Welcome to Paradise,” I hear as I walk through the door into Jim’s home. I will note that I hear this every time I walk into his home, and I don’t believe it will ever get old.
How can someone hold so much joy? As we talk, he begins to recount the miracles he has seen Jesus work during his time as a pastor. A man miraculously healed of cancer within one prayer. A woman whose leg grew back in one day after having a fake leg for over a decade. A life-long back injury healed in a moment, as the now pain-free woman began to run around the church laughing. Another woman instantly healed of debilitating, life-long migraines.
The stories go on, and I listen in complete awe.
“You’ll always do what you want to do, so if the one desire of your heart is to love God and love others, he can do exceedingly more than you could dream or imagine.”
But this wasn’t how it always was for Him. He recounts a time in his early adult years in which he found himself at rock bottom as he lost all of his family’s money in an attempt to short the stock market. “Every step of the way, I see where I’ve stumbled and fallen and made terrible decisions, and God intervened… it took time to get “me” out of the way and allow God to move… Ultimately, being at peace where you’re at is more important than being relevant.”
In the hand of a loving Father who isn’t afraid of our failures, there is always grace, a second chance, and no matter how far off you think you are; there is always hope.
And so, I will end with my favorite typical quote by Jim. “It’s a good day to be alive.”