Episode | 365 Christian Men

March 18. Nikolai Khamara. Nikolai described himself as a man without a conscience who did not care who he hurt. He lived in the Soviet Union during a time when religion was closely monitored by the government.

On this date in 1966, the government of the Soviet Union ordered fines and imprisonment for people who held non-sanctioned religious meetings. Nikolai met some of those people while he was in prison serving a ten-year sentence for robbery. That encounter changed his life. Here’s his story.

A man can be radically changed by people with the courage to be radical.

Nikolai was a stinking thief. And being any kind of thief in Russia in the 70s gets you thrown in prison for ten years.

Month after month, Nikolai watched other prisoners—people who were in prison for refusing to deny their faith in Jesus. They were forced to live in virtual squalor and many dying because of poor food, forced labor, and torture at the hands of the gulag’s guards and the KGB.

But in the darkest hours, the Christians sang and prayed. Nikolai was bewildered. What kind of men were these Christians, who showed such joy under these horrible conditions? Their faces shone as they spoke to someone he couldn’t see.

One day, two Christians sat down with him, and he shared his life’s story. He told them he was a lost man.

They asked him, “Suppose somebody lost a gold ring. What is the value of that ring when it’s lost?”

“Well, a gold ring is a gold ring. You lost it, somebody else has it,” Nikolai answered.

“Well then, what is the value of a lost man?” Not waiting for an answer, the Christian continued, “A lost man, even one who is a thief or an adulterer or a murderer, has the whole value of a man because the Son of God died on the cross to save him. God loves you, Nikolai. You are valuable to him, and your sins are forgiven. You only have to believe.”

Nikolai understood, and he did believe, and when his sentence was done, he left prison a changed man. He became a faithful member of the underground church, which was under constant threat from the KGB.

One day, his pastor was arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and tortured. The KGB demanded the pastor turn over the names of the church’s members. The KGB wanted to stop the Christians from printing and distributing Christian material.

But the pastor refused to speak, so they arrested Nikolai. If the pastor remained silent, the KGB would torture Nikolai in front of the pastor. The pastor could not bear the thought and cried out, “Nikolai, what should I do?”

“Be faithful to Jesus, and do not betray Him. I am happy to suffer for the name of Christ,” Nikolai assured his pastor.

The guard then threatened to gouge out Nikolai’s eyes, and his pastor’s heart broke. “How can I look at this? You will be blind.”

Nikolai stood strong and with a loving voice said, “When my eyes are taken away from me, I will see more beauty than I see with these eyes. I will see the Savior. You remain faithful to the end.”

Having blinded Nikolai, the guard once again threatened the pastor. “If you do not betray your church, we will cut Khamara’s tongue out.” Nikolai’s immediate response rang through the prison. “Praise the Lord Jesus Christ, I have said the highest words that can be said. Now, if you wish, you can cut out my tongue.”

Nikolai died a martyr’s death, faithful to his brother and to his last spoken words.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16 ESV).

What is God asking you to do for the persecuted church? A man can be radically changed by people with the courage to be radical.

Enesi, Ajanah E. “Nikolai Khamara: Soviet Union, 1970s.” Breathe Series. February 15, 2014. The sequoia brooks. http://breathingmind.blogspot.com/‌2014/‌02/‌nikolai-khamara-soviet-union-1970s_15.html.

DC Talks, Voice of the Martyrs. Jesus Freaks: Martyrs. Ada, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 1999.

Jackson, Dave and Neta. The Complete Book of Christian Heroes. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.

Story read by Blake Mattocks

Story written by Thomas Mitchell, http://www.walkwithgod.org/

Leave a Comment

March 17. Saint Patrick. When we think of Saint Patrick, we usually think of parades, shamrocks, green drinks, and corned beef and cabbage. Everyone is “Irish” on Saint Patrick’s Day.

But Patrick wasn’t Irish. And he wasn’t Patrick. He was born Patricius, somewhere in Romanized Britain, to a wealthy family. And in his early years, he wasn’t particularly saintly either. His family was Christian, but he was indifferent to Christianity.

But Patrick was humble, tenacious, and brave. When he was sixteen, Irish raiders kidnapped him from the family villa and sold him into slavery in Ireland. There he spent six bleak years as a herdsman. This is the point today’s story fits.

Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop and evangelized Ireland in spite of opposition from local pagan druids and from Christians in Britain. His success in Christianizing Ireland was so great that the formerly pagan island sent missionaries to the continent and contributed to the spread of Christianity across Europe.

Patrick also expanded literacy throughout Ireland, and he influenced laws in favor of women, the poor, and slaves. On this date in the late fifth century, Patrick died. Here is part of his story.

A praying man opens the door to supernatural activity.

When Saint Patrick was sixteen-years-old, pirates kidnapped him, sold him to a tribal chief, and isolated him on a mountain in Ireland.

Without enough clothing to keep him warm, he was forced to herd sheep, and the sheep pastures were bitterly isolated. Though Patrick’s parents were Catholic, he said he didn’t really believe in God. But enslaved and alone, Patrick started talking to God. He said there was nobody else to talk to.

Soon he had developed a habit of praying throughout the day and (sometimes) the night.

