When Tragedy Strikes!

Recently, I know of three different families (two families I know, one I don't), within a week of each other, who have lost a loved one. In two cases - a son. In the other case - a grandson. First of all, I can't imagine the pain, grieving, and brokeness these families must be feeling. It is unimaginable to think of losing a child. My heart is broken and hurting for these families. Then I think of the families of Greensburg, Kansas who last week saw their entire town leveled by an F5 tornado. Being from Kansas - my heart sunk when I saw this town destroyed and lives lost. How can you prepare for tragedies such as these? Secondly, I put myself in their shoes and wonder how I would react if I was to lose my wife, daughters, or grandson. Besides the normal reaction of the grieving process, would I respond with anger and bitterness towards God for allowing such a tragedy to strike? Would I be dissapointed with God? Would I turn my back on Him for His unthoughtfulness to take such dear people from me? Or would I understand that my children and wife are on borrowed time? Would I realize that they are a treasure from the Lord but that ultimately they are His? Would I respond with praise knowing they are His children (each of them knowing Christ as their personal Lord and Savior), and that they are in the presence of the Lord?

I must be honest, that in my humanness, I fear that I would be angry, disappointed, and upset with God. Why do I say that? Because I have felt that way before. But what about what the Bible says? Doesn't it say that God is love (I John 4:16) and that He lavishes His love on us (I John 3:1)? How could a "loving" God allow such pain into our lives? Why is it that God just doesn't make sense? It seems that He doesn't make sense more times than not. My dear friend, tragedy is lurking right around the corner in our lives. You have either been through one, or you are going through one, or you are about to go through one. It's not a matter of if but when. It might not be by losing a loved one such as a child, but it could be in the area of finances, health, family, church, etc. How do we get the right perspective on this subject? I'm glad you asked! We go to God's Word. Let me share with you two things that have helped me when tragedy strikes.

1. Write on a rock. That's right - get a rock and write on it. I know you are thinking that I have fallen off my rocker. Well, your probably right - I turned 40 and a grandpa all in the same year. LOL. If you look at the life of Job you will see tragedy after tragedy in his life. Here is a person who lost his means of income, his family, and suffered personal turmoil. How did a man, who was considered blameless and upright (Job 1:1), respond? He responded with grief (1:20), frustration (3:1), anguish (6:2-3), disgust (10:1), questions (10:2-3), disappointment and isolation (23). Yet, Job remained blameless and didn't charge God with wrongdoing. Even in the storm of doubt, pain, and disappointment - Job praised God. Job wrote on a rock the following words: "I kow that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand..." (Job 19:25) Is that not awesome? In spite of tragedy after tragedy - Job proclaimed that God lives and that He will forever stand. That He is eternal. So what should you write on your rock? Let me encourage you to do this. On one side of the rock - write out a question for God, or your disappointment with God, or your frustration with God. Be honest. Besides, He knows how you feel. On the other side - write down some praise to God. I trust the Holy Spirit will guide you as you give praise, honor, and glory that He so deserves. It's okay to question God. Give him your burdens and cares. He will hear and answer you. I think my favorite verse in Job is the following: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm." (38:1). Wow - what great hope we have. That in the face of tragedy and the storms of life - God is there and we will hear from Him.

2. The comfort you receive will then be used to comfort others. II Corinthians 1:4 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those any in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." In our times of tragedy - God will comfort us. Others will comfort us as well, because they have gone through similar tragedies. Then at some point, we will comfort others. Can you see it? I call it "The Comfort Cycle". What a great promise we can cling to as we face life's surprises and help others face them as well.

Does God makes sense? Not all the time. Does God allow bad things to happen? Yep! Does He care? You better believe it. Does He want it to grow us, teach us to depend on Him, and trust that He has a plan - that all things (bad and good) work together for good? You better believe it.

I can say with confidence today that God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Let me encourage you to join with me that in the good times - we praise Him and in the bad times - we praise Him.

Blessings!

Rick

Peyton has arrived!!!

The long awaited arrival of our grandbaby has final come. Peyton Lee Haeberle was born on Wednesday, February 28th at 5:15 p.m. The baby and mom did great. We were so proud of them. Ricky, Ashley's husband, then arrived on that Sunday. He saw his new son for the first time. It was a great reunion. They are enjoying their new little family in their new home.

