Southern California is earning a well-deserved reputation as the “freeway-chase capitol” of the world … and rightly so. At least once or twice a week now, the evening news reports on another semi-brain dead simpleton who apparently believes he can outrun the police.
Recently, however, one chase was especially interesting. The suspect speed off like all the other car-chase celebrities but then added an extra component … running out of gas, he jumped from his vehicle and fled on foot; then, jumping a guardrail, he inadvertently leaped over the edge of a 400 foot embankment … the final section of which was a vertical, 75 foot drop to the canyon floor.
The suspect broke his pelvis, both shoulders, and suffered multiple head and body lacerations and scrapes. He was arrested in the hospital after being treated for his injuries. Local authorities expect a lawsuit to follow.
I recall another man who tried to run from a higher authority: the prophet Jonah. He tried to flee from God when called upon to preach to Nineveh. In the case of the prophet his leap was aided by fellow travelers and ended in the gut of a great fish.
In the end his injuries were more emotional than physical … and of course the cliff-jumper will end up in prison, while the prophet ended up in the gospels, being cited by the Lord Jesus Christ as the only sign this adulterous generation will ever receive. But the lesson is the same: run, but don’t expect to hide when God is calling!
Showing posts with label Ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ministry. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2008
CALL: Run If You Want!
Friday, July 27, 2007
PRIORITIES: When Push Comes to Shove!
THIS PROBLEM WON’T GO AWAY: [Psalm 119:143]
The story is told of a duck hunter who’s black lab, “Phideaux,” had been trained to do exactly the right thing in virtually every instance.
Seems the hunter and a friend were out duck hunting one early spring morning and a sizable flock of birds flew over the lake. Both hunters simultaneously shouldered their weapons and fired. Two birds dropped from the sky and hit the water at the same time. Phideaux leaped from the blind and swam to the two ducks. Sensing one bird was just wounded, he raced toward it an retrieved it for his master. Instantly, he returned to the water and retrieved the dead fowl.
The friend of the dog’s owner said, “How did he know to do that?” The dog’s master said I trained him to know which birds were not going anywhere and to retrieve the others first.
Emergencies in ministry are like that. Those of us in ministry would do well to learn this principle: recognize early which emergencies aren’t going anywhere, then work on the others. You can always return to an emergency (read: opportunity) that’s not going anywhere.
The story is told of a duck hunter who’s black lab, “Phideaux,” had been trained to do exactly the right thing in virtually every instance.
Seems the hunter and a friend were out duck hunting one early spring morning and a sizable flock of birds flew over the lake. Both hunters simultaneously shouldered their weapons and fired. Two birds dropped from the sky and hit the water at the same time. Phideaux leaped from the blind and swam to the two ducks. Sensing one bird was just wounded, he raced toward it an retrieved it for his master. Instantly, he returned to the water and retrieved the dead fowl.
The friend of the dog’s owner said, “How did he know to do that?” The dog’s master said I trained him to know which birds were not going anywhere and to retrieve the others first.
Emergencies in ministry are like that. Those of us in ministry would do well to learn this principle: recognize early which emergencies aren’t going anywhere, then work on the others. You can always return to an emergency (read: opportunity) that’s not going anywhere.
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