The Making of a Preacher -Prep

Life in Lucas Grove

Matthew Marks grew up in the little town of Lucas Grove. His house was pretty obvious and clearly seen to all of the locals. He lived in the pastoreum, just up the hill in the next property from the town's First Baptist Church.

Most of the congregation was pretty proud of the fact that they went to the "First" Baptist Church. If anybody new in town asked one of them, where they went to church, they would always respond with pride, "Why, I go to the FIRST Baptist Church!" Point made.

Not much exciting happened in Lucas Grove. Matt's house was within easy walking distance to Main Street, which was, actually, the only street in town that sported businesses on the east side of the street to be exact. Nobody could put up a business on the west side of the street since that real estate belonged to the train track.

Not much exciting...? I guess I'll have to take that back. The train came through town once each day on its way to the local feedlot to offload a new mess of cattle or corn or hay. I think the train had other important business in our part of the state, but on the days that the cattle came through, the townsfolk wished that they had a big ol' can of air freshener for the outside of the house. I guess that was one good thing about the cattle train. If you were anywhere near the tracks, then you could get out of the way well before you ever saw it or heard the whistle blow. This was a slow train, which meant that the aroma of cow arrived before it did, knocking you down and thankfully away from the tracks.

(As I write this background, I am remembering my fifth and sixth-grade years in Warwick, Georgia. It was not exactly Mayberry or Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, but it wasn't that far off.)

We had a blinker light in the middle of the two blocks that made up the downtown business district. It was there to remind the fine folks on Main Street that the drivers on College Avenue would take a shine to driving on Main Street if a kind thought blossomed in your heart to let them.

Concepts about walking down the streets, taking time to breathe the air and to smell the flowers will be important for imagery as well as for showing the story instead of telling it.

A black cloud covered the life of Matt on the day that his Dad walked down the tracks to Farmer Timothy Philemon's house to invite him to the revival that would be starting that evening at 7:00 PM. Tim was not yet a believer in Jesus Christ. Dad was concerned about Tim's eternal soul. He kept coming back to Tim's farm no matter how many times he turned down Dad's invitations. However, that day the invitation was never made. Matt's Dad took an unscheduled ride on the train with a rather unceremonious boarding. The train's insistent whistles became the angel's chorus for the middle-aged Pastor Marks.

That day the young Matthew Marks began to wonder where God was when a Christian family needed him the most.