Sobering Reality

Early Sunday morning (20 September 2015) we heard the news that our good friend, colleague in ministry, and fellow alumnus of Point University, Joey Mullins, died during the night. In some ways it was not all that surprising, given the kind of cancer he had been fighting against; but in other ways utterly shocking because Joey put forth such a great, Christ-like attitude in the battle that you just assumed he would win. Should I ever face such a moment, I pray that I would be as strong as he has been. 

Of course in real terms he did win – but in more temporal terms that awful disease called cancer won. For Diane, he three sons Brandon, Jason and John, and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, brothers and sisters and a ton of friends there is that vacant spot in life once filled with a godly follower of Jesus. 

Vicki knew Joey longer than I did since they grew up together at Central Christian Church in St. Petersburg, Florida where Joey’s father and Vicki’s father were elders and worked with Curt Hess to build a great church in St. Petersburg. When he came to Atlanta Christian College a year behind us, he and I became friends in a kind of friendship that would last a life time. We were actually friends before Vicki and I ever had our first date – but that friendship was so strong for both of us that Joey was a groomsman in our wedding.

Joey and I were on a “youth team” as they were called back then, along with other friends our junior year in college and had lots of fun travelling all over the southeast. When Vicki and I graduated, we both went to graduate school in Cincinnati and a year later, Joey and Diane moved to Ohio and Joey preached at a church not too far from Cincinnati and enrolled in grad school as well. Vicki, Joey, and I often met at Stake-n-Shake for “ACC Alumni” meetings in the shadow of “THE seminary” as they saw themselves!

Our lives took different paths, but both in ministry. Joey served a church in Florida, and then in Bremen, Georgia. He was, in no uncertain terms, a very fine student of Scripture and a very good preacher. No church he served ever realized what a great person they had chosen as their preacher. While he was at Bremen, our paths crossed again because we both cared deeply about Woodland Christian Camp. Joey was born to be a camp leader and his presence at Woodland made my being a program director a piece of cake! I don’t know how many years we worked together at Woodland, but every time I was with him I was reminded of the blessing of a good friend.

Joey eventually became a leader in a group focused on better child care for poverty stricken children in Georgia. My youngest daughter, Bethany, worked with that organization for a while. He was greatly respected by his colleagues and his passion for being Jesus to children caught in the most difficult of circumstances was amazing.

Even though he didn’t spend the last part of his life in a local church as a preacher, folks at Bethany Christian Church in Carrollton where his brother-in-law Alan Howard was the preacher and later at First Christian Church in Carrollton were blessed by his ministry. He believed in the local church and was committed to sharing in its ministry.

During this extended period of battling with cancer, Joey wrote and posted some amazing blogs on a website called Caring Bridge. I – along with Vicki – followed those posts religiously. Back in the spring I talked with him about speaking for a class I facilitate at Point called “Healthy Congregations.” I wanted him to come and talk to the young men and women in the class – future kingdom leaders – about how to minister to critically ill people. In that conversation Joey told me he was putting those posts into book form and that the book would be published. The title of the book is Hezekiah’s Maple: One Man’s Journey with Cancer and Hope. It is available on Amazon.com. He was excited about coming to my class – and I was excited about what he could say to my students. I will have to purchase them a copy of the book – it is too important a subject to ignore.

Joey was just a year younger than I am. It isn’t all that unusual to see people in our age category to be listed alphabetically in the metro section of the AJC under the heading “Obituaries.” Yet it is still a sobering reality to think that such a good friend, a colleague in ministry, and just all around great guy is no longer among us.

I’ve been praying for Joey’s healing since the first day I learned of his cancer diagnosis. We saw him and Diane at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Newnan several times – on one occasion delivering a Point University baseball cap he wanted.  Vicki regularly sent cards and notes – including the “40 cent” reminder of a childhood joke. Since early Sunday morning, I’ve been praying for Diane, her boys and their families, and so many people who have this idea that someone important is missing and no longer among us. I think about all the families served by Georgia Family Connection Partnership. They have lost a great advocate. I think about all the kids yet to come to Woodland Christian Camp who won’t get to experience a week of camp with him.

All of that is deeply saddening. But I also must think of our great promise of a day coming when the kingdom Christ inaugurated and in which Joey faithfully served will be fully consummated and the children of God will be fully revealed. Paul says that so great is that hope that even creation itself longs for it (Romans 8:18-25). Joey now knows that text better than I – but I suspect he might think creation at Woodland is on the verge of shouting about God’s glory, knowing that among the redeemed are Joseph Clay Mullins.

Vicki and I are sending a gift to Woodland this morning in memory of Joey. I’d love to encourage you to do the same.