Celebrating 30 years of God's Great Grace

Brandywine Bible Church - 2009

Who says “You can’t go back home.” Today, was a real treat for me in my journey with Jesus. It was 30 years ago this month, July 1979 at Brandywine Bible Church that at age seven, I accepted Christ as my Lord & Savior. It was during our Vacation Bible School and I recall the teacher inviting us to receive Jesus into our hearts at the conclusion of the evening message. No one dared moved but the Holy Spirit was tugging at my heart.

Without question, I am sure that I thought every thought that most folks think when deciding to embrace the Lord. What if my friends make fun of me? What if no one wants to be my friend? What if I am the only one to go forward?

After pondering what Jesus did and died for me I elected that I was going to follow Christ. I was the first one forward and then and there I cared more what God in Heaven thought of me than what my friends on earth would think. Two little girls followed me that July evening also trusting the Lord as their personal Savior. What a journey it has been the past three decades. Honestly, I am surprised that I am still alive. Since childhood, I always thought I would live a short life. The Bible tells us to “redeem the time” and by God’s grace, I have done my best to walk and talk with Him.

The Lord has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams and I have attempted to honor Him and He has certainly honored me. God made much of me in His death and I wanted to make much of Him with my life. When it wasn’t “cool” to live for the Lord in grade school, God enabled me to cling to Him and He catapulted me. The Bible says: “Jesus found favor in the eyes of God and man.” That verse always intrigued me and encouraged me to give my all for the Lord.

The Lord promoted me to be picked my peers to be President of the Student Council in junior high at a public school winning 701 out of 800 votes. Even as a child, I walked the hallways as Jesus would and my prayer was then that friends would see Jesus in me. In high school, when most were tempted to sit out, God allowed me to stand up and live for the Lord. While in high school, I was blessed to play three years on the high school men’s basketball team. The highlight for me was despite abstaining from sex, alcohol, drugs and deviant behavior I was crowned “PROM KING” out of 1,200 peers my senior year. Without question, when we promote the Lord – He will promote us. The truth is when I was faithless – God was faithful.

God’s grace is unmerited favor and it is because of His rich, red blood that was shed for my sin is the sole reason why I and mankind could become a child of God and an heir to Him. My life (outside of Christ) is as “filthy rags” and apart from Christ I can do nothing, am nothing and worthless. The only good in me is Jesus. The word “GRACE” means “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” This past year, I was blessed to preach over 200 plus times in nearly 20 states and three countries. However, it was such a privilege to worship with my family today and return to the small, country church (Brandywine Bible Church in Southern Maryland) I trusted Christ as Savior three decades ago this month and preach the morning worship service. My message? Commitment and “Giving God All We Got.”

To come full circle is another reminder of God’s grace and that my Lord is truly the “Author & Finisher” of our faith. What a joy to reunite with precious friends and family from years past. The picture below is my family with longtime family friends, Mr & Mrs Charles Brewer. All these years later they are still faithful to the Lord and the little country church that helped us grow in grace.

Dr. E.G. Jack was my pastor and he served faithfully for over 25 years at Brandywine Bible Church before retiring two years ago. He will always have a special place in my heart. Pastor Jack never had the pleasure to preach in massive mega-churches but when I think of giant’s of the Gospel; he is one of the men I think of. The Bible is clear: “Many who are first will be last. Many who are last will be first.” Pastor Jack didn’t speak to crowds but certainly loved Christ. Just last month, I had the high honor to meet Joyce Rogers, wife of the late great Dr. Adrian Rogers. He was former President of the Southern Baptist Convention and I will post of video of Mrs. Rogers and I, together soon. Her husband was also pastor of the beautiful Bellvue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN with over 20,000 members. Dr Rogers said in a sermon: “God never called us as ministers to fill the auditorium but fill the pulpit.” How true.

Over the years, I was blessed by the ministry of Dr Jack and countless others that God has used to help me mature in the Christian walk. Without question, I have been blessed by their love and labors while standing on their shoulders to bring the Word to the world. Over the years, God has opened some amazing doors that I have been both honored and humbled to walk through. But it comes back to not my merits but my Messiah’s mercy and God’s great grace.

Daily, I thank God for parents who took me to church. Who insisted we attend when we didn’t feel like going and I am eternally grateful for the local church (like my home church) that despite not being rich in finances were rich in faith loving the Lord, serving the Savior and helping humanity any way humanly possible. Thank God for Brandywine Bible Church and churches like them around the Globe who still preach Christ crucified and coming again!

It has been the greatest honor of my life loving the Lord and serving the Savior these three decades. Time sure does fly by. My only regret is that I didn’t start serving Him more before the age of seven. Praise the Lord that with God’s great grace “you can still come home.”

Thank you Jesus!