Light and Grace

         

Yesterday we celebrated the life of a great lady named Mildred Cole.  After 100 years, Mildred left her earthly home early Wednesday morning.  Her bright shining light is now finally at home with the Father of lights.  She was truly a lady to be respected and admired. 

Mildred was one of my role models.  She lived her life with strength, grace and dignity.  She literally graced this earth for 100 years. I believe she was loved by all who knew her.  Yesterday seemed to prove this true as people of all ages were there to honor her. 

Sometimes it seems words are never enough – to explain what someone meant to us – to speak of the love and joy one gave – or to comfort the loved ones left behind.  But the heart speaks the words we cannot say and shows the love and comfort we long to give.  Sometimes words do not have to be spoken.  Sometimes they are simply felt. 

Mildred was a wonderful example of a Christian.  God always came first in her life.  She wanted others to love and serve Him too.  She often encouraged the young men when they led singing or gave a devotional.  Mildred showed an interest in them and they loved her for it.  

As Tony Brown reminded us yesterday, Mildred lived through things in her lifetime we can only read or study about.  Being born in 1918, she was a child during the Great Depression.  She was only 23 when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese in 1941.  She lived through the assassination of JFK and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon.  We can only read about the Great Depression and WW2 – Mildred lived through it.  She knew what it was like because she was there. 

She dearly loved her husband, Pete. They were married for almost 70 years before he passed away.  Pete and Mildred were two of the people who helped form the congregation of Hillcrest Church of Christ in Baldwyn, MS.  Pete was an elder and Mildred filled the role of an elder’s wife gracefully. 

Pete and Mildred worked actively with the teens in their church family.  They were a bright shining light for those young people. The couple often hosted youth events in their home.  My brother Todd attended Hillcrest for a few years.  He had a great respect for both of them. 

In fact, Todd asked Pete to be a groomsman in his wedding in Nashville.  Oh, Mildred was so happy for Pete! She was so proud of him.  It meant the world to her that Todd loved Pete enough to ask him to be a part of his wedding.  I still remember her smiles that day.  She simply glowed with love and pride for the husband she loved so well.

Mildred was always serving God in one fashion or another.  She was a wonderful cook and graced many homes with her fine dishes.  She and her good friend Daisy Rowland prepared fruit baskets for the elderly and needy.  Oh, they had help – but it was their project.  In doing so, they brought a little light to those who needed it. 

I don’t know how long Mildred served refreshments during Vacation Bible School. Forty years later some of us still remember her passing out cookies.  She often served in the background – doing those very necessary things most people don’t think about but still always takes a good bit of time and effort. 

Another way Mildred and Pete served Christ was by working as cooks at Maywood Christian Camp.  Talk about hard work!  But they loved the camp.  It meant so much to them to see young people grow stronger in Christ while they were there.  I still remember seeing Mildred walking through the camp between cooking and serving meals.

Mildred and Pete lost their youngest son during his first semester at Freed-Hardeman University.  I didn’t know them back then. But this is something no parent ever expects to go through.  Despite their grief, the couple never lost their faith in God.  Even during this sad time in her life, the word a friend recently used to describe Mildred was “grace.”  And a few months later, when another couple lost their daughter, Mildred and Pete were right there to offer comfort to the family.

When our Christian brother Pete left this world, Mildred continued to be graceful, strong and courageous.  She kept on loving and serving the Heavenly Father.  She maintained her joy in Christ.  I’m sure her faith was the major factor that kept her going. 

Mildred loved her family.  She always spoke of her children and grandchildren with such a keen love.  I remember how bright her smile was when she talked about them and their accomplishments.  I also remember her happiness when they were there to be with her for worship. 

Mildred loved life.  She had a great sense of humor and loved playing dominoes and card games.  She enjoyed being a lady and dressing like one. She was always neat as a pin.  Personally, I thought Mildred was a beautiful woman.  Perhaps her joy, compassion, goodness and love for God is what made her beautiful. 

Whatever it was, Mildred was a beacon of light to those who knew her.  Like Russ and Tony said yesterday, she could brighten a room by her presence.  Mildred was the type of person others wanted to be around.  And she never stopped talking to others about Jesus.

If I had to use one word to describe Mrs. Mildred Cole, I just wouldn’t be able to do it.  I would have to use at least two.  Light and grace. 

