The New Adventures of an Old Preacher

No, I am not talking about in the wacko way that many nut-jobs claim. Neither am I talking about all the preachers who claim to have a constant pipeline to God. I still remain very skeptical about that.

I am not talking even in terms of the obvious. We all know God speaks to us through his Word. We also know he can communicate to us at times through his creation.

I am talking about a night many years ago as I was suffering through the crisis of my divorce. It was one of those nights when I was practically inconsolable. In the midst of my sobs and grief God appeared to me. I saw him on his throne with Christ at his right side. Christ swiftly moved away from the the throne and held me. He simply said to me, “Everything will be alright.” Immediately I was filled with a tremendous sense of peace and security. It was a watershed moment in my process of healing.

I realize that I am putting myself out there now in confessing this. To be sure this is the first time I have mentioned this publicly. Could it have been just a dream? Sure. But that still would not have changed the soothing effect of this experience to me. To me it was real- dream or not.

But before you put me in that wacko category- hear me out. I do believe that the Bible is God’s complete revelation to us. I do not believe that God would privately reveal any kind of “new truth” or that he would speak in any way that would somehow contradict or undermine what has been revealed.  

But is it possible that my experience was not a dream? Is it possible that God of love would visit us in this special way when we need it most? And what- if any- part does the Holy Spirit have in this?

I do not have all the answers here. I am just exploring this topic. I would appreciate your wisdom on this.

We all know how life has a way of layering us with the tyranny of the urgent often resulting in the neglect of what really should matter most.

We also know how tragedies have a way of bringing many things into sharper focus. Regular readers of my blog are aware of how death has touched our family and friends in recent weeks. Dealing with this has given me pause to unlayer a bit- that is- to try to see more clearly what really is important.

My thoughts first go to family. All kinds of layers can complicate family relationships creating hurt and even estrangement. What a pity. Life is too short for these kind of layers. Forgiveness can unlayer. Love can heal. I understand that some layers may never be completely removed, but harboring pain and nurturing grudges helps no one. Life is fleeting. Unlayer family complications as much as possible, bury pride, let go of the anger and cherish your family while you can.

Layers are also very evident when it comes to church also. So much seems to get in the way here sometimes. Church folks occasionally add layers of self-righteousness, of harsh condemnations, of unhealthy pretense, of fruitless arguments and of selfish preferences. Forgotten in all of this is the call by God to love and accept one another in Christ and to be the light of the world. Unfortunately these layers often end up in bitter dispute and devastating division. As a result our Christian witness suffers. It is past time to unlayer here. According to the Bible the church is the beautiful bride of Christ but these layers often diminish that beauty. Lifting up God’s amazing grace will begin the unlayering process. Demolishing pride will continue it. Loving each other as God loves us will complete it. Church is a place of refuge and of safety from the harsh layered world. Let us work to really make it so while we have the opportunity.

Finally I think of how we layer ourselves with our work. Career is such a high priority among us that we often spend a disproportionate amount of our time and energy becoming “successful”. Preachers are not immune from this. We often measure ourselves by church size and speaking engagements. (Never mind that some of the very best I know among us faithfully labor away from the limelight) But whatever our careers are we may need to unlayer them- to free ourselves from these demands in order to focus on the more important matters. We can literally “work ourselves to death” and miss the real joy and blessings of life.

Remember the call of Scripture to “be still and know that I am God”? It is about unlayering.

The time to do this is now.

Last week was framed for me by two funerals.

The first was an older lady who had fought a battle with cancer. Her death was not completely unexpected. She was a nice lady who cared for her family and her neighbors. Since she was related to a family member I was asked to officiate at her funeral.  She was connected to a church but not very active.  Only a small group came to pay their respects and honor her memory. She will certainly be missed and no doubt influenced more than just those who attended her funeral.

The second funeral I have already posted about. John Robert Dobbs was a young man about to graduate high school. His death was totally unexpected. Since I had known him from birth and am very close to his family I was asked to participate in his funeral. He was very connected to his church. He grew up in church, at church camp, at youth rallies, and leading worship. Hundreds came to his funeral to pay their respect and honor his memory and literally hundreds more have contacted his family with an outpouring of words of comfort and prayers. John Robert’s influence will only continue to grow through this network of believers and beyond.

Don’t misunderstand, I am not attempting to pass any kind of judgement on the life lived by this sweet lady or even by John Robert based upon their respective funerals. They departed this life under greatly different circumstances. And now they are both in God’s gracious hands.

 I am just observing.

What a difference a church family makes.

Who needs church?

We all do.

Tears flowed freely during yesterday as we celebrated the life of John Roberts Dobbs, but so did the laughter. The memorial captured, I think, the spirit of John Robert through the words spoken and the songs sung. The Spirit of God surrounded John and Maggy. John Robert touched and influenced so many in life. He will touch and influence even more in death. John and Maggy- along with their family- are making a final journey with John Robert to Ruleville, MS for the burial. Please continue to pray for them.

The Dodds are seeking a little retreat and rest for a few days. Thanks to the graciousness of friends we are going to be able to enjoy an Alabama country home with some of the best fishing in the state. I am so excited. For some reason Terri does not quite share my enthusiasm!

May God bless your Memorial Weekend holiday.

The celebration of the life of John Robert Dobbs will take place on Friday, May 23rd at ll a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church (in able to hold the expected crowd) in Pascagoula, MS.

The son of my best friend was killed earlier today. He was just 18 years old and about to graduate from high school. Such a talented kid. Such a funny guy. Such a sharing Christian was John Robert Dobbs.

I had known him all of his life. At first he was JR Buddy to me as we played monopoly together (He seemed to always win). Then he became JR Beadreaux for reasons I really cannot even remember. Later he was John Robert. Lately he was just John.

I spent a few after-Christmases with JR Buddy. It was in a rough patch in my life, but JR’s giggle helped smooth some of that out.

Now he is with God. I spent Wednesday with his mom and dad. John and Maggy Dobbs and I have gone through a lot together- from divorce to births to hurricanes, but we were not ready to go through this together.

John and Maggy, I love you.

Goodbye JR Buddy. I-along with so many others- will sure miss you. I hope your room in God’s house is overlooking Park Place.