Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Colossians 4.2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving

In her book 'The Hiding Place', Corrie ten Boom recounts her experiences as a prisoner during World War 2. While living in Holland, Corrie and her family were arrested for helping hide Jews from the Nazi's. Her parents didn't survive the horror which followed and Corrie and her sister Betsy were eventually transfered to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck, Germany.

It was a large camp with several oversized and overcrowded barracks. Each barracks housed hundreds of prisoners. On their first day there, Betsy and Corrie were shown their sleeping platform, a wooden base covered with mouldly, foul-smelling straw. Corrie felt something pinch her leg. "Fleas!" she cried! Sure enough, the barracks were infested with them!

Through a miracle they had been able to smuggle a small Bible in with them. If caught, they would be severely punished. Betsy opened the Bible and reminded Corrie that the Word of God instructed to pray earnestly and be always thankful.

As hard as it was, they began to thank God for the fleas. Over the next several months, the sisters began to notice something strange. The guards never came to their barracks! They took courage and began to lead the women in prayer and Bible study right in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp! Through this countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ. Their barracks became a sanctuary and a refuge in the midst of hell.

It was only some time later that they discovered the reason why the guards left them alone. They stayed away because of the severe infestation of fleas!

God calls us all to be vigilant in our prayers. And He wants us to do it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Our ability to do this should have nothing to do with our circumstances but rather we obey simply because His Word tells us to.

When was the last time we stopped complaining about our problems and instead thanked God for them. Maybe our problems aren't really problems, just God's blessing in disguise!

It might not be what we expected, but if God can use a flea to keep His children safe during a holocaust, imagine what He might use to help you!

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She Said Yes! (Colossians 1)

She Said Yes! (Colossians 1)

Colossians 1.10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God [niv]

On 20th April 1999, Cassie Bernall, a junior at Columbine High in Littleton Colorado, was a typical teenager having a typical day, when a couple of her classmates trained a gun on her head and asked if she believed in God. She said "Yes". Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold pulled the trigger and shot her in the head. They went on to kill another 12 students and a teacher and injured 26 others before turning the gun on themselves.

Christians all around the world were impacted by the news of Cassie's death, with many calling her a modern day martyr. In the wake of the Columbine shootings, many Christian teens began asking themselves tough questions like, "What if it were me?" Many saw the possibility of dying for Christ as attractive. The idea of martyrdom became popular.

Helping this along were merchandisers who saw this as a great business opportunity. Cassie's last words, "Yes, I believe" have been immortalized on everything from key chains and t-shirts, to bracelets and coffee mugs.

While I stand in awe of those who have laid down their life for the Gospel of Christ, we need to be careful not to turn martyrdom into something that it isn't. Yes, dying for Christ is an honour, but so is living for Him. I think dying is easy, it's faithfully living for Him, day after day which is a harder thing to do. In fact the most amazing thing to me about Cassie's story, wasn't how she died but rather how she lived.

May we live a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him in every good work and growing in the knowledge of Him.

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A Six Year Old Can Make a Difference! (Philippians 2)

A Six Year Old Can Make a Difference! (Philippians 2)

Philippians 2.4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. [niv]

In 1998, when Ryan Hreljac was in grade one he learned from his teacher that people were dying because they didn't have clean water to drink. He started doing simple household chores to raise money to buy a well for a village in Uganda. After four months of hard work, he managed to save $70 only to discover that a well would take $2000 to drill. Undaunted, he set out talking with family and friends, challenging them and raising much needed funds. By then end of 1998 he had raised $3000, making headlines in the local newspaper.

Ryan’s determination continued to grow. Today the Ryan's Well Foundation, has raised millions of dollars and has built a total of 502 water and sanitation projects in 16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over 621,712 people.

And Ryan is not alone. Erin Oquindo received 99 pairs of shoes and 154 pairs of socks last September for her 9th birthday. All of which she promptly gave away. When Erin invited friends to her birthday party, she told them she didn't want gifts for herself but asked them to bring shoes and socks to donate to a local charity for orphans. This is just one of the many mission projects Erin has participated in. She has donated her time and efforts to an array of causes including hurricane relief, clothing and food drive and aid for animals. When asked why she does what she does, Erin commented, "It makes me happy and it honours God. I think it makes Him happy too!"

Although they may be young, these amazing kids have learned something that we as adults tend to forget. They have learned to look out for the interests of others. In our 'me' focussed world, imagine just how different life would be if we all spent a little more time helping others instead of helping ourselves.

