I Want To Go To Haiti
Ever since I was a little kid Haiti has been on my heart. As kids we would do a thing called the “penny march” where we would bring up money and put it in a jar and the money was going to some missionaries in Haiti that were raising money to build an orphanage in Port au Prince. When Kimmy and I arrived here at The River Church I was thrilled to see that this church had a heart for Haiti, and has gone there on mission trips for the past 7 years or so.
They were supposed to be going there to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in February to install solar panels at one of their buildings and I really wanted to go with them then. However, with us just moving down here and money being tight for us I knew it wouldn’t work, because I couldn’t get my deposit money in on time. Then the earthquake struck in Port au Prince and it delayed their trip until the end of March and the beginning of February. One of the team members was not able to go as a result and so there was an opening.
After spending some more time in prayer and talking it over with my wife I really feel that this is something God wants me to do. The problem is that we still don’t have the money to go, so God will have to lay it on some people’s hearts to donate money so that I can go. Fortunately, we are going to be getting a tax return and that will help with some of the cost. And there have been a couple of people have said that they could give some, but I am still a long way off from the $1800 that I will need.
I know that some people may be wondering why it is that I would be going to the northwest part of Haiti when it is Port au Prince that needs the help due to the earthquake. The reason is not just because that is where my church was scheduled to go, but that there is also a need there. Lots of people have migrated north to get away from the devastated areas in the south there, so there is a need there. The mission there has an opportunity to help people affected by the earthquake, so if we can go and help in anyway then I know that it will have a longer term impact then just the week and a half that we will be there.
So if you would pray that God helps me to be able to get the money to go I would appreciate it. And if God lays it on your heart to make a contribution to help me go that would be great. Just send me an email to: todd @ HitTheRiver.com (I spaced it out so that I don’t get spammed) and I will let you know how you can do that. Thanks, I want to embrace the danger and uncertainty of obeying God. As always I am just trying to follow Him wherever He leads me.
To Save A Life (movie review)
This is a copy of my review as posted on the Youth Specialties website.
Have you ever longed for a movie to be made by a Christian that depicted life in a much more realistic way? Where people who began a relationship with Christ didn’t suddenly have it all together, score the winning touchdown, get the girl, have their parents relationship suddenly get better and then find themselves tiptoeing through the tulips in a pain free life? If this describes you then the movie “To Save a Life” is just what you have been looking for.
I had the opportunity to go to a special screening of this movie for youth workers and I must say that I went into it very skeptical. I expected it to be just like almost every other movie that has been made by Christians. As the first swear word that was uttered I had a feeling that this could possibly be that type of a movie I have been waiting for.
The movie starts off in a cemetery where a young man, Roger, is being buried and you see another young man named, Jake, is standing a little ways off. Roger’s mom approaches Jake and asks him if he knew this was going to happen and when was the last time that Jake had talked to Roger. Jake freezes and we see flashbacks in his head of when he and Roger were younger. Then just as the mom walks off he utters, “Not since our freshman year”.
From there we learn more about Jake’s life and how he is the star athlete, has the girl and will soon be graduating from high school and heading off to play basketball at a major university. However, as we see there is something that just isn’t right with his life and we see the turmoil throughout that he seems oblivious to.
One day, he finds himself on a curbside with no one to turn to or call except for this youth pastor, Chris, he bumped into earlier that handed him his business card. Chris comes and picks up Jake from this party and starts a relationship with him that will eventually change both of their lives.
Chris never has all the answers for Jake but what he does have is time and love, so he gives as much of it as he can to him. Jake eventually starts becoming a regular member of Chris’ youth group and helps revolutionize the group from one that is going to church, to one that is becoming the church. You even see Acts 2 being acted out in one particular scene on the school grounds during lunch.
