Be Bold. Be Intentional. Be Obedient.

Rosetta Stone has made a goal for the new year; to teach 3 million people a new language.  "New Year. New Language. New You." is their slogan.  Every time I am running and listening to Pandora, I hear that commercial about 7 times (maybe it's time for an ad free upgrade?)  Really, Rosetta Stone?  Three million?  Seems kind of far fetched to me...


Last week a good friend mine, Holly, lost her husband unexpectedly.  I got an email from my friend Maya that said he had collapsed earlier that week, but that he had gotten much better and would be able to go home soon.  Holly got a call at school in the middle of the day with news that he was gone.  My first thought was of deep sadness and grief for Holly and her three kids.  But my thoughts were quickly redirected to thoughts of complete peace and happiness for Holly's husband, Bill.


Bill was happy.  I mean, like one of the happiest people I have ever met.  He would to talk to anyone, anytime, about anything.  He was smart, too.  He always treated me like he had known me for years.  Any friend of Holly's was a friend of his.  Holly and I taught together for three years at Blythewood High School.  Holly is very dedicated and organized when it comes to her job.  I always admired the way she held everything together.  

My last year at Blythewood was probably the hardest year of my life.  I was at rock bottom and felt like there was no one that could possibly pull me out of the mess I was in.  I remember one day feeling completely ready to give up.  Holly stopped by my room and we started to chat...about God.  I told her I was begging, crying, pleading with Him and He wasn't talking back.  He wasn't showing me the way.  He wasn't comforting me.  He wasn't telling me if divorce was the right thing or the wrong thing.  I could not hear Him AT ALL.  Holly told me, during that conversation, that she and Bill had only recently accepted Christ...I was floored.  I just assumed that everyone knew the gospel and some just chose not to listen.  I assumed that everyone knows who God is and what he has to offer us.  I assumed...and you know what they say about those who assume.  I realized at that moment, that there are people in the world that have never heard the good news.  People that aren't just far from God and can't hear His voice, but people that don't even know His voice exists.  Holly and Bill had raised three smart (extremely smart) kids and battled Bill's health problems for years, knowing nothing about Jesus.  I was being mentored and lead by a brand new Christ follower. 


At Bill's memorial service, his pastor was able to stand and share a letter that Bill had written only a few years ago that laid out his acceptance of Christ.  He recognized that he was a sinner and that the only way to God was through Jesus Christ who died on a cross to cover all of our sins.  How is that for grace?  No one in that room had to wonder if Bill was in heaven.  No one had any questions about what he put his faith in.  We all knew that Bill had received God's forgiveness and that Bill loved God with all of his heart, all of his soul, all of his mind, and all of his strength (Mark 12:30).  Then, we all stood and sang: 

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.


God's presence and grace overwhelmed me.


NewSpring Church recently began a new series called "All In".  As a church, we are all reading and studying a chapter of Acts each day.  God has really started to challenge me to go all in and let go of the attachments I have to my reputation or my friend's opinions.  I had hundreds of opportunities to tell Holly and Bill about Christ the first day, month, week, year that I met them...but I didn't.  Thank God someone was bolder than me and stepped out in faith to do what God has called us all as followers to do.  

Well, just like Rosetta Stone has a goal to teach 3 million, NewSpring has a goal to reach 100,000 for Christ.  If they believe they can reach 3 million for language, we should have absolutely no problem believing that we can reach 100,000 for the creator of language! I pray that each and every opportunity I get, from this point on, will be met with boldness and courage to tell people what I will never again assume they already know.  Will you join me?  Be bold. Be intentional. Be obedient. 

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness...After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." ~ Acts 4: 29-31