Pastor to People: August

“And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.”  Acts 5:14-15 

I love the high level of trust that the people had in Peter.  His life was such an example that they thought just his shadow would be of worth.  God brings people into our lives and when their shadow touches us, we know it is of value.  One shadow that touched my life was the one Dennis Bryant cast.  I have been thinking of Dennis quite a bit lately. 

Recently, Renee, his wife was kind enough to give me a picture of Dennis that I proudly display today in my office.  For new members to Lakeside, Dennis gave his life to the Lord while he was in his early 30’s.  His story is a remarkable one in which he had 21 different brain surgeries in his young life.  Dennis went to be with the Lord at the young age of 36 but his shadow was huge.  He touched people where ever he ventured. I can honestly say that in the few years I had the privilege of knowing Dennis, that he taught me more about life than any other person that has come across my path.

One day traveling down I-20 Dennis was so touched by the Lord that he pulled his truck over to the shoulder of the road, got out and went to his knees and committed his life to the Lord Jesus.  He got back up a changed man.  The next several years Dennis spent in and out of the hospital and in between those times he served as our maintenance man at Lakeside.  No job was too small or too large for Dennis.  I learned not even to mention a project around him, because if he heard me think about doing something to our buildings or grounds, it was almost done by night fall.  One day right before lunch we were in discussion mode about tearing some cabinets out of the Student Center. We went to lunch and upon arriving back at the campus, the cabinets were sitting out in the yard!

However, that is only a small portion of my remembrance of Dennis.  His motto about life was this..…”it’s just stuff.”  He taught me that “stuff” was no match for what Christ had done for us.  He would continually remind me that it matter not what you had if you didn’t have Jesus Christ.

One week before he died, he made an appointment to come see me.  After we had visited for about an hour, I ask him if I could help him since he had made the appointment.  His responded; “Oh no, I don’t need anything, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do for you.”

Dennis Bryant cast a huge shadow on my life and hundreds of others.  Thank you Lord Jesus, for a man who struggled physically in life, but absolutely did not allow it to slow him in serving others.  I only hope my life will cast a portion of such a shadow.