“I am a 70-Year-old retired Navy petty officer,” the email read. Guy, who had caught a 2am airing of our TV Special, wrote that though he had spent most of his life sinning instead of serving, God had been abundantly merciful and blessed him with a loving wife, 9 children, and 13 grandchildren. “Three years ago, my wife and I sat in our Mercedes Benz here in Phoenix,” he continued, “crying about the news from my doctor that I had cancer on top of Parkinson's and COPD. I finally turned to Christ for forgiveness and help. Today, I lay on my deathbed listening to you and your beautiful music, praying for you and your ministry, and feeling sorry I had not made better use of my time serving God. I am asking for prayers from you and your lovely wife, for healing and to be serving with a joyful heart with what time I have left.”
As I picked up my phone to call Guy at the number he had given in his email and racked my brain to think of what I could possibly say to encourage this man of more than twice my age, God brought to my mind the story in Luke chapter 23 of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus who, in his final moments on earth, placed his faith in Christ for the forgiveness of his sin. Then, God impressed upon me a new significance of the story which I had not before considered.
Certainly, this is a beloved account in Scripture which teaches us that it’s never too late to cry out to Jesus and receive his gift of grace. But when that criminal threw himself under the covering of Christ, I doubt he realized that we would still be talking about his act of obedience 2,000 years later! His final moments next to Jesus became the most important moments of his life, and who’s to say it will not be the same for Guy?
After we talked, I prayed with Guy before ending our call, and I trust that God used my words to encourage him, just as his email encouraged me.
It’s never too late to give your life to Jesus. Neither is it ever too late for you to be used by God to shine the light of Jesus into the lives of others.
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As exciting as my time on American Idol was in and of itself, I am even more excited to see God leveraging the notoriety I received from the show to draw people into the Church.
Over the past 4 weeks, we’ve ministered in 4 churches and also done a special event with Joni and Friends for children with disabilities and their families. One of the churches we served at experienced their largest Sunday morning attendance in over a year, and at several churches we heard that a number of people came back to church after being absent for months while still others came for the first time!
A lady named Krista came up to our table after one particular service and shared that she’d been dealing with a lot of struggles in her life and hadn’t been to church since before Christmas. When she woke up that morning, she had started debating whether it might be the day, and while praying she felt God telling her to go to Boulder Mountain Community. As she stood in front of us in tears, she said that she had been reading up on the process of refining silver and that God has her in an intense season of refining right now. What she heard in our songs and testimony was a huge confirmation for her as I had spoken about suffering for Christ. She said, “I heard God tell me again, loud and clear, that he is refining me.” She left us saying that she is “grateful for her suffering and feels sorry for those who don’t get to experience the trials she is experiencing.”
We continue to see people give their lives to Jesus and many like Krista find new strength to trust in the Lord during times of adversity. Thank you so much for walking with us as we continue to use our music and testimony to point people toward Jesus and lead them into deeper dependence on God.
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Scott MacIntyre Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit department of A.C.T. Intl and exists to help children, students, and adults find hope in Jesus Christ in the midst of adversity through inspirational music and story, utilizing live performance and media. Your donations help us share the message of hope in churches, schools, hospitals, and blind centers around the U.S. and beyond.
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