plan before hand can help us when we are tested. What we have in our lives and around us determines if we will crack. Let God surround you.
My life lately has been a little crazy. I have been good about putting things around me that keep my life from falling apart. Here are just a few things that help in my everyday life.
1) Knowing that God cares more about me than about my ministry.
This has come through consistent times of being alone with God through prayer and reading the Bible.
2) A wife that is in love with God more than me.
3) A group of people who pray for me often.
I know there is more than this but it is a start. What do you think keeps you from cracking up when life drops you from a high position?

Things I have learned

2009-09-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

I haven’t blogged in a while so it is time to get back into it. A lot has happened since my last blog. We have moved from Greenville, NC to York, SC. I have had surgery and placed my boys into a new school. This past week I was at a conference and the speaker talked about how God can sift us into the people He wants us to be. Let me explain.
Last spring we decided to move and about that same time I found these lumps on my throat. On the day that we were packing up I was told that I have thyroid cancer. We moved to my new church assignment and I had surgery within two weeks of the move. I had no control over it and our insurance has not paid for very much. There was so much going on and God was faithful. I made it through the surgery and later found out that the tumors were benign. PTL!! I am still recovering. Then the boys started their new schools. For the last 8 years I have been around the boys at school because I substituted at their school. I could keep up with them.
Why am I telling you this? At the conference God began to reveal to me what He is doing in my life. When the doctor told me I had cancer I took it all in stride and was somewhat concerned. When it came to the surgery it brought a fear that I had never experienced before. I was afraid of being put under and not being in control. The day I took Kyle to school and dropped him off was one of the worse days I have ever had. I couldn’t go with him and on top of that I had made this decision for him. It was a tough day. And now we are looking at about $20,000 of medical bills.
What God has taught me is that I don’t have to be in control all the time. I am a control freak and I don’t need to be like that anymore. I need to trust God in everything. I have to trust Him with my life and even when I am facing cancer. I could not control it if I wanted too. I have to trust God with my boys. I don’t have to protect them all the time and just simply place them into God’s hands. When I am not in control fear sets in and I cannot live that way. The interesting thing about all this is that my excessive worrying about money is leaving. I know we owe a lot but God is bigger and more faithful than I can ever imagine. He will not let us down after the summer we have had. I hope this helps you. Good day!

Important Papers need to be found

2009-04-23T18:18:00.003-04:00

We have been trying to get Cameron a social security number for a long time and finally figured out what we needed to do. We got Cameron a passport so things are good there. The problem is that somehow they lost Cameron's and my birth certificates. They need to be found. Please pray that they will be found. Thank you.

Selling of house

2009-04-22T09:29:00.003-04:00

Today we meet with our Realtor. We have been working to get the house ready for sale. We are a little sad because we love this house and where it is but know that the move is all part of God's plan for us. We need to sell our house before July 13th and it would be nice to make a profit. With the economy the way it is this is a big concern for us. Selling it is most important. I would like to thank my father-in-law for all his work while visiting with us on the house. He is a special man.
God knows who needs a house like ours and He will lead them to us.

Also, be in prayer for 1st Wesleyan church of Greenville. They are meeting tonight with the district officials to discuss the next steps in finding a pastor.

Church is not for spectators, WHY?

2008-10-25T15:54:00.000-04:00

If you go through scripture you will see that to be a part of a movement you have to move. Jonah had to go to Nineveh, Jonathon and his armor bearer had to climb the hill (1 Samuel 14&15), David had to go get the stones and put them in his sling(1 Samuel 17), Matthew had to get up and leave his post to follow (Matthew 9), Peter had to get out of the boat to be with Jesus (Matthew 14), and Jesus left all of heaven to come and redeem us (the Bible).

I don’t think there is any place in scripture where it says to watch others do something for the Lord. We all must get involved somewhere and do something in the name of the Most High. If we sit still we become stagnate just like when water stops moving. Too many people in the church have become spectators. Spectators are good observers but they are not involved in the game they just watch others. Spectators are good at complaining but they can’t do anything about it. They say things like… that coach made the wrong call, those players are not playing hard enough or those uniforms are ugly. The truth is that most spectators couldn’t get into the game because they are out shape and usually haven’t played the game. In the church it can be the same. Spectators love to complain and really don’t want to do anything about it. When people become spectators their attitude changes because they are not involved. Many more need to get involved instead of watching. Become involved and you will get a new perspective. Too often they are afraid of risking getting into the game and would rather talk about it. Lord, help me to not just complain but get involved and make a difference.

