Dear Friends,
September is half over already. The good news is the temperatures are beginning to moderate. I’m all for warm days, but there are limits even for me.
On Friday we observed Patriot Day. It was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I clearly remember what I was doing that morning, as I’m sure many of you do. We all have points of time that we cannot or will not ever forget. I well remember the day JFK was assassinated. I was working the window at McDonald’s in Ogden, Utah and one of my co-workers’ mother came to the window crying and saying, “the president has been shot!” There are others that I will not take the time to share.
On a positive note, I also remember what I was doing when I met my future wife, although not the exact day. Next to that is my memory of the day I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Standing in a pew in a little country church on a Sunday morning, I responded to His invitation to follow Him. The year was 1982 in early spring, and I can attest that my lifestyle began a slow transformation over the next few years. No, it wasn’t an immediate bright light moment, but I knew I was going to let Him take control of my life.
I am convinced that the most important event in our lives we can share as a memorial and historical fact is to share our Christian testimony. It may not be an important event in the eyes of the world, but it is of eternal significance.
“Suppose one if you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” … “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents: (Luke 15:3-7,10).
In His grip,
Pastor Jerry
sandhillspastor 