Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • Liddell

    —

    Dana

    While C. T. Studd was laboring in foreign lands, a young missionary couple from Scotland served the Lord in China. Around the dangerous time of the Boxer Rebellion, James and Mary Liddell had two sons. In August 1900 Robert was born, and in January 1902 Eric was born.

    As was the custom for most foreign missionary families, Robbie and Eric were educated abroad. In Scotland both boys worked hard in school and excelled in athletics. As a teenager, Eric was known for being swift of foot; by the time he was twenty years old some were calling him the fastest runner in Scotland. He felt greatly honored when he was selected to be a part of the British Olympic team as the 1924 Paris Olympic Games drew near.

    With a chance to earn the title of fastest man in the world, Eric was stunned when he discovered the heat for the 100 meter event was run on Sunday. Having always reserved Sunday as ‘the Lord’s Day,’ Eric firmly said, “I’m not running.” Pressure was exerted from every angle but Eric Liddle would not change his mind. He willingly gave up the opportunity of a lifetime because he loved God more.

    The Academy Award winning movie Chariots of Fire tells the story of Eric being given the opportunity to enter an event for which he had not trained. As excitement grew before the 400 meter race, most experts gave him no chance to win, but Eric had surrendered everything to God.

    An acquaintance gave Eric a note before the race which said, “In the old book it says, ‘He that honors me I will honor.’ Wishing you the best of success always.” Eric Liddell won the gold and set a world record in the 400 meter run.

    Eric was 22 years old when he returned to Scotland as a champion and a hero. At age 23 Eric moved to China and followed in his parents’ footsteps sharing Christ in a foreign land. He served God twenty years as a missionary and died of a brain tumor in China in 1945. His last words were: “It’s complete surrender.”

    “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31

    Quotes from Eric Liddell by Catherine Swift, ©1990, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN

  • Studd

    —

    Dana

    A teenager named Charles Thomas Studd gave his life to Christ in England in 1878. But soon after becoming a Christian, the cares of the world took priority over the things of God. C. T. Studd was no ordinary young man. He was a fierce competitor and at the age of nineteen became captain of his college cricket team. Cricket was the most popular sport in England at the time and the young Studd gained notoriety as an up and coming star.

    In 1882 he was chosen to play on the national team in what came to be known as the first Ashes match in which England was upset by the Australian national team. C. T. Studd, his older brother George, and the rest of the English team redeemed themselves the next year as they travelled to Australia and defeated their rivals. Some fans called Charles the best cricket player in the United Kingdom, but while he was a well known athlete, deep down C.T. knew he was a lukewarm Christian.

    In 1883 his brother George fell gravely ill and Charles was jolted into serious contemplation. “Now what is all the popularity of the world to George? What is all the fame and flattering? What is it worth to possess the riches of the world when a man comes to face with Eternity?” God healed his brother and C. T. committed himself as fully to the Lord as he had previously been committed to cricket. Of course sports fans were not happy with his change of focus, but Charles did not care. “I knew that cricket would not last, and honor would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.”

    He and six other student athletes heard the call of Hudson Taylor urging Christians to listen to Jesus’ Great Commission and spread the Gospel to all the world. “Are you living for the day or are you living for life eternal? Are you going to care for the opinion of man here, or for the opinion of God?” In 1885 this group of young men known as the Cambridge Seven went to China to serve the Lord.

    C. T. Studd never looked back. In the days before airplanes and convenient travel, he spent fifteen years in China, six years in India, and over twenty years in Africa. Constantly people counseled him to return to England. He said, “Had I cared for the comments of people, I should never have been a missionary.”

    Often health issues made mission work very difficult, but C. T. depended on Christ. God’s Word gave him direction and courage. “If Jesus Christ be God, and He died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” C. T. Studd knew earthly glory, but the reality of eternity pierced his heart. “How could I spend the best years of my life living for the honors of the world, when thousands of souls are perishing every day?”

    On July 16, 1931, at the age of seventy, C. T. Studd died in the Belgian Congo. His last word was: “Hallelujah.”

    “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.” Mathew 16:24-27

  • waste

    —

    Dana

    Why did Jesus give such high honor to the woman who anointed him? “She has done a beautiful thing to me… She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6-9)

    Why is her story to accompany the telling of the gospel? This woman’s action proved what she believed to be true: Jesus is worth everything! Of course the world will think such a person is crazy, but when we give Jesus what is most valuable to us, we are simply ‘putting our money where our mouth is.’

    And it is not just the world that will misunderstand. “Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, ‘Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly.” (Mark 14:4-5)

    The closest followers of Christ were the most critical. “What a waste!” they said. But was it waste? My youngest brother is the smartest in our family. Many said he could have been successful at many things. But at a young age Brian believed God called him to be a missionary… so he has lived the prime of his life among the poor in Africa teaching people about Jesus. Some said, “What a waste!” But was it?

