As I sit to write tonight, Father, I am reminded of the frailty of life – in a heartbeat, things can change. But through it all, You and You alone, Father, are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are solid, consistent, secure. All praise, honor, and glory are Yours. Amen.
Matthew 17:19-20 (<<click the green)
As I prepared to write the last post, I came across another story in relation to “moving mountains.” My first intent was to conclude that post with this story but it ended up being a little longer than I had anticipated, so…here is the other story.
My search led me to blog post entitled, The Minister Who Moved a Mountain (<<click to read the post in its entirety).
I’m sure it would be of no surprise to any of us for me to say that we – men, women, children of all ages –we can all be stubborn. We can be set in our ways. And we really, really don’t like other people telling us we are wrong and pushing us to change of all things! Talk about a mountain that can be nigh impossible to move!
In the early 1900s, when he was about 20 years old, Bob Childress stumbled upon a revival at local Methodist church. Draw in by the music he heard of his need for a Savior and gave his life over to Christ. Through much struggle and perseverance, this penniless young man with only an 8th-grade education succeeded in graduating from Union Theological Seminary of Richmond, Virginia at the top of his class with God intervening on his behalf on many occasions.
He could’ve taken a church in a prosperous community in North Carolina but felt led to return the mountains of his youth. He may have found himself in midst of stubborn, hot-tempered mountain men but he was of the same stock and dished it out as quick as they – only his responses were flavored with the transformative truth and love of Christ.
He had not taken up an easy task but because he was a living example of the hands and feet of Christ – chopping wood for widows, giving of what little he had to help the needy and begging for leniency from judges for moonshiners in jail. He lived his relationship with Christ before their very eyes. And slowly, ever so slowly he drew them to Christ.
Many threw rocks at his churches and even threatened his very life but he was stubborn as they. And before his life was over he had touched many a life – many, many lives were changed as Childress introduced them to only One who could make a difference in their lives.
Maybe he didn’t move a mountain of dirt and stone but he moved many who would have been defined as hard and unmovable. And we are called to do the same. Love – tough love sometimes – is what it takes to reach the world that so desperately needs to know the Savior. And as Childress alone – God is always by our side.
June 25th, 2018, Mon, 8:57 pm
