September 2020:
Dear Grandchildren:
I want to share with you, Grandchildren, a very important event that changed our family forty-nine years ago on October 2nd, 1971.
We lived in Grayling, Michigan and our family comprised of: Laurie, age 7, Timothy, age 5, Tommy, age 3, and Paul, age 3 months. I think back and realize how busy we were. I was the store manager of the Grayling Glen’s Market, and we were making plans for a new store in the shopping center.
We attended the United Methodist Church and a weekend event was planned called Lay Witness Mission. About 15 or 20 lay people came to our church as laymen (non-pastors) to share their faith in Jesus Christ. They held a Friday night service, Saturday morning coffee groups, and Saturday luncheons for men and women. The church planned a Saturday evening service with a Sunday morning service to end the weekend event.
The entire weekend was very inspiring, hearing people share their faith and experience with Jesus Christ. During the women’s luncheon, your grandmother and our pastor’s wife made a confession of faith by accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts as Savior and Lord. When Grandma called me later that afternoon and shared her experience, I was happy for her but confused.
I couldn’t understand what she did that was so different from what I experienced in my life. I believed in Jesus Christ, and I was baptized at ten in my church growing up. Needless to say, I was happy for Grandma but confused and intimidated about her experience.
She seemed so different, like she had an intimate relationship with this Jesus. I could tell she was experiencing a peace and joy that was clearly present in her life.
Up to this time in our marriage, Grandma was very shy and it was hard for her to even call a babysitter. She wanted to attend a lay witness mission weekend experience up in the Sault later that month as a team member. Again, I was surprised at her new confidence that she would attend this event without me.
Later that fall, I got a call from Grandma that our refrigerator stopped working, and I needed to call a serviceman. About an hour later, she called me back, saying she laid hands on the refrigerator and it started working. Everything was ok. I thought to myself, Who is this woman?
Finally, three and one-half months later on January 1972, I realized I needed to be born again, and so I asked Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins and accepted him as my savior and lord of my life. When you do that, he asks you to follow him. Yes, it becomes a one-on-one relationship with following Jesus, and your life is never the same.
Looking back over the last 57 years of our marriage, that one event we both experienced in Grayling changed our lives, our marriage, and our family.
In closing, let me share with you what happened to us in 1971-72. In the 3rd chapter of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a religious leader, that before a person can understand the things of God, they need to experience a rebirth, or in other words, they need to be born again from above. Then Jesus tells Nicodemus, my Father so loved the whole world, that he gave his one and only Son as a gift to the world. That whosoever believes and follows his son Jesus will not perish but will experience everlasting life.
So, Grandchildren, that event started us on our journey with Jesus Christ, and we are so glad we did!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, GRANDMA!!!!
I love you,
Grandpa
Featured Image by Aaron Pegg at A & M Photography