Please keep them in your prayers. Ricky will be leaving in two weeks to finish his tour in Kuwait. It will be a hard time on all of them. God is good though and we have much to be thankful. I guess the only thing to do is for Grandma and Grandpa to spoil the little one. LOL

Blessings on you and check back as I will try to keep you posted.

G'Pa Rick

Merry Christmas

We hope this finds you and your family healthy and happy, with plenty of peace, joy and love, as well!

We are still in Siloam Springs, AR - going on our 8th year. Still wondering what in the world we are doing here? ; ) We are still enjoying our new house....even though Rick slipped on the damp grass last spring, while mowing our steep yard and sliced his arm open on the electrical box! He was pretty proud when he had to have 35 stitches!

The big news of the year, as most of you know, is that we are going to be grandparents in March! Ashley and Ricky decided to go ahead and get married before he left for a year long deployment to Kuwait (he is in the Army National Guard) and as luck (or a greater, more divine plan?) would have it, she got pregnant soon after. This "grandparent" thing was especially hard on Rick, as the news came the very month he turned '40'! He was already feverishly working out at the gym (lost 30 lbs), buying new "hip" clothes and going tanning. We even sold the camper and traded in our SUV for a "semi" sports car! To top it all off, he entered himself into the new game show "Deal, or No Deal"! Yes, it is safe to say that mid-life crisis had found it's way into the Gering household! The highlight of his year was being chosen "Shocker of the Day" in the Wichita Eagle newspaper! Besides fighting old age, he is still associate pastor and enjoys his new hobby of shooting the squirrels in the valley behind our house with a BB gun! Guess that's what happens when you move to Arkansas!

I am still part-time HR assistant at Ozark Electronics, but have taken on an extra 10 hours a week to help the front desk out with those duties after our receptionist went part-time. I'm on the praise team and ladies committee at church, I head up our hospitality room and lead the Girls Ensemble. I'm also involved in all the extra curricular activities my dear husband "volunteers" me for! ; ) My plate is as full as I want it to be.

Ashley is doing well....even with her new hubby halfway across the world. She is full-time at the bank, with the plan to be a stay-at-home mom after the baby makes his arrival into this world. She is due on March 2nd, but Ricky won't be able take his leave and be here until the 5th, so they've conveniently "changed" her due date. We just hope that the baby cooperates! The doctor will then induce her and Peyton Lee Haeberle will enter the world, God willing! In the meantime, she is trying to remodel and furnish their house, so she can welcome Ricky home next October! Please pray for our soldiers as they sacrifice so much for us.

Amber is sixteen!!! Need we say more? Maybe sixteen and loving it! She is a junior in school and is a total social bug and lives for what's next on her busy calendar. She is in between jobs, right now....but will eventually have to submit to the fact that her summer job funds can't carry her all the way through the school year. She went on a mission trip last summer to inner-city Chicago and had a great time there, ministering to the homeless and less fortunate. She has such a big heart for missions! She is looking at possibly going to Africa this next summer and after graduating, spending a year with YWAM (Youth With A Mission).

That pretty much wraps up our past year and our lives. We pray that you will enjoy the CHRISTmas season and celebrate it for it's true meaning. We love each one of you and pray God's blessings on the upcoming year!

WSU Moves To 5-0

I am pleased to announce that WSU (Wichita State Shockers) moved to 5-o on the young season after beating LSU (#6 in the country) on Saturday, November 25. They are #24 in the AP Poll and should move up in both the AP and Coaches. What a great start to the season. There is still a long ways to go but it sure doesn't hurt to boast while you can.

The Shocks travel to Las Vegas to play in the Holiday Classic over Christmas break. I am trying to convince my wife to take a road trip with me. Its not working as of right now. So maybe you could put a good word for me - okay?

Things here are going well. Ashley is going on 27 weeks. She is due on March 4th. Its still hard to believe I am going to be a grandpa. Ricky is doing well over in Kuwait and will be with us for two weeks at the time the baby is born. Please keep both him and Ashley in your prayers.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. We sure did! We spent it in Branson, Mo. We had a great time. It was awesome to just be with family for a few days. Remember the reason for the season and shine your light so that all can see and be drawn to Jesus!

Blessings!

Rick

It's Been a While

Well, sorry that it has been a while since I have last blogged. My life has been extremely busy - family, work, school, fantasy sports (actually F.S is my stress release). My daughter Ashley is 5 months pregnant and both are doing very well. It still hasn't registered my little baby is having a baby. Her husband is now in Kuwait and is serving a one year term in the Iraq War. We are very proud of him and his commitment to our country. My youngest daughter Amber is doing very well. She is a little social bug and is active in school and her youth group at church. She is really growing and maturing and we couldn't be more proud. She is really considering going on a one year mission trip after she graduates. Cindy, my wife, is as solid as they come. She is my best friend and is the strongest woman I know. I don't mean physically :) Her faith, wisdom, and strength amaze me. I am truly blessed to have this family.

The Shockers of Wichita State are now in full swing. They made the Sweet 16 last year and I look forward to seeing them in there again this year. I plan to either watch or listen to every game again this year. I bleed black and gold!!! Go Shocks!

My life in ministry is holding steady. The church God has continued to call me to serve in is filled with such wonderful people. I really do think of them as family. They have been so good to me and my family. I have the greatest respect for those who are in the fellowship of Harvard Avenue Baptist Church.

Thanks for checking in and I will do a much better job in keeping this blog current.

Blessings!
Rick

Battle For Our Daughters

On September 15-17th, the Broken Pieces ministry will be at a Father/Daughter Retreat in Oklahoma. This is a topic that is very dear to my heart especially since I have two daughters - 19 and 16. They are two beautiful young ladies that have much potential to impact the world in a positive way for the cause of Christ. If you are a father of a girl, you know the fear and anxiety that goes into raising girls in the culture we find ourselves in. And if they are teenage daughters you know and understand the dangers that are lurking around every corner ready to snag them on a road of destruction.

The enemy is roaming like a roaring lion and looking for those he can devour (I Peter 5:8). Almost everywhere you turn you see an all out attack on our girls. The entertainment world has put such unrealistic expectations on them. There is a pressure like none other that we as dads better wake up to seeing before it is to late and we lose them. The pressure to look a certain way by what is worn or by what the body looks like. The pressure to perform whether by grades, sports, music, etc. The need to be accepted and loved. The lie that sex or sexual favors buys love. The lie that Girls Gone Wild is the way to be noticed and desired and is acceptable behavior. The list can go on and on with what we face today.

What can we do as fathers of such great gifts and treasures (our daughters) from the Lord? Is there hope for our girls to survive and not only survive but thrive? Is there hope for them to be godly ladies in such a godless world? The Bible says in I Corinthians 16:13 that we need to be men that are on guard, standing firm in the faith, courageous, and strong. We must be willing to fight for our children. We must be on guard to what the enemy intends for evil. We must be strong and courageous enough to stand for right and to stand for our convictions. We must be willing to stand firm for the things of God. When my wife and I discovered that our oldest daughter was struggling with bulimia - it was possibly the darkest hour in our lives. I was faced with a decision - turn and ignore it and hope it went away or to confront it head on and fight for my daughter. I chose the latter and I am pleased to say that she has fully recovered. Men - fight for your daughters. They are worth every bit of energy, time, and sacrifice.

I would love to hear from you dads or moms regarding this subject. What are your experiences? What are your successes and failures? Let's learn together.

Please be praying for me as I invest in other dads this weekend. Please visit my website - www.brokenpieces.faithweb.com for more information to have Broken Pieces come to your church or organization.

SNL Big Success

Well, after several months of preparation for Sunday Night Live at Harvard Avenue Baptist Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas I am pleased to say that it was a huge success. God was so good to us. SNL took place last night - August 20th. There was a threat of rain for the day threatening to cancel the event but God held back the rain and it was a fun-filled event for the roughly 1800 people in attendance.

SNL started out with a block party consisting of inflatables, games, and concessions. We then moved into the second half of SNL by having an open air concert with the Peasall Sisters (these are the girls that have a song on the award winning soundtrack - O Brother Where Art Thou) and then the highlight of the evening - Shane and Shane. What a great night of worship. The Gospel was presented and we trust that the seed will continue to be watered. We had people come from as far as and hour and a half away.

There was no way for SNL to have been the success it was without the some 75 volunteers helping with the event. What an army of volunteers H.A.B.C. has. These people are dedicated to the cause and I appreciate everyone of them.

We are going to be planning next year's SNL '07 very soon. I will let you know as soon as we know who the special guest will be. Let me encourage all of you who attend churches all over the country to challenge your pastoral staff to get serious about reaching your community for Christ. Having a block party is a great way to reach out. If you need any assistance - please don't hesitate to contact me.