Here's another installment on the history of Morning Star Fellowship. I have more to write about Shawn.
Shawn Hart (part 3)
In the course of time Shawn and Marianne had two children. He had always prayed for a son. Instead they had two daughters: Shayla and Tristen. Though Shawn was disappointed that he didn't have the son that he had always wanted, he very much loved his two "little princesses".
He took turns with Marianne in reading bedtime stories to the girls. He would get down on all fours and give the girls piggyback rides. Shawn and Marianne often took the girls to the neighborhood park. They pushed Shayla and Tristen in the swings. Shawn went down the slide with the girls in his lap.
As the girls became older Shawn started leading a family Bible study at home. When Shayla and Tristen asked questions he showed them relevant passages in their children's Bibles. It was Shawn who lead each of his girls to the Lord.
After the girls started school, Shawn and Marianne took turns helping them with their schoolwork. Shawn tried to be careful to set aside some time each week to be with his family. He wanted to keep a healthy balance between family time and Church/ministry time. From time to time he and Marianne spent an evening together going to dinner and a movie. There were many Saturday mornings when Shawn took one of their girls out for breakfast. Once in a while Shawn managed to take his family out to the Oregon coast to spend the weekend.
Meanwhile the Church youth group often had special events like game nights, movie nights, car washes, and trail walks at a park some where. Shawn and Marianne always brought their girls along.
Shayla had some friends from Church, school, and the Harts' neighborhood whom she spent time with. She went to their homes to play, and they came to hers as well. A few of her friends happened to have older brothers. There were even a couple of brother/sister pairs in the Church youth group. Shawn himself was a big brother to two younger sisters.
One Saturday morning 10-year-old Shayla told Shawn, "Daddy, I wish I had a big brother."
"Why?" Shawn asked.
"Because some of my friends do, and you're a big brother to your sisters."
Shawn smiled. "Okay, what do you like about big brothers?"
"Big brothers and their sisters can be best friends. Big brothers are there when their sisters need somebody to talk to. They do things together like riding their bikes, and going to the park, and going to a movie."
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Morning Star Fellowship - part 10
Here's another installment on Shawn Hart. I think I'm going to share about him in three parts - not two. He's an important character in the "Dawn Comes Softly" story collection. I think it will turn out that in every story we'll either see Shawn or hear his voice (on the phone). If not then Shawn will be somehow referred to during the course of the story.
Shawn Hart (part 2)
It was at KVCC where Shawn met a girl named Marianne Smith. They both had some classes together. She was from the town of Gold Prairie - which was in the middle of the valley and about half way between Kye Valley and Shaw Falls. Marianne was the kind of person who always smiled, and always had something encouraging to say to someone. Her long waist-length hair reminded Shawn of Lydia. Except Marianne was a blue-eyed blonde while Lydia was a brown-eyed brunette.
Shawn and Marianne became good friends, and later started dating. Shawn remembered that he had made bad decisions and committed sin in his relationship with Lydia. He had already asked God for His forgiveness for what he had done. He now asked God to help him not make those same decisions with Marianne. He asked God to help him always respect Marianne and treat her like a lady. Shawn always made sure that he and Marianne were never alone somewhere together in a private place. He was always very careful that someone else was close by. In fact he had asked that they not kiss while they were dating, and she agreed.
Shawn wanted to tell Marianne about his relationship with Lydia. But he wasn't sure how to tell her. About three different times he tried to share it with her, and they were interrupted every time by someone else. Someone else wanted to talk to Shawn or Marianne at that moment. Also, the subject of virginity never came up.
Shawn and Marianne both worked together with the youth group at Morning Star Fellowship. They were married a year after he graduated from college. A little while later he became the youth pastor at Morning Star Fellowship. Shawn enjoyed leading the youth and ministering to them. He was always careful to stop what he was doing and listen when someone needed to talk. He was available for the youth to come to his office and talk with him. He always prayed with them.
One day Shawn overheard Marianne tell someone, "Yes, we were both virgins when we were married."
Shawn knew that wasn't true. But, he also knew that Marianne had no idea. Several years had already gone by, and not even his own family had a clue about what all had happened between him and Lydia. Shawn thought about finally telling everyone the truth. At the same time he wondered if it would do more harm then good. He really did not want to disappoint anyone or let anyone down. Shawn also knew that the more time passed the harder it would be to share with even one person. Maybe for the greater good it was better to let the secret continue between him and God. Still, Shawn felt like he was living a facade, and he really didn't like that.
Shawn Hart (part 2)
It was at KVCC where Shawn met a girl named Marianne Smith. They both had some classes together. She was from the town of Gold Prairie - which was in the middle of the valley and about half way between Kye Valley and Shaw Falls. Marianne was the kind of person who always smiled, and always had something encouraging to say to someone. Her long waist-length hair reminded Shawn of Lydia. Except Marianne was a blue-eyed blonde while Lydia was a brown-eyed brunette.
