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!
Wye Huxford 