For six years, Patrick worked alone for the chieftain, but one night, as Patrick was sleeping, God spoke to him in a dream. He said that Patrick had been serving Him well and would soon return to Britain. Patrick then heard a voice say that his ship was ready.

It was grand to hear a promise from God, but the port was two-hundred miles away. He talked to God about it, and God gave Patrick strength and wisdom. He snuck out and made the long trek to the port.

When Patrick arrived, he found a ship, but the captain refused to let him aboard. Patrick responded with the one thing that God had always worked through: prayer.

Before he finished praying, a group of men arrived to talk with him. It was the crew of the captain who had originally sent Patrick away. They had changed their minds and allowed Patrick to come aboard and sail with them to Britain.

They sailed and—after three days—found land. But as Patrick and the crew made their way to the shoreline, they realized that only wilderness lay before them, with no civilization in sight. Hoping to find a village or town, they searched the landscape, but they found only empty wilderness.

Hours turned to days. Days turned to weeks. Nearly a month passed, and they still wandered, unable to find civilization.

Hunger ravaged the men, and many were close to death. The crew grumbled. How were they to survive?

The captain demanded of Patrick, “What, Christian, you who say your God is great, good, and almighty, why not pray for us who perish here of hunger, where the face of men is hardly seen?”

God had given Patrick strength in his time of need. Could God do the same for them? The crew put God and Patrick’s prayers to the test.

Patrick told the crew to turn from their sinful ways and come to God for His provision. “Nought is impossible,” he said, “that He, this day, send you whereof ye yet may eat your fill; for all things everywhere abound with Him.”

Patrick prayed, and the crew waited.

Suddenly, something rumbled in the distance. The men looked in that direction, and a great herd of pigs thundered down the road. The men cheered and yelled and ran to catch the pigs.

They took so many pigs for food that even the crew’s dogs were able to eat. For two days, they replenished their energy and got strong enough to finish the journey to find civilization.

“Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8 NIV).

The men praised God, thanked Him, and turned from their unbelief. After another month, Patrick finally got back home. God’s provision went with him every step of the way.

How might prayer give you the strength to do something you need to do? A praying man opens the door to supernatural activity.

Mark, Joshua J. “Saint Patrick.” September 6, 2015. Ancient History Encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/Saint_Patrick/.

O’Raifeartaigh, Tarlach. “St. Patrick: Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland.” August 19, 2019. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Patrick.

“A History of St Patrick.” Accessed October 15, 2020. Irish Genealogy Toolkit. https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/history-of-st-patrick.html.

Story read by Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/

Leave a Comment

March 16. Kirk Samuels. Today’s story could have ended very differently. On this date in 2014, Kirk was just seconds away from ending his life.

Today, he is a gifted speaker and a radio personality who focuses on the leadership potential that every man has. He serves on the board of Step Seven (a faith-based ministry that helps men overcome addictions and learn to be leaders) and on the advisory council of BeMen (an organization whose mission is to empower men to love God and to be leaders at home, in the church, and in the community). Kirk is the founder of the Heart Freedom Foundation, whose goal is to foster healthy relationships with others and with self.

In 2017, he published his first book, For Your Eyes Only: the Inside Scoop about Men, Porn, and Marriage.

What happened to change Kirk from a potential suicidal victim to a celebrated leader and helper of other men? Listen to his story.

Your greatest struggle can take you out. Or it can become your platform

Kirk pulled his SUV into the hospital’s corner parking space. The street lamp provided light. He used the tree nearby for a place to relieve himself. After his wife kicked him out, Kirk had stayed with his pastor. But too ashamed to stay indefinitely, he pretended he had other arrangements. He did: a parking lot, a sleeping bag, and the backseat.

A greeter at church, Kirk could paste on the smiles. But tonight he was all out of smiles. He turned off the vehicle, climbed into the backseat, and pulled out the gun.

Failure. No good. Worthless. At nine-years-old, he had huddled in his closet to escape his father’s abuse. Now he huddled in the backseat of his car. But he couldn’t escape himself. The addiction that medicated his pain had stolen his dreams, his relationships, and his sense of self-worth. Utter darkness consumed him.

Kirk was twelve when the neighborhood boys showed him that first pornographic video. The rush numbed his pain, and soon it chained him to the beast. Kirk’s life became focused on the next porn fix.

In the old days he sneaked “adult” materials, but now everything was available with a tap of his phone. Powerless, he had repeatedly begged God for help. But his need trumped the desire to change. Everyone said he had to just stop. Why couldn’t he?

Kirk raised the gun. His finger twitched on the trigger. All he had done was make people cry. His family would be better off with the insurance money. “How could you let me get here?” he screamed at God. “How could you let me do what I’m about to do?”

Suicide would be his last act of rebellion. A sob broke out. His hands trembled, and he lowered the gun but held it in a death-grip. He screamed and sobbed all night. “All right, God,” Kirk finally prayed, “Either you hate me, and you never want me to get free of this, or tomorrow you show me how to get free.”

The next morning, Kirk searched for answers. What did the brain people, the body people, and the spirit people have to say? It was soon clear why he hadn’t been able to stop. Viewing pornography wasn’t a habit. It was chemical dependency and spiritual slavery.

