From Isolation to Purpose

"I created my own cell," is how Ivan Laredo described his life before coming to Baptist Temple. He was not behind bars. He was living alone in an apartment, surrounded by people who still lived the lifestyle he was trying to leave behind. He had a television, a phone, Christian programming, and a Bible. What he did not have was fellowship. 

People in the neighborhood kept telling him about Baptist Temple. They talked about the Tuesday evening meal and encouraged him to come. These were not church members. They were people who knew where to find a hot meal and a friendly face. They all told him the same thing: "Go to Baptist Temple." 

One evening, after returning from donating plasma, Laredo had enough of the isolation. He looked at the clock. It was after 5:30. Instead of spending another evening alone, he walked into the cafeteria looking for company.

He found more than a meal. Someone told him there was a Bible study immediately afterward. That was exactly what he had been missing. Laredo knew from experience that it is difficult to walk away from an old life by yourself. He had spent years pursuing alcohol, drugs, and other destructive habits with everything he had. As he put it, he was "full steam ahead." He realized that if he was going to follow Christ, he needed to be just as intentional about surrounding himself with people who shared his faith. 

Laredo's journey has not been an easy one. He began drinking at thirteen and describes his life as a roller coaster. He was introduced to Christ as a teenager through the mother of his high school sweetheart, but his spiritual journey has included many starts and stops along the way. Today, however, he celebrates six years of sobriety. He speaks openly about his gratitude to God for bringing him this far.

What stands out most is not what Laredo has left behind but what he has found. He serves at the HP CAN food pantry on the BT Campus, helps with food distribution, and attends Bible studies. He works alongside people he once would not have imagined himself serving beside. Looking at his current life, he shakes his head and says, "This is not me, Pastor." Friends who knew him years ago would be shocked to see him serving others and investing his time in ministry. Yet that is often how God works. The people most surprised by a transformed life are the people who knew us before Christ began changing us. 

Laredo says serving gives him purpose. It helps him stay focused and grounded. More importantly, he sees it as service to God's Kingdom rather than simply volunteering. He talks about an urgency in his heart, a desire to stop "flip-flopping" and fully commit himself to following Christ. His heart is in it. He wants to be there. 

He said, "This church reaches out to the actual community," observing that churches can become so busy serving themselves that they forget the people living just beyond their walls. Laredo first encountered Baptist Temple because the community knew the church was there. Long before he joined a Bible study or helped distribute food, people in the neighborhood were already pointing him toward a place where he could find help, friendship, and hope.

The Tuesday meal brought him through the door. Fellowship kept him coming back. Service gave him purpose. You never know what God will do with an invitation to dinner. Sometimes it becomes a place at the table. Sometimes it becomes a ministry. Sometimes it changes a life.

A Hot Meal, a Warm Welcome, and a New Beginning

Linda “Qween” Davis has always worshiped God. “I’m always praying to God, asking him to help me and take care of me,” she said, “but I have a long way to go.”

Her first encounter with the Highland Park Community Assistance Network (HPCAN) came when she and her husband, who died a year ago, attended one of the Tuesday night community meals. He suggested they go out for a hot dinner.

“And I’m like, where?” Qween remembered, “and he said, ‘At the church.’”

She remembers the warm welcome that came with the hot meal, especially from Kathy Lopez.

Later, Qween became part of the Monday ceramics class, where she met Angelina Guajardo, program director for Divine Women, a support ministry for women. At Guajardo’s invitation, Qween participated in the group for a while.

Eventually, she began volunteering in the kitchen for the Tuesday meals, the same ministry through which she first encountered HPCAN. “I’ve always liked to cook, and I like to help people as much as I can,” she said. “I try not to miss. I’m there helping in the community, serving the food and everything.”

Daniel Arredondo, Minister of Outreach, calls her a great worker. “She’s a valued member of our kitchen team,” he said. “Her heart is growing.”

Coworker Bobann Moore agreed. “When we’re in that kitchen, she will do anything, anything at all to help,” Moore said.

Vernon Liverett remarked on Qween’s cheerful attitude and the way she relates to guests. “Qween has a good relationship with the people that come through the line,” Liverett said. “She makes them comfortable. She makes it feel relaxed and kids around with them. And then just makes the whole interaction very positive.”

“When I’m up there serving the food and stuff, I’m always telling them, ‘Welcome. Have a happy Tuesday. Don’t forget to thank the good Lord for this day,’” Queen said. “I know half of the people that come and eat at the church.”

