Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Reply Church Characters #1: Frances May God grant each of us the blessing to grow old with grace.
#JARS OF CLAY FULL#
I appreciated his life and grieved his death.īud’s life illustrated the adage, “There may be snow on the roof, but there’s fire in the furnace!” Psalm 92:14 puts the same sentiment more theologically, “They still bear fruit in old age they are ever full of sap and green.” Bud’s words and actions shaped my early ministry. I learned to seek his counsel over a myriad of topics. The church’s patriarch attended worship every Sunday. He tried to help, introducing me to women as “my single preacher who could really use a date!” I do not recommend this method for anyone seeking a mate. I was a single pastor in his twenties serving two country churches in the middle of nowhere. Women flocked around him, including a group of 30-somethings who regularly dropped by for lunch. However, the octogenarian did not lack for female attention. His wife died years previously, and he still grieved her loss. The gentleman in question served as a surrogate grandfather in my life.īud resembled an older Samuel Clements with gray hair and drooping mustache. Southern social conventions allow older persons to be called “uncle” or “aunt” even when no biological connection exists. Uncle Bud belonged to a congregation I served fresh out of seminary. Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply Church Characters #2: Uncle Bud In this world and the next, Glenn and Lizzie made quite the pair.
#JARS OF CLAY MOVIE#
Hallmark would never make a movie about their lives, but I am grateful for older couples who model marital fidelity. The couple sat in matching recliners, passing the time together. Although they bickered and disagreed, they honored their vows with love and respect. Glenn and Lizzie married in their twenties and celebrated 65 years of marriage during my tenure. The matriarch moaned about imminent death throughout the five years I served the church. She kept the kitchen cabinets stocked with prescription bottles that avalanched to the counters below. Lizzie suffered every illness known to medicine. One summer I helped him carry corn to a mill where the ramshackle, rumbling contraption converted the ears into meal. The octogenarian wore a brace that supported his entire back, causing him to lean forward 45 degrees. The tinder-box home miraculously escaped burning to the ground.ĭespite age and health, Glenn continued to work the old family farm. I followed the fire engine sirens to the house. One memorable day Glenn decided to burn off the soot and creosote by firing up the heater to a cherry red. On frigid winter days, I exited the home soaked in sweat.Īn ancient chimney vented the smoke. The living room featured a wood heater stoked yearlong. They lived in a gray-weathered, clapboard house near the parsonage. Glenn and Lizzie belonged to the first church I served after seminary.
#JARS OF CLAY SERIES#
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply Church Characters #3: Glenn & Lizzieĭuring a series entitled “Church Characters,” I’m recalling some memorable people from decades of ministry. However, I cannot help but suspect that Jesus intervened in a special way for a fellow carpenter. Wilmer’s selfless work on behalf of the church PROBABLY didn’t affect his medical results. I don’t believe the Lord dispenses miracles based on merit. The doctor later told us he literally used a claw hammer to remove the nail! Despite bleak warnings about brain damage, infection, and long-term effects, Wilmer recovered completely. I waited long hours with the family in the Emergency Room. It landed atop his head, driving a nail through his skull and into the brain. While framing a house, Wilmer lost his grip on a pneumatic nail gun. One fall day I received a frantic call from a family member. Even when we couldn’t agree to disagree, neither of us ever questioned the other’s faith and devotion. However, we both loved the church in general and Mount Carmel Church in particular. I must have appeared to be a flaming liberal in his eyes. I grew up in Decatur before our family moved to Woodstock. He took a conservative view of the world. Wilmer grew up in Coweta County and possessed a high school degree. Wilmer and I came from radically different worlds.