Face to Face with Christ my Savior

In the June 2013 issue of Turning Point magazine, Pastor David Jeremiah relays a story about pastor and author Robert J Morgan’s visit to Vietnam. During the trip, Pastor Morgan met a local elderly pastor who had been previously imprisoned for his faith. When asked how the pastor endured those many years of hardship, he stated “My two 333's got me through”.

He then explained that the first 333 was Jeremiah 33:3, in which God promises “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NKJV). The other comfort was song number 333 in the Vietnamese hymnbook. The elderly pastor didn’t know the English title so he began singing it in his native language. Pastor Morgan immediately recognized the tune as “Face to face with Christ my Savior” written in 1898 by Carrie Elizabeth Ellis Breck (1855-1934).

As told in Pastor Morgan’s book, Then Sings My Soul - Volume 1, the tune that he recognized was originally meant for another hymn. Its composer was Grant Colfax Tullar who was named after Ulysses S Grant and Schuyler Colfac, the president and vice-president of the US in the year of Tullar’s birth (1869). Years later, Grant was leading the music at a revival in Rutherford NJ. One afternoon, he sat down at the piano in the local pastor’s house and penned a song and music, “All for me the Savior suffered; All for me He bled and died.” The local pastor, Rev Charles Mead reportedly sang the song at the evening service. Due to the events of the following morning however, “All of Me” would never be published.

Read the entire Face to Face with Christ my Savior article, including the hymn's lyrics.

Brad McCoy: Raising Godly Children

I received this story from Dr Kim Hall (via Tammy) over at Hunters Glen Baptist Church. It was written by a person who recently attended the Dallas Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast, an annual event started by Tom Landry and others over 40 years ago. This year’s speaker was Brad McCoy, the father of former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and two other sons. Colt was also scheduled to speak, but had to withdraw due to an illness. Kim pointed out that this speech was especially relevant during this time of year as many prepare for their children’s graduations.

Brad McCoy said that he and his wife raised their children according to the following four principles:

1. "Prepare your child for the path, not the path for your child." Brad said this is not just for our kids - it is for us as parents. The road is rough, narrow and hard to find. We have a book (the Bible), a map vis-à-vis the Bible and God to help us. We must prepare ourselves and our kids for moments in life when doors open and close. He cited Proverbs 22:6: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." He also cited, almost in jest but also in reality, Proverbs 23:13, "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." It was a funny contrast, but a real contrast. He then said, "Dads, fight for your kids, prepare them!"

2. "Prepare to be our best." This was one of the four McCoy family mottos. He cited 1 Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." He stated that every day he would take his kids to school and upon them exited the car, he would say to them, "Do your best and be a leader!" He said that they listened every time and even as they got older (4th, 5th and 6th grades) he would repeat these words even if they said, "Yeah, Yeah, Dad, I know, do your best and be a leader!"

He said that as a coach for 27 years, he would always lead his team onto the field and leave his team at every practice with the chant, "Expect to Win, Play to Win." And he implored us as parents to instill the same attitude in our homes and in our children. He cited Jim Collins book, "Good to Great", stating that good is the enemy of Great! We don't aim high and miss - as we would like to believe. In fact, most times, we aim low and hit the mark! As parents, he implored us not to aim low! Aim high!!!

3. "Be a Leader." He stated that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses - great leaders that we can draw from and that our kids can draw from. He said we are all at the mercy of time and money and asked a rhetorical question: How do you spend your time and money. He then said that how we spend our time and money is a direct reflection on where our true priorities lie. Convicting!

He then said as a leader that he has always loved the quote by Ghandi (even though he didn't ascribe to all of Ghandi's beliefs): "I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet." He said that as he taught this principle to his three boys that Colt McCoy turned this phrase into his own words: "Thoughts become things." Colt would tell his younger brothers as he mentored them, "You can't talk like that or think like that, because thoughts become things that play themselves out in your life."

4. "Prepare for Open and Closed Doors." As a Dad, he said it was painful beyond all of his years on this earth to watch his son get hurt in the first series of play in the National Championship at the Rose Bowl. A perfect setting. A setting his son had dreamed of ever since he threw the football with his Dad in the front yard as a kid. As a Dad, he went over to his son's hotel room after the Championship loss and the demoralizing fate for such a NCAA football star. He went to his son's room to cheer his son up and was praying to God for the right words. He entered his son's hotel room to find his son finishing a devotional.

The devotional read as follows: "My positive energy must be better than my negative energy. My certainty must be stronger than my doubt. The battle is won before I ever start the fight. I choose faith over fear. Leave a legacy of excellence, love, dedication and service. Jeremiah stated, 'Blessed is the man whose trust is in the Lord.' He said he had to find a corner of Colt's hotel room to sit down and cry over the maturity of his son. His son was prepared for open and closed doors! Wow!!

