HAITI RESCUE

On By danielcooleyblogIn MissionsLeave a comment

WOW!

You may know by now that our friends and missionaries, Byron, Shelley, Sue, and those who were serving with them from the States are safe. It was covered in a news report here. If you watch closely, you will see them at 29-31 seconds in.

But that is only part of the story. Below I put the story from Byron and Shelley’s perspective. I’ll put some notes in italics to help give the needed backstory.

They started their letter with this song:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dear Friends,

We are well. We have, again, placed our lives in God’s hands—and He has established the path before us.

Perhaps you’ve seen some familiar faces on the news the last couple of days?

God decided it was time for us to depart Haiti. We are grateful that He chose to make it very clear.

We received an invite to a WhatsApp group at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 16th. It was titled “Evac 3/17”. This was the beginning of several strings of conversation with staff members in Corey Mills’ office, and with a gentleman in Haiti who is part of Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shortly into the conversation, Byron was asked to be the point person for all of those people who would be gathered together to be evacuated. There were 7 from our mission (Byron, Shelley, Isabelle, Sue, Beka, Addie, and Ariana), another gal who lives full-time in Haiti, plus 5 individuals who have been traveling to Haiti regularly for work and ministry for many, many years. The day involved discussion about safe locations to land, where we would gather together, how we would safely navigate to our “pick up” location, and what time this all needed to happen.

Byron and Shelley have run Maranatha Childrens Ministries since its beginning after the earthquake of 2010. I first met them when they were working for another organization in PaP in 2007. We stayed in their house, and they ran a generator at night, which meant FANS! As a result, we have stayed there for every trip since. Do you want our help? Keep us cool. We are fair-weather missionaries.

As for the others, Isabelle is their daughter, Sue runs a home with four children, and Beka and Ben Remy have two daughters, Addie and Ariana. Ben has been trying but has not yet been cleared to enter the States. Beka had to come home with their daughters without him.

We spent the day gathering more supplies; preparing the April payroll which we had the staff come and pick up; (thank you AnchorPoint) and trying to mentally prepare for a departure that we had hoped would never come. It was a gift to see each of our staff members, to have an opportunity to explain what had happened, and to let them know we may not be seeing them for a while. There were tears, and also many sighs of relief. Our staff loves us, and they have been concerned for our safety.

It was 7:30 when we left our home. Alex (their guard and driver, a wonderful young man who came to faith at their place, and recently got married and had a child) took Byron, Shelley, and Isabelle in the pickup. We had to get a special key to leave out a back gate which is only supposed to be used for foot traffic. We made our way to Sue’s house, and then turned around and headed toward the airport – where we were told a helicopter would be picking us up in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Ben drove Beka, Addie, and Ariana from their home. The remaining six people came from different parts of the city, and we were all together by 10:00. The hotel was gracious to let us congregate in their lobby but ready for us to pay for some rooms. We obliged. By 11:30 everyone was in their rooms, and we all knew to have our phones close and ringers on.

At 12:30 am, the gentleman from the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called to inform us that permission to land the helicopter at the airport had been revoked. He was going to try and locate another option but admitted that it was not a good time to reach people. He called us back shortly to say that the one option he found required approval from two additional people, but he had been unable to reach them. It would need to wait until morning. We contacted the other members of our group and gave them the news that the evacuation had been canceled and we would regroup in the morning.

Fifteen minutes later we received another call. Corey Mills’ office wasn’t ready to give up for the night. They wanted us to find a solution. Our new friend from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave us permission to look for options. He’d told us, “You’ve got all of the permission needed, they’ve just got to have a spot to land.”

It’s weird when you’re not part of putting something together, but suddenly you’re thrust into the position of trying to make something happen. We were a bit baffled to start with, what business did we have looking for a place to land a helicopter? It was at this time that we received a message from a relative who is in the military. “Whatever you are told to do—just do it. Don’t question it. Corey Mills is a retired veteran with many tours under his belt who has been involved in evacuations from Afghanistan. Do whatever he tells you to do! He knows things you don’t.”

WELL. That lit a fire under us. If he says this has to happen tonight, we had better do our part. So, we prayed, and we did our best to contact the director of QCS, and the pastor of Quisqueya Chapel. We found Pastor David Nelson of Quisqueya Chapel, and began to talk through the possibilities, the challenges, and what steps would have to be taken to put everything in place. By 1:30 am, it was all arranged. We would be departing from the soccer field at Quisqueya Chapel. We contacted everybody again to let them know THINGS WERE BACK ON! The plan had changed, and everyone needed to be in the lobby by 4:00 to prepare for transportation to our new evacuation location. At 3:30, Brian, who was the OPS guy, contacted us and said they wanted us to leave ASAP. “We want you there sooner, rather than later. It would be best if you were there by 4:00.” GULP!! It was impressed on us that an evacuation under the cover of darkness was key. While we did not arrive by 4:00, we did arrive by 4:15.

I believe this is where many of us have been to church and played soccer on this field. It was a brilliant place to land as there isn’t much open space in PaP. However, it’s around thirty minutes from the airport . I can’t believe they made it from the airport to the church soccer field safely. The intersections can be deadly. Divine help is the only answer.

