I've planned on doing this post for the better part of this year, but I kept putting it off because I wanted to have the opportunity to improve on the pictures that I had taken earlier in the year.  My attitude about this changed, however, over the past weekend.  Meet Bob Belton.

For the past eight years, Bob and his wife, Sue, along with their children, have been serving families In the Raleigh area who have been touched by autism.  For all of those years, they have given hours upon hours of their time to share their passion for horses (and countless resources) with children on the Spectrum and their families. The Beltons do it with a smile on their faces and the unashamed declaration that it's all for the glory of God. 

It's my pleasure to share a bit with you about how their ministry was formed and how it has evolved over the years.  Bob and Sue have owned horses for many years and have been involved for a while with riding lessons and other related activities.  Back in 2001, they were approached by a family who was interested in lessons for their child, a child who just happens to have autism.  The family had actually been rejected by several other riding instructors because they didn't understand how or "weren't equipped" to deal with autistic children.  The Beltons' response was quite different.  When approached with this opportunity, they embraced both the chance to work with an exceptional child and the family who had brought this child to their attention.  The connection that many children with autism have with animals in general and with horses specifically is fairly well known, but the Beltons witnessed it first hand. The experience proved so powerful for this autistic child that Bob and Sue decided to develop a volunteer program and open up their stables for 2 hours one Saturday each month for any families touched by autism to come and enjoy free rides.  The offer is open to the entire family, including autistic children and their neurotypical siblings.  The Beltons' organization is called G.R.A.C.E. (Greater Raleigh Autistic Children's Enrichment).  Click here to check out their website.

I can tell you from personal experience that this program has been a tremendous blessing to our family.  All three of our kids really enjoy the riding and the interaction with the great folks who work there.  In all, the program has touched some 500 families in the area.  The Beltons don't stop with just the two hour program, though.  They have also been heavily involved in training children for competition in equestrian events for the Special Olympics over the past several years.  And let me be clear: If you're imagining a group of people who drag their feet in and give an effort equivalent to working for free, you've got the wrong idea.  These folks are a passionate, dedicated group who always give their very best.  There are many teenage volunteers who now work with the program, and I can tell you first hand that Bob keeps an eye on them to make sure they are maintaining the proper standards for safety and that their attitudes reflect the passion of the ministry.

One of the best things about Bob and his family though, is their love for the children and their desire to try to help them and "draw them out of their shells."  Bob treats each and every child as though they were his own and knows just how to handle them.  It's truly an amazing thing to watch.  He frequently quotes scripture as he talks with the parents, often quoting Christ himself as He dealt with children.  "Let the little children come to me" and "anyone who causes one of these little ones to stumble.." are certainly two of his favorites.

Something very special happened this past weekend that inspired me to finish up this post a little more quickly.  It had been a long time since we'd seen Bob.  We hadn't been able to come in several months and he'd been away overseas in Iraq.  For the better part of the past couple of years, Bob had been doing some contract work so that his family could afford to pay the mortgage on the farm.  I was surprised and excited to see him when we came in, but the best surprise of all came when he greeted my oldest daughter Riley (our first rider).  He excitedly called her by name and asked her all about what she'd been up to lately.  He knew that we had been coming out to ride the horses for the better part of 4 or 5 years.  The evidence on his face was enough to know how much he loved the kids and enjoyed seeing them.  Later, as Bob considered Riley's age, he said that she would be a great candidate for the Special Olympics program next year.  I agreed, and before I knew it, Bob was off taking Riley around the arena, teaching her the calls and movements necessary for her to get the horse to start and stop walking.  He was making such a big deal about what she was doing and how well she was doing, and he told her that she was a "cowgirl" now. 

