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The Body of Christ

    God is amazing.  He is overwhelming.  God is awesome!  Each day is full of opportunities for us to experience His love and truth in ways we never think imaginable.  You would think we would reach a point where we stopped being surprised by His intervention into our lives.  But what He offers us always surpasses our abilities to receive.  This past week, there He was again, blessing me in new ways through new relationships.

    I had the opportunity to be one of four authors invited to sign books at the annual conference of the United Methodist Church on the campus of Birmingham Southern this past week.  How I got invited is beyond me?  Of course I went gladly, thinking what a wonderful chance this was to get Called to Live into the hands of people from all over Alabama .  What happened was that God blessed me with new friendships in Christ with many people, but especially with three wonderful Christian authors; and in the end the real blessings came from sharing with them abut their wonderful witnesses for Christ.

    First, there was Bob Moody, a retired architect with more artistic talent in his little toenail than in all my body put together.  Bob’s unbelievably successful book Gifts of Grace portrays Alabama most beautiful churches through watercolor.  Beside each of Bob’s paintings is a historical synopsis of the church.  Bob’s new book, soon to be published, will have paintings of the fifty most beautiful churches in England , where he went and visited to make his drawings.  He was such a gracious and down to earth person.  He truly is using his talent to serve and glorify God.  It was amazing to watch people’s reaction as they scanned his book and witnessed the beauty of these majestic places of God.

    Then there was Brenda Ladun, a Birmingham celebrity and news anchor for one of the local TV station.  On first impression, you are struck by her outward beauty, but soon afterwards you are blessed by her inner spiritual beauty, her devotion to Christ.  Brenda’s book Getting Better, Not Bitter describes her battle with breast cancer and her desire to glorify God through her healing.  She told me how much stronger she was in every area of her life because of the cancer, and how God had used her battle to glorify Him and reach others who desperately were searching for answers in their own battles.  Her love for Christ was evident.  I was blessed knowing that people in her position, with the whole world watching, were totally committed to serving God.  She was so very humble and much more interested in listening to others than talking about herself.  Those few minutes we talked were a blessing from God.

    And then there was Jan Peine.  Oddly enough, she had called me a week earlier about finding a publisher for her next book.  Only minutes into our conversation, I sensed God working in our relationship.  It was like we already knew each other.  Our conversation ended by the shock that we were going to be sitting side by side at the author’s table.  When we met on Monday for the first time, we were already friends.  Within a couple of hours, it was like we were lifelong friends.  It was amazing…it was God.  Jan’s enthusiasm and intensity for Christ blessed my life and I think this is only the beginning of a newfound friend in Christ.  Jan’s book, Journey with Jay is the personal account of a miracle from God that Jan experienced as a rehabilitation specialist working with a patient…and in that relationship God touched Jan’s life.  Her second book is about the accounts of miracles from God in the lives of others.  Upon hearing the story about my friend in the last devotional, Jan now has another chapter in her book.  The coincidences in our sharing are too numerous and wonderful to put into words.  Suffice to say that God put Jan and Billy at the right place at the right time.  He’s like that, you know.  He smiles as we discuss in amazement those hard to believe “coincidences.”

    If you get a chance, I urge you to find and read these three terrific books.  Rest assured they are written by God’s authors.

    Three wonderful people…three great talents, each in their own way…and an urgent desire to serve God and bring the love of Christ to the world.  How in the world does a regular guy, a former coach of all people, wind up in the company of those saints?  It’s the way God works.  What I experienced was the Body of Christ.  Christ is our bond…Christ is our hope…Christ makes us worthy.  We are forever one in Him and we are forever united in His love.  Thanks be to Christ for new friends in Him!

Love in Christ,

Billy

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