He told me to tell you that
Iwas reading the other day (I’m a pastor and that’s what we do) about old people and how they don’t like change and really struggle with it. No kidding the articles I read shared that’s why they like to watch “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” because they know how it starts and they know how it ends. I’m starting to understand because I’m an old, tired and too often too cynical a pastor.
I have a friend who is a famous television and radio preacher and if I told you his name you would probably know him. My friend says old people are already mad about being old, so it doesn’t take much to tick ’em off.
I was blessed last week. Seeing a burning bush kind of blessed.
Do you remember I told you about my dad’s old church building that burned down? Well, an old man came by the office and told me that we have got to tell young people about the good news of Jesus Christ. He said, these kids are going to spend eternity in Hell if they don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I don’t get many visits like this so I sat up and took notice of this man’s concerns. He seemed a little wacky but they thought Jesus was crazy too (Mark 3:21), so I’m good with that.
The articles I read about old people said they understand death is close so they prioritize how they spend their time and spiritual things really matter to them. I don’t ever see that, which is why I was so blessed by this old man.
What I’m saying is I have always wanted to meet old people that would admit they have wasted their life on themselves rather than leaving it all on the field for Jesus. I wonder why people closer to death won’t share some wisdom and tell us to stop screwing around and the only thing that matters is Jesus. I love what Rick Warren wrote on the first page of his best selling book “The Purpose Driven Life,” “It’s not about us.”
No doubt I felt like I was seeing the remnant God talked about in First Kings 19:18. I felt like Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:22-38, like I had actually seen something I had been waiting on for a long time.
Here’s my point. I asked this man his name. He told me Satterfield and I said, “A Mr. Satterfield went to my dad’s old church that burned down.”
He replied, “That’s me.” Wow. Random, right? Probably not. God encourages me like that. Mr. Satterfield said he was not living for the Lord back in the day when someone caught the church building on fire and then eventually it disbanded. He thought out loud asking if things might have been different if he would have been doing his part as an active church member. This old guy took responsibility, you don’t hear that everyday in 2019. We need to start a hashtag, #accountability.
I guess old people are okay. I already knew that, I just didn’t know if some of them got it.
I asked Mr. Satterfield, “Do you still live up on that hill?”
He said, “Yes sir.”
I said, “Don’t be surprised if you see me again.”
He said, I was welcome anytime.
I have a new/old friend who loves Jesus and is not ashamed to admit it. I like that. He told me to tell you that.
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