Belinda Lee Groover - Missionary to the ER

Early in the 1970s while Vicki and I were students at Atlanta Christian College, a new student arrived by the name of Belinda Lee. She came to ACC already having graduated as a registered nurse. She was from Tampa, Florida and had plans perhaps to become a medical missionary. I’m fairly confident I had some classes with her (assuming my memory is accurate) and think Vicki did as well.

At the same time – Vicki and I weren’t even dating yet, much less married – ACC hired a new professor by the name of Eddie Groover. He was fresh out of Emmanuel School of Religion (now Emmanuel Christian Seminary) and a refreshing new voice on the campus at ACC. I especially remember his church history, restoration history, and contemporary theology classes. They started me on a journey that continues to this day.

Fast forward a few years and Vicki and I both graduate from ACC and get married later that summer. Eddie and Belinda Groover had become an item on campus. Eddie came down to St. Petersburg with Roy McKinney for our wedding. We go off to graduate school and eventually come back to join the faculty at ACC. By now, Eddie is married to Belinda and we get to renew friendships that began years before. Both Vicki and I remember that on the wedding gift we sent them, we addressed the card “Mr. Groover and Belinda.” Eddie had not quite finished his Ph.D. yet, but because of how we were raised, neither of us felt comfortable saying “Eddie” to a former professor.

I remember lots of stories from that period in our lives. When we moved to Atlanta, Vicki was on a pretty strict regimen of week allergy preventing injections. One of the things that concerned us was finding a doctor’s office where she could go and get the injections (and we could afford). We should not have worried. Belinda was an R.N. and in her ever gracious and giving spirit, volunteered to keep the medicine in their refrigerator on Dodson Drive near the old campus and Vicki could just stop by for the injection each week. 

Those were the days of Wingo’s Steak House on Campbellton Road in Atlanta – not too far from campus. For $1.50, you could get a “small KC steak, baked potato, salad, and desert.” I have no idea how many times the Huxfords, Groovers, and Roy McKinney had dinner at Wingo’s. Even after both families started having children – we would often meet up at Wingo’s for dinner.

Over the years, Eddie would become academic dean at ACC and eventually president. He would serve with distinction in those areas – and at every step of the way, Belinda was by his side. To see Eddie and Belinda together was always a portrait of a loving couple who deeply cared about one another.

But Belinda also had a life of her own. She was, as both of her sons have written about, a great mother and ultimately grandmother. Their home in East Point and later Fayetteville was always a place of welcome and great hospitality.

Remember, though, she was a nurse! So for many, many years, if you went to the emergency room at Clayton General Hospital that is now Southern Regional Medical Center, you might very well see Belinda Groover. During the twenty years I served as minister at First Christian, I visited that emergency room many times. I saw Belinda in action on many of those visits. She was in control, attentive, concerned, empathetic, and just an all-around Jesus-like person to her patients. If you’ve ever been in a large hospital’s emergency room – especially on the weekends – you know what a chaotic place that can be. Belinda maneuvered in that world as well as anyone I’ve ever seen. 

If you read the title I gave this – Missionary to the ER – you understand where I’m going. I am pretty confident I remember hearing the “medical missionary” goal of Belinda early on in our friendship as students. In those days, that meant “going across the pond” somewhere.

But the truth is, in the emergency room at Southern Regional Hospital on the southside of metro-Atlanta, Belinda no doubt met people from dozens and dozens of backgrounds – countries of origin, ethnicities, faith groups, etc. Where else could you be more “missionary” than in an urban ER where every person you meet has deep and serious need?

At Point we constantly talk about taking faith into the workplace. We really believe in the idea of the priesthood of all believers. We believe that no matter what you do to earn a living and pay the bills, you can be Jesus to those you encounter while at work.

Truthfully that wasn’t quite a big a topic in the days that Belinda was a student at ACC as it is now. But equally truthfully she modeled what we are talking about all the time with grace and fruitfulness that is of God and God alone. 

Belinda was, in the best sense of the phrase, an ordinary saint. I am grateful that our paths in life crossed and that I can tell others through this blogsite about a great witness for the kingdom.

