Ode to an Old Friend

I wrote this poem just now, after returning from my grandparent's house.  It isn't Shakespeare; it doesn't rhyme.  But it comes from the heart, and I must let it be known that I love my little friend, and the memories that we share.

I remember well the joy

That I got from my old friend.

As a little girl, free of care

Swinging round and round.

I remember making Grandpa sick

With my circular motions 

That my faithful old friend 

Allowed me to make.

I remember him asking me 

Not to so round and round, 

But rather up and down.

He'd gladly swing us through the sky

On our little black friend.

I remember squealing with fright

As wasps flew at me furiously

Coming out of their temporary home

In my little black friend.

I remember making my cousin

Dizzy, when I spun the two of us

Round and round and round.

Then back around again.

I remember fighting with my brothers

For the right to ride on my little friend.

I remember consenting to push them

As I grudgingly gave them their turn.

I remember crying when my hair 

Got caught in the enduring blue ropes.

I remember the thrill of going to Gandma

And Grandpa's, to go play with my friend.

I remember spinning, waiting for dinner to be called.

I remember rushing through dinner, so that I 

Could go back out to my lonely friend,

Trying to be the first of six

To get back on him again.

I remember thinking about that little black friend

Held away from the ground by sturdy blue ropes.

As we grew, we found new ways to 

Fit four into the little hole.

Spreading out legs and standing.

But alas, everything must at one point 

Come to an end.  And I know that we have 

Been blessed with the joy of the tire swing.

The five eldest of us have outgrown our 

Little black friend.

I thought about asking for it to be taken down

But there is one grandchild yet

Who needs the faithful old swing.

And maybe, by the time she has

Outgrown it as well, there will be another

Little one to take the tradition 

Into the next generation.  

So I must plead, to whom it may concern,

Do not remove my friend.  Let him hang

For generations to come. 

So what had happened was...

Okay, so this one is just telling you about my day, because today was pretty awesome.   For starters, I got to sleep in for about five minutes (but, let me tell you, it felt like an hour).  Then I went to school.  Well, I left my violin on the bus, so I had to run back against the student traffic, and grab it.  Then I had to go put it in the auditorium and go to the library.  I got a new book, called The Faerie Path (recommended to me by Ultima Thule) by Frewin Jones.  After all this, I though I'd be late to class; and I made it with a minute to spare!
We watched Glory Road in U.S. History today... but the bell rang right before the game ended, so I don't know who won!! I still don't know how that movie ends. 
When we got to third period,  we were ready to leave for the concert festival for orchestra.  We got onto the bus and dedicated one seat to "junk," meaning our instruments.  The whole way to Ridgeway we spent singing and goofing off, and telling really bad jokes. 
We got to the concert, and we listened to some orchestras perform... they weren't all that good; I can honestly and unbiasedly say that I though Mt. Pisgah was the best out of the ones we saw.  They did really well for a twice-a-week class.  They were together and in tune.  They got superior ratings, and I am really proud of them =).
When we went, we thought we did horribly, but we got superior ratings, as well!  We got a two on the sight-reading, but I think that we did very well. 
When we got back to the school, there was about twenty minutes left in school.  There were ten pizzas waiting for us; there are 25 people in the orchestra.  You should have seen how fast those pizzas were going!!  Mr. Philips literally opened a pizza box and all the pizza was gone in under ten seconds.  Then he would go to another, and the same thing would happen.  Some people had eight pieces stacked one on top of the other!  It was really very comical - but now I am feeling the repercussions of eating three pieces of pizza in under ten minutes...  my bed sounds very inviting right now...
But I'm not going to bed yet!  I am babysitting two of the most AWESOME kids on the planet in a few hours, and I can't wait!!! I LOVE Joshua and Lizzie!!  They are so sweet, and SO adorable (though don't tell Joshua I said that...).  I have a pretty awesome day goin on, and it would take a lot to bring me down.  Thank you, Lord, for blessing this day for us.  I pray that you would do the same for others around the world.

Forever in Christ,

Tyler Henke

I have a beautiful little sister named Natalie.  Natalie is nine years old.

