youth ministry | basics

This week, I had planned to post more about our upcoming concert this weekend at Simpsonwood and how much you would enjoy the concert.  But on Tuesday morning, I received a phone call that I had been dreading for quite some time (although I knew it was inevitable).  My dad was on the other end telling me that my grandmother had died during the night.  My grandmother was 96 years old and had lived a wonderful life.  For the last 3 years, she had been living in a nursing home outside of Macon, GA, not aware of much that was going on around her.  To be honest, I was partially relieved that she was no longer in pain (she had battled shingles for the last 25 years) and that she was no longer confused.  But I was still hurting because it also meant that I had lost a loved one.

Many people speak about the influences in our lives.  My grandmother was a huge influence in my life.  Even though we had always lived away from each other and I never spent much time alone with her, she was someone who lived her faith.  She was the kindest person I’ve ever met and it was a kindness that extended beyond family to complete strangers.  At the funeral, my wife commented on the number of people who showed up to express their gratitude at what she had meant to them or done for them.  My grandmother was always reading the Bible and praying and she was the type of person that when she said “I’m praying for you”, you knew you were being prayed for.  When I told my grandmother my calling to enter ministry, she gave me a book of old church bulletins and notes that she had taken throughout the years.  She showed me the things that had helped her in her faith and shared about the old preachers who use to deliver the powerful messages.  She was a godly woman.

The other influence to me was her marriage.  Before my grandfather’s death in 2006, the two of them had shared 70 years of marriage.  They were lifelong partners and shared in everything.  They worked together, they played together, they were a great team.  As I think of examples for my marriage, the two that I think of will always be my grandparents and my parents.  It is because of this example that I am able to share joy with my grief by knowing that she is once again beside my grandfather.

During times of death, many people will comfort you by saying things like, “They’re in a better place” and “We’ll see them again.”  For many, these are words of comfort because they are not sure if their loved ones believed in Christ.  Yesterday, as I heard these words spoken to my family and me, it was more than comfort…it was truth.  I knew that I would see her again.  I don’t know when, but I know it will happen.  And when we get together on the other side of the pearly gates, we will have some of her fried chicken, sweet tea and coconut ice box pie.

Who are some of the people that have influenced you in your life?  Who has had an influence on your spiritual journey and/or ministry?