I have walked 1,700 miles since the beginning of the “100 Miles for Hope” campaign, as of March 28, 2022. On this day 28 years ago, I had a heart attack after my daily swim at the local YMCA in Cambridge, Mass. I had acute chest pain, but I believed it to be a bad stomachache. I should have called 911, but instead I just took Pepto-Bismol and tried to take a nap. However, my wife sensed something was wrong and pushed me to go to the hospital, where the doctors saved my life. Three years later, I also had a quadruple bypass heart surgery. It is by the grace of God that I am still alive today and able to continue to do His work.
Life is filled with many memories from our childhood – long-ago school days and old friends. As the years go by, sometimes we wonder, where are they and what are they doing? When I studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1973-1976, I ran 2 miles every day around the campus in Fort Worth, Texas. It has been nearly a half-century already! Currently I am serving on the board of trustees of my alma mater, and I remember all the dear professors who shaped my theological education to serve the Lord.
Now I have been a pastor at Berkland Baptist Church for 41 years. I have many fond memories of my early days of pastoral ministry in Berkeley, Calif.,, leading many college students to the Lord along with my wife, Dr. Rebekah Kim. She has been an incredible Bible teacher, making hundreds of disciples since she first devoted her life to college ministry at her alma mater, Seoul National University. For the past 25 years, she has been serving as a Southern Baptist chaplain at Harvard University. Together, we have walked our pilgrim journey, living out our faith in Christ and raising spiritual leaders for the 21st century.
The Bible speaks of great heroes of faith, each of them a pilgrim on this earth. They were strangers and exiles seeking a homeland, a heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13-16). Apostle Paul was one of these, suffering for the sake of Christ, yet he encourages us: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). Do you see yourself as a pilgrim? What is your goal, and what are you seeking? Walking requires discipline, direction and destination. There is no greater purpose in life than to walk daily with the Lord, toward our heavenly home.