Tag: courage

KATHERINE WEBB’S RISE TO FAME

Neal Pollard

Alabama was handling Notre Dame handily.  There was not much to notice on the field, so Brent Musburger observed the Tide signal-caller’s girlfriend in the stands, saying, “You quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women.  What a beautiful woman.”  Kirk Herbstreit agreed, and the cameramen could not show her enough.  By now, many have heard that her Twitter followers jumped from 2,300 that morning to 96,000 by night’s end.  She’s a celebrity favorite, and she will appear in a reality show, perhaps on “Dancing With The Stars,” and the ever-lascivious Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition this year (via http://www.ibtimes.com).  I mention this certainly not to endorse a woman whose prior greatest claim to fame, besides her attachment to A.J. McCarron, being finishing sixth in the Miss Alabama contest.  She epitomizes our culture’s obsession with sexuality and the body (Paul urges the godly woman to accentuate the inward, spiritual self in 1 Timothy 2:9-10).

My point in bringing her up is to show the power of the “right” word spoken at the “right” time.  Musburger had a national audience and he had something to talk about that was of interest to many of those listeners.  Certainly, Ms. Webb, as she assesses from a carnal standpoint, would consider herself a winner.

You and I have the most vital message the world could ever hear, the heart of which is the eternal salvation of the soul.  We may never have a forum like Mr. Musburger did on the night of the BCS National Championship, but we have daily opportunities to share this good news.  The Bible says, “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Prov. 25:11). A timely word is “delightful” (Prov. 15:23).  In the context of evangelism, Paul says, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col. 4:6). Repeatedly, God conveys the power of the “right” word being spoken at the “right” time.

How can we do this?  Pray. Be discerning.  Open your eyes.  Have courage. Genuinely care about souls.  Keep Ephesians 4:15 dear.

Consider that what you are after is infinitely more noble than any earthly ambition.  Do well in this and heaven’s population will grow.  What is more, you add fruit to your own account and are in position to have the acclaim of heaven on the greatest day of notoriety and infamy that will ever be (Prov. 11:30; 1 Cor. 3:11ff).

“DO NOT DIMINISH A WORD”

Neal Pollard

These are the “matter-of-fact” words of the Lord to Jeremiah concerning a sermon He wanted him to preach in the temple court of Jerusalem (Jer. 26:2).  God shows optimism that the people might repent, but they would have to “listen to” Him through Jeremiah’s message (Jer. 26:3-4).  If they would not “heed” the words of His servants the prophets, they would suffer severely for it (Jer. 26:5).

The priests and the prophets heard what Jeremiah spoke (Jer. 26:7-8), but it made them so mad they grabbed him and threatened to kill him (Jer. 26:8ff).  If not for the princes and the people (Jer. 26:16), they might have done to him what Jehoiakim once did to the prophet Urijah (Jer. 26:23).  But, despite the threats he received, Jeremiah obeyed the Lord’s command and did not change his message to soothe his angry hearers.  Instead, he told them, “Amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has prophesied against you” (Jer. 26:13).

Today, we are not yet at the point of facing physical persecution and death for preaching exactly what God’s Word says, but it is still not always easy.  Offending the guilty, “stepping on toes,” and “goin’ to meddlin'” can exact a price from the proclaimer.  The pressure and temptation exists to adapt the message to the audience’s lifestyle.  Paul warned of this possibility, telling Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  That describes the environment in many places, including some places among God’s people.  We must predetermine that, whether the winds blow for good or ill, we will not diminish a word of what God commands (2 Tim. 4:1-2).  Not warning people does not change the danger.  It just makes us subject to it, too!  As Micaiah famously said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that will I speak” (1 Kings 22:14).

The American Chicken In Chittagong

 

Neal Pollard

Almost five years ago, I was sitting in an unlocked car with Ralph Williams on the streets of Chittagong, Bangladesh.  Our driver and a native preacher had gone into an alley to find some breakfast for us.  It was about 7:00 AM, and all at once hundreds of men in full Muslim attire, white caps and white cloaks or brightly-colored hats and basic-colored cloaks, began streaming past us.  As I saw them, and among them undoubtedly some clerics and an imam or two, I confess to having had an elevated heart rate.  I felt vulnerable and a bit unsafe, knowing I stood out with my comparatively pale skin and American clothes.  My Bangladeshi vocabulary is very sketchy.  I kept thinking that I could not do much to protect myself or my more elderly companion.

Have you ever felt vulnerable, alone, helpless, and afraid?  Perhaps it takes more than a vivid imagination and a throng of Islamic pedestrian commuters to invoke such feelings from you, but most all of us experience feelings of being susceptible, anxious, and even alarm.  David certainly did!

He wrote, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow And my years with sighing; My strength has failed because of my iniquity, And my body has wasted away. Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life ” (Psalm 31:9-13).  Distress. Grief. Sorrow. Sighing. Failing strength. Wasted body. Reproach. Dread. Forgotten. Broken. Terror.

Perhaps you relate to that. A job loss. A failed relationship. Financial stress.  A fearful diagnosis. An accident. What do you do in the face of threats, trouble, and trials?  The rest of Psalm 31 answers that.  Trust in God (14), put your “times” in His hand (15), call upon Him (17), trust His provision (19-22), love Him (23), be strong, take courage, and hope in Him (24).  In a word, “God” is the answer.  But we must reach out to Him for that help.  When we do, we see our concerns in the clearer light of His power!

Another “Scandal” Involving A College Football Coach!

Neal Pollard

Everyone knows about the tragic situation at Penn State and even one involving Syracuse’s basketball coach.  Ohio State just received punishment for its misdeeds.  The list of university’s punished for transgressions is lengthy, with new investigations seemingly starting every month.  Add my beloved University of Georgia to the list, thanks to head coach Mark Richt.  He was sanctioned for NCAA rules violations in an issue investigators closed on November 30th.  Of course, it had to do with money.  Here is what Mr. Richt had the audacity to do: he paid several staffers (he felt were not adequately compensated by the school) out of his own pocket.  He paid coaches, the director of player development, director of sports medicine, video coordinators, and other assistants more than $60,000 of his own money.

That’s refreshing!  I know that Richt can afford to do that better than you and I can, but it still represents uncommon generosity.  He did not have to do this.  He was concerned about those he deemed under-compensated, and he gave to them.  Neither the university nor Richt were fined or penalized, but he was reprimanded.  The casual observer of college and professional athletics, where selfishness too often prevails, might secretly hope for a rash of Richt-like behavior.

You and I have the power to do this.  To some degree, we all can do it financially.  It may be a $20 sent anonymously in a card to someone in need.  It may be generously stocking the church pantry.  It may be taking a meal to a family.  It may be contributing money to missionaries at year’s end.

Yet, we can be generous in ways that do not involve money and have the same impact.  It may be a visit, babysitting, housecleaning, providing transportation, or the like.  But, going about doing good (cf. Ac. 20:35; Gal. 6:10) catches people off-guard.  In an “I-me-my” world, Christians can have the element of surprise simply by acts of kindness.  Let’s!