With Xavy

30 October 2012

I have other things to do right now. Instead, I am sitting next to the bathtub watching Xavy play in the water. And it is a joy.

I must admit, I am perplexed by his presence. Xavy is one of my stresses that has happened over the last three years:

• Leaving a church family I loved;
• Taking on a new ministry opportunity that matched my passion;
• Raising support to make a living;
• Watch my daughter struggle with an unplanned pregnancy (or was it me that struggled?);
• Seeing the youngest off to college, only to struggle with his health;
• Advising daughter #2 as she sues for full custody;
• Selling my parents house;
• Moving my parents to their new apartment;
• Dad dying unexpectedly;
• Daughter #1 getting married;
• Mom living with us.

And I wonder, is this how it is supposed to be?

Xavy is the most verbal boy I have ever observed. Today, he told me when I moved the chair so he could step onto it, "Excellent!" While playing in the bath, he asked the shark, "Comprendo?"

I'm not sure I "comprendo" all that God is doing in my life. But when it comes to Xavy, this one excellent truth always holds true: "Children are a blessing from the Lord."

Sundays Are Different Now - A Reflection

14 October 2012

I have always loved studying God's Word. Indeed, so much so, that my greatest delight for many years was to study 20-plus hours a week and deliver a coherent message on Sunday morning. I suppose some might debate the "coherent" part.

But can I confess? More often than not, Sunday was not my favorite day of the week. As much as the proclamation of the Word brings me great joy, many aspects of the day were less pleasurable. My ability to worship was limited as details enveloped me.

Sundays are different for me now. I enjoy them so much. I do get the opportunity to speak often and that brings me joy. But I find as much joy going to church to listen to someone else. Today it was my successor at Randall, Pastor Josh LaRavia. It was my first time back at Randall when I had no reason to be there, except to worship.

I am proud of the young man who has taken my place at Randall. He comes with rock solid teaching and a heart to fulfill God's mission. I feel so blessed that he is there. And perhaps best of all, I worshipped and learned much from this younger man. I still have much to learn. It was a great day.


You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. (I Timothy 4.6, The Message)

Legacy - James Albert Decker (14)

5 October 2012

A message of condolence delivered on 24 June 2012

I was able to speak to Jim several months ago after having been out of touch since leaving Lima in 1990. We met when I enrolled at Elim and enrolled our daughter at LCS. A year later, he called me out of the blue and I ended up teaching PE and Bible, and coaching.  Twenty-seven years later, I'm still hanging out in Christian schools and doing what Jim pointed me to all those years ago. I count his friendship and trust to have been precious to me and my family.

Super Sunday - My Favorite Sayings About Chocolate

30 September 2012

I keep getting thrown off by Fabulous Friday. I always seem to remember to do Fabulous Friday on a day that is not Friday. So I am changing it to Super Sunday, Magnificent Monday, Tremendous Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Terrific Thursday, Fabulous Friday or Stupendous Saturday. So here it goes...


My Favorite Sayings About Chocolate

1.  I could give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter.

2.  Save the earth! It is the only planet with chocolate.

3.  Vegetables are good for you. Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean. Beans are vegetables. Therefore, chocolate is good for you. This is indisputable proof.

4.  I was told I would feel better if I learned to finish something. Today I finished a chocolate cake and a bag of M & M's. I'm feeling better already.

5.  Dip it in chocolate; it will be fine.

Sally Had a Dream

22 September 2012

One of the honors I have had over the past year is to conduct one-on-one discipleship with Sally Henein. This year, she is the President of our Campus Ambassador community. About a year ago, Sally told me the following story about a dream that she had. After she had related this, we carefully went over each aspect to discover the truths that God was communicating to her. As Sally is prone to say, "It was awesome!"

Have you ever had a dream that blew your mind? Have you ever woken up from a dream and had no idea what it was supposed to mean? Well, I had this experience the summer of 2011. I attended a conference held at my church and the speaker was the host family I stayed with when I traveled to China in the summer of 2010. Her name is Sue Coral. Sue led a retreat called Beauty for Ashes. It was a women’s retreat that focuses on spiritual bondage and how to set ourselves free from evil lies and thoughts that hold us captive every day. The retreat was heavily focused on using Bible passages to prove that evil thoughts that come into our heads are not from God. This retreat got me thinking so much about the importance of the Bible.

I often wondered why I had not been reading the Bible more and what was holding me back. I found myself thinking of lame excuses, like I am too busy. I am too tired. I will read it later. Sometimes I would also say, “Oh I read this story before… reading it again won’t change anything." I also thought going to church and listening to the sermon was a good dose of Scripture. That was about to change.

The night I went home after Beauty for Ashes, I had a dream:

My Bible sat on this white table and it was in a maroon book covering. All of a sudden, the Bible unzipped slowly and started to float in the air. As it floated, the pages suddenly began to flip so quickly it was as if there was a fan blowing all the pages open. As I approached the Bible, it began to slowly fall to the table (like a feather falling). The Bible was gently placed on the white table open at about the middle. As I came closer to look at the Bible, I could not see anything. In a matter of seconds, there was a bright light that shined out of the Bible. It was the brightest light I had ever seen in my life. Then...I woke up.

