December 17, 2023

The Shepherd's Corner

Peter Torry, our guest speaker at our latest church’s anniversary, wrote a book, based on his life, which he titled, Out of The Ordinary, Living an Extraordinary Life. Through the book he wishes to convey a simple message: Out of the ordinary life of an ordinary person, God wants to make extraordinary things happen and provide a remarkable life.”  Amen to that!  In the book he also includes a letter that he wrote to his grandchildren and one of the advices he gave them is this, “School is important.  Friends are important.  Sports and hobbies are fun.  But more important than anything else is your life with Jesus and spending time with Him by reading and memorizing the Bible and praying.”  Another Amen to that!

If we look at the biblical figures, we will find that most of them were ordinary men and women used by God to do extraordinary things.  They’re just like anybody else; they did not possess special qualities or talents.  What they had, which we might not have, was faith and obedience.  You see, they followed God’s direction wholeheartedly.  As a result, they led remarkable lives and made indelible impacts.

God chose the simple shepherds and ordinary Simeon and Anna to be the witnesses to the birth of Jesus Our Savior. God chose them not because they were special; on the contrary, God chose them for being ordinary.  In his book, Peter Torry shares the trips he made to countries in Asia and Africa, bringing the Gospel of Jesus to those who do not know Him.  You see, he had never dreamed of the life he had, but God had a greater plan for him.  For that he’s thankful.

The extraordinary part of Peter Torry’s life was the privilege to do something for Our Blessed Lord.  To others, the extraordinary part is not doing something but rather seeing something about the Lord. The shepherds, Simeon, and Anna saw Jesus, the Son of God.

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - April 12, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER In his book, On Writing Well, William Zinsser, considered one of the prominent gurus in writing, gives a sound advice to us who wish to write, “Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose.” He likens those words su...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 17, 2025
There are several reasons why we do not pray—disappointed in and disillusioned with God, angry at and bitter toward God, loss of faith and loss of connection with God, etc.  Recently I heard another one that I had never heard of before; it’s from some folks who need medical treatment so cos...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 23, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER This has been an unusually eventful week.  On Thursday and Friday Tante Yuni went to ER and ended up spending the night there.  She was in so much pain that she could barely stand, let alone walk.  By the grace of God, she is now fine, and back in the nursing h...
Read More