I hope you are well and excited about the new week the Lord has given us! The week will likely be full of challenges and surprises, but hopefully the surprises are good, and the challenges are stepping stones to better days.
I want to tell you about a good friend of mine who passed away last Thursday evening. His name was Charley Gilbert, and he was one of the finest Christian gentlemen I’ve ever known. Charlie served as Chairman of the Deacons at one of the churches I pastored, and he was an absolute joy to be around. He was dedicated to the Lord, and served the church well. Charlie was every preacher’s dream deacon. He supported the pastor and once told me if the church ever decided to hang me, he’d be swinging right beside me.
Charlie was 91 years old and was present at Pearl Harbor the day it was attacked. I used to tease him and tell him he was probably looking at those Japanese planes and admiring the little red balloons painted on their wings and fuselages. He said at first he thought it was a training run with the planes dropping “heavies.” He said it didn’t take long to know this was no drill. He wouldn’t watch war pictures about Pearl Harbor. He told me he had lived through it once and didn’t care to experience it again. He also told me the only time he ever had a flashback to that moment was when the cowardly Muslim terrorists attacked the twin towers and pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Due to health Charlie had to move back to his home in York, Pennsylvania. When I learned he was from York, I told him I loved the peppermint patties. He had a great sense of humor and could dish it out as well as he received it. He’s happy now, and I’m glad he is well, strong, and young again. Pray for his daughter Esther, and her husband Jay. They too are fine Christian people, and they know he is in Heaven, but it still hurts. Jesus never told us that grieving was a sign of weakness. On the contrary, the shortest verse in the King James Bible says, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). Did you know that the Bible says that God collects our tears? Psalm 56:8 says, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Why would God do this? Does He intend to bring them out one day when we face Him? Will we hear Him say, “These prove your lack of faith!” No - no, a thousand times no! Scriptures also teach us, “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17) Again in Rev. 21:4 John writes, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” God keeps them so as to comfort us! One day He will wipe those tears away, and they’ll never appear again. This is a promise to believers; to those who have repented of their sins and have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Have you received Jesus? If you have not, your eternal future will be nothing but weeping and wailing bitter tears. The Bible says, “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:42) Is that really what you want, or do you want that eternal comfort that only God can give? I’d be happy to talk to you about it. Feel free to e-mail me at preacher cooper@hotmail.com.
Well, I guess its time to wrap up our visit for this week. Remember the announcements made at Friendship Harmony yesterday. The ladies luncheon will be this Tuesday at the Island Grill at 1:00 p.m. All ladies are invited, and reservations are not necessary. Also, next week we will receive our annual Mother’s day offering to support the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes. These homes, located strategically throughout the state, take in children whose lives have been shattered due to problems within their family. The homes provide them with a safe and secure Christian environment, and help them get their lives back in order once again. If you’d like to help, bring your gift, or mail it to the Church. You can either make your check payable Friendship Harmony Baptist Church, and mark on it “children’s homes,” or you may make it out to Florida Baptist Children’s Homes and send it to the Church. The mailing address is 2296 Date Street; St. James City, Florida, 33956. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. These kids are introduced to Jesus while in our care, and many have received Him as their Savior and Lord.
Incidentally, for those wondering, services at Friendship Harmony were terrific yesterday. Karan Barry came to play the piano for us and she knocked it out of the park. She is very accomplished, and we even learned two new songs. What a treat that was! Take care and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!
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