Her death early in the morning this past Sunday (2 December) took her away from family and friends and that of course is heartbreaking. But her victory on the other side is cause for all of us to look at and follow her example. As Paul said – adjusted a bit for gender – “imitate Belinda as she imitated Christ.” 

Hopefully there is a Wingo’s in heaven and one day we can all have a “small KC” together again!

Nancy Taylor . . . Plain and Tall

Patrician Maclachlan’s Newberry Medal winning book, Sarah, Plain and Tall, is a story of much of what makes for healthy human relationships. As a children’s book, it is the first of five in a series of books about the Witting family and the American settlement of the prairies in the late 19^th century.

When I think about the life of Nancy Taylor, the title of that book jumps out at me in the most positive of ways. Nancy was plain – and by that I mean “no frills” covered up the real person she was. She was tall, at least relatively speaking. 

I don’t remember when I first met Nancy, but Vicki knew her and her family in St. Petersburg , Florida before they came to East Point, Georgia to prepare for ministry. In fact, Vicki says that the fact that Nancy was nearby was one of the reasons her parents allowed her to come all the way to Atlanta Christian College in the Fall of 1969. In a sense that means I owe a great debt to Nancy – had she not been “nearby” I likely would never have met Vicki!

I went to Woodland Christian Camp with Nancy for many years. Often I was the program director and she was “the girl’s cabin overseer.” She also went to camp with other people over the years and I know those people would say the same thing I say about having her at camp. Nancy was made for camp! She could manage not only the campers, but the sometimes maybe-too-young counselors as well and make the week of camp a blessing for all concerned.  For many years, Nancy not only gave of her time, energy, and giftedness to Woodland, she also made monthly gifts to the camp.  It’s that kind of generous heart that models what following Jesus ought to look like.

Nancy worked at what was at the time Atlanta Christian College. She did a variety of jobs, from working in the library to the registrar’s office, then for many years as “the front door” to the academic office. She finished her career at Point working part-time in student life.

But it really didn’t matter where Nancy worked on our campus. Students found her, flocked to her, and learned from her about what life is all about. She led small groups for spiritual formation and had packed-apartment Bible studies in her home on campus. Looking at social media posts about her death, I think as many men posted how influential she had been in their lives as women did. She might not have ever taught in a classroom, but she taught tons of good stuff to students preparing for ministry – men and women!

Nancy never gave up on the church – though some of her life experiences might have caused those not so committed to Jesus to do just that. She didn’t just go to church – she led women’s circles, taught Sunday School classes, stayed in the nursery, visited the sick, and gave generously. 

Nancy loved people and found ways to let them know. Over the past few weeks lots of people have commented to me personally, commented on social media, sent me emails, etc. All of them have a common theme: “I remember when Mrs. Taylor . . . “ That fill-in-the blank spot was filled from things as varied as “made chocolate chip cookies for me” to “made play-time spats with a pair of socks and some buttons.” It might have been filled “gave me some really good advice” or simply “just listened to my story.” 

Sometimes people Nancy’s age who are believers and for whom life hasn’t always worked out as they wished it would have can become bitter. Not Nancy. She would sometimes tell me what some of her peers were saying about Woodland, ACC, or young adults. Rather than being bitter, critical, and negative at the drop of a hat – Nancy simply loved on students, colleagues, and friends in a way that modeled the kind of life Jesus lived. For all of us who were the beneficiaries of that kind spirit, I hope we are allowing it to shape our lives today – including giving up on being overly critical, bitter, negative, and gossipy!

Nancy never learned to drive. How in the world did she raise five boys and not be able to drive! But, Nancy always showed up where Nancy needed to be. She was blessed with some great friends who helped make that happen. My guess is that most people who gave Nancy a ride somewhere were blessed by her company!

But, to go back to the “Nancy showed up where Nancy needed to be” comment. We live in an age where for a variety of reasons we don’t always “show up where we need to be.” It is so tempting to let social media become the substitute for our presence. That could be, at least in part, the reason for the ugly, divisive spirit that permeates our culture right now. We have substituted a Face Book post for presence.