God graciously put people in our group who were self-controlled and patient. Although there had to have been some anxious thoughts, people were kind and quiet. We all did exactly as we were instructed, and as we waited dawn broke, and we were flooded by the beautiful Caribbean sunshine. There is no way to describe the silent glances that were exchanged. In spite of losing the cover of darkness, the helicopter landed at 9:15 and we were gone within minutes. We landed at the Santo Domingo Airport around 11:30.

Although we did not plan, nor even desire to be evacuated, we are thankful for the gift God provided through the group which Corey Mills spearheaded. They did not chastise us for remaining in Haiti, nor did they charge us any money. Rather, they thanked us for our service to the people of Haiti.

Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, DR, we were met by a beautiful Christian family who has shown our group of seven amazing hospitality. Beka was able to fly to Arizona with her two little girls yesterday. Sue, Byron, Shelley, and Belle will all fly to Miami tomorrow. We’re looking to God for direction for the next few days, in particular.

We continue to ask for prayer for all of those who are left in Haiti.

Specifically, would you please pray:

  • Ben Remy—would receive his visa and be able to travel to the US with his family.
  • God would post His guardian angels around our homes, and all of those who come and go each day to do their ministry work and provide them with protection.
  • Those of us who are currently out of Haiti will have clarity for the next steps.
  • That we will rejoice in God’s goodness to us, and not believe any lies of the enemy.
  • That our staff and students would be drawn close to Jesus, and that their hearts would become more wholly His. Same for us!
  • That we would steward our time well, whether it is in rest, ministry, work, or caring for our families.

We love you, Jesus!

Thank you for caring for us.

And now back to Dan

I am concerned. Shelley is putting a good face on an awful situation. It is hard after all these years not to love these kids—and workers. I don’t know what we will be able to hear from this point on. So, I’ll add another couple of requests…

  • The gang leader for their area of town has kept things relatively safe for them. Now BBQ—the one who has consolidated the other gangs and taken over most of PaP is coming for him, and their area. Barring a miracle, the “good” gang leader won’t survive. He has been to the house, his kids to the school. We would love to see him know Jesus before he meets Him.
  • Their son Andrew lives on the South side of the Island. Please pray that things remain calm in their area. He has only been married a few years, and they have a young son. UPDATE – they were able to get out over the weekend

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dan

Did God Leave Haiti?

On By danielcooleyblogIn MissionsLeave a comment

Ro 12:15 (NIV2011)  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

This blog I wrote for the church just last Friday, but I thought it wise to shoot it out here as well. Above is one of my favorite Haiti pictures, with my daughter Megan and one of the school kids. Can you guess which one is Megan? I used to keep a website with a weekly blog about my writing and traveling to Haiti and dumb things I’ve done. Sometimes I just wrote about dumb things I did while in Haiti. You can read my old Haiti blogs here. I’m no Haiti expert, but I’ve been able to go every year or so since 2007.

I didn’t go this year.

I may never go again.

The last time I saw our Haiti missionaries Byron and Shelley and their family, it was in Boise ID, where we got to be part of their daughter’s wedding. But then they went back to Haiti, where many depend on their support.

  • The 200 kids who come to their school need their support – not just in education, but also for food.
  • Three orphanages depend on our missionaries to keep them supplied with food and supplies. When you give to AP and missions, it does a lot more than pay for electricity and childcare. It goes around the world.
  • NOTE: We CAN still get finances to them, which helps them to barter or buy off the street. You can support them directly here. Or through AP here, just designate it for Haiti.

Currently, the nation is in chaos. The two airports are shut down. The unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry (accused of having links to the assassination of the previous prime minister Jovenel Moise) couldn’t even get back into the country after visiting Kenya for assistance. He resigned on Tuesday. Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier (so named for incinerating his enemies—although he claims it comes from his mother selling chicken when he was younger), has consolidated most of the gangs and taken over 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince.  

On one of my first trips there, in 2008, I believe, I had a Haitian tell me how his slave ancestors had fought for their freedom from the French over 200 years ago. Not being able to win their freedom, they pleaded with the voodoo gods for help, “And,” he said, “we’ve lived in hell ever since.”

Haiti seemed bad back then, but now we realize hell was still a long-distance call. Now it’s local.

Reuters said that, “According to the U.N., some 360,000 people are internally displaced while close to 1,200 have been killed and nearly 700 injured since the start of this year, with widespread reports of rape and torture, and access to basic supplies and services blocked.” By some reports, there have been more deaths in Haiti this year than in the Ukraine, and with morgues unable to pick up the bodies due to gang rule, the city of Port au Prince is beginning to stink. ABC News reported this morning (last Wednesday) that according to the World Food Program, there are 1.4 million people in Haiti one step away from famine.

And I was frustrated this morning because my earbuds wouldn’t sink to my phone while at the gym. Hmmm. Perspective.

And this from the Human Rights Watch a few days ago,

“Criminal groups, which control much of the country, including nearly all of the capital, Port-au-Prince, have killed over 1,100 people and injured nearly 700 others just since the start of 2024, according to the UN. Nearly 13,000 people were killed, injured, and kidnapped by criminal groups between January 2022 and early March 2024. Thousands of women and children have been victims of sexual violence and over 362,000 people have been internally displaced. The rates of food insecurity in Haiti are among the worst in the world. Many children are out of school, and child use and recruitment by criminal groups are on the rise.