I would recommend this movie for every youth worker out there to take their group to, because it depicts not only the life of teens in a very real way; but because it will hopefully help your group to see their greater role on this planet and it will hopefully also helped you reach some teens who are not Christ-followers yet. And, yes, there is some swearing, drinking and a “sex scene” (where nothing is shown but you know what happened) in this movie so be warned. However, nothing is gratuitous even though it did get a PG-13 rating.
I also recommend this movie if you are looking for a good movie to go to that is well written, acted and produced. I was very impressed with the quality of this film. But don’t go see it if you would rather not be stirred to action and change your world.
Lookin’ Back and Lookin’ Ahead 2010 Edition
I have had the same goals for the past three years and so I will re-post them again.
1) Do something about my job situation, whether that means a new job and forget ministry all together, or do something to get into ministry.
2) Do more to care for our planet (i.e. recycling, conserving energy, etc.)
3) To live my life in light of these deep and profound words…
Little did I know when I posted this list last year that part of my first goal would be answered for me when I was laid off from the company that I had worked at for almost 15 years. Not too mention the fact that the owner of the company is my dad. That is how bad the economy is in Michigan.
After that happened my wife and I literally saw it as an answer to prayer. So we decided that my full-time job would be to find a job in the ministry as a youth pastor. Not long after that happened we were flown down to College Station, TX to interview with a church down there. That didn’t pan out for us but we had asked God all along during this almost 5 year process to close the doors we were not supposed to walk through and open the one we were. Almost 7 months after getting laid off we finally walked through that door and move down here to Liberty Township, OH so that I can take the job as youth pastor at The River Church.
I am so happy to take that one off of my list of goals.
My wife and I continue to recycle and we are hoping that we can encourage our church to do the same thing. It feels so good knowing that we are not being as wasteful and that we are doing our part to care for the planet that God has given us to care for.
Not only do I feel that this is something that I continually grow in, but I also am spreading that same message to the teenagers that God has given me the opportunity to pastor. I believe that if Christ-followers can grasp a hold of that concept that we will be able to have a greater impact in our country and world.
I had set three fitness last year as well….
1) To run a 10K.
2) To continue working towards competing in a mini-triathlon.
3) I plan on running in several more 5K’s again this year.
I ran in my first 10K when I ran in the Nike Human Race 10K, which was run by myself and then I uploaded my run to my Nike+ account. I then ran in my first 10K with a group of people on Thanksgiving Day when I participated in the 100th Annual Thanksgiving Day Race here in Cincinnati. My goal was to finish it under one hour and I did. I was very happy.
With the move down here I was not able to participate in the mini-triathlon like I had hoped to, but perhaps I will see about doing one this summer. The only problem will be trying to find a place to work on the swimming.
I did run in a couple of more 5K’s and hope to continue doing that. I am also hoping to help one of my youth pastor friends run in his first ever 5K.
Did you make resolutions or goals? If so, share some with me.
Bloggin’ Through 2009
It is that time again to recap the past year, so as I usually do I went back and looked at the first post of every month and provided a link to them below with a little commentary.
January – The year started off with me debating whether I watch Football or Hockey. Hockey won out because for the first time in pretty much my lifetime Michigan was not playing in a college football bowl game. Sadly the same thing happened again this year. I sure hope that Coach Rod can turn it around this next year. Progress was made but not going to a bowl game 3 years in a row is unacceptable.
February – The month of February found me unemployed and in the state of Texas hoping to land a job with a church in Texas. So my first post of the month was a Texas Recap. I ended up not getting the job, which was very disappointing but we have always asked God to close the doors that we were not supposed to go through.
March – I started of the month with a reflection on the Funny Things We Say. Many people have noticed how much I talk about how much I love my wife and find her beautiful. There is a reason behind it besides the fact that it is true. This blog post explains why.
April – Once again I came to the realization that I Need to Grow Up. Nothing more needs to be said.
