I am called to live by the same faith that Noah sailed by

I spent part of my morning listening to Jim Brinkerhoff's final sermon at the Auburn Church of Christ from Nov. 10th. Jim passed away last week and I attended a service celebrating his life Sunday.

I got a lot out of the lesson just from the sermon itself, but also from reflecting on his style of preaching and all the lessons I have heard from Jim over the years. His level of preparation is inspiring and his intellect makes me want to study harder. Jim taught me what a man of God should look like, because he spent his entire ministry pointing to God.

In this final sermon he is discussing the flood.  There were a couple of points that stood out. The first is the title of this post, "I am called to live by the same faith that Noah sailed by."

He goes on to remind us of God's gracious offer before the flood. And that at some point God's gracious offer ends. The same is true for us in God's final judgement when Christ returns. Check out the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:

37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Jim says, "Do not let business as usual cause you to forget... How are you responding to the patience of God?"

See you soon, Jim

I was one of more than 1,000 people that flooded the Auburn Church of Christ Sunday to pay respect to a man that changed lives and inspired thousands of people to look to Jesus. Jim Brinkerhoff died last week after 30 years with the Auburn Christian Student Center. The sheer number of family, friends and former students in attendance is enough to tell the story of who Jim was and what he meant to so many.

Photo from Walt Malone

Over the last few days, I have read many tributes to Jim through blogs and social media. Each one of those tributes describing our beloved campus minister as a man of God who taught us what it means to serve the Lord.

I posted the following on facebook the day after he passed away:

My heart is still heavy with the news of Jim Brinkerhoff's passing. As the campus minister at the Auburn's Christian Student Center, Jim touched thousands of lives as he helped students develop and own their faith. 

What I remember most about Jim is how he poured himself into every lesson. You could tell how much he cared about what he was saying in those brief pauses where he would hold up a finger and invite you in to his thoughts a little deeper.

The lesson I try to live by and will always remember is a simple one: "I am a Christian who just happens to be a student(or whatever your current occupation or circumstance)". I have repeated this countless times in various lessons and conversations.

Jim Brinkerhoff was a giant of our faith in the way he lived his life always pointing to Jesus, showing us what it means to live Matt. 5:16. His legacy will live on throughout the world through us who shine the light we saw in him so abundantly. 

Sunday's service was captured on video. You can watch it in its entirety at the Auburn Church of Christ website under sermons.

"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.