Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday February 21, 2008

Dr. Jonathan Lilly, pastor of Harmony Baptist Church in Avon and his lovely wife Stephanie are the proud parents of Madison Grace Lilly as of 3:35 PM February 20, 2008. The gorgeous girl weighed in screaming with a pouting little lower lip as low as a pastor after a bad offering on a Sunday, at 5lbs 9oz and 191/2 inches. We all praise the Lord for this new granddaughter.

We gathered around the family waiting room and about 20 of us prayed and I found myself thanking the Lord for the safety of Stephanie and Madison. And as I prayed, it was like I was standing along myself hearing my prayer. I have never sensed this before. I do admit this grand dad's prayer was right on target. Even Joyce commented favorably on the prayer’s content.

I simply thanked the Lord for the little girl and for her parents and then I asked Jesus Christ to so move on the heart of each one present and for those who would meet Madison in the next few days to seek God's will as to just what of themselves they could freely in the love of Christ put into the life over the years of Madison. I then asked the Lord to move on Madison's heart to receive the gift of themselves from the givers. And I closed the prayer humbly asking that Madison in time would so live for Christ that many people's life would be better because she had walked on the earth.

I asked for the above because I know the tendency of people to shower a child with junk that will be broken or obsolete in few days or weeks, but the gift of themselves prayerfully put into the life of Madison will pay off in eternal dividends. I also asked for her to be open and receive the gifts rather than shun them, for in this life we tend to put a tremendous value on things of little true value over the long haul. A word of wisdom given from an experienced heart may be of more long term value than say a car at age 16. Demonstrating a compassionate heart for some downtrodden or disgraced person may be worth more than a king's ransom. And only the Lord knows the loss of benefit to the human race due to a refusal of a person to treat the mental and spiritual gifts of mature men and women as precious. We are connected one to another and we must learn the value of giving and receiving the so called intangibles of love, honesty, honor and qualities of true character.

Solomon wrote concerning grandchildren in Proverbs 17:6:

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers."

To say that I love them grandchildren is understatement and even though I do not meet the "old" criteria of Solomon, the grandkids are my crown. If you have never been a part of church that is celebrating the first born child of the pastor you have missed one of life's most gripping pageants. People go crazy. Larry Reynolds, a deacon in Jon's church, single and one year to the day younger than me, took such an interest in Madison, actually holding the little sweetheart and a tear running down his cheek that we gave him a name he will live with all the days of his life in this vale of tears; Larry is now and forever known as "Grandma Reynolds."

Most of the nurses at the hospital entered into the celebratory spirit of the day, but one, there is always "one" was bent on calming things down as well over 50 people from the church were in and out through the day. This Guardian of The Order of Decorum in Hospitals commented that in all her vast experience she had never seen such outlandish carrying on at a birth. In my kindest way I told her that most of the people in and out of the birth center (I remember when the birth center was the kitchen table) were in reality Romanian Gypsies and she should thank her lucky stars that we were not celebrating the death of the reigning queen. This sincere nurse gave me the coldest stare I have received in my entire life. It was colder than a mother in law's kiss. As I write tonight I wonder if she may be the offspring of Gypsies? You never know. I write this with no intention of demeaning Gypsies as I know them to be a people who love life and know how to celebrate its beginning and end. My new granddaughter has dark hair and brown eyes. Perhaps she is a Gypsy Princess in the form of a baby. We know she is a princess.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE