Episode | 365 Christian Men

July 20. Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born into slavery, found a way out for himself, worked to free others, and then used his new position to work toward freedom for other groups of people. On this date in 1866, Douglass spoke at the First Women’s Rights Convention.

Knowledge can be the pathway to freedom; gain it. Use it.

Born into slavery in 1818, Douglass was less than 10 years old when his master loaned him to the Aulds in Baltimore. When Mrs. Auld taught Frederick the alphabet, a new world opened to him. But when she showed her husband Douglass’s new skill, Mr. Auld became enraged and said that knowledge would ruin a good slave.

Douglass recalled, “‘Very well,’ thought I; ‘knowledge unfits a child to be a slave.’ … from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”Though Mrs. Auld punished Douglass if she caught him reading, when the Aulds weren’t home, Douglass practiced.

With a piece of biscuit, he bought spelling lessons from neighborhood boys. He also taught himself penmanship. At 13, he read the Columbian Orator, a collection of political essays and dialogs. “I had now penetrated the secret of all slavery and oppression … their true foundation [was] in the pride, the power, and the avarice of man.”

Freed from the lie that Divine design had made him a slave, Douglass reached out to God and kept trying to get more knowledge. He wrote, “Especially did I want a thorough acquaintance with the contents of the Bible.”

Mr. Auld eventually sent Douglass to work on the plantation, and there the boy used Scripture to teach the other slaves to read. But when white men with whips drove the students apart, the class ended.

Then Douglass was sent to a cruel taskmaster to be “broken,” abused physically and mentally, and he sometimes lost hope, but he never believed any man should be enslaved.

His next master was more reasonable. As Douglass’s wounds healed, he gained the strength to act on his knowledge. He lived the proverb: “The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength” (Proverbs 24:5 NIV).

He taught fellow slaves the virtues of learning, started a secret Sunday school, and soon had forty pupils. He planned an escape, but someone tipped off the master. After a short imprisonment, Douglass was sent back to Baltimore, where he plotted another escape. This time his plan worked.

Now a free man, Douglass read The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper.

The abolitionists offered him a position as a traveling orator. As he grew in eloquence, audiences believed that he was too well-spoken to be a fugitive slave.

In response, Douglass shared details of his life, but this made him vulnerable to capture. The abolitionists sent him to England, where he would be safe. “A rude, uncultivated fugitive slave was driven by stern necessity, to that country to which young American gentlemen go to increase their stock of knowledge.”

The British press warmly received Douglass, and he enjoyed the company of English intellectuals, but after a time, duty drove him back to America. British friends purchased Douglass’s freedom papers and gave him enough capital to start a printing press. American abolitionists tried to talk him out of it, but Douglass persevered, and he wrote, “… the want of education, great as it was, could be overcome by study, and that knowledge would come by experience.”

What dream have you put on hold for lack of knowledge? Knowledge can be the pathway to freedom; gain it. Use it.

Biography.com. “Frederick Douglass Biography.” Published April 2, 2014. https://www.biography.com/activist/frederick-douglass.

Douglass, Frederick. “Life in Baltimore.” My Bondage and My Freedom. London, England: Partridge and Oakey, 1855.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

Douglass’s autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom can be accessed online at Lit2Go: https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/45/my-bondage-and-my-freedom/ or purchased in print or electronic format at major retailers.

Story read by: Stephen Holcomb

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 19. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower graduated from West Point, commanded the Allied Forces in North Africa in 1942, and on D-Day, 1944, he was Supreme Commander of the troops invading France.

After the war, he became President of Columbia University, and before long, he was President of the United States.

A conviction is a belief that moves you to action. Be a man of action.

Prayers at presidential inaugurations are not unusual, but it is usually not the new President doing the praying. In addition to three invited clergymen, Eisenhower prayed.

He had had faith from a young age and prayed regularly, and he had recently devoted himself to his wife’s denomination. So now, when he wanted faith to play a major part in his presidency, as he did with many things, Eisenhower took command.

Of the original inaugural speech, several more drafts and redrafts were crafted; some he disliked because they sounded too much like sermons. He gathered his staff and told them, “You want every person there to carry home with him a conviction that he can do something.”

