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Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Intersections of Lads to Leaders


I’m pretty sure I heard 30-plus speeches this weekend about Joseph and how his brothers meant the pit, the slavery and the bloody coat, for evil, but God meant it all for good. I heard a lot about Job and even more about the intended and massive eternal good that God meant through the abuse that happened at the cross.  

And I never needed to hear any message more. It was THE powerful balm for my weary soul. His timing is always perfect! He meant this weekend for my good and, yes, of course, I can claim the promise of Romans 8:28 (that I heard quoted several times) in all the things that occur in my life. Events, occurrences, schedules and mishaps are not all about me; but of course they ARE all about Him IN me and in you and in every faithful child. How can He take every single one of His called children this weekend across multiple convention sites and make the paths of our lives converge into one good thing? It’s because we are called according to His purpose and we claim that promise from an infinitely resourceful God. As one of my grandchildren said in her speech, “Like I said, I can’t even imagine it. But it’s no wonder I can’t even imagine it. God said He can do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can even ask or imagine.” 

It strikes me on reflection that we are blessed in His family with so many intersections at a big event like Lads to Leaders. This (Nashville convention, this year) was the biggest convention in the history of Lads and it was full of wonderful cross-over reunions for most of us. 

Lads is a physical family reunion for many of us. I got to be with all of my grandchildren except 3 week-old Lily. I got to hear them all speak. I got to hear them all lead a song. I got to see two of them teach with puppets and I got to see two of them achieve high scores in Bible Bowl. One of them got the Keepers award and a couple of them achieved the Good Samaritan Award.  I got to hug and talk with cousins and sisters and brothers-in law and nieces and nephews. I’m so thankful for family.

Lads intersects with Polishing the Pulpit. Hundreds of PTP friends reunited in corridors and ballrooms. It made us remember good times and it made us say “I’ll see you this summer!” I’m so thankful for PTP.

Lads is an intersection of people from every congregation I’ve ever attended. There were people  with whom I grew up and people from Henderson and  Pulaski and Collierville and Jasper.  Great memories of rich blessings of friendship in Him just overwhelmed me. I’m so thankful for His providence. 

Lads is an intersection of prayer groups. Sisters pray with sisters. We become extremely close as we beg God together. But getting to hug sisters who are pleading for various sicknesses and trials is a gift. I thank God for the praying sisters. 

Lads is an intersection of the sixties-something me and the six-year-old me. People I’ve known from the Adamsville church for all my life walked up and said “I’m ____________.” Then there were big embraces and fond memories just came pouring back. I’m so thankful for a childhood among His faithful people. 

Lads is an intersection of Christian camps. Teen girls, over and over, shouted “Mrs. Cindy!” We took pictures and we said lots of “Are you coming this summer?” And there were lots of “OHHH yes! I can’t wait.”s. I’m thankful for youth events that bind them (and us) together.

Lads is an intersection of Diggers. Digging Deep is a bond of Bible study and fellowship that I do not take for granted! And seeing one or more of you Diggers at an event is a priceless collision!  This weekend, I saw hundreds.

Most importantly, Lads is a great intersection with the future of the kingdom. Of course, I know that it’s not likely that every single young person who participated this year will be in heaven. (That’s the way the devil works!) But every single one of them has the individual power from heaven to get there! I’m still going to pray for every one to be there, because He is the God of more than I can imagine!  I’m also praying that they all take the skills they are learning and just keep on using them year ‘round, year after year, to bring other souls to the cross. I’m so thankful for the display of a bright future for the kingdom. 

Praise God for the children. Praise god for the Kingdom. Of such IS the kingdom. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

A Few, Very Biased Thoughts…

She just keeps pushing them, putting in the effort to keep them going, switching hands every now and then, breathing deep and pushing them again. This morning Hannah  woke up with an achy throat and body and she asked herself if she could really adult today. Then she put in a day of school, took them to piano and karate and gave the meds to the one who is getting past strep. She talked with their doctor and she postponed her own doctor appointment to keep their “swing” going. I asked her last night about doing something fun with a friend. She said “What would that even look like right now?’ She spoke twice last weekend at a ladies day and is gearing up to go speak four times at a retreat where we both will speak (and Colleyanna will, too.) Somehow she got one ready for a 59/60 on the Bible bowl test and she has three who are, altogether, doing 13 events at Lads to Leaders. Her house sometimes looks like a tornado has hit (like mine) and, on most weeks, a big colony of ants could probably live a long time in her van. She had to go around the outside of her house for one of the kids and make sure every window was locked last night before bed. Tonight she is vigilant with one who is afraid of the storms outside. If they only knew how big are the storms from which she daily protects them. (All good parents do this!) She travels four-plus hours (in a day) every other week to get the kids to an important appointment. She stays an extra 45 minutes or an hour after worship services so her kids can play foursquare and Frozen with the children of other faithful people. She has struggled through some hard things to keep them in the best academic and social place. Most of all, she is doggedly determined to give them the best spiritual place. She holds them up before God every day and night and she holds it together when I think I would buckle under the weight. She is thankful when I might be bitter; hopeful when I might surrender. I do not tell her enough, so Hannah Colley, I’m telling you: You are pretty amazing and amazingly pretty to the biased ones down the street. Papa and I are utterly exhausted trying to keep up with your crew and we cannot imagine how you must feel when your head hits the pillow for a precious few hours at night. I know I am biased in the biggest maternal way, but sometimes I have to express the big bias. I also know that your  job could not be done without the children of God who rally around you in a myriad of ways  (but especially in prayer) every single week. We are so proud of the amazing work you are doing, with His  blessings, in the kingdom,  through the three little people we love so much.

There are three more little people we love just as much in Jackson, Tennessee.  It’s these further-away little people who give us joy just as BIG, without quite so much of  the BIG-tired.  We are infinitely and daily grateful for the parents God has given Maggie and Ellis and Lily. We love them deeply, and we are so thankful they are so sufficient in Him and in each other in their Jackson home. The bias, again,  is self-evident, but we cannot thank Him enough for the kind of man Caleb Colley is; for the depth of his spiritual focus, the selflessness that characterizes his leadership and for the loving way He proclaims the precious gospel. We love what he writes, the great logician that he is, and the way he does it all with humility.  We thank God every day for Rebekah, who walks faithfully beside him and is the embodiment of faithful motherhood to Maggie and Ellis and Lily. We are amazed at the Bible knowledge she has put in the two little souls she’s already been teaching. She is the best disciplinarian mom we have ever seen and she does all this while organizing the women’s lectureship at North Jackson and writing books that are valuable to the sisterhood and putting together curriculum for children all over the kingdom, and speaking to ladies groups on a regular basis.  (As an aside, we are equally amazed at the artistic talent that she has given the kids, because we KNOW it did not come through any Colley genes.) 

I know it may sound self-serving to reflect and write about the spiritual qualities of these children I love so much. But, just because they are mine, should I fail to thank and encourage?  Anyway, if that’s the case, I don’t see why, so there…I said it. I’m so thankful that He has given me the inestimably joyful gift of children who walk in truth.  I did not do anything to deserve this gift. It is HIS blessing and the product of HIS truth and the influence of HIS people, but there is no greater joy ( 3 John 1: 4).

We can’t wait to make a trip to meet Lily. Did you enter your guess about her weight and birth time? https://thecolleyhouse.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=19056&action=edit The time is soon and this mammy has a place reserved in her arms, lap and heart already. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Mama’s K.I.S.S. #78: Nursery Sanitation Crew

As you know, if you’ve been reading, for quite some time, I’ve occasionally been running little installments called “Mama’s K.I.S.S.” I know that lots of readers could give many more and far more creative ideas than I can offer, but these installments are just a few tried and true and mostly old-fashioned ideas for putting service hearts in our kids.  This is number 78 of a list of one hundred ways we train our kids to serve. K.I.S.S. is an acronym for “Kids In Service Suggestions”.

