He was 18 years old. Legally, we could no longer determine where our younger son, Joel, would put his life’s energies or his well-being.
But we were definitely grateful that he chose a reputable ministry into which to invest his young life’s energies. He had somehow learned of Master’s Commission of Greater Birmingham, a ministry under a local Assembly of God (AOG) church in nearby Alabaster, AL. One of the AOG leaders had posed the question: If the Mormons can do it, why can’t we? That is, Mormon youth can donate two years of ministry to the church before getting involved in college life. Joel had elected to postpone college for a while until more maturity “kicked in.” He knew himself well.
The group was led by a pastor named Mark Sims, an older man who was loved and trusted in his local church, Kingwood AOG in Alabaster, AL. Kingwood was known for its 1000+ members who labored hard for their beloved Savior and their pastor, a man with a disabled wife in a nursing home. She could no longer attend church, but occasionally Master’s Commission youth paid her a visit. Her frail body once housed a vibrant resident
Since Joel wisely chose to delay college for a while, we were glad he chose to invest in a trusted ministry, like Master’s Commission. We helped him raise his own budget.
He lived in a ministry house with other guys who were equally tired and hungry most of the time. Hours were long after trips of ministry, arriving home late at night. (Teammates were expected in chapel “on time” regardless of the bedtimes.) Bachelor meals kept young, growing bodies from “starving to death.” The Kingwood school cafeteria wisely appointed MC Moms to enhance the volunteers’ diet.
Trips from Mom and Dad revealed what no newsletter covered. Guys were sincere about serving God, but they needed some coaching about practical living. We were glad that the leader’s wife, Ms. Peggy, was as motherly as possible while still being just a “motherly, leader’s wife.”
We were to learn that the leader had drama of his own to deal with, in addition to raising two teenager daughters. He knew well of a thirty-year-old relationship he and his wife had known and shared with the Kingwood church. Mark and Peggy served an unusual pastor, although Mark could have been successful somewhere else. He chose to stay on as youth pastor and Master’s Commission leader at Alabaster AOG. Peggy chose to stay by his side.
None of us knew that someday in Mark’s future he would write a book after a brain aneurysm. But it happened. The early drama in Mark’s life prepared him for his current vocation as well as authoring the book. I can certainly relate, with a host of others.
Mark’s book and pastor Cox’s life tell the sad account of being celebate while being faithfully married, being determined to remain true to the original marriage vows. Mark and the pastor give the credit for that faithfulness to the Lord. The book was Call It Incredible, a very apropos title that Mark gave to his first ever book. Friends’ mouths drop open when they learn that he is the author.
The book is a true account of two real biographies. I was already somewhat familiar with the romantic story. It tells of the struggles of Ron and Suzanne’s Cox and Mark’s interaction with them over about thirty years.
I got my dear husband to order the book on used Amazon for me. (It was not on interlibrary loan.) I “devoured” the book when it arrived. I was even accused of “neglecting other things” for it! No!! It was so well written by someone we knew! We didn’t know he had it in him! I had thought that Ron and Suzanne wrote the book. But Mark was in a position to know the drama in two lives that directly impacted his own. Since the brain aneurysm had “slow walked” him, he had some time that others around him did not have. His peers still lived busy lives, buzzing about him. His mind was still active and well. I could relate since my own brain aneurysms and surgeries. (See Amazon books Alabama and Beyond and Detour and also blog accounts at www.llegaciesthatlast.weebly.com.)
Call It Incredible tells the sad but romantic story of Pastor Ron Cox’s losing his first wife to Hutchinson’s chorea disease or dance. Cox feared another tragic marriage, which was not going to happen, according to a prediction by his friend, David Wilkerson. Then the book tells of how God answered a pretty, single missionary’s prayer for a husband.
Call It Incredible is worth every penny we invested. Since Joel’s birthday was close by, my husband could not resist ordering a copy for him. Joel had no idea his friend and mentor was such a good writer. Now he knows!