Sunday School Class

Here it is another day...went out on some errands with my friend, Carolyn, and then home for home health visit for my wound vac. Yesterday was Sunday and I miss my friends and family at church...the worship at Broadway, my wonderful Sunday School Department, and my Sunday School class. Speaking of my class, they have decided to study Job...not because of what happened to me I hope.

First, I have this admission. While I was in ICU some of you will want to know where I was. I'm sorry to say, there were no bright lights, or beautiful people waiting in the light for me, nor was I with the Apostles enjoying some glorious conversation and fellowship. In fact, I don't remember anything...several days of my life are just a blank. I went in on Sunday afternoon and the last memory I have is of the staff trying to get me through a scanner ring of some sort and the terrible feeling that I couldn't breathe. My next memories are vague memories of people visiting with me on Wednesday...although, as I said, those are vague. I have no further evidence in that direct experience of the existence of God than I had before I nearly died.

But it is from this that I think my experience is most like Job. (By the way, don't draw too close an analogy, because Job was a righteous man and I'm not...lol). In the face of overwhelming events in his life that seem to go against everything he knows about God, Job claims his faith..."I know that my Redeemer lives!" In the end, Job gets no explanation from God about why it all happend, just a reminder from God of God's power and majesty...just one more look into the mystery. In the face of that, Job still believes in a redeeming God. And in the face of all that's happened to me, I still believe in the redeeming God as well.

In the end, I know about God because of the wonderful love of God's people poured out on Karen, and the girls, and me. I'm simply overwhelmed by the richness and wideness of that care from people at church, in former churches, at work, and across the nation and the world. And that love continues to be poured out on us as Karen and I recover.

The late Rich Mullins had a short song titled "The Love of God" that was in a medley of three tunes. It's second verse goes:

"Well, I've seen no band of angels,
But I've heard the soldiers' songs,
Love hangs over them like a banner,
Love within them leads them on,
To the battles on the journey,
And it's never gonna stop,
Ever widening their mercies, and the fury of His love."

I've always loved the song, but I understand it far better now. I've seen no band of angels...but about the soldiers of the Cross...the banner of their love is everywhere. Everywhere there's evidence of God's love.