50 Year Celebration - Thank you Lord!

1964 Launching my ministry

Today is my 50th year celebration of ministry.  On June 14th fresh out of Bob Jones University I traveled to Loveland, Colorado and Faith Baptist Church hired me as their associate pastor. We moved into the basement apartment of one of the church families and began the long journey of ministry that leads to my celebration tonight at 6:00 pm in our new office building here in Tampa, Florida.  You might watch the video below to catch a bit of the journey. 


 What have I learned in 50 years?

1. Integrity is longevity.  To have anything that lasts it must be centered in integrity...everything else fads away.  The things that have lasted in my life have only been those centered in integrity.

2. Life has seasons.  I recall the many season I have gone through and, believe me, each season comes to a close.  Their have been seasons of wonderful blessings, incredible lack and struggle, great disappointment, great growth and wonder, powerful revelation and astounding miracles.  But the sustaining force was the faithfulness of God.  His loving kindness and goodness has overcome any setbacks, betrayals, failures and lack on my part.. David explained it this way....overall  "My lines have fallen in pleasant places".  It has been exciting and no question the greatest adventure in life discovering the secrets of the "Kingdom of God" with it's new authority and also receiving a greater revelation of my standing as a "King and Priest" unto my God!  

3. In my flesh dwells no good thing.  I know this is against popular religious thought, but at the risk of being non-religious, I have discovered that the total "Righteousness of Christ" is sufficient for everything I need in life and godliness.  I have learned, especially later in life, that a passionate love affair with Jesus Christ and being obsessed and addicted to Jesus is the only thing that really satisfies my spirit, soul and body.  I have found that in Jesus Christ all the "fullness of God dwells".  And that "I am complete in Him".  The book Colossians has remained my favorite book of the bible.  I discovered it at Jr. High School camp well over 50 years algo and it never left me. I was taught inductive bible study and outlining and that also became the standard my entire life study of the word.