It has been over a month's time now since my husband Carl went to be with Jesus.
Honestly, this has been and is the hardest "road" that I have traveled in my forty (40) years of serving Jesus.
But, as some would say, I am a "Walking Miracle" (thanks to the intercession of my Great High Priest - the Lord Jesus - and the prayers of the saints - His Body) - for I feel the grace and strength of God carrying me through and helping me to rejoice in the midst of great sorrow.
Don't get me wrong! I have my moments when the "wave" of sorrow in missing Carl seems to overwhelm me, but it is then - without fail - that Jesus comes and lifts me up and sustains me for the journey.
What keeps me going is the ministry that Carl and I shared - the preaching and teaching of God's Word to the masses and the evangelism of lost souls.
I feel pressed to finish what Carl left undone and to "finish the race" set before me. On a daily basis, I feel the grace of God moving me to that end.
For those of you who were not able to make it to Carl's Memorial Service (where JESUS absolutely showed up in His awesome Presence), I feel led of the Lord to share one portion of it with you.
In preparing for speaking at Carl's Memorial, the Lord told me to go and look underneath Carl's wallet at the tracts he was giving out before he died. He would always have his wallet and a pack of tracts on the dresser - for wherever he went, they went with him. (After he died, I left everything as is. I even left his Bible opened to the page he was on that particular morning of his death.)
When I picked up his wallet, I found the pack of tracts (all the same kind) saying - "One heartbeat away..." On the cover is a picture of a number of doctors and nurses in an operating room doing surgery on a heart patient.
When you open up the tract, it finishes the line from the front cover saying - "FROM HEAVEN OR HELL."
"One heartbeat away...FROM HEAVEN OR HELL."
On the back of the tract, as a closing statement, it says - "If you have accepted Christ as your Saviour, you are one heartbeat from spending eternity in heaven, however, if you have rejected Him, you are one heartbeat from an eternity in hell."
Imagine that! Less than 24 hours before his death, Carl was handing out a tract saying - "One heartbeat away..." - not realizing that he was "one heartbeat away..." from ETERNITY!
Thank God that Carl accepted Jesus as his Saviour and Lord forty-five (45) years prior to his death and is now spending ETERNITY in Heaven.
But the point I want to make is this - he had no idea that he was a man - "One heartbeat away..." from ETERNITY - handing out tracts to others who had no idea that they, too, might be - "One heartbeat away..." from ETERNITY!
Of all the Gospel tracts for Carl to be giving out days and hours before stepping into ETERNITY after having a MASSIVE HEART ATTACK!
Do you see God's mighty hand at work here?
Ever since I knew Carl, he had taught me to evangelize the lost. He also taught me the importance of Gospel tracts. We had seen lives totally touched and transformed after receiving one of our Gospel tracts and reading the messages enclosed. Everywhere we went, without fail, we would always stop to hand out a Gospel tract to someone or even to many.
Last Christmas, as a Christmas gift for Jesus, we ordered 600 Chick tracts. Carl and I had the time of our life handing out those tracts to the crowds gathered at the Hillside Village in Cedar Hill, Texas. It brought so much joy to our hearts - knowing that the Gospel was going forth and souls would be saved! We believed for 1,000 souls as a Christmas gift for Jesus! And knowing the Holy Spirit and His working, it probably turned out to be a lot more in number. ETERNITY will tell the story!
Needless to say, Carl's work on earth was finished. He "ran his race" and "finished his work." But my son John and I still have work to do. And we plan to "pick up the baton" that Carl passed on to us as he left for Glory!
We just ordered 200 Chick tracts to distribute before Halloween. And we are believing for a mighty harvest of souls to come forth from our efforts.
But we need your help!
Since Carl's homegoing, my finances have been cut considerably.
I am asking you to prayerfully consider giving a one-time substantial gift to help keep the preaching and teaching of the Word and the evangelism of the lost going in full force.
Many of you are aware of my podcasts that come across your path every week - in your mailbox or over the social media. But you may not have been aware that we also evangelize the lost at every chance we get.
Perhaps you would like to become a monthly partner with Walking In Truth Ministry and give monthly or bi-monthly.
Needless to say, we need your help!
As I mentioned, since Carl's homegoing, my finances have been cut considerably.
The Bible says a lot about giving to the work of the Lord. It says a lot about supporting the work of the Lord with your financial gifts. It also speaks about giving to "widows indeed."
Unashamedly, we are doing the work of the Lord and lives are being changed on a daily basis. God's Word is going forth through our obedience to His commission.
We ask that you would pray and ask the Lord how you can help, and then, by all means, obey Him!
Each of us will one day give an account for what we have done with all that God has placed in our hands. May we all be found - "faithful."
Remember, now is the time to obey! Now is the time to respond! Now is the time to help!
Like Carl, you may not realize that you are - "One heartbeat away..." from ETERNITY.
Now is the time to "...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." (Matthew 6:20)
Don't put off until tomorrow what God is saying to do today.
None of us is promised - tomorrow!
Be a blessing today by giving to Walking In Truth Ministry!
To all those who faithfully support us every month with your financial gift, we want to say - "Thank You" - from the bottom of our hearts. We could never have accomplished all that we are doing without your help! May the Lord reward you richly in this life and in the life to come! We know that He will!
If you would like to be a blessing to this ministry or a faithful supporter, you can make your check out to - Walking In Truth Ministry - and mail it to the following address -
Walking In Truth Ministry
P.O. Box 383016
Duncanville, TX 75138-3016
Or, if you prefer to use Paypal, you can send your financial gift to - [email protected]
You can also send a Money gram - if that means of exchange will work better for you.
We are a nonprofit organization with a tax exemption status.
Thank you ahead of time for your gracious gift,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved