You Never Know Who You Are Going to Run Into

When I was a kid, it seemed like everywhere we traveled my Dad would run into someone that he knew or someone that was a friend of a friend.  I was always amazed and wanted to know, "How do you know that person?"  Well, today I realize that we all are separated by six steps or six degrees. 

A few weeks ago, I met someone that caught me off guard so much that I was almost speechless. Here's how it unfolded.  I was invited by Bishop Bill Issacs to speak about stewardship to the pastors of the Northern Ohio Conference of the Church of God denomination. I flew into Canton / Akron Airport and was picked up by the Bishop's Assistant, Chad Jordan.  I have never met Chad before, but he made a great first impression and made conversation very easy.

As we rode down the interstate, I asked Chad where he was from.  He said that he was from the Upstate of South Carolina, a small town called Fountain Inn.   I thought that was interesting but I did not think too much about it.  We drove on down the road and I said that I grew up in Abbeville.  He replied that his grandmother lived in Abbeville for a short period of time.  I thought that was interesting but if she only lived there a short time, I probably would not know her so I did not say anything.   We drove on. After a few minutes, I asked him what his grandmother's name was.  He said, "Mildred Jordan."

At that moment, I was speechless.  I told him that Mildred Jordan was my great aunt.  I was shocked ... extremely shocked becaused Mildred moved to Abbeville when I was in high school. She was a godly woman that lived a hard, hard life.  Her life was so difficult because of the person that she married. His name was John Jordan. They were probably married in the 1930s. They were poor textile workers like most of the population back then. Their lives were not hard because of their work, but because John was an addict.  John may have been bi-polar.  I am not sure, but I know that he was like Jeckyl and Hide. At times, he claimed to be a preacher calling people to live right and at other times, he was a hellion filled with anger and just plain meanness.

I never met John, but I grew up hearing tales of John Jordan. I remember my uncles hating the church because they associated John Jordan with the church. Mildred should have divorced John, but she did not. She was faithful. She stood by him when most of us would have moved on. 

So here I am ... riding down a cold northern Ohio highway with John Jordan's grandson.  I amin shock.  I told Chad what I knew about his grandfather and he said that his dad, Jack, followed in the footsteps of his dad.  My heart sank.  Chad's Dad was an addict too.  He told me that there were times when his mother would put he and his siblings to bed with all of their clothes and shoes on just in case their dad came home drunk. She wanted them to run to the neighbors house and call the police.  

As I heard Chad tell his story, I quietly wiped a few tears from my  eyes because I knew what he was telling me was the truth.  I knew the painful, painful family life that he came from.  I asked Chad, "How did you get out? How did you break the cycle?"  He said that when he was seventeen years old, he wandered into the Fountain Inn Church of God and the grace of Jesus Christ was extended to him.  He was radically saved and changed by the power of God.  Now, he is working in the State Office of Northern Ohio Churches of God.

My aunt Mildred died nearly twenty years ago.  She did not live long enough to see the results of her prayers, but today she has a grandson that is helping to shape a new generation of ministry. Chad is a testimony of the grace of God.  He is proof that the curse of addiction can be broken by the power of Jesus Christ.  We know that the Old Testament tells us that the sins of the fathers are passed down to the third and fourth generation.  Jesus came to break the curse of the evil one.  In Christ, we are free.

You never know who you are going to run into.  I thought that I  flew to Canton, Ohio to do a stewardship seminar for a group of pastors, but God had me there to re-connect with a cousin. Chad said something that made me laugh.  He said, "Yea, I remember when I was a little boy that my Grandmother took me to hear you preach."  Wow .... am I that old?  I guess so.

Thanks Chad for sharing your story and reminding me of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.