The Son Also Rises: Divinely Encountered Too

By Gordon Lloyd Jones

Why did God inspire the Bible to be written? He cared.

Why did I write this book? I cared.

Acta, non verba

G. Lloyd Jones

Rags to Redeemed to Revealed

This book is a story of rags to redeemed to revealed. Why me? Why write this book? Who would read it? These are questions I assume most authors ask themselves. There is a profusion of books written showing how God continues to interact with His people. For me, this book is personal; it is a continuation and illustration of my first book with many pictures. It's also an endeavor to give specificity to God's faithfulness, mercy, and engagement in the life of His people and in the life of His, working on being humble, servants. Soli Deo gloria!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888514580

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Prologue: Why?

Chapter 1: It's a Wonderful Life

Chapter 2: People Who Need People

Chapter 3: Sports

Chapter 4: Words, Quotes, and Phrases

Chapter 5: Encounters of a Divine Kind

Chapter 6: Books, Movies, Lists, a Skit, and a Poem

Chapter 7: God's Numbers

Chapter 8: Sermons

Epilogue: Why Not?

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The Son Also Rises: Divinely Encountered Too

Gordon Lloyd Jones

ISBN 979-8-88851-457-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88851-459-7 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88851-458-0 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Gordon Lloyd Jones

All rights reserved

First Edition

Credit for the Maysville photos: Alex McClanahan, Bob, and Missy Hendrickson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

I dedicate this second book to my loving wife, Cathy Jones; my never-give-up mother, Evelyn Faris Jones Earhart; my dad, Henry Jones; my stepfather, Paul Earhart; my two sons, Jeremy (April) and Joshua Jones; and my two brothers, Bill (Gail) and Paul Kelly (Sherry) Earhart.

Also, I adore my grandkids Leigh (Austin) Gripshover and Jerran (Autumn) Jones. Special recognition to a cute-as-a-button great-grandson Miller Gripshover and three nieces, Billie Jones, Megan (Kyle) Maddox, and Amanda (Chris) Conley, and their families.

Also, I must dedicate this book to my brother-in-law Roger Clark and sister-in-law Betty Clark and their wonderful parents, George and Evelyn Clark, and a special friend Lucy Hoskins. They taught me what it really means to be a Christian. Last but not least is my wonderful sister Angela Pope; her awesome husband, Joe; and their twelve outstanding children and their grandchildren! As you can see, I am truly blessed with a large family tree.

Foreword

The Jones family and the Pope family became good friends when we attended church together in 2003 at Grace Church in Washington, Kentucky. It wasn't long after that Gordon was adopted as a brother and an uncle. His care, advice, love, and prayers have been cherished by my family for many years.

Have you ever met someone who was enthusiastic about something? Just listening to them speak about their passion draws you into wanting to join in the mission! Anyone who has been around Gordon for very long would know his amazing heart for the lost, suffering, and misguided and for those who just need a friend. This passion has led to many divinely encountered meetings with many precious people. Gordon shares how God has used these encounters to bless him and those he has met.

I pray that you also are blessed by the sharing of these encounters. I pray that the passion for God and others shared by Gordon will touch your heart, and may it lead to divinely encountered meetings for you as well!

A blessed sister,

Angela Pope

Acknowledgments

I wish to acknowledge that any and every ability and skill I might have comes from only one source—God. Jesus put me on the road less traveled—the way, and the Holy Spirit continued to spur me (Heb. 10:24) to write a book over many years. Finally, I acquiesced!

My wife, Cathy Jones, was the main earthly force that pressed me toward finding the One from whom all divine encounters flow. I must also acknowledge the profusion of excellent teachers at Maysville High School (go, Bulldogs), elementary and junior high schools, Maysville Community and Technical College, and the University of Kentucky. Also, many thanks to my friend Pastor Yancy Adamson Jr., who spurred me to write this book and is also writing a book concurrently named The Charlois Manifesto, and to my dear friend Betty Shuman who is also concurrently writing a book, Being Sustained by Your Creator.

Prologue: Why?

Why?

Are you a gambler? If so, let me ask the question: What are the odds? Coincidence vs. Godincidence? Why me? Why write this second book, and who would read it? These are questions I must ask myself, and you are welcome to do the same. In my mind and through the suggestions of those more learned than me, I should have illustrated the first book much better. This second edition will be specifically for that purpose with some new additions and several deletions. I have added many pictures of characters in the book and more information on my beautiful river town of Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville has just been named number one in the list of the top ten small towns in the southern United States by USA Today magazine!

There is a profusion of books written showing how God continues to interact with His people. For me, this second book is even more personal. It is my endeavor to give specificity to God's faithfulness, mercy, and engagement in the lives of His people and His, at times, not-so-humble servant. In acknowledging the Holy Spirit as my travel guide through life, I must also acknowledge that people, movies, and especially books have had a major influence as well.