Stress released high levels of cortisol. The porn the neighbor boys had introduced had released dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and testosterone—which, for a while, eased his pain. The addiction cycle began—a lifetime of medicating pain with porn. Could he reverse engineer the damage? Could he get the chemicals in a way that was natural?

Kirk made a plan he called the three Ws: Work, Worship, and Word. Physical exercise released endorphins, dopamine, and testosterone. Worship provided an endorphin release. Mental exercise—healing—came through reading Scripture and other books.

He had settled for getting oxytocin—the love hormone—through the artificial stimulation from a two-dimensional experience of porn. Now he sought it through cultivating genuine, vulnerable, three-dimensional relationships.

To track wins and losses, Kirk designed a score card. When it increased his success, Kirk wondered if others could benefit. He discovered that every porn consumer and every spouse of a porn consumer felt what he had felt: isolation, guilt, and shame. Kirk packaged his approach and taught it to others.

As Kirk helped others, he found his purpose in working alongside the Holy Spirit.

“He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains” (Psalm 107:14 NIV).

What purpose can come of your greatest adversity? Your greatest struggle can take you out. Or it can become your platform.

BeMen. Accessed October 15, 2020. BeMen. https://www.facebook.com/pg/WhereEveryManHasAVoice/about/?ref=page_internal.

Samuels, Kirk M. “Kirk M. Samuels.” Accessed October 15, 2020. Free Indeed. http://www.freeindeed36. com/.

Step Seven. Accessed October 15, 2020. Step Seven. https://www.stepseven.org/.

Based on an interview with Kirk Samuels and Samuels, Kirk. For Your Eyes Only: The Inside Scoop about Men, Porn, and Marriage. Parker, Colorado: LCCN, 2017.

Story read by Chuck Stecker

Leave a Comment

March 15. Phil Saint. Some artists use paint. Some use pen and ink. Others use clay or marble or glass. Phil used chalk. And God used Phil.

Phil learned the fundamentals of art from his father, a stained-glass artist who designed the stained-glass windows in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. And he learned draftsmanship from a famous cartoonist.

At Wheaton College, Phil put his talents to use as a chalk-talk evangelist. Later he moved to Latin America to answer the call for a missionary guest artist. On this date in 1957, he settled in Argentina, where he established a studio and opened a conference center.

In addition to his chalk-talk evangelistic ministry, Phil has published eight books, including his memoir, Saints Alive! His final piece of art was a painting of five missionaries who were killed by armed members of the Waodani tribe on a beach in Ecuador. Phil’s brother Nate was one of those missionaries. Here is Phil’s story.

Got talent? You can use it to make yourself rich for a while or to make others rich for eternity.

Some heroes fly the jet; some carry the luggage. For Phil, as long as it was God who guided his life, Phil was happy. As an artist, evangelist, missionary, and the guy who literally carried the luggage, God used Phil in a variety of ways—which made him every man’s hero. And he wasn’t about to slow down. He made it clear he didn’t want to retire; he only wanted to “re-fire.”

It was Phil’s dad, a successful stained-glass artist, who had steered him onto an artistic path. But Phil was partially color blind.

Even so, his dad believed Phil could do well working in black and white, so he arranged for Phil to meet his old friend, Herbert Johnson, a famed cartoonist for The Saturday Evening Post.

When Phil graduated from business school, he learned the craft of cartooning from the master himself. But he had already been using chalk-art to help other people know about Jesus. This was the real career calling him—and he couldn’t ignore its voice.

So while he worked for Herbert Johnson, Phil delivered “chalk-talks” for various church audiences. The concept was simple—he used colored chalk to illustrate a story on paper attached to a lighted easel. With this prop for the audience to focus on, he would teach a story or object lesson from the Bible.

One scene Phil loved to create was based on a cartoon by E. J. Pace. As Phil sketched in dark tones, a large chasm began to appear with clouds looming on one side and a glorious view of heaven on the other. Then he laid a white cross across the chasm, bridging the gap between God and man. The audience heard and saw how they could—by way of the cross—get to God.

After several months of working for Herbert Johnson, Phil decided to switch career paths and become a full-time chalk artist for Christ. And he told his father.

Dad couldn’t hide his initial consternation. “Son, what are you going to be—a preacher or an artist?”

“I’m going to be both,” Phil said.

It appeared his dad didn’t think a man could do both and be a success. After all, creating a fine work of art was not just slapping an illustration on a sheet of paper in fifteen minutes while you tried to preach.

But Phil wasn’t interested in creating masterpieces. He preferred to “draw” people to Christ with his art rather than to win fame for himself. In spite of his color-blindness, he could carefully arrange the colors on his tray (with help) and still preach a great message.

But his boss Herbert Johnson roared, “You’ll be wasting your time! You’re crazy to want to run around drawing pictures for farmers in country churches.”

Shaken but undeterred, Phil went ahead with his plan to become a chalk-talk artist. His desire to follow God’s calling eventually led him to Argentina with his family in 1957. Through Phil’s creative chalk talks, thousands have come to know Jesus Christ.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls” (Proverbs 11:30 NASB).

