All Too Rare

In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, we are able to read about an occurrence that is, in today's Christian world, all too rare. Verse 8 of chapter 6 says, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I; send me.'"

Did you catch the rare occurrence? It's right there in front of us. The voice of the Lord is calling out for someone to do His work. That's not rare at all.

What is rare is Isaiah's response.

He volunteered.

He offered himself to God without knowing exactly the assignment, without knowing exactly where it would lead or what the personal sacrifice necessary to do God's work would be.

But he volunteered. He even spoke eagerly, excitedly.

How many such responses do you suppose pastors and nominating committees are going to get in the coming months as churches prepare for God's ministries through them to go on?

It is far more common to get answers like, "I've done my part. It's time for you to get someone else." Or, "If you can't find anybody else, call me back and I'll think about it." Or, "I'll pray about it, but while I pray, you keep looking." Or, "I'm not qualified. There are others better than I am."

I have been a pastor for quite a number of years now and an active worker in the church as a deacon, Sunday School Director, Training Union Director and I have served on many nominating committees and I don't remember a single time when someone responded to the needs of the church, actually the needs of God in His work through that church, by saying eagerly and excitedly, "Here I am. Use me. It doesn't matter where or how or what the personal cost may be. Use me. I'll do God's work."

Don't get me wrong. Someone usually does eventually take the job. But it is all too often a heart-wrenching affair.

Folks, Jesus died for us. He gave up His body to be tortured mercilessly and poured out His blood on the ground so that we might be saved from our sins, reconciled to Holy, Righteous God.

And it is all too rare that we come, eagerly and excitedly ready to do His bidding so that His work can go on in this world He has called us to impact in His name and to His glory.

I heard a song on WCON this morning that I pray might become our theme as God seeks people willing to be His hands and feet and voice in this needy world. It was entitled, "Let It Be Me."

Want to see the world changed for the better? And I don't mean by Mr. Obama and other politicians! Let this become your watch word to Jesus. Lord, let it be me. Let it be me.

Watch out!! Jesus is going to do great and mighty things through those who are more concerned with being available and willing than qualified. Jesus is going to do great and mighty things through those who are more willing to see the need and hear His voice to answer that need than to check and see how much spare time they have to give.

Last time I checked, Christians belonged to Him. All our time and resources and energies are supposed to belong to Him. Where did we get this idea about giving Him leftovers?

Pray please for revival. We all need it so.

In His Love
Walter

Just A Short While Ago

Just a short while ago, and I really mean just a very few minutes, I knew what this blog was going to be about.

Now I don't. I seriously can't remember.

There have been a number of distractions this morning and I lost my focus on the topic that seemed to be so right.

I can remember how right it seemed. I can remember that I had been given a perfectly logical outline for it. I just can't remember the subject matter.

It is so easy for me to lose focus. It so easy for me to forget. I forget things all the time.

I have great intentions. I just forget to act on them.

Just as things have distracted me from my topic this morning, things come up that can, if I'm not very, very careful, take my focus off of Christ. And when my focus is on anything else, I'm headed for trouble.

Only when I'm fixed on Jesus is my guard set properly over my mouth.

Only when I'm fixed on Jesus is my determination strong to take every thought captive to His glory.

Only when I'm fixed on Jesus are my eyes not on me and what I think I need or don't have.

Only when I'm fixed on Jesus do I realize how very rich He has made me and how thankful I should be.

The truth is that I'm only happy and joyful when I'm fixed directly on Him as my All In All.

Have you been distracted from Him today? Perhaps this happened to me so that you could read this and become refocused on the Only One Who really matters.

Take a moment, re-focus, and continue the day honoring and glorifying Him.

He'll be pleased and you will be more fulfilled. I promise.

Please pray for revival. We need it so badly.

In His Love
Walter

Rescue

President Obama is scheduled to address the nation tonight and one of the important topics is the economy. Duh!!


Our nation is in trouble. This trouble has occurred because of sin. Greed, specifically.


As our nation has turned more and more away from God and national emphasis on His presence, power and Word, we have gotten deeper and deeper into greed and shown less and less compassion for others.


It seems that the rich have truly gotten richer while the poor suffered as the poor always do and we have now reached the crisis stage because the rich are beginning to lose their riches and the poor have less than ever for the rich to profit from.


