Keep God Weird
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Good Friends and God's Blessings
Twenty years ago a local preacher decided that I would work well with the students at our church. He approached me and we prayed about it and the Elders agreed that it would be a good move. Thus launched my career in youth ministry and a friendship that God has been blessing from that initial day. Lloyd has always been more then a friend, he has been a co-worker, dreamer, visionary, confident, family, counselor, encourager, protector but most of all he was there when a lot of people were not during my divorce.
If you don’t know Lloyd let me tell you a little about him. He started off as a school teacher following his days at LCC, he grew up on the caprock and it was the logical choice for him to go there. He left teaching to work as a youth minister and then not much longer we crossed paths in Elgin, Texas where he was the preaching dude and I was the teensitter. I figured out quickly there was more to this job then just watching kids I was expected to nurture spiritual growth in these children. Lloyd encouraged me and turned me on to some good tools to further my walk with Jesus. Our wives became best friends and we spent a lot of time those days playing dominoes late at night with the Fords. His youngest and my middle were born two days apart in the same hospital and that is where my story begins.
Neal Massie was born with out any functioning kidneys on June 28, 1986. Right from the beginning of his life he was hooked up to machines and it wasn’t till his father, Lloyd, gave up one of his own kidneys did Neal get a break from the machines that so became a part of his life. Neal was like any other child and that is a story in itself, but Lloyd was always the hero to me. Yeah like anyone else he made mistakes but he loved his wife and children more than anything and always was there for them spiritually and mentally.
Lloyd lost two of his three sisters to Cancer, that was difficult and he really struggled with all that and he still listened during the death of his sister Jana to my whining about how I felt so mistreated after divorce and firing. Gosh, I wasn’t a good friend during a lot of his struggles, forgive me for that. But all that to say Lloyd need to here some good news and he did these last couple of weeks. And why is it good news? Well Neal probably won’t ever need another kidney if he gets one at this stage of his life.
Neal has a perfect match for a new kidney by a student from Lubbock Christian. The student met his cousin why working at Pine Springs this summer (great story someday it will be posted). The surgery is December 10th. On another note the dinner and auction raised $20,000 on Friday night and Westover Hills raised another $35,000 at the special contribution so God has blessed the Massie family. And the Massie family has blessed so many others over the years.
So thank you Lord for being faithful in so many things but also for allowing your servants like Lloyd and Pam to see you work in the lives of so many people around them. Thank you for letting them know all the friends that stand around them. In Jesus Name.
If you don’t know Lloyd let me tell you a little about him. He started off as a school teacher following his days at LCC, he grew up on the caprock and it was the logical choice for him to go there. He left teaching to work as a youth minister and then not much longer we crossed paths in Elgin, Texas where he was the preaching dude and I was the teensitter. I figured out quickly there was more to this job then just watching kids I was expected to nurture spiritual growth in these children. Lloyd encouraged me and turned me on to some good tools to further my walk with Jesus. Our wives became best friends and we spent a lot of time those days playing dominoes late at night with the Fords. His youngest and my middle were born two days apart in the same hospital and that is where my story begins.
Neal Massie was born with out any functioning kidneys on June 28, 1986. Right from the beginning of his life he was hooked up to machines and it wasn’t till his father, Lloyd, gave up one of his own kidneys did Neal get a break from the machines that so became a part of his life. Neal was like any other child and that is a story in itself, but Lloyd was always the hero to me. Yeah like anyone else he made mistakes but he loved his wife and children more than anything and always was there for them spiritually and mentally.
Lloyd lost two of his three sisters to Cancer, that was difficult and he really struggled with all that and he still listened during the death of his sister Jana to my whining about how I felt so mistreated after divorce and firing. Gosh, I wasn’t a good friend during a lot of his struggles, forgive me for that. But all that to say Lloyd need to here some good news and he did these last couple of weeks. And why is it good news? Well Neal probably won’t ever need another kidney if he gets one at this stage of his life.
Neal has a perfect match for a new kidney by a student from Lubbock Christian. The student met his cousin why working at Pine Springs this summer (great story someday it will be posted). The surgery is December 10th. On another note the dinner and auction raised $20,000 on Friday night and Westover Hills raised another $35,000 at the special contribution so God has blessed the Massie family. And the Massie family has blessed so many others over the years.
So thank you Lord for being faithful in so many things but also for allowing your servants like Lloyd and Pam to see you work in the lives of so many people around them. Thank you for letting them know all the friends that stand around them. In Jesus Name.
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