Daily Lesson for June 30, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson is a personal reflection from the life of our congregation:

I have a friend at church who, though he walks a little hunched over a cane, is nevertheless one of the funniest and most alive men I know.  

David Pinson is a great encourager.  On occasions he has written me some of the kindest and most affirming I have ever received.  And they have come at important times, which tells me the Spirit is upon David and uses him. 

David is also funny as all get out. He's a retired pharmacist, but his famous line about his personal relationship to his profession is, "Drugs are for selling, not for taking."

A few weeks back on Pentecost David was the Scripture reader during worship. He hunched on his cane over to the Bible and then carried it over and set it down upon the lectern. Then he looked up at the congregation. The day's reading was from Exodus, where Moses needed help so he appointed 70 others for the Spirit of the LORD to fall on. The 70 came out to the Tent of Meeting, the Spirit fell upon them, and they began to prophesy. But not them only. It also fell on two others who were back in the Israelite camp and they too began to prophesy.  Joshua, Moses' Lieutenant, would have stopped them; but Moses said, "Would that all of Israel were prophets."  Looking over the congregation David prefaced his reading with a brief comment as he sometimes does.  In a loud serious tone which struck a perfect balance with the twinkle in his eye, David said, "This story is about a bunch of do-gooders and a couple of ordinary Joes."  Everyone laughed. 

Lately David has been busy around the church. Turns out David is handy with metals and has been making and giving away some of the most beautiful decorative iron and stainless steel crosses. I have one hanging proudly in my study; and as I go around visiting people in their homes I look up on their walls and recognize David's work. On Monday, I was at Helen Mosses. She was turning 90 years old, and lol and behold she had a new cross hanging on the wall along with the pictures of her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "How wonderful," I thought, "how wonderful is this woman and that man."

And then I got home and received a text from my mom. On Sunday, I had told a story from her childhood and something of its struggle and hardship. The text read: 

"David Pinson gave me a beautiful cross yesterday. I hung it in entry. Blessed friend."

I don't know if David Pinson is a do-gooder or just an ordinary Joe; but I can tell you the Spirit is in him and I am glad. I am exceedingly glad and honored to be his pastor.