Last Friday night Corey Cann went missing or at least we all
thought he was missing. Leaving home, there was some mix up in communication
and his mother (Roxanne) and brother (Ed). Corey has never done anything like
this before and as time progressed the Cann family feared that he may have been
taken against his will. Corey has Cystic Fibrosis and is confined to a
wheelchair, which only heightened concerns for his well being. I’ve known the
Cann’s for quite awhile now, meeting Roxanne through MySpace and eventually
through the ministry at Daniel’s Den. Roxanne, like myself, lives for her
family. She and I also are deeply moved to share the love of Jesus through
music. To make a long story short, after much dismay and I dare say, a little
chaos, Corey was found in Carbondale , IL
- It caused us to not doubt God & move closer to Him
When Corey went missing, I admit,
although I was praying for the best, I feared the worst. A countless number of
scenarios haunted the recesses of my mind and although I prayed, my human
nature often had the better of me as I continued to doubt his well being. Then,
like the sun penetrating dark storm clouds, God came through. Corey was found
well and in tact, thankfully. I am reminded that His ways are so much higher
than my ways. We didn’t know where Corey was. Roxanne didn’t know where Corey
was. The Plano Police didn’t know where Corey was; but, God did and always
does. With thousands of people praying in our local community and as far away
as London God protected Corey and delivered him home safely. God is sovereign
over all things and make no mistake about it, many people who go missing do not
return safely home. In Corey’s case, God proved to be moved by prayer. We don’t
know what would have happened to Corey without God’s intervention. We don’t
know what plans the enemy had for him. We do know; however, that Corey is loved
immensely and by the grace of God, is protected. When situations like this
arise, we must depend, not in our own human instincts or fallen faculties; but,
in our Great Protector.
- It caused us to have greater faith in our community
People are sinful, no doubt, and
humanity is a fragile group to place our faith in. With that in consideration,
people have a way of living out their Imago Dei (the image of God) in the most
difficult of circumstances. Our family was instantly moved into action on behalf
of the Cann family. Our initial instinct was a good one: prayer. We prayed and
we prayed and we prayed. My wife printed up hundreds of missing person fliers
on our color laser printer and then we, as a family, went out into the
community to hang the fliers and get them up at local businesses. Nearly all of
the businesses we visited were more than willing to have the fliers up and this
included businesses we, as Christians, often have biases against. A Hindu
liquor store owner in Plano not
only allowed us to leave fliers at the register; but, gave us tape to put them
on his storefront window. Another Plano
liquor store owner took fliers to hand out in Sandwich. A woman at a bar in Plano
flagged my van down so she could take fliers and hand them out at a nearby
Buffalo Wild Wings. Even the Pay Day Loan store allowed us to put fliers up
(although it is technically against company policy, they were moved to help). Nearly
everyone we came in touch with was deeply moved to help find Corey. We
plastered Plano , IL
- It caused us to think before we judge
Although I wasn’t surprised by
some of the vitriol on the internet, it did sicken me. There were a number of “supermoms”
out there who tore into Roxanne’s parenting skills. This was despite the fact
that they don’t know Roxanne, they don’t know Corey, and they don’t know the
family. Several people stated that they would never allow for such a thing to
happen to their children. The reality is Corey’s an extremely independent 21
year old man. He isn’t a child and, if you ever take the time to talk with him,
he is one of the brightest people you will ever come across. He’s accomplished
more than most people would ever expect possible of him and has even attended
college at SIU Carbondale (more than 6 hours way) as an independent student. As
a single mom, Roxanne has done a marvelous job raising her children. She has
led her family as a faith-filled mom that lives life out in relationship with
Christ. Her boys are some of the kindest and most polite young men you will
ever meet and that reflects well on Roxanne and how she raised them. To
question her parenting skills shows a lethal combination of both ignorance and
arrogance. For those of us who are more inclined toward condemnation, I
challenge you to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you cast stones of
judgment. During times like these, a community is best served to reserve judgment
and move into loving action. Many did just that. Those who didn’t do just that
are the ones that ended up with the proverbial egg on face.
- It caused us to hold our kids a little tighter & not take them for granted
When Corey went missing I hugged
my daughters so tightly and I did not want to let go. Part of me felt guilty
for doing that. My kids are no better than Corey and I am certainly not a
better father than Roxanne is a mother. Yet, my kids were safe at home in my
arms. I loved that. I relished that; but, the thought of Roxanne’s arms being
empty and longing for the return of her son moved us all into greater action. Corey
missing wasn’t right. It wasn’t part of how God wanted this world to be. When a
brother or sister is in need, we must move, as the body of Christ, to fill that
need. One of the greatest sins may just be complacency; to not adhere to the
little voice that says, “It’s not right that I should have so much, when my
brother or sister has so little.” When Corey was found, I hugged my girls even
tighter and no, I don’t ever want to let go.
