March 28, 2024
One is always looking for signs of hope amid tragedy and loss. The members of the Balsora Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Texas, northwest of Fort Worth, found just that out...

One is always looking for signs of hope amid tragedy and loss.

The members of the Balsora Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Texas, northwest of Fort Worth, found just that out on Friday after their sanctuary burned to the ground, according to WOAI-TV.

In the middle of the embers stood a cross, unbowed by the ravages of the fire.

The Wise County Emergency Services Department No. 2, had responded quickly to the scene, but could not save the building.

“A devastating loss to our community, but a sight to behold,” the department wrote in a Facebook post, which included a picture that firefighters took of the cross standing amid the wreckage.

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“The fire took the structure, but not the cross. A symbol that the building was just that, a building. The Church is the congregation, and where 2 or more gather, there He shall be also.”

Balsora Pastor Sonny Smith told KDFW-TV the cross “was a sign from God saying, ‘Don’t worry. I’m still here, and I’m going to lead you forward.’”

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The church’s fellowship hall was in the middle of being renovated when the fire broke while the construction workers were away for lunch on Friday, KDFW reported.

Churches nearby have offered to let Balsora Baptist use their facilities.

The congregation’s immediate plans were to meet outside on their property.

“God is good. In the good times and in the bad times, you can always depend on him,” Smith said.

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The charred cross does call the mind the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the first-century church in Corinth in modern-day Greece.

“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — each one’s work will become manifest, for the [judgment] Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done,” he wrote.

“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire,” Paul continued.

The Balsora church cross went through testing by fire and survived.

A similar message of hope could be seen after the devastating 2019 fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The entire roof and steeple collapsed, but the cross still stood.

Of course, the entire message of Jesus Christ is that life can overcome death.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah, whom Jesus quoted when he launched his ministry, wrote that God would give “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”

Birthplace

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Graduated dean’s list from West Point

Education

United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law

Books Written

We Hold These Truths

Professional Memberships

Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars

Location

Phoenix, Arizona

Languages Spoken

English

Topics of Expertise

Politics, Entertainment, Faith