The Happy Grandmas

YES! is collaborating with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child in a special way this year to help spread the word about this amazing serving opportunity. This is the second of four stories we’re pleased to share.

Barbara Korn and Margarita Sosa are both in their mid-70s and refer to themselves as "The Happy Grandmas." Together, they make hundreds of stuffed animals each year to pack in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to share God's love with children across the globe.

"Making these creations has given me so much assurance that the Lord is using me for His purpose," Margarita said. "If I can see and I can sew and cut and thread, I'll be doing this until I die." Barbara agreed and encourages Christians to never underestimate the power of God to work in the lives of those who are available and obedient, regardless of their age.

"Every day when I get up, I choose to do something," Barbara said. "And as long as God keeps us healthy, we will continue to make these cuddly creations."

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan's Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.

Whether you create an item for a shoebox or pack one, it can make an eternal difference in the life of a boy or girl. "One box is going to reach a child—that's a soul that is going to be touched by Jesus," Margarita said. "One child at a time, it's going to make a difference."

To learn more, visit the Operation Christmas Child Ways to Volunteer page.

Declare His glory among the nations!
Psalm 96:3

Franklin Graham, President

See Their Solicitation Disclosure© 2023 Samaritan's Purse

PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607

833-746-4225

See the Forest

If we’ve ever been blessed to have you in our home, you’re aware that we live in a Santa Cruz Mountain forest, surrounded by dozens of towering redwoods.

“No view.”

When we moved here from Southern California in ‘98, we couldn’t help but laugh as we reviewed a subjective option in our miracle home’s appraisal, authoritatively declaring ‘no view’.

Our majestic redwood trees block our view. Who knew? Apparently, our appraiser couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

Merriam Webster defines this idiom as: “to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.”

Our focus on adults over 55 covers many life stages, triggering some bewilderment: WHAT does a 55-year-old have in common with a 95-year-old?

When you add our intergenerational ministry emphasis across all ages, it too plays with people’s minds. WHAT interests do teenagers and adults in their seventies share?

Some might be quick to respond in a way reminiscent of our viewless appraisal: ‘No common areas of interest’.

Maybe the ‘WHAT’ question leads us astray. As fellow Christians we might do well to first start with WHO we have in common. From that wellspring alone, we have many connecting points.

Towering trees and older adults: Both have journeyed for scores of years around the sun. What a mistake to treat either of them as obstructions!

They, too, are an incredible part of the view…and can us inspire us as we together trek around that same sun.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)

North of 85 and Going Strong

How do you say ‘no’ to an 85/86-year-old couple with a God-given passion to help smaller churches?

We could just view them as anomalies, or we might let their example help move our expectation bar much higher.

If they and others in their eighties can still accomplish so much, maybe I’m too young to hit the brake pedal!

Stan & Julie Wagner, through their ministry, SeedOne, have raised millions of dollars and have tackled over 200 projects, both domestic and international—primarily assisting smaller churches that need an infusion of labor and expertise.

Stan admits that he has now backed away from most of the physical labor, but he & Julie are the driving force in pulling these projects and work teams together—with lots of help from those younger.

At this particular Santa Cruz, California project, “those younger” included 80-year-old Walter. More than a decade older and wiser than me, I couldn’t keep up with him.

While Stan & Julie have learned the art of downshifting, they clearly still have their foot on the gas pedal, eager to share about upcoming projects in Bolivia and Northern California.

I recently had the joy of serving a day with the SeedOne crew in their week-long backyard makeover at New Hope Community Church. Both new and returning volunteers came from multiple churches in California and Nevada... mostly skilled construction volunteers in their forties to eighties, about half of them vocationally retired and the others still employed.

It was amazing to see all they accomplished, pouring a huge patio, installing fencing, building/painting a new shed, and painting another one.

Stan didn’t start out in construction but earlier pastored several small rural churches. Necessity led him into a variety of church-related construction projects.

We don’t all have construction skills or the physical agility to serve on a work crew like this, but we do have an array of gifts and talents that can still be activated for meaningful service.

85+, going strong and multiplying their efforts through others...incredibly inspiring!

Never Too Old to Serve

YES! is collaborating with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child in a special way this year to help spread the word about this amazing serving opportunity. This is the first of four stories we’re pleased to share.

96 Years Young

You are never too old to serve. Just ask Sallie Simmons, who describes herself as "96 years young."

