Another Important Milestone

I was in Detroit Tuesday for TV taping. This month marked the beginning of our 19th year of making the program. We have distributed it via cable public access channels across the country all this time. Hundreds of cable outlets have carried the Message of Grace into homes, restaurants, motels, etc. and the response has been amazing.

It was in 1990 that some of the saints at Grace Bible Church, Warren, Michigan volunteered to take the necessary training and do the actual production work. Pastor Thomas Bruscha has been the director all these years and the saints of GBC have been staunch backers of this ministry.

As Tom and I talked about this anniversary while he drove me to the airport Wednesday morning, he made a significant point: “That’s really what ministry is about—being there and doing the work; not letting the job go undone.”

That is the spirit that led us to develop a version of the program to air over broadcast stations. Forgotten Truths began airing over the CBS affiliate in Detroit, moved on to a couple other stations and then on to Inspiration Network. For the past four years it has aired via satellite over DirectTV. When you combine responses to Forgotten Truths with the calls and letters from the public access cable version of the show, we have been quietly making a real impact across the country for the clarity of the message of grace. It seems that I meet folks in every conference I attend who first came in contact with us through the TV program. PTL!

Tom, Mike Berry and I will be going to Nashville next week to attend the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. This is a trade show for radio and TV stations and ministries. Our purpose in going is to get better acquainted with current technology and what opportunities may be available in the future. It should be an interesting couple of days.

AN UPDATE: Seems I over did it again. We had a family night at church last Friday, Cynthia and I had our grandkids for the weekend, I preached Sunday a.m., made hospital calls in the afternoon and taught in the p.m. Monday I had to run errands most of the day.

The result was that by the time I got to Detroit I couldn’t make but three programs Tuesday evening. I came home with a chest cold. Alex taught Wednesday evening while I was in bed with fever.

As my radiation treatment progresses the symptoms keep evolving. Most of the acute pain has subsided and now I mainly face the continuing fatigue. The challenge is to be able to anticipate when I am going to need greater energy levels (e.g., to preach twice on Sunday, travel to speaking engagements, etc.) and do some forward planning so as to not be unable to function up to needed levels. I used to go until the job was done; now I go until I’m done! When I feel ok, I tend to go full bore. That, however, leaves me “out of gas” before too long. So….I’m learning….its aggravating…its gotten old….frustrating….I’m ready for it to be over!!! Then I relax, renew my mind and find that God’s grace is just as wonderful as it is reported to be! It is so amazing to be resting in the all-sufficient and over abounding grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Maranatha!