At the age of 18 I was in my final year of high school. I was playing on our senior football team and happened to be in a health class being taught by my coach. Several of my teammates were in the same class that was set up with theatre seating. I was near the back and that meant higher up than most others.
The topic near the end of class revolved around premarital sex. The coach stated that he thought there was nothing wrong with it and it seemed like most of the class agreed with him. Then he asked if anyone had a different opinion. By this time I was dating the woman who would eventually become my wife of soon-to-be, 49 years. I put my hand up and expressed my view that sex should only be between married couples. That was received with plenty of snickers.
After class I was approached by Peter, one of my teammates and a pretty tough character who I didn't really hang with. I was prepared for the insults but instead he extended his hand and told me how he admired my courage to stand and say what I said, even if he didn't agree. That memory has stuck with me all these years and helped shape my faith walk. You see, I had become a Christian a year and a half earlier and expressing my opinion was my "coming out".
As I was thinking of what I am about to write, I had tears flowing down my cheeks because I knew some of my friends, family and in-laws would react negatively. I believe in what I am about to say, 100%.
The other day I was the passenger in a car driven by my son Steven. We were returning from one of many appointments I have been attending since being diagnosed with Advanced Prostate Cancer. On the highway we were approaching an underpass when I pointed out why I talk about Jesus to those who either don't know Him or outright reject Him. I made the analogy of me coming across a person preparing to jump off the bridge and my response to it. Very few of us would encourage that person to jump and instead do whatever we could to save them from themselves.
As a Christian, I would do everything I could to direct a person from jumping into hell. Even more so when that person was in one of the categories I mentioned earlier: friends, family and in-laws.
Peter and I recently became friends on Facebook after 53 years of no contact. I hope he reads this.
Eternity is something I have started thinking about much more in recent months. When I wept, I was thinking of all those I personally know who are satisfied with jumping into hell. I apologize if that offends you but when someone is about to jump off that bridge, offending someone is the least of my worries.
Jesus Christ (not the swear word) is your only hope of getting to heaven. The good news is that it has absolutely nothing to do with your or my goodness or badness. It simply means asking God to forgive you for being a sinner. I hear the snickers again. That would include all of us unless of course you are a perfect human being who has no issues now or in your past. And guess what, you will die one day and then it will be too late to ask for forgiveness. I made that decision at a campfire in the summer of 1971 and it changed my life. When I die from this cancer (or something else) I know where I will spend eternity. Jesus paid the price for my sins on the cross and when you accept Him, you are simply acknowledging that He did it for you as well.
I will leave you with that. I was going to ask Anne to post this after I was gone but then thought: I care too much for you!
