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Other Recent Blog Entries: Lessons I Learned
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'Fireproof' Tell
Them Thanks for Me Thanks
for Ten Years Together
Good News for Bad Times
Your God and Your Tears The Biggest Giver Ever |
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| Submitted: Tuesday, September 12, 2006; 12:32 p.m. print this page ● feedback ● main ALSBOM site |
To be a disciple is to be a
learner -- a lifelong learner. This crucial affirmation
resonated afresh with me as I have reflected on my most recent
visit with our ministry partners in Ukraine. Reggie Quimby and I
returned from our eventful trip just in time to jetlag our way
through Labor Day and then speed through the busy start of a
fall marathon of ministry tasks which do not abate prior to
Christmas.
Our visit began unceremoniously with flight delays due to
maintenance concerns and weather-related challenges. Our luggage
went to New York, and we proceeded to Paris and onto the Crimean
region by way of Kiev. Kiev is in the northern part of the
country and Crimea is nestled in the southern region on the
Black Sea.
As you might imagine, this frustrating series of events -- as
well as the overall experience itself -- helped us learn or,
perhaps better stated, relearn some valuable lessons. The first
lesson is the most obvious: You can live out of a little hand
bag for three or more days. With the most recent carry-on
restrictions, we could not pack hygiene items, such as shaving
creams, deodorant and toothpaste. We had a partial one-day
change of clothing, such as a shirt and undergarments, and a
book for reading -- and that was it.
Before we left, Mike Shaw, chair of the Alabama Baptist State
Board of Missions, kiddingly said, "What is Rick going to do
without hairspray for a day?". What about three days? Yes, we
did buy some items when we discovered the news about our luggage
but -- like many of you -- there is no substitute for your own
things, especially when you travel internationally.
The second valuable lesson learned relates to the Christian
witness of the Ukrainians themselves. We were enriched by the
winsome testimonies of how people were true to the faith during
the dark days of Communist rule. Despite the philosophical and
governmental adversities throughout the seven decades of
Communism, many believers in Ukraine and elsewhere in the former
Soviet Union were faithful to Christ. Their commitment serves as
an encouragement to us to remain steadfast in our faith in the
culture of permissiveness here in the U.S.
While Reggie and I visited the picturesque area of the Crimea,
we were taken to a site along the Black Sea where nuclear
submarines were housed for repairs. This huge cavernous compound
is now a museum open to the public. The setting is most
impressive. Literally thousands of Soviet personnel worked
non-stop on these vessels in an attempt to keep them seaworthy.
This was serious business for the Soviet Navy. They were always
on alert in this period of the Cold War.
If memory serves me correctly, the mountain-sized base was
opened in 1962, around the time of the historic Cuban Missile
Crisis with the U.S. For the four decades this base was
operational, this facility was dedicated to repairing and
servicing as many as six nuclear submarines at a time. The
lesson I learned or relearned was sobering: This is and always
has been a dangerous world. During the frightening days of the
Cold War, I along with untold numbers of other school age Baby
Boomers, wore dog tags for identification and experienced
numerous drills preparing for a potential nuclear attack.
The Ukrainian believers with whom we worked knew this history as
well as we; yet there seemed to be an understanding between us
which transcended former political differences. We are one in
Christ! We have more in common with each other than we do with
unbelieving fellow citizens in our own countries.
The Soviet Union and the U.S. were both serious about the Cold
War. Now the Ukrainian Baptists and Alabama Baptists need to be
even more serious about sharing the gospel in both Alabama and
Ukraine. If nations can be that serious about war, surely we can
be even more serious about evangelism. This truly is the most
serious business!!!!
Lifelong Leadership Lessons
| Submitted: Thursday, August 10, 2006; 10:52 a.m. print this page ● feedback ● main ALSBOM site |
As a card-carrying member of
the largest generation known as the Baby Boomers, I can remember
where I was when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on
November 22, 1963. I was in the sixth grade, and my teacher was
leading the class in a discussion when another teacher entered
the room and whispered to her a message. My teacher was in the
late stages of a pregnancy, I was shocked when I saw her leap to
her feet and walk over to the newly-displayed television and
turn to the breaking news comments of Walter Cronkite. This was
the first time I had ever witnessed a news anchor becoming
emotional as he reported on current events. Walter Cronkite
declared in a choked and somber voice, "The president is dead."
I also have distinct recollections of the moon landing in July
of 1969. I was thrilled to see Neil Armstrong leave his
spacecraft to walk on the moon and then utter the now famous
words, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
Sadly, I can vividly recall President Richard Nixon offering his
resignation in August 1974. In his transparent extemporaneous
comments, Nixon spoke of his humble socio-economic background
and his own tendencies to seek revenge in politics. His
statement: "Don't ever hate anyone, for when you do they win"
was most telling. The end of the 1970s arguably began the War on
Terror with the Iranian hostage crisis. I was leading in a
revival effort in Birmingham when I learned of the seizure of
the American embassy in Teheran in the month of November of
1979. Since that date the US and the other democracies, have
been impacted by the radical elements of Islamic fundamentalism
which have become so familiar to us today.
Who can forget the scenes of destruction and mayhem etched in
our memories we simply describe as 911? September 11, 2001 will
be a lasting recollection for multiple generations. As we
approach the fifth anniversary of this terrible cataclysmic
event we would do well to reflect on a couple of salient truths.
First, personal security is elusive. In our time, we highly
value a sense of security. We speak often of Homeland Security
and Social Security. As Baptists, we traditionally hold to an
understanding of the Biblical doctrine of eternal security.
However, in the truest sense of the word, security in this world
can not be fully realized as it relates to personal safety. Our
security is found in the Lord not in ourselves or in our way of
life. The events of 911 remind us of just how vulnerable we are
to the machinations of evil doers.
This fifth anniversary of 911 can also remind us that personal
service is essential. The heroic actions of fire fighters,
police officers and other public servants -- as well as private
citizens on this dreadful day of terror -- are a source of
encouragement to us as servants of the Lord. We are truly on a
rescue mission as Christians. Our challenge is to help people to
find eternal safety in Christ. Sure there are things we can do
to assist people in practical ways during times of crisis, such
as disaster relief efforts following hurricanes like Katrina,
but my prayer is that we never forget our mission of "rescuing
the perishing and caring for the dying." That is exactly what
being a Great Commission Christian with an Acts 1:8 strategy
means. May we never forget that call and commission in a 911
world. This is an eventful day we should never forget as
Christians seeking to relate to people in a treacherous and
dangerous time.