After all, this is how Jesus lived!

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God Finishes What He Starts! (Philippians 1)

God Finishes What He Starts! (Philippians 1)

**Please welcome the beautiful Cathy Swan as she guest writes today's s2s post.

Philippians 1.6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (NIV)

In 1921 a young missionary couple from Sweden felt the call of God to go to Africa. David and Svea Flood met up with a couple called the Ericksons from Scandinavia, who also felt the call of God. After praying for direction they all felt to leave the main mission in the Belgian Congo and go to a remote village and take the Gospel there.

The chief of the village refused to let them enter the town for fear they would convert the locals and anger their gods. So they went a half mile up the hill and built their own mud huts.

They prayed hard for a breakthrough into the village, but nothing happened. The only contact they were allowed was with a young boy who could come and sell them chickens and eggs twice a week. Svea Flood was a small woman of only 4 feet, and she decided that if this young boy was the only African she could have contact with, then she would try to lead him to Christ. She succeeded!

Meanwhile, malaria continued to strike each of the families down, and in time the Scandinavian couple decided they had had enough and went back down to the main mission. Shortly after, Svea found she was pregnant in the middle of this primitive wilderness. The chief at least allowed the local midwife to help her deliver, and a little girl was born. However the labour was exhausting and because of her many bouts of malaria Svea was too weak and lasted only another seventeen days.

That was the last blow for David Flood. He dug a grave, buried her, and took his newborn daughter down the mountain to the mission station. There he gave his newborn daughter to the Ericksons saying, “I’ve lost my wife, I obviously can’t take care of this baby, God has ruined my life!” He then left for Sweden, turning his back on his calling, and on God.

Within eight months the Ericksons were struck down with an illness and died also. The little baby girl 'Aina' was given to some American missionaries who changed her name to Aggie and brought her back to the States. They loved her and gave her a wonderful upbringing.

She later married a young man named Dewey Hurst and had her own family. After many years Dewey became president of a Christian college that had strong roots in Scandinavia. One day a Swedish magazine was sent to her and as she couldn't read the language she flipped through it. As she turned the pages she saw a picture of a primitive grave with a white cross and the name of Svea Flood on it. She ran to one of the lecturers who could speak the language and asked him to read it to her.

He quickly told her: - It was about missionaries who had come to N'dolera long ago...the birth of a white baby...the death of the young mother...the one little African boy who had been led to Christ...and how, after the whites had all left, the boy had grown up and finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village. The article said that gradually he won all his students to Christ...the children led their parents to Christ...even the chief had become a Christian. Today there were six hundred Christian believers in that one village... All because of the sacrifice of David and Svea Flood!

She later found her father, a broken, bitter man who was very ill and still fell into a rage at the mention of ‘God’. As she talked to him, and told him of her life and the testimony of the African village, he slowly began to soften. By the end of that day he had come back to God and felt peace after so many years.

A few years later, the Hurst's were attending a high-level evangelism conference in England, where a report was given from the nation of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo). The superintendent of the national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the gospel's spread in his nation. Aggie could not help going to ask him afterward if he had ever heard of David and Svea Flood.

"Yes, madam," the man replied in French, his words then being translated into English. "It was Svea Flood who led me to Jesus Christ. I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day your mother's grave and her memory are honored by all of us.

God in all His brilliance will begin a great work in us, and even if circumstances derail us He will be faithful to see that work finished in us. Even though David Flood lived with bitterness for most of his life, God still used the testimony of David’s sacrifice to ultimately win him back to the Fathers heart. God finishes what He starts!

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Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Ephesians 5.18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit [nkjv]

Jesse Martin was just 18 years old when he became the youngest solo yachtsman to sail non-stop around the globe. Sailing in his 11-metre sloop, named 'Lionheart', the trip covered 50,000 kms and took 328 days to complete. To Jesse, the dream of sailing was perfect weather, with a nice breeze pushing you along so you can just be steering the boat. His dream of sailing the globe became an adventure of a lifetime and an inspiration to many.

Paul tells us in this verse to be filled with the Spirit. Immediately my mind pictures someone pouring water into a glass until it is filled to the brim. Having grown up in Pentecostal circles, we are told constantly to lift up our hands and be filled with the Holy Spirit. But in thinking about it, once the glass is full, then what? It can't get any fuller, unless of course some spills over the sides.