“We are abandoned to our own fate; nothing works in the country,” a 23-year-old mechanic in Port-au-Prince told Human Rights Watch by phone on February 19. “There is no state, the police are scared, and they have no way to defend us from the gangs that shoot, kill, kidnap, rape women, and take away everything from us on a daily basis.”

Our missionaries, Byron and Shelley, are still in Port-au-Prince with their daughter, their fellow missionary, and friend Sue at the children’s home with four children, ages eight to fifteen. Ben and Becca are also there with their 3-year-old and newborn. (Please be praying for them as Ben is waiting for his US visa, and the baby is waiting for her passport so that they can leave when the airport reopens). At a different location missionary and son Andrew is with his wife Dawn and new baby. Bryon, Shelly, Sue, and Andrew have been at AnchorPoint at one time or another. There is also no electricity, but that isn’t all that unusual. What is different is that it is also pretty impossible to obtain diesel for the generator.

Here is some information directly from Byron and Shelley that I gave on Sunday, as well as some updates from talking to them this week. Communication is a bit sketchy, but you can get a feeling of what life is like I believe from what we have received.

Thank you for your prayers. There is a lot of trouble in Haiti right now. We’re in unchartered territory, and just doing our best to process as we go.

The gangs have been holding food containers hostage at the port. There was already a shortage of food. Now the distributors can’t open to sell, even if they were able to obtain the containers. We are seeking to purchase food items for distribution at three orphanages where we steward food supplies, but do not know what we will be able to do.

The food sacks for our especially poverty-stricken students were distributed on Thursday, but I don’t know what we’ll be able to do this week. For now, school is closed – so those children will not eat either.

Saturday night was very bad – they are trying to take the police station … and they were all over our neighborhood. If you are caught out of doors between 6 pm and 5 am, expect to be arrested or shot.

They did make another effort to take the airport yesterday. Both airports are closed, meaning we cannot leave Haiti, nor can we leave PAP. It is bizarre.

We have a lot of unknowns right now. Lots of heavy gunfire last night, some of it moved behind our house.

For now, we would appreciate prayers for cool heads, wisdom, and the availability of supplies. Specifically, water. We have 12 – 5 gallon containers left for our house and for the children’s home.

Right now, the gangs are fighting against the government and police. Should they succeed, things could change very rapidly for us. We’re quite aware of this.

We do need wisdom for when the time comes.  Thanks for your prayers.

It’s awful. Hungry children, nothing to feed them. 

So where is God in all this? He is in Haiti, with the suffering. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from a German prison before his execution during WWII, “Only the suffering of God can help” (Letters from Prison). And as Kenneth Surin wrote, “The only credible theology for Auschwitz is one that makes God an inmate of the place.” (The Impassibility of God and the Problem of Evil).

I’ve been asked, and you may be asking yourself this question, “Why didn’t our missionaries leave already!?” The simple answer is that it is more difficult than you can imagine. There are children there that may not be their blood children or their adopted children, but they have raised them since infancy. How do you leave them at a time like this?

And how could Jesus leave Haiti at a time like this? He can’t. 1 John 3:1 says, 1Jn 3:1 (NIV2011)  See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

God doesn’t ever leave us or forsake us. Dt 31:8 (NIV2011)  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” If Jesus was in the fire with Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, He will be with Byron and Shelley and family in PAP.

And if you know Him, He is with you, in whatever you are going through.

This is when theology gets real.

I hope you can support them financially and in prayer. That’s all we can do right now, so let’s do it. Let’s Ro 12:15 (NIV2011)  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

3 Reasons to Go to Haiti

On By danielcooleyblogIn MissionsLeave a comment

I just got back from Haiti a couple of days ago. We were asked not to post when or where we were going, as that information on social media can make you a target when you arrive. Later this week I’d like to post some things about our trip there, especially about what we learned about the current political/gang situation.

For now, I’ll repost why we went in the first place. When I posted on my Facebook page that I might be going back to Haiti, I had an old friend let me know what he thought about it.

He wasn’t impressed.

He had two complaints, both of which have merit. One was, “We have plenty of poor here in America, why don’t you care for them first?” His second complaint was more about short-term mission trips in general. It ran something like this. “You go there not knowing the people or what they really need. Then you make changes and leave them in worse shape than before.”

Ouch.

Here’s my answer.

1: What is poverty?

In the United States, we think of poverty as a lack of money. Under that definition, we certainly have plenty of poor in America. But the true definition of poverty isn’t lack of money, but lack of opportunity. In contrast to Haiti, this country is still the land of opportunity.

Temporary ambassador (everyone in government is temporary right now) Louis Harold Joseph estimated the Haitian unemployment rate last year at 60 percent. Lack of opportunity is something different than lack of money, something many times worse. You probably remember the missionary kidnappings in 2021. Kidnapping is even more dangerous for Haitians today. When kidnappings take place, there is no international outcry. This has made getting an education to get a job almost impossible. They have no public school system. The few private schools they do have are unaffordable to most. Free schools like our own have been forced to close due to gang activity and fears of kidnapping.

Haitian poverty is a lack of opportunity.

2: Are short-term mission trips helpful?