Somebody in your congregation, if you are a young church, is already taking the time and effort to sanitize the nursery class each week. Every little plastic car that rolls on the table while they are singing “The wheels on the car go round and round…on the way to Bible class/“ has to be rubbed down with a germ-killing wipe. The linens on the changing table have to be washed and replaced. The table -top that has their little bucket safety seats has to be disinfected and the little clocks they hold during “Tick-tock, time for Bible class” do, too. The diaper pail has to be emptied.

Why not ask the nursery teacher if your teens can do this job for a month of Sundays? You can supervise them if they are young and inexperienced. It’s a great time to teach them how to sanitize while teaching them how to serve. (This one is on almost the same level as the washing of feet in the upper room. It’s not a pretty job. That pail has a stench. But it’s a really necessary job.) This service is valuable in the development of your young “department of sanitation.”

Then at the end of your month, leave a little surprise on the table for the teacher:  a little goody basket or a candle or a box of chocolates.  Include  a note that tells her how much she’s appreciated. After all, she may be the one who is changing the diapers AND emptying the pail. Include this verse in a card.

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14)

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Mama’s K.I.S.S. #77: Cinnamon Rolls for Public Service Workers

As you know, if you’ve been reading, for quite some time, I’ve occasionally been running little installments called “Mama’s K.I.S.S.” I know that lots of readers could give many more and far more creative ideas than I can offer, but these installments are just a few tried and true and mostly old-fashioned ideas for putting service hearts in our kids.  This is number 77 of a list of one hundred ways we train our kids to serve. K.I.S.S. is an acronym for “Kids In Service Suggestions”.

I’ve yet to see the police department, fire station crew (volunteer or paid), or rescue unit that does not love homemade cinnamon rolls delivered to the station or precinct headquarters. You can make these at home with your own kids and do all the delivery work yourselves, or you can do this as a group project with several kids and deliver as a youth group. It can be a project for your homeschoolers, as well. The important thing is to let the kids go in there with hearts and words of gratitude to those men and women who are working to keep our communities safe.  It goes without saying that you will also want to include an invitation to visit the church with times and/or info about  special events or seminars included. You may want to even let each child deliver a hand-written note of thanks, as well.

Alternately, prepare breakfast at the building with your kids and teens and invite all the public service workers to a come-and-go breakfast. I’ve seen this be wildly successful on a Saturday morning. Just be sure you “cover-up” the fire and  police department with flyers ahead of time. Have the preacher or an elder call them, as well, to issue an invitation. This method is especially good in small towns where the department families know the church families. It fosters a great relationship between the church and the community.It’s great to put a sign out on the day of the event with this title  “Thank-you for your service! Free breakfast today for our police, fire and rescue workers. Come on in!” Have kids at the door to welcome and have them during the milk and juice ar helping with the coffee counter.

Here’s a recipe from The Pioneer Woman that I have made (with a few tweaks) and loved:

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11914/cinammon-rolls/

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Mama’s K.I.S.S. #75: Elder Appreciation Letters

As you know, if you’ve been reading, for quite some time, I’ve occasionally been running little installments called “Mama’s K.I.S.S.” I know that lots of readers could give many more and far more creative ideas than I can offer, but these installments are just a few tried and true and mostly old-fashioned ideas for putting service hearts in our kids.  This is number 75 of a list of one hundred ways we train our kids to serve. K.I.S.S. is an acronym for “Kids In Service Suggestions”.

Handwriting, Creative Writing, Grammar, Art, Bible…There’s so much academically in this one. Have your children write/draw a letter to each of your congregation’s elders. Take a few different sit-down times to complete these. Take one to list what you love about each one of them. Take a different time to  have your kids draw pictures of each of your elders. Perhaps you will want to caption the picture with this phrase from Numbers 12: My servant (elder’s name)….He is faithful in all My house.

On a separate sheet, then, have your kids write (or you can write as younger ones dictate)  this list using their age-appropriate creative writing skills in paragraph form. (Example: “He gives us candy,” turns into “I love to hug you in the foyer when you pull out those peppermints from your grey coat pocket.” OR “He is so kind,” turns into “When you get up to tell the church something, we know you care about us because, sometimes,  you cry, and you always tell us a scripture.” You get the point.

