The Loving-Kindness of the Lord

As a circuit preacher, Robert Sheffey and his horse traveled fourteen mountain counties in Virginia and West Virginia. An elder denied him a license to preach because he had strange and quirky notions. Folks witnessed him praying for hours on a hill. He gave his socks to a cold traveler. He also gave his beloved horse to a family in need. The mountain folks fed him his favorites: honey for his biscuits and buttermilk to drink.Robert’s love for the Lord matured through the stages of his life.Young Robert: He darted his gaze this way and that as he stuffed his mouth full of honeycomb. Cook appeared in the doorway. He ran as he dodged a swat from the cook’s broom. He made it out the front door and leaped stomach first onto the saddle. Robert settled in and nudged his horse into a gallop.Middle Aged Robert: 'Lord, come quickly, like a descending dove. Forgive them. For their stiff shirt collars and brand-new suits make it hard. They cannot look down from the pulpit to see if anyone stands at the altar. Forgive them, Lord. They are small potatoes and very few in the hill . . .'Elderly Robert: 'I am told a new age has eaten freely from the tree of knowledge. That classrooms will banish hate and hypocrisy. Loneliness and need will wither in a coming intellect. It promises to rise to greater heights than anything ever dreamed of at the Tower of Babel.' 6