Is This Your Wake Up Call?

If this picture doesn’t seem quite right, then you are on to something. If it causes you to laugh, squirm, or look away in disgust, that is completely understandable. Yes, this picture is an adaptation of the cover photo for Adele’s #1 hit song “Hello.”

C’mon, you know the chorus “Hello from the other side…”

Almost everyone I know has belted it out in the car, in the shower, or in their head via their workout playlist.

“Hello” had a record 1.1 million downloads in its first week. What caused this song to be so powerful? Let me tell you why it has been so powerful for me.

If you can stomach looking at this picture again you might notice a certain blue eyed, red haired, freckled nose right in the middle of Adele’s eyebrows, lips, and hair. Yep, it’s me.

Because the first time I heard this song I realized that I was hearing some of my story right in the middle of Adele’s song.

For seven years I came home almost every night to an amazing greeting from these little girls.

When I walked in the door from a long day at work these girls came running with planet-sized hugs and Grand Canyon-sized smiles. I was their hero.

My amazing wife was home, balancing work and being a full time mom.  A truly impossible task if you feel alone.

This past August when we moved our family across the country, Araya (my wife) and I decided to switch roles. She would be the primary worker while I cared for our four kids and finished my last term of graduate school.

This was my “Hello from the other side” moment.

For the past 5 months I have been a full time stay at home dad and a full time graduate student. A truly impossible task if you feel alone.

In the midst of blow out diapers, a whining dog, a kitchen full of dishes, arguing kids, snacks to be packed, breakfast to be made, laundry to be done, basketball games to coach, homework to check, hair to brush, teeth to brush, and… well, you get the picture. Adele’s song just kept playing in my head.

“Hello from the other side...”

Being home with our young children is the other side. This is what my amazing wife has been doing for the last seven years! I get angry, irritable, sharp-toned, and want to hide in the bathroom after seven days.

She was the hero and this was my wake up call.

 I woke up to the reality of Philippians 2:3,

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourself”

Did she feel alone everyday? No. Do we have a great marriage? Yes. Could I do a lot better? Definitely. This week I asked her for five things I could do to value her more. Here is what she said;

1-Check in with me during the day. Unexpected texts and calls mean more than you know.

2-Jump right in when you walk in the door. Fold some laundry, empty the dishwasher.

3-Thank me for the specific things I do. The dishes, the laundry, cleaning the house.

4-If I want to go out with my friends just say yes with a smile.

5-Be gracious and speak tenderly when the house is a mess, and “nothing got done.”

Is this your wake up call? Do you know how your significant other is really doing? Maybe it’s time to have a “Hello from the other side” meeting this week.

Next Sunday is part 2 of "Is this your wake up call?". Find out how this journey has changed our family dynamics, and made me a better parent. My hope is that it might help you to.

Give me that!

As parents, we often live to watch our children shine, to see our kids “do their thing” and have “their moment.” I got to do that this past weekend while watching five-year-old Abby and seven-year-old Lydia play basketball. Watching five-year-olds play basketball is more like watching a litter of lab puppies play with a chew toy than it is watching a real basketball game.

Maybe that is why every spectator was a little awed when Abby just decided she knew how to play basketball this past Saturday. She started taking the ball down the court on almost every possession.

I don’t know what got into her, but it was awesome. We all cheered as Abby made her first ever basket, and if I am honest, I would say I am grinning ear to ear even as I type this.

It was Abby’s “moment to shine”, and my heart swelled with great joy.

Next up was Lydia’s seven-year old team on which she is the only girl. Lydia is a ‘Williams,’ so of course she is a scrappy player, but up until this past weekend she hadn’t quite gained the confidence to really mix it up with the boys.

Then it happened: a loose ball was headed to our sideline and a boy from the opposing team snagged it. It was not his lucky day.

Lydia got a look in her eye that I have seen many times before when one of her sisters has something she wants: a brush, a book, a toy. This time it was a basketball.

Before that poor boy knew it, the strong tentacles of Lydia had the ball and she was ripping it out of his hands. There was no foul, just scrappy play and a great steal. The head coach cheered her on, and the sidelines clapped loudly.  I saw her confidence rise.

Lydia had her “moment to shine”, and my heart swelled with great joy.

This time Lydia’s grabbing was a “moment to shine” but that is not always the case. Lydia has always been one who needs to touch, grab, pinch, and pull everything in sight.

I have felt helplessly frustrated at times because Lydia won’t keep her hands to herself. I have often wondered what to do.

