Ten years ago today, I had the pleasure of listening to Will preach his first sermon. It lasted all of 12 ½ minutes, and I thought it was the best sermon I had ever heard. He was very brave, because he used as his text the scripture which speaks of Paul and Epaphroditus–which is a very difficult name to pronounce.
I will never forget Sunday, August 10, 1997, when Will surrendered to preach. He was just 14 years old, and I have never been more shocked. Will had gone to church camp the week previously, and after coming home that weekend he seemed to be quieter than normal. I just blamed it on the fact that he probably had gotten very little sleep at camp, but apparently not. At the end of service that Sunday, he came forward and announced he felt God calling him to preach. Since that time, I can say that Will has always had God as his top priority. That does not mean he was a perfect teenager who always cleaned his room and treated his brother with respect, but he was never ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He would take his Bible to school every day and they called him "preacher boy". He did his research paper on the life of Paul, and was always studying the Bible. Watching him, made me want to study more.
I thank God he has allowed me to be in Will’s life and watch him grow into the man and preacher he is today. I have to say that every time I hear Will preach, I think, "Wow, he is a really good preacher." Although, I have been known to offer "constructive" criticism at times. At present, Will is the director of the Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship located on the campus of UALR. He is married to Ashley Diggs and they have a very beautiful daughter named Gracie. I pray God’s blessings on them all.
I will never forget Sunday, August 10, 1997, when Will surrendered to preach. He was just 14 years old, and I have never been more shocked. Will had gone to church camp the week previously, and after coming home that weekend he seemed to be quieter than normal. I just blamed it on the fact that he probably had gotten very little sleep at camp, but apparently not. At the end of service that Sunday, he came forward and announced he felt God calling him to preach. Since that time, I can say that Will has always had God as his top priority. That does not mean he was a perfect teenager who always cleaned his room and treated his brother with respect, but he was never ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He would take his Bible to school every day and they called him "preacher boy". He did his research paper on the life of Paul, and was always studying the Bible. Watching him, made me want to study more.
I thank God he has allowed me to be in Will’s life and watch him grow into the man and preacher he is today. I have to say that every time I hear Will preach, I think, "Wow, he is a really good preacher." Although, I have been known to offer "constructive" criticism at times. At present, Will is the director of the Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship located on the campus of UALR. He is married to Ashley Diggs and they have a very beautiful daughter named Gracie. I pray God’s blessings on them all.
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