Mildred was light and grace.... and I will miss her.

Christ above all things,

Robin

An Unknown God

       
       As he walked the streets of Athens, Paul became upset.  The whole city was full of idols.  Everywhere he turned an altar was set up for yet another god.   
      What was Paul to do?  He was alone in a strange town full of  unfamiliar people.  Their ways were foreign to him and they worshiped strange unfamiliar gods.  
       Well, Paul did what he always did in a new town.  He taught and preached Jesus.  In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and devout Greeks who believed in God.  He also went to the marketplace every day and spoke to whoever happened to be there.  
      Now the Athenians loved to hear about new things.  Some of them spent their time doing nothing else.  What Paul said was surely strange to them.  They had never heard of Christ and the resurrection.  
      So they took Paul to the Aeropagus where he had an even bigger audience.  Here he had the ear of the most noble men in the city - the judicial council of Athens.  What a great opportunity to speak of God and His Son! 
       They asked Paul about the strange teaching he was presenting.  They wanted to know what these new ideas meant.  Here is when Paul begins to tell them about the God they did not know.  
      This beautiful sermon is recorded in Acts 17:22-31.  As we see in verses 32- 34, Paul's words were met with mixed reactions.  The same is true anytime God's word is taught.  Not everyone is willing to acknowledge the Truth when they hear it.  
      For time's sake, we will not go through Paul's entire sermon;  but he uses the city's idolatry and the altar to "an unknown god" as a springboard for telling his audience about the One True and Living God.  He explains God is not made with hands but instead we all come from Him.  He made us all.  
      Can you imagine what Paul would think today if he walked the streets of Anytown, USA?  Would he see altars to all sorts of gods?  Would he be upset about idolatry here? No?   Are you sure?  
      Mmmm..... let's think about this a minute.  What would he see?  Well he would see televisions in many homes.  He would see universities -"institutions of higher learning."  He would see folks sitting in front of computers or holding technology in their hands.  He would watch them engrossed in playing the newest video game. 
      Would Paul see idolatry here?  Would he see huge sports stadiums in major towns and ball fields all over the country?  Would he see parents rushing to and fro to get their children to said ball fields for practice or weekend tournaments?  We know this isn't idolatry in the same sense the Athenians practiced it.  But ....
       Long ago Paul told the Athenians about a God they did not know.  But how many of us truly know God here and now?  Oh, perhaps we worship with others on Sunday morning.  Perhaps we sing His praises in buildings throughout the country.  But do we really know our God -
or do we simply pretend to know Him?
     Do we sometimes go through the routine of worship while our mind wanders aimlessly to just about anything else under the sun?  How often do we take the time to acknowledge we ALL come from Him?  Do we race through our busy lives and think only of God in passing?  
     There is a difference between knowing who God is and knowing God.  Our Heavenly Father wants both.  He is our Creator -- He is all knowing and all powerful.  Scripture tells us who God is.  Our faith is built upon this premise. 
      Knowing God comes through spending time with Him.  This means willingly bringing Him into our lives  --seeking Him through prayer.  When we know God, we realize His goodness and recognize the blessings He bestows on us. 
       Paul told the Athenians God is not something made with hands.  The Lord doesn't live in man made temples.  Just because we don't live in Athens in the first century, doesn't mean we don't have temples.  Think about that.   
      I am not saying anything is wrong with television or ballgames or higher education, or even our technological toys.  We all know that.  I am saying we should be very careful.  Sometimes we put things "made" ahead of the One  who made all things.  I think this is a battle most of us fight from time to time. 
      It is such an easy trap to fall into.  Remember though, the devil doesn't care who or what we put first in our lives as long as it is not God.  That dark liar gives us plenty to choose from.  The result is all the same.  They will all render the same eternal consequence. 
      The Heavenly Father does care.  In fact, He is pretty adamant.  God wants us to put Him first.  With the Lord there is only one choice.  It takes love, faith, courage and self-discipline to follow through.  The result?  The result is so much more glorious than anything we could ever imagine!
     Do we know God?  Or do we sometimes have so many other "gods" that the Living God becomes unknown to us?  Yes, it is true nothing is wrong with any of the things I mentioned earlier.  However we should all remember--
the only way to make sure we find God wherever we go is if we take Him there.   

Christ above all things, 
Robin