Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 6:3 (New International Version) “Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples”
There was a scientist that had had great success in cloning humans. Flushed with his ability he went outside and shouted up to God, “You are no longer the only creator!” God, of course, wasn’t going to take that lying down so He spoke to the scientist, “Let’s have a contest to see who can create the better man” “OK!” answered the scientist as he started sweeping up some dirt. “Wait!” said God, “Make your own dirt!”
I am not going to address the legal or ethical issues surrounding cloning because I am writing a devotion not a book. However there is one thing that I know for sure. I need to clone myself.
I am in awe of the history of our church. This year we celebrate 125 years of serving Jesus. On any Sonday you can see children on our campus whose parents, grandparents and sometimes, great-grandparents are in the Sanctuary continuing a long family tradition of worship and service. We also have a rich tradition of individual service to our LORD and God. Harley Sowell has been involved in one ministry or another at Fresno First for the last forty-seven years. That just blows my mind because Harley was involved in ministry at FFBC before I was in kindergarten. Harley is the rule and not the exception at Fresno First. Every Sonday our Sanctuary is full of saints who represent decades of personal service to God. It is extraordinary! Sometimes I feel like I should curtsy to them because – in my opinion – they are the royalty of the Kingdom.
Another long-held tradition of our church is cloning. Not cloning like the scientists do but cloning like Jesus does. Another word for this cloning would be mentoring. Jesus modeled mentoring while He was with us. Many times in the gospels we see Jesus teaching the crowds and then later that day when He was alone with the disciples, taking the time to teach them in more detail what He had taught that day. Jesus was not a “Do what I say – not what I do” type of mentor. His lifestyle fully support His words. Through His teachings and His lifestyle example, Jesus taught a group of fishermen and tax collectors who needed only His resurrection to transform them into world changers. Jesus made sure that when He had gone home there was someone to continue the work of spreading His good news. Christian cloning was also a practice of the early Church as seen by Apostle Paul’s letters to his young pastor Timothy. Paul made sure that when he was gone there was someone to continue the Kingdom work.
At the same meeting where I heard Harley talk about his years of ministry I also heard how the Bairds started attending FFBC when Norm was 7 years old (right about when he started driving bus for us!). It was gratifying – but not surprising - to hear Norm talk about he and Neil being mentored by Harley Sowell when they were young men and for Norm to give Harley the credit for where they are in ministry today. Norm and Neil are two of Harley’s Christian clones because Harley made it a priority to make sure that there was somebody to continue the Kingdom work. There is a young boy in Care Fresno who does not have a father in the home. He is a great kid with great potential, but he does not have an example in his life on how to be a Christian man. Recently Norm and Neil Baird have come along side this young man and have given him an example to look up to. He will be their Christian clone – one of many I am sure.
When I came back to Jesus eleven years ago I knew that I wanted to walk with Him. The first step was the decision to follow Him, but I didn’t know what the second step was supposed to be. Jesus sent me to an extraordinary woman - Samee Myers. She is my spiritual mom and I am her wild child. I call Samee my spiritual mom because she has taught me how to be a woman after God’s own heart. One Sonday Samee and I were talking when Ruth Rush came by. “If I am your spiritual mom,” Samee said, “Then Ruth is your spiritual grandma.” That was when I learned that Samee is Ruth’s clone.
I cannot imagine my life without Care Fresno Kids Klub in it. Kids Klub is the centerpiece of my service to Jesus. But if this ministry is all about Jesus, and if He is truly the focus of it, then I have to imagine Kids Klub without me in it. I need to make sure that when I am gone there is somebody to continue the kingdom work. I need to be mentoring the future of the Church.
Here is the great thing about Christian clones - they are not duplicates of the originals. Ruth Rush mentored Samee Myers, but Samee serves Jesus on a different path than the one Jesus chose for Ruth. Samee mentored me but I serve Jesus with a different style than she does. The person that I will mentor may serve in Care Fresno - but may also be chosen to serve elsewhere. When I mentor the next person in line I will not pass on the how-to of Care Fresno as much as I will pass on the how-to of serving Jesus. And all that is truly important for all of us - mentors and mentorees - is to chose service to Jesus as a lifestyle. We can leave the details of that service to Him.
The strength of our church - the strength of the Church - is the history of generations of families, it is the history of people serving Jesus as a lifestyle and it is the history of passing on that history and that knowledge to the next generation.
Jesus, Ruth taught Samee to live for You, Samee taught me. Show me who You want me to teach to live in this life-joy that is service to You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at January 12, 2007 02:28 PM