Calling a Generation

On Sunday I went with some people of my church to the assisted living place in town to take part in the worship service that they have going out there every week (assisted living is the place in between retirement housing and a nursing home, you have your own "apartment" but you have a nurse call button and staff to check in on you).

I was delighted when one of our older church members came to join us, his wife has Alzheimer's and they both are not able to go to church any more. It had been quite a while since i had seen Mr. Terry, I could never call that man by his first name because just his presence demands that kind of respect. This is the man that many years ago was the head deacon in my church when the pastor at the time ran off with I believe it was the church Secretary... or something like that. This man as I have heard so many of the long time church members talk about held that church together until another pastor, the one before my dad, came.

Well let me tell you that just seeing him there, singing the hymns, tears rolling down... was enough to make my day. But later on gave me pause, are we raising up another generation of Mr. Terry's? I was fortunate growing up to have both strong men and women of God to look up to and strive to be like. They came from many different walks of life, but all had one common thread, they loved God with all of their heart's, and they lived a life that made others want to know the Jesus they served.

It not something that enough people want to think about, but the older you get, the more people under you look to you for leadership. I myself have a girl that follows me around all the time at church asking me questions about this and about that... and I have to remember not to blow her off, I remember when I was in 3ed grade and following around different people....

I don't know, maybe with time and age we will gain the wisdom that so many of the older generation now seem so have. But as more and more of them are now no longer with us, I am I forced to admit I am a bit worried.