The Girl With No Future

         Désirée was a fourteen-year-old teenager, and she was nervous. She had enrolled in the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts.          

         Like, many girls her age, she battled insecurities. Moreover, her life had been especially difficult. Included in her misfortunes was the death of her father, who died when she was four.

         Her grandfather had been a performer at one time, and he had encouraged her to pursue acting as she was growing up. Now, with her mother's approval, she was to begin acting lessons in a prestigious school.  

         Sadly, her dreams were not realized. Brutally, experts and professionals told her that she "had no future at all as a performer."

         Our blessing is that Désirée ultimately did not listen to those who were supposedly able to see into her future. She continued to pursue a career in acting, using modeling as her portal into her dream profession.

         Today, who does not enjoy watching Lucille Désirée Ball perform in movies and her classic TV show?

         A lot of people grow so depressed living in this world, they cannot bear to look to the future.

         I’m so glad we serve One, who is not only the God of the past and present, but also of the future. He sees what we cannot see, and He is moving our world to powerful, yet wonderful end. Although we cannot see it as He can, we can view it with hope through faith.

          20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Eph. 3:20-21.)

  

Source for Lucille Ball story: u-s-history.com

Snappy Answers

            An old story is told about a truck driver who was driving along on the freeway.  A highway sign appeared on the side of the road that read, “Low Bridge Ahead.”

            Before he knew it, the bridge was right ahead of the driver, and he got stuck under the bridge.

            Traffic backed up for miles.  Finally, a police car arrived and the officer got out of his car and walked up to the truck driver. He put his hand on his hips and said, “Got stuck, huh?”

            The truck driver came back with a snappy answer, “No, I was just delivering this bridge and ran out of gas.”

            Funny, but it probably did not help him with the cop.

            Someday, you and I will be standing before an even greater authority figure. When asked about our hope for eternity, it will not be the time for snappy answers. As a matter fact, one word would surely do—Jesus.

Setting Sights too Low

            Sometimes, we set our sights too low, don’t we?

            I’m reminded of the story of the father who said to his son, "Son, I'd rather you fail in school than cheat."

            To which the son replied, “If that's what you want, I guarantee results."

            The world needs people who have a vision—a vision that rises above the fallen creation. Who better to supply that vision than God’s people?

Reality Bites

The movie that probably epitomized Generation X was the 1994 movie, REALITY BITES. It featured young stars Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder. It also starred an up and coming young actor named Ben Stiller.

The movie was about the travails of this generation. A deep point of insight came from this quote, which I wrote down years ago so as not to forget. It comes from Ethan Hawke’s character, "Troy":

            When my father found out he had cancer, he gave me this big, pink seashell, and he says to me, “Son, the answers are all inside of this.” And then I realize the shell's empty. There's no point to any of this. It's just a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes.

Much communication lies behind this paragraph. Many of that generation continue to view the world as Troy. Life is empty and meaningless. My hope from the Bible is that there is a better way to view the world.

Happy, 80th Birthday, Daddy

            This morning I had my blog post ready to go when it occurred to me, today was my dad’s birthday. He would have turned 80.  This is poignant to me because he was about my age when he died. A lot has happened since then.

            I would post his photo but he died long before we knew digital photos. (Maybe I need to consider scanning some.)

            Daddy did not see email. Six months after he died, I received a hand-written letter he had sent me, when I was in New Guinea. It had been mistakenly placed on a ship, instead of an airplane. It arrived long after I had left for home; the missionaries kindly mailed it back to me—by air.

            He missed the fall of the Iron Curtain and 9/11. He missed the firing of Tom Landry and wins under Jimmy Johnson.

            When daddy died, we didn’t know who George W. Bush was. Heck, Ronald Reagan was only two and a half years in to his presidency.

            He never knew my wife. He, obviously, did not know his grandchildren. He never saw the adult my sister grew up to be, nor her husband and children.

           

            He never saw the human being that my mother became. Indeed, I think the crises of his illness and death helped make her the woman she became.

            Daddy never saw any of this.

            Yet, because of the work of Jesus, considering Daddy’s place in eternity, maybe he did. 

Discouragement? Never!

Who doesn’t enjoy watching children play baseball? There is an old story about a man watching a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was.

The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing—we're behind."

"Boy," said the spectator, "I'll bet you're discouraged."

"Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!"

Because of the work of Jesus, we has Christians have all of the reason in the world to forestall discouragement and maintain hope:

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:1-2.)