Ecclesiastes 3 “There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,..”
Meet Tim Davis! A few months ago, I met Tim and his wife Pam during CitiIMPACT’s earliest First Response efforts for Hurricane Isaac in La Place, Louisiana. I shouldn’t have met Tim at all. Tim is supposed to be DEAD. 
Friday night March 8th around midnight, while waiting with Tim for an overdue tour bus full of college students, I learned that about 20 years ago Tim was given 2-5 years to live due to a catastrophic lung ailment. His life changed dramatically from a highly paid contractor for a major oil refinery to near death and poverty. Tim and his wife, Pam, had four little children and what seemed to be no hope….but God..
At the bottom points of their lives, they discussed the nearing end. At that moment, by faith alone, Tim decided, with encouragement from Pam, to live every day he had left for the glory of God, rather than lay down and die; to believe God wasn’t finished with him rather than merely believe the fatalistic but real doctor reports. That’s been about 15 years ago now. Tim no longer contracts nor makes a six figure salary, he doesn’t even have insurance. He has raised his kids. He serves in a local church in La Place Louisiana as the maintenance supervisor. I call him The Maintenance Missions Minister. I have yet to meet anyone in Louisiana who can keep up with the pace Tim has everyday as he serves, with less than half a lung. How many times I’ve heard Tim say, “JD, I can rest in heaven, people need HOPE.”
Your Missions Team can be served with HOPE, too!
As we all go through our lives, we have the awesome opportunity to live every day for the glory of God, or just wait to die. It may be less obvious a decision than Tim made, possibly not as overt. Yet, the decision must be made. Tim and Pam have experienced the grace of God for real in their lives and give Him all the glory for that. They have served about 200 Mission Teams in the last 7 months alone, who have come to the area to bring HOPE and HELP to families overcoming Hurricane Isaac. Those teams have received the same amount of real life HOPE as they have brought, from such people as Tim and Pam.
What ways are you deciding to live daily rather than die?
HOPE given on Staten Island by college women!
When have you met God at a dead-end and received new HOPE in life?
You can be part of giving HOPE and receiving HOPE in places torn by tornadoes as in Henryville IN, West Liberty KY, Hattiesburg MS, Petal MS, Tuscaloosa AL, Joplin MO.
AND in places like Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Isaac and other disaster occurrences in life, like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
My prayers for God’s richest Blessings and HOPE for all of you as you LIVE! JD Smith
