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50 Years Young!
6/3/2004
Caleb said to Joshua, "I
was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh
Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my
convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people
melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly... Now then,
just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the
time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am
today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent
me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me
this hill country that the Lord promised me that day." Joshua 14:7-12
While my father was
on sea duty for the United States Navy, my dear mother gave birth to me in her
hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana on May 31, 1954. On my fifth birthday, my dad
had just received orders for our family of four to be stationed in the British
colony of Bermuda for three years! On my 10th birthday,
I was in fifth grade in Boston, Massachusetts. Earlier that school year John F.
Kennedy was assassinated. I celebrated my 15th birthday at the end of my
sophomore year of high school in Winter Park, Florida. On my 20th birthday, I
had just completed my junior year at the University of Florida and was anxious
to be done with my senior year to "officially" go into the full time
ministry. The night of my 25th birthday, Elena and I spent driving from our
previous ministry in Charleston, Illinois to our future ministry in Boston,
Massachusetts. We arrived Friday morning and that evening was the devotional of
the 30 "would-be-disciples" in the Gempel's living room! On my 30th
birthday, while "spying out" Paris for the future mission team, I
prayed under the Arc d' Triumphe for God to do whatever would be necessary with
my life to allow the planting of the Paris Church and the evangelization of the
world in my lifetime. On my 35th birthday, I was gathering the Manila Mission
Team for the June planting, as well as solidifying plans to lead the Cairo
Church for a month later that summer. On my 40th birthday, by chance I was again
in Paris at a conference celebrating the expansion of God's movement in Europe.
On my 45th birthday, my family lived in Los Angeles where by God's grace we led
the LA Church and labored in the Teen Ministry! As I reflect on all these times,
I remember the words of David in 1 Chronicles 17:16, "Who am I, O Lord God,
and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?"
Tomorrow is my
50th birthday! (As Moses saw it, just ten more years till I enter middle age!)
Lord willing, I will be in my beloved "City of Bridges" - Portland,
Oregon. At this hour, I am more thankful than ever for my salvation; so thankful
for my awesome wife of almost 28 years, Elena; so thankful for my three
incredible children Olivia, Sean, and Eric; immensely thankful that God called
me into the ministry; so amazed at the mighty miracles of God occurring daily in
the Portland Church; and so thankful and humbled to have true friends and
spiritual family around the world. Therefore, "God's grace has not been
without effect" for I am "just as vigorous to battle" the
"spiritual forces of evil" to evangelize the world as in the early
days of Boston!
From my own
challenges as well as observing others as they age, the sin that most likely
will cause the mature to "miss the grace of God" is bitterness.
(Hebrews 12:15) Bitterness grows as we age because there are more
disappointments and more hurt relationships than when we were young.
Correspondingly, as we age we feel more confident in ourselves because we are
survivors; however, we are less trusting of others and God himself because of
the increased number of hurts and disappointments. Often we feel our dreams are
gone or there is little chance for them to be realized. This leads to a lack of
motivation, a desire for confortability and lukewarmness. However, Caleb was
faithful and wholehearted in his devotion to God when he was young - 40! He saw
the Promised Land and said against the majority - the voice of the people -
"We should go up and take...the land, for we can certainly do it!"
(Numbers 13:30) Caleb, instead of listening to the grumbling voice of the
people, heard the glorious voice of God!
Then at
eighty-five he said, "Give me the hill country" - the toughest of all
the Promised Land to conquer. I enjoy the King James Version where Caleb's words
read, "Give me this mountain!" No matter what age we are, we all need
a "mountain of a dream" to really live. Proverbs 29:18 says,
"Without vision the people perish." My dream is the evangelization of
the world in my lifetime. This is my passion and forever I believe, my call, not
from men, but from God.
Aging is not
the same as maturing. Romans 13:11 gives all of us a challenge as we age,
"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to
wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we
first believed." We should be more zealous as we mature, because we are
closer to death and therefore heaven than ever! I'm fired up about fifty! For
Caleb, who led the assault of the hill country at 85, 50 is still young! Paul
reveals God's heart in Acts 13:36, "For when David had served God's purpose
in his own generation, he fell asleep [and] he was buried with his
fathers." This teaches that as long as we live, God has a purpose for our
lives. We just need to find that "mountain," God's dream for us and
pursue it with all our heart! And to God be the glory!
Kip McKean
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