Oh, the Joy
Set Before Us!
Just a Meadow Minute
This week at FBC, it is an honor to have former pastor, Ken McClung, officiate the Memorial Service for Mary Etta Fleming. Her passing has both lessened us and strengthened us as the body of Christ. She will be missed by her daughter, Traci, her extended family, and many friends here in this life. Yet with her testimony of faith, Mary Etta is now included in the Great Cloud of Witnesses spoken of in Hebrews chapter 12:1. Her life encourages us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As I contemplate Mary Etta’s 97 years of life, most of it lived as a follower of Jesus, I am steadied by the news we as a church received this week from Youth Camp in Glorietta, where four of our students made commitments to Christ, surrendering their hearts through faith.
Oh, “the joy set before” Mary Etta. Think of the reunion she has experienced with her husband, Joe. Her victory has been won, and now she will spend eternity in the presence of her Savior. For all of us who loved Mary Etta, but for a season, we will see her again in our Father’s heaven because of Jesus who “endured the cross”.
Oh, “the joy set before” these new young believers as their Christian Walk is just beginning. May the Lord grant that they remain faithful, abiding in Him all the days of their lives. May they “run with endurance the race that is set before” them as followers of the Christ.
Mary Etta’s family can find comfort and peace, even joy, in knowing that the promises of God are true. Believing in Jesus, they will see their sweet loved one again.
The parents and families of our youth who have just now surrendered to our Lord, can likewise find comfort and peace and joy in knowing the promises of God are true. Through faith in the Father’s forgiveness and grace, they, too, can know they will spend eternity together.
I am compelled to say it again. Christians must be the most positive and forward thinking people on this earth. Through the Holy Spirit, it becomes our mindset to see an eternal future that changes everything,. How we think. How we speak. How we act. How we work and parent and love and learn and serve. Oh, “the joy set before us!” Knowing Christ changes everything.
The lost world desperately needs what Mary Etta and these new believers and countless millions of others have found—salvation through the grace of God. As we grieve the loss of Mary Etta and rejoice with the angels in heaven over the decisions of these fine young people, we should let these two events keep our eyes on “Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith.” Who do you know, right now, facing an eternal future without Christ, headed for a devil’s hell? Oh, “the joy set before” them that’s made possible by your witness and assured by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go to it!
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
God’s precious word speaks beautifully and often about the value and impact of faithfully guiding our youth and children in spiritual matters.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Psalm 71:17 says, “O God, Thou has taught me from my youth; and I still declare Thy wondrous deeds.”
So much of what young people have access to today is vile and destructive and mean and discouraging. Bullying and racism find their way into every facet of life. The innocence of childhood is under attack in places where kids should be safe and protected. There are areas of our country where parents are being excluded from the raising of their own children, including decisions that will impact their little ones for the rest of their children’s lives. I pray such sickness never infects our community. First and foremost, it doesn’t “take a village” to raise a child. It takes a godly family of faith. All around us, much of the “village” (society) is failing our children and failing our youth with perverse and twisted ideology and distractions. Society’s values change with the whims of “influencers.” Our cultural standards of right and wrong come and go like a vapor, but the truths of God stand forever. It is time for the church to be the church.
The Bible offers several warnings to those who would bring harm and confusion to children, including those who would lead astray the young. While teaching that all of us should come to God in the innocence and trust of a little child, Jesus added in Matthew 18:6, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
We must understood the Lord’s instruction here to include not only those attacking our “little ones,” but also those who hinder our young spiritually. Many well-intentioned and encouraging activities that our youth and children are involved in seem to more and more encroach upon the time and influence faith and the church once had in the lives of our children and youth. As always, parents want to see their kids get the training they need to excel in sports and academic advancement that are rightly important in their development as active and productive individuals. What seems to be lacking more and more is the effort parents likewise put into the time and effort and example to introduce their children and youth to their need of salvation through the cross of Jesus. Do we insist on our kids getting the spiritual training they need to make wise decisions in preparation of the times when they are no longer under the watchful eyes of their parents. Our young need spiritual tools to avoid being conformed to this world, and instead to be transformed by the message and power and will of Christ. By avoiding such influence, parents are declaring the church to be irrelevant in their family life. May God forgive us.
