Lisa Collins is a friend, a ministry partner, an extraordinary worship leader, and a bride-to-be. In response to my request for love stories, she wrote to me about how her father modeled God’s grace. I think you’ll like it! Here goes….
The casual observer might glance at my Dad and not notice anything that distinguishes him from any other man. He is average in height and build. His hair is showing some gray-which is expected of a man in his sixties who survived raising two daughters. His home is modest and under a mortgage. His job is nothing that will bring him acclaim, wealth or notoriety – he is a plumber. He is a husband. He is a father. He is a “B-Poppa”-short for “Big Poppa” in case you don’t speak his granddaughter, Daphnee’s, language.
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This is Maymie’s ultimate love story. She holds her husband, Shannon, dear, but Maymie says their story doesn’t compare to the story of her children.The first time she got pregnant, Maymie and Shannon weren’t married. But they excitedly started planning and moving in the direction of marriage and starting a family. They set the date and made the doctor’s appointments. At the first appointment, the obstetrician wanted to do an ultrasound to see how far along she was and make sure everything looked good.
They excitedly watched the monitor.
There was no heartbeat.
The next day they went back, mothers in tow, for another picture, just to be sure. They got the same dreaded answer.
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Then there’s Marvin Burchall.
Two years ago, Marvin is on the job in his native Burmuda, waiting tables at a resort. And from his perspective, that’s all he was doing. His job.
Lynn Bak saw it a bit differently. She saw an outgoing, approachable young man whose impeccable service and attention to detail revealed a professionalism way beyond his 23 years.
Lynn Bak is paid to know these kinds of things. She coordinates the School of International Education in Bermuda for Endicott College, whose main campus is in metropolitan Boston. She travels to the Elbow Beach Bermuda resort every three weeks or so. And a couple of years ago, she got to know Marvin. You won’t believe what happened next.
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This is another response to my request for love stories. I’m still looking! Who has taught you about the real meaning of love? How have you experienced it? Email me at andy@lifevesting.com and share what you have observed, learned, or experienced.
The following was originally written by Joel, my son, on February 28 last year. It’s a powerful story of friendship that transcended social and racial barriers, and started with a plane crash in a Vietnamese rice paddy. (You can read more of Joel’s good stuff at http://anyidleday.com).
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I hate maintenance. This is in defiance to everything my father faithfully tried to instill in me. I want the dishes to morph into the dishwasher, the oil to change itself, and the lawn to live, but not grow. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to get a reminder in the mail that I had an appointment with a treadmill, about 11 electrodes, and a sadistic nurse with a razor and sandpaper. “Stress EKG.” Ha! I don’ need no stinkin’ treadmill to tell me I got stress.
It’s not about the treadmill, mind you. I get on one about five times a year, whether I need to or not. It’s about getting on the treadmill at the doctor’s office when I haven’t been on one at the gym in a while. I needed some time to work out before the exam so the exam wouldn’t make me look like I hadn’t been working out. Sort of like cleaning the house before the house cleaner comes.
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Here’s another amazing story of love – this one from my friend, Dr. David Rosenthal. In it he shares the profound story that led to his adoption as a baby, and his future adoption as an heir and follower of Jesus Christ. It’s the story of three women who loved him greatly. One gave him life; another gave him a home and a name; the third pointed him to the Author and Finisher of his faith. Read on…
Esther Kaufman was born June 12th, 1917 in Bucharest, Rumania. Magdalena Barta was born not far way in Budapest, Hungary on June 23rd, 1924. These two women shared a strange and unique destiny and were part of a long love story that continues until today even though both are deceased.
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Recession. It’s the word on everybody’s mind these days. Congress, in an election year, is scrambling to give people some of their money back in order to avoid it (which begs the obvious question…). All the media, the experts, and the average Joes are all talking about some aspect of it. Somebody did a poll a couple of days ago, and it seems the average American believes if we’d just get out of Iraq, the recession would get better. Uh, OK, I guess.
What most of us are interested in is, can I keep what’s happening in a national and global economy from happening to me? Yes! But first it’s important to understand that economists are measuring only one thing.
What to recession-proof your life? Get a bigger definition of the word, “economy.” Try this one as I first heard it from Jack Taylor: Economy is the exchange of all the commodities of life.
If you’re finding yourself a bit short on cash, or if you’re worried about it, why not try a different kind of currency? Here are seven ways you can be wealthy, with or without money:
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This guest column is from my friend Todd Thompson, who is a gifted writer and communicator. In response to my request for love stories, Todd send me this amazing account.
My Grandma Thompson was born on an Iowa farm in 1900. In the early 1920’s she was a teacher and high school principal. While a teacher she formed some strong friendships with three of her fellow teachers. Glynda, Mack, Bess, and my Grandma Bernice became great friends.
During that time my Grandfather began to pursue a relationship with my Grandmother. He knew a good thing when he saw it. But Grandma didn’t make it easy for him. He had to court her with a great deal of persistence before she finally said “yes”. In a letter she wrote to my cousin describing the events leading up to their marriage, Grandma said, “I once told your Grandfather that it would be a cold day before I married him. And it was. 30 below zero on Christmas Eve 1924.”
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This is pretty much off my reservation, but I thought you’d enjoy getting a preview of three new Christian songs. Two are from projects that are yet to be released; the other is already out.
“Renaissance” is the title song to Josh Rosenthal’s upcoming CD. It is one of the best combinations of truth and good music I have heard in years. For those of you in Lubbock or the South Plains, check out Josh’s tour schedule. He’ll be here in March/April, including Turning Point Community Church, on March 30. Go to Josh’s page on Myspace, and “Renaissance” will begin playing.
Thanks to Tim Challies for the heads-up on these two:
Remember Chris Sligh, from Season 6 of “American Idol?” He is working on a debut album due out on May 6. You can get a great preview of a passionate and very well-done song, “Empty Me” on his Myspace page. Again, just open the link, and “Empty Me” begins playing.
“Broken but singing, Our hearts keep shining.” That’s the theme of Charlie Hall’s song “Walk the world.” The song goes on to say, “In a dark world, we lift the Bread and Wine.” This song, recently released on Passion’s “God of This City” is a joyous celebration of how Christians can be lights in a dark world. “Walk the World” is available as a free download by clicking here.
It’s a song that was released in November 1984. I heard it first on an episode of Miami Vice.
Then I heard it again in the most surreal of settings. I had placed my wife and twin babies on a plane in New Orleans at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning. I decided, before the long trip back to Alabama, to wander through the French Quarter. And there, at 7:30 on a Saturday morning on Bourbon Street, with only a garbage truck and a handful of bikers in view, I heard this desperate refrain come blowing out of an empty bar:
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