That is when Ephesians 2:10 surfaced in my heart.

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

God has incredibly good things planned for Lydia, and though I don’t know what she is going to do someday, I do know she is God’s masterpiece.

I know she has many “moments to shine” in her future. Maybe she will be a veterinarian, or a teacher (which she currently aspires to be) or a massage therapist, or a basketball coach.

Whatever she does, I know she has been made to grab, pull, pinch, and use her hands. She and I even talked and laughed about it tonight.

Every kid has those frustrating behaviors we wish we could change, but what if we looked at those behaviors in a different light?

What if we accepted that the most frustrating behaviors of our children will actually become their “moments to shine?”

 What if in the middle of our anger we took a deep breath and whispered, “You are God’s masterpiece?”

What if as parents this is also our “moment to shine?” Did you hear that? I think I just heard God’s heart swell with great joy.

1-If you have children, take time to think about each of your kids. What is a repeated pattern of behavior that seems to constantly frustrate you? Can you see the good in it? Can you see it transformed into a “moment to shine.”

2-Stop what you are doing, look your loved ones in the eyes and tell them they are God’s masterpiece. Tell your best friend, your spouse, your mom, your dad, your kids. You just might hear God’s heart swell with great joy when you do.  

This girl says the most amazing things.

My middle daughter Lydia Joy cracks me up quicker than Chris Farley or Chris Rock. She melts me with her smile, and breaks me with her wit. She has no filter and amazing things come flying out of her mouth on a weekly basis.

During our recent move from Salem, Oregon to Franklin, Tennessee I asked her what kind of house she wanted to live in.

She poked me in the stomach several times and through a big toothless grin said, “I want to live in a house with stairs so you can walk up and down them and lose your fat belly.”

Ouch! The truth hurts.

My next question was, “What kind of a job do you think daddy should get in Tennessee?” Lydia’s wise and seasoned older sister Gracelyn piped up with, “Dad I want you to be a pastor because when you speak I always listen. You are really funny”

Gracelyn obviously knows that “words of affirmation” is one of my love languages.

Lydia must have still been thinking about my belly because she followed Gracelyn’s answer with, “I think you should be an ice cream truck driver so we can get free ice cream.” I think we can all see her logic.

As comical as Lydia can be, she also says things that make you want to cry, laugh, and drop to your knees all at the same time.

About a month ago she and I laid down on her bed for some nighttime reading, and just before we turned out the lights we looked up at “her verse” hanging on the wall and read it together.

After we finished reading she kept looking at Galatians 5 hanging on her wall and very matter-of-factly stated, “I read that two times every night before I go to bed.”

“Really” I replied, “Why do you do that?”

She turned and looked at me with her big blue eyes and said, “It reminds me who I am.”

I was speechless for the next couple minutes. Those were the words of a then six-year-old girl.

“It reminds me who I am.”

Araya Sunshine and I have been praying that verse over Lydia since before she was born. She knows that Galatians 5:22,23 is “her verse.”

We have repeated “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” with her hundreds of times.

We intentionally put that verse on the wall of her bedroom, but we had no idea how impactful it would be. We had no idea she would be repeating it nightly on her own, and that it would remind her that she is a daughter of the King.

Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but someday she is going to struggle, and doubt, and lose her way. She is going to forget who she is and in those moments I hope she remembers that picture hanging on her wall. I hope she remembers those words she repeated every night.

I hope she stops and remembers not only who she is, but whose she is.

1-If you have children, consider what you can do this week to remind them who they are? Consider giving them a life verse. If they already have one, how have you seen that verse come to life over the years? If they don’t already have one, let this be an exercise in sitting with the Lord and leaning into what he has for them.

2-Are there quotes, verses, or art you can hang in your home to remind your family or roommates who they are?

Breaking Records!

This past Friday was a Christmas Day to remember. Santa delivered broken records all over the country. Nashville went “suns out guns out” in record-breaking style with 75-degree heat. The annual Christmas Day NBA game saw Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors beat Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to continue the best start in NBA history at 28-1.

Last, but not least, Star Wars fans helped The Force Awakens sell 1 Billion dollars in tickets quicker than any movie ever.

I don’t know what records you are tracking right now, but I know we all have a chance to be record breakers this year. Christmas Day 2015 reminded me of a record I need to break.

It is a record inspired by my eight-year-old daughter Gracelyn.

