3G : Papa's Porch

...The Lord was growing me in truth, my life was being flipped and my Papa began to question what was going on. To take a few leaps back, my Papa was the youngest of 13 brothers and sisters. My great-grandparents beheld the beautiful infant in their arms and named him Munsin Columbus Humphrey. I still cannot figure out how someone can look at a sweet little baby and come up with that name, but I could not be more delighted to have been his granddaughter. Papa was a hard working, loyal, faithful, loving, caring, tenderhearted, strong and steadfast man.

I recall sitting down and asking him how he met my grandmother (Nanny). They were both invited to a friends house and (quote)"there she was...she was standing by a gate and I asked my buddy in the car who she was." Nanny stated that when she saw him she thought.."hubba hubba." (this was pretty cute spoken from her 85 year old lips at the time) On their first date they rode in a rumble seat together (for those of you who have never been to a car show, this means they were sitting pretty close) all the way to Christoval (which was a long trip then). That night they danced the night away to big band music and continued to dance through their lives together.

One afternoon, Papa and I were sitting on his front porch swing, which was not unusual for us to do. Noticing a change in my life he asked me, "Kris, do you think I am saved?" Here was an 89 year old man, whom if anyone could call someone a "good person" it would be M.C. Humphrey, asking me if he was saved. I am thankful for the wise response the Lord gave me that afternoon. My response was somewhere along the lines of, "Papa, I cannot know your heart, nor can I truly know your relationship with the Lord. I can tell you what the Bible says about the One who saves, how a person is saved and what the fruit of salvation in a persons life looks like." We continued the conversation for a couple of hours about how one cannot merit salvation, rather it is a free gift and that no one can ever be good enough. We worked through the gospel forwards and backwards. Out of all the moments I had experienced on Papa's Porch, this was my fondest.

A couple of months later, after his 90th birthday, Papa began to have health complications that continued to weaken his frail body. I went to the hospital for my daily visit and the moment I walked in the room there was an urgency in his voice. He was desperate to tell me of a dream that he had had about the Lord. I looked into the understanding eyes of a 90 year old man who knew he was a sinner in desperate need of a Savior. He continued to tell me over and over again about his experience with the Lord that evening. Alas, he knew assurance. The truth of the Scriptures finally came alive to this dying 90 year old man. He went from being what people call "a good man" to being a righteous man.

He continued to love his wife more than ever. I recall my grandmother in her wheelchair sitting by his bedside. I asked them if they had a song and without hesitation she leaned over and grabbed his hand and they began singing as they gazed into each other's eyes... "Let me call you sweetheart, I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too..."

His time from thence forth on this earth was short, yet eternity was ever before him. My friend Chance and I would go to the hospital with a guitar in hand and we would have times of worship in his small hospital room. There came a point that a family member had to be with him 24/7 due to seizures every 45 minutes. I took a night shift and was so thankful for the body of believers that surrounded us during that time. I was never left alone that entire night. We sought every bit of wisdom that we could from Papa until 4:00 in the morning when he no longer made sense after a big seizure.

Writing this story makes me realize that I need more "Papa's Porch" moments in my life. It is a moving reality that this life, whether you live to be 90, 100 or 20, is short compared to the eternity that we are all guaranteed. I pray that those of you who read this would find yourselves asking the same question that Papa asked, "Am I saved?" I pray that the same desperation that my Papa had to share his experience with the Lord would be prevalent in my life also. Out of compassion and love, may the Lord drive me to share the gospel of truth with those I come into contact with.

Rom 1:16 states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." "Indeed God’s power IS seen in erupting volcanoes, in the unimaginably hot boil of our massive sun, and in the lightning speed of a recently discovered star seen streaking through the heavens at 1.5 million miles per hour. Yet in Scripture such wonders are never labeled “the power of God.” How powerful, then, must the gospel be that it would merit such a title! And how great is the salvation it could accomplish in your life, if you would only embrace it by faith and give it a central place in your thoughts each day(A Gospel Primer)!"

The hope I have through the gospel message is what lead me to share with Papa on his porch and is also what lead me to quit my job and pack my bags for summer missions in Washington state...(To Be Continued)...