Laugh Along the Way.

Welp, today is a big day in the Schumpert family! Yep, the head of this reservation is turning the big FIVE-0H!! Yes, you heard me right.  The man you all know and love is having a birthday!  If you don't my dad than you are missing out on a lot.  Seriously.  You would probably be a lot skinnier because you would have laughed a lot more, and you would probably have been impacted in a way that would change your life forever.  What more could I ever want in a dad?  A dad in the business of laughter and loving Jesus.

I have learned many many lessons over the years of being raised by this fabulous man.  Like when all else fails and you don't know a lick of Spanish just ask Dad (He's the expert).  Or when everyone around is loud and you need to get their attention just yell, "Shut up, lets pray!"  But I think the most important one of all is, "It's all about relationships."

Dad is one of the very few people I know that can build a relationship with a person in a matter of minutes.  Our family is constantly out in public, and you can look around and find one family member missing.  "Where is Dad?"  Sure enough you can hear that loud voice talking with someone he has known for years or a random stranger he just met.  The man has some serious skills.  

It has been such a high honor to witness the relationships that Dad has built over the years, but most importantly I love watching his relationship with Jesus.  This household is blessed to have a father that leads by a Godly example. 

Today this house will laugh, celebrate, and rejoice! I pray that I will constantly remember who is the foundation of all the joy that is present in this family.  Only by His grace!  

I pray that we will constantly remember that life is all about relationships.  I pray that we will mend the broken relationships, and that we will rejoice in all the ones that He has blessed us with! 

Oh and laugh along the way.  That's what this family does and we didn't turn out too bad....

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!

Laughing a lot!

Anna Lauren

163,000,000. Enough Said.

Oh February 14th.  It comes around every year, and you just cannot avoid. Everyone has their own opinion on it. You love it, hate it, or just wish everyone else would shut up about it. Personally, I have no problem with the day. There is nothing wrong with loving; in fact it is Biblical. Last year I took a different look a this Love Day, and my view of Valentine's Day had never been the same.  What a better day than today to spend praying and making the world aware of those 163 million children that will lay their head down tonight without a forever family?

Yes, you heard me right, 163,000,000. That number is just unacceptable, and it has gone up drastically in the past few years. Now you might be sitting there wondering, "Is it really my responsibility to care for the orphan?" Well glad you asked:) As Christians we are not called to care for the orphans; WE ARE COMMANDED! James 1:27 says, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." Well I could end this right now because there is your answer.  So I cannot help but wonder: Where is the church? 

We do not care for the orphan because it is a "good" thing to do. We do not care for the orphan because they need us. We care for the orphan because HE FIRST LOVED US. We care for the orphan because we were all once fatherless and the Father adopted us as sons, solely by His grace (Ephesians 1:4-5). We care for the orphan not because we are the the rescuers, but we care for the orphan because we are the rescued! 

I find it quite amusing when fellow believers tell me how neat it is that the Lord has given me such a passion for orphans. I can't help but wonder, "are you just not listening or how are you missing it?" This isn't some super crazy passion that the Lord has given me. This is strictly the Gospel. It could not be any clearer. I refuse to water it down anymore and smile and just go, "yes, the Lord has given me a unique passion." Ignorance is just not an option anymore.  As you go on with your day of love, pray about the ways the Lord wants you to care for the orphan. Trust me...there is a way. We must raise our voice as a church and sing LOUD for these children who are long for a forever family.

Singing Super Loud!

Anna Lauren