Ed. Note: This is another in a series of “lessons learned” from Doug’s 31-year ministry at Hebron. Ephesians 4:11 says, “And Christ gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…” That’s what Doug has found in his ministry over the years - equipping others to do the work of ministry. In other words, “Bringing the best out of each other.” Here’s an example.
In 1980 The Blues Brothers was released starring John Belushi as “Joliet” Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as his brother, Elwood. The film was set in and around Chicago. It is a tale of redemption for paroled convict Jake and his brother who set out on a mission from God to save from foreclosure the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. To do so, they must reunite their R & B band and organize a performance to earn the $5,000 needed to pay the orphanage’s property tax bill.
It was on our third January trip to Florida that I turned to Terry Griffin halfway through our early morning flight and said, “Oh, by the way, we’re on a mission from God this trip.” I’m not sure if he caught The Blues Brothers reference, but he did perk up and say, “Do tell.” I told Terry that one of our friends who was involved in a men’s study at Hebron and served at The Blessing Board, had a brother, Steve, in Fort Myers who was dying of cancer. Steve was the brother who had taken the highly successful family business away from his brother years earlier. While Steve and his family profited handsomely, our friend and his nuclear family struggled. Most of this story I never knew until the day I went to lunch with him and he mentioned his brother’s cancer fight. While his concern for his brother included his cancer struggle, his main concern was the state of his brother’s soul. In recent months as Steve was trying to get his affairs together, he had reached out to his brother to ask for his forgiveness. He saw it as a sign that his “self-made” brother might be showing signs of a more tender heart, not only toward him, but for the Lord.
He asked me to join him in praying for Steve and his family. I said, “Not only will I pray for him, Terry and I will visit him on our golf trip to Florida, if you’d like.” Within days he had cleared it with his brother and had given me the address. Terry’s response on the plane was typical Terry, “Let’s do it.”
The first thing we noticed as we drove up to the house was the landscaping. After all, that had been his business. There was nearly every Florida ornamental plant in the front yard, including the ever-present palm tree variants. What captured my attention most was all the pink flamingo statuary. This was clearly the home of transplanted northerners who enjoyed making a statement.
When we knocked, Steve’s lovely wife opened the door and invited us in. While she thanked us for coming, Steve appeared at the kitchen door that led into the dining room and invited us to take a seat at the table. Terry took the kitchen side. I was across from him looking at the large china closet behind him, and Steve took a seat at the head of the table. It was just the three of us.
After introducing ourselves and thanking Steve for his willingness to meet, I asked him about his family and about the news he had received months earlier concerning his cancer prognosis. He couldn’t have been more forthcoming. In addition to filling us in on his nuclear family, he talked freely about his birth family and the business. He told us about how he had forced his brother out of the business. What he then said stunned me. He began to tear up. He said, “I don’t know if God can ever forgive me for what I’ve done. All my life it’s been all about me and I’m ashamed of myself.” By this time tears had begun to run down his face and Terry had reached over and placed his hand on top of Steve’s . “Will you guys pray for me?” he asked. I said, “We’ll do more than that, Steve. Terry will answer your question about whether the Lord will ever forgive you.”
And for the next five minutes Terry told his own story. He told about how his father had taken his life when he was 22-years-old. He talked about always thinking that God tallies up our good deeds and weighs them against our bad ones to determine how much forgiveness to dispense. He told Steve that it was only in the last few years that he’d come to really understand the scope of the Gospel, that all the merits we could ever need are found not in us, but in Jesus. “We’re all the same here around this table,” Terry said. “We’re all screwed up. We all deserve to be condemned by God, not only for what we’ve done, but for who we are. But thank God Jesus came for screwed up people like us. And the reason we’re here today is to tell you that He loves you so much that He sent two screwed up guys who need His grace as much as you do.”
By this time Steve’s eyes were full of tears. When I asked if he was serious about praying with us, he jumped at the chance. We held hands and I asked him if he’d like to start, and he did. He prayed one of the most honest, heartfelt prayers I’ve ever heard. He asked the Lord to forgive him and to use his life for His glory. We prayed in agreement with Steve, not just for him, but for his family as well. It was one of those times when it seemed that time stood still. It was better than a hole-in-one. It was better than all the rounds we would ever play. It really was a mission from God where the Lord brought the best out of all three ragamuffins, Steve’s brother, Terry, and me. It was something He intended to do in all of our lives. What a privilege!!