I know that I've said a lot of this in this space before, but it is true. We need Jesus. We need revival.


Without a change of our national heart, we as a nation are doomed.


It saddens me to know that Krushev may have been a wise prophet so many years ago when he predicted that the United States would be taken without a shot being fired because, as he said, we would "crumble from within."

It does not have to be true. This nation can still be rescued. But only by the power of Almighty God.

We need Jesus. We need national revival. Without a national turn to Christ, we are toast.

I am not trying to be Mr. Doom&Gloom. I am simply saying that we are so far down the slippery slope of sin and greed and national degradation that God is our only hope and we who know to pray had better not waste anytime getting about the business of seeking His face for His deliverance.

We do not deserve it, but when have we deserved the blessing of God?

Our appeal must be to His mercy, His grace, His love. We must cry out to Him in humble desperation for we are a desperate nation.

We do not have the national strength or will to pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps.

Congress can't do it. Obama can't do it. Only God. Only God. Only God.

Pray. Pray. Pray. Your nation needs you now as a prayer warrior more than it has ever needed any type of armed service.

In His Love
Walter

Sacrifice

This morning on ESPN there was a touching story involving two high school basketball teams.

On the day of an annual game between two nearby high schools, the mother of one of the main players for team one died.

Naturally, his teammates and coach reached out to him, offering sympathy and support in his time of loss. The coach even offered to cancel the game. The player insisted that the game go on.

Rather surprisingly, when game time came, the team two was very sympathetic about the situation, and even though the player whose mother had died wasn't there, they expressed their support and respect for him before the game began.

Shortly after the game began, the player whose mom had died showed up at the gym. He wanted to play, but there was a problem. For him to play in the game after his coach had left his name off the roster because he was not expected to be there, there would be a technical foul called for him to enter the game. The other team would be allowed to shoot two technical free throws.

He wanted to play and his coach wanted to let him, so, in spite of the technical foul call and the two free throws in the middle of a close game, his coach inserted him into the game.

The officials did what they had to do and called the technical. The opposing coach requested that they not do so, but state rules are state rules and the refs had to make the call.

A senior player from team two stepped to the foul line and twice shot the ball about three feet in front of himself, purposely missing the free throws.

With the blessing of his coach and teammates and with cheers of approval ringing down from the stands, this young man made a sacrifice for himself and for his team. And it cost them. They eventually lost the game to the team with the player whose mom had died. But they left knowing that they had done the right thing.

Sacrifices are not easily made. Especially the ones that cost us something real.

But sacrifice is the example of our Heavenly Father and He is honored and glorified when we set ourselves aside, even at great cost, and make sacrifices that are blessings to others.

God Himself made the greatest sacrifice ever known to this world, when He went to the cross as Christ and poured out His perfect blood that sinners like you and me could believe in Him and His gift to us and be cleansed from our sins.

Has He called you to make some sacrifice to someone today?

Maybe it's to someone who will not notice or appreciate what you do.

God will notice. God will appreciate what you do.

If you have no other reason to do it, do it for Him.

Remember what He has done for you.

Please pray. For revival. And for others willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary for God to be glorified.

In His Love
Walter

Leftover Parts

Sometimes I feel like I'm made with leftover parts.

It is very hard for me to buy dress shirts that really fit. I have an 18 inch neck and shirts made for 18 inch necks are always big enough around the middle to fit another person inside my shirt with me.

They're huge!

And then there's my head! It looks large to me every time I see it. And one of my hips is sort of higher than the other one which makes my pants legs look like one is always longer than the other when it's just that my waist is not level.

Leftover parts! That's what I sometimes think.

And then God reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that He personally fashioned me with His hands.

Leftover parts, indeed! There is nothing leftover about me. My creator made me, He loves me, He died to redeem me from sin, and the last thing I need to dwell on is the difficulty of shirts that fit!

My Jesus fits just perfectly into my heart. He leads me, teaches me, helps me, protects me, cleanses me and keeps me! He has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me.

He told me through His word not to worry about my clothes and things like that and I'm choosing to do just what He said.

How my clothes fit has no impact on my spiritual condition or how I look to My Heavenly Father. Jesus fits just fine and He alone makes me as handsome as I'll ever need to be. Spiritually speaking, of course.

If you haven't discovered it for yourself, let me assure you, Jesus is the perfect fit for you, too, and the longer you wear Him the more comfortable and wonderful He becomes.

If you never have, put Jesus on today. Invite Him into your heart and you'll soon discover that He is exactly the right size, shape and style for your life.

Live life in Him.

Please pray for revival. Often and with great passion. God is hearing those prayers and He is going to give us His gift of revival. Just remain faithful in prayer.

I His Love
Walter

God and Bad Times

It is becoming clear that in bad times, people do turn to God.

"The Christian Index" cites "The New York Times" in an article about this subject and I've just cited them both. People are taking notice of people seeking God in the midst of our national economic distress.

And I say that's a good thing. God has promised in His Word that "all things work together for good," and that is just as true for troubled economic times as it is for anything else.

Historically, many people have come to saving faith in Christ during times of prayer and supplication for an improved econmic outlook and, while some might disagree, it is far better to be saved from one's sins than to be rich financially.

I celebrate the truth that many are seeking and finding God even as they lose their money.

But I also celebrate the millions who have known and served Our Heavenly Father for years because they responded to His love offer of salvation without the push of economic fears.

I hope that those who are now coming to Christ will rejoice that there were already in place believers who could point them to the only true relief for money problems or any other kind of problems that arise in life.

And those of us who know the Truth should be prepared to share Him with the many around us even where we live who are seeking answers and relief.

As Mordecai said to Esther as he encouraged her to act on behalf of God's people, who knows but that we were put here at this time for such a time as this. Maybe God has us here to point troubled people to Him as He uses this difficult time in our history to draw many to Himself through Christ Jesus.

Let us pray for a harvest that money cannot buy and let us all be available to call attention to the only real answer for any problem: Jesus.

He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for any and all situations.

Pray for revival. Often. Fervently. Consistently. Please.
In His Love
Walter

Learning

There was an ad campaign on Saturday mornings a few years ago about learning. Something like "Learning Is Fundamental."

And I have to say that learning is fun. It's exciting. It's fulfilling. And, when it's learning about Our Heavenly Father and His great love for us, it is addictive.

Abba wants us to know Him intimately. He wants us to know His love. He wants us to know Him and His love for us so well that we trust Him about everything.

I am learning that everything that we need to know about God, everything we need to know God intimately and personally, has to start with our knowledge of His love.

If we seek to learn anything about God apart from the "fundamental" knowledge that all that He does flows out of His great love for us, we will not understand it correctly.

When we read in the Bible that God is love, it is because without that foundational fact, nothing else about God makes the sense it should and will be misunderstood. That misunderstanding will make everything else we might try to know about God be just far enough off to confuse us.

Without being completely convinced of God's love, we will misinterpret much of what He does to mold us into the image of Christ.

Being molded into the image of Christ can hurt, especially for someone like me who needs a lot of molding and shaping to be anything at all like Jesus.

If I'm not fully convinced of His love and do not understand that everything He does is for my good and to help me be more and more like Jesus, then I don't understand and can even resent God when the things He does or allows into my life are painful.

But I'm learning. Everyday, I'm learning.

God loves me. Everything He does or allows in my life is because He loves me and He is at work making me, molding me into the very best person I can be.

God loves me. The goal He ultimately has for me is to be like Jesus. Did you hear that?

He loves you, too. The goal He ultimately has is for you to be like Jesus.

Me and you. Like Jesus!

How wonderful can it get?

All because He loves us.

Whatever happens today, view it through the fundamental truth that God loves you and is at work making you the best you you can be in the likeness of Christ.

If God is not working on you, ask yourself if you've ever given yourself to Him by faith in Christ and His atoning work at Calvary.

If you've not given yourself to Him, you can simply be asking Jesus to come into your heart and save you. He wants to. He died to.

Then you will know the first step of His love and you can begin the glorious journey of life with Him knowing that everything from the moment of salvation forward is a product of His love. Even the parts that hurt.

Just love Him and be convinced of His love for you.

God is love. And you are the object of that love.

In His Love
Walter

Keep "Em At Any Cost

There is an article in the newspapers today about an Austrian priest who has given up a promotion within the Catholic church.

He was promoted to become the auxiliary bishop of Linz, Austria. He has stepped down from the promotion.

No big deal, I guess until we examine why.

Some time ago, Rev. Wagner suggested that God had used hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans because of the sins of the people of the city.

