January 16, 2012
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Great Weekend!!!
I wanted to start my blog with a short word about two special people.
This past Saturday I attended the funeral of Sheila Donaldson, a member of Living Word Nazarene. Sheila has battled cancer for a few years and this past week, she went to be with Jesus. We will miss her. She was one special lady. She always showed great kindness to my wife and kids. Through all the ups and downs of cancer, I NEVER saw her with a poor attitude. She always had joy, a big smile, and anticipation of brighter days. Today, she experiences the greatest joy of seeing Jesus face-to-face.
Then, on Sunday morning, I received news that Pastor Ray Shadowens, a retired minister who also was a member of Living Word Nazarene, had passed away. He was so ready to go home! I’ll never forget the first time I visited Pastor Ray in the hospital… maybe 5 years ago. His wife had recently passed away, and now Pastor Ray was in the hospital with what the doctors thought was a heart-attack. When I walked in the room, he was so excited to tell me that he had had a heart attack and may soon be going to heaven. I’ll never forget his excitement to see Jesus and his wife again. Enjoy, Pastor Ray!
We had a great Sunday at Houston First Nazarene and Conroe New Horizons Nazarene. What a joy to be with these great congregations! Many individuals came to me following each service to share how the sermon connected to some part of their life. Praise God! The highlight of the weekend was a visit after our evening service in Conroe. A young girl named Madeline Rodriguez (Maddy) came up to me. She and her mother used to attend Living Word but moved north to Conroe, where they now attend Conroe New Horizon. Maddy reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of Jesus knocking on the door of a heart (based on Revelation 3:20). On the back of the card was the written decision she had made to ask Jesus into her heart. The handwriting was mine from 2007 when I prayed with her to open her heart to Jesus.
This week is very full for us as we “close up shop” in Houston, Texas. Please pray that God gives us strength and that we simply remember everything we need to do
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