My first church out of Duke Divinity School was in a small community called Mazeppa (Lord Byron’s romantic poem of 1819 based on the life of a Ukrainian gentleman Ivan Mazeppa) between Hwy108 and Hwy115 in Mooresville, North Carolina. I fell in love with this place immediately… the people are still so wonderful and caring. I will never forget our June 1986 moving day afternoon, the chairperson of the Trustees, Pete Belk, came over to me and pointed his finger at me and said rather matter of factly: “Preacher, it hasn’t rained around here in several weeks. You’ve got one week for it to rain or you are out of here.” I bent over double laughing at him… as I did many times with him and the other beautiful people of this church.
I also remember this lovely, caring, smart, beautiful lady Betty Jean McConnell (Hart) a school teacher, mother, wife, church leader, choir member, community leader, and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ… who has an overwhelmingly captivating smile. Back in 1989 Betty Jean delivered a heart-stirring United Methodist Women’s program about “Caring For The Children.” It was so touching because it came from her heart and her love and compassion for the children. From that program our church (Triplett UMC) started investigating how we could “Care for the children.” Several weeks of study, prayer, and brainstorming…… we came up with a child care center that would surround the children with the love and grace of Jesus Christ five days a week. LOVE THE CHILDREN… that was our motto. We gathered together with Betty Jean as a principle part of the planning, brought it to the church, the charge conference, and within a year built a child care center that cared for 150 kids.
I must tell you that timeline almost killed the committee but it has truly blessed the church and the children who pass through these doors five days a week. If you have had a child in this center, or perhaps you were in it yourselves… remember the love you felt, how blessed you were, and realize that all of it goes back to this dear lady… Betty Jean McConnell… who loved the children enough to care for them and call others to do the same.
I really do love this church. It has meant so very much to me. Every time I think of this place I remember all the stuff we did, all the good times we shared, all the people who passed through these doors who so blessed me then and still bless me today. Thank you Triplett.
Betty Jean McConnell (Hart) stepped through Heaven’s Gate Sunday, April 9, 2017. We all will forever miss her and all the blessings she showered upon us. Our prayers and our love surround all her family in this time of great need. I am positive that she is safely in the loving arms of God… thanks be to God!!!
Thank you Betty Jean for touching my life and making it better.
Grace and Peace
Steve
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Any of you who spend time on Facebook know you will endure . . . well, uh, let’s keep it decent and say a pre-edited version of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.” And not just from . . . uh . . . the incredulous and socially-challenged who have too much time on their hands.
Remember a few days ago I asked for you to help me find ways to accomplish Random Acts of Kindness with our elected officials, those who believe differently than we do and in the words and actions we share with those around us. I am like you, all the stuff going around: accusations, denials, lies, half truths, fake news and alternative facts… if we are really honest with ourselves we don’t know what to believe. This latest press conference with the President was very troublesome because of the wild unreality of Trump blaming everyone else for the problems going on in today’s Washington.
Today, as I was thinking about what I was going to write tonight, this 1940’s song kept running through my head. I have been up and down and in and out on this roller coaster ride. I have been critical of Mr. Trump for his actions, language and betrayal of the American spirit. Some of you – even some of my own family members – have criticized me for the tone of my blogs. So I tried a different approach in speaking about the President – using grace where at all possible. A couple of days ago I even asked for help in how to enact this grace as random daily acts of kindness. So far… out of the 514 people who follow me – not one soul has responded to my call for help in grace… but you are not as sheepish when I speak about Trump in words that call his lack of honesty into question… or talk about his lack of character or leadership. And so this song describes how I feel today: “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” by people who say they want to help, we should all be on the same side and that I should be more fair in speaking about Mr. Trump. Come to find out perhaps you are like the Linda I spoke of several days ago… disappointed in me when my words hit home, but the very next day when I try to be more reconciling she calls all Democrats… especially me… cry babies.
Our first step into finding a place where we can thrive in becoming the person God wants us to become is believe, thinking, speaking and acting in a positive manner… that no mater what the issue we are to act in such a manner that after the conversation is over we remain brothers and sisters who have come to a deeper appreciation for each other’s point of view.
Perhaps you are feeling a bit like me lately… kinda overwhelmed and under-fortified? I have sought for over forty years as a pastor, four years as a Marine, and other growing up and into life years to be fair, kind, positive and forgiving. I learned early on in life from my parents that my being forgiven is tied to how I forgive. If I refuse to forgive… harbor ill will toward others… and keep sores recorded I will find that I am not hurting the other guy. I am ultimately hurting myself and stunting my own spiritual growth.
Well, I thought I was doing so well… speaking the truth, revealing that which has been hidden, bringing light on that which has been so dark and mysterious. Some people agree with my findings while others think that I have wandered down wrong and forbidden paths.
My grandson gave me a list of the governments of the world, what they mean and how they act. This may help us all as we look at our own government.
Back in the 70’s, when we lived in the Charlotte area, I use to love to listen to a radio program called “Murphy In The Morning.” It was a funny program that use to do satire on Jim and Tammy Bakker and the “pass the loot club.” This was the height of the Bakker’s in the nightly news coverage… just before this house of cards came tumbling down. A lot of people fell for this paradise scheme and lost money. I met a pastor friend in later years who lost a lot of money on Jim and Tammy. He really believed Bakker’s story, as did many others. The satire during the time was funny, but the reality of it all soon became tragic for all concerned and it ended up very sad indeed.
The Journey 