Praise the Lord for another brilliant day. It will be like summer here for next several days. In fact, it is expected to stay very warm through Friday, at least.
Two of sweet servants of Jesus went to be with Him this past Thursday. They entered the Church triumphant and the life eternal. One of them was Gladys Ketchum. She loved the Lord and loved the church. She sang in choir. She was avid out door person. She was skiing when she was more than 80 years old. She also ran a bull dozer on her farm. She was always ready to witness for Jesus. She died at the age of 97.
The other Lady was Joan Parks. She also loved the Lord, and she taught Sunday School and directed her church choir. She loved her family dearly. At her death she was 69 years old.
Praise the Lord for all His saints who from their labor rest.
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
As the NFL season approaches I have been reading the story one football player who, on October 13, 1962, was born in Starkville, Mississippi. His name was Jerry and his father was a bricklayer. As the young boy grew and matured, he and his brothers would go with their father to the job-site to help out. As he continued to grow, Jerry joined his father on the platform while his younger brothers would throw bricks up one-by-one for Jerry to stack for his dad. Jerry never dreamed that in catching brick after brick he was preparing for one of the most prolific football careers that any receiver would ever experience. This is the story of Jerry Rice, the great 19 year veteran of the NFL, 15 years with the San Francisco 49ers .
Jerry Rice graduated from high and attended tiny Mississippi Valley State on a football scholarship. Out of college he was drafted in the first round as the 16th overall pick of the 1985 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He wasn’t even the first receiver chosen. There were two other receivers drafted before him; the NY Jets drafted Al Toon and then the Cincinnati Bengals chose Eddie Brown before Jerry was ever given the nod. Does anyone know where those guys are now?
In his 19 years in professional football, Rice has always been known as the hardest worker in his chosen career. A good example of his dedication to excellence came from several years ago while he was still with the San Francisco 49ers. He arrived at training camp five days early, on the day when the rookies were to report. Why would he do something like that? Jerry Rice is a champion who strives for excellence in what he does.
It is written in Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…” Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Revelation 3:15-16 – “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Mediocrity makes Jesus sick!)
Whenever I visit Westminster Abbey in London I make time to visit the grave of David Livingstone. He is buried next to the tomb of the unknown soldier in the entrance to the majestic Westminster Abbey. During my recent visit to London I spent some time standing by the grave of David Livingstone and thanking the Lord for his life and witness.
David Livingstone was one of the greatest missionaries who ever lived. He moved to Africa, married his wife Mary in Africa in 1845, and never stopped pursuing excellence for the Kingdom of God during his lifetime. There was a time when Dr. Livingstone was approached about the possibility of a missionary society sending some more men to help him in his efforts to reach the people of Africa. They wrote him a letter that read, “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you.” Livingstone wrote back, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
May the Lord propel us to serve Him with great zeal and great Joy.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFNaUUHZT5I
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment