That Thing That Dad’s Do.

Pastor Vinnie

Prologue:

This blog is likely the most personal thing I have ever written for my website. Please respect that in your own processing of my transparent sharing.

I always wanted to be a Father; I always wanted to the right the wrongs of my childhood. I wanted to forge new life, new opportunities. I wanted to be for someone else, the very things I thought I never had growing up. And so, It cut to the core of my soul to be told by a doctor that it would never happen for us as a couple. I’d never get to be a Dad, or do the things that Dad’s do.

Reflections:

I learned a lot from my Dad. And that is saying a lot because he was mostly an absent father. I craved his attention; I craved his wisdom, I craved his affection. Like many Dads, he worked a lot, went back to school to get two degrees and became a teacher; and eventually left my family to be with some else. He rarely remembered my Birthday, forgot to call and often was just hard to connect with while growing up when I really felt I needed him.

I am not knocking him at all. I love him, and I know he loves me. The past is the past, and I can’t judge people for doing the best they knew how to do. Sure he messed up a lot at times, but even in that, I learned from my Dad too. I‘ll mess up too, at times. And when I do, it will never be too late for me to show “I am sorry.”  Without my Dad’s mistakes, I may not have learned not only to say the words, “I am sorry,” but to live a life that shows a repented stance that desires a reconnected relationship. Before I even knew about the Apostle Paul, and his famous passage on The Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21) my Dad was modeling it to me; always doing his best to make up for things long past.

My Dad was the most supportive person in encouraging me to become a Minister. Even when I knew I was called, undeniably sure of God’s intent[1], I was too fearful, and uncertain about my own abilities or worthiness to take that step and accept that call on my life. Then one night, during a long distance phone call, Dad said to me, “Son, every time I talk to you, you’ve been at that church, or are on your way to that church, and doing something for that church, I can’t figure out why you’re not already a Minister.  You do all the work already. Don’t you think that is who you are?” Oh, I guess I should mention at this point, that my Dad is not a believer, at all. He is a self-professed, light-hearted agnostic.  He, not my pastor, not my elder, not my church, saw the Minister in me and from a long distance phone connection.

I did not invite my Dad to my own Ordination Service; why would I? He is not a believer at all. But when I awkwardly mentioned it on another long distance phone call, at the last minute, just so I’d not seem to be hiding it, do you know what he did? He drove halfway across the eastern seaboard to get here in time. He bought a brand new suit because he did not own one. I assured him casual was fine, he insisted he fork out good money to have a quality suit to wear to the church. He felt so awkward and kept fearfully joking that he was worried the church might collapse on him when he walked in the door because he was such a sinner.  He quickly fell in love with my members, and soon he was letting people call him up on stage, honor him, and pray over him; imagine that; my Dad, the agnostic! He even took a stack of my business cards back, with him to show the guys at the Legion (drinking club) because, he said, otherwise, “No one, none of the guys, would ever believe, in a million years, a guy like me raised a Minister.”

The only surviving picture from my childhood that I know of. Christmas 1978?
April, Mike, and Me.

I wanted to be a Dad. I wanted to forge a personality, with love, kindness, insight and wisdom and most of all, with Christ. I wanted to be, to someone,  all those things I had wished my Dad had been to me in those absent years. And my heart was broken when the Doctor told my wife and me we’d never have children. I’d never be a Dad. I’d never get to make those absent years full years for anyone.  That pain is more than I care to share here openly. It broke me, in many ways I won’t go into.

Jesus is good. Even in the times when I pulled my car off the shoulder of the road yelling at him, and breaking down and crying it was not fair, I’d not be complete without this. I wanted to know what Father and Son was meant to be like, without that break, without that abandonment. Why did God the Father get to have His son, yet deny me for well over 20 years!

Then here comes Jose’!   He had no father, he had no mother, and he was about to lose both brothers, all mandated away via the court system due to things beyond his control, much less understanding. I was the only Father figure he’d ever gotten to bond within the foster system. I was way beyond my prime to actually ‘father;’ at least in my mind that day had passed, I had given up on all those angry demands in those old silly prayers that God ignored for so long.

