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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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Porky His nickname was “Porky.” If I ever knew the origin of his nickname, I forgot it. I learned recently that he “received” the name at birth. A nurse called him “Porky Pine” at birth, and apparently the name “Porky” stuck with him throughout the rest of his life. I knew him when I was a child and lived in Stanton, Texas, where Porky lived. I remember him being confined to a wheelchair and that his body was contorted and that he spoke differently. I imagine that his appearance was quite striking to me as a child! But I also remember Porky to be a very kind man who greeted me warmly when my friends and I would muster the courage to speak to him. As we got to know him, our greetings were motivated more by love than by courage. Souval “Porky” Britton passed away on October 11, 2008, at the age of 67. I read about his passing in an article written by a Gospel preacher, Rick Laing, who also knew Porky when he preached in Stanton over a nine-year period. In his article, I was reminded of why Porky was in a wheelchair. “He was driving too fast. He was 21 and he struck an overpass support, which put him in a coma for 9 months. The nursing staff realized that he had come out of that coma when they realized he was grinning at a joke told in his presence. His once strong and muscular body, however, was weakened and twisted by the wreck and coma, so he was confined to a wheelchair in a local nursing home.” Rick also wrote of his memory of Porky that matched my memory of him: “His mind was bright, and he spoke slowly, but always so cheerfully with a big grin on his face. … In all the 9 years I knew Porky, he NEVER changed his cheerful attitude. NEVER!” How could a man with a twisted body confined to a wheelchair maintain such a wonderful attitude? Rick tells us how: “He
always praised God, and thanked God for the wreck that
turned his life around.” * WHAT? He thanked God for the wreck that mangled his body and put him into a coma? Yes! Why? Because Porky said that it turned his life around (cf. Psalm 119:67). In fact, he turned to God. Based upon his repentance toward God (Acts 17:30-31) and his confession of faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31), Porky obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-3). My father, Glenn Sargent, with some assistance from some loving brethren, baptized (immersed) Porky’s twisted body into Christ so that his sins could be washed away by the blood of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 22:16) and he became a Christian. His
faith in God and the joy of being a child of God were
the keys to God has not promised that life will be free of difficulty.... Jesus said, “In the world you WILL have tribulation” (John 16:33). But, God has promised that we can have victory over sin and death through His Son. His victory in Jesus changed Porky’s ATTITUDE and his ETERNITY. It can change YOURS, too, IF you will give your life to Jesus. Won’t YOU? -- David A. Sargent, Minister Church
of Christ at Creekwood * “Thank God for My Tragedy,” a bulletin article by Rick Laing, Minister of the Highland Village Church of Christ, Austin, TX. To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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