YOU and GOD

“You and God” recently featured two now deceased men (“My Heroes”) who impacted my life immeasurably—Dr. Monroe Parker and my father-in-law, Marvin Beshears. I received several replies from friends who mentioned people who had greatly impacted their own lives, including one brother who mentioned his parents.  I had said that I would write a follow-up about another hero or two. So, in this issue, I want to honor my father, whose imprint upon my soul will live as long as I am in the body.

I wrote, in poetic form, several tributes to my dad when he was alive, for birthdays and Father’s Day, so I want to share with you one of those poems. It expresses my deep, heartfelt appreciation for my first and foremost hero here on earth, my dear Dad, who took up residence in heaven in 2007 at the age of 94:

Today our dad is fourscore years; he’s mingled toil and sweat and tears.

            A faithful father he has been, a crown of glory he shall win.

His children five today—less one—who answered God’s high call to “come”—

            Join hearts and hands and voices, too, in raising praises surely due.

His faith in God has been a light, to guide us on through many a night,

            And his example strong and true, helped us to know what we should do.

His love of family, friends and wife, has been supreme through all his life.

            He is a man who stands up tall, and over him not one did fall.

His hands have worked in sweat and toil, in shops, in pits and in the soil.

            He’s suffered cold and heat and pain, but never once did he complain.

He’s been a doctor, seer and guide, in whom we freely could confide;

            He’s got a loving heart of gold—the half has never yet been told.

We honor you today, our Dad, You’ve always made us proud and glad.

            We celebrate your years fourscore, and wish you many, many more.

My Dad, my hero, Theodore Roosevelt Slutz, lived to be 94, dying a few months after his wife, our mother, passed away, having celebrated 72 years of the oneness of marriage by the grace of our good God.

“By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life.” (General Douglas MacArthur, National Father of the Year, 1942.) My Dad enlisted to be a soldier but was asked to stay home in World War II. He was the kind of father MacArthur spoke of in this statement on “Fatherhood.”

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24)

“Who can find a faithful husband, for his price is far above that of a Cadillac or even a Rolls Royce. The heart of his wife doth safely trust in him whether or not he is on a business trip, or comes home late from work. He learns to use the tools of his trade and isn’t afraid of a hard days work. He tries to do the best for his family as long as he lives.” (Note: I do not know who wrote these lines, which parallel the Proverbs 31 wife; if you would like a copy of the complete text, just contact me at trbcpastor@sbcglobal.net.)

(Yesterday, family and friends of Larry Young met in a local funeral home to pay our respects and bid Larry a final farewell. He seemed, at one time, a most improbable convert to Christ. So I share this eulogy, which I delivered in his memory, as a testimony that one should never give up on praying for an unsaved loved one or friend.)

For too, too many years when the Young family—Michele and children—attended church, it was always without the husband/father of the family, Larry. I don’t remember him being present for any of the important spiritual milestones in the lives of his children—baptisms, Awana Awards, Christmas Sunday School programs, graduations, or even the commissioning service of his beloved daughter, Michelle, for missionary service to Africa.

In fact, not only did Larry not attend the happy occasion of Michelle’s commissioning service, he opposed her going to a foreign mission field. Whereas most Dads would have been overjoyed that one of their children had the desire follow Christ’s command to go with the gospel to the world, Larry was anything but delighted at the prospect, and he endeavored with all his might to talk her out of going. But, she went anyway, because she had a Heavenly Father that she answered to first, and His evident call upon her life could not be denied.

I wish Larry had been present on the day, in Cleveland, that Baptist Mid-Missions accepted Michelle’s application to serve under the auspices of BMM as a missionary. The president of the board, Gary Anderson, after Michelle had been thoroughly interviewed by a group of pastors and other board members, announced that Michelle had passed the exam with flying colors. He went on to say, “In fact, if she weren’t a woman, we would have ordained her to the ministry!” I can imagine seeing that slow smile creep over Larry’s face, had he been there that day. But, he wasn’t; and Michelle followed her Lord’s leading all the way to Zambia, to serve as a single gal on the mission field.

In the course of time, though, God got ahold of Larry Young’s heart, as only He has a way of doing. And, there came a day when Larry yielded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and to the invitation of Jesus—“Come unto me”—and he was gloriously saved and later baptized as a public profession of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He then joined TRBC as a member. From that moment, Larry never again tried to dissuade his daughter from obeying her Savior’s command to “go into all the world, making disciples of all men….and, lo, I am with you always.” That was good enough for Larry—that Jesus was with the apple of his eye, and that he could fully trust her with Him.