Eisenhower didn’t mince words, and he wouldn’t in his inaugural address. He disliked words that drew attention to themselves. The average person needed to grasp the message and act upon it—a quality a leader had to have.

On the morning of the inauguration, he changed the opening of his speech. For the oath, Eisenhower placed his hand on the same Bible George Washington had used. He opened to this verse from the Old Testament. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV).

He turned to the crowd of people, who waited in the chilly weather. President Eisenhower asked them to bow their heads while he uttered a private prayer. He asked God to make his team’s dedication to service full and complete, and to grant them discernment between “right and wrong.” Later in the speech, he returned his focus to the country’s need for faith as the “abiding creed of our fathers.”

Within days, he ordered that every cabinet meeting begin with a moment of silent prayer, where each person there could respond according to his own faith.

A week later President Eisenhower was baptized. He meant what he had said at his inauguration. While he never demanded anyone pray or share his faith, he sent a strong message that prayer played a major role in his life, and his faith would guide him in how he led the nation.

Your influence matters. A conviction is a belief that moves you to action. Be a man of action.

Baier, Bret. Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2017.

Hitchcock, William I. “How Dwight Eisenhower Found God in the White House.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, March 20, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/eisenhower-billy-graham-religion-in-god-we-trust.

Story read by: Daniel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 18. Jerry Moldenhauer. Jerry loved Jesus Christ, and he loved a young woman. Today’s story is not dependent on the kind of job Jerry had or the place he lived. It is equally relevant for all of us who have ever loved someone who had issues of their own. Take a listen. On this date in 1987, Jerry prayed for Paula on Loveland Pass.

Called to protect those we love, stand in the gap.

Beneath a full summer moon, at the top of Loveland Pass, Jerry sat on a boulder. He had thought Paula was the one God had given him. He had planned for a happy home, not a brutal break-up. Now, nearly a year later, he could not stop praying for her.

As he climbed in the moonlight, the tension grew. He had taken her pictures off the wall. Praying for her drew the pain to the surface. But he did not pray God would give her back. He prayed God would give her His best.

A few months later, Jerry walked into a crowded church service, and there she was. He felt queasy, but collected himself and said, “Hi.” Paula looked conflicted, too. He had to get out of there. The relationship was over, but he had given his heart away completely.

Paula had come to town for a wedding Jerry was videoing the next day for mutual friends. The morning of the ceremony he ironed his shirt, packed up the camera, and wondered incessantly if he should really talk to her. At the chapel with its long windows that framed a mountain vista, he focused the camera on the bridal procession, the vows, and the kiss. But he was consumed by Paula’s presence. Later, at the reception, Jerry noted where she sat as he set up his equipment. Should he talk to her?

“Now,” God said.

It was the first time Jerry had heard God speak in an audible voice, and he asked her to talk with him after the reception. His whole body felt light.

Later that night, in a nearby park, they sat together on top of an old picnic table. Denver lights twinkled below as they talked in the crisp October night air. Friend-to-friend. Paula’s heart was one huge, painful bruise. And finally, Jerry understood why he had been compelled to pray.

A year and a half later, Jerry married Paula—emotional bruises and all. Over time he understood that Paula was being emotionally, spiritually, and verbally abused by a family member. And he had been called to protect his wife—not only her physical body, but also her heart.

It was tricky. He needed to respect her family, and she had to be ready for change, too. It hurt to see her hurt. Jerry did his best to counteract the soul-shredding lies she believed.

Paula could not accept unconditional love. Performing for love was all she knew, so Jerry focused on showing Paula he loved her for who she was, not for what she did for him. He guarded his conversation and prayed for opportunities to speak truth. But often he talked more to God than to Paula about what he saw. Sometimes she could not receive it. Not yet.

Jerry continued to model God’s unconditional love, which empowered Paula to begin to accept herself. One day she wrote in her journal, “I am awed at … Jerry’s … total acceptance of me even as my sin, failure, and ugliness lay bare between us.… He saw beauty and treasure where I saw only failure and decay.”

