The Rock Wall

(This is a story I've included in my upcoming book, Selfless Living in a Selfish World.)

    

    Nine-year-old Mak Shulist of Ellisville, Missouri was battling an incurable brain tumor that robbed him of his sight when the Make-A-Wish Foundation came to his side for comfort.  Instead of wishing for a meeting with a celebrity or going to a theme park, Mak wished that his friends could have a rock-climbing wall on the school playground.

    "It says a lot about the family and the type of person he was -- selfless, thoughtful and caring," said Dave Knes, principal at the 600-student school.  "We learned a lesson from a 9-year-old -- that even when we're going through tough times we should be thinking of other people and not ourselves."

    “I thought he was going to wish that there was a medicine or something, and he just wished for that,” schoolmate Will Randall told a local television station. “And I was like, ‘Whoa, he's nice.’”

    Mak's health was declining and the Make-a-Wish Foundation had to work fast to build the 7-foot-high climbing wall.  It took volunteers less than two weeks for the wall to be erected and cost nearly $15,000.  On the Thursday before Mak died, his principal videotaped Mak’s friends playing on their playground’s newest piece of equipment.  Mr. Knes immediately delivered the video to Mak’s parents so that he could hear the audio of his schoolmates laughing and playing on the wall.  His mom said that he was able to hear their joy on tape.  The next day, Mak died with his family at his side.

    "Every time I'm going to get on this wall I think about him and what he did for us," said one of his friends, Michael Stafford.

    No doubt, Mak Shulist left a wonderful example of selflessness to an entire town.  In the midst of the pain and agony of his illness, he wanted his friends to have fun.  Mak wanted his schoolmates to have an abundance of joy on the playground.  His attitude mirrored that of God – to sacrifice self for the joy of others.

    There is no better example of unselfishness than the example of God in Christ Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.  He selflessly went to the cross for you and me knowing that it would bring us joy and – in an unusual way – it was his pleasure to sacrifice himself.  Hebrews 12:2 says, “Who (Christ) for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame.”  While giving his life up for our own joy, Jesus had an inner joy knowing his sacrifice would pay unbelievable dividends.  This is the kind of example we are to mirror.

 

 

A Fool For Christ

The story is told of an agnostic anthropologist who visited some islands in the South Pacific. He was critical of the chief of the tribe. "You’re a great leader, but it’s a pity you’ve been taken in by those Christian missionaries. They only want to get rich through you. No one believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the story of Christ dying on a cross for the sins of mankind. They know better now.  It’s foolish for you to accept their story." 

 

The old chief said, "Do you see that big rock over there? That’s where we used to smash the heads of our victims. See the furnace next to it? That’s where we used to roast the bodies of our enemies. If it hadn’t been for those good missionaries and the love of Jesus that changed us from cannibals into Christians, we’d be eating you for supper tonight. Be glad I’m a fool for Christ.”

American Idol

If I hear one more thing about American Idol I'm gonna puke.

Before I begin this article that may at times sound like it's coming from the keyboard of a raging fundamentalist, I need to confess.  I watch TV.  A couple of weeks ago I sat in front of TBS and watched a 3 hour Friends marathon about Ross going to England to get married and Rachel following him over to tell Ross she loved him.  It was addicting.  I usually make time to watch Everybody Loves Raymond.  The final episode is this coming Monday at 8 - a 90 minute show.  I like to watch reruns, proven classics, like Seinfeld, Andy Griffith, and All In The Family.  I've caught parts of 24 and Revelations and have been interested but haven't made time to watch them.  Teenagers and church activities keep us busy. 

Years ago in my first pastorate after graduating seminary, I had a revelation.  I used to go out a lot at night visiting members and prospects.  Monday Night Visitation we called it.  There was one particular subdivision of cookie cutter homes where I made a lot of visits.  Most of those homes had a large bay window in front and you could see the living room inside.  I remember cruising down the streets of the neighborhood at night seeing house after house after house with a square blue light glowing in each den.  "How much television do people watch?" I asked myself.  Is this all they do with their down time?  Does anyone know how to read or converse or, God forbid, play a board game with their kids?