The truth is, they can be either helpful or harmful. I suppose it is like television, or the internet, or even church for that matter. What is good can be twisted for evil. As for short-term mission trips, it all depends somewhat on preparation, who is going, and what is done when the team arrives. But it depends even more upon relationships. We only go on both the invitation of our missionaries and with God’s leading, we only go with the intention of continuing a long-term mission relationship (we have been involved in this area since 2005, with our missionaries Byron and Shelley since 2007), and we only go to encourage our missionaries and to do what they need and ask us to do.

Byron and Shelley were able to come to AnchorPoint last year on their way back to Port-au-Prince. On a side note, we also wouldn’t go if Byron and Shelley didn’t feel like it was safe enough from the airport to their place and back again. They make the final determination for the timing of any trips we take.

3: What will you be doing?

Our church and friends have been mighty generous! The three of us who went brought 320 pounds of supplies with us. We do our best to live out of our carry-on bags for the week. We are bringing what they have asked for, as certain supplies are difficult to obtain on the island.

Four days a week our school feeds 240 people two meals a day (about 190 students and teachers) or so who can make it to our place for Bible Club and tutoring. We also give food to other orphanages that are struggling to feed their kids.

  • We did devotions, helped with the school, and did lots of upkeep. There are always broken vehicles we get to repair, generator and solar issues, well issues, and toilet issues. Speaking of which, did you know centipedes can live in septic lines? Learning that was frightening. Living in the salt air, in the largest city in the world with no running water or sewer and little electricity, leads to a constant need for upkeep. Sometimes one of the best ways we can encourage our missionaries is just to get things working for them again.
  • We brought two Proclaimers from Faith Comes By Hearing. These are really cool. They are solar-powered players pre-loaded with the complete Bible read in a dramatic style in Haitian Creole. Because electricity is rare in Haiti there is little access to online scripture, so they will be a real blessing long after we are gone. By the way, since you have electricity, you can download the audio Bible in most over 1800 languages to listen through your phone. Uh, yes, English is included—just click here for the link.
  • I think being an encouragement was our best help. I read somewhere that when we go visit someone in the hospital we are “Jesus in the room.” We aren’t actually Jesus, of course, but just our silent presence, a prayer, can help them feel His presence. That is what we want to be in Haiti for those we love each time we go. Only one other group had gone since we had last been there in 2019. That’s a long time without visitors.

And finally,

If you would like to give to the needs in Haiti, you can do so directly at their website here.

OK, the next blog may be a bit more about the immediate gang crisis. Thanks for reading!

And as always, the Bizarre Books are available here.

Dan

The Wonder of NO Christmas

On By danielcooleyblogIn ChristmasLeave a comment

OK, so shameless plug here. I received Christmas early. Last week actually.

Wipf and Stock publishers decided to republish Bizarre Bible Stories and Bizarre Bible Stories 2! Yippee!

And, Bizarre Christmas Bible Stories is out for just $9.99 at Barnes and Noble. Also Yippee!

But, what if there was NO Christmas?

Hang on to your seat. It looks like archaeologists have found Santa’s tomb.

Really.

So much for setting out cookies and milk.

Archeologists believe they’ve found the tomb of Saint Nicholas underneath a Byzantine church in Turkey. The real Saint Nicholas lived between 270 and 343 AD. He inherited a lot of money that he gave away to the poor, and he was buried under a church that flooded in the Middle Ages. They built another church on top of the original church foundation, so his tomb wasn’t discovered until recently.

But here’s the thing. Over time St Nick, as in the real Saint Nicholas, has faded from memory. This may shock you, but the real St Nick didn’t live at the North Pole, and the generous guy had no reindeer. Had he never existed, Christmas might be a little different, but there would still be Christmas. Christmas doesn’t depend on St Nick, great though he was.

Christmas depends on Jesus.

But what if there had been no Jesus, no first Christmas?

If we had some kind of super-magnet that could remove all evidence of the life of Christ, what would change? There would be no Christmas of course, but also no AD dates, no Santa Fe or Santo de Cristo Mountains here in New Mexico; no Salvation Army bellringers, no Red Cross, no Samaritan’s Purse, no Presbyterian Hospital, no Harvard or Yale, and no churches. None of these would exist except for one man who never had much money, or an army, or a home.

But there was the first Christmas. Jesus was raised on the run and died a criminal at age 33 in a small city just five miles from where He was born. He was born in poverty and died washing the feet of the one who would betray Him. And we have found his tomb too. But His is empty.

And that changed everything.

Merry Christmas.

Dan

Cancer and Christmas

On By danielcooleyblogIn ChristmasLeave a comment

Psalms 126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (NIV)

Our Advent candles are Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy—and then on Christmas Eve we light the Christ Candle. How do you experience Christmas joy when you are battling cancer? Where is the peace? What happened to God’s love?

It’s a reminder to me this year that our hope, peace, love and joy don’t always come from our circumstances, but are only permanently found in Christ. I blogged before about our daughter Amanda being diagnosed with stage three cancer this summer.

Here is Amanda’s update in her own words–the family picture above.

Cancer Update –– Post-surgery and Month One of Chemo

I figured it was time for a life update since people have been asking. Yes, I was diagnosed in late June of this year with stage three melanoma. It was found in a spot on the top of my foot that went deeper and wider than we realized. When surgery was done, it turned out to have traveled to one out of the three lymph nodes in my upper thigh/groin area. I now have some awesome battle wounds, one of which is this great circle that would make an ironic sun tattoo later.