Among the Tuesday night volunteers, Qween has found more than a place to serve. She has found community. “We’re always laughing and joking and playing around with each other,” she said. “And whenever something’s wrong with me or I’m sick or something, they always check up on me.”

That kind of care stood out to her. It was not what she had experienced in churches as a teenager. “That’s what made me give up on churches until I found this one here,” she said.

Arredondo has seen growth in her life. “She’s come a long way,” he said. “She was very unreceptive at first, but over time, she’s learned to take the Word of God and let it discipline her and purify her and conform her.”

Qween eventually started attending worship and Bible study. The Bible study is led by Liverett and Kay Richardson, who coordinates the Tuesday night meals. Qween appreciates the way the teaching is easy to understand and the opportunity to ask questions. “With Miss Kay, I’m learning stuff that I never knew about,” she said. “And she makes it so simple.”

Recently, Qween was baptized and committed herself to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. For her, baptism marked an opportunity “to let go of all my sins and move forward with the help of the good Lord to do better.”

Victoria’s Journey to Faith

Victoria’s story is one of hardship, endurance, and redemption. It is the story of a woman who endured homelessness, abuse, and despair, yet continued searching for hope until she found a home in Christ at Baptist Temple.

Her connection to the church began when her children Dominic and Isabel were attending the BT Early Learning Center. One day, they noticed a sign advertising Vacation Bible School. The construction theme was colorful and caught the children’s attention. Curious, they decided to come. That small moment became the doorway into a new spiritual life.

Victoria had lived through years of instability. In 2017, shortly after the birth of her daughter Isabel, she became homeless amid family turmoil and personal betrayal. She lost her apartment, moved into the home of a friend, and endured an increasingly dangerous environment marked by alcohol abuse. One night, she was chased through the house by her intoxicated friend. The following morning, she went into labor.

She had nowhere safe to go after her daughter was born. With two small children and no support system, she reached out to the Salvation Army. A single room was available, and that opening became her refuge. She later transitioned into Haven for Hope, where she remained for an extended period while attempting to rebuild her life.

One biblical passage became especially meaningful to her during that season. While searching television channels one morning, she heard a sermon on Genesis 8:22, on “seedtime and harvest” after the flood. She believed God was telling her to continue planting seeds of prayer and faith, trusting that a harvest would eventually come. 

Her spiritual search, however, had begun years earlier. As a teenager, Victoria endured abuse at home. She recalled nights of violence and hopelessness so overwhelming that she thought about ending her life. During one of those moments of despair, her appendix ruptured. Doctors later told her that she nearly died during emergency surgery. That experience haunted her. She awoke wondering why she had not seen heaven, light, or God. Questions about death and eternity began consuming her thoughts.

For years she searched in many directions. Raised loosely within Catholicism, she experimented with different spiritual ideas, searching for truth. It was not until her time at the Salvation Army, where church volunteers regularly ministered to residents, that she began hearing a clearer presentation of the gospel. 

Victoria’s search led to Baptist Temple, where, she was baptized. Baptism, for her, symbolized far more than joining a church. She described it as accepting the Holy Spirit fully into her life and leaving behind the guilt, fear, and brokenness that had defined so much of her past. Though she understood that she would continue struggling with sin and hardship, baptism marked her public declaration that she belonged to Christ.

Now the faith journey has begun extending into the lives of her children, Isabel and Dominic. One of the most moving moments in Victoria’s testimony came when she described her son unexpectedly expressing a desire to be baptized. No pressure had been placed upon him. After learning about John the Baptist in church, he simply announced that he loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him. Isabel, though younger, expressed a similar desire. Victoria spoke emotionally about watching her children grow from restless toddlers unable to sit through worship into children eager to attend church, participate in Sunday school, and talk about Bible stories at home.

Throughout her testimony, the theme of redemption emerged repeatedly. Victoria frequently found herself in situations where survival seemed uncertain. Yet each time, another door opened—a room at a shelter, a church invitation, a new spiritual family, a renewed sense of purpose. Her story is not tidy or triumphant. The wounds remain visible. But her testimony reflects the conviction that God never abandoned her.

Victoria’s journey is a testimony to human endurance and God’s grace. From homelessness, fear, and despair, to worship and faith. She has come to believe that God was guiding her long before she understood His presence. Now, as she watches her children take their own first steps of faith, she sees survival behind her and hope ahead.

