Flex Your Family's Faith Muscle

Written by Clint Kelly

This article is courtesy of HomeLife.

Akemi Takahashi knew her friend sometimes missed meals. Though only 5 years old, Akemi paid attention in Sunday School. “If you can give people food,” she likes to say, “God is very happy.”

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Akemi decided to plant a vegetable garden and sell the produce door to door out of her red wagon. Akemi’s Hungry Kids ministry was born, complete with homemade business cards declaring her a “master gardener.” The media caught wind, and by the end of harvest season, Akemi’s effort had raised more than $1,500 for a local food bank.

The Hisey family believes it’s in their job description as Christians to look for those who are in need of a friend. Because they live in a Navy town on the West Coast, it wasn’t long before Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel Swigart from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln visited their church. He was a long way from family in Indianapolis. The Hiseys — dad, mom, and two kids — “adopted” Joel and include him at family outings where they rollerblade, hike, and canoe.

“Joel’s greatest need was to get off the ship and be with civilians, so we asked him to spend a weekend at our house,” says Tim Hisey, a computer network engineer. “Now he spends every weekend with us when he’s in port and has a room in our house and in our hearts.”

Faith in Action
To be the church in your community is to put your faith in action. Biblical faith, according to 1 John 5:4, is that which overcomes the world. Action is the outward sign, according to James 2:14-24, that your faith has muscle. Faith and action, James proclaims, go hand-in-glove. In fact, if we do nothing about the physical needs we see around us, James questions, “What good is our faith?”

The Hiseys discovered letting Joel into their lives carried unexpected benefits for each of them. “Knowing Joel has brought a richness to our lives that we could never have known otherwise,” Tim shares.

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How can your family flex its faith muscle?
• Be intentional. Even small children can be ministers of God’s compassion. As a young toddler, our grandson, Lars, was taught by his mother to say “God bless you” to as many people as they come across. The resulting smiles are unbelievable! And when a recent windstorm filled an elderly neighbor’s backyard with a 30-foot chunk of cedar tree, Lars was right there with his mom and dad helping clean up.
• Be ready. At Halloween, our friends hand out New Testaments along with candy.
• Be willing. One Christian couple started a ministry to allow parents of special needs kids to attend church. They provide free child care to allow mom and dad to worship with their minds and hearts at ease.
• Be creative. Akemi’s parents had been looking for ways to broach the difficult topic of hunger with their children. The garden provided family time and a natural way to do something about poverty.
• Be open. Many communities have adoption programs for military personnel, minor league athletes, and international exchange students. All provide great opportunities to befriend others as Christ did and to have your home and family blessed by the experience.

Flexing your family’s faith muscle can become as natural as breathing. Begin by praying for eyes to see the needs in your community and to understand that your church is so much more than a building. It’s love and mercy to a world in desperate need of both.

“Even though I left home to join the Navy, I still wanted and needed a place where I could belong,” says Joel. “Some place where the people shared my beliefs and my values, where I could be myself. The Hiseys gave me a place to relax, have fun, and just enjoy.”

Clint Kelly is a communications specialist for Seattle Pacific University as well as an author and a journalist (www.clintkellybooks.com). Clint and his family live in Everett, Wash.