“It’s in my blood” says Shaun Casteel when he speaks with passion about farming. He was raised on the farm and has loved every minute of his exposure to this way of life. While growing up, his family vacations were spent working hard on the farm and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Though it has not been the sole source of income in his family for many years, he has chosen to follow a path that will keep him near farming as much as possible. Shaun recently completed his doctoral studies in agricultural science at the North Carolina State University here in Raleigh, NC, and has just started working at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, as an agricultural research professor. It's unfortunately a long way from Raleigh, but it’s within two hours of his home in rural Illinois and is in many ways a dream job for him. I often joke with Shaun about how long a commute it will be for him to continue to join us for church each week once he moves, but he humors me with a chuckle and tries to politely state that he won’t likely be following that plan. I tried my best to steer him towards work that is closer to his NC family, but it just wasn’t to be. Shaun, brother, you are loved and missed.

Shaun and his sweet wife Danae are two of the most wonderful and inspirational people I have known in some time. Their commitment to the Lord is both unquestionable and unwavering.  Shaun's commitment is seen in so many ways, but I think what impresses me the most is how he interacts with children and his passion to work with and serve the youth. Shaun is a kid magnet. He just has a personality that children love. They feel immediately comfortable and at ease around him, knowing instinctively that he genuinely loves them very much. I asked him if there was something or someone in particular that had inspired or led him down the path to work with youth. Growing up in a small church in Illinois, the youth group pretty much all lived at his house. He was never able to enjoy the benefits of being part of an active youth group. One of his favorite times of each year was going to church camp which gave him some of the Christian fellowship he longed for to help him through each year. Once off to college, he had several great opportunities to be part of some very strong campus ministry groups—groups that helped encourage him to make his walk with Christ his own. And what Shaun hopes to bring to youth in the church today is a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves and a realization that being a Christian is not one aspect of their lives but instead that it is their life. Making it real for this young generation of Christians is what Shaun strives to do.

I applaud and respect that so much. It would be easy for Shaun to do nothing since he wasn’t given many of these opportunities growing up. That’s what most people in his situation would do. The thing is, though, that true servants of Christ are not most people. They are ordinary people who serve an extraordinary God and desire to show His love and mercy with all they come in contact with.

Shaun attributes much of his inspiration to his Grandma and Grandpa “Pat” (short for Patrick). He speaks with great honor, love, and respect for both of them as spiritual warriors who have been committed to the cause of Christ for many, many years. Grandpa Pat went to be with the Lord some 17 years ago in 1992. Shaun was one of the last people to get to speak with and spend time with him. He was with him for breakfast on that day and later in the morning his Grandfather had died at work of a heart attack. It’s a vivid memory that is still difficult for him to discuss, but the good news is that Grandpa Pat lived each day to the fullest for the Lord and is now enjoying an eternity with Him. Shaun never understood the extent to which his Grandfather exemplified his faith in his life, but he continues to hear of the wonderful things he had done over the years in the name of Christ. Grandma Pat is retired but continues to serve in all the ways she can. She sends cards of encouragement to many people every week including her children and grandchildren who live out of state, continuing to work towards leaving a wonderful spiritual legacy for them. Shaun, I know that your Grandpa Pat would be proud of you today. He left a wonderful legacy for you and I can see that his servant heart continues in you to this day.

Shaun shared with me several scriptures that have been especially inspiring to him over the years:

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 

Eph 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ps 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

Rom 12:1-5 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Thank you Shaun for the inspiration and example that you are to me and so many others.  I know that God will continue to bless you and use you in powerful ways as you serve in the Kingdom.

From time to time, I plan on using this blog to write about some of the things that have been on my mind in addition to telling stories of some of the folks that inspire me the most.  Hopefully, you will find these to be an encouragment as well.

I was at the gym a couple weeks back really getting into it on the stationary spinning bike while jamming along to my tunes when I noticed a magazine lying in the floor a few feet in front of me. This was certainly not an unusual situation, but it was the title of the magazine that caught my interest. It was called “SELF” (all of the letters were capitalized).  I’ll be honest with you in that I don’t know anything about the magazine or the lady who was reading a different issue of the same titled magazine at the time, but the title struck a chord in me. I don’t know why, but occasionally I’m a little shocked with the unashamed approach we as people have to worshipping and serving ourselves.  Have you ever seen someone wearing one of those tee-shirts that says "It's All About Me"?

