The Rest of Your Story

                Imagine a young man sitting in his dorm room listening to a radio station. It is the top of the hour break from the EIB Network show. At this hour, the local ABC News Radio station plays another show, about 5 minutes long. It’s a news show, it’s a commentary, it’s a feel good program. This day, however, the young man hears something that he couldn’t believe. Now to set the next part up, you must know that his last name is a more common Irish name, and the odds of two complete strangers with the same last name meeting being kinfolk. But his name wasn’t as common as Smith or Jones. That said, the commentator related to how he remembers going to his grandfather’s house as a lad. Grandpa was the postmaster of a Central Kansas town that bore the family name.

                The young man takes a double listen and flips over to another station where he knew the same show would be on at the bottom of the very hour. He hears it again. You see, this young man grew up knowing that his great grandfather was a postmaster of a small Central Kansas town that bore the family name. He was kinfolk to fame. For six months, he sold everyone he knew. His own father, however was skeptical. But how? Both men’s grandpas were postmasters of the Central Kansas town bearing the family name. He finally accepted it.

                Then one day, the young man, also a janitor for the college, was asked to fill in for the one who normally cleaned the upstairs part of the library. As he was cleaning, a title caught his eye, and he picked it up. It was by his favorite commentator. Then he read the back cover, looking for confirmation of the claim to fame he had. Paul Harvey, Jr. was born Paul Harvey Ardaunt, Jr… And now you know the rest of the story to my brief moment of being related to the best story teller this side of Louis L’Amour. Even to this day, as I read L’Amour’s stories, I hear it in Paul Harvey’s voice.

                Story One – Let me share another story with you. Joe was a preacher who loved to preach. He loved to share the Word of God with all who would listen. Enjoyed watching them turn their lives around, repenting, striving to live for God, loving God.  But like most preachers, he had a comfort zone. He liked being where he was. He knew the culture. It was his culture. He spoke the language. It was a comfortable tongue, easy on the ears, and sometimes a hoot to repeat. Life was rolling well for this preacher, the icon of the area. Then one day, God startled him.

                I don’t know if in his comfort of doing the same day in and day out, that he wasn’t listening for God’s voice. Perhaps that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he was too comfortable where he was that he started seeing the God of the universe start looking like his neighbors. He was comfortable with the sinners around him. Sinners whose sins were not as tangible. You know, the sins like lying, stealing, being greedy or mean in business. Or any of the other sins that could easily be kept behind closed doors, out of public view. These are the good sinners he was used to dealing with. On Sunday’s, he’d hear the words, “Great sermon, preacher!” That is what Joe is used to.

                Then Joe heard God’s voice. Go to the filthy sinners. Now these sinners are filthy sinners because you can look at them and know instantly that they don’t even come close to holding the same moral compass that Joe, or even you and I hold. One look, you can see their sins. But still God said to preach to them. Leave your comfort zone. They need my love too. Tell them that I am near.

Well, if you know typical preachers, we don’t always like to head a thousand miles away from home to a culture that we are not used to. Now he will have to use a language that sounds harsh on the ears, and to roll the tongue around the vowels? Forget about it! So you know what Joe did? He left. Oh eventually he did go where God wanted him to go. And his ministry was better than ever. He was the first preacher and the response to his message could stir envy even in the heart of Billy Graham. I wonder though: did he stay there? What was the rest of Joe’s story?

Story Two – Henry was a good Christian. He attended church regularly, helped maintain the volleyball courts, taught the high school group and even played in the church leagues, that is when he wasn’t working. He worked a graveyard shift at the nearby E-Z Mart, just down the road from the church. You see, Henry was a lucky man. He loved saying how lucky a person was. He had a routine in his life, almost OCD. He kept a worry stone in his pocket as well.  Then early one morning, he met Jerry. Jerry was a grizzled looking man who came in the darkest hour of Henry’s shift, the point where Henry wants to step inside the cooler and catch a short nap. No one comes in during that hour, until now, until Jerry. Jerry strikes up a conversation about faith. Normally Henry wouldn’t talk about his Christianity while at work, but because Jerry asked, he was free to talk about it.

Jerry then asked him about earlier when he was trimming the lawn along the highway at the church. A grain truck nearly tapped him. Henry, of course said that God saved him. Then Jerry moves on, satisfied with that answer and asked about the game later in the afternoon. You see, Henry hit a softball straight up and out to centerfielder. It was an easy out. It would have been the end of the game. But the fielder dropped the ball. Henry ended up batting two runners in for the win. Henry said he was lucky that the fielder dropped the ball. Oh Jerry did not like that answer.

Nevertheless, Jerry remained composed and questioned Henry. Doesn’t God care of the small things in our lives or just the really big ones? You think that you are honoring God with your attendance, offerings and service, but then you turn around and rob God of the glory due his name. You need to stop. Stop the sin and God will bless you. Give Him the glory. After saying this, Jerry left the store.

What I failed to mention is that Henry was working and serving the church because he was a Bible college graduate. He had spent two years working at a convenience store while he was searching. It seemed no one wanted Henry. But after Jerry’s visit, a church called that following Sunday and invited Henry to come out for an interview. His first interview since he interviewed for an internship now 4 years earlier.

Story Three – Daniel had a little brother named Douglas. And if you have a little brother, you know just the type that Doug was. He was the youngest and therefore, he could do no wrong. I mean if Doug runs his bike into dad’s car and scratches it, it was somehow Dan’s fault. This certainly didn’t help the relationship between the two brothers.  While growing up, Dan didn’t care too much for Doug at school either. If he saw his brother coming, he’d duck out as soon as he could.  Though Doug thought the world of Dan, he always sought approval of his older brother. None would be forthcoming. It was at school that Doug found himself constantly in trouble. He would often get into fights, though he never told Dan it was because some of the kids thought Dan was a nerd and a loser. All Dan could see was the favoritism that Doug was showered with.

After graduation, both men started their careers. Well at least Dan did. He went off to college and was now working as a social worker, helping those in need, giving back. Doug was a drop out. Even though he had his GED, he couldn’t even get into the military. And you know, Dan was at fault for that too. If the day that they fought wasn’t called into the police, Doug wouldn’t have an assault conviction on his record. But what rubbed Dan wrong was that every time Doug was around, he was asking for all sorts of help. If he didn’t need money, he wasn’t there. The family attended church together, except Doug.

Doug’s life continued to spiral downhill. He was caught up in drugs and eventually went to prison because of it. Years would pass before Doug was a free man. But while in prison, Doug changed. He realized how far he strayed from God. It would have been easy to blame his brother Dan for the lack of support growing up, but ultimately, he realized that he still made the choices that have him where he is. After he was released, his dad hosted a huge family celebration. Dad brought in family from other places, put on a spread that Dan didn’t when he graduated college or when he got married, or even for the birth of his son. Dan was furious at Doug once again being showered with love.

                I have given you three stories in which we do not really know the ending. But each story had a point. You see, the Bible is full of unfinished stories. God designed it that way. Now you have to decide what the rest of the story is for each one. Will you go and reach those that God lays upon your heart, even if it means leaving your home? Will you look fully to God and trust him, even in the smallest details of your life? When a person comes to repent, can you, will you shower him with the same love, grace and mercy that God showers upon us? These three stories I used to encourage us in three major areas of our Christian walk.