Mike’s Musings ….
A True Friend and Brother
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) There are many friends in my life, and several of them are closer than a brother. Of course, the wise man of Proverbs means our Lord in this passage, but in this temporal life, there are such people whose lives bond to us in such wondrous ways. As one such friend described it, “The truest friends are bound by the blood of Christ!”
Among those friends who are closer to me than a brother is GARY FISCUS. Recently, Gary retired from “located preaching.” His reasons are his own, but he stated, “Classes, radio, sermons, visitations at 77 [years young; mjd] were just getting more than I could comfortably handle.” Knowing this reality, and Gary’s humility, let me be the one to fulfill Solomon’s statement, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)
If memory is correct, it was circa. 1992 when Gary and I first truly got acquainted with each other. I was asked to preach a gospel meeting at Spencer and since that time, Gary and I have developed an incredibly strong friendship; one that is bonded by the blood of Jesus Christ! Gary’s abilities, his marvelous understanding of truth and righteousness, his gentleness in delivering God’s truth, and his investigation into the lesser-studied aspects of the Scriptures and bringing them to applicable clarity are beyond compare! Gary isn’t “quitting” the work of preaching but is slowing down considerably.
It is only fitting that Gary be recognized for his more than thirty-two years of labor with the Spencer church of Christ, and his previous labors in several other churches of Christ. As the Hebrew writer declares, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10) Neither are any that have benefitted from Gary’s preaching of Christ and Him crucified forgetful of his labors of love!
We include his faithful wife Jane in this musing. As every faithful and married preacher will declare, “Behind every good preacher is a marvelously supportive wife!” And Jane Fiscus is indeed that for Gary! Their example serves all that will follow; for their example is one patterned after Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:22 – 33). I muse on the good Gary and Jane have done and will continue to do within the Lord’s kingdom. Happy retirement – and enjoy the beginning of a new chapter in your faithful lives together!