Written by: Becky Hunter in Becky Hunter's Random Bits of Wisdom on May 21, 2012

Joel is from Shelby, Ohio. It’s where he was born and raised. Reminders of his hometown are not too hard to come by in our family. A picture of his hometown church hangs in his office, and a photo of his childhood home sits on a shelf. A souvenir glass from his 1965 championship high school football season boasts in a faded red and grey “Go Whippets!” When our sons were young we even had a dog named Shelby. (She was a Lhasa-Poo, not a Whippet, so the name was a bit of a stretch, but we made it work.)

Memorial Day weekend we’ll be in Shelby because Joel has been invited to give the commencement address to the 2012 graduates of SHS. And on Sunday morning he will preach in his hometown church; the church that sent him to seminary with its blessing and prayers. A picture of Joel taken in 1966 still hangs on the wall in the church foyer.

A weekend like this one is special. It’s a reminder that what we do, how we live, in each season of life matters a lot. Results of our choices are always about more than our own spiritual maturity. Our decisions impact our families and our communities. When we make godly choices we help earth be more like heaven.

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).