Lynn Story Downham is a fourth generation artist who returned to North Carolina in 2014 after twenty-six years on the Florida panhandle. Her seventh family tree commission was for a “family tree for Jesus.” Twenty years later she is a born-again believer with a best-selling print, a beautiful family and a passion for sharing Christ through her art. Find out more on Facebook by looking up “Lynn Story Downham’s Art” or “Lynn Downham Jesus Tree.”
I N T H E F E L LO W S H I P O F LO V E By Lynn Downham As I stated in my last article, “The Support System Gift,” people are for people. We are meant and designed by God to live in community with other people. The word “community” derived from the Latin, “communitas,” is defined by Webster’s 2nd definition as “a social group or class having common interests.” As Christians, this means to us the church or the body of Christ, but if you follow the word origination back further to “common” you will find over four inches of text giving differing shades of meaning to this word, many of them derogatory. However, the first explanation of common is noteworthy, “Belonging equally to two or more; shared by all alike.” Now that is exciting if you apply it to the Word of God and the Bible. It means the Word of God belongs to each of us, no matter how rich or poor, no matter our background, ethnicity, where we live, what job we hold, what gifts we possess–EQUALLY. What you do with it is your call. Read it, believe it, reject it, live by it, hide it in your heart, share it, teach it to your kids and/or others, treasure it, lean on its understanding, it is an equal opportunity for all. If you decide to treasure it and live by its words and reach the point where you believe with your 26 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 25
heart and confess Jesus Christ your savior, then you become a part of, equally, the greatest community in the world, the community of saints, the children of God, and those who are called by His name. Once in this community, you are a member of the body of Christ, the church, and not only learn what your own special gift or gifts are, but you learn to use them for the common good, for the saints, and others. It is not about being successful, but virtuous. It is about imitating Christ and learning to be as virtuous as He was and is. I heard recently that the best man, or any person, is the one whose good spreads and becomes the good of those around him. Therefore, use your gifts, for it is no good to simply possess them. The good from them cannot spread if you simply possess them. The Lord has a purpose for them, and our job is to work at their “increase” instead of “burying them” as the parable of the talents teaches us.