In yet another sit-down session, have your kids learn to address an envelope and stamp a letter, if they do not already know. (A learned adult recently remarked to me that many college kids do not know how to address envelopes.)  I can’t imagine that being the case, but make sure yours get that basic skill in your home whether or not they are being taught it elsewhere. Then mail the letters. If you want to include a handmade bookmark for each elder’s Bible, that’s something the elder will use and treasure, but the letter and picture is a lot of work for younger ones and it is sufficient. My husband got a similar letter only a few days ago, from five-year-old Mark,  and that letter is not going in the trash. I have heard Glenn telling several people about it.

Handwriting, Grammar, Art, Bible, etc….But the greatest lesson is not academic. It is a service and gratitude lesson of the heart. It will resonate.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

He’s a Growing Boy…

Sometimes when you get to be advanced in age, like I am, you are overcome with  sentimentality on random days. Today was that day and I want to journal the memory, so it can actually be one—a memory. (Lots of my memories have disintegrated into lack of the same.) Glenn and I are utterly exhausted. We have done back to back out-of-state speaking engagements and, meanwhile, had a big group of company in between and our local fall seminar at West Huntsville was also squeezed in there. We got in Friday night and it was Ezra’s regular Friday night appointment to sleep at Mammy’s house. He does not forget when it’s his turn! 

His routine includes a couple of Cosby episodes with popcorn before bed. This time, we’d been out of town (and it was Colleyanna’s turn to travel with us, which made Ezra all the more at the ready for his Friday visit. (I remember what it was like to be a child, sans siblings at my grandparents’ house!…kind of like a promotion from the regular and mundane to the rare and memorable; from just being one peripheral one of four to being the center of attention.)

Ezra begged for another episode of Cosby before going to bed. I made a deal with him that if he’d go to bed without complaining, we’d watch two episodes together in the morning. SO this morning, after the two episodes of Cosby, he begged and begged for more. Now obviously, post-trip, there’s lots and lots of laundry, unpacking, and there are 123987645  gifts, this time of year, to be secured and wrapped, and I was going to be attending a funeral in the afternoon. I said “No, not this time. Papa needs to run you back home and I will be over there tonight to stay with you kids while Mama goes to do something with some ladies from church.” 

Then the begging intensified and I found out it really wasn’t about Cosby. If I can just stay here, I will help you do your work. I’ll do anything you ask me to do without complaining.” 

And he did. He sorted socks, cleaned tubs and toilets, made a bed, and delivered a package to our cabin guest….And he really did do it all without complaining. After each job, we took a break and he studied for Bible Bowl, which is tomorrow. (Thanks, Cody, for the digital flash cards! They are a game-changer!) After a couple of hours, I sent him to his house to get clothes for the funeral, since he was all about going to that with me, too. 

Upon returning, he showed me the clothes. “Those are great. Perfect!” I said.

“I wish I had a coat to go with these pants, but I don’t have one.” 

Assuming he meant that he didn’t bring one, because it was too cumbersome to bike back while carrying a dress jacket, I said “Well, we can stop by and get you one.” 

“You mean you would actually do that for me?!”

“Well, of course. It just takes a second to stop by your house,” I said. 

Ezra responded, “Oh, well. We don’t need to stop there. Mama already told me I don’t have any dress coat that fits. I thought you meant…well…nevermind.”

I understood then. “Oh,” I said…”You thought I meant we would stop and buy a coat?”

Yeah, but that’s okay. I misunderstood.”

“Tell you what,..” I said. “…Let me hurry and get ready for the funeral and we’ll see if we have time to stop at the store and look for a coat. Every man needs at least one dress coat.” 

When we finally got in the car, he said “What store are we going to?” I replied that, since we were in a hurry, we might just go to Belk. I explained that I love to go to my consignment stores, but since we were so short on time, we might need to check at a store that would surely have his size and a few from which to choose.”Plus…I have a gift card.”

