30 Days of Thanks - Day #22

I am thankful that His TRUTH is Marching On!

On Friday night of West Coast Conference, Elder Morton preached from Ecclesiastes 1:4 "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh." Elder Morton is now 70 years old, he talked about being part of the generation that is passing away. I am not ready for that AT ALL. I want to see him around and hear him preach for many, many more years. But I don't want what he has preached - the message of Acts 2:38, holiness, separation from the world, and reaching the lost - to end with his generation. I want to be a part of the continuation.

The Sunday morning following WCC, Les taught our Sunday school class "Generation to Generation." Yep, right along the same lines! He talked about generational cycles, how the first generation has the relationship with God, the second has a responsibility to their father's God, and the third generation only has a form of religion. A great Biblical of example of this is King David, his son Solomon, his grandson Rehoboam. But hope came in the life of David's great grandson, Abijah, who returned to the ways of the Lord.

On the heels of that lesson, Bro. Tommy Johnson made an incredible statement. He said he has been told, "No one can fill your shoes." His response, "Follow in my footsteps, but walk in your own shoes." There can never be another Elder Morton or Elder Paul Price or Elder C.M. Becton, but we can follow the path they have set before us, wearing our own shoes.

Finally, the passing of Bro. Becton has brought many conversations between Les and I, reminiscing of those years that Bro. Becton was his pastor. The ways that God used this great man in the lives of many. His funeral, attended by hundreds, carried a theme - this was a man who was a friend of God.

With the passing of one generation, the Truth lies in the hands of my generation and the generations to follow. Elder Becton was 82, Elder Morton is 70, Pastor White is 55, Les and I are in our 40s, and there were four young men in their 30s who preached at WCC. The Truth WILL March On! It didn't stop with the Apostles and it's not going to stop with me!

It's Hard to Say Goodbye!

Victory Tabernacle is saying goodbye to a young couple this week. Bro. P.J. and Sis. Megan White are leaving us to go on the evangelistic field. I feel like these babies when I think about the hole they are leaving in our church, but I am also very excited to see what God has in store for them and the churches they go to.

Bro. P.J. and Sis. Megan,

You will be missed! Sis. White shared some funny stories about P.J. on Sunday night, and I thought I'd add just two:

P.J., you've always been girl savvy. You tried giving Les dating advice when you were about 10. In your wise way, you said, "There aren't any pretty girls in Fresno." And yes, we were dating at the time! But I won't hold it against you!!

You were a very fun part of the youth group and our youth class. I remember the Bible Quizzing trip to Portland, Oregon. We drove there when you were about 12. You were filled with lots of stories and questions, my favorite being, "Will we be in a different time zone when we get there?"

You have both been a blessing to our church. P.J. you were only two years old when your family came to Burbank, so you life has been here. Megan, you've been here just a short time, but we have enjoyed having you.

Go with God and your pastor's blessing and know that there are many people in Burbank who will miss you and be praying for you! We love you!!