Sallie is a retired nurse. When she stepped away from her career at age 65, she knew that retirement was the beginning of a very different season of her life as a Christian. She immediately jumped into ministry at her church in Miami and committed to packing Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Why? "Because those boxes go to the ends of the earth to tell others about Jesus," she said. "I want everybody to know about Jesus. That's why I pack boxes."

Get Involved

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan's Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.

"If you haven't ever packed a shoebox, try it," Sallie said. "It will make your heart feel good, and it will introduce a child to Christ."

To learn more, visit the Operation Christmas Child Ways to Volunteer page.

Declare His glory among the nations!
Psalm 96:3

Franklin Graham, President

See Their Solicitation Disclosure© 2023 Samaritan's Purse

PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607

833-746-4225

Fan Into Flame

4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.    2 Timothy 1:4-6

These words penned by Paul to Timothy reflect such two-way depth in their relationship. It’s not just Paul the Elder pouring his life into the younger Timothy. Timothy, who also benefited greatly from his God-honoring mother and grandmother, is a source of joy in Paul’s life.

We love Paul’s reminder to “fan into flame the gift of God.”

Living in a forest, we rely on our wood-burning fireplace insert as our primary heat source. With no gas or propane connected, we ignite crumpled paper and kindling to get the fire started.

Once inflamed, we add logs to keep the fire going for up to weeks at a time. When the flames subside, we search for embers we can fan into flame. In our home these embers are treasures...so much better than starting over.

In life’s later stages we need to value our embers/gifts and pair them with a fresh Holy Spirit wind that fans our gifts into flame. In this passage Paul’s life was about to be extinguished, but hot embers would continue to be fanned into flame by Timothy and others.

Embers don’t remain embers forever. They can grow cold and die out, or they can be fanned into flame. Here we are, a couple thousand years later, still fanning these embers into flame.

Life’s second half is not an ember-only life stage, passively awaiting life’s final flicker. We may experience challenges that suggest our raging-fire days are over. But with open hearts, get ready for those embers to once again burst into flame. God may use our prayers, His Word, serving opportunities, relationships---even our trials---to fan our embers.

And, as we’re reminded in this month’s Easter celebration...it’s Friday but Sunday is a-comin’.

Atmospheric Rivers

If you’ve been praying for rain in California, we give you permission to stop. :) If you’ve been praying for revival in our nation and world, please continue!

We’ve had plenty of opportunities lately to confirm that water runs downstream.

But we’ve also observed that God’s Spirit is not subject to natural laws. God is full of wonderful, counter-intuitive surprises.

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Yes, in the spiritual realm an outpouring can flow upstream from an unexpected base.

Today we may not have anticipated a spiritual outpouring through Gen Z students at a Kentucky university with Methodist roots. We love how God’s Spirit is on the move, once more touching a younger generation and rippling out to all generations.

We had never even heard the term “atmospheric river” until this winter, and we’ve marveled at nature’s incredible force here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Atmospheric rivers are happening in the spiritual realm, too. People are hungry for more of God, and a humble spirit of repentance has led to another special outpouring and call to obedience. No big names, no special effects, no incredible musical talent---just a group of committed students humbling themselves before an awesome God.

Many people have been on their knees praying that this day would come. How gratifying for those prayer warriors and for those faith-filled students who chose to continue their worship!

We also love seeing the convergence of many media efforts highlighting God’s love and redemption such as the Jesus Revolution movie, the He Gets Us campaign, and The Chosen.

America and the world have been hit by many storms in recent years, certainly not all weather-related, and we need God’s supernatural intervention.

May all of us be open to God’s fresh touch as we too humble ourselves before Him. Sons and daughters are seeing visions, and older generations are dreaming dreams.

We pray that this is only the beginning.

Tipping the Scales with Younger Leaders

24b But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

1 Corinthians 12 (ESV)

For the first time since starting YES! in 2008, we’re now up to eight serving on our board of directors. Half are from California, and half are from other states...not too surprising for a nationally focused ministry based in California.

What may surprise you, though, is that FIVE current board members are younger than our 55+ age target.

Read those above verses again. “Giving greater honor to the part that lacked it...No division...Members having the same care for one another.”

If a certain part of the body lacks honor, these verses suggest that we partner with God to extend greater honor to that part. We don’t expect that part to fend for themselves and simply hope for the best.

There’s something special when other parts take notice, show concern and give honor.