When this began to take place, Larry accepted an invitation to engage in a program of one-on-one discipleship. He was at square one—as in, “There is an Old Testament, and there is a New Testament—both are part of what we call the Bible, God’s Word.” Larry was biblically and doctrinally illiterate, but he had one HUGE plus working in his favor: He was, from the moment he put his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. We met, then, each week for an hour or so: learning the books of the Bible, studying basic Bible doctrines, and eventually delving into the meanings of a list of two or three hundred Biblical and theological terms. Larry might have been Biblically illiterate, but this diesel mechanic was anything but stupid—and he had a desire to learn and a determination to grasp the teachings. He was a good student, and grew much.

He was, at the same time, doing something that some would have once believed would never happen: he began to attend church regularly with his wife. The church family soon became Larry’s family, too. He delighted in greeting people; and, though it was not easy for him to maneuver crowded aisles and spaces, he managed to get out of his comfort zone and shake hands with as many people as possible. His once-uncaring countenance turned into a joyful expression of God’s indwelling love in his heart, love for God, love for God’s people, and love for God’s Church. He had surely been born again, and it was evident to all that he was indeed a new creature in Christ Jesus. Larry lived to see his missionary daughter marry Harrison Banda—whom she met when she was serving in Zambia as a single missionary—and was thankful that the Bandas, with their family, were able to serve the Lord in Africa as ambassadors for Christ.

In time, his physical afflictions became more pronounced, and surgeries and disabilities eventually made it impossible for Larry to attend the church services that he so very much loved. But, Larry never lost his kindness, his sweet spirit, and his love for God and for God’s people.

He was lifted up by the most devoted help-meet a man could have asked for, his wife of 43 years, Michele—every day to the last day, Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Early, very early, on that morning, faith became sight for Larry Young, as his spirit took flight from a body wracked with pain. He took up his abode in the heaven of heavens, with the Lord Jesus and others of His body—the Church which, ahead of the much-anticipated Rapture of the Body and Bride of Christ, has already experienced what Paul meant when he said, “Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord.”

No soul sleep there; no special password needed to enter that city not made with hands. Jesus, who had once said to Larry, “Come unto Me,” on Tuesday the 19^th said, “Come and dine.” And so he did. And so he is. And we can only rejoice, with those around the throne of God, that another one of His Lambs is safe forever in the Fold, safe in the arms of Jesus. To God be the glory, now and forever. Amen.

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13)

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” (II Chr. 15:7) In this passage, the prophet of God told King Asa and Judah that they should be strong—and if they were, their work would be rewarded. God tells the Church that same thing: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest…the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is…if any man’s  work abide, he shall receive a reward.” (I Cor. 3:13)

“And if ye call on the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work.” (I Pet.1:17) To every one of the seven churches that received a special letter from Jesus, (Rev. 2,3) the same word was resounded: “I know thy works.” To the church at Thyatira Jesus said, “I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” (Rev. 2:23)

One of the last words in the Bible to God’s people is: “I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according to his work.” (Rev. 22:12)

All of us probably know that we are not saved by works, but unto works. (Eph. 2:8-10) Though we are not saved by works, works are not in any way diminished in importance: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:17) Our works, Jesus taught, are seen by the world, and as such they glorify God: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:11)

We would all, if saved, agree to all that has been stated to this point. But one question not often dealt with is, “What is a good work?” Or, “What are good works?” Let me try to answer those questions here, in order that each of us might set ourselves to the task of working…for the night is coming!

The first and most important prerequisite is stated in John 6:28,29: When the Pharisees and others asked Jesus what they could do that “we might work the works of God,” He plainly said that “this is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” So, until you have believed on Jesus whom God sent—believe on Him as God’s Son, your Savior—there is no other “work” you can do that would please God. In other words, are you one of His through faith in Jesus Christ?

The second prerequisite is to study the Word of God and “shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Tim. 2:15) All scripture, Paul says, “is given by inspiration of God…that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Tim. 3:15,16) So here are some “good” works, or examples of good works, that one might do:

1. Give God a sacrificial gift. Mark 14:3-6 tells us of a woman (Mary) who, while Jesus was eating in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper, came with a box of very precious ointment and, breaking the box, poured the ointment on Jesus’ head. Some onlookers at once criticized the woman for having “wasted” this ointment—valued at 300 pence, equal to a year’s wages in that economy—rather than giving the money the ointment could have brought to the poor. Jesus, knowing the heart of the main grumbler, Judas Iscariot, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me.” (Mark 14:6) Christ commended the woman, stating that what she had done was tantamount to anointing His body for burying, and reminding all who were there that wherever the gospel would be preached through the whole world, this devoted woman had done that which would be spoken of as a memorial to her. It was a sacrificial gift; it was a good work.

