Little Big Man

The following is an article that came across my desk last week and I thought it should be shared with everyone. Last month I preached a lesson where I challenged us to consider what we could all do for the kingdom with “what we’ve got.” Too often we view challenges such as world hunger as “just too big” to do anything about… but oh, if we could just have the attitude of a child…

Little Big Man

Catch this idea. Little five year old Jackson Watson sees a TV program that is trying to raise awareness and money to feed starving West Africans. There are flies on these young children, they don’t have enough food to eat, the food they have is not that good for them. Jackson hits the sheets for sleep but when he awakes the next morning he decides he is going to do something about what he saw. He grabs an empty peanut butter jar, puts big stickers on the jar and writes a note so the children will know he wants them to eat good food like broccoli and carrots. (The stickers and jar are to put the flies in so they won’t be buzzing around the kids’ eyes.) He doesn’t want them to be hungry anymore. He takes the jar to Darryl who is the minister at his congregation so Darryl can get the jar to Africa to help these children.

Darryl sits and looks at the jar, decides to preach a lesson about it, puts the jar down on the Lord’s table, notices after services that there is $100 bucks in the jar, decides to bring little Jackson to the podium that evening, puts him on a chair and “little big man” explains to the congregation what he saw on TV. Enter another $509 bucks to the “bug jar.” The next Sunday another plea is made. The total is now $1000. Darryl tells the congregation about a worthy work in West Africa that is digging wells, and the farmers are raising crops. So the money is sent to help the children and this worthy work.

Now I don’t know what you think about Jackson. I don’t even know what you think about helping people that don’t have enough food to eat or have flies on their faces, but I do know this: If a five year old boy can spark an idea from “just doing the next right thing,” then people like you and me that have resources, have abilities and capabilities far greater than a five year old can do anything they set their minds to. We ought to have our minds set on preaching the gospel to the world.

What a lesson in just lifting where you stand with what you have in your hand. I hope Jackson never ever stops believing that he CAN do something about and for others.

-Lesley Brumfield—Safari for Souls 2008 Campaigner

I “amen” what Mr. Brumfield suggests. By the way… little Jackson is the grandson of our own Charles and Suzanne Higgins. What if we ALL had his same optimistic and determined spirit as Jaskson? What could we accomplish for the kingdom of God?

A Crazy Summer

It’s not that it isn’t true… I’m sure it is.  For years now people have been telling us that “these are the best years” referring to these years with our small children, Andy -8, David- 6, and Michael- 4.  I have not doubt that this sage wisdom from those parents who are just trying to encourage us is absolutely true… its just that sometimes it doesn’t FEEL like it.  I do have the sense, however, that these years are slipping away very quickly.  It seems to me that Andy should be, oh… about three… maybe four, but not eight!  Where has the time gone? 

So, I have really tried this summer to kick back, relax and spend more time at home or doing things with them.  Last Spring was so busy with baseball and school activities that I hardly felt like I had time to sit down.  So, I decided that my more flexible schedule this summer should allow me more time with them.  We’ve been to Chattanooga twice (quick trips really just to see the grandparents and spend time with them.)  That’s four hours in the car… per trip… by far the most difficult part of our journey!  (Actually one of those trips involved about seven hours in the car… as we spent 2 ½ on the side of the Interstate waiting on a tractor trailer accident to get cleaned out of the way.)  Their cousins have all come out to visit for a few days at a time.  One week John Paul, Amy, Karen, Charity and Sarah were with us… they’re great fun as they entertain our boys and help out around the house!  But, yes, that’s eight children at the house for those of you counting.  Our boys spent a week at their house a few weeks later (turnabout is fair play!)  Another week their cousins, Noah and Micah, were with us.  We all went out to a Huntsville Stars game… that never ended!  (We couldn’t stay up late enough to catch the fireworks after the game so we were a bit disappointed.  The Stars lost, too, by the way.)  This past week my sister’s girls, Reagan and Riley were with us.  We went down to Huntsville and spent a day at the Early Works Museum.  Great fun, but the talking tree sort of freaked little Reagan out.  Come to think of it… talking trees sort of freak me out, too.  Who thought that was a good idea for a children’s museum?  Haven’t they seen the Wizard of Oz?  This week we’re planning another quick trip to Nashville and the Grassmere Zoo with the girls.  I’m not sure why we’re going to the zoo… other than the fact its David’s birthday and that’s what he wanted to do???  I live in a zoo!

With all of this kicking back and relaxing with the children… I’m exhausted!  Anybody ready for school to start?

A Time of Refreshing

After preaching the good news to a group of folks who had gathered around Solomon’s Colonnade in Acts 3, the apostle Peter saw that they were convicted by the message. Seeing their desire to make things right, he told them, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” He then goes on to tell them about the Lord’s return, but pause there for a moment. What better way to describe the Christian life than as a “time of refreshing”? Let’s be honest. Our situation before Christ was dire. There was no hope. We had sinned and fallen short. But the hope of the gospel is that in Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed, restored… refreshed! Everybody could use this kind of refreshment, couldn’t they?

One of the problems of the Christian life, however, is that we can easily forget just how refreshing it is supposed to be. We can still allow the pressures and burdens of this life to get us down. We can even allow the activity of the church and the various works with which we are involved to take up so much of our energy that we get down… or sometimes even burned out. How tragic this is! Of course this ‘burn out’ as the world calls it is caused because we have failed to stay plugged in to the ultimate power source… Jesus Christ. We have failed to connect with him in a way that continually sustains and continually refreshes.

I always try to make Summer time a time of refreshing for me. It is a time when I try to sit back after a busy Spring and reflect, dream and think about my own faith and the faith of those with whom I minister. Last week the family and I went up to Nashville for a conference at Lipscomb University and for a time of refreshing. What a blessing it was to hear great messages from some terrific preachers who challenged me and spurred me to greater spiritual growth. Next week, we are going to try to get away for a few days just for some fun and relaxation. We all need these periods of “down time.” If you haven’t sought any spiritual refreshing this Summer, let me challenge you to do so. With school starting so early these days, most of us only have a few weeks left! Here’s a few ideas…

• Read a book that will challenge you spiritually.
• Go to a conference or lecture series.
• Read through a Biblical book that you haven’t read in a while.
• Listen to a sermon from someone other than me on the internet (check below for some suggestions...)
• Get away for a few days of retreat and reflect on what God is doing in your life.
• Do something different to challenge yourself spiritually.

Summer will grind to a halt soon enough and we will all be back in the groove of work, school, and activity… take advantage of every opportunity to be refreshed by God’s Word!

Listen online to great messages from preachers I have listened to...

Russ Adcox
Maury Hills Church of Christ, Columbia, TN
http://www.mauryhills.com/podcasts.htm

Shon Smith
University Church of Christ, Tuscaloosa
http://www.universitycofc.org/podcasts.html

Jeff Walling
Providence Road Church of Christ, Charlotte, N.C.
http://www.prcoc.org/Default.asp?page=239

Mike Cope
Highland Church of Christ, Abilene, TX
http://www.highlandchurch.org/resource/podcasts

Rick Atchley
Richland Hills Church of Christ, Dallas, TX
http://www.rhchurch.org/index.cfm?pg=doc&id=99

Patrick Mead
Rochester Church of Christ, Rochester, MI
http://www.rochestercoc.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FaithHighway/10000/4000/974RO/sermons

David Salisbury
Lomax Church of Christ, Hohenwald, TN
http://www.lomaxchurch.com/