I implore you to bear with me through this beginning. I do have a point, and it’s not what it seems by reading the first portion of this entry. I’m really not like this. Really.
I enjoy a plethora of interests: reading, writing, movies, fishing, discussions, ministry, computers, photography, and other sub-categories of these. But of all the hobbies that keep my attention, of all the things that bring me enjoyment, of all the stuff that occupies my time, on thing stands out; there’s one subject that means more to me than anything else.
That subject is me.
If we were really honest with ourselves, I would venture to say that all of us are very dear to our own hearts. I mean, if it came down to getting a $10 billion check or getting served with an arrest warrant, which would you rather have the guy next door get, and which would you rather receive? See? We like ourselves, and sometimes we think it’s great to just sit back and ponder just how much better we are than so-and-so down the road.
I believe you should give people an occasional “pat on the back.” If they help you, if they do you some good, tell them how much you appreciate them. I have received some wonderful compliments over the years, and while I can’t list them all, some hold a special place in my heart and a vivid place in my recollection.
Now, if you’ve managed to make it this far, allow me to desist with the self-aggrandizement and return to reality, however skewed my own reality may at times become. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m really not like the person I described above. Yet I do feel that those who are indeed important in your life (in whatever manner that might be) should be told what you think of them.
I have a dear friend, Jason Miller, who for all that we potentially disagree upon (you can check out his blog to see for yourself; parental advisory—sorry Jake!), I wouldn’t trade for the world. Well, maybe for a nice pie recipe and a pinball machine. Anyway, last year Jason gave me one of the best compliments I’d ever received. He hadn’t been thrilled with my decision to go into the ministry nearly a decade before. But he said, “I’ve given it a lot of thought [over the last eight or nine years], and I’ve finally decided that I respect you.” That did, and still does, mean a lot to me.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to help in leading a woman to the Lord. After we had prayed, she said, “You know, when I listen to you, it’s not like you’re preaching at me or to me. It’s like you’re talking to me, like you’re teaching me.” That, she said, is what made the difference in her decision to accept Christ. That I made the Word of God easy for her to understand and practical enough to apply to her life was a compliment any pastor would love to hear.
But to these and other positive comments, I would like to say something. It’s not about me. If I am of benefit to anyone, if any of my words make some impact on a life, it is because the Lord has used me for that purpose. God has been so good to me, and I feel that anything I can give in service to Him makes my life have meaning. The Lord deserves all the praise and glory, not me.
I would be lying if I said that some little part of me wouldn’t like to have my name up in lights, or that I wouldn’t like to say or do something that would be remembered through the ages of time. That would be nice. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter whether the world remembers your name. What matters is that God remembers your name.
Contemporary Christian artist David Phelps has a song called Legacy of Love (album: Life Is A Church), and one part of the lyrics speak of my thoughts on this topic:
And as I look into the eyes of my daughters and my sons,
I hope I’ve stood for something that they’ll want to carry on.
‘Cause life is far too short not to finally realize
That it’s long enough to make a difference in someone’s life.
One day my time on earth will end. On some headstone in some cemetery, some wanderer will see my name carved in marble, a date of birth and a date of death. These dates will be separated by a little dash, one tiny hyphen. It is that hyphen that will symbolize my life, the choices, the triumphs and tragedies, the difference I made in some life. Some may think that I gave up a lot, or too much, in giving my life to the ministry. But another song on the latest album by the Gaither Vocal Band, Give it Away (same title as the song, by the way) sums up my feelings:
If you want more happy than your heart will hold,
If you want to stand taller if the truth were told,
Take whatever you have, and give it away.
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun,
And deep satisfaction when the day is done,
Throw your heart wide open, and give it away.
My desire is to make an eternal impact. To change one life for the better, to offer a word of encouragement, to be there as a source of strength or to lend a shoulder for crying, I can think of nothing better, nothing more fulfilling to me. I hope that my contribution to this life means something to someone, and that my children and grandchildren might one day look at my life and say, “I’d like to be like him.”
If I go unnoticed in this life, that’s okay with me. I’m only here for a little while, anyway. But to know you’re making a difference somewhere is really what keeps me going. Allow the Lord to guide your steps, no matter where you happen to be walking, and let Him show you how you can be there for someone else. You’ll be hard-pressed to find something to compare to it.
Also stop by CREEations, a great blog by Chris Cree. I’m sure you’ll find some encouragement and maybe a laugh or two! You might not see everything eye-to-eye with him, but he will stir your interest in your Christian relationship.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
I enjoy a plethora of interests: reading, writing, movies, fishing, discussions, ministry, computers, photography, and other sub-categories of these. But of all the hobbies that keep my attention, of all the things that bring me enjoyment, of all the stuff that occupies my time, on thing stands out; there’s one subject that means more to me than anything else.
That subject is me.
If we were really honest with ourselves, I would venture to say that all of us are very dear to our own hearts. I mean, if it came down to getting a $10 billion check or getting served with an arrest warrant, which would you rather have the guy next door get, and which would you rather receive? See? We like ourselves, and sometimes we think it’s great to just sit back and ponder just how much better we are than so-and-so down the road.
