By David Key
Lake Oconee Breeze
LAKE OCONEE — Sociology professor Anthony Campolo recalls a deeply moving incident that happened in a Christian junior high camp where he served. One of the campers, a boy with spastic paralysis, was the object of heartless ridicule. When he would ask a question, the boys would deliberately answer in a halting, mimicking way. One night his cabin group chose him to lead the devotions before the entire camp. It was one more effort to have some “fun” at his expense. Unashamedly the spastic boy stood up, and in his strained, slurred manner — each word coming with enormous effort — he said simple, “Jesus loves me — and I love Jesus!” That was all. Conviction fell upon those junior-highers. Many began to cry. Revival gripped the camp. Years afterward, Campolo still meets individuals in the ministry who came to Christ because of that testimony.
What a simple testimony. Do you have a testimony that straightforward and simple? I hope so.
If not, Easter is a good time to reflect on your life. It is not too early to make your Easter Sunday plans. Please join me for the 9th Annual Easter Sunrise Service at 7 am at the Reynolds Plantation Pointe Pavilion. The Reynolds Chorus will be singing and everyone in the community is welcomed. If that is not an option, feel free to join me at 9 am at the Reynolds Plantation Lake Club or at 11 am at the Lake Welcome Center. There will be special activities for children at the 9 am service. Please bring your family and guests with you. Make your life a living testimony of how much God loves you and you love God. Wishing you much love and much light.
—The Rev. David W. Key, director of the Baptist Studies Program, is involved in recruitment, admissions, student life, counseling, placement, and development functions for Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He teaches in the Contextual Education program. He is the founding pastor of the Lake Oconee Community Church at Reynolds Plantation. Contact him at (404) 727-6350 or dkey@emory.edu. His
column appears weekly in this space.
