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A few weeks ago a friend and listener to the podcast asked me in the lobby of our church, WHERE do you get your ideas for your podcast? Others have asked the same thing.

For me, they come from being observant and curious about what God exposes me to. I look at ideas for the podcast, blog, and emails as manna from heaven. God presents me with a circumstance, and I just try to be observant and curious about whatever stares me in the face or is dumped in my lap. There are things God presents to you, too. Things he wants you to be curious about. Things that enrich your life if you\\u2019re curious enough to look for it.

Today\\u2019s episode is about a chance relationship encounter that has enriched my life. Let me tell you what happened. It my enrich your life, too.

SHOW NOTES

I met Stacey Brown Randall about a year or so go at a podcast training workshop

In passing she mentioned she and her husband were raising their nephew.

This piqued my curiosity, and so I asked if she\\u2019d be willing to tell her story about this on my podcast. She agreed and here we are today.

[listen to Interview recording]

Man, what a moving story. Several things grabbed me:

That incident where Stacey tells Dani to obey and he doesn\\u2019t, and he says, \\u201cyou\\u2019re not my mom.\\u201d I loved her answer.

Stacey\\u2019s comment that this journey with Dani has made them better parents. \\u201cWe\\u2019ve had two easy kids to raise, causing us to think we\\u2019re amazing parents, and then along comes a child like Dani who breaks us into a million little pieces, as Stacey said, \\u2018So God can make something new.\\u2019 I love that phrase.

When Dani started going to the Wednesday night Bible study and his artwork turned from darkness to light. It\\u2019s the power of God to change lives that is manifested.

What\\u2019s in it for us as listeners to this story

Here\\u2019s what I\\u2019m taking way from this interview that benefited me, and hopefully benefits you, too:

What Stacey and her family are doing is an expression of a Transcendent relationship with God that manifests itself in their relationship with their nephew, and now their son. It\\u2019s the \\u201cT\\u201d in You Were Made for T.H.I.S., that we talked about in the last two episodes, 32 and 33.

Stacey and her husband extended themselves beyond what is normal, beyond what is comfortable.

The decision to take him in was made quickly because it was rooted in their values of what it means to be a family and what it means to care for another person who cannot care for himself. The \\u201cWhat to do\\u201d came quickly. The \\u201cHow do we do this\\u201d they are figuring out as they go. When our values are deeply rooted in our relationship with God, the question is often more like \\u201cHow can we NOT do this?\\u201d

\\u201cWe were called to do this,\\u201d she said. Others were not. The needs of another family member transcended their own. They had to do this.

\\u201cHe\\u2019s our blood. He\\u2019s our family,\\u201d Stacey said.

This is transcendent love for God and one\\u2019s extended family in action.

The transcendent relationship between God and Dani. The Wednesday night Bible study that brought light into his dark artwork.

Another thing I benefited from in Stacey\\u2019s story is the seeing the selflessness of her and her husband\\u2019s relationship with Dani. It\\u2019s the \\u201cS\\u201d in You Were Made for T.H.I.S..

Financial cost. Not mentioned, but it\\u2019s real.

Opening up your heart to a another child that you did not bring into this world, that was someone else\\u2019s responsibility, and seeing your heart broken for him (bottle cap story)

If people like Stacey and her husband can live like this, so committed to the value of family and obeying God, maybe I should too. Perhaps I need to be a little more selfless in my relationships, not necessarily like Stacey and Norm, but with the people God puts in my life.

Before I close, here\\u2019s the he main take-away from today\\u2019s episode. Our show in a sentence

When we work to help others become all they were meant to be, it makes us become all we were meant to be. We were made for this.

What can you do in response to today\\u2019s show

A couple of things come to mind. Is there a relationship issue in your life that is breaking you right now? Maybe look to see if God is using it to create something new in your life, like He did with Stacey.

Near the end of the interview, Stacey made the comment

\\u201cYou need a tribe to do this. You need people to come alongside of you through something like this. Not to judge, but to help.\\u201d

Is there a \\u201ctribe\\u201d God might be calling you to join, to walk alongside someone, not to judge, but to help carry the load of another.?

Now for our Relationship Quote of the Week

Before I recorded the interview I asked Stacey if confidentiality was an issue for her and Dani, and she said it wasn\\u2019t because she\\u2019s been public about their story in other places. And then in the interview she alluded to the fact Dani may one day listen to this podcast.

So with that in mind, I want to close with a blessing for Dani and others like us, who have hard a rough start in life.

Dani, may the difficulties of your earliest days make you a stronger person characterized by gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion. Gratitude to God for seeing you and rescuing you from darkness, and providing you parents who love you more than you can ever imagine. Forgiveness for the people who brought you into the world, whose unwise choices, harmed you. And compassion for others who are hurting from the holes in their hearts, just as there is a hole in your\\u2019s.

May you follow the example of your parents, as you bless others just as your parents have blessed you. And may you use your story to strengthen and encourage others, as you glorify God in reflecting his image to the people he brings into your life.

Closing

Thank you for joining us today in this faith community of people who care about transforming their relationships into the best they can be. Who care about showing the world the character of Jesus through our relationships. I\\u2019m so glad you are one of us.

You can help us spread the word about what we are doing by leaving a review in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. And while you\\u2019re at it, please subscribe to our podcast there so you don\\u2019t miss any episode when they come out each week.

Above all, always remember what you were made for. You were made for T.H.I.S. Relationships that: Transcend our natural inclination to focus on self, that instead give people a picture of what God is like. That Honors others as we bring out the best in people, where we Initiate by reaching out beyond ourselves, and where we Selflessly serve others. We were made for T.H.I.S.

That\\u2019s all for today. See you next week. Bye for now.

Resources mentioned in today\\u2019s show

Prior episodes of You Were Made for This

Episode 32 -\\xa0 What Am I Here for? What is My Purpose in Life?

Episode 33 - The Power of One Simple Question The Power of One Simple Question

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Stacey Brown Randall\\u2019s resources:

Her website: staceybrownrandall.com

Her book: Generating Business Referrals Without Asking