The healing took years, but gradually Paula grew stronger. When their children started to be affected by the abusive family member, Jerry supported Paula as she told the person—until things changed—they would only communicate through a counselor. Eventually Jerry helped her understand God wanted her to protect her heart, too, not only the hearts of their children.

“Guard your heart with all diligence for from it flow springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23 BSB).

How do you protect the hearts of your loved ones? Called to protect those we love, stand in the gap.

Based on an interview with Jerry Moldenhauer.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

For more on her journey out of spiritual, emotional, and mental abuse see: Soul Scents: Flourish, Paula Moldenhauer, 2016, Free to Flourish Publishing.

Story read by: Blake Mattocks

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 17. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Austin. Tom and his wife Cheri lived in Hospitality House, just outside the gate of the US Military Academy at West Point.

Years before, through the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF), Tom, then a cadet himself, had chosen life with Jesus. And he had dreamed of someday running OCF, one of the most vibrant student organizations at the academy. He wanted to serve the men and women who sacrificed to serve their country. He wanted to open the Bible to them. He wanted to help them know Christ. Now, after retiring from active duty, here he was. He wanted to model Christ, and replicate his faith in the cadets.

Want to impact the world? Replicate, equip, and send out.

Tom was all about replication. After all, Jesus Himself poured into others, who poured into others, who poured into others. And they had changed the world.

Tom loved the men and women who sacrificed to serve their country. That’s why Tom and his wife Cheri had returned to West Point. That’s why, instead of embracing the retired life, they led the Officers’ Christian Fellowship—and were on call 24/7. That’s why—on this evening—Tom had to fight his way through his own kitchen.

Wolfing down huge quantities of food, cadets packed Tom’s kitchen like uniformed sardines. He pushed past the extra refrigerator and the dishwasher. The smell of salty sweat mingled with the aroma of mega-quantities of Sloppy Joes.

When Tom finally reached the back yard, he surveyed the crowded lawn between the door and the barn. Some eighty cadets flooded the Hospitality House and its extensive yard.

He loved the chaos. After the meal they would enjoy worship, prayer, and a short message about God from one of the team members. Next Tuesday at the lecture hall on campus, about 200 cadets would gather for praise and worship, and then break into Bible study groups.

Tom scanned the lawn for members of OCF’s student-led leadership team. He strategically shared the work of helping cadets grow in intimacy with Christ, and the upperclassmen carried the ministry. Tom, Cheri, and the West Point staff he had recruited (young captains, majors and their wives), were the cadets’ mentors. If you loved Jesus, Tom recruited you to help someone else learn to do the same.

Across the lawn, student leaders Blake and Will laughed with their friend Hollis Young—a stocky cadet with cropped brown hair. Blake and Will had been talking with Hollis about faith, but the soldier wasn’t sure what he believed. Hollis knew Tom had mentored his friends in spiritual matters, so he asked Tom if he would meet with him.

A few days later, Tom stepped into a little side-room in West Point’s Officers’ Club. He required cadets to take ownership of personal meetings, so Hollis had chosen the meeting time and this location, close to the academic building where he took classes. Hollis arrived right on time. They were off to a good start.

Tom had his Bible because he usually took the cadets through Scripture, likely a New Testament epistle. Maybe Colossians would be good for Hollis.

But Hollis had questions. Questions about God’s character. Questions about salvation. Questions about his personal standing with God. Before he was ready to care about Scripture, Hollis needed someone to care about him—and to listen to the myriad spiritual questions that dogged him.

So Tom listened intently, which took effort. Listening wasn’t his strength. He was gifted in instructing, teaching, and equipping—not so much in silence.

By God’s grace, Tom reflected Hollis’s earnest questions back.

The cadet spoke openly, and Tom was impressed. He respected Hollis’s authentic journey of discovery—even if their time together looked much different than the Bible study he usually offered. Not only did Tom determine to truly hear what Hollis was telling him, but Tom also prayed he would truly hear the Holy Spirit. Tom needed God’s help to discern what the earnest cadet needed.

Together, the two men waded slowly into deeper spiritual waters. Tom allowed Hollis’s contemplative nature to lead their conversation—and he trusted that the Holy Spirit would meet them in the depths.

Over the next two-and-a-half years, Tom and Hollis talked. Eventually, Tom did pull out his Bible, and they studied together. A lot.

