My Friend Jim!

As you look at this picture what do you see? I see Jesus. I see Jesus' "AGAPE" love behind this humbly bowed head. The man in the middle is a my friend, Jim Hill. Jim is a hard working man who would give you the shirt off his back if he thought that you needed it. Few adults give their lives to Jesus after the age of 30, but here is one exception! Jim is standing in that stream because he came face to face with his Creator one night after frantically trying to find a friend who was attempting to commit suicide. He met Jesus as he pursued the life of another. It is the nature of Jim to help others and this night was no different. He had received word that a friend of his had become so distraught with life that they were just going to end it all. When he heard that this person had gotten in their car and headed out of town, he went searching through all of Loudoun County for him/her. Not finding that friend, in desperation he came to my home. As I opened the front door, I saw salty tears running down Jim's grief stricken face. He proceeded to tell me what he had been doing. What I saw was Jesus' mighty compassion flowing through him. It is the same compassion that I see in Jesus' pursuit of all His sheep that stray. I was touched by the reality that here stands a man that has never given his life to Christ, but bears the fruit of a child of the King. I knew that this was an appointed hour for Jim. Without thinking, I blurted out, "Jim, would you like to accept Jesus as your Savior?" Jim did not even hesitate. "Yes! " was his reply. Right then and there he knelt and prayed. Jesus says that He is the Living Water. Jesus is the horn of salvation. That night Jim was thirsting no more. His hands were grasping the horns of the alter for his friend as well as for himself. His friend . . . , oh, he/she realized the futility of suicide. Jesus saved two souls that night. All through the love of one selfless, compassionate man, my friend Jim! Would you like to meet him? He is the warm hearted fellow that greets every person with a hug that opens the door of Christ Fellowship every Sunday morning.