Having it easy has created softness

2008-09-26T09:22:00.002-04:00

I am going to post something without my wife Laurie proofing so if there are mistakes it is all my fault. This past Wednesday we had a guy named Bishop from Nigeria share with our midweek group. He was great. He was not flashy but was simply a matter of fact type of person. His passion for Jesus was undeniable. He shared about how pastors' in Nigeria were dying for the cause of Christ. It was very moving. As he shared about how they died and how cruel it was, he was unfazed, because of these pastor's deaths the gospel went forward. He said it never fails when someone dies for Christ people come to know the Savior. He lives it everyday. I worry about money, food, and a whole list of things that are so unimportant. He has no worries because he has settle the issue of life and death. We here in America have it so good that it has made us soft. We don't say anything because we are afraid of what people might think or say. We never have to worry about someone causing us bodily harm. We should be bolder than ever because there are no restrictions on us but it has created the exact opposite in us as Americans. Wake up Randy to the realities of our soft church. Lord, help us to be bolder and more faithful to what YOU want for us. If it is tough I am ready. Help me to keep the eye on the prize not this world. What do you think?

American Idol

2008-02-20T22:12:00.000-05:00

Last night during family devotions we were reading out of Matthew 6 where Jesus is telling His followers how to pray and to fast. The theme through it all is to do things in private and not let others know what you are doing. We have truly gotten away from this. It seems that everything we do for the Lord needs credit and accountability. At times it seems very nosey. The truth is we should do things in such way that only God knows what we are doing. But how do you help others without at least giving them some idea what you are doing? I believe if you are trying to make yourself look good then it is totally wrong. We need to get back to doing those things that are honoring to God in secret so that it is genuine and real.

You are probably thinking, what does American Idol have to do with what I writing about? It goes together because while we were discussing this topic Kyle says, “We aren’t supposed to have any idols before God, right?” I said yes. Then he asked “What is wrong with American Idol?” The premise behind the American Idol is that you create a person that people will like and in a way worship them by buying their music and following their career. How often do we put people up on a pedestal? This happens all the time in Christian circles where we take people and put them up almost as IDOLS. So often we put them up there because they talk so much about their good deeds and lifestyle. Jesus talks very clearly about this in our passage last night. He says to keep our deeds quiet. I want to do good in the eyes of my Lord. Later.

Loving My wife

2008-02-14T11:17:00.001-05:00

As I told you in an earlier blog we are watching a video by Andy Stanley called IMarriage. It has been very good. This past week he spent a good portion of his message talking about how I should love my wife. It comes out of Ephesians 5 where Paul encourages husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. So how did Christ love the church? He left all of heaven and its’ luxuries to be with us. He came to earth lived with us and died on a cross for our sins even though he was sinless. Through this He gave us the greatest picture of grace ever given. He did all this and still gives us the choice to choose Him or not. No strings attached. Even though He has every right to force us to love and worship Him. He doesn’t. He still loves us and wants us to receive His grace. His love for us is unconditional.

In return I need to treat Laurie the same way. Unconditionally with no strings attached. I should desire to help her grow in Christ so that she becomes the woman she needs to be. There are times I put unwanted expectations on her but God is teaching me not to do this. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Being Thankful

2008-02-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we watched a video called IMarriage by Andy Stanley. It is very good by the way. One of the things that I got out of the message was that I don’t say thank-you enough, especially to my wife, Laurie. I should thank her for doing the laundry, making the bed or any of the other mundane things of life. I try to thank her on the bigger things like when the boys are sick and throwing up and she takes care of it. But what Andy Stanley encouraged me to do is be thankful for all that she does. So I am going to try. I am even going to try to do it more with my boys and those around me. Being thankful should make life better for me and others.

Superbowl

2008-02-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

Patriots vs. Giants
What a game! I’ve always like rooting for the underdog. Rooting for the underdog most likely started when I was young and I watched NC State beat a highly touted Houston Cougar team on a last second dunk. I love the underdog. When it comes to my relationship with Christ it seems like I am the underdog when I battle sin in my life. The truth is I am the underdog without Christ help. With the help of the Holy Spirit God’s Word promises me a victory in every area of my life. I just have to give it to Him so that he takes on the battle for me. With a cheering team like God - how can I lose in my journey with Him?

Clarification of what a blog is

2008-01-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

Today, I was contemplating why I decided to start a blog. I first had to find out what is a blog. To me it sounds more like something you do when you are sick. So I found this definition.

blog (n) : an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log

Now that I know what one is, I can begin to put my thoughts out into the world wide web.

Who cares if I blog

2008-01-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

I meet with a group of guys every month and they have been after me to start a blog. So I did. Who knows who will start to read about what is going on in my life. We will see.