Two Loves and October

            One of the many things I like about living in the Carolinas is the fact that we truly experience all the seasons of the year.   We know cold weather and a little ice and snow in winter.   We also experience the blooms and buds of Springtime as the dormant flora comes back to life.   We know the warmth of long sunny days and the metamorphosis that takes place in the fall as green leaves are transformed into colors of red, orange, and the like.

I love all the seasons of the year and enjoy the changing of the seasons.    But if I had to pick a favorite time of year,  I suppose it would be the season of Fall.   I love autumn, and one of the reasons is two important events in my life  that happened in this month of October.   October is the month that I fell in love with two persons that are very important in my life:   my wife, Ann, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  

I cannot tell you the moment that I fell in love with Ann.   I cannot tell you one thing that caused me to love her and know that I wanted her to be my wife.   What I can tell you that marrying Ann Wall was one of the best decisions of my life and I am a better person because I have her as a part of my life.   While I am the one who might stand in the pulpit and is more visible in the public eye, she is the better person and one of the most kind-hearted, patient people I have ever met.    I  am so grateful to have my wife, Ann, in my life and I cannot thank her enough or thank God enough for her.    

It was October, 1970 when I fell in love with the Lord Jesus.   My home church had a group of lay men, lay women, and youth visiting that weekend.   They shared through that weekend what the Lord Jesus had done in their life.   As that weekend came to a close,  I wanted the Lord Jesus to change my life and be  my Lord and Savior.   I became a Christian and a follower of the Lord Jesus.     In a matter of months, I heard a call to be a pastor.  I am so grateful that the Lord Jesus came into my life.  

In the Book of Acts, we find the story of the “Damascus Road experience” of the apostle Paul not once or twice, but told three times.   We hear the story when it first happened and we hear the apostle Paul recount the story to others.    For the apostle Paul, it was important to remember.   I believe it is important for me to remember  what Christ Jesus did in my life.  It is important to not just remember that “old old story” from long ago, but it is important to remember that story as we continue to go forward with our relationship with Christ. 

 In the early days of my ministry, there was a professor at Duke named James T. Cleland.   He died many years ago, but I still remember one of the things he said:  remember your conversion experience.  Remember and give thanks again and again for what God has done and is doing in your life.      Have a joy-filled week.-    Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  thank you for the blessing of people who love us and transform our lives.   Thank for the wonder of your love for us.   Let my life be a living tribute to that love.  Amen.