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Posts Tagged ‘Frank King’

ONE MAN’S SACRIFICE

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 2, 2012| 10 Comments »

Remember the horrible grounding of the Costa Concordia cruise ship? Among the rescue stories from the January, 2012 disaster, this one struck me.

“I owe my life to husband’s sacrifice, says survivor who was given last life jacket,” stated the newspaper headline on an article about a French woman who lived through the catastrophe.

Nicole Servel, 61, recalled how “He said to me ‘jump, jump’. And as I don’t know how to swim, he gave me his life jacket.” The body of her husband, Francis, was later found in the wreckage, one of more than 30 people who died after the boat ran aground along the Italian coast, then keeled over.

Consider these facts about Mrs. Servel’s sad, amazing story:

  1. She was in serious danger;
  2. She was incapable of escaping that danger;
  3. If someone had not come to her rescue, she would have died, and;
  4. That rescuer gave up his life for her.

Why did this hit me so hard? Because it’s the story of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. Ponder these points:

1. Even though it’s not obvious to most of us, you and I are in danger – in danger of losing our eternal lives because of the wrong things we do and the right things we fail to do. Because we reject the guidance of our creator.

2. You and I are incapable of escaping that danger. Despite my efforts, I’m still selfish, conceited, uncommunicative, and reluctant to truly care for God’s people and His creation.
My struggles are shared by all humanity, no matter how “good” some of us appear to be. Even the late Mother Teresa, a shining beacon of goodness, knew she couldn’t save herself. That’s one reason she turned to God.

3. If someone doesn’t come to our rescue – to make up for the shortcomings you and I can’t fix on our own – then we’re doomed to lose our eternal place with God. That “someone” is Jesus.
Looking for evidence? Consider these words from one of the four original-source accounts of Jesus’ life: “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost, but have eternal life.”

4. Jesus gave up His life for me and for everyone else who wants to be rescued and is willing to follow Him. His death on a cross made up for our wrongs and His resurrection paved the way for us to have eternal life. Here’s more evidence, from one of His earliest followers: “Jesus offered one sacrifice, once and for all, when He offered Himself.”

One man’s sacrifice has let Nicole Servel continue living this life. But the sacrifice of another man can let Nicole and anyone else who believes in and follows Him have life, with God, forever. One of those people can be YOU.

What do you think? Agree or disagree, post a comment and let’s have a conversation.

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KARMA? NO THANKS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2012| 42 Comments »

Do you believe in karma like the person who created this internet meme? Most people in our culture probably do, even if they don’t realize it. And that’s no surprise; a majority of us are brought up to understand that what we do (or don’t do) will be paid back.

In fact, I imagine many parents slip into teaching this kind of thing, if only as a desperate measure to keep little Johnny from running wild in the grocery store.

But the first thing I thought when I read that ‘billboard’ was “Yikes!” I don’t want to get what I deserve. And when it comes right down to it, I suspect you don’t, either.

Our culture may tell us we’re all OK people, but think about it:

  • Do you really give as much time/finances to charity as you should? I don’t.
  • Are you really, really committed to telling the truth? I like to think I am, but the truth is different, despite my best efforts.
  • When the name of someone you know comes up in conversation, do you jump in by revealing something negative about them? I’ve caught myself doing just that.
  • Do you fall short on doing all that you really can do for the environment? I plead guilty.
  • When you think carefully about your behaviour, do you find there are times when you’ve taken out your frustrations on others? I have.

I could go on, but I’m sure you’ve gotten the point. None of us are really as “good” as we should be. All of us regularly miss the mark on being the kind of person we could be.

So, do you want to get called on the carpet for all the bad things you’ve done – and all the good things you HAVEN’T done? I don’t. And that’s just one little reason why I decided to become follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.

Jesus followers believe this statement, found in one of the original source documents about Jesus’ life on Earth: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost, but have eternal life.”

In other words, when you believe that Jesus died to make up for all your screw-ups and when you decide to trust your life to him, there is no more karma. You no longer get what you deserve. You get way, WAY better.

In fact, not only can you get a sense of what one of Jesus’s original followers called a peace that goes beyond your ability to understand it, you also receive assurance that that when this life is over, you’ll spend eternity hanging out with Jesus.

This sounds like a fabulous offer. Do you agree? Post a comment and let’s start a conversation.

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE?

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

How’s this for a rags-to-riches story?

When 2011 started, Ted Williams was a homeless man in Columbus, Ohio. He possessed an incredibly rich, refined announcer’s voice, but lost everything else and became a convicted felon due to drugs and alcohol.

Then a guy made a quickie video of him on the street, begging for handouts. Ted spoke on film, mimicking a radio announcer (his former career), and the guy put the video on YouTube.

Well, faster than a government runs up debt, the video went viral. It was viewed by 13 million people and, overnight, Ted Williams and his amazing voice became a star. Talk shows battled to get him on TV first, thousands of newspapers published articles on him, and job offers poured in from companies such as Kraft, MTV, and the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team.

Through it all, Williams, 53, did three things: vowed to get his life together, be a real dad to his nine children, and give credit where credit belongs.

“The difference between my successes of years gone by is that I didn’t acknowledge the Lord or thank him for anything before,” he told CBS Early Show. “This time around, I have God in my life, acknowledging him on a daily basis. I’ve found a new sense of spirituality now.”

This led USA Today to asked readers “Do you think God or a YouTube video gone viral was the key to Ted Williams’ great second chance?”

One anonymous responder declared, “Why attribute the kindness of society to ‘God’ when ‘God’ clearly wasn’t listening to this man FOREVER?”

Another person wrote, “It was Youtube and the dude who filmed Ted who deserve most of the credit, but I can’t really find fault in the guy’s statement. I’m sure his faith got him through a lot of cold nights.”

Finally, I found this comment: “God is willing to use whatever predicament we’ve got ourselves into – good or bad – to help us see Him. Those who catch a glimpse of Him and hunger for more, will find more if they seek Him.”

So, if you believe in God, did He ignore Ted Williams for years? Was it just a random YouTube video that turned Ted’s fortunes around?

Valid answers to each question can be based on what you want to believe.

Maybe God had a very good reason for waiting so many years before giving Ted Williams a chance to change his life. And maybe God worked through YouTube to achieve his goals with Ted. Sound preposterous?  Then consider these words from God, channeled through an ancient prophet: “I [God] don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.”

The bottom line is: do you want to think of God as a big nothing or a distant ogre? Or do you want your life enriched – just as Ted Williams’ life was enriched – by thinking of God as the loving creator of the universe who cares so much for us that He sent his Son Jesus to live, die, and come back to life for us?

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