"The breath in my lungs"

After Tressel Hawkins was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for seven days along with his two friends Curtis Hall and James Phillips, the Coast Guard called off the search.

The three pals had set out on a fishing trip in a 23-foot catamaran in August of 2009 when the boat's bilge pumps malfunctioned, flooding the boat's cabin and ultimately capsizing the vessel more than 80 miles off the Texas coast. Hawkins grabbed whatever food he could find and survived for the next week sharing bubble gum, two bags of chips, a six-pack of crackers and three gallons of water with his two friends. 

It was a chance encounter eight days after the boat capsized that ultimately provided salvation. The skipper on another fishing boat on the way to Texas from Louisiana spotted the desperate fishermen about 200 miles from land. Eddie Yaklin says he saw something bobbing in the water and decided to go check it out.

I had the opportunity to interview Tressel Hawkins shortly after the ordeal and I will never forget one of the things he said. 

He told me about his hunger pains and hallucinations. He showed me the sores on his legs where he was stung by jellyfish while trying to escape the sun in the water. He says it was prayer that ultimately pulled him through. But, it was the content of those prayers that really stood out to me. 

Hawkins says the first few days his prayers were much like you would imagine. He asked God to rescue him and tried to make bargains with God on how he would change his life. Then, the last couple of days those prayers changed. He started to offer prayers of thanksgiving. He simply said, "thank you for the breath in my lungs". 

Tressel Hawkins

What a powerful message for us this week as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. When I think about all the things I have and realize how blessed I am, I often overlook the gift of life. Make no mistake about it, that is a gift from God. 

Not only does he give us life here on this earth, he offers us hope for an eternity with Him in paradise. Our aim is to finish the race with God. Jesus offers us that hope in John 14: 

2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

If I could just touch his garment

Have you ever read a portion of scripture and thought to yourself, "how awesome would it have been to be there"? You can find one of those moments in Mark 5:

25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

If I could just touch his clothes! What an experience that would be to feel the healing power of Jesus Christ!

Did you know you have that opportunity? It is available to you through his blood. Christ invites you to come in contact with him at the cross. It was prophesied in Isaiah 53:

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

In this race, the cross is the power of God (1 Cor 1:18) to heal you and put you on the right course to life!


*developed from comments made by Chris August at Sunday night's concert at the VBC from TobyMac's Hits Deep Tour

Live Out Loud!

I read a scary statistic in Dr. Kara E. Powell's Sticky Faith. She sites a study that shows 50% of youth group members will lose or shelve their faith while in college. As a youth minister, I am startled by that statistic.

How do our kids beat the odds and develop a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ? I believe it starts with a willingness to live out loud.

Too often we want to camouflage our faith because our desire is to fit in and not ruffle any feathers. At times we all struggle with living in a way that others can clearly see we are Christians. Should a Christian even be able to blend in with the people around them? In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus explains...

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

We have a responsibility to live out our faith so that others can see Christ living in us.

This was our theme this past weekend for the MYG Fall Retreat. We focused on what living out loud means and how letting our light shine helps us remain focused on our relationship with Jesus Christ.

MYG Fall Retreat - Nature's Classroom in Mentone, AL

When we live out loud our faith becomes real. When we avoid blending in, we are avoiding places and situations that allow us to be tempted.

Living out loud is all about running the race while modeling our lives after the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

I Ain't Nothin'

What is a Christian without Christ? It's really simple. This race is all about Him!

This is a saying I learned a long time ago and it has stuck with me. If you break down the word Christian, you can see where we need to focus.

(And, yes I know it is grammatically incorrect and should be "I am nothing". I just think it gives it more emphasis to say "I ain't nothin'". Plus, it makes it more memorable.)

A Spiritually Stubbed Toe

Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  (Psalm 119:105)

Have you ever walked through a dark room and stubbed your toe?  What a painful experience as you hop on one foot and try to console your injured toe by clutching it in your hand.  If only you had taken the time to turn on the light, or grab a flashlight to guide each step.  But, you didn’t.  Now, look at the pain it has caused.

 

In the 119^th Psalm we find the word of God compared to a lamp, a light to guide us on our path.  That is because this world that we live in is full of spiritual darkness.  If we try to feel our way through on our own, we will get hurt a lot worse than a stubbed toe.  But, if we turn to God’s word, our path in this race will be illuminated and clear.