In my 69 years, I’ve never really felt like I was being rescued – at least while it was happening. But in retrospect there are instances where God has obviously intervened in my life even though I was not waiting on Him.

Two months before my twelfth birthday, my father died leaving a thirty-five year old mother to support her two sons of eleven and eight years. Of course, I had no concept of how big a job that was until many years later but there began a series of interventions in my life which I cannot explain away as coincidental.

Family: There was my single mom who worked hard every day and expected her two boys to uphold their part of the household chores – I learned about love and responsibility. There were my two grandparents who lived in a little house nearby, survivors of the Great Depression who knew how to live life with very little – I learned to appreciate the blessings God had given me, no matter how small. My uncle, a shepherd and our family’s “go to” person for all serious decisions, spent time with me even though he had two boys of this own – I learned that family relationships require a serious commitment. My wife, who has rescued me numerous times.

Community: Two Boy Scoutmasters, WWII veterans, who knew that boys needed to get away sometimes to learn responsibility and leadership. There was my baseball coach whose time with us went far beyond the diamond – I learned to win and lose with grace, to work as a team but not take life too seriously. A high school principal and an English teacher who spent extra time coaching me to use the talents God gave me as best I could – I grew up significantly during this time.

Church: The deacon whose life was, and still is, a continuous display of living out Jesus’ service to others. He also taught me that some church “issues” are simply not worth arguing about. The elder, whose home was open to anyone who needed it, taught me to share.

Each person mentioned above showed me that people who need help don’t necessarily know how to ask for it or know they need it. It’s our job to watch for them and bless their lives like God has blessed our own.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

—Blaine Totty

Light: The Candle of HOPE

Read: The terrible lie, JSB p. 28 (Genesis 3)


Ask: Describe a time in which you messed up or felt far away from God. How did God respond?

Pray: Ask for an awareness of God’s presence this Advent season. Ask God to draw near to you. Ask God to draw near to the families in Ghana.

Jesse Tree Ornament: Adam & Eve 

Act: Work together to clean or organize the messiest room in your house. Use this as an opportunity to talk about the ways in which God can make our messes clean.