God has been good to me
JANUARY 29, 2008 (TUESDAY)
As promised, I will dutifully report what was wrong with the van when we tried to get it back to Rockport from Edna, where it broke down. As you recall in this continuing saga of the Voyager, it would die and after resting a few minutes, would make it another two to five miles before dying again. Dwight and I guessed it was the fuel pump. We were right! Oh, for the days when a fuel pump was a simple mechanical device at the front of the engine, held on by two bolts. Now it’s in the gas tank and costs hundreds of dollars to replace. For those of you who guessed the problem, congratulations.
I have had to turn down some requests for my presence at events in order to get back to Houston. That set me to thinking about the funerals and weddings and other commitments and events I’ve had since retirement, twelve years ago. In these twelve retirement years, I conducted 20 weddings. But, listen to this, in the same period of time, 270 funerals. Sadly, many of those funerals were at the request of the funeral home because neither the deceased persons nor their families had a church or pastor. I have tried to be a channel of God’s comfort to every family.
Also, after retirement I have had the privilege of preaching in various churches in the absence of the pastor, as a pulpit supply. That experience has been very nice, finally meeting many of the people in the churches with which I became acquainted through the years through only the pastor. When my most recent interim ended, the Director of Missions for that association of churches, Danny Dunham, told me there would be plenty of places for me to preach. I’m very thankful for such confidence by my dear friend of many years.
Probably the greatest blessing for my retirement has been the fact that several churches have asked me to be interim pastor or, with Timbergrove, the actual pastor. I was interim twice at Refugio. I served twice at Rockport, once before retirement and the second time as interim. And I am at Timbergrove as pastor for the second time since retirement. In each of these, I have been “twice blessed.” Besides these churches, I also served as interim pastor at Bethel, Ingleside for 1 ½ years. In addition, I spent several months with Rockport's Iglesia Bautista Primera congregation, teaching and counseling. God has been extra good to me in making it possible for me to continue to serve, though retired.
A few people have said to me through the years, “May the Lord bless you and make you a blessing.” I know the Lord has blessed me, and I truly hope that I have been a blessing to some.