What has God called you to do? Got talent? You can use it to make yourself rich for a while or to make others rich for eternity.

“I Have to Get the Luggage!” December 9, 2012. Watcher Times. https://watchertimes.wordpress.com/tag/phil-saint/.

“Phil Saint.” Authors. Accessed October 14, 2020. P&R Publishing. https://www.prpbooks.com/authors/phil-saint.

“Phil Saint Comic Art.” Digital Commons at Biola. Accessed October 14, 2020. Biola University. https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/phil-saint-comics/.

Saint, Phil. Saints Alive! Published by Ediciones SA-BER, Apartado 1602, Guatemala, 1985.

Stevens, Alec. “Christian Comics Pioneers: The Rev. Phil Saint (USA/Argentina).” Christian Comics International. Accessed October 14, 2020. Comix35. http://www.christiancomicsinternational.org/saint_pioneer.html.

Saint, Phil. Testimony: Losing Your Life for Christ. Audio Sermons. September 18, 1988. Brick Lane Community Church. http://www.brick52.org/audio-sermons/3171.

Story read by Daniel Carpenter

Story written by Toni M Babcock, https://www.facebook.com/toni.babcock.1

Leave a Comment

March 14. Lecrae Moore. Known by a single moniker, Lecrae has won multiple Grammy awards, multiple Dove awards, and multiple Soul Train Music Awards. He also wrote Unashamed—“one man’s journey to faith and freedom.” He is a world-renowned gospel-hip-hop/rap recording artist, an entrepreneur, and a social activist.

His early life was troubled—no father, a single mother, abusive care-givers, and gangster uncles. He struggled with depression, thoughts of suicide, drug abuse, and alcoholism. As he puts it, he is “a real person who has been through real things.”

Lecrae didn’t do well in school but made it to college and had to drop out. But on this date in 2016, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Toronto’s Canada Christian College. According to the college’s president, the decision was based on his talent, his achievements, and most importantly, his outreach to troubled youth. Lecrae is the youngest person in the institution’s history to receive this honor. Here is his story.

Be the role model boys and men need.

When Lecrae was a young boy, he desperately wanted a man to look up to.

He never met his father, a man who eventually became a drug addict. His mother, busy working to support her son, sometimes had to leave him in the care of others, like his grandmother. As he stayed in his grandmother’s house, he sometimes snuck downstairs to turn on the television when she wasn’t looking. That’s where he found rap music.

In rap, he found people who were significant. They shared about their struggles and celebrated their culture. To a boy like Lecrae, who wasn’t the best athlete or the best student, they were people to look up to.

But as he grew up, Lecrae looked up to other, harsher role models. He started doing drugs at sixteen. Fights were a constant struggle. In high school, he got arrested for stealing.

Lecrae desperately needed God, and when his mother offered him a Bible to read, he took the book and ripped out the pages.

When he was nineteen, however, a friend invited him to a youth conference. At first, Lecrae only went because he wanted to meet girls and go to parties in the city. But as he attended the conference, he realized there were other teens like him. They were from the inner city too, but they were different. They said Jesus had changed them.

Lecrae eventually gave his life to Christ and graduated from the University of North Texas. But he still had a heart for rap music. Lyrics and beats recounted his past struggles on the streets and how he had found victory in Christ.

When Lecrae volunteered at a juvenile detention facility in Dallas, he decided to share the songs he wrote with the youth. As he performed for them, he noticed their reactions change. The kids began to cry, and Lecrae kept on rapping his songs and connected with them.

Lecrae knew what they were going through. He knew what it was like to struggle with significance and not having a role model. He knew that deep down, many of the kids were just needing to hear the hope he now had.

Time after time, after each performance, the kids begged for more. “Can you do that song again?” they asked. “I just need that to hold on to. I need something that’s gonna remind me that I need Jesus.”

Over and over, they begged to hear more, hungry to hear how much Jesus could help them and save their lives. That was when Lecrae realized he could use rap music to help others.

Just like Tupac and other rap artists had been an influence to him growing up, he could now use his music and story to influence others toward hope in Jesus. It wasn’t long before Lecrae went professional in his music and shared God’s hope with the entire world.

“[As you speak] to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19–20 NIV).

How can your life inspire others? Be the role model boys and men need.

Coleman, C. Vernon II. “Lecrae Receives Honorary Doctorate from Christian College in Canada.” March 27, 2016. XXL. https://www.xxlmag.com/lecrae-honorary-doctorate-christian-college-canada/.

Landrum, Jonathan Jr. “Christian Rapper Lecrae Opens Up about Troubled Past in Book.” May 12, 2016. AP. https://apnews.com/4c944508ad7e49ac9d2548dd4e3879a7/christian-rapper-lecrae-opens-about-troubled-past-book.

Longs, Herb. “Lecrae Drops New ‘Restoration’ Album.” August 21, 2020. The Christian Beat. https://www.thechristianbeat.org/index.php/new-music/8294-lecrae-drops-new-restoration-album.

Moore, Lecrae. “Lecrae’s Story.” Accessed October 14, 2020. I Am Second. https://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/lecrae/.

