FCS Blog

Jesus Loves You — A Legacy of Faith

This past weekend, our family gathered to celebrate a special milestone — my
mom’s 80th birthday. It’s hard to believe she’s reached that age. As I look back over
her life, I’m reminded that those years haven’t always been easy. My mom has faced
her share of trials and heartaches. Yet, through it all, her faith has remained.
I still remember when my mom got saved. I was about seven years old. Her
transformation was radical. All she talked about was Jesus. So much so, that when
she answered the phone, she would say,

“Jesus loves you.” This was back in the days
when phones were mounted on the wall, and you had no idea who was on the other
end of the line. That didn’t matter to my mom. I wish I could say the same for
myself. I remember many days going to school after a classmate had called my
house, feeling a little embarrassed. I often heard,

“Do you live in a church?” or “I
thought I called a church.” But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to admire what I once
blushed about. My mom wasn’t ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16). And to this
day, if you call her phone, you’ll still be greeted with those same three words: “Jesus

loves you.”

Her heart hasn’t changed — and I pray mine never will either.
The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:9 that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance.” That was the desire of my mom’s heart — and it
should be ours, too. We’ve all been called to share the good news. As Matthew 28:19–
20 reminds us, we are to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
Let’s be unashamed like my mom. Let’s live in such a way that the people around us
can’t help but encounter Jesus through our words, our actions, and our love. She
didn’t care who was on the other end of that phone — she just cared about their soul. May we pass that same faith on to the next generation. May our lives echo that

simple, powerful message that never grows old:

Jesus loves you.

His Ways are Higher

If this computer would allow me to see all of you as I ask for a show of hands who
thought we would NOT have school today, I have a feeling the count would be fairly high.
If you could see through yours, you would see both of my hands as high in the sky as my
body would allow. I even went as far as to make a mental list of all the shows I would be
catching up on today while working on my favorite relaxing hobby-Diamond Art. I guess

the weather had other plans.

As humans, we plan because it gives us a sense of control. We map out timelines, set
goals, and imagine how our life should unfold. Oftentimes, these plans are good,
thoughtful, and responsible. But sometimes we confuse a good plan with God’s plan.
When something we expected doesn’t work out, disappointment can quickly turn into
confusion or even doubt. What we don’t realize at the moment is that God sees the whole
picture, while we only see a single frame. God’s plans are shaped by eternal perspective,
not temporary comfort. He sees the paths we haven’t walked yet, the people we haven’t
met yet, and the growth that can only come through difficulty. What feels like a setback
to us may actually be protection. What feels like a delay may be preparation.
When I taught in the classroom, I would tell my preschoolers that God can give us one of
three answers: yes, no, or wait. If He says no, it’s not to punish us, but to redirect us. Other
times He allows plans to fall apart so something deeper can be built in their place.
Growing up, my dad would say “If you wanna hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” As I
grow in age and in the Lord, I have found that His ways are truly better than my ways and
His plans are truly greater than my plans. And when we stop asking God to bless our
plans and start asking Him to guide our steps, we will discover a peace that doesn’t
depend on outcomes. And in that surrender, we often find that God was leading us
somewhere far better than we could have planned on our own.