Our newest board member, Christine Turner, in her late forties, exemplifies what we’re talking about:

“I am currently in two Bible studies where I am the youngest in the group. In one of my groups I sit next to a woman in her 80s who just lost her husband last year. We have really bonded. She knows I am a crier and always brings my Kleenex. I hold her hand when someone shares about their spouse, and I can tell it’s painful for her. I love multigenerational opportunities in ministry.”

There’s relevant instruction here for our youth-oriented, age-segregated American culture that we’ll continue to emphasize:

• Let honor flow between generations.

• Don’t settle for division.

• Care for those outside your circle.

Younger people are old enough to lead us. And we who are older are still young enough to serve.

Partnering with younger generations to fulfill our mission is life-breathing.

Here's the church and there's the steeple...

“Here's the church and there's the steeple.
Open the door and see all the people.”

Mature Christians know that the Church is the people, not a steepled building. Buildings are wonderful structures, but unlike people, they are not living, breathing, interdependent beings, for whom Jesus died.

In a recent two-part podcast (Jan 10) interview with Cavin Harper and Sarah Greenstreet of ElderQuest Ministries, I (Wes) was asked about obstacles holding the church back from being more intergenerational.

Do you ever get asked a question, give an answer on the spot, and then continue to mull over the question in weeks to come?

This question prompted me to think post-podcast about my dad, who passed away over two decades ago. He was a successful building contractor, overseeing the construction of over a thousand homes in the Pacific Northwest.

He had his core construction crew and also worked with a myriad of subcontractors. Fostering close relationships between the various subcontractors wasn’t a priority. He mainly wanted them to work efficiently and stay out of each other’s way.

Houses/buildings have many parallel systems and fewer interdependent systems. The electricity and plumbing operate independently. The brick masons, painters, and carpet layers may have little interaction, and that's okay. You might say they ‘tolerate’ each other.

When the power goes out at our house (and it does!), we can still use our sink and non-electric stove. By contrast, our body’s digestive tract would shut down without the circulatory and nervous systems.

We know there is a temptation for pastors and leaders to operate like building contractors. The ‘body’ of Christ can sometimes drift to a more manageable ‘building’ metaphor, content with tolerant relationships.

Rather than operating like general medical practitioners, with keen awareness of the complex, interdependent nature of the body, some pastors thrive as successful contractors. Like my dad, they appreciate what each tradesperson brings to the table but may be less apt to focus on interdependent relationships, including intergenerational.

We’re here to support pastors and churches in this arena. Let’s all remind ourselves how much we need each other as the body (not the building) of Christ.

Some Side Effects May Occur

Have you ever listened intently to all of the possible adverse side effects as certain medications are advertised on TV?

It’s hard to believe they’re investing exorbitant advertising dollars in a commercial that spells out such a demoralizing array of devastating side effects.

In a more positive direction, we’re often blessed to see very favorable side effects when we follow our prescribed-by-God calling.

As you know, we’re called to address the untapped serving potential of adults in life’s second half, particularly in the USA. This, too, was the focus of our recent Finishing Strong video series.

We recently learned that one of our videos, Disciple Makers, with our youngest presenter, Daniel Jaquish, is now posted as far away as Australia, being used on the Navigators Military Ministry website to inspire young officers in that nation’s military service. 

Michael Schmid (with the Navigators ministry) shared with us, “The Deputy Director of the US Navigators Military Ministry visited with me personally yesterday, having been so impressed by what he heard from Daniel that he wanted me to help nationally in developing more disciplers like him among young officers.”

Also, this video spurred a Space Officer at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to ask Daniel to mentor him in launching discipleship ministry at his base.

Michael also shared that two churches, led by friends pastoring in the Northeast and Nebraska, are using the video to launch discipleship emphasis ministries in their congregations.

We never know the far-reaching impact of our efforts when God leads us. Some of the effect falls right in line with our mission statement. And other wonderful ‘side effects’ thankfully occur, expressions of God at work, far beyond our finite goals.

Is Our All Too Small?

J.B. Phillips authored a powerful book you may have read, Your God is Too Small.

Somewhat parallel to that classic reminder, we like to pay close attention to what follows when someone says, “It’s ALL about…”

While we’re passionate about older adult ministry, we recognize that it’s not ALL about us and older generations.

We’re passionate about younger generations, but we know it’s not ALL about them either.

“For God so loved THE WORLD.” We like the bigness of that picture. He loves the poor, the elderly, the unborn, ethnic minorities and majorities, the young, the rich and middle class.

And while our passions may draw us to a specific cause or people group, it’s ALL about the ALL, y’all!

We confess that it makes us kind of sad when we hear that a church is ALL about young families. Don’t get us wrong. We, too, love young families.

