Why Asa Joy and a Man Named Michael
We have spent the last month calling this idea just "the idea". We knew we had to come up with a name for this journey we are embarking on. We told the kids to start thinking of some ideas. I was sitting in church last Sunday listening to our elder once again say things that reaffirmed our decision. The name Asa Joy just popped into my head. The name is special for several reasons.
First - Asa is the name of the child we recently lost. We were not able to determine the sex of the baby but in my heart I believe it is a boy. Joy was the middle name of the girl name we had chosen for the new baby.
Second- Our whole family has always struggled with the issue of joy. It is something we have been working on for a while. While I was sitting in the service I was thinking about Asa and how it stands for Always Seeking After Joy. That is a reminder for me to always focus on where our joy comes from and that is from Jesus.
Third- Our family has struggled a lot and some of the relationships have suffered. There needs to be some healing between Carl and myself, between us and our children, between the children themselves, and all of us need to work on our relationship with God. Asa literally means "healer". I think God knew what he was doing in giving me that name for our child.
Fourth- We came up with a little logo for Operation: Asa Joy. It is the name Asa with the last A continuing down to form the J for joy. The J is finished with a hook facing up. The J stands for Christ which is why the hook is pointing up. It also reminds us to be fishers of men. I will have to get Alex to draw up an official logo for my visual people.
That is why we chose that name over just "the idea."
This morning I was driving to my mom's house. The littles were at her house the past few days so I could start working on the house. I go the same way every time and every time I see the same homeless man at this one intersection. He was there this morning. Every time I drive by I feel an urge to stop and tell him how much Jesus loves him. This morning I drove by just like I normally do. The Lord started working on my heart as soon as I turned the corner and it was undeniable. I had an uncontrollable urge to turn around. I could not deny it. It almost made me cry. I turned into the CVS and bought a poncho (it is a rainy day), a $10 Burger King gift card, and a pack of cookies. I backtracked down the highway to see this man all the while talking to my older kids about telling God yes when he convicts us. I pulled up to this man and explained to him that God had laid him on heart this morning and I gave him the little bag. I told him how much Jesus loves him and then the light turned green. Just long enough for me to do what God had called me to. I explained to the kids that we have to obey God when he pricks our hearts. I just kept thinking that if today is that mans last day on this earth that he needed to know that Jesus loved him. I have been hearing in church about how important and urgent it is for us to tell the world about Jesus. Today I put those words into action. I am called to obey. It is that simple. The kids and I talked about how we need to make up some bags to hand out to the people we meet on the road. We need to make this journey one where we glorify God and tell others about him. So, if you remember, please pray for Michael, the homeless man I met this morning. He has been on my mind all day and I just feel like he needs prayer today.
First - Asa is the name of the child we recently lost. We were not able to determine the sex of the baby but in my heart I believe it is a boy. Joy was the middle name of the girl name we had chosen for the new baby.
Second- Our whole family has always struggled with the issue of joy. It is something we have been working on for a while. While I was sitting in the service I was thinking about Asa and how it stands for Always Seeking After Joy. That is a reminder for me to always focus on where our joy comes from and that is from Jesus.
Third- Our family has struggled a lot and some of the relationships have suffered. There needs to be some healing between Carl and myself, between us and our children, between the children themselves, and all of us need to work on our relationship with God. Asa literally means "healer". I think God knew what he was doing in giving me that name for our child.
Fourth- We came up with a little logo for Operation: Asa Joy. It is the name Asa with the last A continuing down to form the J for joy. The J is finished with a hook facing up. The J stands for Christ which is why the hook is pointing up. It also reminds us to be fishers of men. I will have to get Alex to draw up an official logo for my visual people.
That is why we chose that name over just "the idea."
This morning I was driving to my mom's house. The littles were at her house the past few days so I could start working on the house. I go the same way every time and every time I see the same homeless man at this one intersection. He was there this morning. Every time I drive by I feel an urge to stop and tell him how much Jesus loves him. This morning I drove by just like I normally do. The Lord started working on my heart as soon as I turned the corner and it was undeniable. I had an uncontrollable urge to turn around. I could not deny it. It almost made me cry. I turned into the CVS and bought a poncho (it is a rainy day), a $10 Burger King gift card, and a pack of cookies. I backtracked down the highway to see this man all the while talking to my older kids about telling God yes when he convicts us. I pulled up to this man and explained to him that God had laid him on heart this morning and I gave him the little bag. I told him how much Jesus loves him and then the light turned green. Just long enough for me to do what God had called me to. I explained to the kids that we have to obey God when he pricks our hearts. I just kept thinking that if today is that mans last day on this earth that he needed to know that Jesus loved him. I have been hearing in church about how important and urgent it is for us to tell the world about Jesus. Today I put those words into action. I am called to obey. It is that simple. The kids and I talked about how we need to make up some bags to hand out to the people we meet on the road. We need to make this journey one where we glorify God and tell others about him. So, if you remember, please pray for Michael, the homeless man I met this morning. He has been on my mind all day and I just feel like he needs prayer today.
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