Ever get caught up in a TV series, book series, or series of short stories? How about life? It flies by before you know it. And whether you want it to or not. I’m going to call this series “Unforgiven – 31 Years Later” and let it roll out, however God needs it to. It’s a journey with many twists and turns. How much of it relates to the title? I’ll let you decide.
A Story of Two BFFs
It started in high school and grew from there. Two teenage boys, Gerry and Scott (yes that’s me). Scott was on his way, learning about God. He actually accepted Christ on Spring Break of his senior year. Gerry was already a young growing Christian.
The two actually went to two different high schools. They met through a club used to reach out to teenagers. They share how God loves you and cares about every part of your everyday life. Through a spring break trip and various club meetings, Gerry and Scott became buddies.
The relationship really bonded through college. Prior to this, Scott took a year to live with his grandparents in Venice, Florida right after accepting Christ, and right after graduating from high school. His Granddad had Leukemia and he took time to help out as much as he could during that time. A year later, Scott moved back home and started college.
As their relationship developed, they became almost inseparable. There were several skipped classes as they hung with the rest of their crew at The Grill. And then there were weekend road trips. And other adventures. Like the snow of 1982.
The Snow of ’82
Gerry had a Landrover. The kind of vehicle you see on an African Safari. The memories of diving the backroads in the Landrover with drifts taller than the vehicle was amazing. One guy even came out of his house and ask if he could get a ride because it was his weekly bowling league time.
A little-known fact about the Snow of ’82 is that Terre Haute had 12″ of snow on February 7th. The Blizzard of ’78 had 20+ inches. The bigger difference was the wind left 20′ drifts in ’78. Nonetheless, it was the college boy’s challenge to tackle the roads and be heroes by helping others out of the drifts.
The Trip to Florida
Gerry, Scott, and four others made a big trip to Florida on the following year’s college Spring Break. Scott’s grandparents lived there and Scott had lived there in 1980-81 as stated earlier. So they set up a trip to enjoy the weather as well as to share their testimonies at a couple of churches.
Canada
Then there was the more significant trip to Canada. That was a great adventure of tackling the wilderness, the waters, the mosquitos, the camping, and more. They even built a cross on a rocky point of one of the lakes. The bond was really growing.
Sharing the Gospel
Gerry and Scott were even volunteering for a ministry together. They were giving 5-10 hours a week building relationships with high school teens and sharing the gospel with them.
College Graduation and The Other Half of The Story
Midway through college Scott found a gal with a few things in common, Marie. This will be the other half of the story mostly not told. The items in common started with both being Social Work majors. Their relationship actually began on a Social Work Spring break trip to the eastern hills of Kentucky where a flood had just ruined many homes in the hollers.
The Story Takes a Turn
As Marie enters the story, things continue to roll right along. Next week I will pick back up on this story of two great friends. So come back next week for Part 2 of Unforgiven – 31 Years Later. Experience the turns it begins to take. You won’t believe the ending.
Check out this related song by Jeremy Camp:
Challenge of the Week
The challenge for almost all of us in relationships is trust. Trust isn’t just given. Trust is earned. But you have to be willing to give it away first. Who is it in your life that needs your trust? Maybe you fill like they haven’t earned your trust. But until you give them yours, you might never see their trust. You can always trust Jesus. Start by trusting Him. So be it.