Jones, Kim. “Profile of Lecrae Moore, Christian Rapper: A Biography of Lecrae Moore.” Updated March 7, 2019. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/lecrae-biography-708320.

Story read by Nathan Walker

Leave a Comment

March 13. Andrew van der Bijl: Brother Andrew. Some people call him “God’s Smuggler,” but Andrew prefers the simple appellation “brother,” a term that applies to all who believe. He thinks of himself as an ordinary person who has done extraordinary things simply because he follows Jesus.

Brother Andrew’s early ministry was to take Bibles and other evangelical literature to communist countries. In the 1950s, he founded Open Doors—an international, non-denominational organization of Christians committed to support persecuted believers around the world.

With the fall of Soviet communism in 1991, Brother Andrew shifted his attention to the Muslim world, building bridges and friendships with Muslims, so he could share the good news about Jesus with them.

Brother Andrew has written 21 books, the first of which, God’s Smuggler (published in 1964), describes his early efforts at “unofficial delivery” of Bibles, books, and tracts to Soviet bloc countries. On this date in 1955, Brother Andrew made his first trip behind the Iron Curtain, a trip that set the scene for many more trips, including the one in today’s story.

Given to God, even fear can lead to victory.

The light streamed through the windshield of Andrew van der Bijl’s blue Volkswagen, as he drove towards the shade of the Iron Curtain. He had taken a mission upon himself to bring Bibles and tracts to Christians in Yugoslavia. Problem was—his cargo was illegal.

Two years earlier, in 1955, Andrew had first gone behind the Iron Curtain. In Poland and Czechoslovakia, he had seen Christians pressured to teach only what their governments allowed. Bibles were restricted and rare in these countries.

Andrew knew he could help, so he purchased as many Bibles and tracts as he could and hid them in his car.

As he approached the Yugoslav border, Andrew feared that if the guards chose to search his car, they would find the illegal Bibles and tracts in the Slavic language. A search would end his mission and his freedom.

So Andrew prayed: “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children across this border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.”

Two Yugoslav guards stopped Andrew’s car. They seemed happy to see him, as Andrew was likely the first person to attempt a border crossing that day.

Speaking in German, a language that Andrew and the guards could understand, he declared the legal items he was bringing. One of the guards inspected the car. If they looked too closely, Andrew would be arrested. While he had contacts behind the Iron Curtain, right now he was alone with no one to help him. A former military man himself, Andrew knew how to fight, but he was unarmed and outnumbered. Andrew relied on God.

The guard opened Andrew’s suitcase and sorted through the contents. The illegal Christian tracts lay in full view. Andrew kept chatting with the other guard, and he hoped that God would take care of the rest.

Miraculously, the inspecting guard didn’t even notice the tracts. The guards finished the inspection without finding anything suspicious, and Andrew was free to go. He successfully crossed the border and continued his mission to help his fellow Christians.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalms 46:1–3 ESV).

Perhaps the guards weren’t paying attention. Perhaps they were sympathetic to Andrew’s cause. Perhaps the cargo had truly disappeared before their eyes. Andrew believed God had delivered him that day.

Where is fear robbing you of an opportunity? Given to God, even fear can lead to victory.

“Brother Andrew’s Story.” Accessed October 14, 2020. Open Doors. https://www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us/history/brother-andrews-story/.

“Our Story.” Accessed October 14, 2020. Open Doors. https://www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us.

Rice, Jim. “Being There ‘God’s Smuggler’ Brother Andrew Has an Odd Way of Breaking Down Barriers Between Christians and Muslims. but Somehow It Works.” Sojourners Magazine, Vol. 37, No. 3. March 2008. Questia. https://www.questia.com/‌magazine/‌1G1-176374257/‌being-there-god-s-smuggler-brother-andrew-has-an.

Van der Bijl, Andrew, et al. God’s Smuggler. Third ed. Ada, MI: Chosen Books, 1967.

Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Brother Andrew: God’s Secret Agent. Seattle: YWAM Pub., 2005.

Story read by Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

Van der Bijl, Andrew, and Al Janssen. Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire. Ada, MI: Revell, 2005.

Leave a Comment

March 12. John Ferrier. John was a skillful and courageous pilot who flew combat missions in Korea and commercial flights for United Airlines.

While in Korea, he earned a medal for bravery when he risked his life to fly cover over a downed Marine pilot.

John was also part of Kanukuk, an organization that runs outdoor youth camps designed to incorporate the Christian principle of God first, others second, and self third into camping experiences that build courage and confidence.

He was also a pilot on the Colorado Air National Guard Minute Men’s official Jet Precision Demonstration Team.

John was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Here’s his story.

Right choices follow right priorities.

Captain John Ferrier kept a small card stuffed inside his wallet. On it was printed a simple reminder: “I’m third.” It was a personal belief he lived out with passion as a follower of Jesus Christ.

June 7, 1958, began like any other sunny morning in Fairborn, Ohio, a small town adjacent to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Skies were blue and the winds calm. Thousands of people from Fairborn and nearby towns were feeling sunny, too. Today—from their own backyards—they would witness one of the greatest shows in the sky.

