Francis and Edith Schaeffer

I was sitting on my porch this morning, attempting to have a quiet time. There were mutiple distractions. I was trying to absorb myself in the first chapter of John but I need a little more quiet to wrap myself around the concept of, "The Word was God, The Word was with God, all things were made by The Word, etc.". Anything having to do with the concept of "God always was and always will be" takes a little time for me to handle, not to mention at least two cups of coffee.

So I gave up my study of the Word and picked up the book I brought with me, Great Leaders of the Christian Church. It was a Goodwill find, 69 cents because it is paperback. What a jewel of a book. I bought it because it had Francis Schaeffer's picture as one of the "Great Leaders"...my spiritual father. I'll go back and read about Luther, Augustine, Knox, the Wesleys, etc. but I had to immediately turn to see what they said about Schaeffer.

I was physically in my rocking chair on my front porch, at the edge of the forest. However, mentally I became eighteen years old again and in the midst of the Jesus People revolution. As a new Christian, I'd been attending a Wesleyan church with a friend (a nod to the Wesleys here). It was a good church but God soon took this little seedling and transplanted me into a Presbyterian church with rich spiritual soil. I didn't know just how rich, then. I thought every church was like this. This was the era where Francis Schaeffer was being studied by conservative Presbyterians (my soon-to-meet future husband was experiencing the same thing in a Reformed Presbyterian church college group).

I had a pastor and many teachers who took the cream that was Francis Schaeffer's books and turned them into spiritual infant formula for those of us who had recently come to know Him. It would take an entire blog in itself to share what I learned in those early years. I think it can be boiled down to what the Great Leaders book said about Schaeffer, he taught "the Lordship of Christ in the totality of life" and "if Jesus Christ be Lord, He must be Lord of all in every way".

As for Edith, she taught me what a Godly woman should look like. She taught that God is the Creator and has given creativity within us to be used in our home and in our life. In her books, she showed me the art of cooking and setting a pretty table is just as "religious" as going to church. She taught this new Christian that washing dishes with a good attitude is Christ-like. All things considered, good seeds planted in good soil.

For those who have not read the Schaeffer's books, they do not ask to be put on a pedestal. They are very honest about their own strengths and weaknesses. Their message is very much, "If God can use me, He can use you". I like that. It was good food for an infant Christian and it is still good.

The roots grew deep, they have protected the tree from the hurricane force winds that is what we know as...life. I'm a lot more battered and bruised then I was back then but I've survived. I know God has used other spiritual fathers and mothers in the lives of other people. However, it was the Schaeffer's that God provided for me as my spiritual "parents" and I will be eternally grateful.