The picture Paul is trying to paint for us is not a glass being filled but rather of a sail on a ship catching the wind. As the sail is hoisted up, it fills with wind, propelling the boat forward. To me one of the most amazing signs of a Spirit filled life is the ability to move forward in the journey. We are not meant to stand still. A Spirit filled life is not a stationary one. There is movement and energy associated with it.

Just like young Jesse discovered, a boat with wind in its sails can lead to all sorts of adventure and will be an inspiration to many.

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A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

Ephesians 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love... [nkjv]

In June 2003, Cindy Kennedy was traveling on a bus in Nepal when she read a newspaper article about a 6-year old girl, Lalita, living in a prison with her father and his girlfriend. The two adults had murdered Lalita's mother. Kennedy had arrived in Nepal just 10 days earlier to begin the final stages of setting up Namaste House, an orphanage for Nepali children.

"I had sat here (in the United States) for years reading the internet news and not being able to do anything," says Kennedy. "So now that I was there, in Nepal, we had to go get this girl!"

Kennedy and a Nepali colleague got on another hot crowded bus the next day and travelled 13 hours to the prison where Lalita had been living for nine months. For five days Kennedy patiently tolerated what she calls "a lot of bureaucracy and hurry-up-and-wait." But Lalita was ultimately released. She became the first child to find a home at Namaste House.

Today 27 children, ages 3-12, live at Namaste House. Even though each has a unique story, they all have a common thread of hardship, abandonment and neglect. And despite the difficulties they have had to endure at such an early age, they now not only have a mother's love but also a permanent place to call home. They have been given a gift which will change them forever.

Paul's prayer is this verse is that "Christ would dwell in our heart." The word 'dwell' conveys the idea 'finding a permanent home.' Jesus is not looking for a holiday house where He can come and visit but rather He is wanting to set up permanent residency in our hearts.

If we truly understood the implications of this, just like the children at Namaste House, our lives will never be the same again.

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The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

Galatians 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. [nkjv]

Eric Choppin was 36 years old and 407 pounds when he got the call from NBC to say he was a contestant on Season 3 of the Biggest Loser. He had struggled most of his life to overcome his battle with obesity and this was the chance of a lifetime to finally walk free. It was literally now a matter of life or death as he had been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and a variety of weight related medical conditions.

He worked hard and with the help of his trainers, Eric managed to lose 214 pounds in 12 weeks, making him that season's Biggest Loser. However once the show was over and the cameras were switched off, Eric struggled to maintain his new weight. Over the months which followed, he gained 122 pounds! Feeling ashamed, he did his best to avoid the media by using older photograph's of himself on Facebook and myspace, and even turned down an offer to appear on Oprah with the other Biggest Loser contestants.

In January, Eric could no longer live a lie. He accepted a second invitation by Oprah to share his story and struggle. Many were shocked by how far he had fallen. During the interview he candidly admitted his failure, he apologised to those he had let down and made a fresh commitment to continue his battle to overcome obesity.

I've come to greatly admire people like Eric. People who refuse to give up despite failure.

I wish more Christians had this same tenacity. So many of us keep getting caught out by the same temptations over and over again. After years of falling down, we see ourselves as weak and powerless.

But the truth remains, Jesus has paid the price so we can be free. This doesn't give us a green light to sin but it does mean that if we fall, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we have a choice to make, do we admit defeat and stay down or are we brave enough to get back up, dust ourselves off, place both feet firmly on the ground and continue the fight.

Someone once said, "the secret of happiness is freedom and the secret of freedom is courage."

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Be All You Can Be! (Mark 14)

Be All You Can Be! (Mark 14)

Mark 14. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. [nkjv]

Randy Kraus was paralyzed. His left side was useless. But his right hand was good enough to lift the barrel of a .38 to his temple. Once, he'd been a police officer in Fresno, California, and owned a private-eye agency. Once, he'd been strong and able. Now, he felt he was nothing.

His trouble started with Parkinson's disease, but it didn't end there. In July 2002, the 60-year-old Kraus went into the hospital for an operation that implanted electrodes in his brain to control the shaking. But during the operation, he had a stroke. He was paralyzed. The cop, the tough guy, the man who loved golf, "could think, but couldn't move." Transferred to a rehab hospital, Kraus wanted the therapists to give it to him straight. "You may never walk again," they told him. "Maybe you won't even be able to talk."