May – In May I had grown tired of being asked, “Why Are You Selling Your House?” and so I answered the question publicly for everyone. Sadly, we are still trying to sell our house because Chase Bank sucks and has taken so long on the 6 offers we have given them for our short sale that all 6 buyers have walked away. Hopefully, it will sell in 2010? Especially since we don’t live there anymore.
June – I found myself once again reflecting on the fact that Love Wins. The news of the abortion doctor, Dr. Tiller, being murdered by a “pro-life” person while Dr. Tiller was attending church was the biggest news of the day. I added my own thoughts to what happened in my blog post.
July – The crazy roller coaster ride that I call my life began a new phase this month and all I could do was echo the words of Mike Yaconelli, What A Ride! While we were up in northern Michigan camping I got the call that The River Church wanted to bring me down as their youth pastor, so we began to work towards that with the elders there. It is so weird to think that it has only been a few months that we have been here, because it feels like we have always been here. We love our new church and friends here in Cincinnati.
August – We said Goodbye, No See Ya Later to our home state of Michigan. With all that was going on with packing, moving, unpacking and then settling into the new youth pastor job at The River I didn’t blog other then this post.
September – I was looking for Someone to Pinch Me, because I was (and still am) amazed at how blessed me and my family are to be here in Cincinnati and to be a part of The River Church community. I look forward to the many, many years that we will be here.
October – I started off the month of October warning people that I Am Going to Step on Some Toes and I know that I did, but I also hoped that I inspired some people to make some healthy choices.
November – The month of November had me asking, Porter Family Snowball Fight and then talked about the Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas controversy.
That was my year in a nutshell. Now I need to get busy with my goals for 2010. Should it be twenty-ten or two thousand and ten? What is your preference?
Merry Christmas 2009
The following is our annual Christmas letter.
If I were to summarize the year of 2009 in one word, I would have to say the word “peace” best describes it. For those of you who know our story, you might be really shocked by that word. Surely, after all of the events of this past year, “peace” would not be a word typically used. Honestly, though, it truly was God’s peace that brought us from a point of loss to gaining abundant blessings.
January was quite a month for us. After the holidays were over, we were left with a lot of emotions. We were certain that God’s calling was still on Todd’s life and certain that the time was drawing near for his return to youth ministry. Our biggest concern was where and when. That is, until the day Todd had to be laid off of work. I remember that week very clearly. Two days prior, I was at choir practice and a woman from our church handed me an envelope. She told me she didn’t know whom it was from. When I got home, to our surprise we found a $100 gift card for Kroger inside. Our first reaction was, “We don’t deserve this! There are so many people in the church who have lost jobs. They need it more than us.” Two days later, Todd came home with the news that after almost 15 years, his dad had to lay him off. We both knew God had provided even before we had a need. Shortly after that week, Todd and I were asked to travel down to Texas to interview at a church. Thinking this was God’s plan, we hopped on a plane and set off for College Station, Texas home of Texas A&M University. We loved the town and even more the pastor of the church. We returned to Michigan ready to pack up and head down. God had other plans though as the job was offered to another candidate.
As we struggled to grasp God’s path for us, we had to rely on trusting Him on a weekly basis. We received random cards in the mail from families in the church (some who didn’t even know us) with checks inside. God also provided a temporary job for Todd to help with on the side. He took up doing water restoration. The hours were very long at times, but the extra money helped us keep up with most of the bills and put food on the table. Overall, we had a sense of peace that God was going to continue to take care of us even when we didn’t know what form the help would come in.
After struggling for several months to get together enough money to pay our mortgage, we decided that it was time to put our home of almost 8 years on the market. It came, as no surprise to us that our home was now worth half of the value it was when we bought it. This meant we had to list it as a “short sale” and get bank approval for any offer that came in under the amount we owed. Shortly after it was listed, we had five offers to show the bank. We were excited and so thankful. Then came May.
