Years ago--maybe 2007 or 2008--Richard Pratt came to Faith Pres in Birmingham for our Missions/Outreach Conference. I believe it was Saturday night's sermon when he preached on Genesis 12.
(Genesis 12:1-4 ESV, emphasis mine)
[12:1] Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
[4] So Abram went, as the LORD had told him...
I was sitting on the back row with a child for some reason, away from Brian and away from anyone who might notice the tears streaming down my face. We had been talking about going for years, along with all that Dr. Pratt fleshed out that it means to leave, but it was during this very compelling sermon that I knew that WE were leaving it all and going to an undisclosed place that God would one day show us.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Dr. Pratt was in St. Louis for some reason tied to the seminary, and Brian had opportunity to go eat lunch with him and a handful of other men. They all shared parts of their stories, and Brian told him that it was during that sermon in B'ham that I knew we'd end up doing this. His response? He tucked his chin and chuckled, shook his head, and said, sarcastically, "Oh, I'm so sorry." And then he said, "But what else would you be doing?"
Do you know Richard Pratt? How funny he is? How he calls a spade a spade and pushes hard against stereotypes? Because that answer was stinkin' hilarious. Really. What else would we be doing?
Absolutely nothing nearly as good as this!
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