He then finished his speech by stating that as he consoled his son under the Rose Bowl stadium (after it was readily apparent that Colt would not be able to go back onto the field and play for the Longhorns), as he was trying to motivate his son, his son motivated the team and his Dad. His son stepped into a new mantle of leadership. Rather than return to the field in pedestrian clothes, Colt insisted on returning to the field to help his team win. He walked back onto the field in his uniform and helped the second string quarterback read the defense and mentored the second string quarterback over the course of the 3rd and 4th quarters.

He said that his son had been studying "trust" in a Bible Study all year long leading up to the National Championship game. He said his son had told his mom and dad that he didn't know why he had been studying that "trust" concept all year, but he fully knew why in the moments leading up to the National Championship loss. He told his parents that he came to the conclusion that God had "prepared me for years leading up to that game, because He wanted me to "trust" Him!"

When Colt was approached by news reporters after the Longhorns had lost the National Championship, the reporters asked Colt how he was feeling and Colt replied: "I always give God the glory. I never question what God does. God is in control of my life and if nothing else, I am standing on the Rock!" Brad McCoy said that his cell phone began lighting up with texts after the game with friends, ministers and family members wildly acclaiming the statement that Colt had made to the reporters. He said that he received letters from non-believers, Jewish ministers, Muslim ministers and atheists in the days following the game - all pointing to the AMAZING statement that Colt had made after the game.

He said that as he entered Colt's hotel room that night, he asked his son, "What did you say after game?" [He had not been able to hear it in the mayhem of the stadium.] Brad McCoy, Colt's Dad, asked two to three times, "Son, what did you say after the game?" Colt said, "Dad, I don't know. I really don't remember what I said. All I remember is that the reporter asked me a question and I prayed that God would supply me with the right answer." Wow!!

Brad McCoy then ended his speech by telling a story about a young football player that he was coaching back in his hometown. He said the young football player approached Brad McCoy after he returned from Pasadena and said, "Coach, I heard what your son said after the game, but I have one question: What is the rock?" He said it's funny son. We sing about it in church. He then began singing a cappella:

My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus' Name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

By the end of his singing, the entire room of men and women were singing in unison with Brad McCoy. It was truly an amazing morning for the Lord and a truly amazing speech for us to learn from as parents and Grandparents.

Safe in the Arms of Jesus

I wanted to work on the Book of Ruth in our Interpreting the Books of the Bible section, but kept feeling compelled to write this article on death and life instead. This subject is way out of my comfort zone, but I knew from past experience that I wouldn’t get anything else done until I had completed this post.

To provide a little background on my mental state, we’ve been receiving frequent news that our son’s marine unit in Afghanistan continues to sustain numerous casualties, including several on Mother’s Day alone. We hope our readers are praying daily for the brave men and women risking their lives to protect our country and to secure freedom for other parts of the world. It is unthinkable that anyone can face death without knowing whether his or her future is eternally secure. After my father died, I wrote an article contrasting the differing views of death between believers and non-believers.

Now, we turn to the subject of this post, a baby named Smith, born to parents Kori and Jon up in McKinney (TX) on April 29, weighing only 24 oz. After clinging valiantly to life for almost two weeks, Smith went home to Jesus on May 10. I was alerted to their situation by email from a friend of a friend of a friend, so I don’t know Kori, Jon and family personally, but they have been a real inspiration the past few weeks. Through the various difficulties of this ordeal, Jon shared Smith’s brief, but miraculous and inspiring life on his blog.

I kept thinking, what does one say to such a courageous couple, or to anyone else who has just lost a loved one? Let me preface these comments by saying that I’m no counselor, so these are just my personal thoughts. As Christians, we’re always tempted to quote Scripture (particularly Ro 8:28) in a well-meaning effort to ease the person’s grief, or to defend God. This is good to a point, but I believe it’s sometimes best just to grieve along with the person and let them know you care. You can then speak of the goodness of God as the healing process begins, which will be sooner or later in different instances. In Jon and Kori’s case, it is apparent that they never questioned God’s goodness, but this still does not ease the pain of their loss.

I’ve met a few well wishers with the attitude that, we should not grieve for a loved one because “they’re in a better place”. Fortunately, these folks (almost always meaning well) are usually a small minority. While the destination of the departed is a great comfort, it is entirely biblical to mourn. Jesus Himself wept at the death of His friend Lazarus, even though He knew that He would shortly raise him from the dead (Jn 11:32-36).