You've seen the studies about how many hours per day people watch TV.  I'm not going to go Google the statistics right now because you know it is embarrassing.  I'm probably a little below the national average.  We don't and never have had a TV in our bedroom.  Our pastor advised us not to when we were married almost 22 years ago.  I don't wake up with the TV on.  I don't watch it much in the daytime so what TV I watch is at night.  (Oh yeah, I like to watch The Daily Show at 11 PM, weeknights on Comedy Central.) 

I cringe when I hear people talk about not having enough time to get important things done, like spending time with God and family.  Then they tell me every detail of every show that was on NBC during prime time the night before.  A few weeks ago I included a story from John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life, about the couple who may only have seashells to show God when they get to heaven.  (Go read it now if you haven't already.)  What if we get to heaven one day and God reveals to us that we spent 145,549 hours watching the American Idol, i.e., TV?  Won't that be a proud moment? 

 

How to change a life

"It takes a changing life to change a life." - Joseph Stowell

 

 

A New Thought: Being Balanced

For years I've heard the analogy that when we have our relationship with God in order (illustrated with a vertical line) our relationships with others (horizontal line) will be in order too. You've probably heard this illustration many times. Recently I was made aware of an interesting thought, i.e., the need for the relationship with God to be balanced. If our relationship with God goes too far either way (fanatical or rebellious) it affects our relationship with others.

In other words, if you are going to be an influence for Christ in the culture and in the lives of those around you then you need to be sure you don't go to any extremes. An extreme devotion (e.g., a monk isolated in a monastery or a radical fundamentalist) has little or no influence on those around him. Let's face it. Most people think they are kooky. A rebellious lifestyle that claims a relationship with God but shows no evidence of a genuine relationship with him (e.g., Christians on the twice a year plan who attend church on Easter and Christmas) has no influence either.

We must balance our relationship with God so that we can have a solid relationship and influence on others.

Don't Waste Your Life

Here's an excerpt from John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life.  I thought this was strong.

 

In April 2000, Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards were killed in Cameroon, West Africa.  Ruby was over 80.  Single all of her life, she poured it out for one thing: to make Jesus Christ known among the unreached, the poor, and the sick.  Laura was a widow, a medical doctor, pushing 80 years old, and serving at Ruby's side in Cameroon.  The brakes failed, the car went over a cliff, and they were both killed instantly.  I asked my congregation: Was that a tragedy?  Two lives, driven by one great passion, namely, to be spent in unheralded service to the perishing poor for the glory of Jesus Christ - even two decades after most of their American counterparts had retired to throw away their lives on trifles.  No, that is not a tragedy.  That is a glory.  These lives were not wasted.  And these lives were not lost.  "Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:35).

 

I will tell you what a tragedy is.  I will show you how to waste your life.  Consider a story from the February 1998 edition of Reader's Digest, which tells about a couple who "took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51.  Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells."  At first, when I read it I thought it might be a joke.  A spoof on the American Dream.  But it wasn't.  Tragically, this was the dream: Come to the end of your life - your one and only precious, God-given life - and let the last great work of your life, before you give an account to your Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells.  Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: "Look, Lord.  See my shells."  That is a tragedy.  And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream.  Over against that, I put my protest: Don't buy it.  Don't waste your life.

 

Odd Church Names III

A reader sent these church names:

Open Bible Baptist Church, Colorado Springs, CO and Erie, PA (as opposed to Closed Bible Baptist Church)

Imitate the Image Baptist Church, Casper, WY

Yellow Breeches Baptist Church, Boiling Springs, PA (Is a breech like a split?)

Cactus Shadows Baptist Church, Cave Creek, AZ (How big of a shadow does a cactus make?)

Elk Baptist Church, St. Mary’s, PA (In Texas this opens up a lot of possibilities – Armadillo, Skunk, etc)

Twelve Gates Baptist Church, Chicago, IL (Heavenly!)

Happy Jack Baptist Church, Cheyenne, WY (Wonder what they serve for Lord’s Supper?)

Dinosaur Baptist Church, Dinosaur, CO (Comments are unlimited)

Bear Paw Baptist Church, Havre, MT

Many Farms Baptist Church, Many Farms, AZ

Brown Deer Baptist Church, Brown Deer, WI (In Texas we could have White Tail Baptist Church)

Seaman Baptist Church, Topeka, KS (Seattle maybe, but Topeka?)

Apocalypses Baptist Church, Agua Dilla, Puerto Rico (Is this similar to the Last Baptist Church?)

What's So Good About It?

