A guest post by Ken

I don’t like birthday parties for me. It’s not that I mind getting older. A little grey around the edges is no big deal. It is more that I don’t know what to do with myself. The attention is somewhat unsettling.

So when the idea of doing a Chick-fil-A “spirit night” was presented to us (in which money is raised for our adoption) I was somewhat unnerved. I really liked the fund-raising portion, but being the center of attention makes me nervous. This may seem odd to those of you who know me. You may even say to yourself, “But you’re a pastor. You should be a people person.” This is true. I am (some what). However, in those ministry situations my role is always, “Let me tell you about Jesus.” My job is to take the attention off myself and to focus it heavenward.

This past Wednesday night we had our first “spirit night” at Chick-fil-A. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first ten minutes were slow and I thought to myself, “The only thing scarier than a birthday party is a birthday party in which no one shows up.”

But those fears quickly went away as people started coming. And coming. And coming. At one point there literally wasn’t an empty table. Some even had to get their meal to go. I started to worry that they might run out of chicken. Thankfully they did not.

I was grateful for the money that was raised: $288.34 from food sales, and $70 in direct donations, in one night. However, there was a far greater benefit. The Chick-fil-A “spirit night” was an incredible outpouring of love and support from our friends. Sure we made 20% of every nugget, waffle fry and milkshake that was purcashed, yet the message that we received loud and clear was “WE ARE BEHIND YOU 100%!” Chick-fil-A provided a venue for people to come out and show their support for our adoption. And there were a lot of people who did just that – all at once.

It was a night of laughs, hugs, pats on the back… and chicken. But I also felt like there was a lot of encouragment that didn’t need words. A lot of questions were being answered that hadn’t even been verbalized.

I felt like our friends were saying to us:

We believe in you.

We know you will be great parents.

We can’t wait to welcome home the rest of your family.

Your children are going to be so loved and spoiled.

So yes, I am very grateful for the funds that were raised, but perhaps I am even more appreciative for everyone for being willing to stand with us. Or sit down and “EAT MOR CHIKIN” if that’s what it takes to help our adoption effort.