As I Sit

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Source:http://www.hydingout.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/gout-pain-foot.jpg

Today is the third day of dealing with a bout of gout. Yes, you read that correctly. My right foot is swollen and it’s red and inflamed. I’ve been suffering with gout flare-up now for nearly two years. At first I had no idea what it was. Then I decided to go see a podiatrist who thought that I had broken my foot. Nope, it was gout. He gave me some strong medicine to take to decrease the flare-up and told me to watch what I eat. I’ve discovered that if I eat red meat that it causes a flareup. In other words, no beef! Well, whenever I get a migraine the only thing that satisfies my stomach during that time is a pound of ground beef. For some reason it settles my stomach. Not any more since my friend gout has arrived. BBQ? Well, brisket is out. Steaks? Are you kidding me? No B-E-E-F!

So I sit around with my feet sore. By the end of the day, and it matters not if I have a flare-up or not, my feet are just sore. Everyday they are sore. Now I know that I am complaining about this and the Bible tells me not to grumble or murmur. In fact, I really try not to complain about it anymore. I just get the old crutches out and use them to walk around the house and if I go to a grocery story I get to ride one of their buggies. This pain is nothing compared to the pain that Jesus Christ felt while He was on the cross of Calvary. I’m not perfect by any means. I mess up and sin. Not so with Jesus! He was sinless and while He was on the cross He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world–past, present, and future. The pain that He must have felt was excruciating, especially when our Heavenly Father turned away from Him. You remember Jesus’ words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

So my feet hurt. Big deal! Jesus took all my sins away. Maybe today you’re dealing with some pain. Turn to Jesus Christ and thank Him for being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our pain here is not so big compared to what it is that He went through.

Postscript:

Am I minimizing my pain or others pain? Perhaps some might think so. There’s comfort, I believe, in knowing that there is One greater than myself that endured pain beyond anything I could ever imagine, and if He did what He did, and I believe He did, then I can endure, I can persevere, I will live even if in pain.

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Two Years

It’s been two years since my twin sister passed away. Denise was full of life and she loved it. If there was something that was important to her it was the relationships she had with people. She loved people. Even if she was crossways with someone, it seems that there was always some sort of reconciliation between her and others. I know that if we ever had a problem with each other, she was always the first one to apologize. She did not like for me to be upset with her and I did not want her to be upset with me.

As I have been thinking about Denise a whole bunch this week, I miss her more than I ever have. I wish I could hear her voice. I can’t remember her voice. I wish I could hear her sing: “Lord I lift Your name on high / Lord I love to sing your praises / I’m so glad You’re in my life / I’m so glad You came to save us!” These were the words to the last song I heard my twin sing. Beautiful. My Cheryl joined in and sang the song with her and they sounded heavenly to me. Today, I wonder if she is singing that song with the masses of people who have gone on before us–the great cloud of witnesses standing before the throne of Jesus Christ. The colors that they are seeing, the voices they are hearing, the sights and the sounds they are experiencing must be more incredible than anything that we have ever imagined.

I often will be driving down the street and when I see a driving school car, I think of how Denise taught many students how to drive. Now, if you ever rode in a car that she was driving, you’d laugh at the thought! She drove as fast as she could wherever she was going. Sometimes she scared me with her driving, but as twins, I scare others with my driving! She received three boxes a couple of weeks before she died. These boxes were from her second grade classroom and she said to me, “Twenty-five years of teaching wrapped up into three boxes.” I retorted, “No, twenty-five years of teaching and over 500 second graders who are going to change their world!” She grinned and thanked me for the encouragement. It broke my heart to hear her. She was a great teacher. I would go to her classroom around our birthday and read to her second grade classes. She loved to introduce me and I was so proud to watch her teach her kids. She loved them–even the troubled ones–and they loved her.

I’m pretty sure Denise is having the best time she has ever had. There may be those who don’t believe in an afterlife, but we do–Denise does. We believe that you will either spend eternity in heaven or in hell and that it is by faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone that you can be saved from your sins and the ultimate judgment of hell. Denise believed this as well and I dare say believes it more today than she ever has. She is experiencing what she was waiting for all of her life–what I am waiting for in my life.

The last time I spoke with Denise, she was lying in bed with her eyes closed. She couldn’t speak. I was holding her hand and letting her know how everyone loves her and how much I would miss my twin sister until we meet again. She let out a long groan. I wonder what she was trying to say to me. I’ve often thought she was telling me that she loved me and that I should not worry about her or that it was alright for me to cry. I think she was trying to let me know that she was proud of me, my Cheryl and my two sons. She loved us so much. I think maybe she was telling me to take care of my brothers and sister and parents. I’m not sure what she was saying, but I laughed and she seemed to have a grin on her face. She loved to laugh and play and joke around and be serious.

I miss my twin sister. I look forward to seeing her again. I can’t wait to speak with her to find out what she was trying to say to me. I love you, Denise, and I miss you so much.

What Was From the Beginning

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Source:http://fellowshipbibleburlington.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/living-in-the-light_std_t_nv-400×400.jpg
June 5, 2016 was my inaugural service as Senior Pastor of the historic Sagamore Baptist Church. The first sermon series that I am preaching is entitled Living in the Light, a study through 1 John. Here’s a synopsis of the first message entitled What Was From the Beginning and it can be heard here.

Any preaching from the pulpit of Sagamore Baptist Church will focus on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. I believe, just as John the apostle, that our worldview must be that of Jesus Christ and what it is that He has done on our behalf for the glory of our Heavenly Father. John begins his letter to discuss who Jesus Christ is: He is a person who John has seen, heard and touched with his own hands. He also states that Jesus Christ was manifested as the Light of the world. Because He has been manifested to all of man, it is imperative that we know who He is and how He desires us to live in Him as the Light of the world.

We live in the Light of the world by confessing and repenting of sin and turning to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved from sin except His name (cf. Acts 4:12). John also argues the point that we cannot and should not be deceived by our own self-righteousness. That is, we should not deceive ourselves and say that we have no sin when it is clear that we are of the darkness until the Light of the world reveals/manifests Himself to us as He did to John and all who saw, heard and touched Him.

So, from the beginning of our ministry at Sagamore Baptist Church, we will preach this Light: Jesus Christ! He truly is the Light of the world! He truly is the salvation that all need! He truly is the only way, truth, and life, and no man can go to God the Father except through Him (cf. John 14:6)!

If you are in the Fort Worth area or anywhere close by, I also want to invite you to be a part of this great Fellowship of Believers!