Never Spiritually Retire!

Wow! What a great picture! Bro. Paul Price, age 86 and Bro. Ellsworth, age 87! Two men who are in their 80's each on a Spiritual journey to know Jesus!

Bro. Ellsworth last year at the age of 86, received the gift of the Holy Spirit and was baptized in Jesus name! His religious background was Judaism. (As Bro. Price stated, he is a miracle! Coming to the Lord at 86 and being a Jew who begins to follow Jesus is a miracle! He's like the apostle Paul, a Jew who converts to Christianity!)

Bro. Ellsworth is growing by leaps and bounds in the Lord! Why? He has a desire to Grow! He doesn't want to stay at the same level! How is it happening? First, he never misses a Worship service! He comes ever time the doors are open even at Kids Revival (You ought to see him as he tries to participate in the kids songs! It a blast!) Second, he is in a small Connect group! Wednesday nights he comes to service and is in a small discipleship group. Tuesday's he's in the Men's Starbucks Bible study! Third, even at his age he is looking for places to Serve! He has dreamed of having a luncheon of Liberian food at the church and to sell the recipes for missions. Fourth, he is Reaching! He invites and has brought to church individuals from his trailer park. He is consistently sharing his love of God and this church with his neighbors! Even at 87 he wants to become!

This weekend was a special time for our church and myself personally as Bro. Paul Price ministered in a powerful way! He is on a spiritual growth journey also. He wants to Know Jesus!

He stated to me that he had served the Lord since being in high school! He became an evangelist after his pastor's wife had a dream and drove to Sacramento and told him that it was time to go into the ministry. He had been married for just six months! He quit his job that next day and went to his home church and preached his first revival! He then built his own travel trailer to be able to travel as an evangelist. After evangelizing be went to Napa California and started the church. Eventually he became the Superintendent of the Western District (the leader of all the ministers in California and Nevada). He became a speaker who was sought out to speak at major conferences of thousands! He would speak and it would inspire people!

But in his own personal life he was frustrated! He didn't feel like he was changing and becoming even though he was a pastor and leader of leaders! He wanted to change! He begin to seek the Lord and became desirous to really know the Lord! A radical experience happened! God spoke with him and it changed his total life! He knew what was to do: To Know the Lord and to lead others into the same experience! That has been his message for the last twenty years!

I am intrigued by his honesty and openness. He had served the Lord for over forty years but did not really know the Lord! He was in his sixties when this spiritual event happen!

As I look at these two men, I am challenged to be a lifelong learner! I never want to stop in my quest to grow in God! I want to understand that I can never retire in my spiritual journey. I never want to think that I have arrived! I want to understand that my greatest days are ahead of me not behind me! I want to follow these men and grow spiritually as long as I have breath! Why don't you join us in the quest to grow spiritually and to really Know Jesus!