On the road again

I love traveling. In fact, I just returned from Ireland for my brother's wedding. (Here's a photo of me in a kilt reading at the event.)

In 2006, I spent time in Fairbanks, Alaska, to build homes for Habitat for Humanity. That was my one experience with a volunteering vacation.

Jay Loecken and his family have taken the idea of traveling for a higher purpose a lot further than that. Since April 18, 2008, they have been driving around the country in an RV looking for people to help. In the process, they have visited 44 states.

According to a recent Star Tribune article, God showed them the way:

'My wife and I always dreamed of traveling, but then God showed us that we don't need to just travel for adventure,' he said. 'We travel for a purpose.'

The Loeckens' journey started when they took a mission trip to Africa in 2007 and discovered the extreme poverty. When returning to the U.S., the Loeckens discovered that there was poverty nearby, and decided to make a difference here.

God's Gardens by Claire

CHAMPLIN, Minn. -- In 2003, Claire Lichy was facing tremendous health problems after having abdominal surgery. She had excruciating pain through the right side of her back. During the surgery, several nerves leading to her back were nicked, and scar tissue from a previous operation was damaged.

Lichy found peace during her recovery time through flowers. Gardening always had been a passion of hers, and she transformed her backyard into an amazing garden when she fully recovered. At first, she called it "Claire's Gardens." Then God spoke to her, according to a Star Tribune article:

'I was out here one day and I felt God tugging at my arm,' she said. 'It just hit me: This isn't about me: it's about God. I feel so grateful that he has given me this talent to make things pretty.'

So, she changed the name to "God's Gardens by Claire." She opens up the gardens (by appointment only; call 763-427-2644) to everything from garden clubs to Bible study groups.

Forgiveness in a teenage drinking death

Last July, 15-year-old Makamae Au Mook Sang died of acute alcohol intoxication after drinking hard liquor at a party hosted by 25-year-old Michael Clark in Hawaii. This month, Clark was sentenced to a year in prison. Au Mook Sang's mother has forgiven Clark, though, according to a story on Honolulu's KITV:

'When God spoke to me I felt like he was telling me that you, Michael, are just as much a child of God as I am,' said Tracy Ah Mook Sang. 'So, God is, like, telling me he loves you too.'

While this tragedy highlights the dangers of teenage drinking, it also puts a spotlight on the power of forgiveness.

The beginning of a nursing career

Christina Jundt recently wrote a profile of 89-year-old Margaret Follingstad for the Gainesville Times. Follingstad always has followed God's lead for her life, including her decision to be a nurse:

Lying in bed one night, Margaret recalled, 'I felt a hand on my shoulder. God spoke to me, and talked to me as clearly as any person would. He told me that I needed to go back to school and be a nurse.'

Follingstad obeyed the Lord with a servant's spirit and knew that the Lord would always protect her. Her advice to people is to "trust in the Lord with all your heart."

It's all about you

Juliana Pasha, a disco diva from Albania, has a hit on her hands with "It's All About You." When watching the video, one might think that she is man crazy. The truth, according to a quote from Pasha in The Huffington Post, is that she is God crazy:

But for Pasha, salvation hasn't come through her makeover: it's come through Jesus. Her official Facebook page reveals that she's a devout Christian. She recently told reporters that her spiritual journey began six years ago as she and her husband struggled to get by. 'At that moment, God spoke to our hearts,' she said. 'We were in the car. We prayed and cried and decided for a life with Christ.' As part of that, she turned down an offer to play a female bodyguard in a stage production of Chicago because it conflicted with her ability to testify for the Lord.

It turns out that "It's All About You" really is about a woman and her God.

God gives a former Statler Brother direction

For former Statler Brothers tenor Jimmy Fortune, God has guided his musical career. When he was a performer at Wintergreen Ski Resort in Virginia, Fortune caught the ear of Statler Brothers' singer Lew DeWitt and was invited to join the group. The funny thing was that Fortune was supposed to have the night off, but went in to work anyway -- because he felt God telling him to do so.

In an article in The Herald News, Fortune shares how God guided him in his solo career as well:

Six years ago, while he was in the midst of trying to find a new direction for his solo career he said God, once again, made his plans known to the singer. 'I was out on my tractor mowing the grass when God spoke up and said, ‘You need to move to Tennessee’ and I started arguing with him: ‘But God, This is my dream house – I don’t want to move.’ So I put a price on it that was so high I didn’t think it would ever sell and it sold within four days. And when the lady handed me the contract, I knew God needed me out there making music in Tennessee,' he said.