I’m pretty sure Nancy Taylor would never do that. Perhaps we can learn from Nancy . . . Plain and Tall. It could make for healthier human relationships because God seems to honor presence in ways that are amazing. The Word . . . that was in the beginning, was with God, and was God . . . that Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us! (John 1)

Presence. I'll always remember that about our dear friend Nancy . . . Plain and Tall! 

Ordinary Saints . . . Dan and Julia Fowler

When I created this blog site, my goal was to tell stories about ordinary followers of Jesus whose lives don’t always get noticed beyond a pretty small circle of family and friends. While I invited others to send me their own stories of ordinary saints, the site has been mostly ordinary saints I knew.

But today I will tell an ordinary saint story of someone I didn’t know personally, but know people who knew him. I do know his wife from many years ago and she has provided most of what I plan to share.

Here’s where I think the story needs to start. These words were written by Julia Fowler, a good friend of my sister-in-law Patti Kindt Hindman.

“Yes, I have read some of Wye’s blogs, most recently the one about Wendell Baggett and Mike Portwood. . . . I would never have thought of my situation as “bloggable,” especially not in the category of “ordinary saints;” maybe just “ordinary” 😉  However, the last 2 Sundays we have had a guest pastor preaching; he did a 2 part sermon. He preached on Romans 6:1-14 on how to move from defeat to victory; how we should not give up on areas of defeat in our lives and we have to believe who we are in Christ. Essentially, our belief determines our behavior. Sure, we are sinners, but we were bought with a price which makes us saints. He said that in scripture we are referred to as “saints” over “sinners” 10:1. I want to live a victorious life and not a defeated life. I am fine with Wye using my story if he would like to (he doesn’t even have to change my name).”

I don’t want to change Julia’s name because her comments above get at something that is so important for us to realize. The truth is that most of us probably discount what God has done in our lives and are uncomfortable thinking of ourselves as “ordinary saints.” But . . . in Christ. 

In Christ, everything changes and that is really extraordinary – but the reason I use ordinary is because of how our culture thinks about who possibly could be a saint. The Bible I’ve been reading all my life reminds me regularly just how much God apparently loves using us ordinary folks.

Julia has an amazing story to tell. I knew the basics of the story from Patti but didn’t really grasp its stunning nature until I read what she sent to me. Here it is, in Julia’s words:

“On May 31 Dan Fowler was cycling on a two-lane highway and was struck an

d killed by a 19 year old man driving a pick-up truck. The man was not under the influence and was not on a cell phone. Julia Fowler was informed of Dan’s death and one of her immediate reactions was to ask if she could contact someone to ask that the young man’s life not be ruined with charges. She was later contacted by the D.A. who told her he would have to bring chargers. Julia learned that the young man and his family go to her church. It’s a very large church and she knew of the family but didn’t know them. Julia asked their pastor if he could arrange a meeting of the two families so she could tell the young man that she forgave him. The meeting occurred exactly one week after Dan’s death and she was able to tell the young man, face-to-face, that she forgave him.”

Patti tells me that Julia’s desire for mercy for the 19 year old driver was present from the very beginning. That not only speaks to the kind of faith Julia and Dan shared, but is a prophetic word to a culture that seems determined to punish people no matter what. I can only wish more Christians would get on this same page.

Patti mentioned, as she shared this story, how much freedom she must have given the driver by forgiving him. Even if he eventually serves time – and that’s not yet decided by the courts – “at least he will always know that the wife of the man he killed forgives him.” It is impossible to measure the power of that testimony to the world about the transforming power of the gospel. 

As you read above, Julia said that she wants “to live a victorious life and not a defeated life.” Looks to me like she is doing just that.

Dan and Julia were just an ordinary married couple, living out life and engaged in the church. All but unspeakable tragedy invaded that ordinary life without notice. Julia’s response is anything but ordinary in once sense of the word, but in another – the very natural, ordinary way a saint responds.

We need to hear more stories like this!