Monday Morning Manna: See You at the House

I made yet another emotional trip to Tennessee, this time to pick up several boxes of my late brother’s possessions – another trip I thought I’d never need to make. The trip home with the boxes was strangely like bringing him back home to Texas. Born in Houston (ten years after my own Texas birth), he was raised in Nacogdoches, graduated from High School in Nederland, employed by the Canaan Records division of Word, Inc. in Waco. With Canaan, he helped produce and promote recordings by The Happy Goodman Family, the Florida Boys, the Cathedral Quartet, the Lefevres, and many more. Transferring to Tennessee, he met and married Linda, and spent the majority of his life there, involved in the Southern Gospel music industry. Among other things, he wrote a monthly column for “Singing News” magazine. He was described by those in the industry as a walking encyclopedia of Southern Gospel Music. His memorial service was more like a Gospel Music concert with several groups singing and others of the industry speaking – for more than an hour and a half. His death was unexpected, as was the return home to Texas, of some of his possessions. His earthly remains abide in Nashville, and some of his earthly possessions now abide back home in Texas, but his eternal home was established when he was young. While his death was an untimely shock to those of us who remain, his heavenly house was prepared and awaiting his arrival (John 14:1-4). There he abides today. See you at the house, Bob.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.