When Hollis fell in love, Tom coached him through the relationship. Mentor and mentee grew closer than ever. All too soon, Hollis prepared for graduation. But there was one thing Hollis wanted before he left West Point—to be submerged in a believer’s baptism by his mentor.

Brilliant sunshine marked the day. Hollis’s friends—cadets who had helped him follow Jesus—lined the shore of a lake that butted up against the barracks at Camp Buchner.

Tom and Hollis grinned at each other, they stepped into the lake, and Tom dipped Hollis beneath the water. When the young man came up, water droplets sprayed the air, and the guys on shore shouted with pure joy.

Hollis said being baptized by Tom was one of his life’s greatest honors.

After Hollis graduated, Tom and Cheri served OCF for three more years. Finally, they retired from their retirement job and moved closer to grandchildren. Life became more sedate. But one fine September day in 2019, someone knocked on the door.

When Tom pulled the door open, Hollis and his wife stood there, and they were beaming.

Tom invited them inside, hungry for an update. He knew that while Hollis worked in aviation for the Army, he had also pursued a Master’s of Divinity degree. But Hollis had traveled six hours to tell Tom more. When his time was up, Hollis planned to re-enlist—as a chaplain.

Tom dipped his head. Emotion constricted his chest. In these turbulent times, staying in the military was a decision that meant self-denial, deployment, and danger. To Tom, Hollis’s choice to re-enlist—to help other military men and women grow in faith—was not only the ultimate compliment, it was the ultimate replication.

“He also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher’” (Luke 6:39–40 NIV).

Want to change the world? Replicate, equip, and send out.

This story is based on an interview with Tom Austin, May 13, 2020.

Story read by: Chuck Stecker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Story written by: Paula Moldenhauer, http://paulamoldenhauer.com/

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 16. GR Kampfer. Kampfer was a man of mission. Like God sent Paul to the Macedonians, God sent Kampfer to Northern India to people who were “spirit worshippers sunk in the depravity of ignorance” and “driven back into the swamps and jungles.”

When he arrived—though the journey had been long and exhausting and his destination was shot through with evil—he said, “How glorious these trips in the open in November! The evening sky so clear, covered with … stars … And how welcome the rest after the heat and burden of the day!” He had come to do battle with the devil, so he always first guarded his own soul.

When dangers arise, look out for doubt and temptation—wild beasts of the soul.

In northern India—in the land of the gallows, roaring tigers, and wild elephants—Kampfer loved the natives, the “half-dazed, half-savage, half-demonized devil worshipers.” He had come to do battle with the devil.

The natives had been repeatedly attacked by a kind of virulent malarial fever, and they believed it was the attack of evil spirits. So Kampfer had to break taboos and drive out evil spirits. It was three years before the first-ever Baptist church was founded in the village.

After this, the church flourished in different parts of the area. Kampfer went home briefly and returned to India. He said it had been a delightful experience. The villagers, who had fled on his first missionary journey eight years back, now had turned to Christ and were singing hymns in their own tongue.

As the church grew, many young men and women joined Kampfer as missionaries. They had to travel long distances and cover a hundred miles in three days by steamer, railway, and buffalo cart. They crossed long stretches of boggy jungle and slept with him in the same hut or in the open air.

One night, a prowling tiger invaded the village, and—out of one of the nearby huts—the tiger snatched a live pig. In the morning, none of the still-alive men were bothered about the loss of the pig. Seemed like a good outcome.

Kampfer didn’t fear the tigers and called these “Happy Days.” He said, “The gospel spread like a Macedonian invitation to the north.”

One day, Kampfer was riding his bicycle on a winding and rutted road, and suddenly he had the odd feeling that something very strange was running behind him. He slowed. As he crossed a culvert, he saw an obstacle in the road that forced him to stop suddenly.

Two “breathless creatures half-naked with their long hair tied into a top knot” blocked his way. Out in front of them, they gripped huge knives and pointed them at Kampfer. He stood motionless.

They shouted, “Sahib, we want the Kingdom of God.”

Kampfer relaxed and whooped with joy and spoke with tenderness and respect. He gently led the men to the door of the Kingdom of God, where they met the King of Kings, King Jesus.

