I want to first apologize for not having provided any updates in recent days. Since my last blogpost almost two weeks ago, I have spent less time on the computer and internet since I have been blogging three years ago (for good reason, of course).
If you have not been made aware, Donna Ascol (Tom’s wife) has posted a lenghty update on Tom’s health over at Tom’s blog. As I mentioned in the comments of the last post, I do not think that Tom’s original post reflected the severity of the lightning strike, and the impact was not fully experienced until several days after his own personal reflections. To catch everyone up, Tom has met with several doctors, including a cardiologist and neurologist, who both have given promising reports and expect a full recovery. However, due to the fact that so few people have survived lightning strikes, there is apparently little reliable research or support to determine the intensity or extense of Tom’s recovery. It could take anywhere from three weeks to three years (or more).
The Ascol family has been resting at the home of some friends in Michigan for the past week where they have been able to enjoy some sweet times of family worship and relax in the serenic countryside of the rural north.
I don’t know of a pithy way of describing the progress of Tom’s physical condition. There are days where Tom is beginning to return to normal activities, such as walking, exercising, and sleeping (all of which, I would argue, we take for granted). Yet there are nights where Tom is awakened to horrible nightmares and dark thoughts, and there are days that succumb to the unpredictable pain and discomfort of nerve regeneration and disorientation.
While the Ascol’s will be arriving back in Cape Coral by early next week, Tom is scheduled to speak at a conference in Alaska shortly thereafter. Please continue to pray that God would give Tom strength, wisdom, and patience as God confirms His work in Tom’s heart, body, and life. I hope to provide more updates as necessary in the days ahead to keep everyone informed on Tom’s progress.
Last Sunday, I preached on God’s providence and our pain, focusing on two main points: (1) God is sovereign over all the circumstances that bring pain and suffering to our lives, and (2) God is intimately working in and through such circumstances to do us good and advance His glory. I concluded with the evening message dealing with providence and prayer. Starting this Sunday, I will be preaching on the prayers of Paul for the churches as we (GBC) are currently in a two-month season of praying about church planting plans in SW Florida. I am really looking forward to this series of growing in our devotion to prayer as well as learning about what to pray for when it comes to God’s work in the hearts of His people and the outworking of His redemptive mission in the world through His church.
Last Friday, we finally closed on our home. That evening the truck arrived, along with over 50 people from Grace who gave up their Friday night to serve us in bringing in our belongings. One of our neighbors came by and noted the massive amount of help and said, “Usually when people move into a new town, they don’t have any help.” I replied, “Well, these are folks from our church.” After exchanging a few pleasantries, she concluded, “Well, it is evident that you are loved very much.” With a smile on my face, I shook my head in agreement as she departed. It was then that the words of Jesus echoed in my mind, “By this the world will know that you are My disciples, by the love that you have one for another” (John 13:34-35). I am grateful that such love was visibly and tangibly expressed to my neighbors in the early hours of our new home/gospel outpost. 🙂
I want to express my thanks and heartfelt gratitude to all you who are and continue to pray for Tom, the Ascol family, our church (Grace Baptist Church), and myself. The immediate demands of preaching and teaching along with other matters of pastoral care and planning continue to challenge and stretch me in ways I never imagined, and I am excited about the deeper levels of desperation and dependence I have upon Jesus, that His Spirit would use me, I pray, to serve God’s people and preach His gospel. May He own His gospel, His church, and me so that there would be more worshippers who love and praise the name of Jesus.
Honoring a Faithful Shepherd
June 2, 2011Last night, I had the privilege of joining my church family in honoring Tom Ascol on his 25th anniversary as pastor of Grace Baptist Church. The evening was spent with members sharing stories and testimonies of how God has impacted their lives through Pastor Tom, and I began it with a few words about the call of a shepherd, explaining how he has led our church through the years. I provide them below because I know many of my readers know Tom from his blog, articles, books, or role as director of Founders Ministries. I’m fortunate to know him as a fellow pastor, father in the faith, and personal friend.
Honoring a Faithful Shepherd:
Reflections on the Ministry of Tom Ascol
on His 25th Anniversary as Pastor of Grace Baptist Church
If you were alive in during biblical times, there is one vocation that every person in the community would be familiar with. That would be the work of a shepherd. It is widely understood that shepherds were in many ways considered to be heroic men, known for their independence, resourcefulness, adaptability in severe circumstances, courage amidst all kinds of opposition, and vigilance to their calling. Their work required of them an intense capacity for attentiveness, self-sacrifice, and compassion. As a result, shepherds were looked upon in Scripture as an icon of leadership, and no doubt one of the reasons why Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd and of whom Peter called the Chief Shepherd.
There are many ways to describe the work of a pastor, but none are more comprehensive and clear than that of a shepherd. When a pastor is faithful to the people he is called to lead, he images forth the shepherding ways of God. Indeed, God Himself said, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34:15). In the popular Shepherd Psalm, King David begins by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). So in a very significant way, God communicates his heart and ways with His people as a shepherd. That alone should alert us to the significance of the work, given to those who are called to lead by “shepherding the flock of God” whom Jesus purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
But what is it that encompasses the work of a faithful shepherd? Tonight, I want to briefly give you three aspects of a faithful shepherd in light of what this evening is all about. For 25 years, God has given us a pastor who has served this church as a faithful shepherd to the flock entrusted to his care, and tonight, I want to honor the man who has honored Christ and discharged his calling as a dedicated pastor, committed churchman, and stubborn herald of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of our beloved pastor, Tom Ascol, and though it pains him for us to draw any attention to him, we are going to do it anyway. It is fitting for us to honor and recognize what God has done in and through him.
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Categories: I Love the Local Church, Leadership, Life With Grace, Personal Commentary
Tags: Grace Baptist Church, Pastoral Ministry, Shepherding, Tom Ascol
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