The Bible says in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.” During these last days, nine students and two adult sponsors have spent time at Glorietta, NM. Leaving the routine and regularity of day-to-day to focus on the joy of living a victorious Christian life always seems to bring our students back differently. I am so grateful to Amber Caswell and Jordan Arland who have led out as sponsors with these fine young people. Psalm 25:4 says, “Make Your ways known to me, Lord. Teach me Your paths.” May that be the goal of FBC Meadow. May that be the goal of all involved with our children and youth. And may that be the goal of each of us individually as we live to glorify the King of kings.
Grace,
Tom
For way too many years in my teens and twenties, I fired a gun without hearing protection. Like many young people, my brothers and I were infatuated with the out-of-doors, and there was nothing we loved more than a day squirrel hunting in the pines of North Carolina or dove and deer hunting in the fields surrounding San Angelo, TX. Back then, I didn’t give my hearing a second thought. Now the tinnitus never goes away, even in the middle of the night, and ever so slowly, my natural hearing is fading away.
When my two girls were teenagers, they thought it funny to use the TV remote and slowly lower the volume to see how long it took for me to bend in to hear. I have no idea where they got their dark humor, certainly not their sweet mother. Like most dads and husbands, I have been accused of having “selective hearing loss.” Surely I could not possibly have missed all the things said that I’ve been told I didn’t hear. The comedian Nate Bargatze says that after all his years of marriage apparently his wife is still batting 1000 in telling him things, and he is “0-fer” when it comes to listening.
Without my hearing aids today, it’s almost as if the entire world is lip-syncing. While hearing aids are expensive and the west Texas wind can drive my ears crazy, I do appreciate the change they have brought to my life. For way too many years, I was missing so much. The ones I have now recharge every night and my smartphone streams to my ears. So does the TV. Diane and I can watch a show at a reasonable volume for her, and for me, it's like wearing headphones. Technology can be a good thing, and I will never again take lightly the blessing of hearing.
In the second and third chapters of Revelation, Jesus addresses seven churches, and each time He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Our Lord spoke both words of commendation and condemnation to the churches. He spoke words of promise to the faithful, and words of warning for those who are unfaithful. Even today, God speaks to churches about the condition of their heart—both as individuals, and as congregations. He speaks of the church guarding its first love, service in His Name. And it pains Him when He finds His church lukewarm, just existing, and not proclaiming.
How do we as a church, as God’s people, hear what He is saying? Let’s be honest. We have all found ourselves at some point pleading with God to speak to us, to reveal His will to us. We claim at times that He seems far away and silent when we need Him most. But that is just not the case. God takes the initiative to speak with us. God IS speaking to us. Even in His silence. Apparently, it takes a different kind of ear to hear what He says. These ears to hear are not physical but of the heart. God is calling us as His people to have a heart that understands what the Spirit is saying. We are to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Many people are deciding the church today is irrelevant—both Christians and non-Christians alike. What the Spirit of God has for us is most certainly not irrelevant but is it possible that we as His people are blocking out the message? Have we slowly turned down the volume because the Spirit is speaking about our acceptance or redefining of sin? Do we selectively tune out what the Spirit says because what He says demands a change in our life? Do we allow the Spirit to stream the truth of God into our consciousness or do we shut Him out by never searching His Word? God forbid that I might ever take for granted my ability to hear my wife, my kids, my grandkids, the birds, music, and laughter. And, Dear Lord, forgive me when I fail to be sensitive to the Spirit’s call on my life and leadership in it.
Grace,
Tom
Philip Bliss was one of the most prominent hymnwriters in the heyday of gospel hymn writing. Bliss grew up working on a farm and spent several years in lumber camps before eventually becoming a music teacher. At age twenty-six, Bliss sold his first song, and that led to his later working for a hymn publisher. D.L. Moody urged Bliss to become a singing pastor, which he did beginning in 1874. This favorite of mine by Bliss was published in 1875. The very next year, while traveling through Ohio, Bliss and his family were involved in a train wreck. The reports of the tragedy said that Bliss got out, but went back into the fiery train to save his wife. They both perished.
What other life-changing hymns might have come from the mind and heart of Philip Bliss, and yet God called him home at that moment. None of us knows the exact date, time, or circumstances when we will face eternity. How very true it is that in many ways, our lives are but a vapor and then they’re gone.