I believe you should give people an occasional “pat on the back.” If they help you, if they do you some good, tell them how much you appreciate them. I have received some wonderful compliments over the years, and while I can’t list them all, some hold a special place in my heart and a vivid place in my recollection.
Now, if you’ve managed to make it this far, allow me to desist with the self-aggrandizement and return to reality, however skewed my own reality may at times become. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m really not like the person I described above. Yet I do feel that those who are indeed important in your life (in whatever manner that might be) should be told what you think of them.
I have a dear friend, Jason Miller, who for all that we potentially disagree upon (you can check out his blog to see for yourself; parental advisory—sorry Jake!), I wouldn’t trade for the world. Well, maybe for a nice pie recipe and a pinball machine. Anyway, last year Jason gave me one of the best compliments I’d ever received. He hadn’t been thrilled with my decision to go into the ministry nearly a decade before. But he said, “I’ve given it a lot of thought [over the last eight or nine years], and I’ve finally decided that I respect you.” That did, and still does, mean a lot to me.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to help in leading a woman to the Lord. After we had prayed, she said, “You know, when I listen to you, it’s not like you’re preaching at me or to me. It’s like you’re talking to me, like you’re teaching me.” That, she said, is what made the difference in her decision to accept Christ. That I made the Word of God easy for her to understand and practical enough to apply to her life was a compliment any pastor would love to hear.
But to these and other positive comments, I would like to say something. It’s not about me. If I am of benefit to anyone, if any of my words make some impact on a life, it is because the Lord has used me for that purpose. God has been so good to me, and I feel that anything I can give in service to Him makes my life have meaning. The Lord deserves all the praise and glory, not me.
I would be lying if I said that some little part of me wouldn’t like to have my name up in lights, or that I wouldn’t like to say or do something that would be remembered through the ages of time. That would be nice. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter whether the world remembers your name. What matters is that God remembers your name.
Contemporary Christian artist David Phelps has a song called Legacy of Love (album: Life Is A Church), and one part of the lyrics speak of my thoughts on this topic:
And as I look into the eyes of my daughters and my sons,
I hope I’ve stood for something that they’ll want to carry on.
‘Cause life is far too short not to finally realize
That it’s long enough to make a difference in someone’s life.
One day my time on earth will end. On some headstone in some cemetery, some wanderer will see my name carved in marble, a date of birth and a date of death. These dates will be separated by a little dash, one tiny hyphen. It is that hyphen that will symbolize my life, the choices, the triumphs and tragedies, the difference I made in some life. Some may think that I gave up a lot, or too much, in giving my life to the ministry. But another song on the latest album by the Gaither Vocal Band, Give it Away (same title as the song, by the way) sums up my feelings:
If you want more happy than your heart will hold,
If you want to stand taller if the truth were told,
Take whatever you have, and give it away.
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun,
And deep satisfaction when the day is done,
Throw your heart wide open, and give it away.
My desire is to make an eternal impact. To change one life for the better, to offer a word of encouragement, to be there as a source of strength or to lend a shoulder for crying, I can think of nothing better, nothing more fulfilling to me. I hope that my contribution to this life means something to someone, and that my children and grandchildren might one day look at my life and say, “I’d like to be like him.”
If I go unnoticed in this life, that’s okay with me. I’m only here for a little while, anyway. But to know you’re making a difference somewhere is really what keeps me going. Allow the Lord to guide your steps, no matter where you happen to be walking, and let Him show you how you can be there for someone else. You’ll be hard-pressed to find something to compare to it.
Also stop by CREEations, a great blog by Chris Cree. I’m sure you’ll find some encouragement and maybe a laugh or two! You might not see everything eye-to-eye with him, but he will stir your interest in your Christian relationship.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
2 comments:
So I came across this blog posting while checking to see who had linked to my blog. It's part of a greater process called "vanity searching." I do this on a regular basis to see if people still like me. Heh.
Anyway, Chris, this is the second time you've mentioned that I was disappointed in you for going into the ministry. And I was at first. It was quite arrogant for me to think I knew what was best for you. I'm sorry for that. I felt you could have finished school and still had 50 or so years to be a preacher. But what do I know? Even if I did give you good advice about Megan. ahem.
The point is that you have to make your own path, and once I was mature enough to understand that, I was no longer disappointed. Not that my disappointment should ever matter to you. And watching you give a passionate sermon in church sealed it that you are where you are supposed to be. And you only said like two things I found disagreeable! The Baptist fellow down the road from me sends me into epeleptic paroxisms. Congrats on that.
Anyway, God bless you, brother. I want you to know, that I still believe in Christ, even if I don't always believe in his followers. But I believe in you. I also believe you'll do great things and that one day your journey will fork. You will be led to take your church in a new and interesting direction...and you'll probably be uncomfortable with it. But they'll be ready because God is leading them too. Just remember me when it happens.
Putting my crystal ball away,
Jason
What an absolutely wonderful post!
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