Scripture: James 1:17-27
Shirley Bachelder is a 94-year-old woman who lives in Franklin, Tennessee. Shirley has been keeping a bucket list since she was nine years old, listing all the things she wants to do before she dies. Crossing off items on her bucket list, Shirley travelled across the world, took a ride in a hot air balloon, and when she was sixty years old graduated from college with a degree in art. She is a former missionary, an active member of her Methodist church, and someone who has lively conversations with God. One time long ago, Shirley asked God, “What can I do for you?” She got a curious reply: God wanted her to buy a 5-second ad on primetime television to share God’s message. It would “cost a bundle”, she said, so Shirley added it to her bucket list, where it sat for years.[1] But last month members of Shirley’s Bible study class told a local TV news reporter, and the station ran a human interest feature about her. In the middle of the story, they included five seconds with Shirley Bachelder’s message from God. White type on a black background carried three words: “love one another”. Shirley’s story has been shared countless times in the weeks since, including in Canada, the United Kingdom, China and the Philippines.[2] Everyone could use a reminder of God’s message through Shirley: “love one another”.
Pastor Oby Ballinger 