Dominic and Isabel were baptized on May 24, 2026.

Still Standing: A Testimony of Preservation

Three years ago, her life was interrupted by disease. Camelia “CeCe” Hargrove was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, cancer of the blood and bones. Treatment was extensive and included radiation and a stem cell transplant. During that time, she lost mobility on her left side and was unable to walk for a time. Her condition still requires ongoing medical care and medication.

Within weeks of her diagnosis, Hargrove experienced a second, devastating loss. Her son, Jarvis, was killed at the age of thirty-one. The loss was sudden, violent, and devastating. While she was fighting for her own life, she was also burying her child. Yet, Hargrove says she sensed that God had not abandoned her.

Hargrove does not describe her story in terms of certainty or resolution. She does not say she has been cured. She still takes chemotherapy medication and will do so for the rest of her life. But today she is in remission. She is walking again. She is standing again. And she believes God has preserved her for a purpose. “There were people around me who didn’t make it,” she said. “I’m still here.”

That sense of calling is what brought her back—not just to work, but to service. Hargrove has worked as a barber and stylist since 1987. Over four decades, she built her life around a skill she learned early and never abandoned. Though she spent time working in nursing while raising her children, she always returned to hair—work that allowed her to serve people directly, face to face.

She now offers haircuts and styling at the Highland Park Community Assistance Network Thrift Store. On designated days, she cuts hair for donations that support the church. At other times, she charges modest, affordable rates so that people who have gone years without professional care can come without shame or fear of cost. She gives a portion back to the church and uses the rest to cover basic needs, including medications not fully covered by insurance.

Her focus is on making a positive impact rather than earning money. “I just want to do what God gifted me to do,” she says. “If I can help somebody feel better about themselves—about their life, even for a moment—then I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Hargrove’s testimony is simple and steady: God did not remove every hardship, but He did not let go of her either. As long as she can stand, she intends to serve. She approaches each day with a quiet determination to use the time she has been given.

Sobriety, Baptism, and the Call to Serve

For Jarrett Leeth, sobriety was not the end of a journey but the clearing of the fog. 

Leeth’s parents were pillars of Baptist Temple. Morgan and Lynn were deeply involved in teaching, music, and community ministry. But Jarrett was drifting in the opposite direction. “I was getting out of the church scene and going my own ways. Not good ways, doing bar scenes and such and going the wrong way,” he said. What began as casual drinking hardened into habit, and habit into dependence. He would later describe those years plainly: hurting other people, hurting himself, using friends and even his parents for money, and watching alcohol quietly dismantle both his work and his integrity.

He was a licensed journeyman plumber who learned his trade in the Navy as a Seabee. Plumbing was the one steady thing in his life. But even that began to erode. After a diabetes diagnosis, he refused to change his lifestyle. Medication came; the drinking continued. He let his plumbing license lapse and tried to begin again at Home Depot, imagining a steady career until retirement. Instead, he found himself working part-time at night stocking for modest wages, barely covering fuel costs.

He pivoted again, this time into sprinkler fitting. The work suited him. The drinking did not stop.

Then came the physical consequences. Diabetes advanced. Sores appeared on his feet and would not heal. A toe was amputated and still he drank. His nights blurred into mornings as he drank himself into brief unconsciousness only to begin again. Finally, it got so bad he was hospitalized for liver failure.

That was three years ago. “I don't even have the slightest thought of alcohol in my mind anymore,” he said. 

Leeth quit cold turkey. No gradual taper. No negotiated compromise. March 14 will mark three years without a drop of alcohol. The early weeks were difficult, but the cravings eventually fell silent. Sobriety did more than restore clarity; it restored memory. With painful vividness he began to see the damage he had done—to himself, to others, to the life he might have lived.

Then he began to pray. He began to feel the Holy Spirit working in his life; a quiet conversation between him and God. He had been thinking about baptism for months before he spoke it aloud. He even considered marking the occasion on the third anniversary of his sobriety. Yet his deeper questions were not about ceremony but about direction. About following the way of Jesus.

He was baptized on February ninth, not just as a testimony of what he left behind but, also, a declaration of where he hopes to go. At fifty-five, Leeth describes himself as “wide awake.” Plumbing was his identity, the one thing he stuck to. But now, sober and alert, he feels the weight of larger questions: Where am I headed? What is the purpose of the years that remain?

He reads Scripture and seeks deeper understanding. He searches the stories for answers about life and eternity. He is seeking a way to make a difference. “Serving others, that’s probably what I'm looking for right there,” he said.

