As I sit here reviewing the year in my mind, I must first confess that there have been times that I have been beaten down a bit with the cares and concerns of life. Sometimes my humanity bursts forth in fleshly defeat… but, then my inner man hears the quiet reassurance of the Holy Spirit. I am a child of the King of Kings and nothing can change that. Nothing can separate me from His supreme love. As a matter of fact, some of my favorite passages of scripture state:
Maybe you too have faced some significant struggles this year? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the ultimate victory already confirmed. No matter what the world and its passing fads and fancies may try to impose upon you, your Heavenly Father sees and cares for you. It may be difficult to fathom how He can see everything and everyone every moment of every day, but he does. He loves us so much that He would allow His one and only Son to become our perfect sacrifice. Then, He seals us forever with His Holy Spirit. Salvation is here – now – and will be in eternity. So, as Bro. Paul stated so completely… neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, it is worth repeating!
Now, I would like to give thanks for some specific things and people who have been present in my life this year. There is no way to name everyone who has made an impact, so please don’t be offended if you do not see your name here. I am simply going to write about a few things as God brings them to my mind. Here goes:
- First and foremost, I give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for loving and saving my soul. Without Him, nothing else would matter.
- I give thanks for my wife and kids and for the Lord allowing us to stay together through another year.
- I am thankful for being able to be near my mom, brother, and sister. They probably do not know how much they all mean to me. It is very true that the older you get, the more important family is to you.
- To the staff, members, and other workers at Woodland Baptist Church, God bless you and thank you for continuing to provide a place for us to stay. Your kindness has given us a unique opportunity to finish our degrees and stay engaged in various avenues of community outreach. There are not enough words to tell you how much we appreciate you!
- I give thanks for old friends and new friends. I am blessed to have some former IMB colleagues and M’s that still care enough to keep in touch and show their love even through this extended transition period of my life. Mike & Kathy, Wes & Katie, David, Bill, Mick, Bob & Gail, Kevin & Lisa, and Mike… you are all awesome!
- Now, let me say a special thanks for my new friends at Englewood Baptist Church. Through Mission Jackson, I have served and made friends with some more awesome people. Brent, Robert, Kayla and all of our teams and team leaders… God bless you all for your heart for outreach and missions.
- For new friends in my Sunday school class, God bless you all for being so solid and encouraging.
- Gary, thanks for the Thursday morning encouragements through Maximum Man.
- Dr. Jet, thank you sir for your graciousness and kind words. I have come to admire you greatly.
- I am also thankful for the relationships I have started through the Union University BSOL program. Carroll, you are a great encouragement sir.
Well, I could go on and on. The Lord truly has blessed me. Now, as I finish this little article, I want to say thank you to the group of young people who help me with the Mission Jackson site down on Burkett Street. You men and women rock! May the Lord shower blessings upon you all for sharing Christ with the kids we minister to week in and week out. Amen.