Fortune last performed with the Statler Brothers in 2002.

People of faith: four questions with Serenity Charlebois

1.  Tell me about yourself (church, family, work, etc.)  I am 35. I've been married to Chris for over 13 years now. We have three energetic boys (Rand, Matrim and C.J.) who are true gifts from God! They brighten my life (and keep me busy) every day. We live close to my parents and I am so thankful that they are a part of our lives! My brother and his family live in International Falls. I wish they were closer.

I have been attending South Metro Vineyard Church (SMVC) for over 20 years now! My family started attending when a friend of mine invited me to youth group there. My husband started attending SMVC (then called Victory Vineyard Church) when we were dating. The people at SMVC truly are our family! They have helped us (and cried with us) through many tough times in life, and have rejoiced with us in times of joy. We are involved in a few different areas at SMVC. I lead a ministry called Christ-Life: The Ultimate Journey. It is a discipleship ministry which made a big difference in my life and I have been privileged to be facilitating groups at SMVC for about four years now. My husband has also been involved and facilitates groups from time to time. We also lead a small group, which is where our closest relationships are forged. Chris helps run sound on Sunday mornings and I am on the worship team. Chris used to spend his Saturday mornings working at our food pantry (Fruit of the Vine), but has had to give that up as he is working two jobs right now. And I get to spend a few hours on Fridays volunteering in the office. Our oldest son, Rand, helps teach the preschoolers on Sunday mornings. It is so great watching him get involved in the kids' lives, knowing them and loving them!


I am currently not working outside the home. What a blessing it has been to be a stay-at-home mom! I am hoping to get back to school, though, sometime soon.
 
2.  What are some of the highlights of your Christian walk?
 
When I ponder what my highlights have been in my Christian walk, it is interesting to me what pops into my head immediately... the lowest, hardest times in our lives! Certainly at the time they didn't feel like highlights! I wondered, 'Where is God? Why is He letting this happen? Why didn't He take care of this before it got so bad?!' But I have started to understand what James chapter 1 means. 'Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.' Every time we encounter something in our lives that seems insurmountable and the only recourse we have is to turn to God, He is able to not only provide for us, but to show us His love! To show us who He is! And each time, I remember a little bit more, how much I can rely on Him, how faithful He is, and how incompetent I am without Him! So when Chris loses his job, or one of my boys is in the hospital, I can 'count it joy'... I can say to God, 'Thank you for reminding me that I can, and should, rely on You at all times!' And as God is faithful and provides for me and for my family, I am made more complete in my understanding of who He is, and hence, who I am in Him.
 
3.  How has God guided or spoken to you?
 
Worship has always been important to me in my walk with God. When I take time to intentionally state that He is God, and that I am not, to praise Him for who He is, to focus on what He has done for me and in my life, I can hear Him most clearly. I feel His love for me and His love for His people. Another time that I hear from God is when I am praying. Whether it be a quiet time with just God and me, or a time of praying for others, God often gives me pictures or stories that are meaningful. Praying in tongues through the Holy Spirit is always a time of edification for me. It builds me up, and makes it easier for me to hear what God is saying at that moment.



One of the things we do in Christ-Life: The Ultimate Journey, is give affirmations to each other. Not the silly, pat-yourself-on-the-back affirmations that everyone thinks of in connection with the SNL skit... but affirmations of truth. Who God is, what reality is, and who we are in Him. One affirmation that I often remember is that we can always turn our faces to God and He will always be there... 'like a flower turning towards the sun.' I love that image! At any time, I can turn my face, my attention to God, and He is ALWAYS there, ready to shine His love and peace upon me. I can ALWAYS look to Him for comfort, and He will ALWAYS be there! He will never leave me, nor forsake me! And NOTHING can separate me from Him!

4.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

I think that one of the most important things that God has been showing me in the last few years... yes years, maybe I'm a slow learner... is what I have to do to follow Him. What do I have to do to be a 'good Christian,' to 'succeed'? Simply say 'yes' to Him. 'Let Your will be done. (Not my will!) Let Your kingdom come. (I'm not the one calling the shots or choosing what direction we are going to go!)' And I don't have to figure it out or know what to do... simply listen to Him and obey. Because He already knows what to do. He is the solution for every situation in life, every problem, every choice. What freedom there is in that knowledge!

If you would like to be interviewed for "People of faith:  four questions with. . .", contact me.