Doesn't it seem strange that we call the day that the world killed the Messiah Good Friday?  Having viewed The Passion of the Christ movie, almost everyone is now familiar with just how brutal Jesus' death really was.  How quickly the world turned on him!  On Palm Sunday, he was celebrated as a King.  By Thursday, he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death on Friday morning. 

 

So what is so good about it?  It was good because Jesus paid a price that I cannot pay.  It was good because the problem of sin was resolved on that day.  It was good because Satan was defeated.  It was good because God's deep love for us was revealed that day.  It was good because it brought spiritual freedom to the masses.  It was good because a bridge was built to God.  It was good because heaven was made available to all.  In the midst of his incredible pain and agony, I think Jesus knew it was a good thing too.  Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

What Are You Riding In?

(My friend, Andy Hunter, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Denmark, SC, included this in a recent church newsletter article.  I asked him if I could share it with you.)

 

Every year some of the best commercials are debuted on the Super Bowl and this year was no exception.  One of my favorites featured a hip-hop musician whose car breaks down on his way to a big awards show.  A Pepsi truck stops to give him a ride, and when he arrives at the awards show in the truck, everyone thinks it's his.  Suddenly a new trend starts, and everyone rushes out to get their own Pepsi truck.  To me, it points to how nutty the public is when it comes to what is in fashion, or is hip, or is cool.  Our desire to imitate is amazing!  The sad thing is that so many people are imitating the wrong things.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:1-2 to imitate the right things when it states, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." 

 

No Thanks, Jesus. I’m Full (of Myself).

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of a book I'm working on titled, "Selfless Living in a Selfish World."  I'll try to post other excerpts in the future.

 

No Thanks, Jesus.  I’m Full (of Myself)

 

According to a study by psychologists at Iowa State University it is harder for smokers with high self-esteem to stop their nasty habit.  “People with high self-esteem have difficulty admitting their behavior has been unhealthy and/or unwise,” according to researcher Frederick Gibbons. This type of thinking carries over into spiritual matters as well.  Jay Adams, a noted author on Biblical counseling, says a similar problem exists theologically.  People who have too much self-esteem have no need for a Savior.  If an unbeliever has a high opinion of himself he sees no need for salvation.  If his high opinion of himself is shattered, he resorts to a high opinion of his works.  If he loses that he has a high opinion of his heart.  If a high opinion of his heart is lost, then he has a high opinion of his religious duties. 

Odd Church Names II

Okay, I confess.  I wasted about 60 minutes of my life on this.  I'm picking on my Southern Baptist friends only because they have a handy church directory at their website.

 

(South Carolina - see first edition of Odd Church Names for more SC churches)

Republican Baptist

 

(North Carolina)

Friendly Arab Baptist

The Front Porch Baptist

Vision Baptist (as opposed to Blind Baptist?)

Fancy Gap Baptist

Flippin Memorial (Napoleon Dynamite's church?)

Tow String Baptist

Bonnie Doone Baptist

The Living Fish Community

 

(Alabama)

Cusseta Baptist (Think about it)

Eclectic Baptist

Excel Baptist

Five Points Baptist (I guess they're Calvinist?)

Union # 3 Baptist (A church that split from Union # 1 and Union # 2?)

Gallant Baptist

Hatchechubbee Baptist (Say it slow, then you'll laugh)

Reform First Baptist

Warrior First Baptist

 

(Georgia)

Alto Baptist (No sopranos please)

In Time Baptist

Dewy Rose

Dixie Baptist (No Yankees please)

Dupont Baptist (Corporate sponsors are taking over everything.)

Gay First Baptist

Ideal Baptist

Mystic Baptist

Rocky Face Baptist

 

What were some of those committees thinking?

 

Joke of the Day

One bride-to-be was nervous about the wedding ceremony until the pastor gave her specific instructions. "When you enter the church, just focus on three things: the aisle, the altar and the groom."

As she entered the church escorted by her dad, the people in the congregation overheard the bride saying over and over to herself, "Aisle, altar, him. Aisle, altar, him."

 

Odd Church Names

In our office yesterday we got on the subject of odd church names. I went to a couple of websites with church directories and found the list below in less than 10 minutes. There must be a ton of them out there! Send a comment to this post back if you have your own entries! Of course, I'm picking on the Baptists here seeing as how I am one.

