“Things are going to happen right here.” The preacher had gestured with a sweep of his hand, looking over the rows of grave markers that surrounded them. Then he read from the fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
He remembered Grandpa Sam’s graveside service which took place exactly one week ago. Now here was Marcus again the next Saturday morning, looking down at the grave marker. Grandpa Sam had chosen an unusual inscription: “Samuel Arthur Redding. 1929-2009. With Christ in life. With Christ in death. Looking Forward to Resurrection.”
Marcus took in a deep breath of the cool East Texas air and looked up. Why was he here? He felt the vague notion that he had to say goodbye, again, finally get some closure. He loved his grandfather. He died so suddenly. The funeral happened so quickly he hardly had time to think about how his number one fan and the man he admired so much was gone. Grandpa Sam had always been there. He never changed. Now all Marcus could think about was how he wanted things to stay the same. He did better when things did not change. Loss and change brought worry and stress. Not handling change, that’s what caused him to fall away.
His cell phone rang. Two short tones. A text message. It was from Lauren. It read, “Haven’t we been here before?” Lauren was reminding him of a few months ago when Marcus went to Bruce’s grave on the fifth anniversary of the accident. He texted back, “Need to say goodbye, one more time.” Marcus knew what was coming next because Lauren had said it before. She told him gently but firmly. Two short tones. Loud in the quiet cemetery. He opened the message, “Don’t look back. Look forward. 1 Thess 4:13-18.”
She was right. Nine times out of ten Lauren was right. Where would he be without her? Marcus looked back down at the grave marker, “Looking Forward to Resurrection.” He smiled and took a deep breath and turned away. “Looking forward,” he thought. He got up in his truck and leaned over to pick up his Bible off the floorboard of the passenger side. He looked up 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He knew the main idea. But he wanted to read it word for word. Lauren was right. This was the closure he needed.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Marcus Redding Goes to a Funeral
Marcus sat in a classroom just down from the auditorium of Fairhaven Church of Christ. It was hot in there. All the members of his extended family were standing around waiting for the funeral to start. The air conditioning was trying unsuccessfully to cool them off. He’d have to call Ray’s Air Conditioning and Heating tomorrow.
Marcus was thinking about how long it had been since he had seen a lot of his extended family. They all knew he had fallen away but a lot of them didn’t know he had turned back to God. He noticed how they looked at the tattoos that crawled up his neck and the jagged scars on his hands.
One of the funeral directors poked his head in, “It’s time.” The family began the somber march through the foyer and down to the front of the auditorium. Marcus could hear his grandfather in his mind. He knew just what Grandpa Sam would say if he could talk to everyone.
He would tell them about Jesus’ funeral. Whenever Sam heard about how popular someone was or how many people he baptized or how many came to his funeral, Grandpa Sam would remind them Jesus only had two people at his funeral.
There could have been a thousand people at this funeral. Easily. Grandpa Sam was an elder of the church. He ran a successful insurance business. Member of the Rotary Club. Had a bunch of fishing buddies. Lived in Tyler all his life. Good reputation. Loved by everyone. But he had some clear instructions about his own services. He knew it was a time for remembering and grieving and saying goodbye but he wanted more attention paid to God than himself.
So he made arrangements. One scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Two prayers. One at the beginning and one at the end. Three songs. “Wonderful, Merciful Savior,” “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” “Amazing Grace.” The message would be a series of short eulogies written by his two children and his four grandchildren. The eulogies would be read by the minister. Sam had given Marcus and his dad instructions that each of the eulogies focus not on what Sam Redding had done for them, but what God had done for them through—or in spite of—Sam Redding.
