Category: stories

We had a great trip to the Czech Republic over spring break. It was exciting to see our team of young Christians share their faith with other young people who have not heard much about our great God and His Son. As usual, I stand amazed at the faithfulness of God.

On the last leg of our journey home, a nine hour flight from Paris to Atlanta, I received the greatest compliment of my life. It came from a seven year old boy named Roy who was traveling to America from his home in Paris to visit his father. Realizing this little guy sitting next to me was all by himself, I thought I would befriend him. Here’s a bit of our conversation (I wish I could include his accent):

Roy: Are we almost there?
Me: No, we have nine more hours… How long are you going to be in America?
Roy: I’m staying for the Easter holidays.
Me: Oh… You know Easter is the day Jesus came back to life.
Roy: Jesus… I’ve heard of Jesus… They put nails in his hands (showing me) and they hung him til he died.
Me: You’re right, Roy, they sure did.
Roy: Jesus was an Israeli.
Me (after a little thought): You’re right, Roy.
Roy: And the people that follow Jesus are called Christians.
Me: You’re right again, Roy.
Roy: Are you a Christian?
Me: Yes Roy, I’m a Christian.
Roy (with a big smile): Well, I’m a Jew!

While we were talking, a flight attendant came by and spoke to my new friend. Intrigued that he was not speaking English or French, Roy clued me in after the attendant left. “That was Hebrew.” It is quite humbling, as a 44 year old man who struggles with his own language, to sit next to a seven year old who is fluent in three!

Roy told me of his puppy and his school and his best friends. He showed me his loose tooth and we worked a while on a puzzle. After an hour or so, my daughter, Kinsey, came by and I asked if she would take my place and show Roy how to play the video games at each seat. As I rose to exchange places with Kinsey, the great compliment was given. With a loud voice, Roy cried, “Bye Jesus! Come back soon, Jesus! I want to see you again, Jesus!” (I received more than a few concerned looks from other passengers on the plane).

There’s a song out now called “I Want to be Mistaken for Jesus”. Oh may the world see Jesus in us… young and old, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile… may all find He is good.

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Several years ago, when my mom yelled, “It’s a miracle!” I was sceptical, as most are when they hear such a proclamation. But God had revealed Himself to my children while fishing on other occasions, so I listened to the story. It started when our nine-year-old daughter lost a fish. Hearing Kinsey sobbing, my dad laid his favorite fishing pole on the dock to console his granddaughter. A minute later, his pole was scooting across the wooden planks into the lake. Perhaps what happened next would not fit the technical definition of a miracle, but when I heard what preceded the “improbable catch”, I agreed with my mom’s assessment. My dad had given up hope of ever seeing his pole again so he became everyone’s assistant. In a little while, Kinsey thought she had another bite, but when she reeled in the hook, there was no fish. Instead, she had caught a fishing line. As my dad pulled in one side of the line, there was a good-sized catfish. When he pulled in the other side, he discovered his fishing pole. The hidden part of the story was that on the other end of the dock, Kinsey’s eleven-year-old brother, Taylor, had been praying, “Lord, please help Peepaw get his fishing pole back.”

Perhaps some wouldn’t have proclaimed it a miracle that a school of fish swam into the lowered net of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, but when we know what preceded the catch, we realize God was in the picture. Jesus “called it” before it happened! “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” They found 153 to be exact. If they had carried a camera fishing, as Taylor does these days, I’ll bet the disciples would have taken a picture.

In 1981, some missionaries did have a camera and video-taped a miraculous catch of fish… I’ve seen the film! Don Stephens and his wife, Deyon, led a team of 175 young people to Athens, Greece to work on a newly purchased “mercy ship” that Youth With A Mission hoped to send all over the world. The ship was going to require an incredible amount of work to become seaworthy, but the young volunteers were up to the task. While many worked on the ship, the rest of the team went ashore to help and encourage victims of a recent earthquake. As the team labored, Don felt it would be pleasing to the Lord to enter a period of fasting and prayer. For forty days the missionaries scheduled groups to fast and pray for God’s guidance and for a great harvest for the Kingdom. As they approached the end of the forty days, some interesting things started happening. One day, 12 medium-sized fish jumped out of the water into a shallow tidal pool at the feet of one of the missionaries. He took them to the rest of the team and shared his strange story. A few days later, a large tuna jumped out of the ocean. Those not on “fasting duty” enjoyed some unexpected seafood. A few days later, a young lady was sitting on the rocks by the ocean, spending time with the Lord, when fish started jumping all over the place. She gathered 210 fish and some local Greek families collected over twice that number. But the greatest day was captured on video. Beginning at 8:00 in the morning, fish started jumping out of the ocean onto the land. The young people ran to get containers and spent forty-five minutes gathering fish… 8,301 of them. The local Greeks had never seen anything like it. Their conclusion: “God is with these people!”