2. Feed or clothe a brother or sister who is naked or destitute of food or clothing. James 2:15-17: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?” Today, there are rescue missions that not only feed and clothe men and women but also preach the life-saving gospel to them. Also, there are mission-ministries ministering to the needs of people in war-torn countries such as Ukraine or Myanmar—giving them food and clothing and other essentials, along with the love of Christ through gospel preaching. These are good works that demonstrate one’s faith.

3. Do something for God that requires extraordinary faith. Gideon took on a massive Midianite army with a paltry 300 men armed with lamps and pitchers—and won. Rahab—once a harlot—demonstrated her faith by hiding the Israeli spies and helping them escape. James says, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25) Go preach on a busy street corner. Peacefully picket an abortion mill. Hand out a gospel tract to someone that you are fearful of (a boss?). Do something that requires, on your part, an extraordinary amount of faith. Do it for His sake—and relying on His power—and it just may be that men will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

4. Exercise Christian hospitality. Paul spoke of caring for widows, I Tim. 5:10: If the church were to care for any particular widow, she had to have been one who was a widow indeed, and the first qualifier was listed as “well reported of for good works.” A list of those good works included the requirement that she had lodged strangers. Peter exhorts his readers to “use hospitality,” and in Hebrews 13:2 we are exhorted to “be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hospitality is surely a “good work”—and one that Christians in America in this 21 century are not taking too seriously.

5. Help supply necessities to the saints. Dorcas, a widow who died and was brought back to life, was known as a woman “full of good works” because of the coats and garments she made. She never preached a sermon from a pulpit; never went on a missionary trip; and never gave great sums of money to her local church. But from her heart and with her hands she clothed and covered needy saints in and around Joppa, and when she died people wept. You have some skill; some talent that you can give to God—something that you can do, and do well, that many others may not be able to do. Give it to God, small as it may seem. You, like Dorcas, can be “full of good works” to the glory of God.

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” (II Chr. 15:7)

This is a real-life, real-time story of the brother or sister who has a need (James 2:15)—and to whom someone who reads these blog posts might be able to lend a helping hand.

Marian Sebastian came to the United States in 1996 from his homeland in Sri Lanka, on the promise of finding work through which he would be able to earn money to send back to his family for their daily sustenance. As is so often the case, the promises were not authentic. They were made by unscrupulous people who planned to take advantage of him. In his own words, Marian says, “I came to America to earn money to buy a house for my family, my children’s education and their future; also to help my father, my brothers and sisters.” After a brief time in Florida, where he was supposed to get a job on a cruise ship, he ended up in Indiana, working in a restaurant for a calloused taskmaster—doing the work of two or three people, 13-15 hours a day, seven days a week.

Understandably, after months of this physical, emotional, and mental daily grind, Marian became very discouraged. “I lost hope. Day by day, my workload increased, and I became more and more depressed due to my feelings of loneliness. I told two other people about my situation, but they did not seem to care about me [and] there was also a language barrier. Finally, I concluded that I was unworthy to live any longer. I missed my wife, children, and country terribly. My body was at the point of exhaustion, and I was falling into deep depression. I resolved to end my life by drinking poison.” That was in September 1998.

Marian ended up in Methodist Hospital for 45 days. A social worker took him to Good News Mission on Indy’s east side, where he has resided ever since: “I lost my esophagus. I now need to be fed through a feeding tube. I still experience a great deal of pain and suffer frequent bouts of depression.”

At the Good News Mission, Marian began attending the evening chapel sessions, hearing the Word of God preached every night by different preachers. In a short time, he threw himself on the mercies of God and trusted in Jesus as his Lord and Savior, following Him in baptism shortly thereafter. He began reading God’s Word voraciously and enrolled in a local Bible college, which he attended for four years. Following his studies in college, Marian attended Indy Reads for several years, studying English. Now he is able to read, speak, and write English fluently. He feels that God has given him a second chance.

Marian has had multiple surgeries to repair his esophagus, but to no avail. He was taken to Mayo Clinic in 2021 for an examination but was unable to receive help there.