Perhaps none who will read this Meadow Minute would even aspire to the wonderful gift of hymn-writing, but if we claim Jesus as our Redeemer, we, too can find ways to praise Him and share Him and magnify the gift of His sacrificial death for our sin. What a Savior!
“Man of Sorrows!” what a name for the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood—
Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heav’n exalted high; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Though Philip Bliss’ life and gift of hymn writing were cut short, his music continues to bless so many. May each of us while on this earth seek in some way to inspire and encourage similar encounters with the “Man of Sorrows.”
“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately for or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Isaiah 53:1-3
Grace,
Tom
Hasn’t the rain the last days been wonderful? Everything smells so fresh. The green is coming back. For a day or two, there was water standing in the fields. Our God is so good!
But even something generally considered a blessing like plenteous rain can create different perspectives. Do you see high water covering the road only as an obstacle in getting where you’re going. Or is that water-covered highway a giant, God-given, double-sided boat ramp for going fishing? Perspective…
How do you see the ever-changing circumstances and impactful events in your life on this big, blue marble? Do you live each day as a victim? A survivor? A flourisher? Are you just tripping through life as things happen to you, or do you live your days believing “all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose?” Perspective…
The Bible tells us in several places of God’s perspective on things. I guess my favorite is Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
For those who know me, this will come as no surprise, but I can get riled up much too easily. The smallest change to my schedule has the potential to change my attitude in an instant, maybe for the rest of the day. It is perhaps my besetting sin. It is not natural for me to “consider it all joy” when I “encounter various trials.” I am not always quick to recognize that “the testing of faith produces endurance.” Yet God loves me and forgives me and is so patient with me. And God never plays the victim. His thoughts are not scatter-brained like mine are on occasion. God doesn’t get flustered or frustrated by the repeated failings of His people. His ways are above my ways. But that’s not an excuse for me to live as a scatter-brained, half-cocked victim. By the power of His Spirit, I can do better than that, live better than that. His Word tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that on the earth.” With the temptations we face to lose our cool, or only see the bad that happens, “He provides the way of escape, that (we) may be able to endure it.” Perspective…
Being a positive, forward-looking person in all circumstances is easy to claim or contemplate, and yet difficult to accomplish. Like in the movie, “Groundhog Day,” we face the same issues, the same struggles, the same temptations again and again. And we oftentimes respond to these issues, struggles and temptations much as we have previously. The “Patience of Job” seems unattainable. Even with the longest lifetime, the “Wisdom of Solomon” is not going to happen, is it? But God’s grace is sufficient, and it is in our weakness that He is strong because His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. That’s God’s perspective.
“I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14-15)
Grace,
Tom
In today’s fast moving world, there is a more and more pressing phenomenon in the church. Let’s call it Snapchat Christianity? Young people especially understand Snapchat and disappearing messages. With Snapchat, some photos or videos vanish within seconds. With Snapchat Christianity, some opportunities to share the Gospel vanish just as quickly. Many speak of “lifestyle Christianity,” and I agree we should be building strong and lasting and trusting relationships with others in order to know them and to sense their needs. But sadly, we often spend our lives getting to know others without ever taking the next step, and the moment passes without ever sharing Christ. There are conversations you will never get back. There are moments you cannot replay. In our mobile society, there are people who will not be here – next week, next month, next year. How vigilant are we in making the most of God-given holy opportunities to share our Lord with others.
At this time of year, we are often reminded of how fast life happens to us. That little boy or girl that we just knew would always be around is growing into or has already grown into a very independent young adult. Influence over his or her priorities and schedules has begun to wane. Control over where they go and with whom, what they read and watch, gets more and more limited. Opportunities to introduce Jesus into their thoughts and decision making skills for the life-changing moments you know they will face seems to be slipping away. But God has a word for us. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Snapchat Christianity.
How about that spouse or friend or co-worker you spend so much time with, yet you know has never surrendered his or her heart and life to Christ. It seems you can talk with them about almost anything, yet your faith in Christ has become a taboo subject. Is he or she someone you say you would do anything for? Do you take the command of God seriously to “…be ready in season and out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2)
Snapchat Christianity.