And the questions that once haunted him—about death, about direction, about meaning—are gradually giving way to something quieter and more enduring: the desire to belong to Christ and to spend what remains of his life serving others.

A story of faith, loss, and return

Kathryn Bedford was raised in church. Her grandfather was a Baptist pastor for forty-five years in San Antonio, and church life was not optional in her household. Even when her mother worked three jobs, Kathryn and her brothers were in Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, Sunday night service, and Wednesday night Bible study. Saturdays were spent cleaning the church. “I know about being in church,” she says. “I grew up in it.”

She gave her life to Christ and was baptized under the ministry of Reverend Short. He guided her early walk with Christ, and though he passed away more than twenty years ago, his influence remains part of her spiritual foundation.

But her life has been marked by deep loss. She has buried her father, two brothers, and a husband. Furthermore, her marriages also carried deep wounds. Her first marriage began at age eighteen and concluded in divorce due to infidelity. Her second husband, Ricky, loved her children as his own. When he became gravely ill, Kathryn earned her CNA certification so she could better care for him until his death.

A later marriage brought another painful break. In 2017, her husband’s affair with someone in their church left her broken. She tried to remain, participated in counseling, and prayed for strength, but her spirit was not at peace. She stopped attending. 

Yet even in grief, her faith remained steady. Her prayer during that season was simple and sincere: “Lord, guide me to the right church. I’m tired of making wrong decisions. I’m broken.”

The answer came unexpectedly—through a smile.

While shopping at the HPCAN thrift store, Kathryn was greeted by the always cheerful Minister of Outreach, Daniel Arrendondo. “Every time I went in there that man always had a smile on his face,” she said.

When she asked him about his church, Daniel pointed to Baptist Temple’s large sanctuary across the street.

From her first visit, she says she felt the presence of God. She kept coming. And when she finally joined, she knew she was home. “God got me to the right church,” she said.

Service is part of how Kathryn expresses her faith. In the past, she visited hospital patients, cared for homebound members, and shared Scripture with those unable to attend church. Today, she serves in the thrift store, cleaning up and sorting clothes. Now retired and caring for her mother, Kathryn’s desire is simply to serve, grow, and draw closer to God.

Katherine’s faith, passed down through generations, tested by betrayal and loss, was renewed by grace. God leads the broken back to Himself. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (ESV)

Near death experience leads to spiritual awakening

Guest blog by Ralph Garcia

I was eight years old when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. In the 1960s, the chances of survival were slim. My mother’s parents were devout Christians of the catholic faith and placed it all in God’s hands. They prayed for a miracle and made a pilgrimage to the Basilica in San Juan, Texas. My Grandfather prayed and crawled to the altar on his knees, begging our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for miraculous healing. A few weeks later, my mother was miraculously cancer free. The doctors had no explanation as to how it could have possibly happened.

Growing up, my family often spoke about my mother’s illness and the miraculous healing. It strengthened my understanding about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the role he played in our life. As I got older, I lost sight of my mother’s miracle. I went on living the best life I could. I was never in trouble but did suffer from marital strife and lost my way in the world.

In 2007, all of that changed when I met my wife and was re-introduced to God and to the Baptist Church. My wife opened my eyes to Christianity and taught me that prayer worked. I was raised Catholic and had never been to another church but, after a few weeks, I realized that the congregation at Baptist Temple Church was loving and accepting. It was easy for me to transition. 

After open-heart surgery in 2010, I again lost my way, concentrating on my job and providing for my family. My profession is in law enforcement, and, after a couple of promotions, I began to focus on getting the job done and making as much money as I could. My wife would often ask me when I was going to retire, and my answer was always “I have some good years left in me".  

I was getting older and, in 2019, my best friend and former partner was killed in the line of duty. I became obsessed with physical strength, vowing that what happened to my friend would not happen to me.

I always knew that God was with me, especially when I was at work. I prayed every morning, often Psalm 91, thanking Jesus Christ for all the blessings he has given me and my family and to keep everyone safe and healthy. Looking back, I feel that I took him for granted and continued living my best life.

On August 21st, 2025, I drove home after work. My wife was staying in town that week to take care of our grandson. I got home, took care of some chores, and began to feel a little funny. I went inside the house to cool off. Without warning, I blacked out. After a few minutes, I came to, sitting on the floor. I had urinated on myself and was drooling. I called my wife, told her what happened, and she drove forty minutes to pick me up and take me to the nearest hospital. After a brief examination and blood work, they admitted me for observation. My heart enzymes were a little off. 

