Inspirational: Doing Life God’s Way / A Tribute to Savaughn Jordan

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

No one is excluded from experiencing troubles in their life. Not Renee and I. Not anyone. Psalm 34:19 (NKJV) says, “Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them
all.”

We live in a sin-defiled world. The consequences of those sins ripple around the world and touch everyone’s world. So what happens when trouble touches your life? Do you panic? Do you crumble? Do you worry? Do you want to hide? Do you bury your head in the sand? Do you drown yourself in booze or medicate the pain away? Do you contemplate taking your life? None of these things help anything! They make whatever setback you’ve experienced worse. God has a better plan. Love Him and trust Him through it all.

Yesterday I went to the funeral of a friend of mine. He was a precious 26 year-old man that everyone loved. There were between 1500 to 2000 people that came to his funeral—a beautiful funeral with over a dozen people sharing about his life. He’d lost his mother when he was a boy. Having a wonderful older brother and relatives that loved him, and his deep love for the Lord were his saving grace. But his life was full of chaos. He moved here and there and had almost no natural resources to survive. Yet He did! In the middle of chaos, he found a way to thrive. He would eventually have his own motto in life which was: #growthinchaos. He slept in many homes, ate the meals many provided, and accepted the help of the many who would fall in love with him. And oh how so very many did! They did because Savaughn had something to give everyone from a well that never seemed to run dry. His love for the Lord was infectious and anyone who spent time with him was changed by it. He had a love for singing (and a voice like an angel) that flowed from him always. His girlfriend even said that sang in his sleep. He had a love for people that after Jesus, was more important to him than any possession. And he was fun! His fun spirit and infectious laugh lifted everyone’s heart! Since he had no possessions, loving people was his entire life, and this made his life richer than most everyone’s!

His brother managed to get him into a wonderful Christian school after the death of his mother, thinking that it would be the only stable thing in his life. I suspect that the school took a risk and scholarshipped him to help, only to become the true benefactor of the relationship. He was a light and joy around the school. He turned out to be an excellent athlete and basketball player helping his team become a championship team. He became part of a school worship team. He was now surrounded by friends and families that absolutely loved him. Upon graduation from high school, he entered a church ministry internship program that he thrived in. The friendships formed there would help elevate his life to an entire new level. He eventually became the worship leader/pastor who would help you enter the presence of God in worship like no other. His voice was beautiful, his passion and love for God ever-present, and the love of God shining through always!

And then one day out of nowhere came a seizure, the hospital and death. It took the legs out from underneath everyone and the breath away from us all. His celebration of life service was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever attended and it was a sea of people who all had been touched in profound ways by this wonderful young man’s life.

As we all listened to over a dozen people testify of the impact of Savaughn’s life, I believe all felt challenged. God, worship, and people were Savaughn’s life. Things mattered nothing to him. Growing and learning and trusting God through the chaos was what He believed and modeled from the time he was a boy! Sincerely and selflessly loving people were his continuous example. Impacting lives with the love of Jesus is what he lived for so well. And he gave us one more person besides Jesus to look to how to do that.

Psalm 34:19 (NKJV) says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. The chaos of sin and life will bring trouble at times to us all. Some more than others. But trusting God to bring us through, will strengthen us and walk us to the other side of them. And if we can do it like Savaughn, with deep love and passion, a song in our heart, and the joy of the Lord as our strength, then we just might notice the chaos and troubling time less and less and instead, continue to love and impact others through all circumstances of life! #GrowthInChaos

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT2) “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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