Be like Tim and Phyllis

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”

Our Bible verse for today: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be like Tim and Phyllis”

This month’s theme of “Just keep dancing” is borrowed from the book “You Gotta Keep Dancin” by Tim Hansel. As a young adult, Tim suffered a debilitating rock-climbing accident that left him in pain for the rest of his life. Early in his recovery, once he realized he had achieved all the recovery he was going to get and that he was going to spend the rest of his life having to live with daily pain, he decided he was going to live life to the fullest possible under the circumstances as they were. Crippled or not, he was going to dance his way through life.

One of the first new friends Linda and I had when we became Christians was an elderly woman by the name of Phyllis Forte. She was the first one to greet us the day we visited Hilltop Baptist Church, and you would have thought we were her long-lost grandchildren. She smiled, gave us big hugs, and told us how glad she was that we were there. She asked us to sit with her and when the service was over, she insisted we had to come back. We did, and every time we walked in Phyllis made the same big deal about it.

Fast forward about three years. We’re still at Hilltop Baptist Church and I’m beginning my career in pastoral ministry – serving now as the part-time minister of education and beginning to do some preaching. I have also begun my seminary education at night. Phyllis is now a shut-in. Her diabetes has progressed and she has had toes amputated, then a foot, then a leg, and so on. Now she can’t get out of the house, so I go to see her. Sometimes we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together – just me and her at the kitchen table.

Phyllis is close to dying but aside from that, nothing has changed. She is still the happy, joyful, and outgoing person she always was. She still smiles and hugs, she still makes me feel like I’m her favorite grandson, and she still loves to talk about Jesus.

When a Christian has learned to lean on the Lord and to draw their daily strength and joy from Him, there’s something about them that seems to come from a different dimension. There’s a focus on things unseen, a reliance on a power that is other-worldly, and there is a deep well of joy that can only come from the Lord – all of this regardless of the circumstances in their life.

Psalm 46:1 assures us that God will be our source of refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. My friend Phyllis was so physically incapacitated that she couldn’t even stand up, but that didn’t stop her from dancing. Sometimes she waltzed (she was very graceful in her manner); sometimes she jitterbugged (she could be sassy with just the right amount of attitude); and often she did the Cha-Cha (she could be funny and irreverent).

Tim and Phyllis trusted in the Lord. They drew their strength and peace and comfort from Him, and they refused to give in to despair. Despite their physical limitations and their many challenges, people like Tim and Phyllis never stop dancing – and I hope you won’t either. Be like Tim and Phyllis, never stop dancing – no matter what.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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