Since my surgery life has been… different. We have had to put our kids in school literally last minute, instead of homeschooling like I had been looking forward to for years. I had more days than I cared to admit of sitting on the shower floor to bathe because my leg and foot could not support my weight. I have had more spots taken off because they were “suspicious”, and the docs did not want to run the risk of leaving them on my body. I have had to learn how to slow down, spend days in bed, accept help, and even ask for it.

I started a targeted chemo treatment about a month ago. They call it targeted because my chancer had a genetic mutation (the cancer, not me). Because of this mutation, the chemo can target the cancer cells directly instead of all my cells, like most chemo. This means I should have lesser side effects, some still, just lesser. It’s taken some getting used to—I’m not one to take life slowly. At times it feels like this is God’s way of forcing me to learn patience.

But in all honestly, I know that He has a much greater purpose. I have seen my kids grow in leaps and bounds in the past few weeks – and in ways that they would never have if I had been functioning normally. I have seen God work and act far beyond what I expected. He has reached others through our little family, through my small illness, for His good and Glory, and I have only been “sick” for a few months. If all I have to do is take a “long nap” one day and be uncomfortable for a few weeks, maybe take some pills for a year for others to realize God’s goodness and mercy and plan and purpose for their life, then dang! Let’s go!

Anyways, the Franks Family is blessed. We appreciate your love and prayers, and we navigate through this year of chemo and scans – next is Dec 30.

God is good, all the Time.

Amanda

My favorite book on this topic is The Moon is Always Round. It’s a kids book that is deep enough for all of us. The thesis is that God is good even when you can’t feel it, just as the moon is always round, even when you can’t see it. That’s good theology. Our souls expand through tough times, so that our fears, hard times, questions, and grief coexist with our developing hope, peace, love, and joy. As I write, I’m sick of Amanda’s sickness, disappointed at the lack of a fantastic miracle, and totally overjoyed that her faith and trust in the sovereignty of God is stronger than her dad’s.

If you are frantically looking for one more cheap gift this Christmas, you can pick up Bizarre Christmas Bible Stories at Barnes and Noble for $9.99. They want $12.82 at Amazon.

Merry Christmas!

Dan

7 Wonders of Christmas

On By danielcooleyblogIn Bizarre Bible Stories, Christmas1 Comment
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Christmas is a time of wonder. Maybe for you, it brings back memories of hot cocoa, decorating the tree, or caroling. I remember listening to Alec Guinness (of later Obi-Wan fame) in the part of Scrooge on a reel-to-reel recording. Dad recorded it on his new Wollensak recorder with a mic in front of our radio which was about the size of a 2-door Yaris. That was before I was born. I thought we had the only copy on the planet.

Until I found this.

OK, so it’s not as rare as I thought, but listening to it each Christmas is still wonderful.

Christmas has a spirit of wonder because the real story is so unbelievably, inconceivably, wildly wonderful.

I’ve read there are over 365 names in the Bible referring to Jesus. Isaiah the prophet started with, “His name shall be called Wonderful…” Isa 9:6.

Here are my top seven Christmas wonders for 2022.

1: It’s a wonder the Old Testament got it right. Starting around 2000BC God revealed that the Blessing would come through the line of Abraham, the Jewish nation. Later Jacob is told that the Messiah would come through the tribe of Judah. Isaiah predicted He would come from the line of Jesse. Micah prophesied His birth in the tiny town of Bethlehem. Daniel foretold the timeline that the Wise Men may have been studying when they followed the star. And all of this was written 500 to 2000 years before Jesus was born. Those are wild, wonderful prophecies.

2: And while we are on prophecies, it’s a wonder that anyone would prophesy that “a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.” You can claim to be a prophet and try to predict the outcome of an election or the sex of a child. That’s 50/50–at best. But a virgin will conceive? Not likely. Isaiah got that one right 700 years ahead of time. Inconceivably wonderful.

3: I wonder why the angel didn’t tell Joseph what was up with Mary before he planned to divorce her (Matthew 1). He must have been so upset, and disappointed, and just sick in the gut before he knew what was happening. It’s a wonderful story, his sticking by her not only then, but for the rest of his life. That’s a wonderful believer, a great husband, a worthy example.

4: It’s a wonder, too, that God came to shepherds, some of the most despised people of the time (Luke 2). In the caste system, they were the bottom of the barrel, so untrustworthy that they weren’t allowed to testify in court. The Jewish system wouldn’t even allow them on the temple grounds. So, God did better, bringing heaven to earth as the angels sang, and the Temple to lowly shepherds in the form of a baby. That’s wildly wonderful!

5: Two words in Luke chapter two are wonderful to me. The angels said to the shepherds, Lk 2:10 (NIV2011)   “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

They could have said “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” But they said, “a Savior has been born to you.”

To you.

Two unnecessary words make all the difference. It’s unbelievable. Believe it.

6: It’s wonderful that God thought of the practical stuff. Sometimes God can seem distant, uncaring even. But the wise men didn’t show up by accident, they were part of God’s sovereign plan. The star was part of His plan. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were part of His plan. God cares, and that’s wonderful.

Note: Reinaldo reminded me that according to Gary Larson of “Far Side” fame, unbeknownst to most historians and theologians, there was a fourth wise man who brought fruit cake, but he was summarily rejected by the other three Wise Men, Mary, Joseph, and which rejection was ratified by a screaming Baby Jesus.

