A Gift of Gratitude
Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that are the least expected and most unusual. In April, Kevin Lutz and his family were presented with a gift they likely never thought they would be given but one they’ll cherish forever.
Glen Ballard, 59, has believed in God for as long as he can remember, but making it to church regularly and finding community with others he can grow in faith with has been a struggle.
“I pretty much work all the time, seven days a week,” Glen said. A forklift driver by trade, he spends his time off tending livestock.
Glen didn’t know it at the time, but his life began to change last Fall. That’s when his wife, Carol, started attending Southeast’s Nelson County Campus. He soon joined her, and in January the couple made the decision to be baptized. Following his baptism, Glen then baptized Carol, making an already sweet day even sweeter.
“It was special,” Carol said, noting it strengthened her “faith in our marriage.”
Recognizing that baptism is not the end but the beginning of a person’s faith journey, Glen and Carol looked to get connected with a home group. Glen instantly bonded with Kevin, the Connections Ministry Leader at Nelson County, as Kevin also farms livestock and has worked in a factory. So, when Kevin invited the couple to join his family’s home group, Glen knew it was the right fit.
“It’s like a home atmosphere, and it’s like-minded people trying to learn about God and Jesus Christ and why He died on the cross to save us from our sins,” Glen said.
Belonging to a community of people who have become more than friends and feel safe sharing life with one another has helped Glen understand he isn’t alone in his struggles with physical pain and anxiety.
“You understand that there’s other people out there going through the same thing that you’re going through," he said.
Above all, Glen has found encouragement from knowing his suffering doesn’t compare to that of the One who willingly went through much worse so that we could have eternal life.
“Jesus Christ, they tortured Him before they nailed Him to that cross,” he said. “All the pain and suffering He went through, mine is nothing.”
Glen, who now reads the Bible during lunch at work and listens to Scripture while taking walks, said Kevin and his family—wife Megan and teenage son Levi—have helped him and the others in the home group grow spiritually by modeling what it means to love Jesus and one another.
“I think God put him in my path to help me with my journey of my faith,” he said of Kevin.
Wanting to show gratitude to Kevin and his family, Glen gave them a 2-month-old Idaho pasture pig. The pig is special because it is a relatively new breed, having been bred from three types of heritage hogs. Its unique snout features an upturn on the end that allows for grazing and discourages rooting. Fully grown, the hog will weigh 340 pounds.
“He came to church one Sunday and grabbed my son and said, ‘Hey, I have something I want to give you all’,” Kevin recalled. “My son was so excited. He comes and finds me and says, ‘You’ve got to go and talk to Glen. He’s going to give us a pig!’”
Kevin called it an “honor” to receive the pig from Glen. He said it has been heartening to see Glen’s passion for Jesus grow since he has been a member of the weekly home group.
“We encourage each other that we’re there for a reason and you’re in the world for a reason, and it’s to look different, to be like Christ,” he said.
That doesn’t mean life isn’t challenging at times, but it does mean that the members of the home group lift each other up throughout the week as they face those challenges.
“You understand that there’s other people out there going through the same thing that you’re going through.”
“Honestly, when you have junk, you call them and they pray…and you have your group needs and your threads where you send out prayer requests,” Kevin said. “It’s special out here, and it’s Biblical.”
While Glen’s schedule still makes it difficult to attend church in person each week—he does worship with SE Online on the weeks he can’t—he is thankful to have found a crew of people who inspire him to become more like Jesus.
“That’s how God made us work,” he said, inviting others to find their crew by joining a group. “Pretty much like cattle and horses, we’re a herd, and the herd all needs love.”