And what of those who are only acquaintances, those you would not count necessarily as close friends? Do you see your daily Christian Walk as a calling to stand between the wiles of the enemy and the lost around you? Are you looking for what might be only a fleeting moment to make an eternal difference. “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)
Snapchat Christianity.
We are to make the most of opportunities our Lord gives us to share His Name. He is so loving, so compassionate, and so faithful, that if we surrender to His will for our lives, He will give us opportunities to introduce Him. Perhaps you’re thinking you surely have missed so many of such chances. Don’t look back. Don’t live in regret of missed chances. Be motivated by God’s great forgiveness. Move forward in the light of His Spirit and leadership.
Grace,
Tom
Disclaimer: This is not a politically correct Meadow Minute, and I make no judgements on varying parental skills.
It may come as a big surprise to those who don’t know me well, but I was in trouble quite a bit as a kid. (Shocking, I know.) It would feel very natural here to blame my early troubles on my two older brothers. I did that often enough back then! While they instigated their share of inappropriate adventures, it would be unfair to blame Barry and Eddie for all my indiscretions. I must also add that there was no such thing as the concept of “time out” in our house. My brothers and I would have loved “time out.” I can hear Dad now: “You boys stop fighting. That’s not nice. Now pick up your toys and get the dog and go to your room. Time out!” Punishment? Yeah, right.
On top of the refrigerator in our home was a ping-pong paddle, sanded smooth on both sides. I am sure it was an act of love that my parents personalized that instrument of instruction by branding the names of all three of us on it. The paddle made a particularly ominous sound as it was being taken down from the fridge, and we three could interpret that sound from anywhere within earshot. Looking back now, my first introduction to and understanding of God’s grace, though incomplete, was wrought through my parents and that ping-pong paddle.
I guess you could say in the beginning, my earthly father represented my misguided image of my Heavenly Father. With Dad, we got one chance, and if we broke the rules in his presence or he found out about it (and he always did), punishment was swift and severe. There were no second chances. If the paddle came off the fridge in Dad’s hand, someone was getting a spanking. He softened a bit after learning Mom was telling us, “Just wait until your father gets home!” Dad didn’t like being the bad guy whose only job it was to mete out punishment. My parents eventually decided it wasn’t effective parenting to employ transcendental discipline. If our actions weren’t bad enough to be corrected at the time, we might not even know why we were getting spanked hours later.
Mom helped me understand who God really is. She would take the paddle down four or five times as a warning before issuing any retribution, reminding we three boys each time of the rules and the coming judgement. If she did spank, we knew it wasn’t with full strength. And she was quick to forgive if we saw the error of our ways and ‘fessed up. More than once, Mom became our advocate with Dad, explaining us to him, and we loved her for it. Actual spankings were rare now that I think about it, and neither Dad nor Mom were ever irrational, cruel, or abusive. But there was right and there was wrong. We needed to learn the difference. And we did. Acknowledging the leadership of our parents and accepting who was in charge brought peace to our family while we were still very young. I am aware that some reading this may have suffered greatly in the past or may still be suffering at the hands of the those who should love them the most. I am certainly not discounting the epidemic level of child abuse occurring in our country. And I would also not discount the pendulum having recently swung too far the opposite direction, avoiding discipline altogether. I can only testify that receiving much-deserved corporal punishment as a kid by two loving parents did not turn me into some kind of fiend looking to hit others. I am not inclined to violence. Both of my parents expressed pain for their respective parts in my discipline, and I was overwhelmed by their affection and forgiveness when I said, “I’m sorry.” Mom and Dad disciplined my brothers and me with consistency and purpose, and I will be forever grateful for their attention, their instruction, and their love.
As an adult I have faced multiple times of painful discipline from my Heavenly Father, much worse than some innocuous “time out.” I confess I have been driven to humble myself in repentance under the mighty hand of God. And I have felt His wondrous forgiveness. Through it all, I have learned to cast all my anxiety on Him, because He makes it so obvious that He cares for me. If you are in a time of spiritual discipline, take heart from Scripture.
“Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines…It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” Hebrews 12:6-7
Grace,
Tom
We never know how deeply our actions affect the lives of others. This hymn, one of my favorites written by Isaac Watts, has certainly touched the hearts of millions. (The familiar chorus you will hear in your head was added years later.) After drawing the stark contrast between the sacrificial death of Christ and the unworthiness of sinful man, Watts concludes with, “Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘Tis all that I can do.”
A thirty-year-old blind woman heard a revival choir sing this simple hymn. Stanza after stanza stirred her heart, but when the choir came to the final line, “Here, Lord, I give myself away,” she gave herself away, surrendering to the Lord as well. That blind woman was Fanny Crosby, who went on to become the greatest writer of gospel songs in the past century.
Alas! And did my Savior Bleed and did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?
Was it for sins that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! and love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut His glories in,
When Christ, the great Redeemer, died for man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘tis all that I can do.
At FBC Meadow, our current sermon series is Exploring the 40 Days Between the Resurrection and the Ascension. Last Sunday we encountered Christ in the upper room as He dispelled the fear and disbelief of His closest followers by offering His hands and feet as evidence. His words, “Peace be with you,” were meant to calm their fears, squash their doubts, and encourage them to share the message of the crucified, buried, and resurrected Jesus. The peace He gives covers our past in forgiveness. His peace covers our present to live boldly for Him. And His peace covers our future in assurance of eternity. After Christ ascended in the clouds, these same timid, reluctant followers would never look back. They would never hide again. They would never deny their Lord. What changed was the peace found in their encounter with the Risen Christ. Our testimony is not about us. It’s about what Jesus has done for us.
“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6.
We never know how deeply our lives and our personal testimonies will touch the lives of others. “Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘tis all that I can do.” Be found faithful.
Grace,
Tom
I can remember how unsettling it was as a child when I watched my dad disappear into the clouds, headed across the world while serving in the USAF. I found courage by telling all my friends that Dad was a hero, and I knew he was coming back. I was always so proud of him for what he did for this country even though most people never knew about his sacrifice.
Each time Dad left, Mom would cry for days. Weeks. She was an amazingly strong woman, but each time Dad was called away, her job became raising three boys alone while keeping the “home fires burning.” Dad’s deployments overseas were always hard on those of us left behind. But once he landed in the States again, the joy was indescribable.
Dad’s longest deployment was fifteen months in Peshawar, Pakistan. Peshawar was one of the launch-sites of the U-2 aircraft used by the CIA during the cold war. I believe it was from where Gary Powers took off before being shot down over the USSR. Some fifty years later, the villain Osama bin Laden would eventually be tracked down and killed not far from where Dad had been stationed while I was a kid.
When Dad was away on that tour of duty, we received regular reel-to-reel audio tapes of him talking to us. He would whistle for our dog Ginger, and she would sit and cry under the table just hearing Dad’s voice.
Dad was deployed multiple times in his 30+ years of military service. Sometimes half-way around the world, and sometimes to locations in the US. In total, we had years of practice waiting for Dad’s return. Assured he was coming back, I worked hard in school. I learned to play the guitar while he was in Thailand during the Viet Nam Conflict. And I stayed involved at church, but not to earn his love. Because of it. When he returned, I wanted Dad to always find me faithful to the family as his child. I wanted him to be proud of me.
The Bible says that our Lord ascended into the clouds with His closest followers watching. So far, believers have had about 2000 years of practice waiting His return. If we want to hear from Jesus, there’s not an audio recording of His voice, but there is a wonderful record of His words found in Scripture, and we can talk to Him in prayer. When my Master comes for me, I want to be found faithful and doing my best as part of the family of God. I want to be found sharing the story of Jesus with friends and everyone else who will listen, even though most don’t ever think of the sacrifice He paid on the cross of Calvary. Not to earn my Heavenly Father’s love, but because of it. And I long to hear, “Well done…”
In the first chapter of the Book of Acts, the Bible says, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; so that where I am, there you may be also.”
Talk about indescribable joy…
Grace,
Tom
What a wonderful day was had by everyone who took part in the final Bronco Sunday of the 2025-26 school year here at FBC Meadow. Thank you all who participated in worship, and also so many who stayed for the catered lunch afterward. God was honored, and I believe our community was strengthened.
Blake Jackson, the Head Coach and Athletic Director at MISD brought us a word that resonated with everyone in attendance. While we look at Blake and the fine man, husband, dad, and coach that he has become, it was so appropriate for him to tell of his struggles in attaining many of his life’s goals as adversity struck again and again. His honesty and connection with parents and students alike was exactly what we all needed to hear. Blake’s story is one of perseverance and faith and service. As I reminded those in attendance after his testimony, Blake might not consider himself to be a super hero, but I’ve never seen him and Batman in the same room together! I so loved the quote from Billy Graham that our audio team put up before Blake came to speak.