When I was little - right after I turned four, which was when I was blessed with a second baby brother - I remember praying every night from that time on, for a little sister.  "Dear God, thank you for Mommy, and Daddy, and Cooper, and Wesley, and help me to get a baby sister."  I prayed for a little sister, as I said, every single night.  Then, when Mom got pregnant with Natalie, I told her that if the baby wasn't a little sister, then I was moving out.  And I still prayed that the baby would be a sister.

When we were discussing names for a possible little girl, I even helped name her.  I wanted a sister that I could call "Nae-Nae," which was what I called a friend named Renee.  So, we named the baby Natalie Renee, so that I could call her Nae-Nae.

When she was born, we found out that she had Moebius Syndrome.  We had never heard of Moebius Syndrome, as not many people have.  It is a very rare congenital disorder (as in, 20 max cases per million births), also known as an orphan disorder, that occurs because the sixth and seventh cranial nerves didn't connect during embryo.  It is characterized mainly by a partial facial paralysis, which makes it difficult or impossible to do much with your face.  When Natalie was born, the doctors told my parents that she would not be able to eat, talk, laugh, blink, smile, or show any kind of emotion whatsoever.

Natalie was also born with crossed eyes.  She really only has one eye that functions, because she does not use the other.  How does someone not use an eye?  Well, Natalie cannot blink, and her eyelids cannot move on their own.  So she holds one eye open when she needs to see well (p.s., if Natalie ever challenges you to a staring contest - which she absolutely will - be warned that there is no way you can possibly win).

She has very poor balance, so when she walks, she kind of tilts when she moves her legs.

Despite all of this, Natalie is one of the most wonderful people I know.  She can do almost everything that the doctors had predicted that she would never be able to do - and she doesn't realize that she is different.  She loves who she is, and she loves her life.  She has overcome so many unfair advantages that she didn't know she didn't have.  Natalie lives a life devoid of care.  She hasn't allowed her physical disabilities to rule her life.  Many times, I often forget that she is even disabled.

I think that when people see Natalie, she sort of makes them forget that she is different.  We were at the park the other day, and a little girl walked up to Natalie and commented about her face.  Natalie truly didn't know what the little girl was talking about, so she ignored it.  After a few minutes, the two girls were playing Hide and Seek like they had always been friends.  No more was said about the way that Natalie looked. 
This is only one of the many times I have witnessed Natalie drawing people away from her face with her bubbly personality.  I believe that my sister is a rare little girl - she is definitely the sweetest little girl I know, and I pray that this sweetness continues with her through adulthood.

Natalie is the answer to a little girl's fervent prayers.  I cannot express my love for my little sister; nor can I express the gratitude that I feel every night when I think about her.  God works in strange and wonderful ways - Natalie is living, breathing proof of that.  There is not one thing that I would change about my little sister, even if I had the chance.  Natalie is wonderful just the way she is, and I will always count her among my role models.  I hope that one day, I can live with a love for life equivalent to that of my little sister's.

A Day on Daremo

There is a blog that I am following, called "A Day on Daremo", and Eldra, the blogger, is having a contest thingie..... She calls it a "giveaway", so that's what I will call it =D

So Eldra is a really talented writer.  If you click on her name, you can go to her blog.  Her sister, Leauphaun, is an AMAZING artist, who not only paints, but she sketches and is a wonderful photographer, as well!  Check out her Paintings, Drawings, and Photography.  You'll find that I am not exaggerating!  Check them out!! Follow them!! 

Leap of Faith

God loves you.  He loves you so much, that He was willing to send His only Son to pay your debt - which we are supposed to die for, by the way - by dying painfully on the cross.  I mean, even before you were born, He was taking care of you!! How amazing is that?  You are SO precious to God!  And He has already planned out your life, minute by minute.

God has this awesome, perfect plan for His children.  And He uses His children to carry out that plan.  No one really knows what that ultimate plan is, but I think that is a good thing - I mean, I can barely understand the plans for the weekend, much less the future of the entire universe!

