Pastor's Corner

February, 2004

I picked up the latest Decision magazine this morning and started to read some of the articles. There were plenty of good inspirational articles in every edition. I recommend you reading the Decision Magazine from time to time. You can subscribe a personal copy from: www.decisionmag.org

I want to share with you an interview with Ben Carson, who was one of the lead surgeons that attempted to separate the Iranian twins. The title is “The Power of a Changed Life.” Since there is a copyright issue and due to the length, I won’t be able to reproduce the entire article. Here is an excerpt written from my view.

Dr. Carson is an African-American who grew up in the middle of the tenements in Detroit and Boston , where people lying on the ground or dying were not uncommon. Two of his cousins were killed, and he didn’t think he would live beyond the age of 25. He accepted Christ at the age of eight when he listened to a preacher telling a story of some missionaries who were being chased. The missionaries got to a cliff and found a cleft under the cliff that they were able to hide in. Their pursuers came and were right over them and couldn’t find them. An analogy was made of how God was able to protect them from anything, even from seemingly overwhelming odds, because He cared so much. That was when he decided to follow the Lord. But growing up in his environment wasn’t easy. When he was 14, he tried to stab another youngster, but the knife blade struck his belt buckle and broke. That became the turning point of his life. He locked himself in the bathroom and began to think. He started to read the Book of Proverbs and prayed a lot. And from that day on, his life wasn’t the same since. God took his anger away, and he began to gather insight into who God is and into the incredible power one could have from Him.

Once again, I’m in awe with what God can do with a person. When all odds were against him, Dr. Carson got hold of the potential God has given him, and excelled to be a successful neurosurgeon. He believed that it was the attitude. He said, “People who always feel victimized look for reason for failure as opposed to mechanisms for success.” I think he is right. I also believe that God has given most people enough potential to be someone who can make a different. Have you developed the potential God has given you? I hope you will. What helps him the most is his devotion to God. He starts out every day with his own personal devotional time of praying, reading the Bible and contemplating. How can anyone go wrong if he puts God first every day, and try to keep God on his mind in everything he does.

Before I sign off, let me encourage you to spend your time with God every day. Give Him your plan for the day and ask Him to guide you along and bless what you are going to do.