Once home, he found he couldn't lift a fork or take a drink by himself. Physical therapy was so painful and slow. What did he have to live for? So now Kraus held the gun against his head. Feeling the cold metal on his skin, he began to consider not his pain, but the pain he would cause his wife, daughters and grandchildren. He didn't pull the trigger.

And his exercise physiologist, Andrew Garud, didn't pull any punches with him. "You are where you are", he told him. "The pace would be slow; the pain would be real. But as long as you are alive, you have the ability to get better." After three months of working with Garud, Kraus wanted to see if he could stand. He could. Then he took three steps, sat down and cried like a baby.

One step, as they say, led to another. Next he managed a short walk along the edge of a boxing ring in the health club where they worked out. It was the hardest fight of Kraus's life. People at the gym cheered him on. Garud kept saying he could do more.

Today, Kraus can walk up to 50 feet with no assistance, brush his teeth, shave himself, and uses an eletric wheelchair to enjoy an active lifestyle. He finds great pride in helping local patients find their path to recovery, just like he found his. He has become an inspiration to many.

Sometimes we can mistakenly think that success is receiving world wide recognition for your talents and achievements. We can think that success equals money in the bank, a degree on the wall, a top 10 hit. But Jesus' definition of success is found in this story of the lady with the anointing oil. He praised her because she did all she could!

God expects no more from us than doing ALL we can do.

For each of us that will be different because we all have different capacities. The question we need to ask ourselves is, "Have I done what God has asked of me to the best of my ability?"

Sometimes we set the bar too low. Left on our own we often take the easy road. We all need at least one person in our life like Andrew Garud. Someone who will speak the truth and urge us on. Someone who believes in us and someone who won't settle for any less than our best.

John Wesley once said, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can as long as ever you can."

Simply by doing the most insignificant task to the best of your ability, you could inspire a whole generation.

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Jesus Still Changes Lives! (Mark 6)

Jesus Still Changes Lives! (Mark 6)

Mark 6.3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. [nkjv]

Nicky Cruz wasn't even 4 years old when his heart turned to stone. As one of 18 children born to witchcraft-practicing parents from Puerto Rico, bloodshed and mayhem were common occurrences in his life. He suffered severe physical and mental abuse at their hands, at one time being declared the "Son of Satan" by his mother while she was in a spiritual trance.When he was 15, Nicky's father sent him to visit an older brother in New York. Nicky didn't stay with his brother long. Instead, full of anger and rage, he chose to make it on his own.

Tough, but lonely, by age 16 he became a member of the notorious Brooklyn street gang known as the Mau Maus (named after a bloodthirsty African tribe). Within six months he became their leader. Cruz fearlessly ruled the streets as warlord of one of the gangs most dreaded by rivals and police. Lost in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and brutal violence, his life took a tragic turn for the worse after a friend and fellow gang member was horribly stabbed and beaten and died in Nicky's arms.

As Cruz' reputation grew, so did his haunting nightmares. Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky's fate as "headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell."

No authority figure could reach Cruz - until he met a skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky - showing him something he'd never known before: Relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life, yet the love of God remained - stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered.

Finally, Wilkerson's presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of his heart. Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom.

At church yesterday, our pastor preached an amazing message titled, 'Jesus still changes lives!'. This carpenter who lived 2000 years ago in a remote part of the world is still in the business of changing people's lives.

As a carpenter, Jesus would have learned a few things. He learned that there is potential hidden within an ordinary log. He would have learned that it takes work and time to draw out that potential and make something usable. And just like Nicky Cruz's story reminds us, He would have learned that the finest things are made from the hardest wood.

There are so many hurting people on this earth waiting for a carpenter, just like Jesus, to walk up to them and tell them that they are loved, there is hope and that Jesus can change their life.

Lord let me be that person for someone today!

Watch Nicky share his testimony. You can also check out the upcoming remake of 'Run Baby Run'

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Speak Less, Get Married, Change the World (Mark 1)

Speak Less, Get Married, Change the World (Mark 1)

Mark 1.41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed. [nkjv]

I am constantly blown away by the amount of money people spend on their wedding. In the USA there are around 2.5 million weddings every year with the average budget for each wedding being estimated at $20,000. That's a cool $40 billion dollars spent on weddings each year in America! And there are those who believe this number could be as high as $70 billion a year.

Here in Australia things aren't that much different. Recent figures show the average cost of saying 'I do' has reached $28,700. Last year in Australia we spent $3.8 billion on weddings.

