{"id":545,"date":"2013-06-21T05:32:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T09:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/godonomics\/?p=545"},"modified":"2013-05-09T12:10:05","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T16:10:05","slug":"calling-out-to-god-when-tragedy-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2013\/06\/calling-out-to-god-when-tragedy-strikes.html","title":{"rendered":"Calling Out to God When Tragedy Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Government Spending Gives the Illusion of an Economy.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N5ESSDbcRaM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 2008, I launched a new series at our church called Godonomics. \u00a0 That same month an emotional hurricane hit my house. We had adopted my son Quinn a few months earlier. \u00a0We met his birthmother almost a year prior. \u00a0Her name was Jacci. She was 18. She was pregnant. She had cried her way out of an abortion clinic. She couldn&#8217;t get herself to abort this life kicking and growing within her. \u00a0 \u00a0She also knew she was not up for the challenges of motherhood. She knew she didn&#8217;t have the financial backing or emotional support to raise a child.<\/p>\n<p>The next few months as we met, we developed a friendship. More than that, my wife and I were reminded of the challenges of single motherhood. \u00a0 Jacci worked at a fast food\u00a0restaurant\u00a0trying to make ends meet. She was barely able to pay her bills and had no money for things like prenatal vitamins. \u00a0 My wife and I gave her an old laptop we owned so she could get on the internet. We gave her a cell phone since hers had broken. \u00a0 We were prompted to be generous because we saw her real needs. \u00a0 We realized how often we live insulated lives that don&#8217;t intersect with others in different seasons and sectors of life.<\/p>\n<p>My wife and I \u00a0are smart savers and spenders, but adoption was an expensive endeavor. It&#8217;s not just the emotional and physical demands. There are financial demands as well. \u00a0 We had a decision to make: Would we put our money where our mouth is? \u00a0Would we practice what we preach? \u00a0It&#8217;s one thing to say life is precious and sacred&#8230; It&#8217;s another to restart our family when my youngest was 10. \u00a0With empty nest less than a decade away, my wife and I prayed and decided to reset the financial and retirement clock.<\/p>\n<p>We named my son Quinn. \u00a0 \u00a0A name picked out my his birthmother Jacci as well as my wife and I. His middle name Jaxon (Jacci&#8217;s son) was a way to honor her for her precious trust and gift. \u00a0She placed her most valuable commodity with us. \u00a0A part of her. \u00a0An invaluable child into our arms.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to June of 2009. My son was born. I held him in my arms 5 minutes after my wife assisted Jacci in the delivery room. \u00a0Life was starting over. The joy of a new child. The flashback of thousands of memories from our first two children. My eleven year old daughter was watching my wife and I fall in love with our children all over again. Precious. Timeless. Incalculable Moments. \u00a0 \u00a0 Could life get any better than this moment?<\/p>\n<p>Several months later, we got <em>the news<\/em>. \u00a0 \u00a0I sensed something might not be right, but I couldn&#8217;t put my finger on it. \u00a0 In the midst of the joy and elation of the delivery room, I&#8217;d overlooked the way&#8230; \u00a0Well, the way Quinn &#8220;looked&#8221; at me.<\/p>\n<p>Four Months later we&#8217;d learn my son has an incurable medical condition called ONH (Optic Nerve Hypoplasia). \u00a0His eyes are fine. His brain is probably fine. His optic nerves are too small. \u00a0The result: his eyes bounce back and forth like popcorn. \u00a0 He can only see things at a certain angle and distance. \u00a0 I was not prepared to hear the word &#8220;incurable,&#8221; &#8220;blind,&#8221; and &#8220;your son&#8221; -all in the same sentence. \u00a0And whatever he can see isn&#8217;t what you and I see. \u00a0 \u00a0Whatever I look like in his eyes, I knew what I looked like in October of 2009. I was a mess. My wife and I wept. We wondered if we were up to the challenge. We wondered if we had what it takes to be parents to a special needs child. Did we have the finances to support whatever the future held? Did we have the strength in our marriage to endure this challenge? \u00a0How would we lead our 9 year old and 11 year old through this family crisis?<\/p>\n<p>A year and half later, we have great hope. We&#8217;ve leaned on God like never before. We&#8217;ve prayed like few times in the past. We&#8217;ve called out for His &#8220;manifold grace&#8221; to assist us in our manifold trials. \u00a0 \u00a0 We&#8217;ve asked for wisdom to provide for Quinn&#8217;s future. \u00a0 In fact, that is where the idea for Godonomics was born. I&#8217;ve never put any of my series into a usable format outside our church&#8217;s walls. \u00a0 I felt a compelling &#8220;nudge&#8221; from God to make this series the first. I went in studio and turned this series into a two DVD teaching curriculum for churches, small groups, and bible studies.\u00a0God was pushing me to &#8220;practice what I preach.&#8221; \u00a0To practice Godonomics by producing \u00a0a product that would help others learn the basics of work, profit, and others-focused living. \u00a0I hoped to design a series that would help those who want a road map to get out of poverty. I wanted to challenge those with means to bless those who were struggling.<\/p>\n<p>I am a video producer and communicator by trade, but have despised the &#8220;televangelist&#8221;\u00a0caricature\u00a0of pastors who try to sell their stuff. \u00a0I&#8217;ve always secretly questioned their motives or at least wondered about their endgame. \u00a0 So why go public? Why produce a DVD? Why risk people questioning your motivation?<\/p>\n<p>Well, you should see <em><strong>my<\/strong><\/em> motivation. \u00a0 \u00a0My motivation dances in my living room each evening. \u00a0My endgame sits in my lap each night.\u00a0 Quinn has become the love of our life. We have learned so much about special needs, adapting as a family, and the joy than can only be found through the unexpected. \u00a0We have learned that God pushes us to help the hurting. God calls us out of our comfort zones. God calls us to promote His kingdom here on earth. We also are learning that where God guides, He provides.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, check out\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.godonomics.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/images\/godonomics-header.png\" width=\"600\" height=\"162\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; In 2008, I launched a new series at our church called Godonomics. \u00a0 That same month an emotional hurricane hit my house. We had adopted my son Quinn a few months earlier. \u00a0We met his birthmother almost a year prior. \u00a0Her name was Jacci. She was 18. She was pregnant. She had cried her&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,82],"tags":[109,105,107,99,108,106],"class_list":["post-545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-generosity","category-parenting","tag-abortion","tag-adoption","tag-difficulty","tag-prayer-for-moms","tag-prayer-for-strength","tag-tragedy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Calling Out to God When Tragedy Strikes - Godonomics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Calling Out to God When Tragedy Strikes - Godonomics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; In 2008, I launched a new series at our church called Godonomics. \u00a0 That same month an emotional hurricane hit my house. 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He graduated from Moody Bible College in Chicago, majoring in pastoral ministry and communication. His love for ministry and creativity can be seen in many forms: leading teams, expository teaching, acting, and video production. He has served as pastor at two high-impact churches in Georgia: Cumberland Community Church and New Community Church. Chad received an M.A. in Ministry from Moody Graduate School in 2008. He loves volleyball, movies, and hanging out with his wife Beth and their three children.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/author\/chadhovind"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":548,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}