Most Beloved Gospel Singer

In the past two weeks the world lost a man that was called, "The most beloved gospel singer," George Beverly Shea. Shea was most known for singing at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades for over fifty years. When Dr. Graham first met Shea and asked him to be his singer at the crusades he was more popular than Billy Graham. His beautiful baritone voice was truly a catalyst for the ever growing attendance at the meetings.

The thing that strikes me most about this man was his humility. Here was a man that turned down many opportunities for fame and fortune when he was a young man in order to sing for the Saviour. Together with Dr. Graham, they saw countless numbers
of souls come to a saving knowledge of Christ. His music prepared the hearts to receive the word of God. When asked what he hoped people would remember about him he quipped, "that I sang on key."

Over the past year there have been many superstars of the entertainment world pass into eternity. The news channels all lined up to report the tremendous tragedy of the loss of this one or that one. Many of these people did not honor Christ with their lives. Some may have been believers. I do not intend to disparage the loss of these people. I am sure they will be missed. I only want to point out that the world truly lost a hero of the faith when George Beverly Shea died. While the majority of the world's population did not even hear about it, the angels of heaven are rejoicing to receive him into their presence. He should fit right in with all the praises being sung!

Good News From a Far Country

My family and I spent nearly sixteen years as missionaries to the country of Ghana, W Africa. I can still remember the first time (1994) I heard about this new thing called "email." I heard you could could send and receive letters electronically. What a great idea. I would scour the capital city of Accra looking for anyone who knew how do this thing called email, never to find them. In 1989 on my first trip to Ghana I would have to wait in line at the post office for hours upon end waiting to see if they were able to get a phone line open to America. I could wait as many as three days before I could call my wife back home. I once received a box of cheese and sausage that was sent as a Christmas present. It arrived sixteen months after it was sent. I found out it had been sitting in the corner of some rat infested office somewhere. Obviously we had to throw it away. Things are better now for missionaries than we had it. Things were better for us than they were for thousands of missionaries before us. Times are changing. Technology is changing. Communication is getting so much better worldwide.

My wife has a ministry of hand making cards. They really are a piece of art when she is finished. All of our missionary families, each one in the family (60+ cards total), receive a hand made card from our church for their birthday. Each married couple also receive an anniversary card. My wife personally makes a card for each member of our church (80+ total). The ladies of the church get together to make the cards for the missionaries. Today a group of our church ladies got together and had a brunch then spent several hours snipping and glueing and making cards. There are ways to send cards electronically over the internet. We certainly could do it much quicker and easier that way, but with each hand made card a prayer is offered up for the blessing and watchcare of God upon the recipient. Our ladies really do care for the missionaries we support and we want them to know that.

Many missionaries feel isolated. With all the technology available that should never be the case. FaceTime, Skype, chat rooms, Vonage, smart phones, texting. All this technology makes it so simple to keep in touch with friends and family living abroad. Having lived in isolation I know what it means to get connected to home. Is there someone you can bless today by simply connecting with them to say "hello" or "I was just thinking about you"? You don't have to make a hand made card or send a gift box. Just use the technology available and make an effort to bless someone.

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." - Proverbs 25:25

Can't A Guy Get Any Privacy Anymore?

There is  major golfing event going on this week called The Master's. For many of you this means nothing. For the golf enthusiast (I am about a six on a scale of 1-10) this is a big deal. I love to golf, unfortunately my golfing skills are on par (pun intended) with my ukulele skills (see previous post). One of the things I admire about this sport is the tradition of honesty that accompanies the game. A player will call a penalty on himself even if no one else sees it. Its actually pretty incredible when you think about it, especially with as much money that is on the line with every stroke.

The world of golf is changing. Because of the technological world we live in we now have TV viewers calling in and reporting an infraction. For some of the more famous golfers almost every move they make is caught on air. This week Tiger Woods was forced to drop his ball after he had hit it into the lake. By rule, he should have dropped it as close as he could to the spot of his previous shot. Instead he dropped it a few feet further away from the hole. A TV viewer called someone from the tournament and questioned the legality of the play. The next day Tiger Woods was penalized two strokes for the error.

You and I do not live our lives with a TV camera following us around (did I hear a roaring AMEN?). Often we can get away from everybody and everything and enjoy some quiet solitude. Sometimes when we feel like no one is watching we even indulge ourselves with a little guilty pleasure (an extra chunk of milk chocolate, large scoop of ice cream, a little more sugar in the coffee, etc.) No one will know, why not? That is the way many Christians live their lives. No one will ever know.

The Bible teaches otherwise. We can do nothing in secret because the Lord sees it all. We cannot hide from the all seeing eye of a Holy God. The Bible says, "For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."- Luke 8:17

Knowing that God is ever present with us will revolutionize our lives as His children. So to answer my own question, no there is no privacy.

Haley has another biography to share this week.


Helen Jorski 

We are often thankful for our young people, as they are the next generation of Christian leaders. It is a joy to watch them grow in the Lord over the years. At 20 years old, Helen is one of our accomplished pianists here at The Church At Katy. You can always count on her to cover for an accompaniment on short notice. And I do mean on short notice! But playing the piano isn't the only thing she's good at. Helen is also studying to become a Paramedic, and is currently working with the local fire departments around Houston, and in the ER at one of the hospitals nearby. As well as her love for the Lord, Helen also possesses a love for the outdoors: hiking, camping, rock climbing, canoeing, and everything in between. A very kind and gracious person, she is an ever helpful and willing servant of God. 
Helen: "My favorite thing about the church is the balance Pastor Taylor has that is reflected in the church family. He wants people to seek out God, not to fit inside a man made mold. He is solid on biblical doctrine and he's not afraid to preach difficult or unpopular things. At the same time he believes in 'purple socks.' If the Bible is unclear or doesn't say much about an issue, he doesn't try to force his personal convictions on others. I love that he would rather have someone believe something different than him and have sought out the issue before God than to blindly agree with someone else's convictions. And I love how this belief is demonstrated by many in the church family. I think it's a healthy and biblical implementation of grace." 

Farewell Brother Cliff

Cliff & Patricia Ward

Just two weeks ago I featured Brother Cliff Ward. This past Monday he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was literally two minutes from the hospital but still he did not make it. Just last Sunday at church (Resurrection Sunday) he was laughing and enjoying the worship of our Lord. He shared the Lord's Supper that morning with us and commented how much he loved to celebrate the Lord's table with the church. Cliff was considered by many to be the grandfather of the church. He always had a kind word of encouragement for anyone and everyone. He loved to have the kids from the church come to "the country" as he liked to call his place in Waller. Cliff will be severely missed, but we know that our loss is heaven's gain. His wife Patricia (Angel as he called her) I am sure welcomed him with open arms. 

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." - John 14:1-3