March 24 – “HONGRY”

We took a big step the other day.  Chris was convinced that Freddy was sad and lonely, so we broke down and got her a companion.  Nope.  Not another dog.  It’s actually a stuffed creature.  Some kind of chipmunk or something.  Chris put it in her bed so she wouldn’t be alone at night.  So far we have found it outside and in the den, so she is carrying it around.  I’ll call that one a win.

Yesterday we went to our first karate belting ceremony.  I was expecting to see people belting each other about the head and body.  They actually did do some of that, but that was just a sidelight of the events of the day.  Noa, Josiah and Micah were the stars of our show, of course.  The kids did some all-together exhibitions of the skills they have learned.  We even got to see a team sparring match (Hence, the belting each other).  Then each one was pulled out by an instructor and did an individual exhibition.  After the “tests” were complete, all the parents came down and tied their new colored belts around their child’s waist.  Pretty impressive stuff, especially since there must have been over a hundred children of all ages, and even some adults involved. 

The thing that really took me by surprise came about midway through the festivities.  They brought out a table and some chairs and interviewed one of the instructors who was leaving to become a college pastor.  The interview turned into a personal testimony about how Jesus had changed the guy’s life.  Then they called the young man’s pastor and the karate grand master’s pastor down.  The group laid hands on the guy and prayed for him.  Not at all what I expected in the middle of a karate demonstration. 

After the kids were released we took them across the street to a Chick-Fil-A for a celebratory lunch.  Hey, that was quite some accomplishment.  They needed to be feted with a little food.  Of course the fact that the event began at ten and it was now almost two had just a little to do with it as well.  Those little athletes were beyond hungry.  They were HONGRY.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

Father, than you for the expression of trust in you that those kids saw in their instructors and administrators.  It goes a long way when they see that in places other than church.  Amen.