 Jesus always remembers your heart’s desire, even when you’ve had to seal it off for a sense of survival. Jesus does not forget those dreams that you do when you wake up each morning. 

---

Jesus had not given up. Jesus always remembers your heart’s desire, even when you’ve had to seal it off for a sense of survival. Jesus does not forget those dreams that you do when you wake up each morning. I could never have let my dear, sweet Jose’, whom I had fostered/ fathered since age two, start all over again. I had already become the non-absent father to him and did not even know it.

People see me and Jose’ and the way I thrive on loving him, spending time with him, investing in him, and am constantly taking him places and doing things with him. I am forever blowing up people’s social media with father-son and family pictures ad nauseam. I mean, I know I am literally over the top showing off how awesome he is. I know most fathers, who also really love their children are not as actively promoting their joy and pride as I am. And I know, behind my back, I am sure some get out right annoyed at Jose’ and me.  But guess what? — They likely don’t understand abandonment like Jose’ and I, both, do. They likely forget we are not dysfunctional, we are reconciling lost bonding time; we are being caught up with being made whole in Christ.

Am I doing things wrong with Jose’? Heck yeah. And so did my dad with me; that is kind of the point right? And it does not stop there; so did your dad do wrong things, and His dad, and hey if you are a dad, you are too. I call it, if you haven’t guessed it yet, “That Thing That Dad’s Do.” And Doing That Dad Thing simply means messing up while doing the very best you can, yet not letting the fear of messing up stop you from “Doing That Dad Thing, That Dad’s Do!” Your children so desperately need and can learn from your worst mistakes done under love.  Even when you make massive mistakes along the way, you later figure it out and reconcile together. Keep doing that thing that Dad’s do!

Full Circle:

Dad and Jose

It came full circle.  My wife was sick, and in need of the kind of brain surgery, that if not done at the right time, in the right place, by the best doctor in the field, she’d likely not survive.  It was panic time!   Jose’ was in school. We could not take him. It was too far. It would be too long, and he’d miss too much school.  Being withdrawn in our area would kick-start a DSS investigation. We had no idea where to put him. So we patched together B and C level plans. Again, like ordination, I did not even think of my Dad. Why would I? He was an absent father to me.  Again, another long-distance phone call, a brief mention just not to hide it, and then an instant heartfelt response, “Son, let me call you right back. I am going to go check the planes and get a flight; I’ll be on my way to look after him.” Five minutes later, he calls me back, says there is a change of plans and now both he and his wife[2] will drive down, and care for Jose’ together.

And they did.  I can’t tell you how much Jose’ loves his Grampa and constantly talks about him. Did you catch it? The Ministry of Reconciliation? My Dad, fulfilled in my son, what his own life robbed from us, and through this substitutionary relationship, all our relationships are healed like never before.

And Oh, It is not over yet, I still have unanswered prayers, which I know are sealed off, that Jesus has not forgotten. Reconciliation is forever unfolding in my family.

Prologue:

I just want to say to Dad’s out there, you are going to mess up, all Dads do. The only perfect Father is in Heaven. And he knew your imperfections when he called you. What matters is not how bad you mess up, but how honest you are in admitting it. Do your best, because your best is better than being absent. Your best is what your children need. Despite an image some carry, there are no Super-Dads. There are only imperfect Dad’s seeking to reflect the image of the perfect father in Heaven and learning to do better as they stumble along. It is that thing, that Dad’s do.

Dedicated too…. A Twitter Daddo.

I wrote this for a Twitter Follower who is a Dad, who watches my tweets and maybe has mistakenly measured his against mine based on the image of mine he sees. This is dedicated to him.  You’re a great Dad “G” –keep going!

Some Inspiration:

Footnotes:

[1] God spoke the words to me.

[2] Not my mother.

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Fathers To The Fatherless

Putting the Life back in Pro-life

By Pastor Vinnie MacIsaac

It is Fall, and the cooling Autumn air is a refreshing breeze in the season of change this time of year brings. It is, most assuredly, my favorite time of year! Turkeys, pumpkin pies and spiced lattes; poppies and veterans; orange and red leaves carpeting the ground, and of course, who could forget, Black Friday! They are all embedded in the symbols and celebrations of November. Men all over America affectionately grow out their beards as a part of the good cause of “No Shave November,” which is popularly re-branded, “Movember,” and is a month-long awareness for fundraising for prostate cancer research[1].

