Family

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THE LEGACY OF THE RED MARBLE
Charli Pickett

My father was a pastor/evangelist. We basically lived in church. My love for the Lord was exciting and alive! Through the years as I grew older and experienced many wounds from within the body of Christ, I became the proverbial ‘prodigal daughter.’ One day many years later when my Dad was visiting me, he took some change out of his pocket and in the middle of it was a red marble. I remarked, “Dad, why do you have that red marble in your pocket?” He picked it up, held it up to the light, and at that point the red marble seem to glow. He answered, “I carry this red marble in my pocket as a reminder.” I replied, "A reminder of what?" He looked deep into my eyes and began to speak, “as a reminder of the last drop of blood that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shed for me on the cross. Here, I want you to have it, so you too will have a reminder of Calvary.”


I still remember how those words pricked my heart, for I was estranged from the Lord and not ready to surrender. Years later I repented and came home to my Heavenly Father, and many years after that my Father went home to live with his Heavenly Father. At my Dad’s funeral people from everywhere were coming up to me carrying their red marbles; some were made into earrings, some into pendants, some into tie tacks, and some just mixed in with their change. They all told the me the same story that my father had given them the red marble and through it they gave their heart and life to Jesus Christ. A list was found in his personal records of all the red marbles he had bought and given away; it totaled 10,000. A crystal bowl sat by his casket full of red marbles and all were invited to take freely. As I said farewell to my earthly father, my Heavenly Father spoke to my heart. He said, “Your Dad wasn’t able to leave you an earthly inheritance, but what he left you money can’t buy. He left you an eternal inheritance. He left you the legacy of the Red Marble.”

So many people had stories to tell of my Dad and his Red Marbles. A few months after Dad’s death I received a letter from my niece, his granddaughter. She was in college and the letter read like this,”Here is a copy of a poem that I wrote about Granddaddy McDonald right after he died. I wrote this for English class. The teacher picked it to be published in a literary journal at the college. I thought you might want a copy.

RED MARBLES
Faith McDonald

They were supposed to remind us to pray for him. Don’t forget ol’grampa. Short talks say he loves you.
Finding one while looking for a lost jewel reminds you of your time.
Thousands had them, but none like mine. Straight from the hands of the man who loved so much.
The distance between us caused us to forget. He always expressed his love for me.
My sadness soon followed regret for lost contact. “Pray for me” ended the call.
The hang up triggered memories we had.
Suddenly sickness came. Faster and faster. The day arrived. The call came.
He loved so much. Beautiful sights, loved ones, and great health await.

Charli Pickett is an International Christian Women's Speaker, Author, Motivator, Image and Make-up Artist. Charli has a mission to reach women of all ages to teach them how to use what they have to become what they want to be. Her desire is to guide them in maximizing their inner strength and outer beauty, that they may become a confident and fulfilled woman both inside and out.
Charli is also a Leadership Trainer, Worship Leader, Recording Artist and Bible Teacher. She is currently co-authoring a book entitled, "5 Steps to Freedom...a Journey to Emotional Rescue." She has co-hosted a Christian Women's Television Program on CTN , and has ministered in China, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

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