It’s Almost Time to Go Home

“Behold now is the accepted time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 I was finishing up a Bible study when my phone vibrated. I excused myself from the discussion to take Jessica’s phone call. Jessica said quickly, “Pastor, I hope you are not too busy. The hospice nurse said that Dad should pass some time today. Could you come to the house  and pray with our family soon?” We set-up the agreed upon time, and I arrived at the house. The family was in the bedroom with Bill, Sherry (his wife of 50 years), his daughter Jessica, the hospice nurse, and Bill’s sister Sheila (and her husband, Larry).   As I walked into the room, I greeted Sherry with a hug. Jessica introduced me to Sheila, and she blurted out: “I know you! You are the guy from the video that told Bills’ salvation story.” I chuckled. “Yes, I am. When did you see the video?” I replied. Sheila told me how Jessica has been sharing the video clip with the other family members and friends. I was blessed to hear how the video clip encouraged her heart. I had just published the Go & Tell Great Commission Study Video series the previous month. I then asked Sheila and the others in the room to join me as I held Bill’s hand to pray. Jessica called me a few hours later to share that Bill passed peacefully at home with the family. The family had Bill’s Celebration Service the following week. As I welcomed everyone to the service, we began by singing Amazing Grace. My heart was comforted as we sang the second verse: “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved:How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.” After several family members shared their eulogies, I began the funeral sermon by telling how I got to know Bill over 10 years ago. When I taught Special Education, Bill’s wife was my favorite substitute teacher. Sherry and I began praying together for Bill’s salvation a decade earlier. I faithfully prayed for Bill’s salvation almost twice a week for the next several years. Bill eventually visited our church one Sunday. Afterward, we began to meet regularly and I learned many things about Bill: He was born in Goshen, Indiana, and moved with his family to Elkhart as a youth. Bill graduated from Elkhart High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University of South Bend. He was a soldier in the United States Army, attained the rank of First Lieutenant, served one year in Vietnam, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in ground combat. Bill’s first date with Sherry consisted of dancing and laughter that continued for 50 years. He has two kids: Jessica (Matt) and Josh (Deb), and a grandson (Jacob). Bill had a lifelong love of music, literature, and writing (he was a published author of two short stories). He was an avid fisherman and loved spending time at his cottage on Irish Lake. He also enjoyed many sports, especially San Francisco Giants Baseball, Notre Dame Football, and IU Basketball. I also learned that Bill grew up Methodist, and Sherry’s background was in the Catholic Church. I eventually asked Bill, “May I ask you a spiritual question?” He assured me that I could. I asked him: “Bill, if you were to stand before God and he was to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?” He replied: “Wow. That’s a huge question, and I assume I would say because I’m a pretty good person.” As we continued our spiritual conversation, he eventually shared with me that he was a sinner, separated from God, and was destined for hell. I then shared the gospel clearly with him and explained that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to take away his sins and forgive him. I could see he was not ready to profess faith in Jesus, so I asked him if we could get together every 3 or 4 weeks to explore the gospel story. We began to do just that. We met regularly, laughed, shared coffee, and talked about Jesus. Several years after the first time we discussed sin and salvation, he came to the church to see me. The first thing he said to me was: “Jim, I want you to know I have not repented, and I am still going to hell!” I laughed and said: “Thanks for getting that out of the way! By the way, Bill, how was fishing yesterday?” Three years progressed, and the family asked me to come to their house on a Sunday night to pray with Bill for his upcoming heart surgery. Before we prayed, I shared the gospel of Jesus one more time. Afterward, Bill looked at me and said: “Jim, I guess I’m just supposed to say a prayer, and I’m going to be OK with surgery.” I replied, “That’s not it at all. Bill, you must repent of your sins. You must trust only in Jesus for your salvation. Bill, I will say a prayer of blessing for your surgery right now. But when you repent of your sins and profess faith in Jesus, when God gives you a new heart, when you are born again, I want you to call me and tell me your story.” Two days later, I was in Kalamazoo for a pastors’ meeting. I had just finished the gathering and saw that Bill was calling me. I took Bill’s phone call. I heard a man with a broken and humble heart for the first time. He told me that he saw what he had done to God and his wife the previous night. He asked Jesus for forgiveness, and he repented of his sins. He professed faith in Jesus as his Savior. He asked me to come to see him before surgery and pray with him. I happily agreed to visit him

Are you a Giant?

“May the words of my mouth  and the meditation of my heart  be pleasing in your sight, O LORD,  my Rock and my Redeemer.”   Psalm 19:14 I cannot remember why or when I started praying Psalm 19:14 before I preached or taught a Bible study, but I have done this since I graduated from seminary. I will never forget my ordination service with the Evangelical Free Church of America in the 90s. I preached the message, and I opened the sermon by praying Psalm19:14. After the service, My Aunt Nancy embraced me. She told me with a tear in her eyes how my grandfather, Delmar Halstead, always prayed Psalm 19:14 before family devotions, teaching Sunday School, or praying during the Sunday morning worship service. My grandfather died when I was two, and I have no pictures or recollection of him, but his prayers and life still impact me today.  I was thinking of this when I read the Book of Ruth, and I wondered if King David knew his grandfather Obed. The Scriptures state: “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son… Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.” (Ruth 4:13, 21b-22) Did David ever meet Obed? Did he remember him when he was the king of Israel? What impact did Obed have on the faith of David, the King of Israel? Did David know the faith story of his grandfather Obed?  I treasure the faith story of my grandfather Delmar. He was laid off from work during the great depression, and my father (a little boy) became very ill. An Elder at the Ellettsville Christian Church, Orie Crismore, helped save my dad’s life by taking him and Delmar to the doctor. Mr. Crismore paid for the doctor’s visit, and the precious medicine that saved my dad’s life. He also invited Delmar and the family to his church. Soon after this event, my grandfather Delmar and my grandmother Anna professed faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. My grandfather eventually became an elder and deacon at Ellettsville Christian Church and physically helped build their new church building. When my dad was leaving for the navy during the Korean War, Delmar gave him a pocket bible with Psalm 19:14 highlighted. I have that precious bible, and I treasure it today.  Did King David consider the story of Boaz and Ruth and reflect on how his grandfather came from their story? Do you ever reflect on those who went before you and how they influenced you to know Christ as your Savior? The Jewish poet and storyteller Noah ben Shea tells a parable that serves as a valuable reminder of those who went before us in life: After a meal, some children turned to their father, Jacob, and asked if he would tell them a story. “A story about what?” asked Jacob. “About a giant,” squealed the children. Jacob smiled, leaned against the warm stones at the side of the fireplace, and his voice turned softly inward. “Once, a boy asked his father to take him to see the grand parade that passed through the village. The father, remembering the parade from when he was a boy, quickly agreed, and the following day the boy and his father set out together. “As they approached the parade route, people started to push in from all sides, and the crowd grew thick. When the people became almost a wall, the father lifted his son and placed him on his shoulders. “Soon, the parade began, and as it passed, the boy kept telling his father how wonderful it was and how spectacular were the colors and images. The boy grew so prideful of what he saw that he mocked those who saw less, saying, even to his father, ‘If only you could see what I see.’ “But,” said Jacob staring straight in the faces of the children, “what the boy did not look at was why he could see. The boy forgot that once his father, too, could see.” Then, as if he had finished the story, Jacob stopped speaking. “Is that it?” said a disappointed girl. “We thought you would tell us a story about a giant.” “But I did,” said Jacob. “I told you a story about a boy who could have been a giant.” “How?” squealed the children. “A giant,” said Jacob, “is anyone who remembers we are all sitting on someone else’s shoulders.” “And what does it make us if we don’t remember?” asked the boy. “A burden,” answered Jacob. My grandfather died when I was just two years old. Before he died, he bought seven burial plots for his family. The plots were for his five children and their spouse, Delmar and his wife Anna, and Orie and his wife Leatha Crismore. Every year, I go to the Ellettsville Presbyterian Cemetery to put flowers on each gravesite, and I always make a special visit to Orie’s gravesite. I thank the Lord for his impact on my family: for saving my dad’s life, leading my grandfather and grandmother to faith in Jesus, and how his devotion to Jesus has impacted my life.  Whenever I preach or teach a Bible study, I pray Psalm 19:14 and think of those who went before me. I picture my grandfather praying Psalm 19:14 over me and others. I wonder if David ever considered Obed and the impact he had on his life. How about you-do you remember those who went before you and impacted your life for Jesus? Or a better question is this: “Are you a giant or a burden?” “May the words of my mouth  and the meditation of my heart  be pleasing in your sight, O LORD,  my Rock and my Redeemer.”   Psalm 19:14

