Tribute to Will Hope

Suddenly it happened;
in a moment it was over. I am reminded again today how fragile life is and just how short a life time can be. None of us knows when or where God will call us home. It is just good those of us who believe, that Jesus came so that our sins might be forgiven, know there will one day be a home-coming for us. You see, today I lost a younger friend to a sudden and massive heart attack.

I remember meeting Will for the first time. He was one of about 20 business men being introduced to the Gideon ministry, through our new member plan. Will was the guy whose contagious laugher made you want to laugh along with him. He was the guy who when given the challenge, joyfully committed to whatever God’s plan was in his life. Unlike many of the other members who joined the ministry that evening, Will and his wife June joined together; inseparable right to the end.

Recently both Will and I were called to take offices within the Gideon ministry beyond our local camp; Will as an Area Director and I as a Regional Program Leader. Because of the economy and some fears of our families (that we might be getting over committed), I know we spent many hours in prayerful consideration before committing to taking these offices within the ministry. As with all of the roles he felt called to take, Will entered this new role with great excitement and joy. We traveled up to our first training session in Ocala together. All the way up and back we discussed the many blessing God had given us (families, friends, and ministries), always with optimism and the knowledge that God was in control. I recall Will relaying the story of how his pastor had suggested he consider becoming a deacon at church, and how he had gone to the Gideon state convention only to hear that many of the busiest state officers had other time consuming roles such as being deacons in their churches. Will always knew when the Lord was calling him and once again he joyfully took on this role in his local church. Will, with great enthusiasm became the hands and feet of God in this world.

When Will committed to doing something you could bet he was going to do it to the best of his ability. As his Gideon camp president, Will was always organized and on time for every event. He was always at and led all camp meetings and cabinet meetings. I guess that is why so many of our Gideons noticed something was ary, when they arrived at our regular Saturday morning prayer breakfast and didn’t see his truck in the lot. This morning as Will and June were preparing to join us, he had a massive heart attack and died.

Remember these words of truth-
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”. John 5:24
At my homecoming I look forward to seeing all the saints who have gone before me, and to hearing Will Hope’s laughter coming from the midst of the crowd.

Victory this summer 6-09-09

The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. This was a slogan for a sports show call the “wide-world of sports”. Think about it. We have placed so much value on the win in sports, or the monetary gain, or stepping up the social ladder that we may have lost track of what in life really has value. What value is the thrill of victory? I can think of only one lasting victory, only one time when the high cost of victory was truly worth it; it was the time when Jesus gave His life to achieve victory over sin and death.

Does this mean the goal of victory in life is pointless? No. Life is filled with little trials, where there will be a winner and a loser. One thing I learned very early in life is a person should always use the gifts God has given him to the best of his ability; in other words, in all that you do always give it your best. If God has called you to be a football player, be the best football player you can be. If God has called you to be a musician, be the best you can be. If you are called to a pastoral role, be the best you can be. Didn’t the army have a slogan something like that once?

Always remember you have a purpose, a hope, a reason for being here; to tell others about the saving grace we have in Jesus. Don’t be afraid to lose in life, because Jesus has already won the final victory. Enjoy the little victories in life. The grandson leading his lacross team to a championship while scoring goals. The daughter's solid play leading to winning her soccer match.
Or a daughter leaving others in the dust during a 10 K race. In life all things will pass. Remember the gifts of God and be thankful.

Almost Summer 5-31-09

When I saw the beauty in the world around me, I couldn’t help but feel the awe and wonder of the hand of God. This picture is one I had taken of the flower bed in my front yard, in Venice, Florida. Some times I am blinded by sin and hate, unable or unwilling to see God’s will for my little corner of the universe. God’s perfect will for my life and yours is not always our will. In John 15:7, Jesus says, “if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you”. As summer rapidly approaches my prayer for you is that you will read God’s Holy Word, allow it to abide in you, so that you might obtain the awesome strength that comes in a right relationship with God.

May flowers 2009

I know that April showers are suppose to bring May flowers, but it has been our heavy rains in May that have really brought out the spring flowers. In my yard I have had big beautiful roses, sweet gardenias, and all kinds of lilies come into bloom. Whenever I picture the garden that God had prepared for Adam and Eve this is what I imagine. Oh how wonderful is the beauty that only God can create. While God was busy creating the natural wonders around us, we too have been busy this month as His hands and feet in the world.

May is the conclusion for the fiscal year in the Gideons ministry. As a result of the dedication and hard work of many members of our local camp, more bibles were distributed, more churches received presentations of the Gideon message, and more funds were raised locally for more scripture than in any year since I have been a member. The ladies of our Auxiliary can be credited with most of the camp’s distributions. We have even had to go outside of the camp for speakers, to cover all of the churches that have wished to have the Gideons come in and give a presentation to their congregations. If you are Christian business or professional man, and are looking for a rewarding way to serve the Lord please feel free to contact me to learn more about The Gideons International. When just before He ascended, Jesus told His disciples to “make disciples of all nations”, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, it was our call to share His Word so that the Holy Spirit can lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

As the Lord has blessed my ministry, so too He has blessed my family. Recently my youngest daughter (Deanna) has found a good paying job, working with people (she is definitely is a people person), in a very troubled job market. Another daughter (Amy) has decided to marry her boyfriend (John). I ask all of my friends to pray that this couple will put God at the center of this new relationship they are about to embark on. My eldest daughter (Allison) and her husband (Phil) are about to have my first grand-baby. I never thought I’d be this excited about grandchildren; how wonderful! Every time I think about all these blessing, I have to say a prayer thanking God for what He has done.