But young families without older generations around will take on weights of responsibility God intended to be shared more broadly. The vibrancy of our later years will be diminished if we’re generationally isolated.

With extended longevity, four-generation families are common. May our churches reflect that as well!

Some communities, of course, have a narrower generational mix, making age breadth a more difficult goal.

We recall seeing “This is not your grandparents’ church!” advertisements for new church startups in earlier years. We know this meant the worship and other style preferences would be a departure from earlier generations. We get that.

We love it, though, when churches have a unified Thanksgiving-celebration spirit. Imagine receiving a Thanksgiving invitation from a family member declaring “This is only for young families” or, “This is not our grandparents’ Thanksgiving” or, “Sorry, mature-adults-only this year.” Ouch!

Is our ALL too small?

While embracing fresh creativity, let’s make church an intergenerational affair! Like this month’s Thanksgiving meal, it’s not ALL about what’s on the table; it’s about who feels welcomed around that table as well.

The Element of Surprise

Have you been surprised by anything lately?

Some people tell us that they don’t appreciate surprises. “Why not let the cat out of the bag earlier…so they can look forward to it?” they might say to a surprise-party planner.

While we’re not throwing many surprise parties, we do like surprising people…challenging hidden assumptions and helping them see things in a new light.

Through YES! we like surprising people with:

• Younger people who actually care about older adults

• Generosity and thoughtfulness

• A commitment to excellence

• Biblical truth that runs counter to even our Christian culture.

Even though it strikes at the core of our mission, older adults still surprise us with the remarkable difference they’re making in the lives of others. God also surprises us with unexpected momentum in a season when many expect us to slow down or stop.

Our Finishing Strong video series is surprising people and helping to build ministry momentum.

“Wow, I thought only older adults cared about older adults.”

“I’m not used to seeing such high production quality in older adult ministry.”

“Free? Are you kidding me? You’re just giving this away?”

These are new opportunities to touch lives around North America and beyond.

Should we be surprised by God’s goodness? Yes and no.

Yes, knowing we’re undeserving should keep us always in a surprised state of awe and appreciation.

And no, because God is good. All the time! He is good.

A Work of Art

Our newest YES! board member, Art Gaeta, has flunked retirement several times. At age 77 he just signed another year-long public high school contract, teaching Spanish in Gilbert, Arizona.

He's still nearly two decades shy of matching Queen Elizabeth’s work longevity, but he loves his daily interaction with students.

For most of his life as a Christian, Art has been very open in sharing his faith with others. At his age, his sense of freedom has only increased.

While showing regard for school guidelines, Art looks for ways to give an answer for the hope that lies within. And what’s the worst they can do to him at this age for pushing the boundaries a bit? Fire him?

As the 2021-22 school year ended, Art was asked to oversee an afternoon detention class for delinquent students. He felt led by the Lord to have a heart-to-heart talk with these students.

He first reminded them in no uncertain terms where some of their poor choices could lead them.

He then shared his personal testimony of how Christ had redeemed his own rebellious life and set him on a better path. Several students met with him the next day, wanting to know how they could get right with God.

These are real lives being impacted because Art chooses to listen to God’s voice, which is what led him back into the classroom.

Vocational retirement is a good choice for many, but it doesn’t have to be the only choice or a permanent choice. May the Lord continue to give Art health, strength, and favor as he serves so faithfully.

Adding Breadth

When we started YES! over fourteen years ago, we were anxious to ‘flip the script’ with regard to older adult ministry.

We knew a ton of potential was being ignored, and changes were needed in how churches and individuals approached this life season.

As we ourselves become more seasoned, it feels now more like a push to broaden the script—rather than flip it. Broader serving, generational connections, prayer, disciple making. “Doers of the Word, not just hearers.”

From the start, one person who significantly motivated us and broadened our horizons was Dr. Amy Hanson—young, well-educated and passionate about older adult potential. Years later we’re deeply honored to now have Amy serving on our YES! board of directors.

We can all use some help and broader perspective in Finishing Strong. We’re blessed to share our first of eight videos with you, our YES! Champions, some of whom have enabled us to broaden our outreach through this series. The other videos will begin to circulate soon, but we want to give you a headstart so you can pray for a broader awakening as these videos are released.

To help us build momentum, please share this www.finishingstrong.video link with others who might benefit from this Finishing Strong series.

This is truly a life season full of both challenges and promise, as Amy so eloquently shares in this introductory video.

