Remembering Stephen Maines

Stephen Maines, born August 22, 1987, was killed on Sunday morning, July 19, 2009, while riding his motorcycle to a church service and charity ride for burn victims. Stephen, a second-year team member, is the son of John and Sheila Maines, who have served with Life Action for the past 26 years. Please pray for the entire Maines family. The following is a letter from our Director to the staff and close ministry friends of our Life Action family.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life ... nor things present nor things to come ... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).


We Grieve . . . Together

I began this communiqué on Sunday morning just moments before getting a call about a Maines family member having been in an accident. In fact, I had just completed making a list of major July events that have taken place within Life Action Ministries over these past 38 years ... all pointing to the goodness of God.

Like you, my heart broke when it was confirmed that Stephen had been killed. He was headed for a morning church service preceding a charity drive for burn victims, partially motivated because his younger brother had been burned a few years ago.

As Sue and I went to be with John and Sheila, we could only weep and hold their children tightly as they poured out deep tears of pain. Words seemed shallow. So we just hugged and grieved together.

This morning, not much has changed; every word still seems thin in light of the thickness of such loss. There is a stinging reality that hits hard when waking up the morning after life takes a horrific turn. The reality of knowing nothing will ever be the same again.

John and Sheila, all we can say is that we hurt deeply with you. We grieve with you.

Deborah is doing well. She returned home yesterday evening in a lot of pain, but miraculously she was not seriously injured. We rejoice with John and Sheila over the protection on Deborah.

In addition to a tenured staff couple losing a godly son, Life Action lost its first team member ever. I have always dreaded that day. Ryan, Ben, Jimmy, and all the White Team, we grieve together with you, along with the other road team members that served closely with Stephen this past year. He was an exceptional team member in every way. So pray for the White Team as these young people walk a journey of trying to comprehend the ways of God.

I was with John and Sheila all day yesterday until last evening. They are still in disbelief, as you can imagine. However, I am amazed at the power of God's Word at times like these. I watched them draw from a reservoir of Scriptures to find hope, help, and perspective. As I listened to them, I heard a high view of God.

Or, perhaps better stated, I heard a view of a high God. And a view of a low God. High enough to be trusted. Low enough to cling to.

Please pray for the Word of God to continue to shepherd them through this long season.

We Grieve Differently . . . Together

The Maines family are very aware of Stephen now being with a Person he absolutely loves. Death is painful, yet for those who know and love Christ, we grieve differently. It is a celebration of a home-coming, not just a home-going. For those of you who do not know Stephen, he was the "real deal" in his walk with the Lord. Authentic. A servant. As the television reported, "He loved the Lord."

Stephen was also an admirer of the cross. He loved the cross and the power it represented in his own life and the hope it offered to others. This past March, he built a wooden cross to be used at our Vision Gathering in San Antonio. I will never forget the sense of joy he had on his face when he finished it and was able to see it used to inspire others to embrace the cross.

Stephen was a man of the cross, and that was no better illustrated than through the way he served others. He laid down his desires and dreams to be a servant. Many of us were recipients of that service, on the road, at the NMC, at The Lodge, and at the Camp. We benefited from his servant's heart. Authentic servanthood may be Stephen's great legacy.

Ironically, the cross is a picture of redemption. God uses even the hard things for redemptive purposes, so pray that even during these dark days, Stephen's witness would continue in powerful ways.

So as we knit our hearts with John and Sheila and the remaining nine children to grieve, let us also celebrate a life lived for Jesus and a life living with Jesus and a life that will continue to be redemptive in the lives of others.

We Commune . . . Together

One of the joys of being a part of Life Action Ministries is the mutually supportive community that transpires as we share dreams, responsibilities, possessions, and losses together.

Yesterday, I watched the Life Action family respond as a huge community of love, care, and concern. (The hospital finally asked us to clear a path in their emergency room hallway). On behalf of John and Sheila, thank you for showing up, both physically and in your heart through prayer and burden bearing. True community is priceless.

Two Triumphant Truths: God Is Sovereign, and God Is Good

On two occasions last week, I heard the phrase, "When trials come, it is not the why but the Who that really matters." God knew I needed those reminders. In times like these, there are many attributes of God we call on for help. His love. His compassion. His grace. His strength.

But the two attributes that protect from bitterness and allow me to go forward with biblical perspective and confidence in Him are simply His sovereignty and His goodness.

These two triumphant truths take away the sting of death, because for the believer the grave is never victorious. They remind us that death is really a doorway to heaven and a pathway to seeing God's ultimate redemptive purposes fulfilled.

These two unchanging truths triumph over everything we experience, whether the seemingly wonderful July events I started to list, or the dreadful July 19, 2009, event that we humanly wish had never happened. God is sovereign. God is good.

We love you, John and Sheila and family. And we are here for you. We cling to Him ... together.