March 10, 2013

• My Heroes

  This is another repost of thoughts I wrote out at facebook which I thought were worth sharing.

  Someone asked me who I considered a “Hero”. My “heroes” are not the people you’d expect. My “heroes” are people like Pastor Tim Wills (Joyce) who spent 26 years preaching the gospel in a single church, in obscurity, in near poverty, and holding forth what today is a very unpopular belief system (Calvinism). Tim was my pastor for nearly 15 years… believing in me when no one else would. Supporting me, when no one else wanted to. And ultimately drawing out of me more than I daresay I ever really believed to be there.

  My “heroes” are people like Sondi Digrazia — mother of three, who invested all she had into everyone she knew, to help one and all grow and mature in Christ. Not one person was ever turned away from her door, not one phone call was ever ill-timed for her. And her simple faith in God inspired all who knew her. Sondi was my mentor in Christ, my role model and my best friend.

  My “heroes” are people like Lucy & Matt Burton — Matt, who left his job late in life to go back to college so as to take a lesser paying job as a Youth Pastor…. all so that he could reach people with the message of the cross. Matt was my Bible study leader for nearly 6 years… and constantly challenged me to be real and practical with my faith. Lessons I keep on my heart to this day. And Lucy… was just a blessing to be around in any respect and a dear support to her husband when he wasn’t working and was slaving away on Greek verb tenses in College. (ROFL)

  My “heroes” are people like Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, George Muller, Hudson Taylor, Dwight L Moody, Charles Spurgeon and A W Tozer —- people who didn’t seek after wealth, fame or popularity, but rather sought to enlighten men of the gospel of Christ and the importance of correct and sound doctrine. People whom few know today, which is tragic, and fewer yet listen to — which is more tragic still.

  My “heroes” are those who’ve challenged me to be real with my faith, to take seriously the Bible, and to always remember that God is sovereign over all creation, and ultimately worthy of our praise. My “heroes” have changed my life —- not for the simple here and now…. but for all of eternity. And that….. is something worthy of my respect and admiration.

  I also need to add this comment from all that was said after I posted the above to my status.

  Matt – Lucy – Joyce — I wasn’t honestly trying to encourage you guys specifically … but rather to get others to think about just who has served to change their own lives that deserve some thanks / credit / recognition. (but…. you guys do deserve to be encouraged, so yeah…)
  
  All to often lately we name our heroes as “Iron Man”! or Superman, or Harry Potter….. created people who really have no actual life beyond the written page. I wanted to give actual faces to my “heroes”… those who really have had a serious impact on my life.
  
  I likewise forgot Chris Paschen who has stood by my side for over 30+ years now —- long before I was a Christian —- and who has never ceased to give me encouragement and support. One of these days, Chris, we really do need to get “www.bethelabba.com” up and running. I have some ideas still…

  And this last one.

  Robert Pingel,  is another one of my heroes, who invested himself into my life at critical points in order that I might view in all honesty what Christians ought to be like. From a simple place to lay my head, to helping me save money (unbeknownst to myself at the time… ROFL), to long talks on what living the Christian life really means….. Bob Pingel showed me the honest tenderness of Christ and the true devotion of a whole-hearted approach to living for Jesus.

  • 9:11 pm
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