We Are So Blessed

My oldest child, Tony, is 36 years old this year. Then came the two girls, Robin, who is 33 and Lindsay, who will be 32 this year. My kids have had the rare privilege of having all four of their grandparents still living up until July of this year. That means that all 10 of my grandchildren have had at least 4 great-grandparents.


July 9th, their Grandpa Ferguson passed away. He was 85 years old. Darrell was diagnosed with cancer several months ago and suffered great pain during the short time he had left. Now he is with His Lord and has no more pain or suffering. We are happy for him, but we will miss him greatly.


Darrell Ferguson was a man of God. I never knew him to raise his voice or become angry. He was a soft spoken, compassionate man, and a great leader and example to me and to my kids. I can't ever remember him talking negatively about anyone. What I do remember is worth remembering. He was always ready and willing to talk about the Lord or some portion of scripture he had been studying. He was a wonderful Bible scholar and read many books about the Bible. He was always talking to people about the Lord. He loved his Lord, his family and his church. He was instrumental in starting several churches in the Columbia area. God gave him the gift of teaching and giving. And unknown to me, he was a bronze star medal receiver, not once, but three times!! What a wonderful heritage he has left us as a man of God, as a citizen, and as a father and grandfather.


One of my first memories of him was when we first moved here to Columbia. I was 12 years old and it was 1962. We started going to Grace Bible Church, and he and Lucille were our Sunday School Superintendents in the Jr. Department. My sister and I were both in their department. He had a contest and whoever memorized Psalm 19 first would receive a watch. Well, I really wanted that watch. I worked hard all week to memorize that chapter, and I did it. When Sunday morning came, Darrell asked if anyone had memorized it and I was afraid to raise my hand. My sister wouldn't let me get by with that though, and she raised her hand and said, "My sister did!" So I stood up and quoted Psalm 19 with a little help. I got my watch, but what I remember now is not the watch, but the scripture. It was the first large portion of scripture that I had ever memorized. It got me started on an important part of the Christian life. Darrell was a great encourager and I considered him my friend.


Yesterday was the visitation at the funeral home. As we went and talked with friends and family, I looked around. I realized how blessed we are to still have my Dad. So many of the folks that we knew growing up who were parents to our friends were alone. My Mom was really an exception to the rule. She was one of the few who still had her spouse with her.

As we see this generation passing away, it should challenge and encourage us to live the best we can for our Lord. The time left to us is so short. Our world is manifesting all the signs talked about in Scripture of the last days. We, who are left behind, need to ". . sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" I Peter 3;15. Let's finish our race well, like Darrell did. Up to the very last, he was heard to ask if there was anything he could do for someone. He was an amazing man always thinking of others. We have lost one of God's faithful servants. We can look forward to seeing him again in Heaven, though. Praise the Lord for that.

Do you know the Lord? If not, you can know him today. It doesn't mean you will never have any problems, but that Jesus will be with you through all of them. And you can know without the shadow of a doubt that you will spend eternity in heaven with Him. All you need to do is realize you are a sinner and have fallen short of God's standard for entering heaven. Confess this to Christ and ask Him to cleanse your heart from your sin and make you a new creature in Him. Tell Him your desire is to grow in Christ and live for Him for the rest of your life. He promises to forgive you and to give you salvation. He is the only one who can give you true peace and fulfillment in your life. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Also, John 10:10 says, "For whosoever shall call up on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Receive Him today and you'll never be sorry. It's the best decision you could ever make.