FROM THE PASTOR

I’ll never forget the day I called him to see if he would join me for lunch. My future Intern was 16 years old and rebelling against God. He accepted, and over a beautiful burger with fries and a Dr. Pepper, I told him that he could keep running from God, but it wouldn’t do him much good because I knew he had a praying Mother.

Augustine, one of the early Church Fathers, was a sexually immoral atheist with the mind of a genius who also had a praying Mother named Monica. Monica prayed and prayed for her genius son, who became worse and worse. He obliged her by sitting with some of the great church leaders of that day, but to no avail.

Then, one day, he was sitting outside when he heard some little children playing a game in which they were chanting, “Take and read, take and read.” There happened to be a Latin Bible close by, so he picked it up and began to read where it fell open, which was Romans 13.
His eyes fixed on vv 13 & 14: “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think of ways to indulge your evil desires.”

To this day, Augustine is still considered one of the smartest people who ever followed Jesus, and as for my future now former Youth Intern, well…he pastors a wonderful church in Fresno, California.

Thank God for praying, Moms!

Randy & Pam