Family (I) - Grandparents

I started writing this blog because I wanted the communities that have had the most profound effect on me to be able to see how they have affected me.  Also, although practically impossible, I greatly desire for the communities to see each other, even if it is only seeing each other through me.  I was reminded of this because I was able to take part in the interview for the Vintage 21 membership process today.  Answering the questions allowed me to reflect and remember the profound effect that my family and the members of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro have had on me.  So, for all the people in Raleigh that I have come to know and love, I ask that you would read this.  Not so I can talk about myself, but so that all of you can see the people that have been such a huge part of my life, and have showed me Christ in various ways.

An important note: None of these people are perfect.  They, like every person, are broken human beings that need Christ's love above all else.  I see Christ through them in so many varied ways, but Christ is revealed through all of their inconsistencies, as well as the great multitude of my inconsistencies, because he is ALL that is sufficient (Hebrews 4:15-16).

I was blessed to be born into a family that faithfully pursues Christ.  Not just my immediate family, but my extended family as well.  All of my grandparents (and two living great-grandparents) follow Christ, in fact, my parents and their families went to the same church for most of their childhoods.   It is truly a profound blessing to have grandparents that have shown me Christ, and it is a testament to their endurance that they have poured into two generations (Hebrews 12:1).  Paw-Paw Chandler is a minister, and has absolutely shown me what it means to be a shepherd.  He continually visits those that are hurting, and greatly desires for Christ to be known.  Maw-Maw Chandler has a servant's heart that is unparalleled.  Her focus is unwavering in its desire to sacrifice for others.  Maw-Maw Lane loves her family.  I don't just mean she is proud of them, I mean she will shower all of us with Godly love, as well as defend us.  Paw-Paw Lane is, simply put, a man of wisdom.  He is continually pursuing knowledge and understanding of the true nature of God.  I have had four loving, enduring followers of Christ pour into me.  Oh praise the Lord that a lowly sinner should be blessed by such people!  That the sheer weight of his blessing should crush my pride and reveal his truly omnipotent love!

I am unable to effectively communicate how much of an impact these four people have had on me.  How can I relate four loving, complex souls when the entirety of a life fails to reach the depth that God has blessed us, his creations, with? These four descriptions are horrifyingly inadequate, but only an attempt to let others see a glimpse of who they are.  One of the most difficult things to deal with in Christianity is loving communication between followers, especially between generations.  My methodology is markedly different from my grandparents, and several other members of my extended family, but what I pray for, what the spirit groans for, is that I would never lose sight of the fact that they have pursued Christ.  Also that we, as a generation, would see that previous generations have pursued Christ, even if we disagree with their methods.  Then let us pursue Christ as well.  With reckless abandon!  Let future generations say that we ran a good race and did not shy away from the Gospel.  That we humbled ourselves to the point of death for Christ! (Philippians 2: 5-8)