In May, The River Church located near Cincinnati, Ohio called and asked us to come down for an interview. We were not sure what to expect and surprisingly came away from the interview with a lot of questions more than answers. We had been through that process so many times in the last 4 years and we were beginning to feel run down. We asked a lot of our close friends to pray with us, and a week later, we got encouraging news. Todd was the front-runner and the elders wanted to get a chance to meet our family. This was the first time our kids would be involved in an interview. It was exciting to watch our kids connect with other teens and children at the church and the process, though exhausting, left us feeling at ease and hopeful. Finally, in July, while on vacation in Manistee, Todd got the call asking him to take the youth pastor position.
We made plans to move at the beginning of August in hopes that our home sale would be finalized by then and also because the schools in Ohio would be starting up on the 25th of that month. The entire house was packed up and ready to go. Two weeks before we were scheduled to move, we got a call from our real estate office. They had just found out that the last of the five offers on our home had been withdrawn. We were devastated. The bank had taken so long to get the process in gear; all five potential buyers had decided to look elsewhere. With boxes everywhere, we began to once more show our home. It was frustrating, but again, within a very short period of time, we got another offer.
Our moving plans continued, and on August 10th we packed up everything we owned into our friend, Jim’s moving truck and headed down to Liberty Township, Ohio. The weather was crazy! Not only was it the hottest day we had had all summer, but we also lost power the night before and into the next morning. Then when we got near Dayton, we experienced torrential rainfall so hard that we could barely see the brake lights in front of us. At one point, lightning even stuck near us in the median! When we arrived at our rental home, we were greeted by a group of people from our new church. They were ready to pitch in and help us get the truck unloaded. Before we began taking anything out, Todd and I got our first tour of the home. You see we had never even seen the house in person. Some friends of ours who lived in the area looked it at and we confirmed the fact that they had very good taste as soon as we walked through it. Everything was emptied out of the truck, and Jim & Jeff (who also came down from Michigan to help us) headed back home.
Our first few weeks in Ohio were tiring for sure. I was determined to get the boxes unpacked and Todd wanted to get right into his new position. We were so blessed by the people at The River. They brought us meals, offered to help in anyway they could and some of the ladies even invited me out to coffee! Hannah made several friends almost immediately since she was now of youth group age. We even have a family from church living two doors down who has a daughter the same age! Caleb probably had the hardest time adjusting. He didn’t have any interest in meeting other kids, which was very unusual for him. He stayed inside and told us he would make friends when school started. Well, school started two weeks after we got here and both kids had the opportunity to go to separate schools for the first time.
Hannah now attends Liberty Junior School, and is in the 7th grade. She is still in band and plays the flute. She has really blossomed this year and I think junior high has been a great experience for her so far. Caleb attends Woodland Elementary and is in the 5th grade so he now gets to experience being one of the older kids in his school. He has a great teacher named Mr. Caulfield. He also has a teacher that assists him in reading, which has really made a big difference for him so far this year.
In addition to school, the kids both have new activities they have never experienced before. Hannah found a stable not too far away where she has horseback riding lessons. To help pay for the lessons, she also has been working at the stable cleaning out the stalls. She absolutely LOVES working with the horses and seems to really have a knack for it. Hannah also got FREE braces in November! I was checking out a website for a local Orthodontist because they were hiring office staff and I came across the contest on their home page. I decided to enter because Hannah was actually supposed to get braces back in April but was unable to because we couldn’t afford it. It was such a wonderful surprise when I got the call that Hannah had won!!!
Caleb is now an official Cub Scout and hopes to move up to Boy Scouts in the coming year. He has been on a few outings and is preparing to make his first pinewood derby car. He is hoping his grandpa in Michigan can give him some help. Caleb has also made several really good friends. They play together almost everyday and usually are upstairs playing some sort of video game. I think he is finally feeling at home now.
Todd has settled nicely into youth ministry down here and I have also embraced several ministries. I have been serving with Todd as a small group leader with the teens and youth band coordinator; as well as being involved with the music ministry and even getting several opportunities to lead worship. On top of that I am also working at The Children’s Place part time. We have all grown to love southern Ohio.
