Let Me Tell You a Story...

(My wife, Kristi...the Big Sister)

(The little sister, my sis in law, Megan with her favorite niece and nephew)

Over thirty years ago, a little girl got a virus that attacked her heart. There were two choices at the time, she would die or she would undergo a heart transplant. This little girl was 2 years old when that transplant occurred. Over the next 30 years that little girl grew up into a beautiful young woman and became a Nurse Practitioner helping children and adults alike, giving back what had been given to her.

For that 30 years, the medications that she had to take to stay alive attacked the arteries to her heart and her kidneys. A couple years ago, that little girl got a second heart transplant and an extra kidney. However the BK virus, which infects the human kidneys showed up and hurt all three kidneys. This now young woman has lost much control of the filtering through her kidneys and needs another transplant to remain off of dialysis.

When the previous little girl was diagnosed, her big sister was devastated. At a young age, she had to face the possibility of losing her beloved little sister, there were no guarantees that she would come home from the first heart transplant.

Once that was successful, this older sister had to watch as her little sister struggled with rejection, not always being able to do what every other child could do and with the reality that her parents would not always be around as they had a very sick little girl to deal with.

This big sister grew up with the understanding that she would do whatever she could to help her little sister survive.

Next Tuesday, the little sister, my sister-in-law Megan McKinly, will be receiving a kidney transplant.

The person who will be donating the kidney is alive and well, it is her big sister, my wife, Kristi McKinley Hunter.

My sis in law is an amazing person. She has fought with a relatively great attitude her entire life and everyone knows how wonderful she is and I would never want to undermine any thoughts on that.

But my wife will be a hero, she is a hero too.

There are no guarantees with this surgery. You can imagine the nerves that my in laws are feeling knowing that both children will be under the knife in the same day, but the dreaded BK virus could come back and attack this new kidney making the whole thing for nothing, or says my wife.

Yet, I have told her to look at it that this is the next best action. If my wife did not do this dialysis is a necessity and who knows when she would be put on the transplant list and when it could happen again. The next best action is for her to offer one of her kidneys and give her a fighting chance for the next 1, 2 or 3 years. And if BK doesn't show back up, well...that's the best possible occurrence.

My wife is a coaches wife, she is the best coaches wife, as I have written she has allowed me to work basketball clinics all over the world, she's kept the book when I was a varsity coach and talked me out of quitting many times.

She's the toughest non-heart transplant recipient I know.

She's a loving mother and wife and I cannot think of a better role model for my children to look up to.

Sure, giving a kidney, it's the right thing to do and most siblings would do it, but she does it with no reservation, with a heart full of love, and anxiety that it works to help her little sister survive and thrive..

Basketball Goal Attached to a Soccer Goal

In Cali.

When it Rains in Cali, Colombia

He Does Listen

Home of the Supremely Blessed

Romans chapter 16:17-18 “Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people's faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.”

I have traveled around the world, not literally, but I have been to four continents and have worshipped on all of them. Some countries are so secular, religion is a two times a year event, yet in other countries there is an authentic faith which most of us would not recognize. During these trips I have not only noticed the faith there, but it has put a mirror up to my own in the USA, and here is what I see.

1   1.   We have a consumer based worship.

2   2.    We have an ethnocentric superiority faith.

3   3.    We have an apathetic faith.

4   4.    We have messed up joy vs. happy

When it comes to worship in the US, we have a mindset of “What have you done for me lately?” or “What do I get out of it?” mentality. We want our worship to be wrapped in a nice hour long package with singing, preaching, and praying. If we go too long, we have to beat the crowd so we do not have to wait in line for lunch. What happened to worshipping the all-powerful God who gave us the gift of salvation? What’s been done for me lately, what do I get out of it? Eternal life with God in heaven and not separation from Him in Hell.

When it comes to our faith, we believe in the superiority of our country (and it is the greatest country in the history of the world) so much that we believe through our wonderful giving, we go and minister to these poor, underdeveloped peoples. It is amazing when I go to these “poor” places that when I return I have a different perspective on my faith. Maybe, just maybe, when I go to minister to them, they are ministering to me.

“Maybe I will get up and go to church, maybe I won’t.” “Maybe I will be involved, maybe I won’t.” “Maybe today I will decide to make my faith be uncomfortable, and maybe I won’t.” We are comfortable in this great country and we make decisions that many others cannot such as what types of food to eat, or what type of house to own. That creates a mentality that we rely on ourselves and by gosh, don’t we deserve one day a week where we get to sleep in? What if Jesus had decided to sleep in on that day at Calvary?

Finally, in our country, we often do not have a Godly definition of happiness. We believe that our happiness comes from what we do, what we have, or what we can afford (or not) and since that feeling is fleeting, we constantly feel the need to fill that hole with the next best thing. Yet, in poorer countries they have a joy we lack because they do not worry about the next best thing, they are just trying to survive the now. They have a relatively permanent feeling of joy vs. our need for happiness…a need that is always just out of our reach for an extended amount of time.

We talk every Sunday how blessed we are, and it is true. By being born in this country, we have hit the economic jackpot. But what do we do with those blessings? With more money and power comes more responsibility. You can give more to show your appreciation for the life God has given you, you can volunteer, you can go on a mission trip, or you can just be here every Sunday with a great attitude.

And that’s what is great about our country. We have the freedom to do what we want and more than likely the resources to do it. But that freedom has been paid for with a price, a huge price. Yes, our soldiers and their commitment, but what about Jesus on the cross for you.

At the least, we owe our time to God, at best, we owe everything!

Cali, Colombia