Let's pray together.

Father, I tremble at this message of counting it all joy because I've suffered so little and it could ring so hollow.

So I pray that you would come and grant that your word would be heard because it says so much about this issue.

It is so crucial to you, it is so vital.

Don't let my inadequacies stand in the way, I pray, either of exposition or of suffering.

Lord James Boyce's shadows falls across this conference with a great brightness. We want to honor him. The words that RC said about he's dying with joy says it all. And so we pray for him now that you wouldn't let the devil take that

from him in these hours. And God, I beg of you to help us know enough of you now that we would all die well.

Lord, if we're prepared to die well, we will live well.

It will be the most dangerous, upsetting, loving, humble, risk-taking,

venturesome, God-exalting, Christ-centered cross, upholding soul-saving,

mission-driven people in the world if we just can learn how to die with joy for Christ's saying.

So Lord, don't let our heads simply be stocked here, do some deep, profound preparing of our souls.

There are dying people in this room, namely all of us, and some have cancer and know it,

and others need to be more aware.

So come now, please, and help me and us.

In Jesus in name I pray, Amen.

Orlando told you that last Sunday we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our ministry there

at Bethlehem and it's a time for gratitude. I told the people a time for regret and a time for hope.

And the gratitude, of course, is based on memory.

And so I thought back to the beginning 20 years ago in 1980 in the summer and the first sermon that I preached when I came.

That was a sermon on Philippians 1 19 to 25.

And I want to begin with one of the points that I began with there.

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