From Kitchen Counter Ministry to Couch Rebels

I’ve been raising 5 boys to men with my husband – not in our hometowns but in a town He sent us to.

This new hometown is my boys’ hometown – and in the raising of these boys, I have become “hometown-locked” – for now. No spend-the-nights at the grandparents. No weekends on our own. When bones get broken or sickness comes – it’s just my husband and I – and “stay-at-home” mom is even more stay-at-home.

A mission team came to our church once, talking about their African orphanage for babies abandoned because they had aids – and how they needed people to hold them, to rock them.

That was something I could do, rock babies, hold babies needing loving.

I had boys-to men to raise – and God, He told me to stay hometown locked – to grow upward. He did the math for me, too – to show it wasn’t a wasted staying. 5 boys x 5 friends x 10 years (because friends move in and out of the sphere) – 250 – to stay and minister to the 250 that came through the door of my house.

My son, though, he went to Uganda – to minister to those displaced in the bitter battles.

Kitchen Counter ministry – that’s where the Father put me – and then, in 2009 –He encouraged me to start a blog – to use this dream of mine I’d had since I was 6 – to write – for Him.

I still can’t go on mission trips out-of-town. I’m still raising some of these boys to men – but my writing through Cause Publication in conjunction with Jars of Clay’s Blood:Water Mission – can help fundraise to provide moms and dads and children in Africa with clean water.

Couch Rebels is a story collection by people who have stepped out of their comfort zone to minister the love of Jesus Christ – some in Haiti – or on the other side of a forsythia bush, some in a hospital waiting room, or at the end of a job termination experience.

No – I can’t go to Africa right now. I can’t go to Haiti right now.

Billy Graham said, “If you want to change someone’s life, tell a story.”

I think Graham meant a real story, a faith-quaking story that caused something inside to grow and reach higher.

Through Couch Rebels, I might be able to do that – in order to help to change someone’s life in Africa.

The $9.99  sale of one Kindle ebook will provide 3 people with clean water for a year

Won’t you click over – and purchase one book, regardless of whether my story makes it to the finals or not?

To learn more about what’s going on, click here

The writers and stories haven’t been chosen yet, though submissions have been accepted and closed.

You can still read and vote.

• My Life is Not My Own
• When a Teen Runs Away

I have included a liste of writers dear to my heart who have made it past phase 1 and 2 also – please stop by and support them.

Brandee Shafer, The Empty Chair

Beck Gambill, Sarah’s Song

Karin Hume – Poverty and Paradise

Laura Rath – Trusting God – With Me

Amy Sullivan – On Destitute Teens and Barbies

Kim Hall – Coming Through the Dark Valley of Unemployment

Jennifer Camp Johnson – Obedience and Adventure Go Hand in Hand 

Jill Richardson – His Princess of Egypt

Melissa Aldrich – When You Want to Go, But You’re Called to Stay

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When A Teen Runs

He’d pulled a knife on my son, in the 7th grade hallway. Pulled it and said he was going to stab him in the back and kill him next week. This boy ran away shortly after that. He was a habitual runaway. He’d run. Come back. Start the threats over again. This cycle continued through the year. This boy was screaming for someone to take care of him, to make him go to school, to scoop his emotional self up and put him back together each day. Youth rail at boundaries – yet cry out for shepherding.

I prayed for this runaway who had threatened my son – prayed for him like I prayed for my son.

I never imagined, though, my children would consider running – ever. I thought love, healthy boundaries, discipline, encouragement, knowledge of a loving God – I thought that would immunize them to a run-away heart.

Please click over to Cause/Pub ‘s Couch Rebel Project for the rest of the story – this story of a silent epidemic in our communities and churches – just click here.

Thank you, Beck, Amy and Karin for all your encouragement to do this!

CausePub has teamed up with Blood:Water Mission to fund-raise to clean water in Africa.

For every book sold, Blood:Water Mission, will be able to provide three people with clean water for one year. Blood:Water Mission is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against HIV/AIDS and the water crisis in Africa. Blod: Water Mission was founded in 2005 by the multi-platinum GRAMMY Award-winning band, Jars of Clay. Crowd Publishing for Impact is teaming with Blood: Water Mission to sell 15,000 copies of Couch Rebels . The sales from this publication will allowthem to impact 45,000 lives with clean water for a year.

What’s in the book Couch Rebels? That is to be determined now by you. They have asked for writers/bloggers to contribute about an experience that placed them outside their comfort zone. They review submissions to determine phase one of what articles/posts/stories go in the book. If your writer is accepted, you enter phase 2 where readers vote (not just click like but vote) to determine whether your article will be included in the published project.

There’s still a few more days for you to include yours – please do CausePub is accepting stories until 7/2.

Please – stop by and check mine out. Yes, I’m doing the happy dance that I made it past Phase one for 2 writing projects. If you are encouraged, please hit vote.

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