But do you know who is forgotten the most in November? The children!

November is National Adoption Month. And with the holidays settling in, ironically, it is always the children who are forgotten. It says something about us as a nation when pumpkin spiced lattes, and Black Friday discounts are more promoted and celebrated than the protection and future security of our most vulnerable and vital segment of society. We need to stop and remember no community has a viable future without well-cared children to become the next generation. This generation’s neglected children are more certainly the subsequent generation’s most significant social problems and expenses. Investing in children, now, is sound moral and economic thinking.

November is not only National Adoption month, but it is also designed to highlight the adoption opportunities in the foster care system. Many Christians claim they are “pro-life” but too often are only pro-life for “cosmetic religio-politico” reasons and the proof is how involved they will be once a baby is born! If you are really pro-life, it means more then being “anti-abortion.” But too many Christians I know are not pro-life at all. They are “anti-abortion” and care little about what happens to that life once it is born. Ironically, it is often the very same “pro-life” lawmakers we vote for who cut child health care, cut foster care aid programs, and never promote to their constituents the viable life-saving options they have in fostering to adopt. It seems these politicians are too busy campaigning on what gets them elected, namely being anti-abortion while screaming “pro-life,” as an American value and useful election tool.

Jesus was pro-life! Jesus was pro-life in more than in name only! Jesus was pro-life past the womb. Jesus cared not just about getting babies born, but securing an abundant life for them (John 10:10) and securing even eternal life for them! Jesus did not leave us in poverty. Jesus did not abandon us to the cruel world of “provide for yourself,” or “solve your own problems,” and Jesus did not let the helpless become the damned! Jesus warned all, that if they cause “a little one” to stumble, or in other words to be harmed, hurt, or abused, God would not look the other way but rather would bring about a judgment so harsh that the one who receives it will wish they had never existed[2]. Jesus does not mince words, and he is not stuttering when he declares, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.[3]”

Hello Church, as a Pastor, I have a very real question to put before the church at large… What are you doing to bring the Children to Jesus?

No, I don’t just mean your church children classes and Christian schools, or kid’s bible stories that get three minutes in our service, or even your Vacation Bible Schools and trendy Youth Groups that are all only used for in-reach. What about to those children who have no faith, who know no God, who have no church family because they don’t even have any family at all? Do you have a ministry for them? Do you even think about them or care? Are they even on our faith radar at all? Or have we just decided our role was only to get them born, and after that Hell could have them? Because Hell eventually will, literally, have them, if getting them born was the last time the church could be bothered to care!

So, the Spirit of the Lord has come upon me in the season of the year, to remind the church at large of what, as far back as the Old Testament, God has been calling real believers to do. God has called us to be like Him! To be like the one who is a “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows–this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” Psalm 68:5,6

Don’t tell me you’re holy, don’t tell me you are on the right side of history, don’t tell me you are on the right side of the vote if all you care about is getting babies born so you then can abandon them! You don’t impress me, and everything I read in the Bible leads me to believe you don’t impress God! Maybe, this year, perhaps the Spirit is calling you, too. Perhaps as you enter into the Holidays or “holy days[4],” as you watch the cheer fall, you will feel the urge to stop merely being “anti-abortion” but be really fully pro-life. I am “anti-abortion,” but I have come to understand that is only step one in being pro-life. To be pro-life means to be pro-life for the entire life of the child, not just the first nine months that lead up to birth.

Not everyone can be a foster parent. Not everyone can adopt. But everyone can care, everyone can advocate, everyone can lobby, everyone let some little one know they actually matter to Jesus. And above all, everyone can be educated, practice and model being a safe person for children at large.

