Things I Believe In

June 17, 2017
Red Jeep Journal

William King

The first night of camp up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky I noticed William. William was a tall boy with red hair. Not the kind of red hair that chooses you but the kind of read hair you chose. It was not auburn or rust it was red, really red. It was cut high and tight and stood up straight on top and it was red as a fire engine. He was getting a little distracted during my talk the first hight. I made a mental note to try to keep things moving and hold his attention. 

Most kids will listen if you work at it a little. Some who are determined to ignore you and every once in awhile you will find one who seems like the devil himself may have planted him just to distract others. I wondered what William’s story was and what category to put him in. I should know by now not to be too quick plug people into categories. William’s story would start to come out soon. 

After lunch the next day I found a group of boy hanging out in a group. William was among them. You couldn’t miss him. He was taller than everyone and he had that shock of red hair on the top of his head. We made small talk for a bit about basketball and breaking your angles and then William said; “I only have one ankle.” 

Kids are full of jokes but I had a hunch he was serious. I said; “William, are you serious.” He pulled up his pant leg to reveal a prosthetic leg ankle and foot. The other boys grew quiet. 

When he was four he was riding with a family member on a lawn mower. He slipped off the back of the mower and his leg went under the deck. They rushed him to the hospital. They could not save his foot and ankle and part of his leg. The doctor told them they should thank God he was alive because he lost so much blood. 

We all sat overlooking a quiet lake and line after line of blue and purple mountains out into the distance and we talked about why God would allow such a sad thing to happen to a little boy. 

Thank God for places where kids can go to process the pain that they experience in this beautiful but broken world we live in. Places with Bible answers and people who listen, good food, fun things to do and time for eternal things and ultimate questions. 

Fruitful Ministry

John Piper said; “The true usefulness of our (ministry) will not be known to us until each fruit on all the branches on all the trees that have sprung up from all the seeds we’ve planted has fully ripened in the sunshine of eternity.”

Only the Lord knows the eternal fruit from our ministry. But there were many campers who made decisions for salvation and decisions to consecrate themselves to God. Some of the campers this year reminded me that they were saved when I spoke there last year. Many professed faith in Christ this year. I wish you could have seen the mountains or heard the campers sing.  I wish you could have seen them after chapel, lifting their hands up to the Lord as a sign of their consecration to God. I wish you could have been there around the fire on Thursday night. You would have wept listening to their sweet testimonies of God’s work in their life. 

Will You Help Us?

I don’t have any time this summer to raise funds to meet our basic expenses. I am busy travelling to camps and churches to preach. Would you pray about signing up for a monthly gift of any amount? That would be a great help to us. You can donate here.

Ken Pierpont
June 17, 2017