While at the mission, Marian has worked as a cook. He joined Thompson Road Baptist Church in 2012 and attends faithfully, participating in prayer meetings as he has opportunity. He prays earnestly, beseeching God’s throne of mercy. When one listens to Marian praying, one feels that he knows how to get in touch with his Heavenly father. His prayers are heartfelt and spiritually moving.

Again, in his words: “I have a confidence with Christ and His cross. The Lord said, ‘Take the cross and daily follow Me.’ (Luke 9:23,34) I have a powerful testimony in my life. The Lord Jesus Christ gave me a second chance of life. Many things the Lord has done for me and my family (for which) I praise the Lord. (Luke 19:10) He is the true and righteous God. The gospel message touched deeply in my heart. Today I am happy because of Christ. I believe one day the Lord Jesus will send me to my country to be united with my family. Amen.”

Marian has a wife and three children. He has received a Sri Lankan passport, is working on a T-Visa, has a legal ID card, and his desire is to have his wife come to the States to visit him. Because he cannot receive the medical help in Sri Lanka that is necessary for him to survive, he cannot visit his home country at this time (though he still holds out hope that he one day will be able to).

I was Marian’s pastor for several years and am still privileged to attend church with him at Thompson Road Baptist Church every Sunday and Wednesday. His love for Christ is genuine, and his testimony I can attest to. He has been accepted and loved and helped by our church family. The Good News Ministries of Indianapolis has been compassionate, generous, loving, and kind to Marian since the day he landed there from Methodist Hospital in 1998. They have provided comfortable housing, transportation, meals, clothing, and much medical assistance. As a pastor, close to Marian, I cannot say enough good about Dan Evans, Director of Good News Ministries, and the GNM staff for their loving kindness to our friend and brother in Christ, Marian Sebastian. They have been the Lord’s lifeline to this once destitute brother for more than a quarter of a century! Asking nothing in return.

How can you help Marian? Well, if there is an employer in greater Indianapolis that could provide a job for 15-20 hours a week, that is what he is praying for. He is limited physically in what he can do, but he still wants to earn some money to send home to his family in Sri Lanka. And, Marian covets your prayers for his family and for God’s continued guiding hand upon his life. If you can be of any help with employment for this brother, just reply to this blog. Or, if you would prefer, you can email Marian directly at sebastianmarian717@gmail.com.

And, pray for Good News Ministries in their amazing haven for the hopeless here in our city. Support it with your prayers and with your giving as God enables you to do so. They are an oasis of grace in this great metropolis.

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)

Anger unchecked boils over into acts that reveal the worst side of a person. The elder son of earth’s first marriage, Cain, was the first person in history eaten up with anger. (Gen. 4:5) He had disobeyed God and brought to His creator a sacrifice of his own concoction—rather than one that would answer to God’s commands. As a result, God did not accept Cain’s offering; whereas, righteous Abel obeyed God, brought the sacrifice that God had ordained, and it was accepted. Anger is an upheaval of the spirit that has slain many people since Cain, who in anger murdered his brother, becoming “wroth” with God not long after his parents were banished from the grand Garden of Eden due to their disobedience to God’s stated command. Anger is still one of mankind’s most active antagonists. It will be until time shall be no more.

Solomon wisely said that “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Provs. 16:32) Alexander the Great, Greek general and world conqueror, learned this in a most agonizing way. The young Alexander was a gifted leader, “energetic, versatile and intelligent.” He was usually quite level-headed, but at times he let his anger control him, to his woeful remorse. One of Alexander’s closest friends, Cletus, on one occasion became drunk, and in his drunkenness began to make fun of the Emperor in front of his men. Blinded by anger, Alexander quickly grasped a spear from a soldier’s hand and hurled it at his drunken friend, with the intent of frightening the general; but, Alexander’s aim was deft, and the spear hit its mark with deadly force, killing the Emperor’s childhood friend. Alexander was never the same, sinking into deep remorse and even attempting to take his own life. For days he lay sick, crying out for Cletus, cursing, and calling himself a murderer. Alexander the Great conquered the world before he was 34 years of age but he never was able to conquer himself—another victim to the sin of anger.

• The Sin of Anger: Anger is often birthed in rebellion. Man’s spirit stiffens itself against a person, a restriction, a perceived injustice, a jealous spirit, envy, revenge, and a multitude of other avenues that the fallen nature of man is quick to make available. The sin of anger is birthed in rebellion, ultimately, to the rule of God; it is also nurtured in pride and self-centeredness. Lucifer—son of the morning angel before being lifted up in pride and becoming the Devil—was angry that He was not on the throne of God, and in every deed the Devil has ever done there are the sister seeds of pride and anger.