Here is a list of things you can start now to help celebrate National Adoption Month and God’s call on Christians to care for the Children of the world:

1. Share this article will all your Social media contacts. Simple enough for anyone to do. What’s your excuse?

2. Promote National adoption month in your Church every year and all year round.

3. Seek advance certification and training in protecting children from physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse. This sort of training should be mandatory for anyone working with children in any way and is helpful and insightful to everyone in general.

4. Volunteer with “at-risk” children in a neighborhood school, community center, or foster care support agency. (This includes fully complying with all training and clearances).

5. Start a prayer ministry where people actively meet together and pray for both children in the church, but also in the community. Proactively meet and pray for all the local schools, children’s Community Centers, Children’s agencies, and support staff. Actively pay attention and pray about reports of missing children in your area.

6. Send notes of encouragement and appreciation to known people in the community who go above and beyond to help children at risk (teachers, social workers, mentors, etc.) Let them know you and your group are continually praying for their efforts.

7. Become a volunteer Big Brother, Big Sister, CASA worker, mentor, coach, etc. (This also includes fully complying with all training and clearances).

8. Make a donation, or regularly donate, to a local non-profit children’s services agency either in time, money, or even a tangible, usable gift.

9. Consider, prayerfully, if God is calling you to foster or even adopt. If you remotely sense that call in your life you owe to yourself, and to God, to actively, at the very least, investigate or look into the steps and requirements with a local state or private foster/adoption agency.

10. If you know you are not called to foster full time, prayerfully consider if you are called to be a respite foster care provider. Respite workers only foster short term, to give a regular foster family much needed breaks. Giving a foster family a much needed short time break can often be just as impacting as fostering and help a family be an enduring place of care.

Remember, the Church cannot sit idly by, claiming to be pro-life, when there are over 428,000 children in foster care in the United States with the average time in foster care being at least two years per child. This is a national epidemic that is destroying our nation, and the precious little lambs Jesus has called Christians to actively love into the kingdom! Because being Pro-life means being pro-life for the full life of all children, everywhere. Here are 43 more (completely unrelated to mine above) ways you can help celebrate National Adoption Month. See the following link: https://adoptionnetwork.com/forty-three-ways-everyone-can-celebrate-national-adoption-month

Postscript:

Pastor Vinnie and His wife Tina have fostered, intermittently, for the past several years. Jose, their only son, came to them from the foster care system at the age of two years old having already been in three other foster care homes, not even including his birth home. Jose is finally home forever because the MacIsaacs don’t just talk about being pro-life they live pro-life, and it brings them the most significant joys (See pictures below).

Won’t you join them, on whatever level, and whichever capacity God may call you to? This November don’t just talk about being pro-life, pray about it, and see where God leads you.

Footnotes:

[1] https://us.movember.com

[2] See Luke 17:2, Mark 9:42, Matthew 18:6

[3] Matthew 19:14

[4] The etymology of the word Holiday comes from “Holy Days.” See https://simplyvinnie.com/halloween-and-biblical-faith/

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DACA!

It is not Political it is Personal

By Pastor Vinnie

For me it is not political; it is personal, it is spiritual, it is foundational.

DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival. It was a policy set up by the Obama administration in 2012 to allow children brought to America against their will as minors to identify themselves and register for two-year intervals in an attempt correct a problem beyond their control. It was highly controversial because it was argued that the President did so with an expansion of his powers. These children are often called “dreamers” because they dream of fully belonging to the only country they have ever known or had loyalty too.

I do understand the valid point put forth by many on the right who hold themselves as Constitutionists and ergo believe former President Barak Obama did not have the executive power to sign DACA into action. I, too, share the concern that the Executive Branch of government in the US has had its powers extended way past what would be deemed healthy in the long-term. Yet, I also see the point of many on the left who hold themselves as defenders of equality and ergo could not tolerate it any longer when Congress failed for over 15 years to pass legislation to protect the “dreamers.” So, since politically I can see both sides, let’s set them both aside and explore the personal, spiritual, and foundational sides of this problem.

Personal

Jose came to live with us at age two. He had lived in foster care since 18 months old and we were his 3rd foster families. We adopted him at age 3.

