A New Pulpit!

Tuesday afternoon, December 11, 2007

One of the members of GCF is a 78 year old man, who has worked as a general contractor here in Macon for many years. He built some seventeen of the churches in Macon, not to mention, numerous school buildings, houses, even the new DOT building. One would be well within the parameters of accurate to say that he has been and continues to be a successful business man.

As you might guess, he is also a believer, one who sincerely believes that God really is God, that Jesus is His son, and that He is his provider, sustainer, healer, and redeemer. He not only loves this part of the Body of Christ, he also loves his pastor and he makes it obvious—very obvious.

He comes from that generation of folk who believed that work is a thing of honor; unfortunately, his numbers are few today. I have seen this man do physical labor that few, if any, of today’s young men would even attempt. To follow him for a week or so would lead most to assume that he is a work-a-holic, but that would be an incorrect assumption; he works because he sincerely believes that his working honors the God, whom he loves.

As is true with most, who reach his age, he is having some physical problems—some minor and some not-so-minor—that affect his energy level and, therefore, his ability to work at the pace he is accustomed to working. Because I know him quite well, I can see that his not to be able to do the things he is accustomed to doing, e.g. pouring cement for a parking lot, frustrates him quite a bit. Giving up is NOT in his vocabulary, neither is retirement; he will press on until his last breath, which I trust will be much later on and farther down the road.

Anyway, in his “free time” he has decided to build a new pulpit for me; I say “new” but the truth is in the twelve years that I have been preaching at GCF, I have never had a pulpit, not a real pulpit. I have, instead, used a lectern that Noah brought over on the Mayflower. For those of you who know me, you know that I really don’t need a lectern, much less a pulpit, in order to preach; however, I am really looking forward to preaching from this pulpit—more than mere words can express.

The hands that will have constructed it are rough and rugged from the years of abuse—missing fingernails, missing finger tips, scars from saw cuts—but the heart that has motivated its construction is made of pure gold and filled with love for me. Ralph believes in the preaching of the gospel and he believes it ought to be preached with fervor and passion, as well as with dignity and honor.

I spent most of the morning with him, watching his skilled hands and pure heart doing what they were created to do, and being reminded of another Carpenter, whose hands were probably much like Ralph’s and whose heart was as pure gold.

Who knows how long God will allow me to continue preaching but for as long as He does, I will treasure the treasure that this gentle giant is constructing for me.

What an incredible gift!

Blessings,

Mac