The Power of Silence

I'm sorry for being absent. The holidays have train-wrecked my blog-posting momentum--the past 10 days have been an absolute blur! Our kids received more toys than they knew what to do with this year. They were flooded with gifts from every side of the family. In fact, Mikaela grew so tired of opening all her presents that she asked Alexa to give her some help! One of their favorites was a karyoke machine...we've been doing the YMCA and singing "Achey Breaky Heart" all week long!

I've been hit by the "yellow-green monster" the past few days--a bad sinus infection has caused me to lose my voice. Being unable to talk is a preacher's worst nightmare! However, Rachel seems to be enjoying the silence. It's kind of cool, but my life is significantly different when my mouth is shut. When I'm quiet, I have a greater awareness of the presence of God and what is going on around me. Maybe that is why the Father told us, "Be still and know that I am God." We miss so much when we constantly run our mouths.

I'm reminded of the story about the little boy who received a brand new watch for Christmas. With all his neighborhood friends playing football outside in the snow, he wanted to show them his watch and join in the game. His father warned him of the possibility of losing his new gift and recommended he play without it. But with a reassuring smile and a nod of his head, the little boy bolted out the door. It wasn't long before the boy looked down at his wrist in between plays and noticed that his watch was gone. In a panic, he yelled at his friends to stop the game. The boys canvased the field, digging through the snow without any luck. After 30 minutes of frenzied searching, the boy sat helplessly in the snow with his face in his hands. He knew his mistake--he should have listened to his dad. With his friends now gone, and nothing but silence to remind him of his loss, he heard a ticking noise close by! He followed the noise to discover his watch, buried beneath an overlooked patch of snow!

When we settle our spirits and get quiet on the inside, we find exactly what our hearts are looking for--an intimate relationship with the God who loves us!

Christmas Wish List

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday! I love gathering with family and friends...anytime you can get a bunch of Hamans together in the same house and not have issues, you have accomplished something. The Hamans produce so much drama that I'm convinced our family originated from Hollywood! In fact, I think my dad has been nominated for several academy awards only to be edged out by my mom...just teasing, my parents are the best!

Last weekend we traveled to Houston to celebrate Christmas at my sister's house. Don't you just love holiday traffic? Isn't it fun how a 4 and 1/2 hour trip can be stretched into 7! Throw in 2 small kids, 1 strong will, and an overactive bladder and we're talking some serious joy to the world!! The trip was treacherous, but the weekend experience was well-worth the inconvenience. We stayed up late, ate, talked, ate some more, watched movies, ate a little bit more, watched the kids open presents, ate again, played ping pong, snacked, went to the symphony, and got hungry!!

Reconnecting with family that is so spread out was like oxygen to my soul! The only way to improve our celebration would be to have Rebekah, my younger sister from Denver, there. The opportunity to slow down, do some personal inventory at the end of the year, and take stock of the blessings and goodness of God is an absolute must.

For me, the highlight of this Christmas season came as a complete surprise. During our grueling 7 hour journey across I-10 to Houston, Alexa (my 2nd grader) read us an entry from her class journal. Everyday, the students write in their little booklets. Her assignment, that day, was to describe her Christmas wish for the world. She wrote: "My Christmas wish for the world would be for everybody to ask Jesus to come into their hearts and go to church. I wish that all the families who suffered during Hurricane Katrina would have homes to live in. I wish that everyone could have at least 1 dog, and that everyone would stop littering."

Does it get any better? What did I ever do to deserve such wonderful kids! This Christmas, do your best to see the world through eyes of innocence, hope, joy, and faith.

Whoopie! Hallelujah!

On Tuesday, I had the incredible privilege of serving my family by honoring the life of my Paw Paw at his funeral. After 93 wonderful years, he breathed his last and went home to be with Jesus. He and my grandma had been married for 68 years and together raised 4 beautiful daughters...and I thought I was surrounded by women! I preached his funeral from his own Bible, which was given to him in 1949. The markings in that Bible marked the priorities of his life--prayer, praise, family, and faith. He was a barber for decades and earned a living charging $1.00 per cut. He stood many hours, cutting a lot of hair just to feed 4 little girls at the house. Being a long-time barber with an expert eye, he always had something to say about my own hair...it never was cut exactly right...until the day I introduced him to my wife, Rachel. He saw how beautiful she was and never had another critical thing to say about my hair!!

He was passionate, fully alive, and completely committed to Jesus Christ. He never experienced fame or fortune. He made no great discoveries. He wrote no books and left no great works of art. But he left us something far greater--a legacy of faith and trust in God.

During his final months in the nursing home, Paw Paw rarely talked above a whisper. Yet, the night of his passing during his final moments, he clapped his hands, lifted them to heaven, and shouted "Whoopie!! Hallelujah!!" After that, he slipped off into eternity. He died just like he lived: enjoying life and celebrating Jesus. That's how I want to go when I die--my eyes and my heart set toward heaven.

Paw Paw was not afraid to die because he had already settled the issue of where he would spend eternity. During our last visit, Paw Paw told me, "Mike, I'm on a journey, and I'm enjoying every step!" His journey is over now, and his joy has just begun."

HPC Cali

It has been an incredibly busy and exciting three weeks full of travel, family, and ministry. This past weekend, Rachel and I had the wonderful opportunity to journey to Danville, California (right outside of San Francisco) and visit our Healing Place campus there. We launched the campus several months ago, and it's amazing to see how God is using our church to bring healing to hurting people 1500 miles away from Baton Rouge. We feel such family connections with the Danville campus pastors, Rob and Brianna Read, and their entire launch team. What an honor to be able to express Christ with the same DNA and passion for the lost. The Bible says, "Despise not the day of small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see a work begin." I believe the sky is the limit for what God wants to do in Danville!!

Thanks to Tyler and Michelle, we were able to take a trip Sunday afternoon to the Nappa Valley and do a little tour of wine country...a very lovely experience! I felt like I had stepped into another country as we toured the wineries, shops, and communities. It was awesome!!!