36, Day 41 (Written Friday January 20) ~ Under The Influence

Everyone of us are in so many ways the product of the people who came before us. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. This isn’t to say that we aren’t responsible for our own actions, but that are under the influence of those who contributed our DNA and then raised us. I am fortunate enough to be the recipient of some good ingredients from my ancestors.

My two sons are the ninth consecutive generation in my family to be Christians. It begins with Matthew Spivy in the 1830’s and has been passed down from generation to generation ever since. I am sure there are several times when this has been in jeopardy, but I know of one time when it seriously was. In the late 1950’s my grandmother Dale Britton had married, had children and moved to Pulaski from Lynnville. She was baptized and attended worship at the Robertson Fork Church of Christ, but wasn’t attending anywhere since moving to Pulaski. Tom Holland, then preacher at the East Hill Church of Christ in Pulaski, came to visit her and encourage her to begin attending East Hill and bringing her little boys. That visit led her to make a decision that, not to sound too dramatic but for our family it’s a big deal, changed the course of history.

Fifty-five years later, she, her husband, all of her children, their wives and her grand children and great grandchildren who are of age, are Christians. Two of her sons have served as deacons, one of her grandsons is a preacher/missionary and her granddaughters and daughters in law are/were Bible class teachers. I can name nearly 30 people (our family) that have ever reason to expect to be in heaven eternally as a direct result of the decision of my grandmother (i call her Memaw) over fifty years ago.

In between that visit and today, she taught Bible school for years, worked on the bus ministry and sat with children and grandchildren on her lap during worship services for countless hours. When I was a child she kept me and read to me and taught me, helping to create in me a passion for learning that is with me to this day. Unfortunately, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma has seriously hindered her ability to do the things she loves, like teach, keep children and attend worship regularly. Her body may be weak, but her faith, and her memory are still very strong.

Because of the public nature of the work I’ve done these last 15 years, I have been in a position for positive feedback from people. My purpose in writing this today is to explain that any good I have been able to accomplish in my life is because I have been under the influence of my Memaw.