Jim's resurrection.

One of my first weeks here my boss, Brian, forwarded me an email to respond to from a man named Jim. He informed me that Jim use to be a very wealthy man and that recently he and his wife had lost everything. Jim was also not a believer. He and his wife were interested in this chronological bible study we were doing called Stranger. Jim and I began emailing back and forth and I just got the opportunity to really encourage him about coming to the study. The first night, he and his wife came and I got to put a face with a name. They came every week. Then I started seeing him at church every Sunday morning. He would come up and hug me with a huge smile on his face and we would talk for a few minutes and he would walk off and I would pray that God would continue to work in him. Towards the end of the study he was still not a believer yet, but every week that went by I could see more and more of the Kingdom in his eyes.

This morning, on Easter Sunday, we had a sunrise baptism out in front of the church. As I walked up I saw Brian in the pool and heard him saying, "I baptize you......" and when I saw who it was I almost began to cry....It was Jim. And as I watched him go under I had a deep sense of the depth of the power of God to save and bring new life. And as if that wasn't enough....his wife went next....and as if that wasn't enough.....his granddaughter went after that and as she stood in the pool, Jim came to the microphone and said, "I couldn't be more grateful that you and I came into the embrace of Jesus on the same day."

After he watched her, with gladness in his eyes, he walked over and gave me a huge, soaking wet hug, and I have never in my life seen a greater picture of the Kingdom of God and the Resurrection of Christ at work.

To the glory of His name forever and ever.