Though we still have obstacles in front of us, one being our home in MI that is now in the process of foreclosure unless another buyer comes forward, we are certain that God’s peace will get us through them. We are so excited as God’s plan continues to unfold and really can’t wait to see what 2010 holds for us!
Merry Christmas!
Todd, Kim, Hannah and Caleb Porter
Santa is a Bully?
Believe it or not it is true. No, I am not talking about the scene in “Miracle on 34th Street” when Santa hit the psychiatrist with his cane. I am talking about the guy from whom we get Santa Claus. He was a real person named Saint Nicholas.
First, let’s talk about how he became Santa Claus and where the whole gift giving thing comes from. Many people may not know that Saint Nicholas was a real person, who was very generous. Here is how his gift giving become part of the legend of Santa. (from EWTN.com)
He was very well brought up, we are told, by pious and virtuous parents, who set him to studying the sacred books at the age of five. His parents died while he was still young, leaving him with a comfortable fortune, which he resolved to use for works of charity. Soon an opportunity came. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money and his three daughters could not find husbands because of their poverty. In despair their wretched father was about to commit them to a life of shame. When Nicholas heard of this, he took a bag of gold and at night tossed it through an open window of the man’s house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl, and she was quickly married. Nicholas did the same for the second and then for the third daughter. On the last occasion the father was watching by the window, and overwhelmed his young benefactor with gratitude.
There are stories that he did this several times and would toss the money into stockings that were hanging either by the windows or the fireplace, so that they could dry. That is where we get the idea of presents getting put into stockings that hang on fireplace mantles.
Now onto the story that I love about Saint Nicholas. He was invited to the Council of Nicea where the Nicene Creed was established. (If you have never read it then click on that link and read it. It has the essentials of the Christian faith in it.)
It was at this Council that his legend takes on a whole new light, because there was someone named Arius that argued that Jesus the Son was not equal to God the Father. He argued his position at length and eventually angered Saint (or should I say “Saint”) Nick so much that he walked across the room and struck him. Jolly old Saint Nick was then thrown into jail for doing this, but eventually released. It is said that because of his passion the Council at Nicea affirmed what the Scriptures teach regarding Jesus being equal with God the Father. Here is two paintings that are of this event.
I find it very ironic that one person who fought to make sure that Jesus was fully recognized for who He really is became the person that we now have replaced Jesus with. The shadow of Santa Claus is so much bigger than Jesus here in our country and I think that this would make Saint Nicholas very sad. I have the following statue sitting out every year for Christmas, because I believe that it expresses the true heart of Santa Claus this time of year. I hope that on this Christmas Eve that you will make sure that Jesus has His proper place in your Christmas celebration.
Happy Festivus 2009!!!
Today, December 23rd is Festivus. For those of you who do not know the joy of Festivus, feel free to watch the video clip that shows the history of this great holiday. Because we are going to be traveling back to Michigan on Christmas Eve after our church’s Christmas Eve service we decided to have our family Christmas today. I think it is great that we are doing it on Fetivus. I should make Caleb have to pin me for the celebration to end. All we are missing is the aluminum pole.
This Christmas Blog Post Brought to You by…
Isn’t it sad that many of us would not be surprised if I had said Target or Walmart or Amazon or whatever other retailer you can think of? This time of year is so filled with commercials to buy this latest and greatest toy or gadget.
For many years we have had a couple of different Christmas shows that have spoken out against this commercialism of Christmas. Charlie Brown speaks out against it in the holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, which was created in 1965. However, 18 years before that there was another holiday classic that spoke out against the commercialism of Christmas. This time the person speaking out against it was none other then Santa Claus himself in what is (in my opinion) the greatest Christmas movie of all times, “Miracle on 34th Street”.