Gracelyn has a really hard time falling asleep most nights. Despite our regular routine of reading, singing, and praying before bedtime, she is usually tossing and turning long after our other three kiddos have nodded off.

She also has some innate alarm that tells her to go get daddy when I am finally winding down from all the adventures of the day.

About the time my smiles have run out of battery, my patience has lost its signal, and I am ready to put myself on airplane mode. I hear the shuffle of feet coming down the hall, and I know what her gentle voice is going to say,

“Daddy will you come and lay in my bed with me?”

Now there are days when “Yes” comes out of my mouth quickly, easily, and joyfully, but there are other days also. There are days when tiredness wins, the battery is too low, the selfishness is too high, and I simply say, “Not tonight honey.”

Sometimes she even asks again, “Please daddy?” I say “I am sorry honey, I will tomorrow.”

Her little shoulders slump a bit and she heads back to bed. I lay down in my bed knowing that stress, or anxiety, or the enemy won that round. It never feels good.

Have you been there?

I know these are the moments when shame and self contempt start to whisper failure, poser, loser, but that is not the voice of Love. This week the voice of Love took me to the words of Paul in Galatians Chapter six which says,

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

We all get tired, but Love will carry you. Love never fails. I know you are tired, but don’t give up.

I am going to set a record this year. I have never kept track of how many times I laid down next to my sweet girl to rub her head, and sing her to sleep, but this year I will.

I know these “Yes’s” will reap a harvest of blessing if I don’t give up.

Wait I think I hear feet. Sorry, but I have to go, I have a record to break.  It’s 8:31pm and a voice just said, “Daddy, will you come and lay in my bed with me?”

1-Take some time and prayerfully consider what record you want to break this coming year.

 2-Leave a comment or text me (503-851-3139) the record you want to break.

Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Are you a feel good kind of person and It’s a Wonderful Life is your style? Maybe you like the new Christmas classic Elf or how about Christmas Vacation for your holiday humor.

Maybe, just maybe you don’t like Christmas movies at all. If that’s you then know that I will pray Santa still brings you a present and that you will keep on reading.

For me very few holiday movies can beat A Charlie Brown Christmas. The iconic scene of a frustrated Charlie Brown saying,

“Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?”

 Linus eloquently steps to the stage with blanket in hand and recalls the events of that very first Christmas (click here to watch). It was fifty years ago this month that Linus answered Charlie Brown’s question, but what about today? What about Christmas in 2015?

“Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about today?”

I can. This past October I experienced what Christmas is all about. My one-year-old son Tekoa and I were flying from from Nashville back to Oregon for a short visit and we needed a place to stay on our first night.

I immediately thought of my good friends Jay and Jenny Douglass who happened to live just a few minutes away from the airport.

Jay and Jenny always give love like they were made of it, so of course they said yes.

When we landed in Portland I got a text from Jay that dinner was ready. We were greeted with a flood of Douglass love and a taco bar straight out of heaven. After a dessert of brownies and ice cream, we set up Tekoa’s pack n’ play in the guest bedroom.

But this was no ordinary guest bedroom: this felt like a five-star hotel.

I brushed my teeth and walked out to say one final goodnight to my wonderful friends. That is when I noticed the door ajar in the room next to me. I also noticed an air mattress on the floor of that room and that’s when it hit me.

Jay and Jenny had given up their own master bedroom to me and Tekoa while they slept on a crappy air mattress in the spare bedroom.

The next morning I had three breakfast options, and Jenny greeted me at the door with a hot coffee.

My friends not only hosted us, but they literally gave up their own bed for this weary traveler and his infant son.

Joseph and and Mary didn’t get the same treatment as Tekoa and I did. They didn’t get the innkeepers five-star room, and they didn’t get a buffet of breakfast delicacies.

It’s ironic that Joseph and Mary celebrated the birth of love on that first Christmas morning yet they didn’t experience love at all from the innkeeper the night before.

Maybe Christmas today is about being a different kind of innkeeper.

Maybe Christmas today is about making room at our Inn for weary travelers.

Maybe Christmas today is about us sleeping in the barn so someone else can have the best love has to offer.

That’s what Christmas today is all about Charlie Brown.

A couple things to consider this week.

1-Who has been a loving innkeeper to you? Text or call them and say thank you.

2-Is there someone you don't want to be a good innkeeper to this Christmas? Can you stop and see love in them this holiday season? A family member, a co-worker, a friend.

3-How have you experienced what Christmas is all about this holiday season? Tell us a story by leaving a comment below.