After that, Kampfer loved to tell the story with the happy ending about the beautiful church at Phasiagaon and the people who “take the Kingdom by storm.”

The reborn natives were steady in Matthew 11 taking the Kingdom by force.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12 NASB).

And Kampfer kept preaching and praying and hanging onto Psalm 30.

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NASB).

Kampfer said he had often been afraid. “Problems, difficulties, dangers, crises often face the missionary, and there are worse things—doubt and temptations, these wild beasts of the soul! What avails against them? A mighty song, the assurance of a promise, a lifting up of the eyes—then into the dark, a quickened pace, and another victory. Do their hearts tremble? Let them tremble. The devil trembles even more.”

A new challenge often brings with it doubt and temptation. When dangers arise, look out for doubt and temptation—wild beasts of the soul.

Daimari, Sri Rihon. “The Unpublished Notes of Rev G.R. Kampfer.” Original source.

Daimari, Surya Kumar. “A Review on ‘The Unpublished Notes of Rev G.R. Kampfer.’” Original source.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

The village where Kampfer first landed was called “Phasiagaon,” which means “village of the gallows”—a place where condemned people had been executed or hanged.

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

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 15. Luke McAllister. Luke is a young man who has a heart for homeless people. Though he faces challenges around speaking, he’s taught his family to communicate and a whole community to serve. Here’s his story.

People cry out for heroes, but we can only hear them if we listen.

Nineteen-year-old Luke had a special routine. Most weekends, he went with his dad to Trader Joe’s to buy groceries for the family. But one day, as he walked toward the door, he noticed something different. Homeless people stood on the street corners asking for money or food and begging for help.

Luke was a young man with autism, mostly nonverbal, and struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. He was able to be more alert and aware of his surroundings; he noticed the homeless, who too often went ignored. Though Luke couldn’t speak much, he could hear the homeless people. And seeing their hardship tugged at his heart.

“How can we help?” Luke asked. He began to think about what he could do for the homeless. He understood what it was like to struggle and not have a voice, but how could he help them when he struggled, too?

Suddenly, the idea hit him. “I can’t speak in sentences, but I can listen,” Luke wrote. He would give what the homeless had been asking for—help.

He mobilized his family to create packets full of items the homeless would need. Everything in the pack would have to be able to withstand being in a car, not melting, or going to waste.

The family would take the packets wherever they went, so if a homeless person was nearby, Luke and his family would have a packet to give. Inside the quart-sized bags were hazelnut spread, granola bars, tissues, a water bottle, notes of encouragement, and Bible verses.

“Scripture is reminding me I have a lot to give,” Luke said. “The Good Samaritan story in the book of Luke reminds everyone to stop and help.”

Luke and his family handed out the packets, but it wasn’t long before his home church found out what he had been doing. The congregation was so impressed with Luke’s heart for the homeless that they decided to join him!

Despite having trouble speaking, Luke wanted to write a speech to introduce his church to what all was involved in the ministry. He typed it on his iPad and played the speech through the tablet, as his dad stood with him.

The church was excited to get involved! And since it had been Luke’s idea to start the ministry in the first place, he was selected to lead it.

As the congregation put more packets together, they added such items as two $1 bills and hand sanitizer. Two specific Scriptures were added for encouragement as well: Isaiah 41:10 and Psalm 136:26. Within the first year of ministry, one thousand packets had been distributed in their local California community.

“Luke has shown us how to start up conversations with anyone, anywhere,” said his mother, Dena. “He has taught us how to communicate.”

The ministry continued to grow and spread to other churches in the area. Luke also got his church’s youth group to help put the packets together.

But Luke’s ministry didn’t just help others. It helped him, too. Through providing for the homeless, Luke found a purpose from God. “I have been given an incredible support system, and it scares me to think about traveling alone in this world, but that is the reality for so many,” he said. “If I can ease a scared soul, my trials are not so bad.”

“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9 NIV).

Think about how you can listen more to the people crying out for help. How might you aid them today? People cry out for heroes, but we can only hear them if we listen.

