July 30, 2024
Lynda called. She has called every year for the past 25 years. On my birthday.
I first met Lynda when Steve started seminary over 35 years ago. She wanted to host a women’s Bible study in her home in Jackson, MS using Kay Arthur’s Precept Bible study materials. Steve & I were on staff with Precept for three years prior to moving to MS, and I was certified by Precept to both lead their Bible studies and to train others nationally to lead. So, at Precept’s recommendation, Lynda called me.
The semester that Steve began seminary full-time, I began driving weekly to Lynda’s home to meet with her friends, well-established Jackson women, to lead them in Bible study. What an odd pairing – a non-Southern, 30-something mother of two, with a student-husband and barely a nickel to spare, leading Lynda and her friends, wives of doctors, lawyers, business and community leaders. As the months unfolded and we studied and prayed together I experienced the connection that transcends social status – love for God and His Word and a hunger to grow.
Our first year of seminary was not without stressors. That Christmas Steve got shingles about the time he finished and submitted a major Hebrew exegesis paper; on the heels of his shingles our (by now) three sons fell prey to chicken pox, one by one, each case worse than the one prior. Three months later, when we finally emerged, Lynda gifted us with a certificate to an upscale restaurant. She wanted us to literally ‘taste and see’ the goodness of the Lord. And we did.
When Steve graduated from seminary and then later passed his ordination exam, Lynda asked if she could host a celebration reception in her home. We were humbled and stunned by her gift – she hired a pianist to play as friends and family came in an out; she had a beautiful table set with fine linens and an impressive floral spray; she set out a delectable and varied array of appetizers and made sure we had a special champagne for a toast. Her love and hospitality graced our lives with a beauty far beyond our means in those lean years.
By the time we moved to Ithaca for Steve to begin as pastor of NLPC, Lynda and her husband Ben had sold their Jackson home and his ophthalmology practice and transitioned to their new mountain “birdhouse” in Black Mountain, NC. Ben had a significant role in the design and choices of materials used. Every room offers stunning views of Black Mountain in the distance, a variety of trees nestling the house with its wide, inviting porch adjacent to the kitchen. We have been privileged to visit and find respite in their home multiple times during the past 25 years, most recently the Fall of 2021 as Steve was recovering from chemo. Now nearing 87 Lynda’s faith remains vibrant; her memory strong; her hope certain. During her calls she always inquires about each of our guys by name and reminds me she prays for them. She wants an update on my shoulder recovery and tells me how excited she is for us to have time in Albuquerque; it’s an area they have visited because Ben had a sister who lived there. As we near the close of our conversation, Lynda with a note of marvel in her voice says, “Sheryl, I just cannot believe what the Lord did all those years ago; It’s a miracle that we met. You will never know how significant yours and Steve’s lives and ministry have been to me.” I tear up. She asks to pray and she beseeches the Lord to bless us and those we have the privilege of loving.
I hang up with the conversation replaying over and over in my heart and mind.
Hours later when I tell Steve about Lynda’s call, I try to convey how stunned I am that Lynda thinks I am the teacher. It feels the other way around to me. She has faithfully modeled a kind of love and nurturing foreign to me. Her remembering shouts “God remembers.” Only God could have orchestrated Lynda and Sheryl.
We’re grateful for the beauty of Ithaca. It pulls many of our treasured friends back to visit. Recently we have delighted in time with the Ickes tribe (Scott, Jane, Timothy, Caroline, & Dorothy) from Williamsburg, VA; Greg & Camille Wilson from Columbus, OH; Gabby Woo from ABQ (not pictured – she will care for Luci while we’re in South Africa); Sharon Hilker from VA (not pictured); Kris Packard from Keuka Lake.
Michael W. Smith, “Friends Are Friends Forever“