A nurse came in the morning to greet me. The next thing I remember is waking up with doctors and nurses working on me, telling me that I was going to a hospital in San Antonio for further treatment.

In the San Antonio ICU, I was told that I went into cardiac arrest in the Jourdanton and had been worked on for seven minutes. My ribs were broken, and my sternum was cracked. I was busted and bruised from my hip to my upper chest and in a lot of pain, but I was alive and that was all that mattered.  

I told the cardiologist that it was a miracle that I was in a cardiac unit when I coded. They told me, “Yes, but the real miracle is that you coded at home and came out of it on your own, and we are still trying to figure that out.”

They knew I coded at home because of the initial blood work. I then realized that what happened to me was nothing short of a lifesaving miracle. It had to be God. I am still being treated and awaiting another procedure but very grateful to be here.

Since this incident, I have had a spiritual awakening. On Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, I was baptized by Pastor Jorge Zayasbazan at Baptist Temple Church in San Antonio, Texas. I realized that I was searching for strength in all the wrong places. It wasn’t a strong body that was going to save me, it was God and only God. I needed spiritual strength, and nothing else. I think back on all the sins I committed and all the material things that I put in my life before God, and he still loved me. He loved me enough to give me another chance at life. So, my message is this: Every day is a blessing, so live it like it’s your last day. God loves us unconditionally and if we believe in him, he will believe in us.

Deacon Spotlight: Willie Ronshausen

Guest Blog: Robert Newman

Willie Ronshausen and his wife Janet came to Baptist Temple in 1996, where he has served in many capacities including Deacon, Sunday School teacher, greeter, building and grounds, administration and more. He as been preaching at the San Antonio Rescue Mission for eight years.

Born on June 22, 1942 and baptized at the age of 10 in a Baptist church, Willie began Assemblies of God from age 12 until he came to Baptist Temple. It was as at Highlands Assembly of God where Willie first served as a deacon in 1987.

What Willie likes most about Baptist Temple is the friendliness and support of the members. This was something that he and Janet felt from their very first visit.

Willie is a cancer survivor and remains cancer-free by God's grace but the greatest miracle in his life came when he was run over by his own truck. He was working under the truck when it began to roll down hill and across his body. He suffered six broken ribs and his collarbone was broken in 3 places but no organs were damaged.

People rarely survive that type of accident but Willie says Jesus was with him then and through the process of healing. He guesses that God had more work for him to do.

Willie and Janet have been married for 41 years. He retired from the Army and civil service in 2002. He enjoys serving the Lord and helping people as well as hunting and fishing.

God is faithful to His Word and promises

Guest blog by Raquel Delagarza

We lived in the Victoria Courts from the time I was in first grade until shortly after I graduated from high school. I was blessed with a mother who lived her faith and gave glory and thanks to God in front of us, so we knew who our God and Provider was. She always reminded us that God would never leave us or forsake us.

Sometimes it may seem that God is far away or not listening when we are experiencing hard times. But He has never seemed more real to me than when I lean on Him for strength, comfort, mercy and grace.

I have had several health scares in my lifetime; through each the Lord has been with me.

When I was nine years old, my appendix ruptured. Through the night, I was draped in towels rinsed in ice water, and then ice was placed on top of the towels to get my fever down for the surgery. Throughout the night, my mom sat by my bed and together we recited the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.

My most recent health scare was breast cancer in 2016. God gave me peace to trust Him so I was able to get through two months of tests before the diagnosis and treatment were firm. He spoke to me through His Word and Christian songs.

While going through the various tests, I clung to Psalm 112:7, "They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them."
 
Once I received the cancer diagnosis, Isaiah 43:2 gave me strength, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you"

And Philippians 4:6-7 reminded me to take my petitions to the Lord and leave them with him, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

The chorus of one of the Christian songs I kept singing was,

In the eye of the storm, you remain in control.
In the middle of the war, you guard my soul.
You alone are my anchor, when my sails are torn.
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm."

My prayer is that my moments of weakness or fear would not cause someone to doubt and wonder, "where is the God she said she believes in?"

God is faithful to His Word and promises because He is God.