• The Signs of Anger: A fallen countenance (Gen. 4:5,6); irritableness; impatience, tense voice; glaring stare; hurtful epitaphs, words designed to hurt, explosive threats and actions, silence, clenched teeth, heavy breathing, violent behavior. Almost daily, in most major cities and even small cities, the awful end result of anger is reported on the news: murder.

•  The Severe Consequences of Anger. Often, people overcome by anger become, as did Cain, fugitives. Cain lost his fellowship with God and, as a result, was made a fugitive and vagabond. (Gen. 4:14) In anguish, Cain remonstrated, “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and vagabond in the earth….” (Gen. 4:14) Not only was living as a fugitive one of the severe consequences of anger, but Cain also became a slave to fear: “Everyone that findeth me shall slay me.” Under the law, by God’s grace, people who were unintentional manslayers were able to take refuge in one of several “cities of refuge” provided at God’s instructions. Nothing is worse than living one’s life as a fugitive, immersed day and night in fear. Sin’s consequences are severe and unrelenting.

• The Sad End of Anger: One person said well that “as long as anger lives, she continues to be the fruitful mother of many unhappy children.” A “resident” some years back in a wildlife park in the state of Victoria, in Australia, became something of a tourist attraction. It seems that a crocodile chewed the pipes in his tank and ate the filter, resulting in his normally green skin turning a bright orange. It is said that the change of color did nothing to improve his temper. His name was Snappy, and his keepers testified that the croc lived up to its name. That happens (with more tragic ends) with God’s creatures, who were created in his image—an image that was darkened by the fall of mankind into sin when our first parents disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the tree in the midst of the garden. So, Cain was overcome by anger: so was Saul, so were Esau and many others whose lives are a testament, in scripture, to the awful fruit of anger. Here is a short list of some other “fruits” of this sin: division, death, divorce, damnation, deceit, disfavor, destruction. That is why we read in the Proverbs: “Make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man thou shalt not go; lest thou learn his ways.” (Provs. 22:24,25)
• The Solution for Anger: (1) Do right; (2) Find acceptance (with God and man); (3) Obey God and receive His goodness. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”  (Gen. 4:6,7)

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the son go down upon thy wrath.” (Eph. 4:26) “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” (Eccl. 7:9)

On this date, 60 years ago, I grasped the hands of “the most beautiful girl on the face of God’s earth” and vowed to love her “till death do us part.” I never would have thought that, 60 years later, we would be alive to celebrate our “Diamond Anniversary.” But, to the praise of God and with grateful hearts, we do humbly bow before our Savior, thanking Him for His kindness to us these past six decades.

I want to share with you a poem that I wrote a few years ago—not on an anniversary, but since I have never published this one, I thought our 60^th was the time to let it see the light of day:

“My dearest Ellen, on this day, I want to come to you to say ‘My love for you will falter never, I’ll love you always, dearest, ever’!

It was a day so long ago, to my delight I got to know, a girl named Ellen from Wilkes County, a girl that brought to my life Bounty.

You’ve proven sweet, true, kind and dear. I’ll always want you ever near; your beauty takes away my breath,

I’ll love you always unto death.

Our hearts were knit and we are one, ‘til our life’s journeys here are done. It’s been a joyous trip in life;

With you beside me as my wife.

God blessed us with our children three; they made our hearts beat fast with glee; we’ve seen them grow before our eyes, to give us grandkids as a prize.

We have a home, a place of love, blessed with God’s favor from above. We’re blessed in riches that abide, in God’s great grace we take our pride.

We’ve loved and laughed and even lost; at times, we’ve had to pay great cost. It’s part of life to face stark death, but God’s pure love gave baby’s breath.

So, Ellen dearest, this I write, to praise you for your life and light. You’ve been a beacon true and clear—To all who’ve known you far and near.

I pray your days left here below, will gladness, pleasure, blessings know; I’ll love you ‘till I cannot breathe,

And only then from your side leave.

I thank you dearest, my sweet love; and I do thank my God above, that He brought Ellen to my side, so that we could here abide.”

Marriage: “Two volumes bound in one complete, with thrilling story, old but sweet: No title needs the cover fair, two golden hearts are blended there.”

