FLASHBACK

Philip Yancey recently shot me an email saying I might enjoy Ancestors by William Maxwell for it has much to say about the Church of Christ history in America.  I love the story of the Restoration Movement.  So I ordered the book immediately.

The hoops of denominational interaction and strain fascinate me as leaders determine to jump or not to jump.  We live there today, do we not?

When I came over the horizon in the storyline of Thomas Campbell carefully training his son, Alexander, a joy washed over my heart.  The comments took me back to living next door to our church building.  When Dusty and Tim were in grade school I would walk with them (I walked.  They skipped.) over to the auditorium.  I worked with them on public speaking.

We would go over content and delivery.  Content included (1) read the text, (2) explain the text, and (3) give an illustration to provide a window for us to see how the text would look in our walk.  Delivery included speaking up while looking at the audience in the eyes. 

The boys would take their turns.  I would sit on the front pew.  The task was never difficult.  The instruction was simple and they pulled it off.  Over the years God has groomed them to be much more than I could have trained.  I was simply one of God's ingredients of their development.

Today Dusty moves into their new house in Atlanta.  Tomorrow he and his family begin a new life as he is the new preacher at the Campus Church of Christ in Atlanta.  Tim returns today to Kim and the kids in Guadalajara.  He has been on a retreat with other missionaries in the land of Mexico at a retreat a distance away.

When I had my kids at home, I enjoyed them and would comment to myself how much I enjoyed "today".  Wendy, now a church secretary at another church in Atlanta, was just as delightful.  Much of her training came through crises.  Today she shines....they all shine.

Flashback......the post-rejoicing over previous walks which seemed to be a matter of routine; wonderful and privileged routine.