In the spring of 2007, Michigan residents Christine Bouwkamp and Kyle Kramer got married. They made a decision to break with tradition and forgo an expensive sit down reception. Instead they calculated what they would have spent and used that money to purchase groceries. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, they spread the word that a truck with free food would be parked at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Immediately after exchanging vows, they put on their aprons marked 'bride' and 'groom' and invited their wedding guests to help them in distributing food to 100 neighbourhood families.

When asked about the charitable act, the happy couple simply said they wanted to “bless God for blessing us with each other.”

I find it so refreshing to read stories like this one. I think I must be getting more and more cynical the older I get but it just seems to me like the message of the moment is 'social justice'. Everyone seems to be supporting something, somewhere. It's trendy. Don't get me wrong I love that people are finally awakening to something that has been on God's heart since Adam but I often find myself questioning their motives. Does that band really have a burden for the children of Africa or are they just in it for what it gives them - sponsorship dollars and credibility?

I don't want to cast shadows over everyone who gets on a platform and promotes a cause. There are amazing people in the Christian arena using their influence to help thousands in need. People like Darlene Zschech, Michael W Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, just to name but a few.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's not enough to simply echo the message of social justice. We need to act.

Before Jesus even said a word, He first reached out and touched the leper. He chose to demonstrate His compassion before He said anything. To a leper, deprived of human contact for who knows how many years, Jesus did the one thing which spoke volumes, He touched him. There is a saying which goes, "People don't care how much you know until they seen how much you care."

Our actions speak louder than words.

In his book, 'The Irresistible Revolution", Shane Claiborne writes about meeting Mother Teresa in the streets of Calcutta. "People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. Sometimes it's like they wonder if she glowed in the dark or had a halo. She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a little ornery - like a beautiful, wise old granny. But there is one thing I will never forget - her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn't going to ask, of course. "Hey Mother, what's wrong with your feet?" One day a sister said to us, "Have you noticed her feet?" We nodded, curious. She said, "Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through them and finds them for herself. And years of doing that have deformed her feet." years of loving her neighbour as herself and dwelling among the world's poorest deformed her feet."

Maybe I need to speak less and act more.

Lord help me to show Your love to a needy world. Let me be a person of action, not just talk.

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A Woman with an Easel Feeds Two Billion People! (Judges 4)

A Woman with an Easel Feeds Two Billion People! (Judges 4)

Judges 4.9 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. [nkjv]

The Hebrew word used in the Book of Judges for 'judge' is 'shaphat'. It doesn't particularly mean someone who sits in a courtroom and decides legal issues. Rather it contains more the idea of a heroic leader. For a brief time in Israel's history, Deborah was known as the heroic leader of the day. She was the chosen one, the person set apart by God to lead a nation. Yet in this instance, one person alone was not enough to win the battle against the Canaanite army. To see victory would take the collaborative efforts of 10,003 people. Deborah, Barak, Jael and 10,00 Israelite soldiers.

Everybody had a specific role to play. Everybody doing their little bit to achieve a big result.

Shortly after the American Civil War, Professor Joseph Budd and his family moved to Ames, Iowa so he could take up a position as Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University. He had a daughter named Etta May Budd. She loved art and following in her fathers footsteps, began to teach art at Simpson College in Indianola. It was here that she met a young black man by the name of George Washington Carver, the son of former slaves. He had enrolled in one of her classes and loved to paint, escpecially still life paintings of plants and flowers. He also love gardening. Etta helped him to find gardening jobs with families around Indianola.

As his friend and art teacher, Etta took Carver aside and urged him to study something besides art. Etta told him it would be difficult for him to support himself or his family with his paintings and encouraged him to study plants rather than painting them. She suggested Iowa State University as her father was a Professor there and offered to go with him. Carver agreed and enrolled.

Carver excelled in his studies, especially biology and upon graduation was offered a teaching position. He was the first black teacher that Iowa State had ever hired. During his time at the university, Carver would take long walks in the surrounding fields to study plants for research. On some of these walks he would be accompanied by a new little friend by the name of Henry A Wallace - the six year old son of the dairy science professor. Carver would share with him his love of plants and the boy responded enthusiastically. By age 11, Wallace began doing experiments with different varieties of corn.

As an adult, Wallace's fascination with corn continued. He developed some of the first hybrid corn varieties. In 1933, Wallace became Secretary of Agriculture under President Franklin Roosevelt and in 1940 went on to become Vice President of The United States.