I think that often times I don’t realize how far back this problem with the commercialism of Christmas has gone. I think of this as a more modern day problem, but when I watch those shows I realize that it goes all the way back to many years ago. While I appreciate those shows and their message I have realized that talking about it is a much different thing then doing it. I have watched those shows year after year and nod my head in agreement and then head off to the stores to buy as much as my credit cards will allow me to, so that I can make as many people hapy as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that gift giving is a wonderful thing. I find great joy in watching people get gifts. However, the problem comes when we put ourselves into debt just so that we can do it. This has been a problem for many years in our country. My wife and I for several years got smart and started buying gifts throughout the year, so that we wouldn’t have to spend it all at once and go into debt for Christmas gifts.
Every year my extended family and us would exchange names between us adults for gift giving and then we would buy gifts for all the kids. This year since many of the people in my family are struggling financially we decided to do something different. We chose to have everyone exchange names, adults and kids, but we were not allowed to simply buy a gift. We had to make something for them instead. It was so cool to be able to make something for my niece. My whole family loved being able to create something for someone else. It was a lot of fun. I made this dog house for my niece. Well, I should say that I painted it since it was already pre-made.
It is nice to be able to simplify things a little bit this year for Christmas. Kimmy have decided that we wanted to get a gift for our family this year was going to be something to bring us together, so we bought a Nintendo Wii and a couple of games for the kids. I am not a big gamer person but I really love the Wii and find it to be a lot of fun.
The holidays should be about bringing family together and not just buying them gifts. We really are feeling that desire to want to have our family feel closer together now that many of us all live in different states. Our first year of marriage Kimmy and I made gifts for everyone, because we didn’t have a lot of money since we were just married just a few weeks earlier. I can remember just about every gift we made for them those 14 years ago, but I can’t remember the stuff I got our family last year. There is something to the simplicity of that makes it mean so much more. Not too mention how much we are downplaying the commercialism that has become a part of the Christmas season.
I hope that this year you can find a way to bring you and your family closer together. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The Nativity Dance
I saw this video on a friend of mine’s blog. This is what he did at his youth group. I think it is great. Well, other then the fact that it is biblically inaccurate, because the wise men didn’t come until Jesus was a toddler and not when he was a baby. But I will forgive Lars on this one.
HT to Lars Rood.
Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas!
I posted the following question on my Facebook status update along with asking it on Twitter.
“Why do we (when I say “we” I mean those who are Christ-followers) expect non-Christian companies or people to say Merry Christmas?”
I have to honestly say that I really do not care if I go to Walmart and the cashier wishes me a “Happy Holidays” instead of wishing me a “Merry Christmas”. In the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t matter. Not too mention that somehow I am thinking that it really doesn’t spread the hope, peace, joy and love of the Christmas Advent when we shout back at that person, “IT’S MERRY CHRISTMAS NOT HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!” Can you honestly say that you think that is how Christ would have us respond?
I believe that if Jesus was walking through Walmart and had the same encounter that He would say thank you. That should be our very same response if we are truly Christ-followers.
This week we are focusing on peace in the Advent season and I want to do what I can to show the peace of God here on this earth as much as I can. So instead of getting all upset and in a rage I would rather sow seeds of peace.
I also find it funny that in 1966 CBS aired an ad like this….
And people thought back then that it was okay. Now suddenly saying things like “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” is bad. Why the difference? I know that some would say that they feel that our government and society was more “christian” then and it isn’t anymore. But I disagree. I don’t think that there should be any difference at all. Besides the word holiday comes from the words “holy” and “day” being mashed together.
So let’s make sure that we actually make it a MERRY Christmas or a HAPPY Holiday in how we respond.
My prayer is that Christ-followers would grasp a hold of the hope of the coming of Christ as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. That we would find ways to sow peace in our world and especially everywhere that we go. That love would be the greatest thing in our lives. And, lastly, that we would share the joy of the Savior with our friends and family.