The Bible contains many stories, but as Mr. Smith points out in this sermon we often read them as stories and do not see the lessons God intends that we learn from them. To illustrate this he talks about the story in Numbers 32 where the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked for the land on the east side of the Jordan that Israel had taken in battle. Moses was very upset with them for their request, but Reuben and Gad reacted to Moses' anger in a way that we can learn from to use if something we do or say unexpectedly puts us on the defensive. Their reactions shows how to remove the anger and solve the real issues.

Gary Smith

United Church of God Pastor

Gary Smith was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but spent most of his youth in the Pasadena, California area. He graduated from Ambassador College in 1976 and he and his wife, Liz, moved to Peoria, Illinois. For the next six years he worked as a nursing home administrator in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
In 1982, he and Liz began to serve in the full-time ministry. Since that time, they have served in a number of congregations in the Midwest.
Gary and Liz now pastor in Houston, Texas near their two children and grandson.