With the Old Breed: Earl Edison Ryals  Memoir by Michael Usey August 24, 2012 Clarence Barton, one of my ministry supervisors in seminary, told me once that in every city there are people who are the quiet servant leaders of that place, and that a good pastor will seek those type of people.  They may or may not be prominent or be well known, but they are nevertheless the spiritual backbone of that town.  They are the ones who have touched so many people’s lives that it’s hard to meet someone who hasn’t been changed in some way by them.  I believe that we have come to remember such a…

John A. Taylor II: Jesus’ Urbane Disciple Memoir by Michael Usey May 16, 2012 John was a one-of-a-kind.  Or at least I’m tempted to think so, but then I wonder, did Jesus himself have an urbane disciple like our John Taylor?  One of the twelve who could cut to the heart of an issue with a rapier wit and wry smile?  A disciple who had strong opinions about the other eleven’s choice of tunics and footwear?  Did one of the Twelve have   the polish and suavity of a sophisticated social life in major cities of first century Israel? Perhaps Matthew, the tax-collect, was as cosmopolitan.  One who loved his…

Joseph Albert Haymes Jr.: A Faithful Attention to Life’s Sweet Details (Peggy Haymes’ father) Memoir by Michael S. Usey April 9, 2012 How best are we to live this one brief life that we’ve been given?  This is the unstated question of every funeral we attend, for in every case some one we know and likely love has given their life for his answer.  All of us know that this life is extremely short.  I’ve met more than one senior adult who said just yesterday they were teenagers and suddenly they woke up one day to find themselves getting AARP membership offers in the mail. Like many of you who…

More Than: A Memoir for Carolyn Wheless Memoir by Lewis Wheless & Michael Usey Feb 3, 2012 Carolyn’s favorite bible verse was Roman’s 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.” It’s a great verse, one the apostle Paul writes to his friends in Rome. The whole passage is about how nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, something that Carolyn knew, believed and lived out. I love that phrase, more than: more than conquerors. It’s a great phrase to describe this remarkable woman. She was more than a mother, a wife, a daughter. She was more than…

And the Tree was Happy: A Memoir for Mary Schwartz Memoir by Michael Usey 13 May 2011 I don’t know what being a real person means to you, being authentically human—there are so many different ideas about how to live a good life—but for me one large part of it comes down to is fear. The essence of my Christian faith is to live without fear. Not to be afraid—of anything, really. Not to be afraid to live out loud this beautiful and dangerous life we’ve been given. Not to be afraid of the living God that loves us like sons and daughters. Not to be afraid of death, which…

Being Fully Human Memoir by Michael Usey September 9, 2010 Why are we humans here? Well, one good answer is from the Westminster catechism: What is the chief purpose of humans? The purpose for humans is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. As much as I like that answer, it’s too general for me. Most people think of glorifying God merely as worshiping and praising God, which has its place. A crucial one, really. Most Americans try to worship at least once a week, and we pray more than that. But glorifying God is much more than worship and praise. As the writer of Ecclesiastes put it, for everything…

Every Good Gift: Joan Stevens Ferris Michael Usey August 4, 2010 When Joan Stevens Ferris passed away this past Sunday night, she had a couple of bible passages marked in her devotional book by her bedside. The one I found striking was from the NT book of James 1.17, which says Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. I love that verse, because of its theology and imagery. I do have a strong sense that all the good things in my life are from God. Pat Summit, the accomplished coach of the Tennessee…

Playing with Fire: A Memoir for Capt. Mitzi Rice Memoir by Michael Usey March 6, 2010 My first experience with Mitzi was through her reputation. One of my sons came home from Sternberger Elementary when he was in first grade talking about his day. He told me how firefighters wear masks that help them breathe in the smoke, but if they come into your bedroom when the house is on fire, they can look scary and sound like Darth Vader. “Oh,” I said, “Cool. Who taught you that?” “A clown and her dog. The dog was spotted black and white and could do tricks, like creeping along the ground.” A…

Memoir by Michael S. Usey September 19, 2009 Psalm 19 is one of the Bible’s most elegant poems. The psalmist moves from the majesty of the universe to the splendor of God’s law. At first glance, it looks like the writer shifted gears between verses 6 and 7. After six verses devoted to the sun, moon, and stars, all of a sudden the law of God bursts onto the scene. It looks like a big shift, but there is actually a tight linkage. The connection has to do with both the beauty and the orderliness of the heavens. Everything we see throughout the physical creation is the glorious work of…

An Amazing Woman in an Ordinary Way Memoir by Michael Usey April 21, 2009 As you probably know The Book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings and wisdom poems that found its present form after the return of the exiles from Babylon. However, many verses surely came from the period of the monarchy in Judea before its fall. The poem of an ideal wife (31:10-31) comprises the last major section of Proverbs. The poem described the perfect wife as prudent, industrious, and wise. Such a woman would make a prosperous businessperson by today’s standards. But, unlike today, the ideal wife in Proverbs did all this in the shadow of…