Ross, Bobby, Jr. “Young Man with Autism Has a Heart for Homeless.” The Christian Chronicle. August 30, 2016. https://christianchronicle.org/young-man-with-autism-has-a-heart-for-homeless/.

Autism Society Ventura County. “Lucas McAllister 2019 Grand Marshall.” Accessed June 5, 2020. http://www.autismventura.org/2019/03/17/lukas-mcallister-2019-grand-marshal/.

Story read by: Joel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 14. Dave Rudenis. Dave was a young deacon in a local church in Florida. One evening at the church’s board meeting, the pastor challenged his team “to make a difference; to get out there and do something.”

After the meeting, Dave told his pastor he didn’t think he should be “doing something” because he was “just a young deacon who liked to race cars.” Pastor Pitts assured him, “We need young men who like to race cars.” Four days later is when today’s story begins. On this date in 1960, Dave rescued a boy named Bill Wilson.

One act of kindness can feed a boy or save a generation.

Dave tinkered under the hood of the old race car, hopped inside, revved the engine, and listened. He slid out and grabbed another tool. A skinny, blond kid watched from across the road. As Dave tuned the car, the boy inched closer. Pretty soon, Dave introduced himself. The kid said his name was Bill, and he was twelve.

After a while the boy moved on, and Dave watched him disappear down the street.

It was some time before Dave saw Bill again. Ordinary life went on. Dave worked at the machine shop he owned. Raced cars. Performed his duties as a deacon at church.

But then life’s challenges got seriously more challenging. Dave’s son was hospitalized with leukemia. Finances shrank. One day in 1960, as Dave drove down Park Boulevard in the stifling Florida heat, Dave felt as if he were suffocating.

But then a lone figure on the corner caught his eye. He slowed. It was the boy—Bill. He sat on a concrete slab near a drainage ditch. The blazing sun beat on his hunched shoulders. Dave stopped the car, slipped out, and jogged toward the culvert. But Bill didn’t move.

Dave stepped closer and put his hand on Bill’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Bill lifted bleary eyes. “I’m just hungry.”

When had the kid had last eaten—or slept? Bill put on a brave front, but there was desperation beneath it. The guys talked some. Dave learned that Bill had waited in that concrete culvert for three days. It was the last place he had seen his mother. She had told him, “I can’t do this anymore. You wait here. I will be back.” Only she never returned.

There was no way Dave was leaving Bill there alone. “How would you like to go to youth camp?” Dave asked.

“What’s that?” The boy cocked his head.

“Oh, you would love it. Lots of kids your age will be there. They have softball, swimming, and great services.”

When Bill agreed to go, Dave’s heart lifted. Dave didn’t have $17.50 to pay the camp fee, but he borrowed it, fed Bill, and five hours later Bill was on his way—riding in the church van.

At summer camp, Bill met Jesus. And everything changed for Bill—and he and Dave remained friends.

In the middle of Dave’s overwhelming circumstances, God had called him to reach out to Bill.

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Hebrews 6:10 NASB).

Years later, Bill invited Dave to New York City to see the ripple effects of Dave’s acts of kindness. He thanked Dave—again—for stopping that day in 1960 when hundreds of others had driven past. Then Bill gave Dave a tour of Metro World Child, the inner-city Sunday school ministry Bill started for kids like him.

He showed Dave fifty buses that transported children to Sunday school—each staffed by a caring adult, who served as pastor to the children on the bus. He showed Dave twenty trucks equipped with traveling Sunday schools that brought church to the children of New York. He told Dave that without his one act of kindness, tens of thousands of kids wouldn’t be meeting Jesus that weekend.

Dave nodded. He would do it all over again, just the same way.

This is a legacy story. Pastor Pitts did his part; Dave Rudenis did his part; then Bill Wilson did his part. You have a part in someone’s legacy, too. One act of kindness can feed a boy or save a generation.

You can find Metro World Child at https://www.metroworldchild.org/.

This story is based on an interview with Bill Wilson, 2019.

Wilson, Bill. Whose Child Is This? Brooklyn: Metro World Child, 2015.

Tommy Barnett. Dream Again. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 1998. pp. 76–80.