We all struggle with feeling and acting like this to some degree, but most of us would stop short of proudly declaring our self-absorption.  At the times when I see these things, I do my best to stop short of judging anyone but to instead take a step back and consider my own attitude and motivations.  They may be wearing the shirt, but what's in my heart?  It almost always turns out to be a blessing because it helps me to pause, take a breath, and honestly evaluate how I’m doing in the selfishness department.

Consider these words from Colossians chapter 3:1-17 (New Century Version):

Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Christ is your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.

So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed.  This is really serving a false god.  These things make God angry. In your past, evil life you also did these things.

But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk.  Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God. In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is in all believers, and Christ is all that is important. 

God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity. Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking, because you were all called together in one body to have peace. Always be thankful.  Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Everything you do or say should be done to obey Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.

I don't know about you , but that's a daily reminder and challenge that I need.  As much as I'd like it to be all about me from time to time, the reality is that it's all about Him.  Whether I want to acknowledge it or not, we were created by God for the purpose of serving Him and Him alone.  Life tends to work a lot better when we just live out His design.  As believers, we have each shared with Christ in His death by dying to ourselves and have been raised to new life through His resurrection.  Praise God!  We no longer have to be slaves of sin and self.  To close out, I'll leave you with the song "So Long Self" from MercyMe. It's a clever song that hits straight to the point and often helps me to remember how I need to be.

Lloyd and Agnes McLawhorn are two of the most genuine, good-hearted, and generous people I have personally ever met. My mother and father-in-love (Charlotte and Jerry Killen) quickly became great friends with them 40 years ago in 1969 at church in Charleston, SC, and it is through them that I have been blessed to know the McLawhorns. Elysa and her brothers Scott and Tommy have always affectionately referred to them as "Uncle Mac" and "Aunt Agnes"—the same terms I have adopted. I was honored to have one of Aunt Agnes' famous blueberry cakes as my groom's cake at our wedding. I won’t go into describing what this cake is like....trust me when I say that it is yummy tasty :-).

In considering what to say about these two, I asked Jerry and Charlotte to recount some of their favorite stories about them. It didn’t take long to realize that this simple blog entry could easily become a book without too much effort. These two are servants in the purest sense of the word. We all know good hearted people who desire to help others in times of need, but every once in a while we are blessed to know others who don’t have to ask how they can help; instead, they instinctively know what to do and just do it. They do it quietly, without calling attention to themselves, and they even do it anonymously when possible. They do things this way because they realize that it’s not about them. They’re happy to do what needs to be done and give all the glory to God. That’s what Uncle Mac and Aunt Agnes are like. They exemplify the words of Titus 2:14, when Paul, speaking of Christ and his disciples, writes that “He gave himself for us so he might pay the price to free us from all evil and to make us pure people who belong only to him—people who are always wanting to do good deeds.” (New Century Version) That is Uncle Mac and Aunt Agnes. Knowing where they’ve come from, knowing who they are, and in thanksgiving, having hearts that always desire to do good works.

Uncle Mac is 82 years young (believe me when I say young) and began his walk with Christ 50 years ago in 1959 on the island of Guam where he was stationed for 4 years while in the Navy. While many of his fellow servicemen struggled on this tiny island with alcoholism and marital infidelity, he began his Christian walk with the same heart for service that he still possesses today. While part of a church there on the island, he took on a responsibility to meet and encourage fellow believers as they came to the island to try to influence them to be part of the church and grow in their faith while serving there instead of falling into the same pitfalls of many others. Most of the enlisted men wanted out of there as fast as possible, but to Uncle Mac it was a blessing because he was able to stay on land and didn't have to go out to sea apart from his family. Most people thought him crazy because he ended up extending his tour there two times before their next move.

