On the evening of January 7th, 2024, my grandfather passed away. His life was characterized by the instructive and encouraging influence he had on those around him; for many years he worked as management development for a large retail chain, and later became a pastor for several churches. Even in his retirement, he continued to take every opportunity to edify whoever he could. To me, he will always be the person who raised my father. There is no one on Earth I respect and owe more to than my father, and I know from him that much of what God made him was delivered through his father. Most important of these attributes are a powerful value of family exceeded only by a love for God. While my grandfather did not play as big a role in my receiving these lessons, he nonetheless had a significant part in my having them.
One of the things my grandfather did as part of his efforts to encourage and instruct others later in life took the form of a blog. He made regular posts to this blog in the style of a devotional; each article would feature a passage of Scripture which functioned as its metaphorical hinge. This didn’t always mean the article would be about the passage; sometimes it was inspired by the text, and still other times it would merely include a reference to reinforce a point. The importance of its inclusion was more likely as a reminder, intentional or otherwise, of the source of true knowledge and understanding.
By God’s grace, my grandfather made one final post to his blog the morning of the 7th, which article providentially featured James 4:13-15 – “Come now, you who say ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”
I’ve considered having a blog of my own for some time, mainly because I believe it a good practice for expressing your thoughts. I have an interest in writing, but haven’t been very faithful in pursuing it beyond private compositions. With my grandfather’s last post at the forefront of my mind, I felt convicted to finally follow through with the idea. I don’t intend to recreate what he had, but by pursuing the glory of God in what I write, I will honor the spirit of his work. I pray God gives me the perseverance, wisdom, and humility to accomplish this.
Be blessed! TTT