Heartbreaking: four high profile American pastors and others confirm dead in an air crash
David Jeremiah lives by this philosophy: “When you follow God’s will for your life, you can see how yesterday’s events prepared you for today’s challenge and tomorrow’s opportunities.”
At age 83, his mind is constantly moving forward, but occasionally it takes a step back in time to a bright summer day over 70 years ago. He was about 12 years old and visiting his uncle’s farm.
“My uncle had two silos sitting next to each other,” he says, “and I was going to climb up on the outside of one of them and get in on top of the silage to just look around. But when I got to the top and looked in, there was nothing all the way to the ground. I had made a mistake and got the one that wasn’t filled, and if I had taken one more step, it would have all been over. I tremblingly got back down, and I never forgot that.”
It’s a vivid picture of God’s love and protection, something Jeremiah and his siblings knew a lot about, growing up under their father, James T. Jeremiah, twice a pastor and then longtime president of Cedarville University; and their mother, Ruby, who gave countless hours to the university. And it’s something that Jeremiah would spend his life preaching about, first at Black Hawk Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for 12 years, then at Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, where he has served for 43 years.
“God kept me safe that day,” Jeremiah says. “I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if it hadn’t been for God’s protection.”
friend called him about pastoring Black Hawk Baptist—a church that hadn’t yet been started. “Starting a new church isn’t on my bucket list,” he told his friend. But when he began to pray about the decision, Jeremiah knew what he had to do. The church grew to 1,500 members and built a school during his pastorate.
Jeremiah’s deep passion for the Bible, including prophecy and end-times doctrine, drives him to pore over his sermons through the week, preparing not just an outline but a carefully crafted sermon, word for word, that he can hardly wait to share.
“At any given time, if I ask Dr. J what he is excited about, his answer is ‘Sunday,’” says Paul Joiner, chief creative officer and executive producer of Turning Point. “I’ve worked with him for 30 years, and it’s always the same.”
His closest friends bear out his humility; his love for his flock at Shadow Mountain; and his fierce love and protection of Donna, his bride of 61 years, and his four children—David Michael, president of Turning Point; Daniel, sports analyst with the NFL Network and commentator for Jeremiah’s favorite team, the Los Angeles Chargers; Jennifer, who works with the women’s ministry at Shadow Mountain; and Jan, an event planner
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