A Break from Routine

Hope you’re enjoying some very special times this summer.

We love serving, and we love vacations! We need rest and a break from our usual routines.

This isn’t vacation-related, but allow us to share a ‘secular’ resource that we’ve found helpful, a break from our typical promotion of Christian resources/ministries.

Eldera is an organization committed to connecting older mentors (age 60+) to a child (and their families) somewhere in the world, usually outside the U.S.

Zoom is used for fun, weekly video chats.

Judy loves connecting with Soyon, a delightful, 10-year-old Korean girl. These half-to-full-hour conversations are so rich.

Soyon’s English has shown steady improvement, and her initial shyness dissipates as she shares stories about her school, summer camp, arts and crafts, and family activities.

Judy, in turn, shares about what’s going on in her life and has enjoyed passing on ideas/stories/games our kids and grandkids have enjoyed. A special friendship has blossomed.

Soyon is not yet a believer in Christ. With both freedom and discretion, Judy shares what Jesus means to her personally. Similar to a public-school environment, Eldera is not a faith-based organization. (Mentors are vetted, and calls are recorded, for child safety.)

Training calls with other mentors put you into contact with adults from all walks of life, another ‘salt and light’ avenue.

If this opportunity sounds intriguing, click on their website and prayerfully consider applying. If you’re under 60, please pass this information on to a mature, 60+ Christian.

Please let us know if you choose to connect with Eldera. We’d love to hear about your experience.

Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.

Serving in a generationally-focused ministry, we enjoy learning about key character traits of Millennials, Gen Xers, Boomers, Builders, etc.

But something is missing when we study generations in these contexts. These generational names connect to significant historical events and seasons, but nothing in the names themselves infer relationship to other generations.

By contrast, think of the built-in relational AND mutual responsibility contexts ascribed to roles within families: parent/child, brother/sister, aunt & uncle/niece & nephew, grandparents/grandchildren, etc.

We can quietly drift away from the Church as the family of God when we focus too much on generations in isolation from one another. When Scripture calls us to love one another, it’s not just referring to our peers.

It's easy to dismiss our own responsibility when we settle for dismissive stereotypes like “those Millennials … they just don’t get it!”

If we’re talking instead about our niece or nephew, it becomes more natural to simultaneously wonder how well we are doing in our role as aunt and uncle.

Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.

We love encouraging churches to become stronger families of God by valuing the vertical. By that, we mean valuing peer-to-peer relationships AND those age-vertical relationships like we see embedded in so many of those family titles.

May God grant us all favor and intentionality in our peer groups AND with those both older and younger!

Oh, We Wish!

We all have our wishes.

We wish Covid would completely disappear. We could wish an upcoming surgery and rehab were behind us. We may wish it were summer. We wish we were on the other side of that big project coming up.

And, of course, those “can’t wait” words of excitement make their way into our vocabulary.  Can’t wait for the big trip, can’t wait for retirement, can’t wait to see our grandkids.

If we’re in a dark tunnel, we’ll rightfully strain our eyes to see the light at the end of it.

But as we flip our daily or monthly calendars, we realize each day we have is precious. Lord, help us—even as we look forward to the possibility of better days ahead—not to wish away our hours, days, months and years!

Of course, we’re excited about eternity and heaven … our lives to come after we depart from this earth.

But let’s also embrace the moment. Let’s not wish the gift of time away. May the Lord give us grace to face today—full of faith and hope.

We’re grateful for our 2022 calendar, rich with both ministry and relaxation. Even as we look forward with eager anticipation, may we be fully present in the now. Appreciative and attentive to whom and what’s before us today.

Humble Resolve

The horrible tragedy of war in Ukraine is still unfolding, but it’s clear that almost everyone outside Ukraine underestimated the tremendous resolve of the Ukrainian people.

We’ve been going through the book of Daniel, highlighting his humble resolve as he faced insurmountable odds.

Humble resolve is a needed ingredient throughout life, but the character trait becomes more vivid when we face times of testing.

Humble | Adjective

GENTLE, respectful, modest, courteous, unpretentious.

Resolve | Noun

DETERMINATION, firmness, intent, purpose, strength of character, grit, guts, desire, intestinal fortitude.

The Ukrainian leaders know they are the underdog in this battle. They know they need help beyond their tenacious resolve.

Seeing what those Ukrainian leaders, civilians, and soldiers face can make our challenges seem pretty miniscule by comparison.

But we, too, may feel overwhelmed by obstacles we’re facing today.