Story read by: Chuck Stecker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 13. Stanley Dale. Dale was an Australian who first visited New Guinea while he was in the army during World War II. When he first saw the high mountain ranges of the interior, he set his mind that someday he would come back and bring the message of God’s love to the Yali people, who lived in those remote areas.

And when he came to them, once they shot him, but he didn’t die. Another time they shot arrows at him. He pulled the arrows out of his body and broke them over his knee. Dale knew that if God had sent him someplace, God would take care of what is npp steroid the details. On this date in 1960, Dale set out for his third attempt at missionary work in New Guinea and Indonesia.

God guides the bold man willing to take action.

It took a long time for any outsider to find the Yali people. Hidden deep among the ridges and valleys of unexplored New Guinea, these hostile tribes lived in stone-age conditions and worshiped the mystical spirits of kembu.

Climate, terrain, language barriers, and danger of attack kept anyone from daring to explore the area—until 1960, when Dale arrived.

Dale and his partner Bruno DeLeeuw first scouted the land by plane and looked for space to build an airstrip. Then, they boated and hiked back into the area. With them came five natives from a neighboring, friendly tribe called Danis and two guides from Balinga, the village they were heading toward. At the last moment, one of the guides named Suwi ran ahead to warn his people about the strange beings who were on their way.

Dale and DeLeeuw finally stood at the edge of a pass, looking down at a ridge swarming with armed strangers. Hands on his hips, Dale eyed them unabashedly. With only a moment’s hesitation, he held up his palms in a sign of peace and started moving—then running—straight downhill toward the crowd.

Natives shouted in alarm, some ran away, and a few brave men stood their ground. Suwi, the messenger guide, did his best to explain to his kinsmen that these men were not dangerous. And Dale was able to interact with the men and establish a sort of relationship.

Next, Dale pressed on to investigate the potential airstrip site he had spotted earlier from the plane. He descended into the valley and headed straight for the enemy of the Balinga warriors: the Yabi and Kobak tribes.

The Balinga warriors behind him screamed battle cries and followed with weapons raised, but Dale kept going.

The Yabi and Kobak warriors screeched their own cries and held their weapons ready.

Dale had no way to know of the long-standing rivalry between these tribes, but he knew he was facing a challenge at that moment, and it was not in his character to back down. So he pressed on—oblivious to the fact that the Balinga tribe was slowing to a shocked halt.

The Balinga tribe had been bluffing.

Dale reached the lowest part of the valley, and armed warriors lined the ridges in front of him—and behind him. Alone, Dale crossed the river that divided the two territories and headed for the other warriors.

The Yabi and Kobak warriors stood stunned.

But suddenly, they were struck by the impression that this magnificent, courageous entity must have appeared to bring peace. A voice suddenly issued a command. “Don’t kill him!”

Warriors relaxed their weapons, and the crowd disappeared, and when Dale reached the bank, only a few were left standing at the bank.

These men greeted Dale openly.

When the rest of Dale’s group saw it was safe, they all crossed the river to join him. That was the moment the messenger Suwi was finally able to communicate to Dale that these two tribes were at war.

With authority that only God could enforce, Dale ordered Suwi to tell the Balinga and Yabi war chiefs that it was time to make peace. Suwi hesitated, but Dale gripped his shoulders and sent him on his way.

Suwi rallied the leaders from his village and the enemies. With DeLeeuw praying behind him, Dale used his interpreters to talk with the war chiefs.

Finally the people, who had just been ready to let their arrows fly at one another, grasped arms in forgiveness.

“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6 NIV).

With God leading you today, what is your action step? God guides the bold man willing to take action.

Jackson, Dave, and Neta Jackson. The Complete Book of Christian Heroes: Over 200 Stories of Courageous People Who Suffered for Jesus. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.

Richardson, Don. Lords of the Earth. Glendale: G/L Publications, 1977.

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

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 12. Frederick Robertson. Frederick had a reputation for studying hard. He memorized the entire New Testament—in English and in Greek. And he was enthusiastically evangelical. On this date in 1840, he was ordained by the bishop of Winchester and began preaching at once.

Do you sometimes wonder whether God answers prayer? Pray.