My Lost Decade

Guest blog by William Palmer
 
My Lost Decade is part of my personal testimony; it’s riddled with disobedience, and a great example of what not to do. My Lost Decade began when I went off to college. I all but severed my relationship with God. I stopped attending church, stopped reading the bible, didn’t attend bible study, and ultimately stopped having prayerful conversations talking with God.

But for over a decade, He never gave up on me, and I practically had to go out of my way to avoid the incredibly special people and amazing opportunities God threw at me.
 
One of my best friends in college was president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For four years we hung out and studied together. My friend constantly invited me to Christian events, Bible studies…but I always seemed to have better things to do.
 
For about three years after college, I lived in a two family home, downstairs from a pastor! He did his job by inviting me into his home, to his church, to bible studies, and even said he was praying for me. And for three years I ignored him and threw God out of my house – quite literally. On one occasion, the pastor asked if I could please try to turn my stereo down on Friday nights because last week his group had to move their bible study to another location. 
 
Over the next three years, I found myself back in Texas and working in Houston. My boss at the time called me, “the homeless guy.” He was referring to the fact that I didn’t have a church home. I vividly remember one day coming into work and finding a care package sitting on my desk. Immediately, I recognized it as one of those packages I’d seen my boss gave out to homeless people at highway intersections. I remember eating the sandwich and drinking the bottle of water. And I remember tossing the Bible into the wastepaper basket next to my desk.

My boss also invited me to his church on several occasions, but I never went – again, I had had more important things to do. I found out later he’s an elder at church with a congregation of over 25,000.

My disobedience followed me to San Antonio, where a Baptist Temple deacon invited me to worship service on a few occasions.

I must really just be hard of hearing. Believe it or not, what finally got me through the doors of a church again, are the church’s ministries. It was the first Thursday of February, 2012. I was driving by Baptist Temple around 6:00 PM, and saw a line of people circling the building in the parking lot. I couldn’t believe it – it was the middle of the week – a Thursday evening, and the place was packed. I had to do a double take. I drove around the block, and saw signs for a daycare and charter school.

What got my attention was not hearsay and conjecture…it was not bumping into someone at the grocery store and listening to them talk at me about how great their church is, how many people attend, or how awesome the pastor’s message was last week. It was seeing the physical manifestation of God’s will at work: it was the church’s ministries in action. It told me that this place actually cares about the community, and cares about spreading God’s message. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was also a promise to me that any financial contribution I make to Baptist Temple will be put to good use obeying and spreading God’s word.

The stewardship portion of my message is pretty short and simple. It’s about putting needs ahead of wants. For the past few years, I’ve been saving for some home improvements. I’ve been wanting a new floor downstairs, and a new deck for the back yard. But my church home needs a new roof, so that will come first.

By now, Baptist Temple has heard about a dozen remarkable stewardship testimonies. I certainly don’t want to trivialize any of them – but hearing all these terrific stories of sacrifice can make it tempting to travel down that road of disobedience. For example, it might be easy to think about sitting the campaign out because the rest of your church family has your back. Well guess what? A dozen stewardship testimonies does not a campaign make. Each and every member of the church’s family, including probably some folks who aren’t, will be required to obey for this campaign to be successful. 

I’d like to leave you with two frames of references on obedience; two different perspectives.

My disobedience didn’t just suddenly fall by the wayside after My Lost Decade ended. It didn’t suddenly stop after I walked through Baptist Temple’s doors. I still sometimes head down the wrong path when I know another one is correct.
 
To give me inspiration to obey, I like to look to the book of Acts, and some of the things Paul went through as his personal transformation brought him from persecuting Christians in his early years, to becoming obedient to God’s word. It’s such an inspiration to hear how Paul ultimately ending up building the first Christian Church.
 
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. (Acts 13:45)

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison... (Acts 16:22-23)
 
I’m not sure if you have ever – out of obedience to God’s word – been falsely accused of crimes by friends and neighbors, or been physically beaten and thrown into prison because you were obeying. If you have, I’d love to hear your story.
 
We have it relatively easy obeying God’s word today.
 
The second frame of reference I want to leave you with is called seeing the forest from the trees. The tree Paul planted when he built that first Christian Church grew big and strong, with deep roots. But I can’t even begin to wrap my tiny little brain around the forest created by Jesus Christ. I can’t begin to understand the weight of the sins of mankind throughout time, borne on the back of one man. Sins you and I haven’t even committed yet are paid for out of the obedience of one Man to His Father, and His Father keeping a promise you and me.

Please, I urge you just to keep those frames of reference in mind the next time you find it difficult to obey.