“And said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.’” (Matt. 19:5,6)

The “You and God” blog of August 7 was entitled “My Heroes,” featuring a couple of men who impacted my life through their consistently faithful ministries. One of those was my father-in-law, Marvin Beshears, who pastored in North Wilkesboro, NC, for fifty years, and, who, though he had no opportunity to receive a “formal” education, knew the power of God upon his life in an extraordinary way—so much so that he “commanded” the respect of all who knew him or knew of him as being a real-life “man of God.” Upon reading this post, a pastor friend of mine, Dave Stertzbach, wrote to me sharing his experience as a young man in training for the ministry when he met such a man as Bro. Marvin. I want to pass this letter along, with Bro. Dave’s permission, believing that it will be a blessing to you as it was to me, with the thought that a ministry for Christ that will touch hearts has more to do with “Who you are” than” What you have.” Thank you, pastor Stertzbach, for sharing.

This hero’s article was particularly delightful to my soul. Thank you so much. I cherish it because of your love for Dr. Parker and your beloved father-in-law. It reminds me of one such hero of the faith that I met in the hills of Tennessee when I was a seminarian. It had a lifetime impact upon me.

Diane and I were newlyweds. She was finishing her senior year at BJU and, as a married student, I was doing my first year of seminary at BJU and working an almost full-time job. Diane wanted to go to Sparta, Tennessee, to see her great aunt, Lois Hutson, who lived in Happy Valley.  Upon arriving there, Aunt Lois had cold sweet tea waiting for us and a warm welcome to her favorite great-niece.  It was my first acquaintance with Diane’s cherished aunt, and she readily accepted me into the family, for which I was especially grateful!

Aunt Lois announced that she was going to church that night at her Southern Baptist church up on the mountain.  Bro. Pate Ford was the itinerant preacher who was speaking that night. She offered to take us along, which we readily agreed to do. I had graduated from BJU with a B.A. in Bible and was now studying to get my master’s degree.  I was pretty impressed with myself in those days and thought I knew a lot about the Bible, but that night was going to change me forever.

I briefly met the preacher before the service and Aunt Lois introduced me as, “This is my great-niece and her husband, David. He is in seminary at that Bob Jones University in Greenville.” I noticed that Bro. Ford was very cordial to this upstart young seminarian. And I viewed him as “just a country preacher” because of his simple vocabulary, his plain, out-of-style dress, and his soft-spoken demeanor.  Then … he mounted the pulpit to preach, and everything in my mind and heart changed!  He delivered a soul-stirring message from the Hand of God that was anointed by the Holy Spirit in a way I had rarely ever seen. His speech was plain and without the accoutrements of big theological terminology. His illustrations were folksy and heart-touching.  And his exposition of the Scriptures was illuminating to the mind, heart, and soul. That night, I heard a true man of God preach the Word.  He was a country preacher, but my respect for him was transformational indeed.

After the service, I was eager to shake hands with this new acquaintance. As I now warmly greeted him, I was anxious to know more about him, because he was obviously filled with the fresh oil of God. Since academia was so important to me in those days, I asked where he went to school.  He already knew where I was, but this humble man of God lowered his head and said, “Bro. David, I only went to Caney Forks Preacher’s School for six weeks. I learnt the rest by just studying the Bible & letting God teach me everything else. I ain’t never really been to a college or anything.”

It was obvious that I was standing in the shadow of man who was taught by God, which was evident by the powerful preaching I had just heard. I was so ashamed of my pride and judgmental attitude that I went home and got on my knees, repenting of my pride and surrendering to God to be taught of Him like my new hero in the faith.

I never saw or talked to him again, yet he had a great impact upon me for the rest of my life. And I wanted to emulate his humble obedience to be a servant of the Lord. I went on to be pastor for 48 years, but after that day I took on a new moniker. I was thereafter “the Country Parson,” with a desire to only please the Lord, serve Him and His people, and to glorify the Lord like Bro. Pate Ford.

So, my brother Slutz, you had your father-in-law, and I had Bro. Pate.  Praise the Lord for the spiritual influencers that God sent our ways and used in such life-altering ways, in both of our lives!  We are rich men indeed for such treasured servants in our past!

“Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men…not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God….” (2 Cor.3:2,3)

Note: Pastor Stertzbach (david.stertzbach@gmail.com) is retired from senior pastoring and is now affiliated with the Interim Pastors Ministry of Gospel Fellowship Association, Greenville, SC, Dr. Marsh Fant, Director. (mfant@gfamissions.org)