But the wonderful thing is that God doesn't expect us to understand His plans.  He doesn't expect us to know what to do - He doesn't expect us to handle it all on our own.  He doesn't even expect us to make the plans - it's all Him!!  All we do is help Him carry it out.

And He tells us how to do that.  All we have to do is take a leap of faith into His Word, and let his instruction Book show is what to do, step by step!

"If there were a thousand step between you and God, and you could see no way across the great divide, just take one step toward His loving arms, and He'll take nine hundred, ninety nine." - Newsong

We don't have to walk the whole way!  God will do all the work - we just have to have enough faith in Him to take that one step!

Don't worry about messing up, either.  God knows that we are clumsy.  God expects that!  God knows that we can't possibly do anything by ourselves - we are way too small!  But when we put our faith in Him, when we let Him carry us through life, we don't have to worry about falling down - He won't let us down, He won't let us go! 
"It's time to take a leap of faith, so here I go!  I'm diving in!  I'm going deep!  In over my head, I wanna be lost in the rush, caught in the flow, and over my head I wanna go.  The River's deep.  The River's wide.  The River's water is alive.  So sink, so swim, I'm diving in!"

When God calls you to do something, chances are it probably won't be too fun, or too comfortable, but guess what?  He won't ask you to do something if He knows you can't do it.  And we can do anything when we act on behalf of Jesus Christ. 

"When I call on Jesus, all things are possible!  I can mount wings like eagles and soar.  When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall.  'Cuz He'll move heaven and Earth to come rescue me when I fall." - Nicole C. Mullen

So here is a challenge to you (and to myself) for this week:  When God calls you, will you take the plunge?

Joy and a MAJOR Red Herring.......

What is the difference between happiness and joy? 

Joy:(1) the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasures; elation  (2) a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated (3) the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety (4) a state of happiness or felicity (5) to be glad; to rejoice (6) to gladden

Happiness: (1)good fortune; pleasure; contentment

So, what is the difference?

Well, when I think of joy, I think of a little girl with her hands held high, facing the heavens, with a true smile on her face.  And I picture that same little girl ten years later, in the same orant posture, her face still upturned.

When I think of happiness, I think of a little girl with an ice cream cone or a new Barbie doll. 

The two are seemingly the same, but I think that joy is more... permanent.  Even of you are sad, or hurt, or lonely, or angry... I think you can still have joy.  Joy is more of a state of being - even if you are sad, because of whatever reason, you can still feel joyful. 
Happiness is more temporary; likely to change. 

Note that joy doesn't necessarily mean ecstatic.  It doesn't mean energized and bubbly; joy can be serene, as well.  Joy can be something that you feel all the time. 
I have noticed that  when I have left my trust in Jesus; when I know that He is caring for me and when I am 100% confident that He is indeed in control - when I know that I can rest easy knowing that He is taking care of me, I feel this serenity.

A few days ago, there was a really bad tornado warning.  I knew that if there was a tornado, that I would have to put on a brave face, so Natalie wouldn't be scared more than she already was.  But when the sirens went off, I simply closed my eyes - I didn't really pray using words, but I knew that as I closed my eyes, God didn't need any more invitation than that - He took my fear and worry, and I found that I didn't have to put on a face - I wasn't afraid at all.  I knew that God controlled the tornado, and even if He saw fit to allow it to hit us, I knew that He was in control of it, and I realized, to my surprise, that I didn't care.  If God was going to destroy the house - so what?  God would also take care of my family.  He wouldn't do it unless He had a plan for our ultimate safety.
I wasn't afraid - I was actually content.  I was in that same state of joy that I have always felt when spending time with my God - whether in prayer or in worship, or in reading, or in simple "quiet time" with God.

So, yeah.... that's my little thingie (I really don't know what you can call these....) for today =D


May God bless you, and may you let Him provide you with the same joy that he has provided me.

In Christ forever,
Tyler Henke

We are the Church

Today at church, our pastor gave a great lesson.  He talked about the church, and what a church is.


Basically, a church isn't a building or a place or an event; the church is the people gathered to fellowship.  That kind of tied in to the lesson we had at Sunday School this morning.

