The Personal Weblog of Travis Kaiser

I love this time of year. I love the presents (I already sent my wish list out), the parties, the food, and the kindness in the air. I’m stunned every year that because of a holiday it seems that people treat each other nicer for about a month - Christians and non-Christians alike.

Sunday night was a sweet time for our family as we decorated our home. Mary Julia and I decorated the tree while Will wanted to play with the boxes of ornaments. We hung lights, talked about family traditions, and took pictures. (I’ll try to get some on here before the weekend.) Then last night, out of the back of my house, I could see the father and son that live behind us putting their tree together. It was heart warming (tear), but then my tears came to anger as ABC postponed Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special to 4pm on Sunday for some stupid Titans live talk show. Who cares that the Titans are stinking it up? It’s not more important that the CLASSIC Charlie Brown Christmas show!

Why do I write all of this? Well just a couple of days ago I was with some of our staff praying together. In our discussion beforehand it came up that sometimes the Christmas season can be a blur. Ah, I hate that. I think last year Christmas was kind of a blur for me. The calendar gets full and before you know it Christmas was just like another day off spent with more of your family. I don’t want that to happen to me this year. I want more moments with my family like Sunday night. I want to make memory moments for Mary Julia and Will. More importantly I want to celebrate Christmas for the real meaning - that Christ has grabbed my sorry bottom out of despair, hopelessness, and utter ruin to set me apart as a family member.

How’s your Christmas season shaping up? I’m protecting mine because I want to start right now in shaping the kinds of Christmas’ the Kaiser’s will have for years to come. I encourage you - don’t let your calendar get too full. Don’t let Christmas be a blur. Slow down and enjoy your family both your physical one and your spiritual one!

It’s so cliche but truly - Jesus is the reason for the season!

Florida did it again this week! Or did Tebow do it again? He threw 3 touchdowns and ran for two in a win over state rival Florida State. The football websites and announcers are buzzing that he is certainly in the chase for the Heisman trophy. He is the first player in NCAA history to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 20. He is a beast on the field. But is the Heisman his greatest treasure?

 I know the Tebows - yes, personally. The first mission trip I ever went on was with Tim’s dad, Bob in 1998. When Florida played Vandy in Nashville last year Mary Julia and I were invited to set with them in the family section. Of their family I really know Bob and Pam along with three of their children Christy, Katie, and Robbie. They were on the 1998 Philippines trip with me and are close in age. I also know of Peter and Tim but they were little when I was in Florida. The point is, I’ve seen a different side of the Tebows aside from the television and interviews.

For example, when Florida played Kentucky in Lexington it was a special night, not because of Tim’s numbers on the field or that they tacked on another win but because of what happened after the game. Christy (pictured with Timmy in the second picture), the oldest of five Tebow children, and her husband Joey (who was also on the Philippines trip in 98) were leaving the next day for Asia. Christy and Joey along with their first child will be gone for four years as missionaries before they see each other again. After the game Tim walked over and hugged his sister while tears streamed down his face. You see, Tim loves his family and he loves the Lord. His whole family does. I’m sure he’s excited to be mentioned in the hunt for the Heisman, who wouldn’t? I just know that he cares more about advancing the Kingdom of God. I appreciate the tears he shed for the right things, that as a young strapping man he’s more than football. His treasures? I believe he wants to store them in Heaven.

 For more about the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association click here.

“Let’s Change The World!” Those four words have been a rallying cry for every organization imaginable. Unfortunately for many of those organizations it continues to just be a rallying cry and nothing more. I, on the other hand, am proud to be part of the largest organization on the planet - God’s church. It is the one organization that I know will never be consumed, squandered, or demolished. I believe that from the church we can truly change the world! It is God’s ordained organization created to be the vehicle of the change agent that can truly shake the world - salvation through Christ.

 I think in the last two weeks our high school ministry has taken one more step in changing the world for Christ. Over these past two Sundays we have been in the process of sponsoring a whole community of children in the Cochabamba region (if you click on this link noticed wikipedia’s slogan at the top - “help us change the world”) of Bolivia. Each of our high school Connect Groups are sponsoring a child through our partnership with Food for the Hungry. The $28 a month sponsorship will provide health, agricultural, and child development programs along with water and sanitation development, and natural resource management in the poorest country in South America.

My hope is that our students will be more conscientious of others. It’s amazing that the same $4 for a coffee at Starbucks if combined with a few others can change the life of a Bolivian child. In July we’ll be taking a trip to Bolivia to see our sponsorship come full circle. In the next few months we’ll get to see pictures, write letters, pray, discover, and learn about these precious children long before we get to see them face to face.

What a cool journey! Are you willing to join us? Food for the Hungry has provided us with information on 99 children from the same region. Our high students have adopted 37 children leaving 62 students left. Would you be willing to sponsor a child for $28 a month? Would you be willing to leave your comfort zone of premium coffee or a #1 combo at McDonald’s to change the life of a Bolivian child? What would it do in your family if you put a Bolivian child’s face on your refrigerator? What would happen in your adult Connect Group if you could sponsor a child and then for some of you to go see him/her? If you are interested in sponsoring a child with us send me an email (travis.kaiser@longhollow.com) so we can get started.

The possibilities are limitless… come change the world with us!

A couple of Sundays ago I got the privilege of meeting Pat. If it were any other Sunday I would have walked right past him and not known who he was, yet he is a great champion of youth ministry. No - he’s not a Connect Group leader. No - he’s not leading a youth mission trip next year. No - he’s not leading a GROW group. Instead he is a faithful dad, friend, and mentor to a crowd of students at Hendersonville High School. EVERY week, he and a few adults he has recruited, provide transportation for a slew of HHS students. Thanks Pat for caring about teenagers and their spiritual lives! There are many more of you out there and I want you to know that I’m grateful for your diligence and perseverance.

You just have to love Friday nights in Sumner County. Here lately the skies have been clear and the air crisp. And then there’s football. The football games are awesome and for multiple reasons:

1. Mary Julia and I love teenagers - you can’t find more teens in one place on a Friday night than at a football game.
2. The food is great-from hamburgers and hotdogs to a great fish sandwich at Pearl Cohn.
3. The people! We live in a GREAT community. On any given Friday I usually will go to two football games. In the crowds are parents, students, school faculty, school admn, family friends of students involved, and other fans within the community. It amazes me how many people will come to a game just because they love the community. Like always you will also see some of our great youth workers at the game also (I told you in my last post these guys were awesome). I’m confident the community around here will show up for a game regardless of how well the team is playing. I love where we live!

Unfortunately football is coming to a close… but here comes basketball!