God is with His children! He’s not just with us when prayers are answered in spectacular ways or when He surprises us with His wonders. He is with us always. In the good times and the bad. In the times of harvest and in the times of want. In the times of light and in the times of darkness. But sometimes… often when a child-like prayer is lifted in faith, He fills our net with more than we can carry. How it must tickle the Father to see a child-like response!

“Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter. ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.” John 21:7

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The mysteries I have discovered in this life often deal with the contrast between the way I see things and the way God sees them.  I am more careful saying “God did that” because I have seen pretty clearly that some of my “successes” were only “successes” in the eyes of the world… because I was in charge.  In other words, I have had several “successes in the flesh”.  I don’t think God gets much glory for such things.  On the other hand, I have had what seem to be great defeats… which may have ended up as victories in God’s eyes.  The one who obeys His Lord, loses all for the gospel, and dies at the hands of evil men will be counted great in the Kingdom because, by faith, he resisted the flesh and lived by the Spirit.  Such a one will be counted a fool by the world, but our God does not think like this world… neither should we.

This is especially important as we view our students from day to day.  This past weekend, many believers from around the city gathered to pray for one of our graduates who is being “sent out” to Kansas City to be a part of a prayer ministry that is quite unique.  Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, prayer and worship take place at the International House of Prayer (I.H.O.P for short).  Billy Humphrey and his wife Maribeth intend to live in Kansas City a year, and then come back to Atlanta and start a similar ministry.  For thirteen years, Billy has been youth pastor at Victory World Church in Norcross.  His leaders have encouraged him to follow this vision God has given, believing this is for the Body of Christ in Atlanta, not just their congregation.  I write this to tell you that as presiding assistant principal when Billy was in school, I would have never predicted that God would use such a one.  Billy was a bit of a rebel.  He would confess he did not follow God while at GAC.  But at UGA, he was radically saved and is now on fire for the Lord.

This past summer, I got a letter from Pam Watson.  Most of you know that her daughter Krista was killed in a car accident last May on the way to her graduation ceremony in Murphy, NC.  Krista was a unique person who presented challenges at times.  Her mom wrote, “Krista was a little different and sometimes hard to deal with.  The combination of being strong willed and outspoken yet very sensitive presented her with some challenges.”  Yet, God was at work in a young lady.  Pam continued, “Although she was in Murphy a short time, she was well known and loved.  She had found her home there and an environment in which she could flourish and grow.  She loved her new church home as well.  As the final weeks of her time here flew by, she became noticeably happier, softer, and I think, at peace with herself.

“God has worked through her death.  A reporter from the Asheville newspaper came to Murphy to write about her death.  He interviewed a number of her friends who talked about her smile, her fun loving nature, and her faith.  He was a Christian as well and has incorporated her faith into the three articles that have subsequently been published in the newspaper.  She was their lead story on June 24th, one month after her death.  Through this writer she was able to witness to others even after her death and to touch a great number of people.”

To close my encouragement that we constantly ask for wisdom to see as God does — in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh — I want to share a few of the journal entries Krista wrote during her senior year.  I believe these were written in her English class at Gainesville High School before they moved to Murphy.

Aug 12, 2002 — ONE WISH
My wish is to find the perfect man that God has arranged for me to find.  I know he won’t be perfect, but I just want to find a man that will stay by my side forever.  I want a man that will better himself every day for his family and be an awesome father for our kids.  My husband will be God’s disciple and my faith will grow through him.

Aug 13 — CHANGE
If I could change one thing in this world right now, it would be for every boy to be 6’5″ or taller.  That way I would have a choice of any boy without having to worry about the whole height issue, since I am 6’4″.  Actually, I would want them to be around 6’7″ so that I could wear heels and still be shorter than the guys.