Shawn and Marianne became good friends, and later started dating. Shawn remembered that he had made bad decisions and committed sin in his relationship with Lydia. He had already asked God for His forgiveness for what he had done. He now asked God to help him not make those same decisions with Marianne. He asked God to help him always respect Marianne and treat her like a lady. Shawn always made sure that he and Marianne were never alone somewhere together in a private place. He was always very careful that someone else was close by. In fact he had asked that they not kiss while they were dating, and she agreed.
Shawn wanted to tell Marianne about his relationship with Lydia. But he wasn't sure how to tell her. About three different times he tried to share it with her, and they were interrupted every time by someone else. Someone else wanted to talk to Shawn or Marianne at that moment. Also, the subject of virginity never came up.
Shawn and Marianne both worked together with the youth group at Morning Star Fellowship. They were married a year after he graduated from college. A little while later he became the youth pastor at Morning Star Fellowship. Shawn enjoyed leading the youth and ministering to them. He was always careful to stop what he was doing and listen when someone needed to talk. He was available for the youth to come to his office and talk with him. He always prayed with them.
One day Shawn overheard Marianne tell someone, "Yes, we were both virgins when we were married."
Shawn knew that wasn't true. But, he also knew that Marianne had no idea. Several years had already gone by, and not even his own family had a clue about what all had happened between him and Lydia. Shawn thought about finally telling everyone the truth. At the same time he wondered if it would do more harm then good. He really did not want to disappoint anyone or let anyone down. Shawn also knew that the more time passed the harder it would be to share with even one person. Maybe for the greater good it was better to let the secret continue between him and God. Still, Shawn felt like he was living a facade, and he really didn't like that.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Morning Star Fellowship - part 9
Back in part 2 of this series I wrote about Shawn and Lydia. They were 16-years-old when they had met at a Christian youth camp. Lydia Robinson was from the town of Oak Springs way down in southern Oregon. Shawn and Lydia carried on a long distance romance for two years. Then they suddenly broke up. Shawn never told anyone what had happened between them.
In this installment I'm sharing more about Shawn. I'm basically picking up where I left off in part 2 of the Morning Star Fellowship series. I think I'm going to talk about Shawn in two parts here.
Shawn Hart (part 1)
After Shawn graduated from high school, he went on to Kye Valley Christian College (KVCC). He felt called to be a pastor just like his Dad. He had a desire to encourage people and minister to those who were hurting. In college he studied to be in the ministry. Shawn also started working at the church as a part-time assistant to the youth pastor. He often helped lead the youth Bible study on Wednesday nights at Church.
For about a couple of years Shawn dated no one. Though he had gone on with his life he still thought of Lydia. Sometimes he would see a girl with long hair, and he would remember Lydia with her long brown hair. In the spring he noticed flower gardens blooming, and he remembered that Lydia loved flowers. Shawn remembered that she often wore floral dresses, and sometimes she even had a flower or two woven into a braid in her hair. There were times when he wondered how Lydia was doing. Was she going on with her life just like he was? Was she doing okay?
Shawn felt responsibility when he lead the youth Bible study on Wednesday nights. He wanted the boys in the youth group to not make the same mistakes that he had made - mistakes that he had told no one about.
Shawn carefully told the boys, "Respect the ladies. Honor them. Protect their purity as well as your own. Stay righteous before God. Think about everything that you're doing, and don't do something that you'll later regret."
In this installment I'm sharing more about Shawn. I'm basically picking up where I left off in part 2 of the Morning Star Fellowship series. I think I'm going to talk about Shawn in two parts here.
Shawn Hart (part 1)
After Shawn graduated from high school, he went on to Kye Valley Christian College (KVCC). He felt called to be a pastor just like his Dad. He had a desire to encourage people and minister to those who were hurting. In college he studied to be in the ministry. Shawn also started working at the church as a part-time assistant to the youth pastor. He often helped lead the youth Bible study on Wednesday nights at Church.
For about a couple of years Shawn dated no one. Though he had gone on with his life he still thought of Lydia. Sometimes he would see a girl with long hair, and he would remember Lydia with her long brown hair. In the spring he noticed flower gardens blooming, and he remembered that Lydia loved flowers. Shawn remembered that she often wore floral dresses, and sometimes she even had a flower or two woven into a braid in her hair. There were times when he wondered how Lydia was doing. Was she going on with her life just like he was? Was she doing okay?
Shawn felt responsibility when he lead the youth Bible study on Wednesday nights. He wanted the boys in the youth group to not make the same mistakes that he had made - mistakes that he had told no one about.
Shawn carefully told the boys, "Respect the ladies. Honor them. Protect their purity as well as your own. Stay righteous before God. Think about everything that you're doing, and don't do something that you'll later regret."
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Morning Star Fellowship - part 8
Okay, I'm continuing with my series on the history of Morning Star Fellowship. I'm going back to the Hart family.