Jerry and Charlotte moved to Charleston as a young married couple with no children at the time and very little money. Mac and Agnes immediately took them under their wings and did all they could to help and teach them about life and Christian service. In the first year they knew each other, Uncle Mac helped them when they needed to purchase a car. He worked with them and helped them to find a reliable car that they could afford. On numerous other occasions, he helped them with cash or food or whatever as the need existed. Once when pregnant with their second child Tommy, they were having problems with their air conditioner at the house. The summer was very hot and on one Friday afternoon when he came over to have coffee with Charlotte, he put down a $50 bill on the table as he left and said “Tell Jerry to get the air conditioner fixed”. On another occasion, when Jerry was out of town and with 3 small children in the house, Charlotte was awoken at night with a frightened feeling. She looked out the window and noticed a strange man walking up and down the street. She had already received troubling phone calls several times before when he had been out of town so she didn’t hesitate to phone Mac and Agnes at midnight with her concern. Without hesitation, they immediately drove over to their house to spend the night with them. The children awoke the next day delighted to find their surprise nighttime visitors. Of their friendship, Agnes says “We’re 2 AM friends”. That’s special friendship you don’t encounter every day. Convinced that God has more for them to do, Charlotte has faithfully prayed through the years that God would continue to give them time on this earth and strength to continue to do His work.

Agnes spent countless years teaching the 3 and 4 year olds at church. Talk about a labor of love. It takes special people to be able to teach that age group. Having people who do it well and have a passion to do it is such a blessing. She taught it for so many years that she taught all of the Killen children and then later taught Elysa how to teach. Elysa attributes much of her desire and skill for teach to Aunt Agnes. You never know what impact you may have on influencing the next generation by taking the time and devoting the energy to doing these kinds of things. Elysa has grown into an amazing teacher that God has used to bless many others (but more on her in a future post :-)) as well.

Since retirement from work many years ago, neither of them has slowed down much. Uncle Mac continues to play 18 holes of speed golf every Tuesday and Thursday morning, several years after he had to be outfitted with a pacemaker to keep his heart going. For the first few years he had great difficulty because the pacemaker could not keep up with his active lifestyle. It was only a couple of years ago that the technology enabled him to have one that can keep pace with him. A slow round of 18 has him finishing in about an hour and 45 minutes. Yes, you did read that correctly. I tried running the course with him a few years ago. Although he’s nearly 50 years my senior, he ran circles around me.

Both of them continue to serve in quiet yet consistent ways. Uncle Mac continues to coordinate the worship activities at church every week and the two of them prepare the communion for church together each week. They both do many things to take care of some of the "older people" in their church and neighborhood. Uncle Mac mows lawns and they work together to watch over some of these folks, take them to doctor appointments, visit people in the hospital, provide others with fresh produce from their garden, and really do whatever is necessary to help out and serve as they are needed. They have always struck me as two people who would do everything they could to help someone they know who is truly in need. It's so encouraging seeing this Christian living—acting on the belief that they share to bless the lives of others in so many ways. They both have a wonderful sense of humor and serve with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. One of the scriptures that has been most meaningful to them over the years is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Concerning the importance of this verse in their lives, Aunt Agnes smiled and said, "You need a lot of strength being married to a sailor."

Thank you both for your example, service, and willingness to be used by God to do His work.

What would you do if you were a young, very active, full-of-life retiree and it seemed that you lost it all in the course of a few unfortunate events? Shortly after Elysa and I moved to Raleigh, I met Charles Hutton ("Mr. Charlie" as I like to call him). He's one of those people you just can't help but love and enjoy talking to because of his good nature and infectious zest for life. I can remember him telling me all about the fishing trips he enjoyed taking to the Pacific northwest and Canada, about tending his garden, and about just enjoying retirement and life with his wonderful wife Anna. Seven years ago, life took a major turn for them.