7: But it’s the incarnation, God come to earth, in a stable, wrapped in a diaper, to rescue the likes of us. WOW. The real story is unbelievably, inconceivably, wildly wonderful. And think where we are today, 2000 years later:

  • It’s a wonder that King Herod, the ruler of Galilee, a friend of Julius Caesar, and rebuilder of the temple is a footnote to the story of a man who was born in a stable and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
  • It’s a wonder that a guy who never had an army or money or wrote a book, has mountains named after Him (e.g. Sangre de Cristo / Blood of Christ); in New Mexico USA, 7000 miles away and 2000 years later.
  • It’s a wonder that Christmas boxes travel around the world in the name of a man who never traveled far from home and died five miles from where He was born.

Christmas. It’s unbelievably, inconceivably, wildly wonderful.

What are your Christmas wonders? Let us know.

Dan

P.S. The photos that we use for this blog and slides tend to come from the online site Unsplash.com. They are free from Unsplash, and legal. The picture I used this week had a note under it from the photographer. I thought I’d share it with you.“I had just stopped by my parent’s house for a cup of coffee. While I sat at the dining room table enjoying the hot cup of Joe and letting it warm my cold bones. I started thinking about Christmas and that was when I spotted the nativity in the corner. My heart was overwhelmed as I thought of Jesus Christ coming down to be the savior of our world. The God of all creation humbled himself and became a child. What love, what deep, deep love!”–Ben White on Unsplash

P.P.S. Bizarre Christmas Stories is now available for under $10! Well, a penny under. Also on Amazon.

IT’S BACK IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

On By danielcooleyblogIn Bizarre Bible Stories, Book Reviews1 Comment

Bizarre Christmas Bible Stories was first published by Heritage Builders Press, but right when it was to hit the stores, they went to publishing heaven. Or hell, I’m really not sure due to the president being in jail now. At any rate, it has sat in purgatory for a couple of years while I had to wait to make sure I had the right to publish it again.

This time I self-published it to make it as inexpensive as possible, as a result you can get it as cheaply as me. BUT–I’d just like to get it out there and I’m lousy at marketing. If you can leave a (nice) review, that can really help.

Here are some places I’ve found it

Barnes and Noble for $9.99

Walmart for $13.55

Mendocino Books for $9.99

Amazon (of course) for $17.97!! Who would pay that? Not me.

Merry Christmas!

Dan

I Literally Feel Like This Chair

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, Uncategorized3 Comments

The above picture and caption/title were recently posted by our daughter Amanda on Facebook. This is a very different blog for me. It’s about Amanda’s cancer, and a call I made to her husband Jake. I wrote it hoping the journal ChristianityToday/Pastors will print it for Jake, so I wrote it with that in mind. If you have improvements, please send them my way. Here we go…

I didn’t plan on being a pastor, and parts of it still terrify me. Hospital visits have never been my forte. I’m a strong believer that God made skin to keep stuff in, and I’d just as soon keep it that way.

I fainted at the birth of our first child.

Don’t judge me.

It wasn’t until years into this job that I realized what a privilege it is to be with families in hurting times. Now I’ve been with families through more hard times, healings and deaths than I can count. But I think I’ve still missed much of what folks are going through.

That’s until my daughter got cancer.

Our daughter and family live about 12 hours away, outside of Austin. A couple weeks into her diagnosis I realized that while we had been talking to our daughter Amanda, we had not talked with her husband, Jake. So, I gave him a call.

I should have called sooner.

He had plenty to say, including some suggestions for churches helping others in his situation. I asked him to write it all down. I had some thoughts of my own, so I’ll put his words in italics and my thoughts in normal type.

Jake’s Story

In late July Amanda texted me at work. “You ready for this?” she asked

“Yes?” I replied.

“My mole was Melanoma.”

I paused for a second as I tried to remember what Melanoma was. I couldn’t remember. I quickly googled it… CANCER was the first word I saw.

We talked for bit. I asked her every question I could think of. She had no answers yet. For the moment, the dermatologist knew no more than us. All he knew was that the mole had melanoma (cancer) cells in it. And so, he referred us to a Surgical Oncologist.

Those were two weeks of Hell. With no other facts, melanoma removed all hope for life. We had no idea if it had traveled from her foot to another part of her body, and that lack of information was the fuel that kept our minds racing. We didn’t sleep well, we were short with our kids, we were terrified. Mostly I was planning for the worst possible scenario. Sometimes I dared hope for the best.

After two weeks the medical oncologist informed us that the melanoma-laced mole was cause for concern due to its size. The mole was slightly smaller than a dime, so it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. But it was. The doctor told us she was going to first cut a circle out around the melanoma site, then take a lymph node from Amanda’s upper thigh, and finally place a skin graft on top of the melanoma site to help it heal. Amanda was on board, so we set a date for surgery.

On August 10, 2022, at 7am we were at the hospital prepping for surgery. They took us to a room to get Amanda in a gown and rest prior to surgery. Then they ran us through a number of doctors who mostly asked Amanda a series of questions about the upcoming surgery. Finally, the anesthesiologist came in, gave Amanda some sedatives, and took her back.

