Surprising Light

David G. Bowen

Description

A long time pastor now shares his stories and the stories of his congregation to prove grace exists in the dark times, but those dark times often lead to light.
Pastors with “ears to hear” learn that people live with both life-giving joy and soul-testing grief. Such gladness and sorrow are most often expressed in the tales they tell. David Bowen grew up hearing the people around him tell marvelous stories. Of course, they were not just telling but living their stories, as well.
Surprising Light is a poignant literary collection describing the ways God has revealed his love and grace in both David’s personal life and through his work as a pastor. It goes to show that God uses stories to catch the ears of those willing to hear.
This collection covers themes like spirituality, reconciliation, healing, forgiveness, and more. For each story, David presents a Bible Scripture, illuminated with an example of God working through ordinary circumstances and ordinary people to reveal grace, love, and mercy in unexpected ways.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 26 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664289932
• Langue: English

Extrait

SURPRISING LIGHT
 
Stories of Love, Mercy, and Grace
 
 
 
 
David G. Bowen
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 David G. Bowen.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8994-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8995-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8993-2 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901113
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 01/26/2023
 
Scripture quotations marked “ASV” are taken from the American Standard Version Bible (Public Domain).
 
Scripture quotations marked “CEB” are from the Common English Bible Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
 
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
 
Scripture quotations marked “CJB” are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scriptures marked ISV are taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version®. Copyright © 1996-forever by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission.
 
Scripture quotations marked “KJV” are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Public Domain).
 
Scriptures Quotations marked “GNB” or “GNT” are from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.
 
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked “MSG” or “The Message” are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
 
Scripture quotations marked “RSV” are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 
 
 
This book is dedicated to my Aunt Pauline Norton, to my Mother Carolyn Bowen and to my daughter Lesley Ayn Bowen. Your memory grows brighter with every day!
CONTENTS
Chapter 1Amy’s Gift
Chapter 2Presenting!
Chapter 3Up!
Chapter 4Deep Shadows
Chapter 5Indeed!
Chapter 6Can Hope Be a Seed?
Chapter 7Pure Joy
Chapter 8Her Mom
Chapter 9The Pew on the Back Row
Chapter 10Whatcha Gonna Do?
Chapter 11The Timing of God
Chapter 12Letters After Your Name
Chapter 13Thanks for the Years
Chapter 14Let the Children Come …
Chapter 15Just When We Need It
Chapter 16Just Like a Good Neighbor
Chapter 17They Were in Awe!
Chapter 18What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine!
Chapter 19My Mother Made a Delicious English Trifle
Chapter 20Our Friend Ruthie Geva Has Died
Chapter 21Germs in the Communion Cup
Chapter 22Leaving on a Jet Plane …
Chapter 23Reminders That We Are Not in Charge
Chapter 24One Sunday in Lithonia
Chapter 25Getting Ready to Disciple
Chapter 26One Evening Near Ansley Mall
Chapter 27It’s All Downhill from Helen, Georgia
Chapter 28Please Describe an Instructor for Me
Chapter 29My First Sunday … and Theirs
Chapter 30Words to Show My Heart
Chapter 31The Friday Before That First Sunday
Chapter 32Gnawing Locusts!
Chapter 33Eyes to See
Chapter 34Macon in August!
Chapter 35What Can You Do?
Chapter 36Light As A Feather
Chapter 37A Friend for Life
Chapter 38Connecting the Dogs
Chapter 39The Newbie Is Always Sent!
Chapter 40Won’t Ya Let Me Take You on a Sea Cruise!
Chapter 41I-75 … Far From Civilization
Chapter 42It Would Have Been Enough!
Chapter 43It Was on TV
Chapter 44John
1 AMY’S GIFT
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”
—Psalm 30:11–12 (ESV)
When our daughter, Lesley Ayn, died in 1995, my sister, Judy, my nieces, Amy, Jennifer, and Laura, and nephew, Brian, were out of the country with their husband and father, Col. John Mandeville, of the United States Army. They were unable to attend Lesley’s funeral.
Over the ensuing years, my sermons about Lesley’s place in my life, articles concerning her death and funeral, information about the cabin at Camp Glisson, my doctoral work, and all kinds of other things done to remember Lesley have been sent to Judy’s family.
I never knew that my niece Amy has been keeping copies of all these memorials and has quietly pondered them in her heart. She used them to frame her mirror at home and then again during the years she spent at college.
I did not know how much Amy loved Lesley or how much she missed her cousin. I did not know that Amy is also a poet and has written her grief over Lesley’s death and the death of my father, Bill Bowen, her gramps.
Part of my grief, especially in the first few years after Lesley’s death, was the pain from being asked to perform weddings for young women I had known and loved all their lives. The pain was in knowing that I would never walk my daughter down an aisle for her own wedding. Unless you understand that, you might misunderstand part of my heart. All of this is to tell you how mixed and confused some of my feelings were two weeks ago, when my wife, Billie, and I traveled to Virginia, near Charlottesville, for my niece Jennifer’s wedding. I put on my preacher face and made sure I did not feel much hurt as this lovely young woman married her fiancé, Chris. My niece Amy was Jennifer’s maid of honor. All three of Judy’s daughters are elegantly tall and drop-dead gorgeous, and Amy has brunette hair and big feet—just like her cousin Lesley Ayn.
I did OK with all the prewedding stuff, and I did OK with the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. I even did well with the wedding itself. It was set on a mountaintop that felt straight out of The Sound of Music . However, we had a string quartet instead of Julie Andrews. I must be honest and tell you that I did have some quiet tears, but they were as much for the joy of love and celebration of family as they were for me.
The reception following the wedding was wonderful. After the bluegrass band entertained us during a light barbeque by the lake, we moved inside a lodge for a delightful meal. You’re probably not surprised that I was asked to offer the blessing before we ate. After dinner, a dance floor was cleared, and the DJ from Miami, Florida, played lots of good old sixties and seventies music like all decent human beings love. I was blessed to be with so much of my family. Billie and I were even able to dance together.
There was a quiet moment, and then I heard the words, “It’s time for the father-daughter dance, so girls, find your dads and take the floor.”
My heart shattered. I was partly stunned at being stunned. I sat numbly while all the fathers and daughters began to slow-dance in lovely pairs. With great pride and affection, I saw the bride, Jennifer, dancing with her father. I saw her sister Laura with my nephew, Brian. However, I did not see my niece Amy move around the edge of the lodge, back in the shadows, where the light did not reveal her presence—until she touched my arm and said with tears in her eyes, “Uncle David, may I have this dance in honor of Lesley?”
I could not speak. There were no words. I stood and took this elegant young woman in my arms to dance.
Then it happened.
Like in the dance scene in the film Ghosts , when Whoopi Goldberg becomes the dead man for the grieving widow, my niece Amy, by the grace of God, be