While out golfing one afternoon, Charlie noticed that he had lost all feeling in his right leg below the knee. A doctor visit and some scans revealed that he had blockage in one of his arteries and would need a bypass. While these operations are complicated, they also tend to be fairly routine these days. Not so for Charlie. During the operation, he suffered a serious spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. The root cause of the problem was never officially determined, despite a considerable amount of finger pointing among physicians involved with his case. Charlie was rushed to intensive care, where he spent the next month. In the long run, he would spend a total of 7 months in the hospital. In addition to various other complications, Charlie experienced terrible infections that required skin grafts. He also became an insulin-dependent diabetic. Talk about your world crashing in upon you. I can hardly imagine how difficult this experience was and continues to be for him.

That said, Charlie hasn't changed. His body is challenged, but his spirit and zest for life are still alive and well. What a blessing it was for me to get to spend some time with him! Charlie has so much to teach about what truly matters in life. First, he shared stories with me about the family pictures displayed on his office walls, commenting that our families give us such great memories to share with others. Without our families, it would be so much harder to deal with the difficult times in life. Right then I knew that I wanted to capture his portrait in the midst of some of his special family keepsakes.

As we continued to talk, I discovered that whatever was taken from Charlie physically in no way altered his mind or his sense of humor. His recollection not only of his memories but also of specific times and dates was amazing. "When did you retire?" I asked. "August 11th, 1995 at 11 o'clock. It took me two hours to get used to it," he said, with the special grin that is uniquely Charlie's.

Next month he and Anna will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary together. He fondly remembered their wedding date , "April 30, 1959, at 7:30 in the evening," no less.:) Over and over during our discussion, Charlie praised Anna's faithfulness and strength as she has continued to stand with him through these difficult times. Every day during his time in the hospital, she was there late into the night and was at times forced to make tough decisions on his behalf, decisions he was unaware of until years later. "I couldn't have done it without her," he said. He thinks it's unfortunate that most people don't enter into marriage these days with that level of commitment and seem only in it while it's convenient. I agree. It's in the tough times that the bond is tested and made even more beautiful.

Charlie shared with me about several people who are inspirational to him, including I.M. Caldwell and Jack Harris, both of whom spent a great deal of time by his side while facing his struggles in the hospital. In fact, he said, "I.M. will beat you to the hospital and Jack will be right behind him." In 2006, Charlie was rushed to the emergency room. Fortunately, things didn't turn out to be serious, but I.M. was driving right behind the ambulance and insisted on going in to the exam room to be with his friend. Charlie chuckled as he recalled seeing I.M. (and later Jack) dressed in their hospital issued anti-germ suits, looking like creatures from another planet . Talk about great friends and brothers in Christ. "Only your church family would do that for you," he commented. During his extended stay in the hospital, Freeda Henne organized a group of ladies to make sure that Anna had meals each and every day. Freeda would make frequent trips over to their house to put meals in the freezer while Anna spent long days with Charlie. No doubt Charlie loves his church family at North Raleigh. He enjoys worship each week and any opportunity to spend time with his Christian family.

Long time friend and brother Bill Warren told him, "The Lord is not finished with you yet." Amen. I am so inspired by Charlie's presence and attitude. I truly love and appreciate this brother. God continues to use His servant. I am so touched and encouraged during worship when the time comes for a reading or a prayer and I hear the sounds of Charlie's motorized wheelchair approaching the front of the auditorium. In the midst of plenty of teary-eyed brothers and sisters, Charlie leads the congregation. We are all blessed for it. His favorite scripture has always been Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Little did he know the depth to which these words would ring true in his life, but his faithfulness and the truth of the scripture continue to make these words relevant to all who are blessed to know this servant of Christ.

Finally, I'd like to share a song that often makes me think of Charlie.  The song is entitled "Bring the Rain" and performed by the group MercyMe.

Update on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 4:42PM by Kevin Henegar

Earlier this week, Mr. Charlie's journey on this earth came to a close and he has now begun to enjoy his eternity in heaven. There was a wonderful memorial service in his honor today at the church and it was a blessing to reflect on the words and remember this very special brother in Christ. While sitting in the service, the scripture that kept coming to my mind was Matthew 25:21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" (NIV).  You will be dearly missed, Mr. Charlie.  We love you.