A Letter to Foster Parents

The Foster Parents associate of the greater Amarillo area is meeting at our church soon. Here is a letter of appreciation to them.

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the people of Westover Fellowship, I would like to thank you for your service and contribution to our larger Amarillo community. Foster parenting is not easy. Yet amidst the challenges and complexities, you see the need to provide pivotal moments of promise for these young ones. Your ministry is of immense value, and in the end--somehow, somewhere--we all benefit. THANK YOU!!

Your presence vividly reminds us of one of our core values as Christians--we, who were once estranged and left for orphans, are now 'adopted' as sons and daughters of God.

"His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1.5)

This is the reality that compels us to reach out in love and to share life in all its fullness. It guides our worship in the midst of our life's difficulties, our moral vision in the midst of our temporary failings, and our leadership in the midst of our inadequacies. It gives us hope and joy and helps us live with greater understanding and grace.

As Westover Fellowship continues down the road of ministry, we give thanks to God for your faithfulness and the poignant reminder of our own identity in Christ. May God bless you richly!

Grace and peace,
Your fellow orphan,
JON

Coffee with God

Every week I have coffee with God. Sounds strange, but let me explain.

Several times a week, I spend mornings at Roosters Coffee shop in Amarillo (34th & Bell). I grab my COD, inexpensively priced at $1, with FREE refills (yes, I'm cheap). Then I head to the courtyard, a thin unused alley converted to an outdoor coffee paradise.


I find life there. A miscellany of greenery growing in well placed pottery rarifies the air and pleases the aesthetic's eye. The continuous soft trickle of a wall-mounted fountain brings freshness to the ears. A bold Columbian or a smooth breakfast blend, softened by a touch of cream and sweetened with sugar, satisfies the palate. The sacred words of scripture drape blessings over my heart and enlighten my mind with eternal truths. The occasional panhandle breeze enhanced by the slow turning of arbor fans reminds me of the coolness of God's spirit blowing across my soul. Ahhh... relaxing, refreshing, renewing.

I am in the presence of God, and the results are amazing. Sundry, disparate thoughts are bound together and organized... my week's agenda takes form. Despite my personal ignorance in understanding, biblical truths emerge from scripture, take root in meaningful application to life, and are placed in communicable ways on paper... my sermon is birthed. The swelter of personal issues--raising children, giving more to marriage, leadership in ministry, dealing with my own idiosychrasies (which probably drive me mad more than others)--somehow calms to a manageable placidity so I may move on in God's vision for my life.


And it all happens here. This is my sanctuary, my sacred space where I meet God... in word, in beauty, in coffee.

Blessings,
JON