Better Together in 2016

Change is hard. I recently read that the average person makes the same New Year’s resolution ten different times without success. Have you been there? I know I have.

We all want to see change in our lives and change in our families, yet it seems to elude us.

This is the time of year when I hope you are dreaming and thinking about what changes you want to see happen in 2016.

I was recently watching a great video series by professional coach, mentor and inspirer, Michael Hyatt at best year ever. After the videos I grabbed my wife Araya’s hand and asked her to come sit with me on the couch. I looked her in the eyes and said,

“Araya, when we hit this time in 2016, what do you want to say we did?”

She thought about it and said, “I want romantic dates.”

We kept holding hands and I said, “I want to buy a house.”

She volleyed back with, “I want to go on a road trip to the Smokey Mountains.”

Then I said, “I want to write a book.”

Apparently one-on-one time at Chick Fil-A while our four kids take over the play area isn’t “romantic” enough.

We went back and forth for the next several minutes and I typed them all out. By the time we were done there were sixteen items on our 2016 better together list.

Now anyone who knows me knows that God gave me a spontaneity gene that is prone to this kind of dreaming, but change is hard.

Change is especially hard if Araya and I are not on the same page together. Let me say that again, change is especially hard if Araya and I are not on the same page together.

There is an inscription of Psalm 34:3 on the inside of my wedding ring. It is the same verse I spoke to Araya the day I got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me. It says,

“Come glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together.”

 

In our fourteen years of marriage we have accomplished some amazing goals. We paid off all our debt, we moved across the country, and we went on mission trips to Africa and the Middle East.

We have also failed at a bunch of goals. We haven’t lost the weight we wanted, we haven’t simplified our life like we hoped, and we haven’t saved as much money as we desired.

What we’ve learned is that we are better together.

In December 2016 Araya and I are going to be sitting on the couch, and telling stories about what we did during the year. Change is hard, and we simply can’t tell the stories we want to tell, have the fun we want to have, or achieve the goals we set if we aren’t together in them.

What about you? Are you truly together? Have you taken the time to hold hands and listen to each others dreams? Click here for questions to get you started.

• Consider being spontaneous or setting an appointment to hold hands and listen to each others 2016 dreams this week. Write them down.
• Revisit your past goals accomplished or dreams realized and look for the common denominators of success. Name them and take aim at 2016.

The Friend Every Family Needs.

As parents we watch closely who our children play with. No matter the age of our children, we know the way they speak, act, and think is deeply affected by the friendships they develop.

So as loving parents we look for, pray for, and try to direct our kids to other children who will bring out the best in them. If we are honest with ourselves, we do a lot of creative thinking and maneuvering to steer our kids away from friends who are not a good influence on them.

I know we shouldn’t over protect our kids. I know God has his eye on them. I know our kids can influence others for good, but that is all for another post.

I want to turn this back to you and me now. How are your friends influencing you?

How are your friends influencing you?

This past August my family and I moved 2500 miles across the country from Salem, Oregon to Nashville, Tennessee with our four kids and our dog, Hampton. In the process, we left friends we had grown up with for more than twenty years. These are friends who have cried with us, prayed with us and laughed with us. These are friends we have celebrated with at baby showers, stood by in each other’s weddings and had each other’s backs.

This past weekend my friend David flew from Bend, Oregon to Nashville, Tennessee just to spend the weekend reconnecting.  We watched Marcus Mariota, we laughed, we prayed, we ate a lot of BBQ and we challenged each other as dads, husbands and friends.

David inspires me and challenges me to be the best that I can possibly be. He is a Proverbs 17:17 friend:

“A friend loves as at all times and a brother is born for adversity.”

Araya Sunshine and I are developing some wonderful new friendships here in Middle Tennessee, but you don’t simply replace guys like David. It’s going to take time. However long it takes,

I know deep in my soul that if I want to be the best parent and spouse I can be then I need friends that challenge and inspire me.

I can’t expect my kids to develop friendships who bring out the best in them if I don’t have those kind of friendships myself.

So here is my question for you. Do you need to add a friend? It’s risky to ask someone to be your friend. To be the kind of friend that doesn’t let you play it safe, the kind of friend that will tell you your wrong, the kind of friend that will cheer you on, the kind of friend that will fly across the country to be with you. It’s risky.

It’s even riskier to try and go it alone, to never let anyone in, to pretend like you’re fine. I know you want to be a great parent, I know you want to be a great spouse so maybe it’s time to evaluate your friendships.

