Carla Bell
I was thinking back through my earliest childhood memories of John. It seems lot of memories involve John keeping us kids in line, either during family reunions or while we were building the new church. There was also a lot of disapline before and after church services. When I was a child I thought John didn't want kids to have fun but as an adult I realized he was teaching us respect and keeping us safe. At church, he is main adult I remember that stopped kids from doing stupid things, like climbing the tree in Sunday best or playing "King of the Mountain" off the stack of bricks.
My favorite childhood memory of John, were the quiet moments I stood toward the back of the sanctuary watching him help Sam read and memorize his Bible verse for Sunday morning. I remember most every Wednesday night and Sunday mornings before service, John would patiently go over the verse with Sam. Twenty years later, Sam told me as an adult he learned to read by reading his Bible and I remembered what I had watched as a child and knew Sam learning to read was in large part to John's willingness to teach him.
I am sorry for your loss and hope you take comfort in knowing John quietly put Matthew 6:19-21 into action.
Sunday July 20, 2014 at 1:22 pm