    I suppose that when we see Jesus face to face we will all wish we had given Him more of ourselves, more of our energy, and more of our treasure. This woman saw Him and seized the moment. “I don’t care if you don’t understand, I love Him and I am going to pour out my best. I don’t care if you get angry with me, I am going to boldly do what I can.”

    “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”Matthew 19:29-30

  • most likely

    —

    Dana

    “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man named Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’

    Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” Matthew 26:6-13

    The ones we tend to declare ‘least likely,’ God might call ‘most likely.’ Had the disciples recognized the beauty of this woman’s thankful heart, they would never have criticized her. Had the disciples only discerned the times, they would never have interrupted such a holy moment.

    Honest worship exposes a religious spirit. “Make a right judgment…” Jesus taught his listeners (see John 7:24), but how often our judgmentalism keeps us in the dark.

    “This woman senses the valley I am entering; you guys are clueless. Love has motivated this daughter to pour out her most valuable treasure on Me; you guys don’t yet fathom the true meaning of love. What you call ‘waste,’ my Father calls ‘beautiful.’ Learn why she is most likely to enter his courts.”

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5

  • least likely

    —

    Dana

    Hunter Lambeth and his family recently moved to Nazareth where he works with middle eastern teenagers. I met Makloof, and would have voted him ‘least likely to ever sign up for a Bible study’ after our camp this past summer. Below is a reminder of the power of God’s love, reproduced with permission from Volume 2, Issue 5, of Young Life Middle East Newsletter.

    Susan’s mom, Lou Taylor, had a stroke last week. We would cherish your prayers as she has been moved from the hospital to a stroke center in Chattanooga.

    Makloof with Hunter
    Makloof with Hunter

    Makloof was one of those kids.  The kind that can drive you absolutely crazy and yet remind you why you signed up for this kind of work in the first place.   On the outside he’s as tough as they come.  Big, brawny, broad shouldered, always has his sunglasses on, indoors or out.  Only wears shirts that pull tight around his bursting seventeen-year old muscles.  I’ve been told he likes to challenge the young Israeli soldiers at the checkpoints on the edge of his native Palestine.

    Makloof went to our Young Life summer camp this past July.  I was glad he was there; a rough, raw kid who needed to know how much Jesus loved him.  We met Day 1 as he came off the bus.   That night I was ready to kill him.

    We had our first run-in sometime after 2:00 am.  I was trying to control my own room of hyped-up teenagers and Makloof was loudly roaming the hallway outside, apparently establishing his dominance as BMOC.  I asked him to please find his bed, to help me help others do the same.  I tried all the tricks of the youth ministry trade to try and get him to cooperate.   Nothing worked.  The next day I found myself spending most of my relational energy chasing Makloof to one event or the other – to meals, to club, to the activities we had planned, walking that fine line of buddy/leader.  The leaders from his hometown who actually knew him tried as well.  But Makloof seemed determined not to be broken – by us or by Christ.

    We tried our best with Makloof and the other dozen or so teenage boys that were determined to imitate his defiant demeanor at camp.   And he did begin to soften a bit, but to be honest, when camp finally concluded and the bus pulled away, rumbling off into the Judean desert, I finally allowed a deep sigh of relief.  No more Makloof.  At least for a while.   At least for me.  I was completely committed to praying for Yousef and the other leaders who would be tasked with the mission of remaining in Makloof’s life and working hard to continue building the bridge between he and Jesus.  But as for me, I was very thankful to be headed in the other direction.

    The next time I saw Makloof’s name it brought tears to my eyes and again, I was reminded of why we do this crazy thing called Young Life.  It was in an email from Yousef, a week or so after camp.   He had run into Makloof’s mother.  Here is what Yousef relayed to me:

     “I saw a woman (Makloof’s mother) calling me and I went to her to see what she wanted.  The first question she asked me was, “Why does Makloof love you so much?  And I answered her that it’s because I love him too.  She told me that she likes me being a friend to him.  So now Makloof is kind of visiting me everyday.  And the last time he came he brought five friends of his to my house.  It was so cool.  Pray for us.”

    Makloof with Yousef
    Makloof with his Young Life leader, Yousef

    That was in July. I was in Makloof’s West Bank village last weekend. He was there at Young Life club as he is now for every club. And he and Yousef and many others have been faithfully meeting together regularly, reminiscing about camp, dreaming about the future, opening up the scriptures, learning more about what it means to really know and follow Jesus. In fact, today approximately 40 of the 91 kids who went to our summer camp are involved in regular “campaigner” groups, studying the Bible and journeying together with their leaders through a life and in a place that often doesn’t offer much hope.

    Thank you for helping change a life like Makloof’s. Thank you for helping us change dozens and dozens of lives in Israel and on the West Bank. Thank you for leveraging your prayers and your resources so that God’s Kingdom might increase in this complicated part of the world.

    “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” — John 10:10

    Hunter

Random Post

Categories

Archives