Marcus was the youngest grandchild. His eulogy would come last. He thought it would take him a long time to write his thoughts, but once he sat down at Lauren’s laptop it only took him a few minutes. Here is the text of the eulogy he handed to the minister on the morning of the funeral:
“The God before whom my fathers David and Sam walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil…praise his name. God worked through Grandpa Sam to teach me his ways. I followed them when I was young. I fell away for a few years. Now God has redeemed me from all evil. My grandfather loved me unconditionally. He prayed for me in my dark days. He welcomed me back with open arms. He performed the ceremony when Lauren and I got married. He taught me about God. He set me a good example. He loved his neighbor as himself. I thank God for Sam Redding. I miss him. But I’m comforted to know that he is in the presence of the Lord. I will keep my faith in God through his son Jesus Christ so that I can be in the presence of the Lord with Grandpa Sam someday.”
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Marcus was thinking about how long it had been since he had seen a lot of his extended family. They all knew he had fallen away but a lot of them didn’t know he had turned back to God. He noticed how they looked at the tattoos that crawled up his neck and the jagged scars on his hands.
One of the funeral directors poked his head in, “It’s time.” The family began the somber march through the foyer and down to the front of the auditorium. Marcus could hear his grandfather in his mind. He knew just what Grandpa Sam would say if he could talk to everyone.
He would tell them about Jesus’ funeral. Whenever Sam heard about how popular someone was or how many people he baptized or how many came to his funeral, Grandpa Sam would remind them Jesus only had two people at his funeral.
There could have been a thousand people at this funeral. Easily. Grandpa Sam was an elder of the church. He ran a successful insurance business. Member of the Rotary Club. Had a bunch of fishing buddies. Lived in Tyler all his life. Good reputation. Loved by everyone. But he had some clear instructions about his own services. He knew it was a time for remembering and grieving and saying goodbye but he wanted more attention paid to God than himself.
So he made arrangements. One scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Two prayers. One at the beginning and one at the end. Three songs. “Wonderful, Merciful Savior,” “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” “Amazing Grace.” The message would be a series of short eulogies written by his two children and his four grandchildren. The eulogies would be read by the minister. Sam had given Marcus and his dad instructions that each of the eulogies focus not on what Sam Redding had done for them, but what God had done for them through—or in spite of—Sam Redding.
Marcus was the youngest grandchild. His eulogy would come last. He thought it would take him a long time to write his thoughts, but once he sat down at Lauren’s laptop it only took him a few minutes. Here is the text of the eulogy he handed to the minister on the morning of the funeral:
“The God before whom my fathers David and Sam walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil…praise his name. God worked through Grandpa Sam to teach me his ways. I followed them when I was young. I fell away for a few years. Now God has redeemed me from all evil. My grandfather loved me unconditionally. He prayed for me in my dark days. He welcomed me back with open arms. He performed the ceremony when Lauren and I got married. He taught me about God. He set me a good example. He loved his neighbor as himself. I thank God for Sam Redding. I miss him. But I’m comforted to know that he is in the presence of the Lord. I will keep my faith in God through his son Jesus Christ so that I can be in the presence of the Lord with Grandpa Sam someday.”
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Marcus Redding's Grandfather
It was the middle of Friday morning and Marcus was on the forklift unloading a truck when his cell phone rang. He stepped on the brake as he dug the phone out of his pocket. The screen said “Dad’s cell.” He never called Marcus at work. Marcus flipped the phone open and said, hesitantly, “Hi dad.”
“Marcus, we’re okay, but your grandfather…” Marcus knew something was wrong because his dad said “grandfather” instead of “Grandpa Sam.” They always called him Grandpa Sam. He could hear voices in the background. Commotion. His mom was pleading, “David, tell him, just tell him.” Marcus’s voice darkened, “Dad, what’s going on?” His dad answered but it sounded like he was not really there, “We’re in the ER at Mother Frances…” The cell phone started cutting out. All Marcus heard was “internal bleeding…fading…not time.” “I’m on my way.” He didn’t even turn off the forklift or say anything to his co-workers, he just ran out the side door, ran to his truck, and ran a few red lights on his way to the hospital.
