James McDonald

We pulled in at Phil and Anna's house a few minutes before 6:00pm and everyone was already there except Sarah's carload of kids (the Sauders) and she pulled in 2 minutes after us. Phil and Anna served 3 different pizza's from Monicals along with salad, chips, soda and for dessert cake and ice cream. James McDonald was going to be speaking at 7:00pm at Embassy Suites and we wanted to get good seats so left Phil and Anna's by 6:30pm knowing it would only take a few minutes to get there. Well so much for good seats the room probably held close to 3000 people and most of them had already arrived. We found enough seats on the far right side, not close enough to see James very well but they had it all televised on big screens so we didn't miss anything.
James spoke on James 1 the first 8 verses. He talked about how we are to count it all JOY when troubles happen and then did a good job explaining why. He entertained us by explaining his way why JOY is not happiness. Joy comes from the Father. Then he started on the trials and troubles. I still chuckle when I remember him talking about when we all get to heaven and we are asked what trouble did you have? "sore feet?" James told about some of his trials, one of which was cancer and why we are to shine Jesus' light through even when hard times hit. James talked of responses that occur when we are under tribulations. One is to ask WHY, another was to take it out on someone close and a third is to say I QUIT. But bad things happen to both Christian and none Christian so what example are we to be? One real example of terrible suffering was the example of 2 sets of parents, one Christian, one not, in an emergency room each holding their dead son. EVERYONE in the hospital would know which is the Christian. As James was telling us this, my mind flashed to Joan and Tim, they gave up not one but 2 sons and yet they praise HIM.
At the very end of the evening James said that what he wants more than anything is a revival in America. I couldn't agree more.