1-Who are the friends that have loved, challenged, and inspired you? It’s time to let them know. Stop reading and send a text or an email right now.

 2-Who are the friends that negatively influence you? In the words of Elsa from Frozen, “Let it go!” Unless you are compelled to keep this friendship, don’t.

 3-Do you need to add some Proverbs 17:17 friends? Start looking and praying for friends who challenge and inspire you. If you want to be the best parent you can be, you can’t get there without great friends.

Black Friday, Paris, and The Shelter

It was one week ago tonight that Team Williams sat around the table after dinner and contemplated what we could do for the people of Paris. It didn’t take long for seven-year old Lydia to say, “We could send them cards.” Then five-year old Abby said, “And how about some money to buy new clothes.” Araya Sunshine astutely asked the girls who they wanted to write to. Eight-year-old Gracelyn thought for a moment and said, “I want to write to the man whose wife died, and he has a little boy.” The man’s name is Antoine Leiris. He wrote an open letter on Facebook that has gone viral and inspired millions of people with hope, courage, and love. Antoine's Letter Araya and the girls got out crayons, pens and paper while I tried to find information for Antoine Leiris. This was Team Williams = Teamwork Time. In one hour the girls had each made a touching card, and I had contacted the embassy. I haven’t been able to get an address for Mr. Leiris yet, but I am extremely determined to get these gifts to him.

 I am confident that love finds a way to get where it needs to go.

The conversation at the table inspired even more generosity as Team Williams turned to chatting about Black Friday. Although Black Friday shopping has never been one of our traditions, I am certainly not against it. I have a lot of wonderful friends who love it. They stay up late, drink tons of hot chocolate and coffee, find great deals, and make a bunch of memories.

This year on Black Friday we decided to make some Team Williams memories by starting a tradition called “Giveaway Friday.”

We got our hot chocolate, we got our coffee, and we started going through all of our clothes to see what we might give away. Two hours and two boxes of clothing later we needed to figure out where to take our clothes. We had lots of ideas, but we wanted Love to show us who needed these clothes the most.

Love showed us who needed our clothes at a Thanksgiving dinner with our friend Danielle.

Our friend Danielle had just discovered a domestic violence shelter right near her home. Many of the women and children in this shelter had left violent home situations with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Giving our clothes to the shelter was a no-brainer. I contacted the shelter and coordinated a drop-off time while the girls added a few toys and books to the boxes of clothes. We paused before giving the items to the shelter and prayed for the kids and moms who would receive them. Crystal, the shelter manager, was grateful and said these things would help a lot of women and children. We were thankful as we drove away and remembered that love finds a way to get where it needs to go.

So what about you? What if your family started a new tradition this holiday season?

Take some time on a car ride or after a meal and ask your kids what they want to do. Kids always have the best ideas. If you come up with a cool new tradition let us know because maybe we’ll borrow it from you. If you don’t have any kids, call us: you can borrow ours. They are really cool. And never forget that wherever you are at, or whatever you are doing, Love finds a way to get where it needs to go.

Are you ever at a loss as to what to say to your children?

I am a bit old school in that I really like to watch the evening news. I know there are faster ways of getting news these days, but as a child of the 80’s there is probably some nostalgia in watching TV in real time. My eight-year old daughter Gracelyn has decided she likes watching the news as well, so last Saturday night we snuggled in side- by-side to hear all about the events of the day from NBC’s Lester Holt. Immediately the news about bombings, ISIS, and death in Paris dominated the storyline. With a wrinkled brow and a look of confusion Gracelyn asked,

“Daddy what happened?”

I froze for a moment, because I was faced with a decision to make.  Should I turn off the TV? Should I change the channel? Should I tell her a lie to protect her? Should I just let the news roll and allow her to figure it out?

What do we do when our kids are exposed to the worst this world has to offer?

I turned off the nightly news and said, “Gracelyn, some bad things have happened in a place called Paris, France. Some people have died, and others have been hurt very badly. What do you think we should do?”

She thought for moment, and said, “I think we should pray for them.”

Sometimes we as adults don’t know what to do with the worst the world has to offer. It can stir up fear, anxiety, or cynicism in us. I think that’s why Jesus says in one form or another, “Do not be afraid!” twenty-one times in the Gospels.

We know that love trumps fear every time, but sometimes love needs a plan.

Araya and I know we are better together, so that night with the kids in bed we came up with a plan.

