I am a great lover of biographies. I try to read the lives of the good and the great in a number of fields and walks of life. I'm currently reading the life of Winston Churchill and the incredible role that he played in the monumental conflicts of World War II. A few days ago, I was reading a short biography of the former UN Secretary General, Dag Hammerskjold. As I reflected on some of the quotations from his own diaries, Markings, I thought how easy it is for me, or for anyone, to hide behind the stories of other people. Because I can easily recount the heroic moral and spiritual exploits of others, I somehow justify the fact that much of the time the story of my own life may not be very heroic or spiritually inspiring.
Perhaps that's why our society is so consumed with "celebrity" or hero worship in its various forms. Maybe this is why the phenomenon of "reality TV" has reached such unimaginable heights (or perhaps "depths" would be more accurate). People tend to live their lives through others. They watch movies, reality shows, celebrity lives, and they don't have to face the fact that the story of their own lives isn't really saying much. Unfortunately this can be true for Christians as much as it can be for others. We have to admit that the cult of celebrity has infiltrated Christianity as much as it has other areas of society.
As I sat thinking about Dag Hammerskjold and the impact that one life story can have on those around it, I felt convicted that I have often avoided the story that God wants to write with my own life. Maybe the story was going to involve risks, or sacrifice, or steps into the unknown, and I simply wasn't ready... or willing. Maybe you can say the same about your own story.
The truth is we're all called to allow God to write a story with our lives. It may not necessarily be on the level of a Winston Churchill or David Livingstone or Dag Hammerskjold, but God wants to write a story that, when read, will bring glory to him. The story we allow him to write will be seen primarily through the relationships we develop and the people that we allow to impact our personal world.
The apostle Paul could say to the Corinthian Christians, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). What a challenging comment!
The world around us is looking for good news. Christians carry within them the Spirit of the living God who is constantly writing his glorious eternal story of life and hope. What story are you allowing him to write with your life?
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4 comments:
Hi Bruce, thanks for your comment. I did know about Kingsley Press's copies but sometimes I like to hold out for original versions. :) But new publications have the same content - I may go ahead with those. I too love biographies and history. I spent last summer in England and Ireland, they're beautiful! What is your magazine? I'm currently looking into the field of writing and publishing, would be interested in seeing what you put out.
Bruce, thanks for the info about your publication. I've enjoyed what I've seen so far - it's packed full of great stuff! I added your link to my blog. Is your group connected with Search Light Books who used to sell classic Christian books on eBay? I bought one of my favorite bios (Oswald Chambers') from them but can't seem to find them anymore.
Bruce, here's our story:
When Tim and Dawn Brown of Kokomo, IN went to Lake Charles, LA in the spring of 2005 to meet the mother who would give up her child for them to adopt, little did they know it would involve a hurricane.
The couple, who are Pastors at Southview Assembly of God in Kokomo, looked forward all summer to September when their baby would arrive. When hurricane Katrina blew in to the Gulf Coast, all of the family was relieved because Lake Charles was west of the area devastated.
On September 18, 2005 Tim & Dawn along with Dawn's parents Charles and Jan Crank and Dawn's sister Dana Leahy left Indiana in a motor home generously loaned by a member of their church. Mr. Crank shared the driving with Tim as far as Baton Rouge, La where he left the group due to commitments elsewhere.
The party of four were assisted in Lake Charles by Pastor Carl Richard and members of Glad Tidings Assembly of God. The baby was born Sept 20 and although they could not yet legally name her Tim & Dawn called her Lacey Nicole. There were some complications and baby Lacey required oxygen and monitoring in the intensive care unit at the Gautier Campus of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital.
By Sept. 22 the meteorologists were all predicting another hurricane, this time in western Louisiana & eastern Texas. The birth mother was dismissed and evacuated with her family to Dallas, Texas. The hospital was sending baby Lacey to Women's Hospital, Baton Rouge, La. Tim, Dawn, Jan & Dana drove to Baton Rouge and were fortunate enough to be able to park the motor home near the hospital. The only power in the motor home would be with a noisy generator. They arrived before the caravan of ambulances and were able to locate baby Lacey quickly. Since they were not yet her legal parents Tim & Dawn had to obtain a power of attorney to authorize her medical care in Baton Rouge.
The staff at Women's Hospital was extremely sensitive and caring even though they were caring for over 100 babies in ICU instead of their normal 60. All four of the family were allowed to sleep on the floor in a room in the hospital for several nights rather than in a motor home during a hurricane.
By Sat. Sept 24 they had been spared any serious damage from Rita and Sunday Sept. 25 would be the first legal date that the baby's birth mother could sign papers permitting Tim & Dawn to take baby Lacey back to Indiana. But that would be difficult to accomplish now since she was in Texas. Dana, with 3 children at home in Indiana flew home on Sunday.
Baby Lacey was breathing better and eating well and it seemed she could leave the hospital soon. Tim & Dawn were making cell phone calls to Pastor Richard who was now staying in Mississippi and attempting to reach the attorney from Lake Charles who was facilitating the adoption. He could not be reached for a couple of days. They were in contact, when phone service allowed, with the director of the Lake Charles Crisis Pregnancy Center from her evacuation site and she was also trying to contact the attorney and birth mother.
On Monday Sept. 26 Tim thought they would be leaving very soon and was preparing the motor home when he encountered a mechanical problem. After more phone calls to various shops and help and moral support from other new fathers at the hospital he found a mechanic to come to make the repairs.
Baby Lacey was now released from the hospital but the group could not leave Louisiana until the birth mother signed those papers. Tim & Dawn, baby Lacey and Grandmother Jan were now living in the motor home wherever they could park. The attorney finally reached Tim and had contacted another attorney in Dallas to oversee the legal work with the birth mother. On Thurs. Sept. 29 word was received that all was in order, papers signed and they could take their baby home.
They stopped in Marion, IL for fuel and food and got together with Randy, Linda & Kayla Brown for their first visit with baby Lacey. They are now at home in Indiana beginning their life as a family of three.
Hi, how can I contact you? Your email address isn't working and your web site is down.
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