Water from the Rock
by
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WATER FROM THE ROCK
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel… I will sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.
Exodus 15.1
“and the people murmured against Moses,”
Exodus 17:3
“…and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall water out of it, that the people may drink.”
When they were rescued, they sang and they danced.
Later they were complaining. They were tired and they were thirsty.
They had a problem.
They could not depend on the Egyptians to take care of them. They were not slaves anymore. They were free. They were on their own.
We are a lot like the Israelites. Our memories are selective. They can interfere with our need to get on with the task at hand.
Sometimes our mind go back to when so many people came to Second Baptist Church we could not seat them all. We were the new dynamic Baptist Church on the eastern edge of the city. But, we must not be held hostage by our history. Nostalgia can grab you and drag you down if you are not careful.
Now we are the established, traditional, moderate voice in the heart of the city.
We must cherish our past but we must look for new ways minister, to serve, to love in the here and now.
Moses went forward and struck the rock. The water flowed. But not before he struck the rock with his staff.
Thanks be to God that nostalgia did not get the best of Moses and the children of Israel.
Thanks be to God that we can go forward with commitment and love.
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About the Book
Several years ago, I put some of my writings into a little book called Manna for the Journey. Since then, I have committed more thoughts to writing, and there were other early writings that were not included in the first book. Some writings in this publication are fifty years old, and some were written in 2018.
I have been inspired and challenged by several pastors including Jack Prince, Brooks Ramsey, James Hatley, Joel Snyder, Roger Lovette, Hal Poe, Mike Smith, Brent Beasley, and Stephen Cook. My early life was inspired by my father, John J. Smith, and by A. Scott Patterson.
When my pen starts to write, I sometimes do not know which of these men is the inspiration behind the writing.
The children of Israel needed both manna and water from the rock. I hope that these thoughts and musings provide sustenance for your journey through this life.
About the Author
Andrew Smith graduated from high school in 1950 and joined the Navy. After the end of the Korean Conflict he began his study in Architecture at Georgia Tech and received his BArch in 1961.
While he was in college he became the pastor of a small rural church just north of Atlanta called Dunwoody Baptist. He led the church to make several important and far reaching decisions.
Contrary to the expectations of the day, he did not feel a call to the professional ministry and began his career in Architecture in 1961. His architectural practice has produced many types of buildings in over twenty states. He now serves as an associate principal with Self Tucker Architects in Memphis, Tennessee.
He married Mary Jo Mynatt in 1953. They have three children, three grandchildren and four great grand children.
They have been members of Second Baptist Church in Memphis since 1968.