Life is so fascinating and how people find each other and connect can be such a God thing. This whole connectedness possibility is one of the reasons I struggle with decluttering (not an excuse, just a fact). My mom died several years ago and I still have boxes in my attic of her paper bits – her own writing and preserved writing of others that touched her heart. This week I am attempting to deal with some of my own piles of paper, and discovered, mixed in with mine, a folder of hers. What a delight for me to find an unknown connectedness in one of her papers to others in my life.
So before I quickly share those associations, here’s a definition of connectedness:
Social connectedness is the measure of how people come together and interact. At an individual level, social connectedness involves the quality and number of connections one has with other people in a social circle of family, friends, and acquaintances. – Wikipedia.org
I took the StrengthsFinders test a few years ago and found that connectedness is one of my top 5 strengths. This is a whole other subject but it informs the joy I had in discovering these connections.
Photo Credit: StrengthsQuest, University of Arkansas
Inside the folder of Mom’s stuff was a copy of the poem Without Thee by John E. Hunter. I don’t know how Mom got it, but I recognized it as a handout from a conference.
John E. Hunter (1909-2005) was a Christian writer, Bible teacher, and counselor. I never read any of his books until my friend, Jan McMurray, introduced them to me. Her connection with John E. Hunter came late in his life, after a stroke halted his public speaking.
Photo Credit: www.ccel.com
“His ministry did not end at this point (after the stroke in 1994), as the Lord, in His miraculous way, brought a lady from Tennessee into his life. Jan McMurray had read one of John’s books, and wanted to buy more for her Bible Study group. When she found out that Zondervan was no longer republishing his books, she formed a publishing company called Fresh Springs, and republished four of his books – Finding What’s Missing; Let Us Go On to Maturity; Limiting God; and Knowing God’s Secrets.”*
Because of Jan’s vision, John Hunter’s books were re-introduced to another generation. We had the pleasure of all four of Hunter’s re-published books and might not have except for knowing Jan. She and John became friends in his last years of life. What a delight Dr. Hunter and his wife must have been to her, and she to them, in that season!
Another connection in this for me was the song “For This, I Have Jesus” by Graham Kendrick. John Hunter was known for this proclamation on any situation that came his way…especially the difficult ones. When Kendrick heard a pastor refer to an old friend and this saying, it stayed with him. In 1995, he wrote the song.
In 1995 we moved to Cairo, Egypt. Attending an international church, we would often sing songs by the English worship writers of that time. Graham Kendrick was one of my favorites, as was this song “For This I Have Jesus”.
Reflecting on all this, I decided to call my friend, Jan. It had been awhile since we talked. What a gift to catch up, as if we’d never left off. I asked her what happened with her publishing company and the Hunter books. She is in a different season now, and she passed the remainder of her inventory over to Henry Blackaby, a speaker and writer on revival and renewal. This is my final connectedness on this topic.
Henry Blackaby was very influential in my walk with God during my 30’s. Today there are other pastor/teachers in my life. Somehow (and I don’t know how), he and one of those pastor/teachers, Michael Catt, connected. How I know is that I was at a retreat a year or so ago, and Michael Catt was speaking. He had a book table including those very books of John Hunter that Jan had re-published through Fresh Springs. When I told her about it, she said, “We went to college together, Mike and I.”
Such is the nature of connectedness. Small world, big God.
*Living the Christ-Filled Life: Serving God Wholeheartedly by John E. Hunter
For This I Have Jesus by Jan McMurray
Revival and Renewal by Michael Hodge
YouTube Video – Graham Kendrick – For This I Have Jesus
Seven Degrees of Connectedness by Rodd Lucier
any idea how we could get DR. John Hunters books or tapes
Thomas, let me see what I can find out. I know the person (in the blog above) whose company republished them years ago. I will reach out to her.
Hi- I too just discovered John Hunter through my son’s girlfriend Maddie. Maddie is the great-granddaughter of John Hunter! I found two of his books on Amazon!
Cornelia, thanks! How fascinating. I haven’t looked for his books in awhile. Good to know you can still find them. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Dear Ms. Mills,
The reason I am contacting you is I cannot find “Fresh Springs” on the Internet any longer, the company I believe Jan McMurray founded to publish Hunter’s books. I discovered your blog on the Internet and saw that you made reference to Jan. Question: Do you have Jan’s contact information which you can provide to me? I wish to contact her, requesting permission to reprint an excerpt from one of Hunter’s books in a forthcoming book.
Thank you for whatever help you can provide (you can respond by email).
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Ralph I. Tilley
Life in the Spirit, Editor
PO Box 405
Sellersburg, IN 47172
EMAIL: editor@litsjournal.org
WEBSITE: litsjournal.org
Dr. Tilley, thanks for commenting. I have passed your contact info onto Jan. It’s always encouraging to hear that folks out there are still learning form and appreciating the great work of John Hunter. Blessings!
I’m currently 66. When I was a youth, probably somewhere around ten years of age I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Hunter. During two summers he came to Oregon to speak at the Cannon Beach Conference Grounds in Cannon Beach Or. My mom, us kids, my brother, sister and myself ferried him to those visits from the Portland International Airport to the Conference Center in Cannon Beach Oregon. A special treat it was. John Hunter is yet another beautiful example of how and what God can do with a life surrendered to Him. One life surrendered to Christ can and will touch so many other lives.
Wow! What a neat experience! Thanks for sharing that with me and others who pass by here.