I was young, in love, and bewildered. Haven”t we all been there?

I grew up in a family that emphasized money management and financial planning. My parents were generous to a fault, but I always knew my parents would have the financial resources to take care of us. Although as an adult, I now know things were much tighter financially than I ever realized.

However, being young and in love, I was bewildered by a choice Ricky made. I was sitting in Ricky”s kitchen one evening and noticed that his refrigerator was gone. When I asked Ricky about his refrigerator, he told me a young couple from his church who had children needed a refrigerator, so he had given the family his refrigerator. I asked Ricky where he was going to get a new refrigerator assuming he had the resources to purchase another refrigerator. I assumed he was giving away a refrigerator from excess resources.

I”ll never forget Ricky”s response. He said, “I don”t know where I”ll get a new refrigerator, but I know God will provide one.”

Ricky didn”t have any money for a new refrigerator. He didn”t have a plan for how to get a refrigerator. All he had was faith—faith that God would provide a refrigerator. In Matthew 17:20, we are told “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Ricky lived this scripture and truly believed it.

The next day Ricky got a call from a woman who was remodeling her kitchen and needed someone to haul off her old appliances. Ricky agreed to pick up the appliances. Sure enough, there was a working refrigerator. God provided for Ricky.

I still struggle to have faith. I want to have the resources and a plan for getting another refrigerator before I give away my refrigerator. I hold on too tightly to what I can see rather than reaching for that which is unseen. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see (Heb. 11:1). I continue to pray that I will have faith at least as small as a mustard seed—enough faith to give away the refrigerator (without a plan to replace it!).

What The Media Teaches Our Kids
An engaging and interactive multimedia presentation designed to help parents and those who work with children re-examine how media is impacting the behavior of children. The presentation will use examples from current media that children and adolescents utilize to help participants understand what their children are learning from the media. Too frequently, the media is teaching lessons in subtle ways that adults don’t realize.

Listening To Traumatized Children
Heart wrenching and hope filled, this presentation emphasizes ways that traumatized children communicate their trauma. Dr. Robinson utilizes case studies to illustrate how traumatized children communicate. In addition, attention is directed toward ways to respond to traumatized children so that they will feel safe to communicate more about their trauma. A model for treating traumatized children is presented as well.