That is Why They Call Him Jesus

“Hey Jim, someone is on the phone for you. I cannot tell if they know you or if it is another solicitor,” My wife yelled to me downstairs while I was riding my exercise bike in our basement. I begrudgingly got off my exercise bike thinking I was receiving another unsolicited phone call while I climbed the steps. “Hello, this is Jim,” I said while I waited for another rehearsed sales pitch. “Hey Pastor, my family and I attended your church fifteen years ago when you pastored at Alliance Community Church.” As Mike introduced himself to me on the phone, I was able to remember him and his family. I responded, “Mike, it is so nice to hear from you. How is your wife Jen doing?” Mike began to share and update me on his family and how that they had moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida several years ago because of work. Mike then began to share why he was calling. “I wish I was calling with good news, but I felt I was led by the Lord last night to find you and ask you if you would be able visit my Uncle Ken who is dying of cancer.” He continued, “He has been moved to a hospice wing in a Fort Wayne hospital and I am pretty sure he is not a Christian.” As Mike continued to share with me, I learned that his Uncle Ken and Aunt Traci had never attended church nor had they shown much interest in Jesus. Mike was concerned for his uncle’s salvation and shared with me that he had never explained the gospel of Christ to his uncle. As Mike was praying that night for his Uncle Ken’s salvation, the Lord had led him to find me and ask if I would be able to make a visit and share the gospel with Ken. After hearing Mike’s story, I looked at my clock and realized it was getting late on a Saturday night. I asked Mike if it would be okay if I visited Ken Sunday after our Sunday morning worship service. Mike responded, “Pastor thank you so much!” “I don’t know if Ken will be awake (he was in a coma) or able to speak but I wanted him to hear the gospel and God’s love for him before he died.” After Mike and I prayed on the phone for Ken’s salvation, I knew that I would have to share this story with my church on Sunday morning. I asked our church family to pray for the Lord to bless this divine appointment by having Ken awake and alert and for the Lord to open his heart to respond to the gospel of Jesus. As I walked into Ken’s hospital room, I saw his wife Traci on the phone and Ken watching the Green Bay Packers football game with his Packers blanket covering him. Traci got off the phone and I introduced myself: “Hi Ken and Traci. I am Pastor Jim and your nephew Mike from Florida called me to request that I come and visit with you.” They shared how they have not seen Mike for several years; however, they were thankful to have a visit with me. As I was trying to get a conversation started, I commented on Ken being a Packers fan and how I have been a Bears fan for many years. Once I said that, I thought that was probably not the best way to get a die-hard Packers fan to be open to the gospel; however, Ken responded with a broken voice, “The…bears…are playing well…this year.” He gave me the remote to turn off the Packers game so we could visit and talk about why I had come…to prepare him for death and eternity. I asked Traci how long they have been married and she said proudly (with a tear in her eye), “We have been married 17 years and we lived together for two years before that.” As we talked about life, family, and work, I also heard from them that they did not attend church. I looked at Ken and said, “May I ask you a spiritual question?” He replied affirmatively and I said, “If you were to stand before God and He asked you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ what would you say?” Ken and Traci both told me they had no idea what they would say to that question. I informed Ken that was why his nephew Mike asked me to come see him, “because he wanted you to know how to get to heaven and be prepared to meet God.” I told Ken and Traci that most people think they get to heaven by having more good deeds than bad deeds. . .would they agree? They agreed, so I asked them if I could ask them a few questions in regards to God’s Law (The Ten Commandments) to see how they measured up. As Ken nodded his head towards me, I asked him several questions: “Have you ever told a lie (breaking the 9th commandment)? What would you call someone who lied?  (He said yes, and responded a liar.) Have you ever stolen anything? What do you call someone who has stolen something (He said yes, and a thief)? Have you ever coveted for someone’s else things? (He said yes). I looked at Ken and Traci and said compassionately, “By your own admission, you are a lying covetous thief at heart and we only looked at a few of the commandments. Would you say that you were innocent or guilty before God for breaking His Law?” Ken responded with a laugh and said “You…got me…I would be guilty.” I responded, “Ken, I am not trying to ‘get you,’ but I have another big question for you. Since you admit you are guilty before God for breaking His law, would you go to heaven or hell when you die?” There was a silent hush in the room when Ken admitted