Why don't I just start at the beginning of the service?

At Sunday School (which the Youth Group has before the service), we read Acts 2:42-47.

^"42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

42: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer

•  The believers would meet and devote themselves to learning the teachings of the apostles, very much like a church service today.
• They would also devote themselves to fellowship.  The definition of fellowship that was given by my Youth minister was when people gather together for one common purpose.  In this case, the common purpose was love for Jesus Christ and a desire to learn His ways. Everyone would gather and come together in love for one another and for Jesus.
• They would gather for the breaking of bread, which could mean communion, or it could simply mean having a meal together.  The believers would use the time for fellowship and just making friends. (This would be the part after church, when you and other members of your church have decided to go out to Pei Wei or CiCi's for lunch.)
• And, of course, they could gather for prayer.  I don't know about you, but I feel amazing when I am sincerely praying to my Lord.  Sometimes I feel the need to meet with my God in private, and just pour out my heart to Him.  Other times, when I am in a group of believers, and we pray, I feel... liberated, some how.  I feel more free to express myself in groups of believers.  (Don't get me wrong, I know that when I am conversing with the Lord, that I am free to say anything that I feel)

 44: the believers were together and had everything in common

•  The apostles and believers were a community - they lived together, in - here comes that magic word - fellowship.  
• Now when it says that they had everything in common, it doesn't mean that they agreed on every single subject.  Rather, they shared everything.  They knew that material wealth was God's anyway, and so they shared it with anyone with the need.

46:  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 

• They did this every day. Every day of the week, they met and worshiped and gave and learned.  So, they had Sunday every day.

47: praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
I just think that that is SO neat, that they gathered everyday for praise, fellowship, and worship.  In the early church, people would meet the needs of everyone in the community, even if it meant selling off all of their own things to meet the needs of a brother.  They would pray and worship and learn together.  And people saw the way that the church lived and they wanted that, so "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." 

That was what I learned in Sunday School.  This is what I learned during the service:

We as believers are the Church.  The Church isn't the building that we meet in, nor is church an event.  The Church is the body of believers, who happen to meet in a building on Sunday.  "The Bible never defines the Church as a place; it always defines Church as people." - John Horne

We read 1 Corinthians 12:1-25

14-17: (14)For the body is not one member, but many. (15) If the foot shall say, Because I am not that hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (16) And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  (17) If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing?  If the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the smelling?

• We are "different yet essential in the Body of Christ."
• It's almost like the different members of the Body are jealous of each other.  The eye is discontented because it is not an ear; teh foot is discontented because it is not a hand... But you need your feet just as much as you need your hands, and you need your eyes just as much as you need your ears, if your body is to function properly.

18-20:  (18)But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  (19) And if they were all one member, where [were] the body?  (20) But now [are they] many members, yet but one body.

• God has a master plan for you.  He has given certain people certain gifts, and He expects us to use those gifts for His glory. 

21-24:  (21) And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; not again the head to the feet, I have no need of  you. (22) Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be feeble, are necessary: (23) And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness.  (24) For our comely [parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that [part] which lacked.

•   We are dependent on one another in the Body of Christ.
• This part reminds me of the song "Lean on Me" - the concept is similar.

So, as a member of the Body of Christ, we now know that each of us has been given a gift; regardless if we know what that gift is - we should find out what it is, and immerse ourselves in some kind of ministry.  For me, I know that I love children - so I have gotten into the Children's Ministry at my church.  I go to Jericho Junction (which is like a fun skit and then some games that deal with the lesson), and I help out in the children's classes during church.

As followers of God, our task, the Great Commission, is to "know Christ and to make Him known."  You can do that by becoming an active member in the church.  As Christians, we need the fellowship and spiritual cleansing/feeding that comes from surrounding ourselves with fellow believers.  This helps us to become closer to Christ.  When people see us living the way the early church that Peter was talking about in Acts 2, they want to have something like that.  That will help to make Christ known (that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out into the world and spread the Gospel; you most definitely should, but we will get into that later.)