About nine o’clock, all eyes turned heavenward. The famed Colorado Air National Guard Minute Men would soon streak through the sky. In their silver-and-red F-86 Sabre fighter jets, the pilots would break through the sky at incredible speed and begin jaw-dropping air acrobatics.

They were Colonel Walt Williams, Captain John Ferrier, Captain Bob Cherry, Lieutenant Bob Odle, and Major Wynn Coomer. Colonel Williams led the team and would keep in constant radio contact during their flight.

The elite pilots were charged with adrenaline at every show, but especially now since they had recently received new jets. The pilots were anxious to fly them over an admiring public, as well as a group of West Point Cadets who were guests of honor at the airshow.

Just past 0900, four jets accelerated with numbing power and precision to perform a “bomb burst” maneuver. Just before pull-up, Williams radioed the command, “Smoke on—now.” Forming a diamond shape, the Sabres shot straight up 10,000 feet and approached the speed of sound. The jets trailed billows of white smoke.

High in the sky, the planes suddenly broke apart, rolled to opposite points of the compass, and streamed a ribbon of smoke that resembled a fleur-de-lis.

On the ground, spectators gasped.

But John’s ailerons—the panels near the tip of the wings that allow a plane to roll at a desired angle—jammed. He lost control of the aircraft.

Meanwhile Williams, having picked up speed for a low-altitude crossover looked over his shoulder and saw disaster unfolding. John’s plane was corkscrewing. He was falling out of the sky.

Colonel Williams radioed, “Bail out, John!”

No response. Just a few blips of white smoke.

“Bail out, Johnny, bail!” the Colonel shouted repeatedly.

No doubt John’s two hands were pulling on the control stick locked full-throw right. The quick bursts of smoke seemed to signal he was trying to pull up. There was no time to press the mike button on the throttle.

John didn’t want his pilotless plane to plow directly into a crowd of onlookers in Fairborn. He would control the crash. If he couldn’t save himself, he would die saving others. He would die like he had lived—following the Savior.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV).

Johnny Ferrier died a hero.

Major Wynn Coomer was the first Minute Man to land his plane and race to the scene of the crash. He was met with a mixture of shock, sadness, and respect among the witnesses.

Some said they saw the doomed jet heading straight for them. One man tearfully described how he had nearly made eye contact with the pilot before, somehow, the aircraft pulled up over the crowd and crashed into an empty garden. “He died for us,” he said.

After the tragedy, John’s wife found the well-worn card he had stashed in his wallet. “I’m third,” it read. Her heart warmed with pride for a husband full of courage and honor, a man who put God first, others second, and himself last—who wouldn’t choose to live his life—or to die—any other way. The card became the final testament of a man who sacrificed himself so others might live.

What do your priorities say about you? Right choices follow right priorities.

“I’m Third Story.” I’m Third Discipleship. Kanukuk Ministries. Accessed October 7, 2020. http://imthird.com/im-third-story/.

Miller, Ed Mack. “The man who matched our mountains.” Denver Post. Published December 3, 1961. Kanakuk. Johnny Ferrier Denver Post Article. Accessed August 23, 2020. http://alt.kanakuk.com/explore/johnny-ferrier-denver-post-article.

“Ferrier, John T., Capt.” Togetherweserved.com. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=118376.

“Minute Men.” Aerobatic Teams. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://aerobaticteams.net/en/teams/i97/Minute-Men.html—MinuteMenUnitedStates.

Sabre Jet Classics. F86 Sabre Pilot’s Association. Volume 13, No. 3, Fall 2005. Accessed October 7, 2020. http://yocumusa.com/sweetrose/sabrepilots/sabrejetclassics/sjc133.pdf.

Story read by Blake Mattocks

Story written by Toni M Babcock, https://www.facebook.com/toni.babcock.1

Leave a Comment

March 11. William Carey. Carey grew up poor, with a meager education. But after he was converted, his thirst for education was so great that he mastered Latin grammar in six weeks, French and Dutch in three weeks each, and quickly learned Greek and Hebrew. Eventually, Carey earned the title of Doctor and became a professor at the first British college in Calcutta.

Carey longed to take the gospel where people had never heard of Jesus. Education was simply a means to that end.

Carey turned over his ability with languages to God and became known as “the father of modern missions.” In spite of opposition at home (from churches in England and from his own wife), Carey organized a missionary society and went to India.

During the voyage from England to India, he translated the book of Genesis into the language of Bengal. During his time in India, Carey and his co-workers established the Serampore Missionary Press and translated the New Testament into twenty-three languages.

On this date in 1812, a fire blazed through that printing press. But that’s not the end of this story.

If God has a job for you to do, no power on earth can stop you.

Carey once asked John Newton what would happen if—when he finally got to Bengal—the East India Company just sent him home.

“Then conclude,” Newton said, “that your Lord has nothing there for you to accomplish. But if He have, no power on earth can hinder you.”

In 1798, Carey ordered a wooden printing press from Calcutta and had it shipped to their site in a tiger-infested and very wet region. Thus, the Serampore Missionary Press was born, and Carey got so happy and excited, some of the natives thought the press must be some kind of English deity.