Let’s strengthen our resolve to follow Christ to the end, no matter what life may throw at us. And let’s be humble enough to admit our need for help … from God and others.

And let’s pray desperately for the people in Ukraine, the many refugees fleeing, and the many nations coming to their aid.

How Will You Celebrate Recovery?

One lesson Covid has taught us is that it’s okay to back away from activities that put us unnecessarily at risk. Conversely, we’ve learned to take calculated risks.

We certainly can’t erase all risk in life, and overly cautious isolation carries risks of its own. Some people have jobs where they’ve risked their lives nearly every day for others. We gratefully admire their courage.

At some point we hope to live through this pandemic and look back. We’ll likely identify times when we were overly cautious and perhaps other times when we took unnecessary risks.

We’ve lost many friends to Covid, some vaccinated and some not. Some were already close to death’s door, and Covid put them over the threshold.

Some seemed otherwise fairly healthy, and those losses are especially tough.

One concern we share as this pandemic continues much longer than most expected: Are we becoming more timid and risk-adverse to the point that our behavior won’t change much once the pandemic is behind us?

We know the trajectory of older adult behavior is sometimes difficult to turn around. Will “erring on the side of caution” continue to be our mantra when certain risks are behind us?

You may be familiar with the ministry of Celebrate Recovery, focused on breaking free from life-controlling issues. What are we doing to celebrate recovery from a recent bout with Covid? Or, how will we celebrate when the risks of Covid are eventually behind us?

Let’s continue to be bold risk-takers in sharing our faith, in living daily lives that reflect more faith than fear. Let’s not allow Covid to permanently sideline us or redefine us as ‘too old to serve.’

Let’s be safe and care-full, full of care for others.

All Things

Just weeks into this new year, we’ve already been touched by the passing of several wonderful Christians who have left a powerful legacy.

Minutes after reading through a compelling December interview with Dr. George Wood, our former pastor and Assemblies of God general superintendent, we learned of his death.

In the interview Dr. Wood commented on the familiar passage where Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

As he pointed out, this passage can be easily misunderstood, like unrealistic hyperbole.

The reason I didn’t understand it was because he was in prison. He’s in a prison cell, he is chained to a guard, and he is saying, “I can.” And I want to shout at him through the tunnel of time, hey, Paul, don’t you realize you can’t do anything, your traveling days are over, your epistle writing days are nearly done? You're not planting churches anymore. People aren’t being healed under your ministry.

Then it dawned on me one day that prison was the hardest thing God ever asked him to do. And what that phrase means is I can even do this. 

And that has been meaningful to me in this time when I’m fighting stage 4 cancer. I can do this through Christ who strengthens me, whether He chooses to heal me on this side of the Jordan or heal me on the opposite side of the Jordan. I’ve never felt spiritually stronger in my life than I do now.

And even as the Apostle Paul, Dr. Wood, and others drew close to their final breaths, they continued to touch many lives, ours included.

Some of our Young Enough to Serve heroes have reached the end of life ‘on this side of Jordan’. Yes, we can face even death with Christ beside us, giving us hope and strength.

With that understanding and assurance, being Young Enough to Serve, too, is not just wishful thinking. Many find ways to serve and impact others, up to the very end.

Down to Earth

Because the Christmas story is so familiar, we sometimes forget how truly radical it is.

“Down to earth” is an admirable quality: Real, not putting on airs, humble. And what could be more down-to-earth than Jesus leaving heaven and making His lowly stable entrance? 

A teenage virgin travels out of town by donkey in her final month of pregnancy ... such an impossible, improbable beginning saga for God’s only Son!

In our upwardly mobile culture, we tend to look for better and avoid eye contact with those struggling.

We’re certainly not opposed to higher education, financial equity, and interaction with people seemingly higher up the food chain. 

But from the very start of this story, God identifies with people in humble circumstances. Apart from divine revelations through angels, a star and bright lights, Jesus in the manger would be off our radar … not a scene we’d be drawn to.

What a reminder to pay attention to those around us in desperate, dismal situations.

More than three decades later, in Matthew 25, Jesus encourages us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, show hospitality to strangers, provide for those needing clothes, and look after the sick and imprisoned. 

44-45 (NIV) “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Having a servant’s heart means we humble ourselves and look at others with compassion, eyeball to eyeball, as though we’re looking into the eyes of Jesus.

Now, two millennia later, the manger scene still beckons. It’s not too late to visit Jesus, bearing gifts. And yes, we’re still young enough to serve!