Aug 19 — ONE LESSON
If I could teach my children one lesson for a happy life, I would teach them to love God with all their hearts.  God was the one who put us here and gave us free will; therefore we should thank and love him every day.  I would take my children to church twice a week and help them develop their own faith in God.  I would kneel beside their beds at night and teach them how to pray.

Aug 27 — DINNER PARTY
If I could have a dinner party and invite any four people from history, I would invite Jesus and three other people who aren’t Christians.  That way, I could learn and watch Jesus as he showed them the light so I could learn how to disciple others.  The reason we were put on this earth is so we can convert others, but I haven’t converted anyone.  I guess I don’t try that hard, but if I learned from the master, perhaps I would be enlightened.

Oct 30 — MOST PROUD
The moments I feel most proud of myself are when I help someone out who needs help.  One example would be when I go to mentorship and help kids read.  Another instance is when I would go to a soup kitchen the first Sunday of every month with the old church from GAC.  We would make and serve breakfast to the homeless in downtown Atlanta.  I remember seeing the same people there month after month.  It felt good to serve them.  It was kinda like when Jesus would serve his disciples — but not really.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. II Corinthians 5:16

In Capernaum, at the site some believe was the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, our friend, Harm, shared an interesting passage. While he was reading, our little girl, Karlyn, who was six at the time, spied a lizard and stuck her head between the metal posts of the iron fence to get a better look. Unfortunately, the head that went in would not come out! Karlyn started yelling as we tugged and pulled, but try as we might, we could not get her out of the predicament. Harm’s Bible lesson was cut short as we all tried to figure out what to do. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Karlyn (and her parents), someone suggested she step all the way through the fence. Thankfully, the idea worked and Karlyn was rescued. According to the Scripture Harm read, Capernaum would be a terrible place to be stuck when Jesus returns.

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matt 11:23-24)

Sodom, a city known for wickedness and perversion, would have repented and escaped God’s wrath had they seen the miracles Jesus did in Capernaum. I’ll bet some argued, “You’re saying we’re worse than Sodom? You’re crazy!” We might ask God why He didn’t perform miracles in Sodom if they would have repented, but such questions do no good. God is sovereign. He alone designates seasons of mercy and times of judgment. The better question is: Why did Capernaum not repent? The tougher question is: What would Jesus say to my town or my country? Or even closer to home: What would Jesus say to my family or me?

Capernaum had every reason to believe in the Son of God. They saw His power; they heard His teaching; they were given so much, but what good did it do? People needed to repent, but they never did.

What have we been given? How many stories of faith from Scripture have we heard? Yet do we have faith? How many gifts of God’s love have we been given? Yet do we love Him? How much mercy have we been shown? Yet do we show others mercy? In recent years, we’ve seen cities bombed and evil regimes ousted, but I wonder if Jesus would say, “Do you think those cities were any worse than yours? If those cities had the Light you do, they would have repented and turned to Me long ago!”

Now there were some present at the time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5

I wish I could describe the horrible feeling of being stuck behind closed doors. All I could do was wave to my family as the train pulled out of the station. It was a pitiful sight.

Over spring break we got to visit a missionary in Vienna, Austria. While there, I wanted to take my family to meet the church in Brno, Czech Republic that I visited last year. Since it was just a two hour train ride from Vienna to Brno, I thought it would be a simple trip.

As we approached our destination, we started gathering our belongings and I realized my hat was missing. After getting my family and the luggage off the train, I hopped back on board. Sure enough, my hat was in the dining car where we had eaten a snack. As I picked it up and waved to the attendant, I heard two little beeps that sent a chill down my spine. Surely not! When I reached the doors… they were closed! I tried to pull them apart, but they wouldn’t budge. I was ten seconds too late!

On the long ride to Ceska’ Trebova (a Czech town I’ll bet few of you have visited), I felt God taught me an important lesson. The time is coming when “too late” will be infinitely more horrible. Perhaps I got a fraction of the feeling the five foolish virgins had when the door was shut and they were too late. (see Matt 25) In such times there will be weeping, gnashing of teeth, and some bitter questions. “How could I have wasted all the opportunities I had to follow God? Why did I never give my life to Jesus? How could I have chased everything in my life except the one thing that mattered?”

How many families are going to be split for eternity on the Day of Judgment? We laugh about my misadventure in the Czech Republic, but there will be no laughter when the Master says, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Someone asked him, “Lord are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth…” Luke 13:23-28

“But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!” Luke 17:29-32