“Belk…” he said. “Is Belk one of those stores that has those kind of floors that are so, so shiny?…Like so shiny that you can almost see yourself in the floor? I love those kinds of stores!”

I remembered the marble tile on the main floor of Belk at Bridge Street and told him I thought so. 

I stopped on the way to get Ezra some chicken nuggets for lunch. As Ezra prayed before eating he thanked God for the day and the food and then he said “Thank you that we get to go to a funeral…” Then there was a very long pause before he said “In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

As he opened his nuggets, he said “I just could not think of what to say to God about a funeral.” I almost said “Help it to be sad, but that didn’t sound right.” I realized that Ezra was starting to grasp the sensibility that almost all of us have about death and dying. We just don’t know what to say to those who are walking though the valley of the shadow of death. 

Once in the store, we really did have to hurry, but I had no idea how very interested Ezra is in clothes. He said, “I have never seen so many clothes in one giant store!” And he had to stop at multiple racks and exclaim over how much he loved a camouflage vest or a black running suit. He has never really expressed to me that he had any clothing preferences. I was so surprised that he actually has his own taste in clothing. He’s always been so happy with whatever I, or others, have given him, that I did not know he had preferences. I also marveled that he’s 10   years old and obviously has been shopping for his clothing…like never. His mama has three young ones and she rarely buys it if it cannot be ordered online….Belk may as well have been Bergdorf Goodman or Saks 5th Avenue in New York. And when we got to the coats, he immediately gravitated to the Brooks Brothers coats. “‘These are just like Papa’s. Can I get this one?” He even had criteria—like an inside pocket and a pocket square in the chest                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      pocket.

Thirty minutes later, we were standing behind the SUV cutting tags off his new funeral coat (Needless to say, it was not the $225.00 Brooks Brothers coat that made it to our car!  How can anyone pay that much for any piece of clothing that will literally seem to be shrinking between Sundays?) There I stood, watching a youtube tutorial about how to tie a boy’s tie. Failing at my attempts, I said, “We’ll just get Papa to tie it when we get to the building.” 

“Oh, Papa will be there?”

“Yes, since he is preaching at the funeral, he will be there.” 

“Could you please see if you could learn to tie it, then? I kind of want to have it on, already, when I see Papa.” Of course, I took a closer look at the tutorial and mastered the Oriental knot in the church parking lot at 1:58 pm. He couldn’t wait to find Papa when the funeral was over. 

Just before the closing prayer, Ezra leaned over and whispere4d, “Is it rude to play when this is over? I see Clark is over there. Is it rude if we play?”

As I finish writing, it’s now Sunday night. That sports coat has barely been off the boy’s back since we bought it. He wore it to the funeral. He wore it to worship this morning. He wore it to Bible bowl this afternoon (although he was the only person in the building with a coat and tie on) and  he wore it to worship again tonight. I think when we made him pull it off for eating salsa at lunchtime, was the only time it got left in the car. 

Clark and Ezra took the first and second spots respectively in their age division at this area-wide Bible bowl. I’d rather them win a Bible bowl competition than a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. I pray they are internalizing every word and that they are getting better and better at applying the concepts from the Word. I pray that Ezra will always have friends like Clark and Luke and Miles and Elijah and Caleb and Cam. Almost every single West Huntsville kid made it to the buzzer round  and almost every 1st place winner was from West Huntsville.

While I know there are lots of other area churches with great kids and great parents, I am so thankful for the ones that are influencing our grandchildren in this formative season. Yesterday, one of the kids in the youth group called me over to ask me for a book recommendation for someone at work, with whom she is studying on a particular Bible topic. Another was mentioned to me by a parent in Texas as being a bright light in her daughter’s life through a camp they both attended. Yet another little duo lost their baby brother this year and, still, together, they made their way to the stage for their blue Bible bowl ribbons. (I think some families know exactly how to bring kids through the dark days!) Some of the youth group members are official Diggers and all of them are digging in the word. And one of them made his way to the stage, three times, in a new navy coat with a pocket square and a new red plaid tie. I’m so thankful for all of them!

And IS it rude to play when a funeral concludes? Asking for a young friend….