Happy Friday, dear Friend! I pray this finds you well and that plans for the weekend involve time with God in His house! The blessings one receives while giving God worship and praise are eternal!
We just finished looking at the Twelve Disciples of Jesus in this series, and I thought modern day followers who said yes to Jesus would be a blessing to our lives. I begin with a personal friend of mine, with whom I was privileged to serve on a major seminary board. One of the last conversations I had with Dr. Hinson, and I'm paraphrasing, he said, "Those who preach Jesus will always have a job." We had been discussing the future of our denomination and some personal concerns I had about my own ministry, and that was his response. Many things he said to me blessed my life with joy and hope, and I grieve that he was called him way too soon.
The Reverend Dr. Bill Hinson was pastor of First United Methodist Church in Houston for eighteen years, having followed the powerful Rev. Charles Allen, who pastored FUMC-Houston for twenty-three years. Bill was the one to take that awesome church to another level. It is said eight thousand people joined First Church during his tenure there, and 3,000 of those by profession of faith. The downtown church was taken by Dr. Hinson's vision to being a church involved with the community around it. He once spent the night on the streets of downtown Houston to make the church and others aware of the plight of the homeless. Dr. Hinson also organized a citywide "white elephant" sale to raise money for the poor of that city. During the height of the Cold War, North Korea had a terrible famine and it was he who had the idea of filling a freighter with wheat that he shared with the orphanages of that country. He himself went with the freighter to ensure that it reached those in need.
One of Bill's greatest joys was when someone stepped forward to give their hearts to Jesus, and it was for this reason that he accepted the call into ministry. He heard God call him to "go and tell my people to go with peace in their hearts," and this became his focus of ministry. On his tombstone, he wanted only the words, "He Went," symbolizing his attempt to go as God had asked. At the age of 68, God received Bill into Heaven, after a very successful ministry.
His first Sunday at First Houston, he shared a story about Dr. Charles Allen, whom he was following into the pulpit; "Some years ago, Bishop Arthur J. Moore was riding in a private plane which was forced to go land in a Kansas wheat field. Thankfully, all the passengers were all right. Bishop Moore, lively and active as he was, was the first to reach a nearby farmhouse. Boldly he knocked on the front door of that house. The housewife answered the door and said, "Why Bishop Moore, do come in and have a cup of tea." Bishop Moore told that story over and over because it was quite something that he was recognized in the middle of Kansas by that housewife. And he said, "The one who introduced me could practically knock on any door in America and in many places around the world, and the folk inside would recognize him instantly and invite him into their homes because they're already in their hearts. He also added that during those first days in Houston, he rode in an elevator with a stranger who kept eyeing him and finally asked, "Are you the one who's going to First Church, Houston?" Dr. Hinson replied, "I am." Then an awkward silence. The man kept looking at Bill up and down. Bill said he wished he could be taller, desiring to grow at least a foot taller; so to pray the silence, Bill said, "Pray for me." The man said, as he shook his head, "I am. You're going to need it."
God opens the door to those who open the doors to their hearts to Him. And great will be the roads one will travel if one but follows God. It may not be First Church Houston, but the adventure and the joys of finding new friends and making disciples of Jesus will be the fulfillment of that faithful and fruitful ministry all have for having said Yes to Jesus.
Dear one, I trust today will be a day of many Yes's to Jesus. Many are those who await a blessing that might come from a smile, a king word, an encouraging word, or simple act of kindness from you.
PRAYER: Loving God, bless these dear reader with the joys of obedience to You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! See above again for your homework! :)
Eradio Valverde
I recommend the reading of the book, Lord, He Went: Remembering William H. Hinson, by Stanley R. Copeland.
