Bible Study January 30, 2025
Deuteronomy 32:7 “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.”
Kathryn Butler wrote this line :” Memory binds us to places that forget us, and to moments that no one else values.”
I have fond memories of growing up in Hannibal, Missouri. It was a great town and I was blessed with many friends some who even follow me and our church on Facebook. Things like the carnival that covered Broadway during the summer, eating at the Mary Ann Sweet Shop during the carnival. The Pastry Box that got me addicted to the best donuts around. Serving on the City Council thanks to Les James who talked me into running and seeing how government worked in a small town (it was not always up and up).
But there were some memories that were not so good. If you know me I am an optimist looking for the good. I remember in particular the summer of 1993 when I was living in Nashville, Tennessee and I was back for a visit.
Three things struck about that visit and all in the month of August 1993. First it ws the last time I saw my Uncle Kenny. I felt prompted to stop by and see him (I still remember his address) it was the last time I would see him alive.
Then there was the “Great” flood of 1993. They all seemed like great floods when you live in a river town. I remember driving through Riverview Park during that visit and at a lookout point getting out seeing the flooding devastation that was taking place. I vividly remember seeing a refrigerator floating down the Mississippi River most likely from a river camp along the river.
It was also the last time I saw my eighteen year old son alive. He would die later that month in a tragic automobile accident that took his immediately. I do not question the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I remember dropping him off as I was making my way to my uncle’s home. I felt the urge to pull back into the driveway before leaving, ring the doorbell, give him a hug as I always did, and tell him I loved him. That was the last time I could do that.
But I have fond memories of his life and those mentioned above. Do not ever miss that opportunity while you can avail yourself of it. Some of you know reading this the pain that is there as you have faced the same thing in your life.
Hanging onto the past will leave us empty when we forget the One who infuses us moments of memory. Memory was meant not only for private wanderings into forgotten shadows, but also to remind us who God is, and what he’s done for us. When we journey into those memories, we cultivate an understanding of our identity that far outshines wistful nostalgia.
I am thankful for the memories but I admit I have come a long way since August 1993. I facilitated GriefShare groups which brought lasting peace helping others cope with their losses. As John MacArther writes in his Bible notes on this verse “Remember the days of old. A call to reflect on past history and to inquire about the lessons to be learned.”
God Bless you on your journey.
Asbury Chapel 