Redeeming the Time

We had a good taping session Tuesday and I was able to do four programs. Hope to again be up to doing five by next month! On Wednesday I was unable to get back to Chicago. A massive snowstorm canceled every flight from Detroit to Chicago. So, Marvin and Louise Taylor put me up for the evening and I made it home on Thursday morning. The Taylors are gracious hosts and we enjoyed an evening of warm fellowship.

When I got to the airport on Wednesday I turned on my cell phone and found a message from home. A young man in our assembly had taken a serious fall and was not expected to live. Not good news with me stranded out of town. Alex, of course, is there and able to minister to them as well as I can, but my heart is always with our folks at home.

This young man, Jeremy Alvarado, was a 21-year-old Seaman Apprentice. He graduated Navy Boot Camp December 7, 2007 and was looking forward with great anticipation to a career in Uncle Sam’s navy. He wanted to be a submariner.

He got sick last Sunday morning and reported to the base sick bay. While there he fainted, took a hard fall and experienced a severe concussion. By Tuesday evening it was obvious he was not going to recover. His brother, Josh, was on the east coast about to graduate from the Army’s Basic Training. He couldn’t get back to Chicago because of the weather, so they waited until he arrived to make the final decision to remove Jeremy from life support. He went to be with the Lord on Thursday.

It turned out that his mom and dad got the first call about his accident while we were in church last Sunday going over Col. 4:5,6! They had their phone turned off during the service so didn’t get the message till later.

Saturday we had a visitation at the church building that drew hundreds of young and old alike. Alex had an opportunity to share the gospel during a brief service that evening with great effect. Today we had the funeral at 2:00 p.m. The auditorium was standing room only (we have 213 seats) and our overflow room was also filled (another 60 or so seats). The opportunity to preach the gospel of grace to a room filled with sailors, soldiers, boy scouts, friends and relatives was an extraordinary privilege. I had the opportunity to personally share the gospel with two sailors (one from Maine the other from Texas) and a navy captain. The sailors gave indication they trusted Christ; the captain seems to have something of a testimony already, and really appreciated the clarity of the grace message. Others of our folk had the same experience.

Jess and Maggie (his dad and mom) wanted Jeremy’s home going to be a testimony to God’s grace. So it was. In the midst of their struggles with life, they have become an ensample of Romans 15:13—“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice the words, “in believing.” It is our believing in God and relying on His Word, resting in the facts of Calvary, that releases the power of the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with joy and peach so we may abound in hope. We’ve seen that in action this week. It’s one of the rewards of being a part of a local grace church!

Maranatha!