There’s not much to do in a hospital room. I played some games on my phone, walked to get lunch, and just waited. Thankfully, the surgery only lasted around three hours. I was thankful that Amanda seemed to be in very little pain. In fact, what she first asked for was her morning coffee (even though it was now 12:30pm). Once we checked out of the hospital, I wondered if she could be hungry. “You know, we are close to a Chipotle.” I said. “YES! THAT! THAT’S WHAT I WANT!”

1: Celebrate plateaus with the family

Here is something I (Dan) learned from a friend. With cancer there is no final healing short of glory. There is always another scan. Even in remission, like so many diseases you have to keep tab on things. So, celebrate the plateaus. It’s a break. It’s good news. Don’t look to the future and become a false prophet. Just sit back and celebrate.

In the hour drive home, we updated everyone we needed to update. I created a messenger group of all the people that knew Amanda was having surgery for melanoma, including our prayer team. By the time we got home, and we were so relieved the surgery was! As Amanda went to lay down and sleep off all the pain killers, I had additional responsibilities.

We have 4 small kids who had no idea what was going on with mom. And they didn’t know why their “JoJo”(Amanda’s mom) was there to help take care of them. So, I let Amanda rest and went to engage with my kids. I was so exhausted. The burden of surgery is a lot–it’s a lot for a whole family. Reading James was helpful, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 ESV

Much has happened since that date. There was cancer in one of the lymph nodes they removed, making this a stage three cancer. Amanda later had a PET scan that came out clear, but the scanziety (a word I picked up from a cancer friend) made for another hellacious week. We’ve been to MD Anderson in Houston and are starting immunotherapy.

Now that we are being “cared for,” instead of “caring for” others, here are some things I thought of that could help if the church just knew of them.

2: Pray. Then pray again.

And pray some more. Let God hear your voice. The Creator of the Universe. The One that holds it all together without tiring. When dealing with cancer it’s helpful to remember that God is the only one that can fully heal anyone.

The church can pray for understanding, peace, blessings, healing, and for God to be glorified. We still want to understand how God is using us in this time. We need daily peace knowing that God is still here with us through it all. We want to be a blessing to others as we walk through cancer. We want Amanda’s body to be cancer free. And we want God to be glorified in it all. We would not have woken up today if it weren’t for His grace.

Additionally, we want the doctors and nurses to fully understand what cancer Amanda has and where it all is. We want them to be at peace with giving the care she needs to help fight it. We want them to know how much of a blessing they are to us. We pray God uses them as a vessel to heal Amanda. And we pray they give God all the glory for it.

“All our perils are nothing, so long as we have prayer.” — Charles Spurgeon

3: Check in. And check in again.

Text, Email, or Facebook Messenger are great ways to ask questions of the family. For us calling was less intrusive after 5 days of being home after surgery. Text and wait. Don’t expect a quick reply. Text the caregiver and not the person directly. Like I mentioned earlier, we had a running messenger group that we continually added people to who wanted to know how Amanda was doing. Get added to that group. You can even create that group.

What do you ask the caregiver? Ask about their kids and how they’re doing. Do they have help, like a family member staying with them? “I’d love to be praying for you, is there a prayer chain chat that we get updated on?” “Do you need help with anything?” “Can we pick up your groceries?” “Can we come clean your house?” “Can we mow your lawn?” (YES, Mowing the lawn would be great!!!!)

Our late Pastor Matt Netzer in his sermon on Hospitality said, “if you don’t say what you need help with, how can we effectively help you?” I didn’t tell anyone that I needed help with mowing the lawn. So what happened? It became overgrown, and we got a warning from the city. Comical, really, but no one knew we needed help in that way. By God’s grace, he sent a kid just starting his lawn business to my house and he cut my lawn.

4: Consider a point person

At our church, and yours may be similar, we have someone who oversees meals for those who need it, and we have small group leaders and pastors who visit. But sometimes if you are the family in need, you don’t want a meal tonight, you just want to be left alone with Chili’s mac and cheese. Or maybe you need the lawn mowed but feel funny asking. Having a “point person” who is a good friend of the family in need to be the go-between can be a real help. They can say things bluntly, like, “kale casseroles give their youngest a lip fungus,” or, “I was there last week and the yard is a mess, do we have someone who can mow it?” and it makes for a bit of a buffer.

5: Food, just no kale casseroles

Sometimes the greatest practical help could be the inevitable Meal Train. I will tell you though, as a giver, it is hard to be on the receiving end. I don’t want anyone to think I’m bashing them or being ungrateful, but sometimes it’s not the best night for a meal from someone else. There are times when I’m stressed, and I just want to eat fat food. (That’s not a typo). I want my fat food!

When we have friends over to our house for dinner, we usually ask something like, “do you like (insert food here)?” And it’s that person’s responsibility to be honest and let us know if they do or not like the food. The meal train could ask what their top 5 foods are. What are their favorite restaurants? Do they have any food allergies in the house? Are the kids really picky? Or simply, “what are your comfort foods?” “Is there something the person is craving?”

I was contacted through Facebook a little while ago from a “point person” who was helping a friend undergoing similar surgery. They were getting people put money on a Grub Hub for them. What a cool idea—then they can eat what and when they want. And you can get folks to sign up through Facebook or email or whatever, which can get more folks involved.

