April 2001
A MOMENT WITH OUR MINISTER Yesterday, I experienced a miracle! Isn't that what Easter is about? At our District meeting, last Saturday, a member of a former Church I served, informed me that a colleague and friend of mine had suffered a stroke. His mind was not affected, but the right side of his body was. Speak, he could not. Laugh, he could. A Medical Care Facility was now his home. Over the years, Pastor Jesse (Schwoebell) and I had occasion to serve the same churches, twice. Once he followed me and once I followed him. We traveled together to Haiti in the interest of missions. Nearly six years ago, Jesse retired. Yesterday, following a meeting, I stopped to visit my friend. His wife, Ruth, a registered nurse and I visited outside his room. Becky, Jesse's speech therapist was administering a treatment. Ruth and I continued our visit, when we realized a commotion in Jesse's room. We went in. A miracle was happening! Laughter, tears of joy and elation greeted us. Jesse was verbalizing words for the first time! He was not talking, but singing. Becky and he were singing part of that familiar hymn, "In The Garden". Yes, we could understand, clearly, some of the words. A miracle right before us! I am thrilled and rejoice, and THANK God for His display of healing, Thursday, March 22, 2001. And isn't that the reason Easter is real? Miraculous! From death to life. From silence to praise. Easter Sunday morning, one of the hymns our congregation will be singing, to celebrate God's miracle in Jesse's life, is No. 314 in the Hymnal, "In The Garden". You remember some of the words, don't you? "And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me, I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known." You may not agree that this is an Easter hymn. That is fine. If it were not before, for me, it is now an Easter hymn. I experienced an Easter miracle because of Christ and the words of "In the Garden" help make the Easter miracle more real. What will be your Easter miracle? Thanks for letting me tell you of mine.your friend and Pastor, John
Links to other sites on the Web
Home Page
Read other letters in our Archivies
Keep trying back will be update soon. Thanks.
© 1997
Get your own Free Home Page