# 28 Oh Brother(s)...

I have two brothers, their names are Rob and Chad, they are 8 & 6 years older than me.  I  always adored them when we were growing up.  However, the feeling, was not mutual at first.... I think this picture sums up how my brothers felt about me coming into the family.  My mom took the picture because she thought I had just climbed into the suitcase, and it was a cute kodak moment.  Later we found out that actually my brothers had put me in there with plans to close it up and put it outside for the mailman to carry away.  From looking at the picture I guess they were a little concerned about my welfare on this journey to who knows where, I like to think they were at least going to send me somewhere nice like Grandma's.  I can see they put a blanket in the suitcase so it would be soft and warm. It looks like Rob has a cup for me and in the corner of the suitcase it appears there is is a bag of donuts or bagels.  So I can only assume that since they were giving me food, water and a blanket that they didn't want to kill me, just get their world back to the way it was before this little baby girl disrupted their happy life.

I guess I can't blame them, I did really disrupt their life.  When I came along they both had to take turns taking a 30 minute break from playing football with their friends so that they could keep an eye on me while my mom cooked dinner.  After reading the above story you are probably thinking I think I may have fared just as well being left by myself. You're probably right, but never the less that was what they had to do.  Also when they got to be teenagers they had to take turns babysitting me on the weekend.  They did not like that and it was no picnic for me either.  Chad was especially scary, he really didn't like me as I took his place as the "baby" and he wanted a little brother but got stuck with me.  One time when I was home alone with Chad, he stuck me in the dryer and turned it on.  Okay actually I got in the dryer voluntarily, he bet me that I wouldn't fit so I got in to prove him wrong.  I did make him promise not to close the door and turn it on though... Well he didn't close the door but he did get it to turn on.  I'm not sure which one of us was more surprised when it actually flipped me over once and I landed on my neck.  (To this day I still have neck issues.) Chad was terrified and got me out as quick as he could, then he proceeded to pay me a dollar to not tell mom and dad.  I did end up telling them about a year later, but too much time had passed for him to get in trouble so I got to keep the dollar (and as a bonus gift the chronic neck pain!)

So they didn't like me at first, but somewhere along the way things changed and we all became friends.  Rob always tolerated me pretty well, he was often my protector from Chad. He also was the one who taught me how to make a PB&J sandwich because he got tired of having to make them for me.  While making a good PB&J has become a very significant skill for me in life, as I got older he also started teaching me God's Word.  He has a true gift for teaching the Bible, he makes it understandable and  does a great job applying it to everyday life.  Rob was my first youth pastor, and I learned so much under him.   He challenged me and helped me to grow closer in my walk with Christ.  He also gave me opportunities to lead in our youth group and because of those experiences I was really able to grow in my leadership, planning, teaching and organization skills.  When I was 16, Rob accepted a full time youth pastor position in Alabama.  It was really hard to not have him in my life on a daily basis anymore.  However, once again Rob was teaching me an important lesson, that when God calls you to do something, you need to obey, even it means leaving your family and friends.  I have seen God do some amazing things through Rob's ministry to students.  He has taught a great number of teenagers what it means to walk with Christ and he has been blessed to see MANY of them go onto serve God as adults.   

 Eventually things got better with Chad too.  He accepted he wasn't getting a little brother so he decided he would teach me all the things he would have taught a little boy.  By first grade I could play football fairly well and when necessary tackle any of the neighborhood boys who were close to my size.   Chad and I really got close when he joined the Marines.  I am so proud to have a brother who served in the arm forces.  That expression "absence makes the heart grow fonder" really applied to us. I saw Chad struggle through some really hard times during those years, but I'm proud of him because in the end he gave his struggles over to the God and let Him have control over his life.  In Chad's life I saw what God can do in a person who makes himself totally willing to submit to God's control.  About a year after Rob left our church, Chad became our youth pastor.  He was newly married, hadn't really worked with students before, and I'm not even really sure he liked teenagers that much but that was what he felt God telling him to do and he put his application in and got hired.  In the next few years I saw God turn Chad's world upside down and the Holy Spirit did an amazing work. When he first started teaching at youth group, it was bad,  he taught a lot of fill in the blank lessons using overheads.  He struggled but he kept following God and he genuinely loved our youth group and I think that made all the difference.  Little by little his teaching began to improve.  I can honestly say now that Chad is one of my favorite preachers and I love to listen to a sermon of his whenever I get the chance.  

I can't end this post without saying something about the wonderful sister Chad brought into my life when he married Julie.  Julie and Chad started dating when I was in elementary school, so she has been in my life for at least 20 years now. She has been in our lives for so long that I don't have many clear family memories without her in them.  I love her just like she was my "real" sister.  She has been a wonderful friend and support to me during my adolescent and young adult years.  We also became mothers right around the same time so now we get to share the joys and frustrations of having small children.  I have had the privilege of seeing God work in some amazing ways in her life.  She was very nervous about being a youth pastor's wife, but she also let God have control and I've seen Him use her to mentor many young women and draw them into a closer relationship with Christ.  I've also seen her struggle with the difficulty of not being able to have a child for a very long time. During that struggle I did not see her become bitter, instead I saw her continue to be faithful and I think she has let God make her better through the struggle.  I was overjoyed when God allowed Chad and Julie to finally become parents and adopt my beautiful niece Noelle and then less than two years later allow her to give birth to my handsome nephew Chad Jr.

Rob, Chad and Julie the three of you have taught me so much but the most important lessons I've learned from you were the importance of obedience. submission and remaining faithful to our Lord.    I love you three so very much, you truly are some of the greatest blessings in my life.