“A coach or teacher will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime.”
We need to be reminded of that and be grateful there are many people of faith in leadership positions at MISD. To all the teachers, administrative staff, coaches, and others impacting the daily lives of so many in the community of Meadow, know how much you are appreciated and encouraged in what you do. Like Blake recalled those who blessed him with counsel, you have that same opportunity to make a lasting impact.
To the parents of students in our school, this pastor and so many others are praying for you that you might find true wisdom in guiding your charges to also be led by faith and guided by the truths of Scripture as we heard Blake’s parents guided him. We’ve all heard it before…parenting is not of sissies! May the peace of God cover your homes and your efforts to glorify Him in your parenting.
Finally, to the students of Meadow – the star athletes and the overachievers, the average students and those just hanging on to finish up the year – may God protect you as you complete your studies. Be strong and upbeat. And may the Lord watch over you this summer. Whether you are returning to MISD in the fall, or this is your last year here as you look forward to new and exciting things in life, “Remember the Lord.” Take the name of Jesus with you. Live a life that honors and reveres your Creator. Open your hearts to all the possibilities that He will provide to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
While Blake gave his testimony, 1 Peter 3:15 was displayed at the front of the church. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Our Head Coach WAS ready, and he DID answer the call. Cling to the Scripture Blake quoted during his testimony, Colossians 3:23. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Blake honored his Jesus with a testimony that we all can take with us. To God be all the glory, amen!
Grace,
Tom
Among the many volumes in the Pastor’s Study, there is a leather-bound Revised Standard Bible that once belonged to my father’s father, Leslie A. Heath. Dad and my Uncle Murray had originally given it to my grandparents as a Valentine’s Day gift on February 14, 1953, making it just over seventy-three years old today. Dad had done the leatherwork for the cover himself while still at Mars Hill Junior College in North Carolina, and he inscribed the words, “Keep Looking Up” on the inside of the front flap. That copy of God’s Word was included among items in several boxes containing the final effects that were gathered up and shipped to Dad settling my grandad’s affairs. Dad gave it to me while I was attending college at Angelo State. As unsentimental and proper and formal as Grandad had always appeared, bowtie and all, he had cut off and saved the P.S. from the bottom of Dad’s letter that accompanied the gift. Years ago, I found that small, stained snippet of paper tucked away in the back flap of the Bible’s leather cover.
“P.S. Keep Looking Up is the name of a song I heard during the Religious Focus Week here at school which is going on now. I hope you like it. Jimmy.”
I write this with tears in my eyes, recalling the last letter I wrote to Dad just weeks before he went to Glory on Armed Forces Day, 18 May, 1996. I included lyrics in the letter from the great old hymn, “Does Jesus Care?” Dad had been such an active person, always going somewhere, leading the charge, or building something. In that last letter, I added Dad’s very own PostScript, “Keep Looking Up.” During his final days, struggling for every breath, all Dad could do was lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. He did just that until his eyes closed here on earth and opened at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus commanded His followers saying, “Follow Me.” His command is first to any who would surrender by faith to the grace He provides. His command, “Follow Me,” is also a loving call to come back to Him when the cares of life cause His followers to drift away. And “Follow Me” is also our marching orders to stay faithful in testifying of Him by our life and witness to the very end in anticipation of our eternity to come in His glorious presence. Jesus assured all believers that there would be no doubts or confusions or questions or hesitations when the Lion of Judah returned for His own.
Our Lord comforted us with the same thought in Luke 21:28, as He spoke of the end-times and the urgency of our living a life of courage and conviction, undistracted by the “signs” and situations we would experience in the world around us. The King James version says, “…look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” The New American Standard says, “…straighten up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” The implication of Jesus’ words is a warning to His followers not to become defeated and downtrodden or distracted or distant. The return of our Lord is certain and one day closer. His words still ring true today, calling us to stand at attention, not looking down in defeat or worry or distraction, but looking up in readiness.
A few verses later in Luke 21:33, Jesus assured us of His promise when He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Keep looking up!
Grace,
Tom