Now I'm not here to say that God did or did not use Katrina as a way of punishment, but I certainly think it is a valid idea that is worthy of consideration.

I feel like God certainly could have used Katrina as a punishment on the United States as a whole because we have all been affected by the aftermath of the storm. The costs associated with recovery efforts is in the billions of dollars and those dollars are coming from somewhere and that somewhere is you and me.

Christians should consider everything when disasters occur. God used these types of events in the past as recorded in His Word and He is certainly free to do so again.

Rev. Wagner said so and now has withdrawn from his promotion because the controversy could prompt people to leave the church.

This is where I have a problem. This man has put forward an argument that has basis in Biblical history, that God punishes people for their sins and that Katrina was possibly a tool of such punishment.

There is nothing wrong with starting and encouraging that thinking among people. The minute we think that God is incapable of, or wrong for, bringing punishment on Man, wherever man may be, by whatever means God would so choose, we no longer present God honestly as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word.

This pastor has withdrawn from his promotion to keep people in the church.

This happens too many times in our world today.

God's Word and character and ways are compromised in the name of keeping people in church.

People need to hear the truth. Only in the Truth are people set free.

Pray that we never apologize or withdraw from the truth just because it may seem challenging to someones sensibilities.

God's Word, God's Truth is supposed to challenge us, enlighten us and ultimately, free us. But we must first hear it and know it and consider all it's hard ramifications.

God does punish sin and sinners. However He chooses to do so.

We can never back away from that.

This world needs Jesus. Revival. Prayer. Please be a part of that. Pray and keep on praying.

In His Love
Walter

Religion and Politics

Now there's a title for you: Religion and Politics. Do those two things have anything in common? I think so. Perhaps more than they should.

Yesterday our national leaders reached "agreement" on a 789 billion dollar economic stimulus bill. But to read the quotes from many this morning, it seems that there is at least as much disagreement as agreement.

It seems that the compromises necessary to get enough votes lined up for passage of the bill do not sit well with either side. But there was compromise and it does seem that the stimulus bill will get signed by President Obama sometime very soon.

Compromise. Politics could not work without it. Religion has embraced it.

There is, in our world today, a great effort to get people to compromise on matters of religion.

The aims are good, I suppose, but the results are not.

I cannot be true to my Christian faith and bless the beliefs of someone else who happens to believe that there are other ways to Heaven than through Jesus Christ.

I can stand by and observe and even confess another's right to worship whomever and whatever he or she desires.

But I cannot compromise my beliefs by saying that another faith is just as good as mine, that another God is okay as long as another person believes in some sort of higher power.

The teachings of Almighty God have made it clear: religion is not the answer. Relationship with Christ is.

Our Christ, the Head of the Church, the Savior of our souls, has taught us with no room for compromise that He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" and that "no one comes to the Father but through" Him.

It is and will continue to become more and more difficult to hold the conviction that Jesus is the Only Way in the world we live in. But we must. To compromise any at all on that most important point is to make our Christianity into something else entirely.

The adherents of any belief system based on any belief but Christ and Christ alone will end up in Hell.

Religion desires to compromise. Relationship does not and will not.

Pray for our world today. Pray for yourself. Pray that you will remain strong in your faith and never, ever compromise. Jesus is the Way.

Pray also for revival. Please.

In His Love
Walter

If I Have, Please Forgive Me

I may have broached this subject before and if I have, please forgive me but it seemed worthy of a reminder.

God is so very good to me. My life has been blessed beyond measure in all sorts of ways.

God has given me so much: a beautiful wife and family; six, yes, count 'em, six grandchildren that can light up Granddaddy's heart with just a little smile; a wonderful home; a loving church family; food and more than enough blessings for life; the list of His riches passed on to me is endless.

But last night as Wanna and I watched the first hour of the Westminster Dog Show, I was reminded that a strong argument could be made that God's greatest blessing to me (after Christ's sacrifice that I might be saved) is not in what He has given me but in what He has spared me.

Last night toward the end of the first hour, a young girl, bald from her cancer treatments, was introduced. She smiled a huge smile but you could still see the strain of sickness in her eyes.

Her bright red dress did much to create a happy look, but the pain of suffering so much at such a young age could easily be seen.

My grandchildren have had health problems of one kind or another. My kids did, too. So did I. But none of mine have ever had their lives threatened by something like cancer and none of them ever looked like they were losing the battle.

God has spared me so much.

A young adult, a soldier in our armed forces was also introduced. He had lost both legs serving us overseas. He walked out to cheers on his titanium legs and stood proudly and as steadily as he could.

I have been challenged medically a time or two, but nothing like the loss of my legs.

God has spared me so much.

If today, as you think about and engage in prayer, if, somehow, thanking God for the blessings you have received has become common and uninspiring, try thanking God for what He has spared you, what He has protected you from experiencing.

It may be that the greatest blessings (after salvation) are those things that we never touch, never taste, never experience, never own.

Give Him thanks today. He is worthy to receive it for blessings received and pain spared.

Then pray for revival. Great, glorious, Holy Ghost revival.

In His Love
Walter

Have You Seen Him Today?

It is such a beautiful day today.

When I got up this morning and took the dogs our for their first walk, it was about 5:15.

The moon was still out and bright and full. The sky had a few clouds. The dew sparkled on the grass. The air was clean and fresh.

I saw God.

A bit later, Wanna and I prayed. Fervently. We were so thankful for our blessings. We prayed for our families. We prayed for you.

We felt God.

Still later, Lily awoke and she was in a good mood. (Sometimes three-year-olds are not, you know.) She smiled and came quietly out of the room she and Mea share when they are with us and Wanna and I got hugs and kisses as we gave her Ovaltine milk and turned the TV on to "Blues Clues."

We saw and felt God.

Shortly after coming to the office, a phone call I received provided the financial answer to a need that had just arisen a few moments before.

I say, felt and worshipped God.

God is so good and I am blessed to have seen and felt Him so much today.

The even greater realization is that He wants us, me, you and everyone, to feel and see and experience Him all day long.

He wants to be so intimately involved in our lives that we don't even consider forgetting His presence and power at work in our lives.

Have you seen Him today? Have you felt His presence so very real in your life?

He's near you. Just stop, look and listen. You will find Him there.

Then, just celebrate His presence and His goodness.

Please pray for revival. You know the drill. Just please do it.

In His Love
Walter

Changes

Changes.

They happen.

They are often quite a lot of trouble.

Unless they are changes that I want. Then they are not only okay, they are welcome changes.

But the changes I don't want, the changes I didn't think I needed, the changes I have had forced upon me are tough to deal with, more because I don't want to than anything else.

Today has been a day when certain changes have been made necessary by incidents totally out of my control.

Things have happened today that have impacted me, Carey and others in ways that are so inconvenient you can't believe it and some of these things are going to take some time and money to fix.

Changes, especially unnecessary ones are trouble.

I'm so thankful that in the midst of these changes, these inconveniences, that I have a Rock to go to that reestablished stability in my world.

That Rock is my Jesus and right now, I'm holding on to Him with all the strength I can muster.

Let me suggest that when changes, trials, troubles or anything unpleasant gets in you way, go to the Only True Rock, the Only Safe Fortress that you have.

Don't let the vicissitudes of life defeat you. Hold fast to Jesus.

When you have been reconciled to Him, He has promised never to leave you or forsake you.

Take advantage of that great promise and find all the strength and stability you'll ever need.

Let Him hold you, strengthen you, undergird you in every way today.

And pray for revival. Oh, how we need Jesus!

In His Love
Walter

The News Today

I read in the news today that Iran has fired their first ballistic missile that they produced themselves.

Comforting to know they can do it on their own, isn't it?

And guess what? North Korea is preparing to test-fire a long range ballistic missile of their own that has the range capability of reaching Alaska.

And the good news just keeps on a-comin'!

Our economy is going to take years to recover, according to Newt Gingrich. Well, Duh!

And in spite of all this news, I'm as joyful and excited as I can possibly be because I know what many of you know: none of this has been a surprise to God.

Dear friends, we don't have the answers to all the problems that our world faces today. We can't fix the economy or convince Iran and North Korea that nuclear weapons are not the way to change our world for the better.

But we do have the answer to the heart problems that have produced all this greed and hate: Jesus.

We need to share Him with everyone we meet. We need to share the truth about God's love and grace and forgiveness through Christ until everyone has heard.

The results are up to God but the witnessing is up to us.

And we need to realize that our talk is no good if our lives don't match up.

So, let's live Jesus today. He is far more attractive than you or I can ever be. And He is the answer that can fix economies, heal hatreds and halt missiles with bombs.

We need Him now more than ever.

Pray for revival. Pray until the Church stands as the Church. Better yet, kneels as the Church.

In His Love
Walter

Doing What's Right

One of the stories I read in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this morning had to do with a cab driver who discovered that a bag with valuables in it had been left in his cab.

There was diamond jewelry, an expensive watch, an iPod and other stuff worth a good bit of money.

The cab driver did the right thing and found the rightful owner and returned it.

That this story made the paper does not bother me at all. People who do the right thing should be noticed and applauded.

The tone of the story, amazement, is what makes me stop and think.

The idea conveyed was that it was almost unbelievable that this man would return things that could have so easily kept.

He could have worn the watch, given the diamond jewelry to his wife or other female and converted the iPod for his own use. No one would have been the wiser.

What does it say about us as a society that we are amazed when someone does the right thing? Whatever happened to the time when we expected that people would do the right thing almost always?

People used to take seriously God's command that we should not steal.

People used to understand that ill-gotten gain included things that were found and kept unless every effort was made to find the rightful owner first.

Even Opie had to wait 30 days for the $50.00 he found in the lost wallet. And even after the 30 days had passed, Sheriff Taylor, as good a daddy as sheriff, helped Opie understand that he had to return the money when the man showed up a couple of days after the time limit.

I pray for a day when once again everyone expects everyone else, and himself as well, to do the right thing all the time.

I pray for a day when we still applaud those who do, not because we consider it unusual, but because doing right things is the Godly choice for life.

There is only one true way. There is only one totally right choice. That way, that choice, is to follow Jesus. To receive Him and to love and walk with God.

Love Him today. If you have not embraced Him as your Savior, invite Him into your heart today. It is amazing the difference He will make.

Please remember to pray for revival. Please remember to pray for our leadership. God hears our prayers and He will answer. In His good time. In His good way. Let's just do our part and pray.

In His Love
Walter

The Hall Of Famer

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl last night. 27 to 23.

It was a thriller according to the report I saw on ESPN this morning. I didn't stay up to watch the game.

I've already forgotten who was the MVP. I do remember that he was one of the wide receivers for the Steelers.

People in Pittsburgh were thrilled, as you knew they would be. I guess I'm happy for them.

Before the game and then again this morning there was a lot of talk about whether or not Kurt Warner, the quarterback for the losing Arizona Cardinals, has been good enough during his career to be considered a Hall of Fame player.

Kurt Warner is openly and apologetically a Christian. He is a man of good and consistent character.

During the two week media build-up to the actual game, one of his teammates was asked about Kurt's qualifications as a potential Hall of Famer. He said in reply, "Hall of fame dad, hall of fame friend, hall of fame teammate, hall of fame quarterback."

Notice that the comment about quarterback came last. Other far more important qualities were mentioned first.

Also during the two week build-up to the actual game, some of the "talking heads" that debate sports endlessly as if sports is the most important thing on earth that can be discussed and they are the experts to discuss it, ridiculed Kurt for his Christianity. They literally made fun of him. Sort of the "goody-two-shoes" kind of thing.

If they only knew that Kurt Warner already has his name written down on a list that far surpasses any list made by men, whether it is a list of good quarterbacks or dads or friends or teammates. His name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

I will forever believe, and I think that Kurt Warner would tell you that having his name in God's Book of the Redeemed means far more than any recognition he might or might not get here on earth.

I believe that he would also tell you that the main reason he is able to be the quarterback, friend, dad and teammate he is, is because of the presence of Christ in his heart.

I believe that Kurt plays his best, fathers his best, befriends his best because he tries very hard to do everything he does to the glory of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and Almighty God, his heavenly Father.

The debate about Kurt's Hall of Fame worthiness may go on for years.

But his eternal fame is signed, sealed and delivered by the One Who knew him best but still loved him most.

Does that mean he stands out any more than the rest of those who are believers? No. It just means that he stands (better yet, kneels) alongside all of those who have trusted Christ as Savior and Lord to praise and honor and glorify Him.

Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Your earthly achievements don't matter much for eternity. Only your relationship with Christ.

If you have received Him, praise Him. If you have not, ask Him about it today.

Please pray for revival. Please. Our nation needs you as a steadfast prayer warrior.

In His Love
Walter