As some of my regular readers may know, I love the old hymns and often research their author and some of the fascinating circumstances surrounding their writing. Earlier today, I came across an old hymn by Frances (Fanny) Crosby, who is credited with writing thousands of hymns even though she was blind. Ms Crosby caught a slight cold at about six weeks of age. A country doctor, who (it was later learned) was not qualified to practice medicine, was called because their family physician was away. He recommended the use of hot poultices, which practically destroyed her eyesight. When the doctor learned of the results, he left town, never to be heard of again. Ms Crosby later said "I have not, for a moment, in more than eighty-five years, felt a spark of resentment against him; for I have always believed that the good Lord, in His infinite mercy, by this means consecrated me to the work that I am still permitted to do”.

In 1859, a child was born to Fanny and her husband, but the child died in infancy, and to this day, no one knows whether it was a boy or a girl. Fanny refused to speak of it, even to her closest friends and relatives, except to later say, “God gave us a tender babe… and soon the angels came and took the infant up to God and His throne”.

On April 30, 1968, about a decade after the infant’s death, a Christian musician, Dr WH (Howard) Doane, knocked on Fanny’s door and said “I have exactly forty minutes before my train leaves for Cincinnati. I need some words for this melody”, then began humming a tune. Fanny quickly prayed, went to work and twenty minutes later, dictated the words to Dr Doane just in time for him to catch his train. This brief collaboration produced one of Ms Crosby’s most beloved hymns, Safe in the Arms of Jesus, which became a great comfort to thousands who had lost a loved one, especially a child.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me.
Over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

Refrain:
Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care,
Safe from the world’s temptations, sin cannot harm me there.
Free from the blight of sorrow, free from my doubts and fears;
Only a few more trials, only a few more tears!
(Refrain)

Jesus, my heart’s dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages, ever my trust shall be.
Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is over;
Wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore.
(Refrain)

We must not assume that God allowed Ms Crosby to lose her child for the sole purpose of providing comfort to others, but we can say that God can use all our experiences, good and bad, to minister to others in similar situations.

Easter 2010 - Behold the Savior

Two years ago, I wrote a story relating to the First Easter, centered on Barabbas. This year, I'm featuring a true story about Sam, who was orphaned as a young child, grew up in poverty, and became a very unpopular Anglican preacher. If you think unpopular preachers have a hard time today, his parishioners maimed his livestock, burned his crops, and finally torched his house. After Sam thought everyone had escaped the fire, he looked back to see his terrified five year old son peering through the glass of an upstairs window.

Read the entire Behold the Savior article, including a Paul Harvey type "Rest of the Story", its place in church history, and a great Easter hymn.

Horatio Spafford

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Our youngest son is currently home, visiting from the Marines for the next few days. While cleaning out the office closet over the weekend, I found an old article from my hometown paper that I’d like to share, after doing some additional research on some of the details.

The article was about Horatio Spafford (1828-1888), an affluent medical attorney and Presbyterian elder, who was a good friend of Dwight L Moody and correspondent of Thomas Jefferson. Living with his wife Anna and three daughters in 1871 Chicago, the great fire ravaged over a third of the city and left almost 100,000 people homeless. Though sustaining major financial loss (he was heavily invested in real estate), the Spaffords worked tirelessly for the next two years, helping victims to restore some normalcy in their lives.

In 1873, the Spaffords, along with their now four daughters, decided to go to Europe to join Mr Moody and hymnist Ira Sankey on their evangelistic crusade, then vacation while on the continent. Prior to boarding the ship in New York, Horatio was detained on a last-minute business obligation, so he sent his wife and daughters on ahead on the ocean liner SS Ville de Havre with plans to join them shortly.

On November 21, 1873 however, the ship collided with a British vessel and sank in less than 15 minutes. Over two hundred people drowned, including the four Spafford daughters, but Anna was miraculously rescued. She arrived in Wales over a week later and cabled Horatio “Saved Alone”. Mr Spafford then sailed to meet his wife on the next available ship. As he was crossing the Atlantic, the ship’s captain pointed out the place where he thought the Ville du Havre had gone down. That night, while sitting in his cabin, he wrote the following hymn.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to know:
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

Chorus:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Tho' Satan should buffet, tho' trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
(Chorus)

My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin - not in part but the whole -
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul.
(Chorus)

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend;
"Even so - it is well with my soul."
(Chorus)

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live,
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou shalt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
(Chorus)

It is Well with My Soul, 1873, Horatio Gates Spafford (Companion to the Baptist Hymnal)

My Grace is sufficient for you (2Cor 12:9).