My son could have been a been a dreamer. Both his biological parents were. Both his biological parents (as far as I am informed) were brought to this country illegally as children, and without consent. Children rarely have a say in family matters, especially in the cultures from which many “dreamers” come from. We can talk about illegal immigration. We can talk about reform. We can talk on both sides of the issue; and agree on things that can be done but are not done, as a nation. But when that talk about sending cute little children, like the one in my arms, back to countries where they have no connection, likely no more direct family links, and very often don’t even speak the language, we talk about doing evil. Looking at Jose, in my arms (in the picture to the left), he is Hispanic but does not speak a word of Spanish. Let me ask you, would you really send a little babe like him back to El Salvador? He’d have no family connections, and he’d not be able to speak the language. Would you really let this harmless little boy be easy prey for anyone who had nefarious intentions knowing he’d be young, helpless and he’d not even be able to speak for himself nor report misuse or abuse? Because when you support DACA repeal, that is what you are condemning thousands of little lambs like him too. It’s a little harder with a face put to it, at least I’d hope.

Spiritual

The Word of God declares,  “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it,” (Psalm 24:1)^[1] for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (1 Corinthians 10:26)^[2] God cares little about our nationalism, and He will put His people where he desires. God reserves the sweetness of honey and the richness of milk for those who have been oppressed the most!
“He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He set the world on them.” (1 Samuel 2:8)^[3]

Let us remember all borders, languages, and all divisions do not exist because of work ethic, worthiness, nor God’s favor. They exist because of sin and man’s desire to expand his power and the sin to Heaven, itself, via the tower of Babel (see Genesis 6). While God may allow nations sovereignty, those nations best recall, His Son is coming with a rod of iron to punish all nations who are not found acting justly (Revelation 2:27, 18:1-24, Isaiah 30:14). And God has made it clear what his expectations are; “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)^[4]

Those who would like to claim “American exceptionalism” do so based on a false sense of Protestant Work Ethic^[5] superiority. They will tell us, “We worked hard for this success, and it is ours; they can get in line and do the same.” They are welcome to hold those ideas, but good luck trying to sell it to Jesus when He returns! I will remind them that James, the very brother of Jesus, has already made it clear that all our success was not at our own hand but the Father of Light’s, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)^[6] Yes, we all worked hard for what we have, but why? Was it to kick back, get fat and horde it up? Or was it suppose to be so that we could, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17)^[7]?

Foundational

Foundationally, we are a land of immigrants, and historically often the most oppressed of immigrants. We can only kick everyone out who came illegally if we kick ourselves and our children out and return it to the Native Indians. Let’s go all DACA repeal on our own children since their forefathers entered this land illegally and without the consent of a pre-existing America.

Look, I am not advocating globalism, nor am I saying there should be no immigration reform, there should be, but for “crying out loud,” what kind of monsters are we? You don’t start reform with helpless children! You start it by curbing your greed for cheap labor and one-sided seasonal work visas which are nearly legalized slavery. The truth is visa (work and tourist) overstays are the main reason for illegal immigrants^[8] but because that would cost Americans money in tourism and cheap labor, we will deport children and build a wall instead. Maybe we can use illegal immigrants to build our wall since they make up 5% of our national workforce and much more of our economy;^[9] doing jobs no one else will do at pay rates no one else accepts. Foundationally, we need reform, but reform that addresses the cause does not seek the easy a-political victim who can’t fight back; like a child.

Last Word

The Last Word goes to Jesus.

“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6)^[10]

FOOTNOTES:

^[1] NIV

^[2] Ibid.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] Also often called Puritan work ethic. It is a system of work ethic that believes that God shows favor on those who work for what they achieve.

^[6] NIV

^[7] Ibid.

^[8] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/visa-overstays-outnumber-illegal-border-crossings-trend-expected-continue-n730216

^[9] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/27/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s

^[10] NIV

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More Of Less

A Book Review And A Life Experience

By Pastor Vinnie MacIsaac

Minimalism is the growing trend of downsized life; to simplify, get much more enjoyment from life, with much less debt. It is best defined this way;

At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality. And as a result, it forces improvements in almost all aspects of your life.^[1]

I recently read Joshua Becker’s book on minimalism called “More Of Less.^[2]” Having originally a family of five, which included three foster-boys, we once needed a large townhouse. Having settled into a family of three with one adopted child, it was now time to downsize life. After I had asked around about what to do with all my stuff if I downsized, several people overwhelming recommended Joshua Becker’s book “More Of Less” and now I understand why.

