Dear Paul,
It’s sad that you left us so soon, and so quickly. I know the Father decided it was time to call you home, I just wish that you could have shared your incredible gifts with us for a while longer. There was so much more you wanted to accomplish here. It seems that no one will ever be able to impact us the way that you did.
It was so cool to peek into your office and see you listening to some piece of music, alone in the Fathers presence, enraptured in HIS glory. I found myself sitting at your desk the other day (I think your desk was under there somewhere). I was thinking about your infectious laughter, your love of music, your compassion for the unlovely, and your vision for what a body of authentic worshippers could accomplish for the Father. I was also wondering who is going to answer my gadget questions? I can recall each step we took in my ever growing appreciation for technology. I went from barely being able to turn on a computer to texting and emailing from the Blackberry you encouraged us all to get. Who’s going to listen to my ideas about ministry and be able to tell me which ones are stupid without hurting me. You were good at that. I loved that we could disagree vehemently, but never at the cost of our friendship and respect. Thank you for taking the “heat” when I wanted to try something new and risky. It always seemed that when something was going to fall through the cracks – you were there, holding it up.
All a person leaves here on this earth is a legacy. Yours will be seen each Sunday as we lift up our worship to a God that you helped us to know. It will be seen in children who serve and love as their father did. It will be seen in the quality of ministry that is rare for a church our size. I will be seen in the disciples you helped make, who even now are trying to fill the cracks (as you would).
You made me better. You were thoughtful, selfless, and kind. You were patient, passionate, and loving. Paul, I am going to try to be a little more like you…because that will make me a little more like Christ.
In loving memory of my friend and co-laborer, Paul L. Bailey.
Headlines are so cool. I love reading the headlines at the news sites on the internet (Is that weird?). I especially like headlines that lead me to wonder “what’s the rest of the story”. Here are some that caught my eye just today:
“Killer who claimed he was too fat is executed” Was he worried that the electric chair straps wouldn’t fit? That happened to me on a ride at Carowinds once.
“Boxer wraps hands in son’s used diapers” Does anyone want to fight this guy? I guess it is good stewardship of the environment to not put them in the landfill.
“Rat Hunt Leads to School Lockdown” I wonder if it was rifle or bow season? Just to be sporting, it should be against the rules to put out Swiss.
“Man tapes woman’s mouth shut, says he just wants to be heard” I know how he feels. Enough said.
The thing about all of these headlines is that when you go to read the story, it’s usually not what you would expect. For instance in the case of the “rat hunt”, it turns out that a lady living near the school was shooting rats on her property. She was seen with a gun and was mistaken for a student. The school was locked down out of concern for the safety of the children. I was enticed by the headline and a little disappointed by the story.
This is the way the evil one works in our world. We are constantly being enticed (usually through the media) by what appears to be fun or satisfying experiences. We catch a glimpse of something and often want to find out more. Sex, intoxicating substances, power or money driven lives. From the outside they are presented to us as fun and fulfilling. Remember, the headline may not relate the true story.
Have you ever seen a commercial for beer that ends with someone’s child being killed by a drunk driver. Why don’t all those movies about teens trying to have sex end with the guy at an AIDS clinic? The reason is Satan does not want us to think about the end of the story. He hopes we will be caught by the headline, drawn in, and lost in a lifestyle of futility.
Peter said it this way: “… your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith…” (I peter 5:8-9).
The other thing I wonder is why we often stop with reading God’s headlines, and don’t try to get the whole story. You know the headlines: “God is Love”, Jesus died for me”, Treat people nice”, “Give ten percent”, God is powerful”. We hear a talk in church or youth group. We are given an overview, a big picture, a headline; but we don’t go any deeper. We know a lot of “Christian speak”, but very little about the God we are referring to. Isn’t the gospel so compelling that we should search out every nook and cranny of the story? Here is a newsflash for you IT IS!
[Posted 10.17.08]
For the past ten years or so, some young people have been getting involved in a dangerous behavior called “cutting”. The numbers of kids cutting themselves rises every year, and is often a precursor to more self destructive behavior and even suicide. I bet most of the students that attend Faith know somebody that is “cutting”. My daughter, Grace has had a burden for these hurting kids, and has begun supporting a great organization that is providing support for them. I asked her to write a little about it.
It all started with a 19 year old girl with more than 50 scars on her arms who was considered too great a risk by the treatment center that rejected her. To Write Love On Her Arms got her while she was still high on cocaine and would only have her for five days before she hit rehab, so they decided to make it the most amazing, love-filled days of her life. She was treated like a princess, they took her to concerts, out to ice cream, and they just listened to her. Renee Yohe is now a completely different person because TWLOHA showing her the love of Christ. She just published her journals from the first days and comments, and she doesn't even recognize herself.
TWLOHA is a non-profit organization to give help and hope to those that deal with addictions, self-inflicted pain, and suicide. They started selling clothes to pay for Renee's days with them, but now they also fund a help line, which they call Hopeline to give counsel to those who need it. They also sponsor days where people around the nation write love on their arms, in support of the hurting. The clothes are awesome; they need our support. Read the story for yourself, check out the clothes, and pray.
www.twloha.com
[Posted 10.1.08]
"We have this short time on earth -- what are we going to do with it?" That is a great question. I recently heard a man ask that very same thing. It wasn’t my pastor. It wasn’t one of the guys who keeps me accountable. It wasn’t Rick Warren. It wasn’t even the Holy Spirit during my devotions. It was Dale Webster. Ever heard of him? Nor many people outside of the surfing world have. I am not a surfer. However, his story appeared in my Sports Illustrated recently and it caught my attention. You see, this guy devoted his life to a single pursuit. Surfing.
On Sep. 3, 1975 a storm along the coast of California kicked up some serious waves, and Webster decided to go catch some. He surfed again the next day, and the next, and the next. He set the record when he surfed on his 10,000th straight day. Now, for over 32 years, he hasn’t missed a day. Several times recently, Webster said he would quit when he reach a milestone (like 12,000 consecutive days) but he can’t seem to do it. He has gone through over 35 wet suits, put off getting married for 10 years (because his streak would not be recognized if witnessed by a relative), surfed with kidney stones, gone through a series on menial jobs, not traveled outside the county he lives in, and scraped off over 45 pounds of surf wax into a pile in his back yard.
Webster’s streak is amazing (You can read about it at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/chris_ballard/04/23/webster/index.html). There are certainly a lot of positive lessons to be learned from his life. Commitment, faithfulness, perseverance, devotion. Can you imagine if this guy were a Christian? What if he could apply the same passion and energy to eternal pursuits. What if we could? I have thought about this a lot since I read his story. If I had even a fraction of his single-mindedness my life would be so different. I would serve God with fervor. I would pray daily. I would share the gospel often and freely. I Would never, never, never miss a day in The Word. I would join Kevin at the soup kitchen (and not just talk about it). I would spend more money on God’s work around the world and less on me.
What would you do How would your walk with Jesus Christ change if you had a little Dale Webster in you? As the man said: "We have this short time on earth -- what are we going to do with it?" [Posted 8/12/08]