More presses were added. Over the next twelve years, Carey translated the Bible into Bengali and Sanskrit and other major languages and dialects—many of which had never been printed before. And he started a school and taught boys to read the Bible.

Then one night, a fire broke out in one of the offices. Despite valiant efforts to fight it, the building burned fiercely.

Carey’s entire library, the completed Sanskrit dictionary, a large portion of the Bengali dictionary, multiple grammar books, and 10 original translations of the Bible were lost in the fire. All but 5 pieces of equipment were destroyed, including the typesets for the 14 different Eastern languages they were printing. Of the 1200 reams of paper they had imported from England, nothing remained.

Tears streamed down Carey’s face as he spoke. “In one short evening the labors of years are consumed. How unsearchable are the ways of God!” Now was the time Carey needed to remember what John Newton had told him—if God had work for Carey to do, “no power on earth can hinder you.”

Heartbroken, Carey chose to believe, as he had so many times before, that God’s will would prevail. “For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27 NIV).

He wrote to the missionary society in England. “The loss is heavy, but as traveling a road the second time is usually done with greater ease than the first time, so I trust the work will lose nothing of real value … We are cast down but not in despair. … The loss is very great, but I can think of a hundred circumstances that would make it more difficult to bear.” His thought was to examine himself to see what in himself might have added to this evil.

Within a few months, Carey had rebuilt the press and set up a new base of operations in a warehouse.

What he didn’t know was that the print-shop fire would bring him and the missionary cause in India to the attention of people all over Europe and America. Over the ensuing months, over 10,000 British pounds were collected for rebuilding the missionary press in Serampore—from England and Scotland alone!

As Carey’s fame grew, volunteers poured into India. Twenty years later, the expanded printing operation had published complete Bibles or portions of the Bible in forty-four local languages and dialects.

Can you think of a time a setback fulfilled God’s will in your life? If God has a job for you, no power on Earth can stop you.

Pounds, Jessie Brown. “Pioneer Missionaries: William Carey.” Missionary Biographies. Wholesome Words. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/bcarey11.html.

Benge, Janet and Geoff. William Carey: Obliged to Go. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1998.

Galli, Mark. “William Carey—The Man Who Wouldn’t Give Up” Christianity Today International/Christian History magazine. Published 1992. https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/online-books/william-carey-the-man-who-wouldnt-give-up/.

Galli, Mark, “William Carey: The Christian History Timeline” Christianity Today International/Christian History magazine. Issue 36. Published 1992. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/william-carey-timeline.

Smith, George, “The Life of William Carey: Shoemaker & Missionary” The Reformed Reader. Published 1999. http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/carey/lifeofwilliamcarey/wcareych10.htm.

Story read by Chuck Stecker

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

William Carey founded the Serampore College and the Serampore University, the first degree-awarding university in India.

Dr. Carey once said to his nephew, whose design he seems to have suspected, “Eustace, if after my removal any one should think it worth his while to write my Life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge of its correctness. If he give me credit for being a plodder he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.”

Where Carey Lived at Serampore College

Grant, Colesworthy Portrait sketch. Accessed October 12, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carey_(missionary)

Leave a Comment

March 10. William Chalmers Burns. As a youngster, Burns had two goals: to have lots of money and to live in a grand house. So he headed to Edinburgh to study law.

But at university, when Burns was seventeen, he met Jesus, and his life changed. His new goal became to glorify God in all the earth. For fifteen years, he preached revival in Scotland. Then he served another twenty years as a missionary to inland China.

Whether at home in Scotland or abroad in China, he was determined to “take care of God’s cause.” To that end, on this date in 1853, he translated the first half of The Pilgrim’s Progress into the Mandarin language. This is his story.

An obstacle can be an enemy or an adventure.

In the winter of 1847, after weathering a fierce storm, Burns arrived on a hostile shore of South China—a war-torn area cloaked in spiritual darkness. No Christian friend greeted him, no European welcomed him.He was armed only with his Bible.

The people resisted foreign religion, and the Western world considered the place an impossible mission field. The language required years of painstaking study to learn, and Burns had only broken Chinese.

None of this deterred Burns. He was a man intent on Chinese people being saved by Jesus Christ. And when Burns got his first opportunity to reach into the darkness and pull the lost from the fires of hell, he was ready.

Dr. Morrison, a fellow missionary, asked Burns to visit “three Chinese criminals under sentence of death for murder.” The men had heard snippets of the Gospel, and now facing their deaths, were desperate for someone to tell them about the Lord Jesus and His salvation.

Burns didn’t hesitate. A man of great compassion, he took great pleasure in caring “for those for whom few else cared, to be as a brother born to the sorrowful, the outcast, the forsaken.”

God had sent Burns to China for men just like these, and he visited them every day. In his broken Chinese, he desperately tried to convey the Gospel. And the criminals—starved in their spiritual hunger—strove to understand everything Burns said. But Burns had been learning the Canton dialect, and they didn’t speak Canton.

So Burns took another approach. He and the three men read Chinese scriptures together. Their dialect. He read slowly and learned alongside them. Burns picked up a few words in their dialect. They received the truth and devoured it.

