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Glory Days
09/11/03
"I [Caleb] was forty
years old when Moses... sent me... to explore the [Promised] Land. And I brought
back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me
made the hearts of the people melt with fear... 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 the hill
country!"
Joshua 14:7-12
For Caleb the exploration of the
Promised Land was glorious! He was a "young" forty! At eighty-five, he
was still as vigorous as when he was forty. He still had glorious dreams - he
said to Joshua, "Give me the hill country!" - the toughest area to
conquer. The King James version translates his request as, "Give me this
mountain!"
Bruce Springstein once sang
a song called "Glory Days." The first and last verses record the
emptiness of those whose glory days are only in their youth.
I had a friend was a big
baseball player back in high school.
He could throw that speedball by you. Make you look like a fool, boy.
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar. I was walking in, he was walking
out.
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks, but all he kept talking about
was...
Glory days well they'll pass
you by. Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye.
Glory days, glory days.
Now I think I'm going down to
the well tonight and I'm going to drink till I get my fill.
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about [glory days], but I
probably will.
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of, well time
slips away.
And leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days.
Glory days well they'll pass
you by.
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye.
Glory days ...
This past weekend, I traveled
down to Gainesville, Florida for a meeting called the "Gainesville
Gathering." Many of us who were converted at the Crossroads Church of
Christ (earlier called the 14th Street Church of Christ) came together to
remember all that God had done and to renew old friendships. It was awesome
seeing the pioneer and visionary evangelist of campus ministry in Churches of
Christ, Chuck Lucas and his wife Ann again! (Chuck served as the lead evangelist
for Crossroads.) It was equally awesome spending time with Sam Laing, the former
University of Florida campus minister for the Crossroads Church. (Sam was the
one that invited me to church.) Sam was Chuck's "Silas" as a uniquely
gifted teacher who inspired all the college Christians to fall in love with
studying the Word. It was so moving at the Friday evening banquet to hear so
many share about their conversions in the UF college ministry in the late 60's,
70's and early 80's. Another highlight was seeing one of the courageous elders
Brother Whitehead and his wife. Because of the leadership of the evangelists and
elders, the Crossroads Church was able to endure so much criticism, from the
mainline Churches of Christ and the world, for their radical efforts in the
campus ministry. It was also great to visit with Sister Bartley. (Brother
Bartley, her husband, was the other elder who has passed on to heaven.)
The nostalgia was powerful and
yet on my Saturday night flight home to Portland, I could not wait to see
everyone at our congregation on Sunday morning. There was sadness in my heart
for some at the Gainesville reunion and so many others around the kingdom. As
Bruce Springstein sang, they look back to their youth and consider their
Christian lives as college students as their glory days. For Elena and I who
were baptized at Crossroads -- we are forever grateful for our conversions and
"ground-breaking" ministry training. We also look back in awe as God
blessed, beyond anything "we could ask or imagine," our ministries in
Boston, Los Angeles, Moscow, Manila and Bangkok. However, for us Portland is our
new "mountain" to conquer for the glory of God!
I will never forget last Sunday
morning, the appointment of the first deacons
in the twelve year history of the Portland Church. God's presence was felt by
all in the singing, the preaching, the communion and the incredibly warm
fellowship. At the end of the service, the congregation was so encouraged when
Jeremy and Amy Ciaramella were introduced as the leaders of the Eugene Mission
Team. Then, all the mission
team members came on stage. What a glorious moment!
That night at the Bible Talk
Leaders Meeting, all the Bible Talk Leaders, which includes all the deacon
couples, celebrated with a potluck dinner and karaoke! We laughed with and
teased each other at our choices of music -- country, pop, rock -- as well as
the quality of our voices! The evening truly felt like family.
Brothers and sisters, whatever
your age in Christ, remember your earlier days of glory with fondness. Ideally
one should have a continual deep gratitude to God and for those that converted
you. However, let us always live for Christ in the present, willing to dream of
conquering new "mountains." Let us remember the rallying words of
Winston Churchill during the darkest days of World War II, "[We] will fight
to the end, be it bitter or be it glorious. Nay, if we fight to the end, it can
only be glorious!" Let each phase of our life -- high school, college,
single professional, married, family, empty nest, retirement -- be our glory
days!
Kip McKean
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