1 – We decided to have a “Team Williams” family meeting the next night after dinner.

2 – We decided to preview the newscast and find a piece we could watch as a family

3 – When we watched the news piece we decided to follow the advice of Mr. Rogers who said,

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

4 – We decided to pray for everyone, including our enemies.

5 – We decided to find something practical to do for the people of Paris.

In gathering together for our family meeting each of the girls were able to find “the helpers.” Five-year old Abigail saw people protecting each other. Six-year old Lydia noticed flowers and candles, while eight-year old Gracelyn saw people hugging and praying for each other.

 We are having another family meeting tonight so we can decide what we are going to do for the people of France. Write letters to the families? Send money to an agency helping victims? I don’t know what practical thing we are going to do yet, but I do know that what sociologist Brene Brown says is true:

“Kids are hard-wired for struggle.”

Kids can handle difficult things, and we can learn from them. Sometimes children have the most beautiful ideas, and they pray the most beautiful prayers, prayers that bring heaven down to earth. We certainly shouldn’t process every evil of the world with our children, but I trust you to know what they are ready for. Sometimes, love needs a plan. I’ll let you know what our plan is next Sunday, but here are two questions that might help you with your plan.

1 – Do you ever have family meetings? Consider having a time together as a family when you need to discuss something hard, or celebrate something big. No technology and no distractions. Everyone gets heard, everyone listens, and everyone is valued.

2 – Araya Sunshine and I know we are always better together. Set an appointment with your spouse or significant other and have an honest conversation about whether you are really together on your parenting.

What's your rallying cry?

Every player on the Oregon Ducks football team slaps a sign above their head as they take the field for home games. The sign says, “Win the Day.” This mantra has become a rallying cry for the team, fans, and coaches. According to former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly this is what it means: "To me, it means you take care of what you can control, and what we can control is today," Kelly said. "I think people too often look way down the road - you know, 'I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to be conference champion, national champion.' If you don't take care of today, that's not going to happen."

Whether you love football, hate football, love the Ducks, or hate the Ducks, their football team won more games (60!) than any team in the country between 2010-2014.

What about you? Does your family have a rallying cry? And do they know what this cry means?

I remember the day our rallying cry hit us. Team Williams was on our way to the Simonka House women’s shelter to serve as a family. We were getting ready to load into our 1999 Suburban, known as Big Blue, when we stopped to pray for the women we were about to meet. At the end of the prayer we put our hands in the middle like a team getting ready to take the field. I decided to finish us us off with a Team Williams cheer. We pushed our hands down in unison as we all yelled “Team Williams!” The unexpected beauty of kids’ minds at work kicked in, and as we brought our hands up into the air our three girls all yelled “Teamwork!” My wife and I looked at each other with a big grin, and it stuck.

Team Williams = Team Work. Team work for us means that everyone participates, everyone benefits, and everyone sacrifices. Believe me, we are not all work and no play, but the idea that our family is a team, and our team has work to do has been awesome. After our time making new friends with the women at the homeless shelter, we decided that Christmas day would be a day for team work as well.

Enter Christmas Day. Some big-hearted friends of ours named DJ and Gabby started a Christmas program called “Room at The Inn.” Room at the Inn provides two nights lodging with amazing meals, inspiring messages, new jackets, and games galore for 80 homeless folks at a camp just outside Salem, Oregon. Room at the Inn finishes up on Christmas day, and they needed people to come in and help clean up camp. This was a time for, “Team Williams, Team Work.” We woke up on Christmas morning for biscuits and gravy, stockings, and presents. Then we loaded into Big Blue and headed over to Room at the Inn.

We cleaned tables, picked up garbage and swept floors with our little family of five. It would have been easier to simply stay at home that morning, and it would have been easier to just let the kids play while Araya Sunshine and I do the cleaning work, but that’s not who we are, that’s not what our rallying cry is about. 

Jesus said, “Truly whatever you did for one of the least of these of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

With Thanksgiving here and Christmas just around the corner, there is plenty of need all around us. The rallying cry has helped our family be more intentional, have more fun, and live a better story. The Oregon Ducks chose "Win The day" Team Williams chose "Team Work." Now it is your turn, what are you going to choose?  Here are two questions that might help you.

1. What makes your family unique? Our family has a strong athletic background, so that’s why our rallying cry fits us. Your rallying cry should fit your family.

2. What is one thing your family can do together this holiday season? Rallying cries often surface as you do something together.

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