The long days in that stench-ridden prison were taxing, but little by little, the prisoners began to change. God’s Word took root in their hearts. They began to pray together. The convicts prayed in their own tongue, while Burns joined them, using whatever words he could. Burns wrote in his journal: “I felt encouraged and enjoyed something of the power of grace in praying with and for them.”

And in answer to those prayers, God worked a miracle for one of the prisoners: the governor decided not to execute him.

Nobody had expected Burns to be able to share anything in Chinese until at least a year after his arrival. But God used Burns’ primitive Chinese to lead three needy men to the feet of Jesus, changing their destinies forever.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

In which area of your life is God calling you to persevere? An obstacle can be an enemy or an adventure.

“William Chalmers Burns.” The Wicket Gate Magazine: A Continuing Witness. Internet edition number 92. Published September, 2011. http://www.wicketgate.co.uk/issue92/e92_4.html.

Burns, Islay. Memoir of the Rev. Wm. C. Burns. New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1870.

The Complete Works of William Chalmers Burns. Parisis, Peter-John (Ed.) Flint, Michigan: 2011.

Story read by Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/

Leave a Comment

March 9. Casper ten Boom. Casper was a Dutch watch-maker. More significantly, he was a devout Christian who maintained a prayer tradition that had begun before he was born.

Casper’s parents had started assembling believers to pray for Jerusalem and for Jewish people around the world. With his father, Casper led 5,200 intercessory prayer meetings over a span of 100 years for Jerusalem and the ancient people of God. The last of those prayer meetings occurred on this date in 1944, when Casper died in a Nazi prison.

When evil descends, a man of conviction stands up.

When the Nazis occupied Holland in 1940, 84-year-old Casper lived as he always had: a life of love and faith-in-action upstairs above his watch shop. The only difference was higher stakes.

Affectionately nicknamed Haarlem’s Grand Old Man, Casper refused to leave the side of his neighbors when they were forced to take the dreaded yellow star that identified them as Jews.

“Go home!” his friends urged.

But Casper wouldn’t budge. “If it is good enough for God’s chosen people to suffer,” he said, “then it is good enough for me to suffer with them.”

When Casper returned home later that day, he handed the star to his daughter, Betsie. “Could you sew this onto my coat?”

Corrie cried, “No, Father!” In a passionate discussion, Casper’s daughters convinced him there were better ways to help the Jews. Casper lovingly placed the fabric star in the pages of his Bible.

Soon Jewish people knocked on Casper’s door. His home became a haven where Jews hid until more secure arrangements could be made through the Dutch underground.

Planning for a likely Gestapo raid, Casper installed a secret room upstairs. Building materials were smuggled in. A level stuck in a sock. Two or three bricks like loaves of bread in a basket. They called the room: Angel’s Den.

On February 28, 1944, minutes before the Gestapo stamped to the third floor, six people slipped into the secret room. One group of officers splintered floorboards and searched for hollow walls, and another group beat Casper and his family and demanded information about Jewish people.

Casper tasted blood and his head throbbed as he leaned heavily upon his daughters. The Gestapo shoved them through the dark streets of Haarlem, and held them in a crowded gymnasium.

As they awaited their fate, Casper did what he did every night. He prayed and shared Scripture. He had no Bible, but in his steady, faithful voice, he recited Psalm 91.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refugeand my fortress,my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:1–2 NIV).

The next morning, the Nazis told Casper could go home if he stopped sheltering Jews.

Casper stood erect, his white hair a halo. “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.”

Fury replaced compassion, and the Nazis thrust Casper—and the daughters he loved—into a concrete courtyard to await imprisonment.

As Casper was taken from her, Corrie cried to her father, “God go with you.”

“And also with you, my daughters.”

It was their last loving exchange. After nine days in Scheveningen Prison, Casper died. But the six people hidden in his home escaped. Three of them survived the war.

During the Nazi occupation of Holland, the ten Booms and their friends rescued more than 800 people—Jewish people and non-Jewish members of the Dutch Underground.

Extraordinary times demand extraordinary action, but Casper didn’t suddenly step into greatness. He had prepared long before. “The cornerstone of [her father’s] character,” wrote Corrie, “was his steady and consistent walk with the Lord, his knowledge of, and trust in, the Bible. He believed the Bible was relevant for every part of his daily life.”

When evil descends, a man of conviction stands up. Will you?

“The ten Boom Family.” Friends of Zion Museum. Accessed August 20, 2020. https://www.fozmuseum.com/exhibits/dreamers/ten-boom/.

ten Boom, Corrie. The Hiding Place. Grand Rapids: Chosen Books. 2006.

Benge, Janet and Geoff. Corrie Ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den. Seattle: YWAM Publishing. 1999.

Corrie ten Boom: A Faith Undefeated . Directed by Robert Fernandez. Herald Entertainment. 2013.

Story read by Daniel Carpenter

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

Want to read more about Casper and the family culture he created? Check out In My Father’s House and Corrie’s Christmas Memories, by Corrie ten Boom. For a virtual tour of Beje, the ten Boom home which is now a museum, visit: http://tenboom.org.

Leave a Comment

Inspirational Stories Of Real Men

SPONSOR

Spotlight Podcast:
Samuel Cathy, U.S., Businessman

Archives: Episode