Sunshine

Q & A WITH TIM BROWN
with a terminal disease. Most
people do not live past their
teens with this diagnosis. This
young man lived his short life
fully and completely. He lived
life to the fullest and as an example
to others. I’m inspired
by these courageous young
people and others like them.
How does your faith influence
your work at MCH?
I couldn’t do what I do without
my faith. I have to be able to
trust God to make something
good happen out of something
bad; to know that when
bad things happen they’re not
punishment or intentionally
inflicted pain in someone’s life.
God is a loving god and He
wants the best for us.
How do you think faith
plays a role in the lives
of MCH youth?
It’s hard sometimes for our
youth to trust God. Many times
we refer to God as our Father,
but fathers do not always love
their children, or at least may
not act as a father should act
toward his children. In other
cases, children may have a good
father, but he died or divorced.
Thus, children begin to think
that if God is anything like their
earthly father, they don’t want
anything to do with Him.
I encourage youth to come
to peace with their past and
disappointments by forgiving
those who hurt or disappointed
them. I encourage them to
think about a loving God, who
cares so much about them
that He sent His own Son to
heal them, forgive them, love
them and give them every opportunity
to love others. I want
them to have that as their image
of God – one who loves
them enough to stick with
them, even when they are not
too loveable at times.
You have mentioned that
you want to be more like
Barnabas from the Bible.
Can you tell me a little
about that?
Barnabas was an incredible
encourager. I grew up around
people who placed value on
Ashley (pictured, left to right), Kristin and Taylor enjoy a visit
with Tim Brown during a Christmas activity at MCH in December.
Brown enjoys opportunities to support and encourage MCH youth
and to help them develop a sense of worth and value.
remaining quiet, serving others
and taking little credit for
the things they did. Thus, I’ve
always admired and gravitated
toward people who were encouragers.
My joy comes in
seeing others find and experience
joy.
I’m reminded of a story in
2 Kings 7:3-16. Four beggars are
sitting at a gate outside a city
under siege. The city has run
out of food and water. The enemy
is camped some distance
away waiting for the city to give
up. One of the beggars speaks
up and says, “We have to do
something. If we sit here, we’re
going to die. If we go inside the
gates to the city, we’ll surely
die. But if we go out to the enemy,
maybe they’ll have mercy
on us and give us food and water
and we’ll live.” They found
the courage and strength to
face the enemy, and they were
rewarded for their effort.
Before the beggars arrived,
the Lord caused the enemy to
hear the sound of many horses
and they fled in fear, leaving
behind treasure, food, clothing
and supplies. In the midst
of their joy and good fortune,
one of the beggars said, “This
is a day of good fortune and we
must not keep it for ourselves,
we must share it with others.”
They eventually returned to
tell the king, and the city under
siege was saved because of the
beggars’ courage, risk and generous
spirits.
When good things happen,
we are called to share them with
others. God provides those opportunities
not just for us, but
for others through us. I identify
with Barnabas because he was
that kind of person. He wasn’t
satisfied just experiencing the
good things in his life. He wanted
to share them with others.
What are the challenges of
being a president at a children’s
home and a husband
and father?
Time management is the greatest
challenge. I have to take it
one day at a time and schedule
my time accordingly. I focus on
trying to remain flexible and
available. I enjoy and seek solitude
at times, but my presence,
visibility and involvement in
my family’s life and activities
and MCH are competing priorities
at times.
I try every day to tell my
wife and kids that I love them.
I try to encourage our staff
and youth, and tell them how
much I appreciate the work
they do and the support they
provide each other and MCH.
It’s something I have to be
intentional about because it’s
not an easy thing to do. When
I encounter people who are
good at encouraging others, I
try to incorporate those skills
in what I do. I’ve learned that
when I make a mistake, I need
to quickly and humbly ask for
forgiveness and move on, and
then strive to work on learning
from my mistakes and do better
next time.
Part 3 in this series will appear in
the next issue of Sunshine.
Sunshine I I Winter 2011
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