Today's Scripture Reading (July 23, 2025): 1 Chronicles 20
I am proud of my family. I'm not sure if that's
allowable, but I hope it's something we can all agree on as we look at our
families. Many years ago, I was in a neighboring city and walked into a music
store to look at some keyboards. The salesperson took an interest in my name.
She confided that her maiden name was Mullen, and then she asked if I was an "Eastern
Mullen" or a "Western Mullen." I admitted that I was actually a
displaced "Eastern Mullen." And then she made this comment: "Are
your relatives a bunch of drunks, too?" Maybe it is stereotypical behavior
for an Irish family to be filled with people who like to spend their time at
the local pub, but the reality is that my relatives are not a bunch of drunks. Most
of them are high achievers in a wide variety of endeavors.
Notable individuals in my family would include my
great-grandmother, Elizabeth Mullen, who pioneered the roles of women in the
Church. My great-uncle, Leonard Klinck, was an early President of the
University of British Columbia. I have an uncle, Dave Deeks, who built an
impressive insurance company. My sister, Cheri Schwartz, continues to climb the
rungs of the local public education system. And if you are into gaming, check
out "My Name is Kieran." There you will be introduced to my nephew,
Kieran Schwartz. There are more, but I don't want to bore you too much with my
family history. All of them have fought through barriers so that they could make
an impact on the world in which we live. I must admit that sometimes I think I
may be quite a disappointment in the family tree. But I am proud of them and
all of their accomplishments. Another generation is just beginning to make its
influence felt on the world around them.
David is getting older. He is not done yet, but it
might be safe to say that his giant-slaying days are now in the past. However,
that does not mean that no more giants remain in the world who need to be tamed.
David might not still be a giant killer, but there were people out there who
were ready to take on the giants, and those giant killers included Jonathan,
the son of David's brother, Shimea, also known as Shammah. The next generation
was ready to step up and fight the giants.
Maybe I am not done yet with fighting the giants in
my world. There are still things left that I feel called to do. But one day, I
will leave the giant fighting to the next generation of fighters. As long as
there are giant problems in our world, I believe that God still calls people to
address those issues. Fighting the giants might be our job right now; tomorrow,
they will be the problem of those who come after us. But hopefully, we will be
proud of them for picking up the fight and continuing the battle, just as I am
sure that David was proud of his nephew, Jonathan.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 11
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