Thoughts raced through his mind as he zoomed up 110 toward the hospital. Images. The first image was his grandfather in a suit at the front of the church building, holding a Bible, smiling at Lauren as she walked down the aisle to meet Marcus on their wedding day. His grandfather performed the ceremony. The next image was one he had never seen, just one he imagined for three or four years. It was Grandpa Sam looking at pictures of Marcus when Marcus was little and he would take him fishing. Grandpa Sam would look at those pictures then look out the window and there would be tears in his eyes because he grieved over Marcus, how he had fallen away from the Lord after the wreck. Marcus winced. Waves of regret flooded his heart. The next image that came to his mind was crazy: Grandpa Sam armwrestling Lauren’s brother Eddie. And Grandpa Sam always won! Why was he remembering that now? He laughed even though he was in a state of panic.
He turned right into the free parking lot across from the hospital. He couldn’t find an open space so he just ran his truck over the curb up onto the lawn, not caring if it got towed. He almost got hit by an ambulance as he ran across the road. He sprinted to the ER. “Sam Redding! Sam Redding!” A girl took him back and pointed. Marcus slowed down and walked up to the curtain. He pulled it back. Everything was quiet. There was his dad and mom. And Lauren. They hardly looked up at him. Grandpa Sam was on the bed. His eyes were closed. A nurse was turning down the volume on a monitor that was making one long steady tone.
Marcus went over to the bed. He stood by his grandfather. Then he dragged over a chair and sat down, still looking at Grandpa Sam. Lauren came over behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. Her could smell her hair as it brushed his face. His dad and mom came over and Marcus stood up. They hugged each other in a quiet four person huddle. No one was crying. After a long while Marcus’s dad stepped back and spoke. His words came slowly but his voice was surprisingly calm. “He was alert to the end. He blessed us. Each of us. He tried to move his arms, but he couldn’t. He looked at me and blessed me, then he did the same for your mom, and for Lauren…” Now David choked up. He looked at Lauren as if to say, “You tell him.”
Marcus turned to his wife. She took a deep breath and took his hands in hers. She looked up at Marcus and smiled. She had never looked so beautiful to him. “His last words Marcus...His last words...He said, ‘Tell Marcus I am proud of him. Tell him to always pray. Tell him, 3 John 4.’ Those were his last words.”
Marcus sat down in the chair and cried and cried. Lauren held his hand. His mom put her arm around him. His dad put his arms around them all and smiled the sad but joyful smile that only Christians know.
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
“Marcus, we’re okay, but your grandfather…” Marcus knew something was wrong because his dad said “grandfather” instead of “Grandpa Sam.” They always called him Grandpa Sam. He could hear voices in the background. Commotion. His mom was pleading, “David, tell him, just tell him.” Marcus’s voice darkened, “Dad, what’s going on?” His dad answered but it sounded like he was not really there, “We’re in the ER at Mother Frances…” The cell phone started cutting out. All Marcus heard was “internal bleeding…fading…not time.” “I’m on my way.” He didn’t even turn off the forklift or say anything to his co-workers, he just ran out the side door, ran to his truck, and ran a few red lights on his way to the hospital.
Thoughts raced through his mind as he zoomed up 110 toward the hospital. Images. The first image was his grandfather in a suit at the front of the church building, holding a Bible, smiling at Lauren as she walked down the aisle to meet Marcus on their wedding day. His grandfather performed the ceremony. The next image was one he had never seen, just one he imagined for three or four years. It was Grandpa Sam looking at pictures of Marcus when Marcus was little and he would take him fishing. Grandpa Sam would look at those pictures then look out the window and there would be tears in his eyes because he grieved over Marcus, how he had fallen away from the Lord after the wreck. Marcus winced. Waves of regret flooded his heart. The next image that came to his mind was crazy: Grandpa Sam armwrestling Lauren’s brother Eddie. And Grandpa Sam always won! Why was he remembering that now? He laughed even though he was in a state of panic.
He turned right into the free parking lot across from the hospital. He couldn’t find an open space so he just ran his truck over the curb up onto the lawn, not caring if it got towed. He almost got hit by an ambulance as he ran across the road. He sprinted to the ER. “Sam Redding! Sam Redding!” A girl took him back and pointed. Marcus slowed down and walked up to the curtain. He pulled it back. Everything was quiet. There was his dad and mom. And Lauren. They hardly looked up at him. Grandpa Sam was on the bed. His eyes were closed. A nurse was turning down the volume on a monitor that was making one long steady tone.