Shawn And His Sisters
Shawn Hart had two younger sisters: Ashley and Ruth. He was almost 2-years-old when Ashley was born. He was 5 1/2 - years-old when Ruth was born. Shawn always felt responsible for his little sisters. He always looked out for them.
Shawn was the dutiful son and the dutiful big brother. At church he always helped out his mom and dad concerning his little sisters. He often took them to their Sunday school classes, and then picked them up afterwards. But Shawn didn't do that because he had too. He did it because he wanted to.
Ashley was a perfectionist who was idealistic. Everything had to be just so - including her room. When the siblings were growing up the two sisters shared the same bedroom. Ashley was the "clean one" while Ruth was the "messy one". The girls often had arguments over the tidiness of their room. Mom or Dad or Shawn always had to step in to referee the situation.
Ruth was a little bit on the quiet side. She was laid back and never in a hurry. She also had a tendency to not deal with things. She would often let things go and not let her family know if something was troubling her.
Morning Star Fellowship started in the early mid 1960s while the siblings were growing up. Shawn was about 13-years old, Ashley was about 11, and Ruth was about 7 1/2. Their father, Ed Hart, became the assistant pastor. The siblings became preacher's kids - pks.
How did Shawn, Ashley, and Ruth feel about being pks? There were certain people in the church who expected the pastors' children to behave perfectly. If a pk giggled in church, someone hurried off to complain to an elder or one of the pastors. If a pk acted or looked grouchy at church someone complained. If a pk got into an argument with a friend after Sunday school someone complained.
Shawn grew to feel that he couldn't let anyone down. If he made a mistake he usually didn't say anything to anyone because he didn't want to disappoint anyone. After a while he felt like he was putting up a facade, and he didn't like that.
Ashley wanted to be perfect so that everyone would be happy with her. She was always very careful to be perfect in everything that she said and did. In fact, she was the one who was a straight A student all through school.
Ruth felt like she never measured up. It seemed like no matter what she did at church there was always someone who found something wrong with it. She eventually gave up trying to please everyone. Yet deep down inside she still wanted someone to be happy with her.
Many times their father told them, "You are being held to a higher standard. You need to protect your Christian witness."
Shawn And His Sisters
Shawn Hart had two younger sisters: Ashley and Ruth. He was almost 2-years-old when Ashley was born. He was 5 1/2 - years-old when Ruth was born. Shawn always felt responsible for his little sisters. He always looked out for them.
Shawn was the dutiful son and the dutiful big brother. At church he always helped out his mom and dad concerning his little sisters. He often took them to their Sunday school classes, and then picked them up afterwards. But Shawn didn't do that because he had too. He did it because he wanted to.
Ashley was a perfectionist who was idealistic. Everything had to be just so - including her room. When the siblings were growing up the two sisters shared the same bedroom. Ashley was the "clean one" while Ruth was the "messy one". The girls often had arguments over the tidiness of their room. Mom or Dad or Shawn always had to step in to referee the situation.
Ruth was a little bit on the quiet side. She was laid back and never in a hurry. She also had a tendency to not deal with things. She would often let things go and not let her family know if something was troubling her.
Morning Star Fellowship started in the early mid 1960s while the siblings were growing up. Shawn was about 13-years old, Ashley was about 11, and Ruth was about 7 1/2. Their father, Ed Hart, became the assistant pastor. The siblings became preacher's kids - pks.
How did Shawn, Ashley, and Ruth feel about being pks? There were certain people in the church who expected the pastors' children to behave perfectly. If a pk giggled in church, someone hurried off to complain to an elder or one of the pastors. If a pk acted or looked grouchy at church someone complained. If a pk got into an argument with a friend after Sunday school someone complained.
Shawn grew to feel that he couldn't let anyone down. If he made a mistake he usually didn't say anything to anyone because he didn't want to disappoint anyone. After a while he felt like he was putting up a facade, and he didn't like that.
Ashley wanted to be perfect so that everyone would be happy with her. She was always very careful to be perfect in everything that she said and did. In fact, she was the one who was a straight A student all through school.
Ruth felt like she never measured up. It seemed like no matter what she did at church there was always someone who found something wrong with it. She eventually gave up trying to please everyone. Yet deep down inside she still wanted someone to be happy with her.
Many times their father told them, "You are being held to a higher standard. You need to protect your Christian witness."
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Blogger Note - 6-25-13
I have taken a little hiatus from my blog. Now I'm back.
I would like to eventually post my stories on here. But I don't feel ready to do that just yet. I would like to get more stories written first.
For now I want to continue doing background histories. I've been having fun with that. I hope you enjoy reading the histories.
Sometime this week I'll continue with my series on the history of Morning Star Fellowship. :)
I would like to eventually post my stories on here. But I don't feel ready to do that just yet. I would like to get more stories written first.
For now I want to continue doing background histories. I've been having fun with that. I hope you enjoy reading the histories.
Sometime this week I'll continue with my series on the history of Morning Star Fellowship. :)
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