Band of Brothers

 

“True friends are like bright sunflowers that never fade away, 
even over distance and time.”

Have you watched the miniseries, Band of Brothers? Maybe during the holidays binge watch it. It dramatizes the history of Easy Company, a parachute infantry regiment from jump training in the States through participation in major war actions in Europe during World War II. Men from various walks of life, different States, and backgrounds came together to literally be a “band of brothers.” 

  In 1975, I experienced my own “band of brothers.” Last summer as Jane and I drove through Atlanta on our way to vacation in Florida, I had one of those “what might have been moments.”

  I’m the youngest of five children. Many of you know that my Mom was killed in a tragic car accident when I was ten. My Dad, though wealthy and successful, was a prescription drug addict. After my Mom’s death, our family spiraled out of control. My two older brothers were married and out of the house. My Dad was rarely home, hitting the clubs, coming home at all hours…sometimes not coming home at all. Both of my sisters struggled with losing their Mom yet still excelled academically. With no one to check on my schoolwork, I just didn’t do it. Though I was in a private school, though a school counselor sought to encourage me to do better, I was bombing out. It’s what happens if you do the bare minimum.

  I was flunking out. I wasn’t a jock and I wasn’t overly good-looking. But there is one group that will always accept you if you’re not popular, athletic or academic – the drug and alcohol crowd. In fact, I was booted from one school for drugs and in my early teen years became a problem drinker. My yearbook was filled with quips that I ought to join AA. Yet, though I seemed like such a fun party animal, I hated myself and hated life. I was depressed and suicidal.

  Unfortunately, my church youth group didn’t help. Because I attended a different school, I was an outsider and couldn’t break into the clique. Yet my Pastor, David Cummins, and his family kept reaching out to me. His one daughter, Miriam, though I was a trainwreck, kept reaching out to me even after she went off to college, Maranatha, in Watertown, Wisconsin.

  I learned that the college also had a high school and you could live in the dormitory, so I determined I would get away from my Dad and go there. I was a Christian but I was miserable. And Miriam had something that I desperately longed for – peace, peace with God. I got a job and was going to pay my own way. Secretly I applied but my Dad found out and was death on it…until he got remarried that summer. His new wife evidently thought, that if this mess of a kid wants to go away to a boarding school in another part of the country, let’s send him. Though I’d never been away from home, not even for camp and never north of the Mason-Dixon Line, they put me on a plane with a few suitcases and shipped me off.

  It probably wasn’t the best idea but it was life-changing for me and several others who like me attended the Academy from similar broken family backgrounds. They’d stuff a high school kid in a room with college students. I was in a room with five college-age men (yes, we had six in a room). So all of a sudden this 15-year-old kid with a southern drawl is in a room with college-age men from Arizona (Tye Rausch), Colorado (Tom Roark), Michigan (Dave Stein), Indiana (Dave Ponce) and Wisconsin (Bob Melford). I was scared, broken, and lonely. At first, I hated it and was ready to hop on one of the trains that ran behind the dorm and go anywhere.

  But God…though I was a few years younger than these five young men, they befriended me and reached out to me. They would pray with me and for me. They became my mentors and examples. They’d comfort and encourage me when I received cruel notes from my Dad. Those guys were there for me. My heart, which was filled with bitterness and hatred toward my Dad and God for taking my Mom and leaving me with my Dad, was transformed by God’s grace. I began to see that God had a greater purpose in the tragedies of my life. It’s why Joseph is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. His words in Genesis 50:20 have been a North Star for me: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”

  So why am I telling you all of this? Because one of the men in the quartet singing for us today, Bob Melford, was one of those five men. Bob is a pastor’s son and loves the Lord. He’s one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever met, musically and athletically. Though I was just a snotty-nosed kid, Bob became a great friend and was like an older brother to me. He loves the Lord and wants to use his gifts for Him. In fact, I’m still friends with all five of those men some five decades later.

  One of the reasons that we are “Grace Church” is that we are committed to being a safe place for those with any background issues or struggles. We are not here because we’re okay. At Grace, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s why we encourage you to take the time to get to know those around you. Listen to their stories. Share yours.

  We are not a “churchy-church.” I pray that we never are. On a Sunday you may be sitting next to someone who comes from a fractured home or has struggled with addiction…or still does. Them being at church is big for them. We are truly a “band of brothers and sisters” from various backgrounds and situations, many of them heartbreaking.

  But we are not victims. We’re victors, not because we pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We’re victors because we were rescued by King Jesus and are trophies of His love and grace.

  Yet, there are so many that need to be rescued. At Grace, we’re part of God’s search and rescue team. We’re committed to not being some religious club. It’s not just the fields of the world, it’s next door, in your neighborhood and mine. It’s a broken world. Suicide is an epidemic. Add depression, anxiety, a host of mental health issues, and addictive behaviors and it’s overwhelming. Our world needs hope. It needs Jesus. Our world needs us to be their friend so that we can introduce them to our Friend.

  I was one of “those” kids at one time. My friend, Bob Melford, was part of God’s rescue plan for my life. Together let’s be part of God’s rescue plan in someone else’s life. Let’s be a band of brothers and sisters making a difference in this world and for all eternity!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.