On a technical level, I love Becker’s writing style. When I started reading his book, I did not realize he was a Christian until he mentioned it, promising not to get preachy because his target audience is not to people of faith but secular Millennials. Yes, he kept his promise, writing a secular book on minimalism. Yet, almost magically every single page of the book is spiritual because Becker gently teaches his secular audience that to live more simply, creates more order, less stress, and leaves a reduced footprint in the world. He teaches us that to live simply is to be less selfish, gives more away, and to even be free from the bondage of over-consumerism that prevents us from doing good deeds in the world. Becker, left me wishing he did write religious books of the theological nature because he knows exactly how to reach the millennials of our world with his tone and sincerity.

The core of the book is simple, logical, and hard to refute. The time has come to downsize because when we do we find meaning and purpose that consumerism robs us of.  Millennials don’t have the money of the baby boomers and don’t need the debt of Gen X-ers, and so, they, by nature need to and are embracing a more simple existence. When they do so, they create their generational space that defines them. Ironically baby boomers have ended up joining them, many times, as they too need to downsize because they are living longer than they ever thought to live.

Becker expands the audience of who should downsize by making a compelling case of how many Americans mortgage more square footage than they ever actually live in. The point is, most of our homes are nothing but giant storage lockers for belongings we often forgot we even had! Becker points out all the right in the world our belongings could actually be in the hands of those who actually would use them and not just store them.

There were simple things that gave me a quick philosophical sync with his concepts. For example, he pointed out how much more likely people who watch TV with commercials were to be over consumers versus those who watched reduced commercials on prescription content providers. He also had profound stories that advanced his ideas of people who really impacted the world using income once dedicated to debt and storage, to fund orphanages, clean water, and to do incredible good acts for others! Becker even includes several chapters on how to even get a resistant spouse to join your quest by starting slow and having open communication. What more could you ask in a book on minimalism? I was all in!

I followed his advice to a tee! I went around my house deciding what I really needed and did not need room by room. What could I get rid of and not be harmed by its disappearance? I considered did an item actually enhance my life or hurt it? Was it a source of joy or hassle? Why did I still hold on to certain items and was the sentimental value still worth it to me or not? Sometimes it was, and so I kept it, and sometimes it was not so I gave it away. Things that were sentimentally on the fence, I followed Becker’s sound advice, took a picture and chucked the item itself.

“I realized I am more than books and space, I am a servant of the Lord, and I must follow the leading of the Lord lest my books become my idols.”

Admittedly the hardest was getting rid of my whole office, and its books too. After all, I am a Pastor, and what am I without tons books and an office? But maybe, just maybe, all those books were just vanity? That cut to the core of my being but I realized I am more than books and space, I am a servant of the Lord, and I must follow the leading of the Lord lest my books become my idols. And that led me to honestly ask why did I keep two offices; a home, and a work office? It made no sense at all, especially if I was going to live closer to work. I now live 10 minutes from my church; I just can’t justify a home office anymore! I can just jump in the car and work at the church. The fact was the more I looked at my books I realized that at least 75% of them I already had on Kindle or some other E-format, and I no longer needed the paper versions. Plus, the 25% I did not have in E-format could be absorbed into my actual work office, where I’d need them, anyway. The embarrassing truth was that before this change, all the books in my church office, I had inherited because other Pastor’s had abandoned them there in previous generations of leadership! If I had not used them in the last seven years maybe it was time to remove them and move in books, I would use!

When all was said and done, I went from about a 1700 square foot to a 900 square foot home. We gave tons of stuff away to the Veteran’s Society and the Good Will and other worthy places. I gave boxes and boxes of great spiritual and theological books to my elders, members, and church library. It turned out that Joshua Becker was right, it felt great to give people things you really did not use, but they would!

I remember, after being In the new place a few weeks and having just settled in, my Pastoral supervisor asked me how I liked the change. I honestly said, without thought, “I have never been this happy in all my life, and I hope it never ends.” It feels so good to be free! It feels so good to know where your stuff is because it is not buried under other stuff. If I need my headphones, I can turn my head and likely find them. As unbelievable as it is, I can’t recall the last time I misplaced my house keys. Because all I have to do is a 360 turn to find them! But even above all those blessings it just feels so empowering not to define yourself by what you own but rather who you are!

I am still a work in process but here is to making the best out of small places!

And just when things were going great in our new small living space the unthinkable happened! The one thing I never planned for. The other two foster children, who we once had, went into crisis and needed a place to stay. They are the biological brothers of my adopted son. We could not say no, but our living space is so small now! Still, I did not want to say “No” because we love them so much.

So we took them in and this small 900 square foot home for three, became a home of five! Admittedly it is a bit tight, but you know what? Joshua Becker is right when you have more of less; you have more to give. It turns out that having a family of five in 900 square feet is way more manageable than in 1700 square feet where layers of unused junk separate you! It sounds crazy, but it is true!

We fit tight, but it makes us tight. It creates community and fosters relationships. Plus, when the boys ask for a new toy, I can simply say, “Are you guys crazy, we have no room for it!” And they we actually reply, “Ahhh, yeah, that is actually right.” Just try that with 1700 square feet!

It is like the old children’s song chorus says, “ No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh, I’ll never go back anymore, Hallelujah!”

Related Video: When I Remeber Song

Related Video: More Of Less Stewardship Sermon I preached. 

Footnotes: 

^[1] What is Minimalism? By Joshua Becker

^[2]https://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Becker/e/B0065BARJM/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

The post More Of Less: A Book Review And A Life Experience appeared first on Simply Vinnie - Unpacking The Complicated.

Faith Like Rubik’s Cubes

Simple as a Child

By Vinnie MacIsaac

“I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!” Matthew 18:3

 If you call it the Kiss principle^[1]or Ockham’s Razor^[2] it all amounts to the same core truth, “Simple is better.” Why do we as adults have the need to make things so complicated all the time? In some ways, even looking at my own life and walk with God, I, too, make things more complicated then they need to be, and at times I want for the simple faith of my childhood.

Recently, I took our foster children^[3] to church for the first time. Andrew^[4] who is about 7-ish was so excited to be there. It was unbelievable to watch him follow along in the church bulletin and see which item we were on. Luckily, for me, it was youth day, and so I did not have to preach, and I was able to sit with him. When the preaching started, he asked me to help him find the passage in the pew Bible. He got so excited when he was able to find the words on the page that were being spoken from the pulpit.

 Out of no place, Andrew turns to me in the middle of service and says, “Vince, are you the boss of this whole place?”

Trying to be modest and not give the wrong impression of what a Pastor is I responded by saying, “No, I am not the boss, I am the Pastor, which means I work for them.”

But Andrew responds, “But that means you’re in charge, right?”

“No,” I respond, trying to figure out away deflect his focus from the idea of ministry being about authority, “It means that all these people here are praying for you every day.”

“Oh, I get it now!” Andrew says excitedly, “They are praying for me because you’re their boss and they have too!” and it was at that moment I realized there is just no way to defeat child logic and sometimes you just have to roll with it.

Have you considered fostering or adopting? So many children out there need someone to love them.

When children come to live with you whom you have not raised, you never know the level of understanding they will have in matters of faith. But we teach them to pray, before they eat, before they leave for school, and before bed. We all always have a bedtime Bible story, and our betimes prayers always include their extended family they are away from. But one of the things I have noticed is, regardless of what formal religious teaching they have had or are lacking, Children just have this natural connection to God that just seems to come out of nowhere. Sure, their understanding may be basic, even crude, or flat-out wrong, but their faith is as strong as steel!

So, I am sitting there in Church with Andrew, and after a while, his attention fades because sermons rarely come in child sized bites. Andrew kept listening but, at the same time, picks up his Rubik’s cube and randomly starts turning it. Then suddenly he looks up at me with a great big smile on his face and says, “Look! Look what happened, my Rubik’s cube just made the sign of the cross all on its own at Church! God must have made that happen for me because we are in a church!”

