How One Stone Reminds Alabama Pastor Of Life’s Bigger Challenges

Brother Scott McCown, from Central Church of Christ, is always great as an on-air and online contributor for Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.

The topic we got into this afternoon? Rocks. That's right. Here we go:

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I keep a few odd objects in my study. I have a 30-minute hourglass, an antique block-and-tackle set, a couple of old cameras, a reproduction of a Roman sword, a few fossils, and, among other items, a small rock. This rock looks like any other rock you may find in the clay bed of a Southern stream. But it is no ordinary rock. Yes, it did come from a stream and a little bit of sediment was still on it when I came to be in my possession. Yet, I stand by my statement, “It’s no ordinary rock!”

In January 2023, I attended a Men’s Day event in Winfield, Alabama. That is when and where I acquired this special rock. The speaker, Dr. Kirk Brothers, had a couple of five-gallon buckets full of rocks and asked each attendee to select one. I chose my rock and now this “no ordinary” rock rests displayed in my study. 

This rock is a reminder. When I see this rock, I recall the circumstances that brought us together. I remember the men sitting around me. I reflect on the challenges laid before us that day. I recall a few rocks in the pages of scripture.

1. I think about one of five smooth stones that David used, and God guided to defeat a giant problem for His people (cf. 1 Samuel 17). If God can use a smooth stone in that instance to defeat a physical giant, I know He can defeat the giants in my life.
2. I think about Jesus Christ, calling Simon the fisherman by a new name. “Peter,” the name that would challenge Simon to live up to its meaning – “a stone,” I recall Peter’s confidence to confess Jesus and the Christ and to stand on the Day of Pentecost and declare Christ to those gathered.
3. I recall that Jesus, the Christ, is my Firm Foundation and the Rock of my Salvation. I remember that He is to be the Cornerstone of my life and that choosing Him as the Cornerstone determines what my life will be.
4. I remember His words in Luke 19:40 “. . . I tell you, if these (people) were silent, the stones would cry out.” 

This is not an ordinary rock. This rock and no other rock will praise Christ in my place!