"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.  

At some point, you're going to have a wreck

I posted yesterday about my trip to Texas and getting to see some great folks and a great football game. What I did not include in that post was what happened as I was preparing to leave.

Here are the basics of the trip: Thursday I flew into Austin. Then drove over to College Station to see the football game. Saturday night and Sunday morning, I made my way to Victoria to preach at the College Church of Christ. Monday, I drove up to Austin where I flew out Tuesday morning.

While I was on the way to Austin Monday an accident happened. I was headed up Highway 183 through Luling when a man in a pickup truck pulled out in front of me. I was driving about 55 miles per hour at the time and he entered the highway from my left on what was essentially a two lane highway. Construction has the two outside lanes blocked off. It appeared he was going to stay in the middle of the road until I was able to pass. However, as I got closer to his truck, he came over into my lane. I slammed on the brakes and tried to avoid him, but there just wasn't enough space between us. 

Map shows Luling, TX between Austin and Victoria

When I picked up the white Hyundai Elantra on Thursday there were only about 600 miles on the car. It was virtually brand new. Now, it has damage to the front passenger side and the front door on that side makes a popping noise when you try to open it.

Scene of the accident

The wreck wasn't my fault, but it sure wasn't the way I had planned to spend my final day in Texas. After waiting for the officer and swapping information, I had spent about 45 minutes on the side of the road. The guy that pulled out in front of me did not speak English, but he did have insurance. I had to immediately drive to the airport (about 40 miles away) to file an incident report with the rental company. I spent about an hour there before they swapped out my car and I was on my way. 

What happens next? I really don't know. I do know I wish I would have paid for that extra insurance. I think my insurance will cover any expenses the rental company tries to throw my way. But, in reality, there really shouldn't be any. However, if I would have just paid of few more bucks there would be nothing to worry about.

What's the lesson in all of this? At some point, you are going to have a wreck. 

Our lives are going to end up in a wreck if we don't do something about it. The difference is it will be our fault (Romans 3:23). And, there is only one way to avoid the penalty (Romans 6:23).

It's simple! 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

The race is all about Him!

My Texas Family

I returned Tuesday from a trip to Texas where I got to see an amazing football game and had the chance to catch up with some old friends.

Amazing Football Game

Before I moved back to Huntsville in 2010, I spent a little over three years in the Lone Star State working for a TV station in Victoria, Tex. While I was there, I worshiped with the College Church of Christ where I served as pulpit minister part-time for about two years.

I am blessed to call the members of that congregation my Texas family. They took me in and treated me like kinfolk. It is not a large group, but love is abundant among the family of believers.

Part of my Texas Family: (Top Row: Bill, Ruth, and me)

(Bottom Row: Jim, me, Wanda, Nataliegh, and Jordan)

What is this love all about? I believe it is the love we read about in Ephesians 3:14-21:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We share a common bond in our Lord Jesus Christ! In this fellowship we get to experience the fullness of God. As you read this, I hope you get the chance to experience Christ's love here on this earth.

The people in the church are far from perfect. But, as we allow Christ to dwell in our hearts, we begin to understand what it means to be rooted in love. And, that is what it is all about!

In this race, we run together with our eyes fixed on Him. It's a lot easier to get to the end when we have someone loving us by our side.