Sometimes when I drive down a street in the old town of Pepperell Massachusetts my mind “wonders.” I wonder about these tall, century old trees I see here and there growing tall and strong. I think about who might have planted them, someone long gone no doubt but their handiwork remains. A seed was put into good soil, a tender shoot appeared, a stout piece of wood sprang up. Maybe fruit hang from the branches. This big tree may have smaller trees that it has seeded surrounding it. Makes me think of someone I know.

I’ve told this story before, and although the person is like family to me my memory isn’t always 100%, but I reckon I can recall most of it. It seems this fella first set foot in a Church of Christ in the 60’s. His girlfriend asked him to come. Sounds good, but wait. He was there to show support. The church withdrew fellowship from her that day. The guy, Larry, was catholic and the girl, Pat, had parents that forbid her to date him. They were getting serious, and she refused to obey her parents in this matter. That fateful day, the men who served Lord’s supper were a bit confused, one of them was missing so someone had to volunteer right there on the spot. When they went to serve it, it had not been prepared and the plates were empty! Larry told me he thought the church was quite a joke, at that time. Eventually he married Pat and they moved, ending up in Colorado.

Pat continued going to church alone, leaving Larry at home on the couch Sunday mornings. Eventually they had some kids, first a daughter and a son. It was a struggle, but Pat took the kids with her to church. One day she got herself ready for church and found the daughter still undressed for services and sitting on the couch by Larry. “I’m not going to church” she said. “I’m going to stay here and go to hell with dad.” Well, that got Larry a bit upset, so he started going to church with Pat. It wasn’t long and Larry became a Christian. Larry was a self-made man, he worked hard and read books like there was no tomorrow. He started studying the bible and, while he wasn’t perfect at first, he got excited about it. He found himself helping a lot of people, going out of his way to encourage and build up others. He taught, prayed, and really cleaned up his life.

One day, about the mid 80’s, this hick from Ohio who had never been outside of his small town the first 20 years of his life moved to Denver. What a shock! And the kid was so very immature! At first he stayed with his sister until he got the hang of things, and then he moved out to his own apartment. It wasn’t long, though, until he was making a mess of his life. But he happened to live near Pat and Larry, who “adopted” him in a way. Like a second set of parents, they reached out to him and helped him grow up a lot. Many late nights were spent with father/son talks between Larry and this young man. The guy went on to make many mistakes, but he managed to get through them and stay true to God in a large part because of the good advice and encouragement he got from Larry (and Pat!).

Sean went out to Colorado this past week. He left his wallet at home, and didn’t realize it until he was about to fly out. Kieran gave his son one of his credit cards just before he left. At the other end, Sean stayed with Larry and Pat. I haven’t talked with Sean about his trip, but I already know they made him welcome, lent him one of their cars to drive during his stay, and treated him well. In fact, they treated him like family.

I don’t know who planted the word in Larry. His wife did, in a way, and so did others. Maybe a preacher somewhere, who has since passed on. In any case, the handiwork remains. The good seed was put in good soil, and a sturdy tree grew up. Do you see the fruit in the branches? Maybe a tree or two seeded around it? Better yet, how are you growing? And have you planted any spiritual trees lately?

Randy