TRANSFORMATION

When Sue comes home from Nashville, she usually heads straight to the bed to recover from a lack of sleep and a time of continuously being on the move. While in TN, she keeps a rather hectic schedule and when she arrives home, I endeavor to make home a quiet place with little responsibility for her.

This past week, Sue came home on Thursday evening and was totally wiped out. I told her she should go to bed without an exact time to get up. She could actually just become a part of the bed. No interruptions. This usually gets her revived for another trip to Music City.

Friday, however, was a different story. We got in my car and headed for Springfield, MO. Some of our friends invited us down for the Gaither Homecoming program that was to be held in the Hammonds Student Center, home of the Missouri State University basketball Bears. Holly used to cheer in this building when she was a Suger Bear (we have some nice pictures). Usually when you go to the Hammonds Center, you go for a basketball game. Concessions, ushers, usherettes, band, cheerleaders, NCAA banners hanging fomr the ceiling along with the jerseys of players whose numbers have been retired. The arena is an intimate setting for basketball. Tonight, however, there was no basketball in Hammonds. Ernie Haase provided tickets for Sue and me (a big thanks to Ernie) and we were about six rows from the stage on the floor. During the evening, we were blessed by the singing of Joy Gardner, Lynda Randall, Russ Taeff, Ben Speer, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Signature Sound and the Gaither Vocal Band. Jeff and Sheri sang a song that Simon Hawkins and Twila Labar wrote and we were excited about that for both of them. Then Jeff began to talk about a special song that became a number one song for them and was written by a lady by the name of Sue Smith who was present for the concert. That was really special and brought tears to my eyes.

As good as that was, it was not the highlight for me. When the homcoming friends sang "We Are Standing On Holy Ground," I was reminded that a basketball arena had been transformed into a holy place, not by flowers, special lighting, or anything like that, but the very presence of Jesus who made the difference. He can take an arena and make it a very special spiritual place. Miraculously, He can do the same thing with a life who will allow Him to do so. That is amazing!