The Good Doctor is not a reader. At least not by my definition of a reader: one who chooses to read for pleasure. So imagine my surprise when he read a book and recommended it to me. And then wanted to discuss it. And it wasn't a textbook. Or something pastor-ish or pastor-y or whatever you'd call the books that line his office shelves.
But let me back up. Mariana was given a book entitled, Kisses From Katie, and told that the passion of the young author reminded the giver of Mariana. Mariana was hooked and finished the book in a day. She recommended it to me which is usually the way it goes, or vice versa. Since the Good Doctor can't, or won't, have discussions about books, my daughter fills that role for me. But before I had time to pick it up, the Good Doctor had snatched it and taken it from the house. I had to call him to find out what had happened to the book; so shocked was I that he would actually be reading it, a biography no less. Since he insisted on taking it to work with him, and leaving it there at night, I had to suffer through several days before given the opportunity to partake of this book "everyone" was talking about.
Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (I honestly don't know who he is but anyone who has a name that rhymes is pretty amazing to me), says of this book: “A breathtaking journey into the sorrow and beauty of abandon to Jesus Christ. Katie Davis is young, still learning daily how best to serve. Yet her reckless, Peter-like love calls the bluff of a Christianity that refers to Jesus as ‘Lord’ with only partial intent of doing what He says. This is not a book to read if you wish for your comfort, convenience, and control to remain undisturbed.”
I couldn't have said it better myself.
After a short mission trip to Uganda during her senior year of high school, Katie Davis knew she was called to the people of this country. She left for Uganda for a longer term just after she graduated from high school. It didn't take her long to find more people and more projects that God was calling her to serve. Within a few short years she took in 14 children, 13 of which she is in the process of adopting. She has started a ministry that provides food and schooling to the children where she lives. And she's still there.
I want to be like Katie. I want my family to be like her; to have a heart of limitless love, to have a faith of limitless abandon, and to have a trust with limitless stepping out of the boat. Individually, each one of us is given this life to serve God. Together, as a family, we can reach the needs of many.
In her book, Katie says it well, “People are people. They all need food and water and medicine, but mostly they need love and truth and Jesus. I can do that. We can do that. We can give people food, water, medicine, love, truth, and Jesus. The same God created all of us for a purpose, which is to serve Him and to love and care for His people.”
And the Good Doctor actually liked this book; he took me on a date so we could talk about it. I wonder why, before we were married, he wasn't so into my stories about adopting 20 special needs kids? But this book changed something inside of him. And maybe he knows something I don't know because his Facebook post yesterday (yes, HIS, Facebook post), said, "One husband and 8 little and not-so-little children are so blessed to celebrate the birthday of their mommy today." Wait, did he say "8"? I know he's the math brains of the family, but last time I counted, there were 7 little and not-so-little children. I thought maybe he slipped, like Hope, and told me what he'd gotten me for my birthday. But I'm still waiting for Child #8. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I'm moving to Uganda and adopting 13 kids. Who's with me?
I hear they don't have snow for Halloween.
No comments:
Post a Comment