By Mark A. Taylor
I got to the Lexington Center at 1:15 Saturday afternoon, a little before I”d promised to be there. We were planning a special 2:00 event in our International Conference on Missions booth, and the attendant had promised to be there at 1:30 to help us get ready. But as soon as I entered the exhibit hall, I knew she was already on the job. I could smell the popcorn popping.
Soon the aroma was filling the whole, huge facility. And even before our announced start time, we relented and allowed the people lining up to grab their portion of our afternoon treat. We popped and scooped and served popcorn for about two hours and served hundreds of happy, hungry convention-goers.
The popcorn tasted great””at least the few kernels I snagged that had spilled on the table. But it was the aroma that was most delightful.
As I reflected on the weekend (Thursday through Sunday last week, November 17-20), I remembered much more than popcorn. I thought of the people at the convention and words from Scripture: “We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). At ICOM, as with other events like it, I was pleased and refreshed by long talks and quick hellos with Christian leaders and many others who visited our booth. Their example, their service, their faith””the sum of each life””prompts me to make sure both the saved and the perishing smell something good when they encounter me.
Our promotion at ICOM was called “I”m In,” and we encouraged anyone whose name or ministry had ever appeared in The Lookout or CHRISTIAN STANDARD to wear one of our “I”m In” buttons. I snapped pictures of a few of them, each one exuding “the pleasing aroma of Christ.”
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
