Come Before Winter...

Yesterday my daily Bible reading took me through 2 Timothy 4. This is where Paul is closing his letter to his young pastor he mentored, and asks Timothy to bring a few things to him in prison... and to do so quickly, because he wasn't sure how much time he had.

My first church I served at was in Beaufort, SC. This was while I was still in the Marine Band at Parris Island, but I was just beginning to get my feet wet in ministry leadership at Shell Point Baptist Church. I was the student leader, and the worship leader as well. During my time there, I served with a pastor named Derris Davenport. He was a retired pastor who served us as an interim pastor for almost a 4 year stretch.

This was one of his favorite passages to preach from. He explained to us how Paul was pretty certain that he may be executed soon, and wanted to put things in order before that happened. Paul speaks in this chapter about fighting the good fight, and finishing the race. Pastor Derris also explained that Paul's relationship with John-Mark was now restored after the conflict between the two earlier.

Finally, Derris focused in on the phrase "come before winter." The call is urgent, and it is undeniable. Winter is coming. Particularly where I live now in Buffalo, NY - winter is imminent. The time is now.

Really what Pastor Davenport was teaching was about leaving a legacy. He absolutely left his legacy with me... and continues to do so with others... who am I leaving a legacy for?

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