Marcus went over to the bed. He stood by his grandfather. Then he dragged over a chair and sat down, still looking at Grandpa Sam. Lauren came over behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. Her could smell her hair as it brushed his face. His dad and mom came over and Marcus stood up. They hugged each other in a quiet four person huddle. No one was crying. After a long while Marcus’s dad stepped back and spoke. His words came slowly but his voice was surprisingly calm. “He was alert to the end. He blessed us. Each of us. He tried to move his arms, but he couldn’t. He looked at me and blessed me, then he did the same for your mom, and for Lauren…” Now David choked up. He looked at Lauren as if to say, “You tell him.”
Marcus turned to his wife. She took a deep breath and took his hands in hers. She looked up at Marcus and smiled. She had never looked so beautiful to him. “His last words Marcus...His last words...He said, ‘Tell Marcus I am proud of him. Tell him to always pray. Tell him, 3 John 4.’ Those were his last words.”
Marcus sat down in the chair and cried and cried. Lauren held his hand. His mom put her arm around him. His dad put his arms around them all and smiled the sad but joyful smile that only Christians know.
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Marcus Redding's iPod
It was Eddie’s idea. Lauren’s brother Eddie. When Lauren was helping Marcus turn back to God. Eddie wanted to help his future brother-in-law. So he bought him an iPod.
From the day after the accident until the day he met Lauren, Marcus was filled with self-hatred. He was responsible for the death of his best friend and he himself had survived. Guilt overwhelmed him. And he acted in ways that reflected how he felt about himself. He got on motorcycles and drove really fast. He bought beer and drank a lot of it. He said hello to a girl one night and said goodbye to her the next morning. He listened to music with lyrics that would have made his mom faint. He hurt others. He hurt himself. All because he was hurt, with an incurable guilty wound, infected by sin.
When Lauren was first getting to know Marcus she would call Eddie for advice. She liked Marcus but she refused to date him until he had repented and been sober for at least six months. (She told Marcus as much. It motivated him to change.) But in the meantime, how could she help him? Eddie had an idea. He read the first verses of Colossians to his sister, “’If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.’ He’s set his minds on earthly things for so long, he needs to push that stuff out and replace it with the things above. I’m going to buy him an iPod. I’ll fill it with spiritual songs and scripture and good sermons. Tell him to throw away all his other music and just listen to this for the next six months.”
So for the next week Eddie spent his nights scouring iTunes for the most spiritual songs. He visited hundreds of church websites to find Eddie the best sermons. He downloaded a Bible. He got out his label maker, typed in “Colossians 3:1-2,” printed it out, and stuck it on the back of the iPod. He gave it to Lauren after the Sunday evening worship service.
On Monday morning, Lauren met Marcus next to Wagstaff Gym. She gave him the iPod and explained Eddie’s idea. Marcus raised his eyebrows, “Throw away all my other music?” Lauren looked him straight in the eye, “All of it.” Marcus could see she was serious. He sighed, “I’ll do it for you.” Lauren held his gaze, “Do it for God.”
Marcus was good on his word. The garbage sack was heavy with his old CDs when he chunked it in the dumpster “with the rest of the garbage,” he thought. And for the next six months—partly for Lauren, partly for God—he listened to Eddie’s iPod: on the way to work, on his lunch break, making deliveries, hanging out at his apartment. Every time he had a free minute or two. It set his mind on things above.
He got a lot from the sermons. He liked listening to James, and the Psalms, and Habakkuk. But he always came back to one song, “Draw Me Close.”
Draw me close to you, Never let me go
I lay it all down again, To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire, No one else will do
Nothing else can take your place, To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way, Bring me back to you
You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want, Help me know you are near
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
From the day after the accident until the day he met Lauren, Marcus was filled with self-hatred. He was responsible for the death of his best friend and he himself had survived. Guilt overwhelmed him. And he acted in ways that reflected how he felt about himself. He got on motorcycles and drove really fast. He bought beer and drank a lot of it. He said hello to a girl one night and said goodbye to her the next morning. He listened to music with lyrics that would have made his mom faint. He hurt others. He hurt himself. All because he was hurt, with an incurable guilty wound, infected by sin.
