by Kay Etheredge

One of my favorite books is The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr.  It is an allegorical fantasy about a pre-human world where animals can talk.  One of my favorite parts is where Pertelote, a wise hen, sings to the animals to warn them of the evil that is to come.

“Yet in the lovely clothing of this ballad, Pertelote told them what she knew of the danger that was approaching.  She told them of the serpents which crawled and killed.  But because such knowledge came to them in a song, the animals felt equal to this evil, and they did not panic…Her ballad hid nothing of their dread. But the music itself spoke of faith and certainty; the melody announced the presence of God”.

Maybe I’m going too far out on a literary limb, but I believe one of the purposes for the existence of Brother Bryan Mission can be found in parts of this book…to speak to the men of faith and certainty (found in God’s Word) and have it sound like a melody announcing the presence of God.

We were told at last night’s graduation that the men of Brother Bryan Mission leave knowing the Bible, and this is beautifully true.   Brother Bryan doesn’t rely on publicity stunts or gimmicks; rather we trust in the efficacy and faithfulness of God through His Word, which is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword.  The men memorize His Word and learn how to apply it to their own specific life situations.  It is definitely one of the main tenets that is unapologetically taught here.

There are men who come through these doors who have experienced things that most of us can’t comprehend.  Many of them verbalize they feel like BBM is their last chance.  Some have seen their own children incarcerated.  Some have lost children in tragic ways.  Some are estranged from family members and have been for years, with no idea how or where to begin for reconciliation.  Some believe themselves to be “less than” in every way, and what a privilege to see them being taught what the God of the universe believes about them, the very One who both imagined and created them, is such a grace.  One man said last night that he’d spent over half his life in prison.  We know this man to be a beautiful and trustworthy person.

The light in the new building at BBM can startle.  There are so many windows in this building, once deemed not worth saving.  Some advised it would be better to raze the building and start over.  But thankfully there were gifted architects and designers who saw beauty and possibility in this time and sin-weathered place.  I have the deep privilege of working here one day a week and within these walls there is joy, beauty, and calm.  If these walls could talk I don’t think they would tell the dark stories of years past; I believe instead they would speak not only of the verses handwritten and hidden on door frames, but also of the bold and fierce taking back and reclaiming for Christ what the enemy once deemed his own.  And of course the light. The startling Light.

I went to make a cup of tea this afternoon and as I walked past the dimly lit office in the next hallway, I saw one single shaft of light across the wall.  It stopped me in my tracks, and I took a photo.  It wasn’t that it blazed or was majestic at all; I probably would say it was more brave and steadfast.  There is beauty to be found if we slow and take the time to see it.

At last night’s graduation, the very last graduate on the program stood to give his testimony.  He was one of three who had completed all phases of the program.  As he talked of what God has taught him and began to draw to a close, he said almost as an aside, “One more thing.  My Dad turns eighty next week and I have put that man through living hell.  Right now, he’s raising my eleven- year- old daughter.”

Words like that get our attention, especially when you’re a parent.  As he left the dais and headed back to his seat I began to imagine at my age what it would be like to raise one of my grandchildren.  As he neared his table we all witnessed a white headed man rise to his feet to take a few steps toward his son, and they embraced. Witnessing that embrace took my breath away.  In that beautiful and sacred moment that we were all so privileged to see, it became more clear why Brother Bryan exists…why staff members are willing to drive clunker cars and live within budgets that some might find incredible. Why they are willing to see time and time again men walk away and rationalize turning away from what they’ve been taught, and they still get up and come, praying and believing that the God they know and serve can and will make a difference.  They know the reality of snakes that crawl and kill, but there will always be one, at least one, who will feel equal to the evils of addiction and does not panic.

I don’t know if the eighty- year-old Dad would agree that he’s been put through a living hell.  Maybe so.  But because I am a parent I feel certain that last night’s embrace would be one of the highlights of this dear man’s life, helping him to walk towards eighty standing a little taller and braver.  It was a melody announcing the presence of God.