Andrew’s cube made the sign of the cross.

Now you and I are already in our big fat over loaded adult brains saying to ourselves, “Ah that is a sweet kid, but come on, that is just happenstance and random coincidence.” But, why? Why can’t it be true? Why do we as adults have to use the intellect all the time to override the reality of faith and the belief in God’s power and love? Surely God’s love that was significant enough to send his son to earth to die for us forgive us of our sin, and show us His love for us is also high sufficiently to move Rubik’s cubes into crosses to show us His love is real and for us! And it made me wonder if I do not have the Rubik’s Cubes in my life made into crosses, just because my adult logic refuses to see them? Maybe, all day long, every day God is making the sign of the cross, the sign of His love for me, the sign of his attention to me evident to me. But whenever His goodness and love is poured out on me, I rationalize it away.

Is that what really happens when we grow up? Is growing up really the process of deleting all evidence of God’s love and the weeding out of our faith?

Is that what happens when we grow up? Is growing up the process of deleting all evidence of God’s love and the weeding out of our faith? Yes, sadly, and even tragically, for some of us, it is. It is like God gives us all a measure of faith when we are kids; it seems we are just born with it when we come into the world. Then as we grow up, if we are not careful, the things of this world rob it away from us all. Some of us will just stop seeing the magic of crosses in Rubik’s Cube, and other of us just are deprived of all belief in God altogether.

Maybe the problem is that, as adults, we become so focuses on solving the problems of the Rubik’s Cube of life that we can’t see the great insights into God, faith, and love those complication cube solving moments creates for us.

During the appeal, the youth preacher made a call for all the people who had never made the decision to be a follower of Jesus before to check off that decision on their decision card to follow Jesus. Andrew looked up at me and asked, “Can you help me find that on the card? I want to follow Jesus!”

I don’t know that he truly understood all that is involved in becoming a dedicated follower of Jesus, nor the cost of self-sacrifice it would ultimately take to follow Jesus all the way in this world. But does that matter? He had faith that could not be rationalized away by the things of this world. Maybe, he just had the sincere, honest faith to sign up with Jesus without the need to have all the adult check items crossed off his list. Maybe his simplistic childhood Rubik’s Cube faith was more than enough for him to know Jesus was real and worth following. And maybe that is what Jesus meant when he said, “I tell you the truth unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!” Matthew 18:3

POSTSCRIPT:

After the kids had been off to school this morning, I passed by their bedroom. Looking in I noticed Andrew’s bed nicely made, and all his teddy bears, stuff animals, and favorite toys, all neatly arranged on his bed, and along the bed frame and even a few poking out from the bedsprings of his brother’s bunk bed above his. But I could not help but notice and be moved by the fact that his new Bible, which he got last week, was central among all these toys having received the chief and prized spot on this bed. It was firmly and faithfully placed on his pillow as if to suggest it is the crown of all his possessions. That is what I call faith like Rubik’s Cubes.

Related Articles:

It’s A Beautiful Day

Failing Naika

Fathers To The Fatherless

Simply Faith–not Simple Faith

^[1] K.I.S.S is an acronym for Keep It Simple Silly

^[2] The principle states that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. Other, more complicated solutions may ultimately prove correct, but—in the absence of certainty—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor)

^[3] In Psalm 68:5 God calls us believers to be Father’s to the Fatherless. Have you considered how you could help change a young person life forever and maybe even for all eternity? In the U.S. 397,122 children are living without permanent families in the foster care system. 101,665 of these children are eligible for adoption, but nearly 32% of these children will wait over three years in foster care before being adopted. More than 23,000 of these children every year will age out of the system with no long term family or support system and will need to suddenly be able to fend for themselves. Google Christian foster care and the name of your local area.

^[4] Andrew is a pseudonym to protect his identity and family. Andrew could be anyone of the 397,122 children in foster care in the United States. Children who arrive in care have many reasons for their placement and not all of them involve anyone’s fault, and so all precautions should be taken to avoid any social stigma upon them.

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