When Lauren was first getting to know Marcus she would call Eddie for advice. She liked Marcus but she refused to date him until he had repented and been sober for at least six months. (She told Marcus as much. It motivated him to change.) But in the meantime, how could she help him? Eddie had an idea. He read the first verses of Colossians to his sister, “’If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.’ He’s set his minds on earthly things for so long, he needs to push that stuff out and replace it with the things above. I’m going to buy him an iPod. I’ll fill it with spiritual songs and scripture and good sermons. Tell him to throw away all his other music and just listen to this for the next six months.”
So for the next week Eddie spent his nights scouring iTunes for the most spiritual songs. He visited hundreds of church websites to find Eddie the best sermons. He downloaded a Bible. He got out his label maker, typed in “Colossians 3:1-2,” printed it out, and stuck it on the back of the iPod. He gave it to Lauren after the Sunday evening worship service.
On Monday morning, Lauren met Marcus next to Wagstaff Gym. She gave him the iPod and explained Eddie’s idea. Marcus raised his eyebrows, “Throw away all my other music?” Lauren looked him straight in the eye, “All of it.” Marcus could see she was serious. He sighed, “I’ll do it for you.” Lauren held his gaze, “Do it for God.”
Marcus was good on his word. The garbage sack was heavy with his old CDs when he chunked it in the dumpster “with the rest of the garbage,” he thought. And for the next six months—partly for Lauren, partly for God—he listened to Eddie’s iPod: on the way to work, on his lunch break, making deliveries, hanging out at his apartment. Every time he had a free minute or two. It set his mind on things above.
He got a lot from the sermons. He liked listening to James, and the Psalms, and Habakkuk. But he always came back to one song, “Draw Me Close.”
Draw me close to you, Never let me go
I lay it all down again, To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire, No one else will do
Nothing else can take your place, To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way, Bring me back to you
You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want, Help me know you are near
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Marcus Redding Has a Normal Day
“Good night, mom. I’m glad you are feeling better.” It had been a week since Marcus came home and found her so upset about her mom. But Ruth was doing better, she had a good week at work, and Lauren took her to lunch over the weekend. Marcus asked how she was doing. Lauren shook her head and shrugged, “She just had a hard week. She’ll be all right. Like the Psalm says, ‘Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.’” Marcus yawned, “Speaking of the morning, it’s time for bed. What do you have on for tomorrow?” “Normal day,” she said, “normal as it can be when computers and people get together. What about you?” “Normal day...normal as it can be at Colby’s Wholesale.”
Marcus got up at 6:00. He made coffee and sat down at the kitchen/card table and opened Lauren’s laptop. He read a chapter from Romans on biblegateway.com. Then he checked espn.com and watched the highlights of yesterday’s baseball games. After another cup of coffee it was time to go to work. He climbed into his 2001 Dodge Ram to make the fifteen minute commute. He got there at 6:45 to open the warehouse, get the orders, and make coffee for the guys. One or two days out of the week he got to deliver, but not today. Tuesdays he was always in the warehouse. He worked till noon filling orders and loading trucks, took a lunch break from noon to 12:30, then he worked till 5:00 and left the evening shift to finish the work for the day. He usually passed Brookshires on the way home so Lauren had texted him a grocery list. He stopped and picked up toilet paper and bananas and orange juice. He got home at quarter to six and fixed a little dinner so it would be ready when Lauren got home. The orange juice made him think of breakfast so he cooked breakfast for dinner: ham, eggs, toast, orange juice.
Lauren’s workday was a couple hours different than his. This worried her when they first got married. She was concerned about her recovering alcoholic husband being home alone after work every day. It would be so easy for him to want to relax after work with a beer. But they talked about it and he was all right. Lauren was only 23 years old but she was over the Information Technology department at Tyler Junior College. She didn’t just work with computers, she was in charge of all the technology on the whole campus. She got to work around 9:00 and assigned the technicians to work on whatever projects needed attention. She taught a couple technology classes herself. And since there was always new software and software cost money there were always meetings with administration. She had a big job. And it was stressful. But Lauren was really good at what she did. The Christians who worked with her called her “Josephine” after Joseph in the Old Testament who succeeded at everything he did. She got home at 6:00 or 7:00 on weeknights.
Tonight Marcus had dinner (breakfast) ready, which was nice. Between bites of ham and eggs they talked about their days. Marcus had a regular day at work, no drama. Lauren had a regular day at work, plenty of drama. But it was a normal day. Too many days in a row like that made Marcus feel antsy, anxious to do something exciting, and he told Lauren as much. She swirled the last bit of orange juice in her glass, “Most of life is routine. We go to work, come home, go to church, you know. That’s how Jesus spent over half his life. Working as a carpenter, coming home, going to synagogue.” Marcus leaned back in his chair, “So if we can handle the routine of daily life then we can handle the big things that come up. Jesus said something about that, didn’t he?” Marcus was setting Lauren up to quote Jesus’ words, most of which she had committed to memory since she was a teenager…
Lauren picked up the dishes and glasses to take to the kitchen, then she came back to the table and kissed him on the forehead, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Thanks for making dinner.”
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
Marcus got up at 6:00. He made coffee and sat down at the kitchen/card table and opened Lauren’s laptop. He read a chapter from Romans on biblegateway.com. Then he checked espn.com and watched the highlights of yesterday’s baseball games. After another cup of coffee it was time to go to work. He climbed into his 2001 Dodge Ram to make the fifteen minute commute. He got there at 6:45 to open the warehouse, get the orders, and make coffee for the guys. One or two days out of the week he got to deliver, but not today. Tuesdays he was always in the warehouse. He worked till noon filling orders and loading trucks, took a lunch break from noon to 12:30, then he worked till 5:00 and left the evening shift to finish the work for the day. He usually passed Brookshires on the way home so Lauren had texted him a grocery list. He stopped and picked up toilet paper and bananas and orange juice. He got home at quarter to six and fixed a little dinner so it would be ready when Lauren got home. The orange juice made him think of breakfast so he cooked breakfast for dinner: ham, eggs, toast, orange juice.
Lauren’s workday was a couple hours different than his. This worried her when they first got married. She was concerned about her recovering alcoholic husband being home alone after work every day. It would be so easy for him to want to relax after work with a beer. But they talked about it and he was all right. Lauren was only 23 years old but she was over the Information Technology department at Tyler Junior College. She didn’t just work with computers, she was in charge of all the technology on the whole campus. She got to work around 9:00 and assigned the technicians to work on whatever projects needed attention. She taught a couple technology classes herself. And since there was always new software and software cost money there were always meetings with administration. She had a big job. And it was stressful. But Lauren was really good at what she did. The Christians who worked with her called her “Josephine” after Joseph in the Old Testament who succeeded at everything he did. She got home at 6:00 or 7:00 on weeknights.
Tonight Marcus had dinner (breakfast) ready, which was nice. Between bites of ham and eggs they talked about their days. Marcus had a regular day at work, no drama. Lauren had a regular day at work, plenty of drama. But it was a normal day. Too many days in a row like that made Marcus feel antsy, anxious to do something exciting, and he told Lauren as much. She swirled the last bit of orange juice in her glass, “Most of life is routine. We go to work, come home, go to church, you know. That’s how Jesus spent over half his life. Working as a carpenter, coming home, going to synagogue.” Marcus leaned back in his chair, “So if we can handle the routine of daily life then we can handle the big things that come up. Jesus said something about that, didn’t he?” Marcus was setting Lauren up to quote Jesus’ words, most of which she had committed to memory since she was a teenager…
Lauren picked up the dishes and glasses to take to the kitchen, then she came back to the table and kissed him on the forehead, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Thanks for making dinner.”
More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.
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