After the 1940 election, Wallace and his family took a holiday to Mexico where he found corn to be an integral part of most Mexican families diet. He noticed that the yield in Mexico was a lot lower than that of the hybrid variety in the USA. Wallace came up with the idea to create agriculture experimental stations to develop improved corn varieties suitable for the climate and soil of Mexico. After sourcing funding, the first station was built in Mexico.

One of the first scientists Wallace employed to join the Mexican station was a man by the name of Norman Borlaug. As a result of his work, 20 years after the station was built, corn production in Mexico has doubled and wheat production had increased five-fold. Borlaug went on to work in Pakistan and India. His work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Padma Vibhushan (India's highest civillian honour to non-citizens) for his developments in high yielding wheat, rice and corn. Through his work, Norman Borlaug is attributed for saving the lives of over 2 billion people!

I am sure that Etta Budd had no idea that her simple encouragement to a friend would result in changing the lives of over 2 billion people. Etta helped Carver, Carver helped Wallace, Wallace helped Borlaug and Borlaug helped the world!

We are so quick to recognise the achievements of individuals throughout history, that sometimes we fail to remember that those successes may have not been possible if it were not for the encouragement of a close friend or mentor. A school teacher. A parent. A youth pastor. Ordinary everyday people who took the time to perform an ordinary act of kindness for someone else which resulted in an extraordinary outcome for many.

Teilhard de Chardin, a French philosopher and Jesuit priest once said, "Do not forget that the value and interest of life is not so much to do conspicuous things as to do ordinary things with the perception of their enormous value."

The Apostle Paul said it this way, "Let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith." (Gal 6.9-10 MSG)

Regardless of who we are, what position we hold, what dreams we carry, we all have a part to play in someone else's journey. No person is an island. Years from now, when I have long left this earth, I wonder how many lives will have been shaped for good as a result of my actions and conversations today?

Lord help me to be someone who is generous with my time and with my words. Help me keep my eyes on the big picture so that discouragement won't creep in. Let me never isolate myself from people or hold back when I have the opportunity to do good, no matter how inconvenient. Keep reminding me that that my dreams will come true as I help others fulfill theirs.

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A Man with an Ox Goad can Change the World (Judges 3)

A Man with an Ox Goad can Change the World (Judges 3)

Judges 3.31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel. [njkv]

We don't know a lot about Shamgar except for the fact that he was the son of Anath and he was one of the Judges of Israel who killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. The verse seems out of place and there is some conjecture as to where it sits in history. However from reading between the lines we can safely assume one thing - Shamgar wasn't a trained military officer. He was a farmer. Even though his name meant 'sword', he was someone most likely skilled in agriculture rather than war.

In his hands he carried an ox goad. This is a traditional farming implement used to spur and guide oxen while pulling a cart. It was a long wooden pole tipped at one end by a sharpened iron point and a flattened chisel-like blade at the other. The sharp end was used to poke through the tough hide of the oxen to keep them motivated while pulling the plough. The other end was used to scrape the plowshare free of roots, thorns and accumulated clay.

What I find amazing about this story is that Shamgar was prepared to step out and fight a battle with just an ox goad. He used what was in his hands to change a nation!

I am someone who has lived most of my life with the thought that God has something important for me to do. People I respect have prophesied all kinds of things over my life and at the time these resonated a big fat "YES" inside of me. But then I begin to look around and I see people better skilled, better placed and better equipped than I am. What I have is not enough. So I hold back.

I wonder what thoughts were going through Shamgar's mind just before the battle? Was He scared? I wonder if he felt under-qualified and under-skilled to face the Philistines? Did he hesitate?

What I am learning is that when we compare ourselves to others, all we do is devalue who we are and what we have to offer. I believe that every single person has been given specific skills and abilities. Scientists says that the average person has between 500-700 different skills and abilities. You could call them talents or maybe strengths. When you combine these strengths with personality type, personal experience and training, you end up with a unique package which is not duplicated anywhere in the world.

No one else can do what I do, the way I do it. I am unique.

God has a purpose for my life. He has placed in my hands exactly what I need, for the task at hand. I need to stop comparing myself to others and step out in faith, trusting that He is with me. And I can change the world.

Father let me never forget that I am unique, that You have a specific purpose for me and You have gifted me with specific strengths to see this come to pass. Help me to step out in faith and see the enemy put to flight.

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