Preconfirmation 4-25-09

All glory to God always. Having just completed two of the most fruitful weeks in our Gideon camps history, with a very successful Pastors Appreciation Banquet (PAB) and a Gideon message at the local Salvation Army Church, we are now looking forward to the Florida State Convention of The Gideons International, while simultaneously completing a long period of preparation for the confirmation of several youth at Grace United Methodist Church, the challenge of finding a new leader for our praise team, and the end of another school year. We have been blessed beyond measure. Thank God that He has chosen His servant to undertake such formidable tasks. But didn’t I read once, that it said somewhere “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” [Matthew 11:28-30]?

What lies behind us seems too grand for us to have accomplished, yet the mountain we see in front of us seems so insurmountable. How did we meet the challenges of our past? It all started with prayer. We prayed for every aspect of the PAB. We bathed our service at the Salvation Army with prayer. For once my heart and mind are in agreement. We should be praying for every part of the confirmation, pray for the state convention, pray that God will call the right person to lead our music ministry, and even pray for the children and their teachers as the school year comes to a close. “Anything in my name you ask, you will receive” [John 16:24]. Remember this holds true for you as well. I am convinced that what we have accomplished took place by the hand of God, and the only way for us to overcome the challenges in our future is if it is His will.

In a time when our society seems to be turning away from God, our church has one of the largest confirmation classes I can ever remember. Tomorrow, all of these fine youths will be confirmed into the church; what a joy to see so many committing their lives to the Lord. Having been a mentor to one of the youths and having attended retreats with the youths, I bare witness to the personal relationship each of these young people have developed with our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, where do you stand in the scheme of things? Do you have praises to give for the miraculous things that have happened in your life? Are you feeling the tremendous weight of tasks that have been placed in front of you, too large for you to bare alone? You are not alone. Jesus has said “And surely I am with you always” [Matthew 28:19-20]. This doesn’t mean only when you are successful, rich, strong, winning. He will be with you when you fail, are pour, weak, are lost and even in those times when you can not seem to find a friend, God will be there.

Kingdom Opportunity 4-03-09

Recently I was asked to take a leadership role in Florida for the The Gideons International. As I looked at what this role would entail, I discovered that for me to be successful I would have to be extremely efficient, have no extra meetings other than those I am already aware of, and assistance from both my brother Gideons and my family. Having taken on positions like this in the past I am quite aware of the stress that goes along with the long hours, and so is my family. So, when I told my wife about the position and that I was considering it, she flew off the handle. With all the positions both paid and volunteer that I currently hold, with seemingly too little time to complete tasks already before me, and now without the support of my family I felt crushed. This was just about enough to convince me that I should decline this offer, but then I remembered my own words. When the position was offered to me I told our regional coordinator that I would pray about it, and that night I did just that.

The next morning at our weekly prayer breakfast I read these words in Luke 9:62- “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”. There isn’t a person on earth whose point of view I would feel bad about rejecting, yet this was the Big Guy speaking. Everything told me that this position was all wrong for me, but suddenly there it was- am I fit for His kingdom.

A little over a year ago, I went on a mission trip with about 20 youths from the Venice area to the Dominican Republic. When I first felt the calling for this trip I recall feeling the same way as I do now. I couldn’t understand why I was going. I couldn’t afford it; I needed to raise over $1000. I couldn’t speak the language; the one year of Spanish I took in high school (over 30 years ago), was definitely not enough to get by. Although I knew many of the kids from helping with the youth group, there were many who I had very little prior contact with. Raising the money was easy, as sponsors were coming out of the woodwork to support me; in fact so much was given that I was able to help other missionaries. When we arrived in the Dominican we discovered that the missionary family with whom we were staying had developed strong ties to a local church youth group, several of the youths were excellent interpreters (including the missionary’s two children). As a group we developed ties throughout the time we were there. I was blessed over and over again during this time, as I had the opportunity to witness and distribute nearly 100 testaments during the week we were there. I now realize that when God offers you a kingdom opportunity it is to bless you not to challenge you.

May you be bless in you walk with the Lord.

March 28th Update

This has been a very busy spring and I am currently keeping up a FaceBook account, remaining active as a part of the Grace UMC praise team, and as a speaker for The Gideons International. God has bless me with a very active life style for an old man. Every time I have time enough to take a run of more than 5 miles, every time I have one of God's creatures settle in next to me, every time I am able to take the miracle which is my next breath, I feel the need to praise God. Our praise team sings almost every week at Grace United Methodist Church, in Venice, Florida, during the 9:00 AM contemporary service on Sunday morning. I hope to be a major part of the upcoming Pastors Appreciation Banquet for my local Gideon camp (Lemon Bay), on April 15th. Then on April 19th, I expect to conduct the entire Sunday service for the Salvation Army Church, in Venice, Florida. Between then and now I expect to collect and grade all of the notebooks from my science students, and spend some quality time with my daughter and two step grandsons. Yes, this has been and will continue to be a very busy spring.