I have been a little heavy hearted these past few weeks talking with you ladies. But I want to share as much of my experiences with you to help us all know that we are not alone and so that we can all be better and can learn from each other. So I can’t just share the good because I know all of us women have been through both. Good and bad.
This past Saturday, I found out that the pastor that I have known ever since I was a little girl had passed away. My pastor of many, many years to not just myself, but my whole family. He was as well my dad’s mentor and taught him so much about being a minister when he was at the church, to now being a pastor. There are more memories than I can count that have been running through my head. And one of the main things that keep standing out is that I got the chance to be in the presence of greatness just for a little while. For more than 10 years I’ve got to listen to him preach every Sunday. Learn from him in bible studies and hear him preach to more than his own congregation as he spread the Gospel to the world in his daily life. Among the lost and God’s people. He had intelligence that marveled me all the time and made me want to study the thesaurus and dictionary. His intellect, made him a power house that God just had to use for his glory. Cause with anything or anyone else it would be completely wasted.
I will never forget the sermon he gave that totally changed the way I thought about my relationship with Lord. For a long time I saw my salvation as something that was good and that God wants to do all these things for me because he loves me. But its not that at all. He taught me that a true relationship with Jesus Christ is not about God doing stuff for you and your benefit. Its about you making God’s glory known to the world and putting aside our ideals for God’s mission. We are his ambassadors. Salvation is God’s gift and it should not be taken lightly, because what Jesus did was not a small feat. I am so blessed that I got the chance to be around a man who truly practiced what he preached and challenged everyone he was in contact with to take salvation seriously.
Although I am sad I know he is no longer suffering and I know I had the greatest person in my life who helped shape me with my walk in Christ. God did a great job at knowing who I needed in my life to help draw me closer to Him. He sent a preacher with tremendous character and integrity and warmth to be a light in my life. Ladies, don’t overlook the legends in your midst. He is a legend to me and always will be. I miss you Dr. Charles Edward Booth.
Romans 10:14 – Then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?