Bland Baptist
Bondovlove Baptist
Broadmouth Baptist
Five Forks Baptist (lots of fellowship suppers)
Six Mile Baptist (instead of going the extra mile, they go 6?)
Sparrow Swamp Baptist
Suburban Baptist (as opposed to Ghetto Baptist?)
Tilly Swamp Baptist
God's Acre Missionary Baptist
Set Free Dixie Hills Baptist
Welcome All Baptist

The Pilot

(I promised myself when I started this blog that I wouldn't pass on sappy stories from emails that I receive. However, this one is pretty good and I haven't posted anything for some time so here you go.)

Years ago, I was enthralled as I listened to a pastor who for several years had faithfully served the church. His executive responsibilities had taken him all over this country. As he concluded his message, he told of one of the most frightening yet thought-provoking experiences of his life.

He had been on a long flight from one place to another. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten your seat belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid.

The minister could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental,financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home.

What Are You Pursuing?

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever." (A.W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God)

This explains why the things of the world do not satisfy us. They cannot because when you have Christ you have it all! Pursuing the things of the world rather than pursuing Christ brings dissatisfaction, complacency, and aimlessness.

Thought for the Day

There are very few people who realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed by his grace. (St. Ignatius)

Worth Pondering...

"Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God." - Arthur W. Pink

"The gentlest form of spiritual narcissism is the idea that one can accomplish one's own spiritual growth. . . The belief that 'I can do it' is intimately associated with the assumption that 'it is my idea, my desire, to do it.' Spiritual narcissism works to deny the realization that our spirituality comes from God." - Gerald May

The Simple Life

(This is my favorite story taken from my book, Timely Words.)

 

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a little boat with one fisherman docked with a slim catch.

     The American asked him, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”

     The Mexican replied, “This is all I need to support my family for a few days.”

     “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” the American inquired.

     “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I dine and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.”

     The American scoffed at the Mexican.  “Listen.  I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you.  You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.  With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.  Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.  You would control the product, processing and distribution.  You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City or even New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

     “But how long will this take?” the fisherman asked.

     “About 15-20 years,” responded the expert.

     “But what then?”

     The American laughed.  “That is the best part…when the time is right you would sell your company stock and become rich.”

     “Rich,” the Mexican dreamed aloud.  “Then what?”

     The businessman said, “Then you could retire, move to a small coastal village and sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandkids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings and play the guitar with your friends.”   

 

“Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”  (Psalm 39:4)

 

Thought for the day

"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all.  But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." - Martin Luther

 

 

Excerpt from AM Message

The following is an excerpt from my message this morning. I am attracted to stories of humble service like this one.

In 1979, my parents and I spent a week in Cairo, Egypt. While there we visited the Egyptian National Museum. The King Tut exhibit was mind-boggling. King Tut was only 17 when he died. He was buried with solid gold chariots and thousands of gold artifacts. His gold coffin was found within gold tombs within gold tombs within gold tombs. The burial site was filled with gold.

The Egyptians believed that you could take earthly treasures with you but all of the treasures intended for King Tut’s afterlife were still in his grave until they were discovered in 1922 - over 3000 years later.

Not far from the museum, if you go down the dusty streets of Cairo and turn down an alley you will find a plot of overgrown grass. It is a graveyard for American missionaries. At the top of one old tombstone it says, “William Borden, 1887-1913.” He was twenty-five years old.

William Borden graduated from both Yale and Princeton and was a multi-millionaire due to his family’s business, i.e., Borden Dairies. In many ways he was the King Tut of his day. William Borden could have lived a life of luxury but instead chose to give his life as a disciple of Christ and he had a burden to be a disciple maker as a missionary to the Muslim world. He refused to spend money on himself and instead gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the ministry. He died when he contracted spinal meningitis at the age of 25 while serving in Egypt.

If you dust off his tombstone further, you will read on his epitaph his love for God and the Muslim people. Then the inscription ends with this phrase, “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”

What a contrast! One man buried with a ridiculous amount of gold and the other buried in an obscure, dusty, overgrown, back alley graveyard. One lived in complete opulence with everything the world had to offer and the other lived a modest life of service to the one true king and he is enjoying his everlasting reward in the presence of God today.

King Tut’s life was tragic because of an awful truth discovered too late – you can’t take it with you. William Borden’s life was triumphant because instead of leaving his treasures behind, he sent them ahead.