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Letter from Earnest – June 2014

Praise the Lord…just because!

No doubt you can finish that statement. We have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the privilege of knowing what I should be doing. I’ve been endowed with the tools to get it done and I still receive great satisfaction as I am doing it.

When I am finished, I pray that those who come behind me will have found me faithful. Steve Green sang a song some years ago, the last verse of which says, “After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone, and our children sift through all we’ve left behind; may the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover, become the light that leads them to the road we each must find. Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”

I think of Earl Gatewood, a dear friend of mine who just a few months ago left the world that we know to go home to the world that is real. The many legacies he left behind were tremendous witness to his faithfulness. His children, his wife, his siblings and his grandchildren were all able to testify to his faithfulness. We pay tribute to him and his wonderful wife who still carries on.

Remember, as the song says, we are pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road. For the young people of today, we are “those who’ve gone before!” Give a child a smile; speak a word of encouragement, correct or discipline – if necessary – in love. Let us cheer on the faithful and encourage the weary. And may “all who come behind us find us faithful.” That indeed is a worthy legacy.

 

 

Earnest