The Flog – The Fabry Log

This is exactly how I remember Jim Warren.
A phone to his ear, a newspaper in his hand, a big calendar behind him, and his Bible open. Jim knew that just covering news wasn't enough. Other outlets could do that well and had more staff. What they weren't airing was a Christian perspective of news events. So every day he took us to places and into people's lives who were on the front lines--and around the world.

Jim had a heart for people going through difficulty. He had a heart for people who were struggling. He loved music. He loved to laugh. In fact, he actually played ME singing a song I had written specifically for April 15th called, When My Taxes Are All Done. I sang as "Johnny OutaCash" and Jim howled.

Today Jim entered heaven. No more radio programs, no more pain. I'm sure he's already seen many friends he interviewed over the years. Francis Schaeffer. Jerry Falwell. He and Brandt Gustavson are probably telling some Moody stories. In fact, he's probably met D.L. already.

We mourn with Jean and the rest of the family. But we also rejoice in his homegoing. He's been promoted. While we still look through the glass darkly, Jim now sees his Savior face to face. That is our blessed hope.

A radio friend, Wayne Shepherd, called yesterday and mentioned a name you may remember. Jim Warren. Jim was the host of Prime Time America on Moody Radio for many years. Jim and I worked together—he on Prime Time, me on a program called Open Line. He was the most hard-working host I've ever encountered in my radio years. He loved doing what he did.

Jim's health has not been that great the past few years. He's been in the hospital for much of the past year. I won’t go into all of his problems, but Jim made a difficult decision in the past couple of days about his health, and with his family around him, it sounds like in a short while he will be free of the pain he's been through.

That’s up to God, of course. But I wanted you to know about Jim and I would like you to pray for him, for his wife Jean who has been by his side faithfully for so many years. Pray for their children who are also walking through this valley. This is not the easy part. This is the tough part. But if Jim could speak on my program, I think he would say that God’s grace has been evident even through these difficult days. And we can trust him. And lean on him. And cast every care upon him because he knows what we need.

So if you would pray for Jim and the family—I would appreciate it. And if you would like to send a card to him and his family, here's the address:

Jim and Jean Warren
4732 Doug Dr.
Whitehall, MI 49461

Also, we'll be conducting a tribute program for Jim on Friday, 5/20, Hour 2 of Chris Fabry Live! If you would like to say something to Jim, tell him what he has meant to you, call 1 866-953-2279 and leave a message. You can start the call with, "Hi Jim..."

We had a caller to today's Chris Fabry Live broadcast that didn't get on the air, but we told her we would ask listeners to pray. This is a heavy duty request, but God is in the business of heavy duty living.

Anonymous – I have been praying for my husband who is now living a gay lifestyle. Nothing is changing or getting through. Please join me in praying for my husband.

Father, you know the hurt of this relationship, and you know exactly what Anonymous is going through. Walk with her through this struggle. And call her husband. Show her each step to take to love him, but at the same time protect herself from harm. Cause him to turn his heart back toward his wife and get the help only you can provide.
Amen.

We were interviewing Jim, of HomeWord, for a future Building Relationships program. I wrote down these two things:

A four year old laughs 400 times a day.
The average adult laughs 14 times a day.

If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy.

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning with Shannon because Andrea wasn't feeling well. Cabbage, carrots, onions, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and 10 dozen eggs.

$240. This is what we eat. This is our life.

Before heading home, I was intrigued by a new vendor. Actually an old vendor with a Shriner's hat and a wrinkled face. He was selling Vidalia onions. Straight from Georgia.

"They brought them by 18-wheeler," he said with a cute accent.

Pat Conroy has a great story about Vidalia onions, how they taste, how people fawn over the first crop each year. I have had Vidalia's before, but this seemed a purer crop to me, closer to the ground than the grocery. I forked over the $10 for 10 pounds and the man smiled.

Saturday is cleaning day at our house. Andrea and the girls/boys work hard to vacuum and launder the whole house. I help out, but my major task today was my office.

At 2 PM I started getting hungry for lunch. What do have?

I found the biggest Vidalia onion and cut it up. I threw it in a skillet with some oil, then cut up some cabbage. What should I put in there to help it out?

Pondering that question, I picked a sliver of onion from the spatula as I turned the concoction. Someone had put sugar in the pan. I was sure of it. I tried another sliver. Sweet. Like honey.

Wait. There was no sugar in the pan, that was the onion.

I cracked two eggs and spread them over the skillet, simmered and turned it, then mixed in a little butter/salt/pepper.

Even though they were carried on the back of a truck all the way to Arizona, I feel like I'm in a field in Georgia, among the first at the harvest.

I've always thought of the forbidden fruit as an apple. Perhaps the Garden of Eden was somewhere in Toombs County.

God, I don’t understand the mystery of it all. I can’t comprehend why you would care enough for me to send Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of my sins. But with all my lack of understanding, I am willing to yield to you completely. I trust in Jesus’ death for me, and I believe he rose to give us new life. I accept the promise you made in John 3:16, which tells us, “Everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

I do believe, Lord, and I accept all that you have for me: your forgiveness, your leadership, and your help through life’s ups and downs. I want to become your child. I am yours—body, mind, and soul—and I know that you are mine. Thank you for forgiving my sins and, even now, starting to guide me into this new life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So much of writing a story is having the confidence to keep going even though voices in your head tell you to stop. No one will read this. No one will care. Who are you to write anything? Move on to something else.

Those voices were strong when I began writing Almost Heaven. After all, the main character is not a celebrity. He’s a loner. An almost invisible guy you wouldn’t be able to pick out of his high school reunion picture. He lived his whole life in West Virginia. In a holler. Unknown by most of the world.

Except there was something compelling about Billy Allman. From the moment I heard his story and began to piece together the plot of his life, I was captivated. Every day I went to my closet (literally) to find out what was going on in his life. Billy was a real man who died two years ago. His story forms the backbone of the book.

The other compelling angle the story took was the perspective of the angel sent to aid Billy and watch his every move. I don’t believe everyone has a guardian angel. At least, I’m not sure everyone has one. But I do know that God uses the angelic realm in our realm, and to be able to pull back the curtain a bit also brought me to the computer and encouraged me about my own life.

Yesterday I heard that the book won an award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. The other novels nominated were fantastic. There are no “losers” on that list. But when I heard Almost Heaven was chosen, my first thought was, “Yay Billy.” And my second thought was, “Thank you, God.” He delights in choosing simple, humble things. He has a plan and purpose for every story, yours and mine included.

Maybe you feel like Billy today. I’m not sure if he ever won any award in school or in life. Was he patrol of the year? Did he win at the spelling bee? I don’t know. But I do know that because of his relationship to God through Jesus, he was guided and sometimes dragged for God’s glory. And that makes a compelling story for any life.

Yay for Billy. Thanks to God.

---

To view the complete list of 2011 Christian Book Award winners and finalists, click here.