If you have read book one, Divinely Encountered, you already know. I suppose, the Hebrews 10:24 reason to write this book is the following: He cares! Throughout my life, I have heard people occasionally offer the following comment: Yeah, God worked miracles in the Old and New Testament, but He doesn't do that for me or doesn't need to do that today because we have His book, the Bible, to guide us. Their argument continues, after all, in Luke 16. Didn't Abraham even say to the rich man in torment who wanted his five brothers to be warned, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them'? To that, I say, au contraire.

Now rest assured that I am neither Abraham, Moses, nor a prophet. I assume you know that. However, I continue to witness many Godincidences that I sorely wish to share and now illustrate. Some of these are repeated from book one. The reason I repeated some of the stories from book one is that I feared some would read book two and not book one and not experience those divine encounters. Book two will include new stories as well. One word given no credence in this book is coincidence. I think the prophet Jeremiah destroyed that myth many centuries ago—in 29:11.

Presently, I am also writing a third book titled WWII: The Fighting Faris Family. It features my four uncles, Shay, Russell, James, and Earl, who fought in WWII as well as their only sister, my mother, Evelyn Faris Jones Earhart.

As I begin this second book, my purpose and prayer are this: "Lord, as I am in the fall season of my life, please allow this second book to help me remain relevant in making society aware of you." I would ask the reader to forgive me for talking so much about me in this autobiography, but I must do so to facilitate talking about Him. May my life and yours, the reader, be abundant in the context of the scripture for my first sermon many years ago in Philippians 2:3, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. So be it, Lord!

As you read through the book, you will see many pictures. Since our society is so visual today, a well-known Kentucky writer and friend of mine who writes for four journals in Kentucky suggested pictures would enhance the journey. I pray they will brag about our gracious God. He nurtured me from being a painfully shy sixth grader who stood off by himself at recess to becoming a Pastor, college educator, and author. God truly took a poor Kentucky boy from rags to redeemed to revealed.

In closing this prologue, let me reaffirm that if this book makes me out to be more special than you, I have failed. However, if this book opens your eyes to the goodness and providence of God, I have succeeded. I wish to give credit to my Savior Jesus Christ and those who encouraged me to continue on this journey—to write a second story of rags to redeemed to revealed! (John 3:30).

Soli Deo gloria!

Scribo ergo sum!

Lest we forget.

Chapter 1

It's a Wonderful Life

First, might I give you some geographical context? Where in the world is my hometown of Maysville, Kentucky? This beautiful little river town is nestled and nurtured on the southern banks of the Ohio River about sixty miles north of Lexington, Kentucky, and sixty miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Frontiersman Simon Kenton made the first settlement in the area of Maysville in 1775 but temporarily abandoned it to fight in the western battles of the American Revolution. Returning in 1784, Kenton built a small blockhouse, Kenton's Station fort, at the site of a town named Washington, which was three miles inland. Later, Washington expanded to include the small town of Limestone on the Ohio River. Limestone, later renamed Maysville, was established in 1787 at the site of a tavern operated for three years (1786–1789) by frontiersman Daniel Boone and his wife, Rebecca. This tavern was visited by Davy Crockett. Many years later, the towns of Maysville and Washington combined to become modern-day Maysville.

Historical marker 68 in Maysville commemorates the founding of Maysville located in Mason County. Similar in function to the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains, Maysville was a natural avenue for the earliest settlers to enter Kentucky.

Though small in stature and population, Maysville's progeny includes quite a few famous people. Obviously, Daniel Boone was a patron of Maysville owning a tavern there. The singer and film star Rosemary Clooney was born on May 23, 1928, on Front Street in Maysville, one of five children born to her parents. George Clooney stops in Maysville occasionally at Caproni's Restaurant on the river and Magee's bakery. He won an Oscar for his role in Syriana and was raised in the small town of Augusta, about sixteen miles west of Maysville.

The setting of Maysville has special significance for the Clooney family. In 1953, The Stars Are Singing, starring Rosemary Clooney, George Clooney's aunt, premiered in Maysville. Also of note, Heather Renee French Henry, wife of a previous Kentucky lieutenant governor, Steve Henry, won the 2000 Miss America award. She was the first Kentuckian to do so. Her parents are our wonderful neighbors, Ron and Diana French. Supreme Court Justice Stanley F. Reed served on the court from 1938 to 1957. Other notables include Civil War generals William Bull Nelson and Albert Sidney Johnston.

In addition, we list basketball players Chris Lofton, the University of Tennessee's all-time leading three-point shooter; University of Kentucky basketball players Deron Feldhaus and his dad, Allen Feldhaus; the