6: Check in on the spouse:

Please remember to check on the spouse. I know I need to talk things through with people. When I process internally, I come to irrational conclusions. Thankfully, my elders and pastors have been in contact with me daily. They ask me questions like: How are you holding up? Are you sleeping? What was yesterday like? Did anything crazy happen?

It’s also wise to ask the patient what they might see the spouse needing to avoid that which is unhealthy. One of Amanda’s major concerns was that I would work long hours to pay all the bills we just accrued. She has also mentioned my horrible sleep schedule! How can I sleep when I have 1,000 scenarios to run through my head?

In short, make sure that the spouse has a solid care team as well. They need the mental fortitude that comes from these relationships to get through cancer.

7: Do a financial check in:

This journey has just started for us, and already we’ve had four thousand dollars in deductibles to meet; fifty dollars per visit co-pays to pay; gas to and from these appointments; medicine copays; and numerous other expenses. Over the last month-and-a half Amanda’s cancer has cost us upwards of $6,000. We in no way could have done that on our own. God provided family and friends that donated to meet these costs. Praise God!

Our next step is immunotherapy, which will entail even more financial hardship, more time off from work, more babysitters, and less time with the family.

Cancer doesn’t just effect one person’s body; it riddles all with whom it is associated. It disrupts life itself. It takes people away from time with their family. It takes away time from work where they make their money to provide for their family. It robs you by being the first thought of the day. Cancer becomes thought that every other thought is countered with or compared to. Unfortunately, that will probably never go away.

What a privilege it is to be with families in hurting times.

Even if you faint in the hospital room.

God says to you…

On By danielcooleyblogIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I had some folks ask me for a reading I did at the end of the service yesterday. It all comes from Psalms 23. I adapted it from the conclusion of Traveling Light by Max Lucado. I hope it encourages you this week.

In Psalms 23 God says to you,

If you will stop playing God and surrender to Me, you will know YHWH, the only true God.

You will stop feeling lost—as you accept Me as your Shepherd.

You will be healed from endless wants—when you realize you lack nothing.

You will be healed from weariness—when you rest in My meadows of grace.

You will be healed from worry—as you let Me lead you.

You will be healed from hopelessness—as I restore your soul.

You will experience innocence—as I lead you into paths of righteousness.

You will be familiar with humility—when you live for My name’s sake.

You will be fearless—when you center on My presence in the valley.

You will be healed from loneliness—when U realize I am right beside you.

You will be without shame—when you join Me for breakfast in the presence of your enemies.

You will be healed from envy—when you focus on your overflowing cup of grace.

You will be healed from homesickness—when I call you home to live in my house forever.

And I know nothing about this book, but I thought the cover was priceless.

Dan

Lambchops

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor5 Comments

Back in my youth pastor days, we would put on a church-wide Passover service every Spring. One year, to better promote the service, I went to a local sheep farmer to see if I could borrow a lamb. My plan was to keep it in our backyard and bring him to church on Sundays. We lived in a parsonage on church property, so logistics once I got the lamb home would be simple. Or so I thought.

The farmer was accommodating, so I put the lamb in the back of my rusted-out Ford with David, one of my High School students, and drove to church.

But the lamb stunk.

The farmer didn’t raise his sheep by bringing them to different fields, he simply brought food in. The result in Lake Charles LA was that they ate whatever food was given, and whatever grew on the ground, down to the ground, and lived in mud. All his sheep were needing sheering, and this one was no exception. So, he (or she, I really don’t remember) had 7-inch-long wool full of mud and other stuff they were living in.

This lamb really stunk.

I had no idea how bad they could stink until we had him living in our backyard for a week or two. Mercy. And they aren’t like a dog that you can train. They just eat and poop and baa all night when you want to sleep.

Anyway, my friend David and I decided we needed to wash this sheep if we were going to bring it to church. Water alone would not cut it. David went and bought a bottle of Woolite, and we got out the hose, and a brush and started scrubbing. That poor lamb. Anyway, once he was kind of clean, we needed to get him dry. We couldn’t. The wool was too thick, and we were concerned about him getting sick overnight when it got cool. So, we hatched a plan.

David went home and got his dad’s lawn and leaf blower. We thought we could use it like a giant hairdryer.

It blew the lamb over.

So, I got on the wet side of the lamb to hold him up, and David blew all the dirty water off of the lamb and onto me.

OK, now to Psalm 23. It begins The LORD is my Shepherd. When God called us the sheep of his pasture, it wasn’t a compliment. He could have called us the ambassadors of His kingdom. Warriors in His army. Water boys of His team. Anything but sheep.

How fantastic it is that the unchanging all-powerful, self-existent Creator of the universe would care about us smelly sheep. How remarkable that He would send His Son.

John 10:7 (NIV) Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8  All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

There are so many analogies. Like sheep, we aren’t too bright. In our sin, we smell. God becomes one of us so that our dirt can be taken by Him, blown on him as we become clean. And He pays the price for us.

I read two books on Psalms 23 during our vacation that were helpful. One was an old favorite of my dad’s, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. It has sold over 2 million copies so far, so I guess my dad was in good company. The other book I read was Traveling Light by Max Lucado. If you want more information on the Psalm, they are both great devotionals.

OH – the is a picture of Lambchops, David, and me from back in the 80s. David is still a dear friend.

Dan