Precious Memories

“Precious memories . . . how they ever flood my soul.” An old hymn. My Grandfather’s favorite; one of mine also. Last week I was back on the campus of my Alma Mater, Howard Payne University for the inauguration of the new President. Sitting on the platform in the newly renovated Mims Auditorium – “the spiritual center of the campus” – I had a memory rush, a “flood” so to speak. So many significant things happened in that auditorium during chapel services and campus gatherings. The times I heard from God in that old 1920s building cannot be counted. I even gave an engagement ring to my future wife on the back row during a talent show one Friday night. The seats and the furnishings had been replaced, but the presence of God was still there. Buildings are renovated or replaced. Circumstances and environments change. Memory keeps us connected and balanced. Surely memory is one of God’s best gifts. That’s why the writer of Proverbs could say, “The memory of the just is blessed” (Prov. 10:7). Take a few minutes this week to stop and remember the past. It will put the present and the future into better perspective. It sure did for me last week.

Pray with me this week for the following global concerns:
• Missionaries and church leaders whose travels have been altered by the volcanic ash hovering over Europe.
• Continue to pray for Cathie (Spain) following yet another surgery in the states. She is approaching the cancer-free mark of two years but complications continue.
• Pray on behalf of the reported persecution of Christians in Chiapas, Mexico.
• Pray for those affected by yet another earthquake in our world, this one in the Qinghai area of northeast China. Death toll is expected to reach 10,000.
• Pray for Katie, a Howard Payne University Sophomore I met last week. She will spend next fall teaching English in a Far East country.