I began to wonder what the dream meant. As Pastor Paul and I discussed it, we came to understand the following elements were essential to understanding what God was saying to me:

1. The White Table 
2. The Bible Floating 
3. The Bible's Pages Flipping 
4. The Bible Being Open 
5. The Bright Light

1. White often resembles purity. It is significant that the Bible was on the white table because God’s word is full of His pure, perfect lessons and principles. Tables are used for places of gathering. When people are gathered around a table, it is usually in a welcoming environment. God is very welcoming. A Biblical example is like the last supper. Jesus and his disciples ate around the Table. They were all in fellowship with one another. The Bible is like an invitation to fellowship with Jesus. Reading the Bible is a great time for him to communicate with you and guide you through your life. Take advantage of this free and satisfying meal. Come taste and see that the Lord is good.

2. When the Bible floated it is like it is being lifted up to Christ. God is making it clear that His Word is so important and should be a priority in our lives. The fact that it is lifted up, it is standing alone. It shows superiority. God is making it clear that my attention needs to be on the Bible.

3. The pages flipping quickly like wind represents a recurring theme throughout the Bible. In the beginning of the Bible, God created the entire world out of nothing. He did this by speaking. Speaking requires the use of air. Wind can be looked at as the breath of life. God speaks life into us through the Bible. Wind is also related to and is the Spirit of God. As the air flipped all the pages open in the bible, the rushing of the wind is communicating life. The pages of the Bible and its content are life giving.

My mom once told me: Imagine that your best friend, a family member, your boyfriend or girlfriend wrote you a letter. Would you leave it sitting on the table and never open it? NO! You would run to the letter and open it and read it beginning to end? Why? Because you love that person and want to see what they wrote to you. This is the same exact thing!

God wrote the Bible, a personal letter or note, for me and you. We shouldn’t put this letter that God wrote to us personally, aside and “read it later.” This is an important message that we need to desire and develop a hunger for. As I read through the Bible, I develop a sense of peace and love. During the fall semester last year (2011), my house was broken into. After that, my housemates and I read the Bible together before we went to sleep. It brought comfort to us. We knew that there was a greater being out there watching over us, and protecting us.

4. The Bible was open, but I was not able to see what it was opened to. I was not supposed to. Then I would have thought that this place in the Bible was to be special to me. Instead, it was a different message. It is all important. It is all for me.

5. When Jesus is in us, we are light. Sometimes we are dim, because we are busy covering our up our lives. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge and wisdom the Bible provides, we will be the light in a dark room. People will see our loving hearts and the fire we have for Christ. Christ will shine through us. The Scripture provides us with direction.

The more you feed on God’s word, the more direction you have. Jesus will guide you in the right direction, whether it is how to deal with a friend, the loss of a loved one, our purpose on earth. As you engage youself more and more into the word, Jesus will reveal himself more to you.

I must admit, I immensely enjoyed working with Sally through this. Her hunger to know God better and listen to His voice is an inspiration to us. Sally has continued in her example. She has not just heard God, but she acts on it. To God Be the Glory!

Pops at Two

16 September 2012

Last week, my grandson, Eric Xavier Decker turned two. Sometimes, I wonder if it is me that has turned two. I guess, in a way, I have.

There is a certain delight about becoming a grandparent that I suppose only other grandparents get. Our role is so unique and special. I have understood this, in part, because of the great relationship I had with my grandmother. She was my special confidante and fellow conspirator, always glad to pull one over on my parents.

These last two years have been intense since Elizabeth and Xavy have been under our roof for most of the time. So, we have yet to feel that empty nest thing. Instead, our daily experience has been fingerprints on the doors, toys on the floor, cupboards unpacked, cereal thrown, climbs into the refrigerator, and crying in the middle of the night. Of course, we have been loving every minute of it and have no regrets whatsoever.

Elizabeth and Xavy have moved out now into an apartment nearby, and though we still see them a lot (for which I am grateful), there is still a sadness I feel. My morning greeting of "Hey Pops!" won't be quite as regular as it was. Time is marching on and the new stages in our lives keep coming upon us.

What I truly hope is that I will never lose an appreciation of the privilege it is to be "Pops" and how grateful I am to the Lord that he has graced me with such a role.

Fabulous Friday - My Five Favorite Posts on Facebook during August

14 September 2012

My 5 Favorite Posts on Facebook during August


1.  We had a neighbor that was not to with it. He said that our dog Jake was chasing someone on a bike. That was silly. Jake did not even own a bike.

2.  I'm planning to retire and live off my savings. What I'll do the second day, I have no idea.

3.  You make the beds, you do the dishes, and six months later you have to start all over again.

4.  An invisible man married an invisible woman. I hear their children are nothing to look at...

5.  I used to be a people person, but people ruined that for me.