When Frederick was a little boy, he often hunted with his father. Every time the dogs were sent out to scatter the birds into the air, little Frederick prayed that his father could shoot the bird and kill it, so they could take it home. Sometimes the prayers would work; his father would shoot his gun and kill the bird. But sometimes the prayers didn’t work, and the bird would fly away, and Frederick felt disappointed.

Young Frederick got discouraged. Why did God listen to some of his prayers, but not others? Did God really care?

When Frederick got old enough to go to school, he carried this secret doubt with him. But then one day the schoolmaster called Frederick and nine other boys to the office. They were all in trouble. Something had happened at the school.

Frederick’s guts knotted. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

He never would. Boys who caused trouble were flogged in front of the whole school. The shame. Being labeled a troublemaker. He felt overwhelmed.

Waiting to see the schoolmaster was the worst. Frederick’s mind raced to figure out what to do. If he told the truth, would the schoolmaster believe him? What if the old schoolmaster ignored the truth, and Fredrick was flogged anyway? He felt sick.

It was his word against the school’s and the schoolmaster’s. He wasn’t sure any grown-up would take his side.

He sat and waited, wondering what else he could do. He thought of trying to pray … as unsure as he was that it would work. Would God listen to such a minor request? Would God even care about a school punishment, even if he wasn’t guilty?

Frederick decided to try it. He prayed desperately that God would help him escape the punishment and shame of flogging, and Frederick hoped that God would hear him.

The schoolmaster stepped out and brought the boys to be flogged. As the ten stood and waited, with Frederick at the head, he came face-to-face with the schoolmaster. But as the schoolmaster looked at him, a strange expression came upon his face, and he almost looked surprised that Frederick was there with the other troublemakers.

“Little boy,” the schoolmaster said, “I excuse you; I have particular reasons for it.”

Some adult stepped up and ushered Frederick away, and the other nine boys were flogged in front of the whole school. Frederick never did find out what reasons the schoolmaster had for sparing him.

But Frederick did realize that God had heard his prayer—even though it was only about a minor incident. And for the three years he was at the school, he was never flogged.

“That incident settled my mind for a long time,” Frederick said. But eventually, he became a man and thought as a man, and he realized that prayer wasn’t a good-luck charm or a carnival game—make a wish and win a prize.

And it didn’t make Frederick immune to bad things happening. Somehow the fact that God heard Frederick’s prayers was about the fact that Frederick was connected to the Creator of the universe. “It did not make me better; it simply gave me security.”

He felt confident that God was listening. No matter how scary things got, God would take care of him and give him strength to face any difficulty, big or small.

The psalmist wrote: “But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!” (Psalm 66:19 TLB).

Think of how prayer has affected your life. Has it made you more secure in your faith? Do you sometimes wonder whether God answers prayer? Pray.

Robertson, Frederick W. Life and Letters of Frederick W. Robertson. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1865.

ChristiansUnite. “Frederick W. Robertson.” Accessed June 5, 2020. http://articles.ochristian.com/preacher535-1.shtml.

Story read by: Daniel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https: //authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

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July 11. Eric Liddell. Eric was a champion runner and rugby player who intended to compete in the 100-meter race at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. But stuff happened, and on this date in 1924, he won the Gold Medal for the 400-meter event. Here’s how it happened.

When you walk with integrity, you forge a path for other men.

As the sound of pipes and drums of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders filled the air, tension mounted. Runners took position, and the roaring crowd fell silent. Taut with anticipation, the 1924 Olympians crouched for the opening shot. This 400-meter race in Paris captured the attention of the world.

Everyone wanted to watch Eric, who was running this race instead of his strongest event. He had dropped the 100 because the trials fell on a Sunday, the day he set aside for worship.

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11 NASB).

While some respected Eric’s decision, many of his fellow Scots were angry, believing Eric’s choice would cost the United Kingdom a Gold. Even Parliament criticized his decision. But Eric chose conscience over success.

The crack of the pistol broke the strained silence. Eric shot forward and immediately took the lead. When—at the half-way point—Eric was a clear 3 yards ahead, a collective gasp rose. He had covered the first 200 meters in 22.2 seconds, a pace many people had considered unsustainable.

But as the runners neared the finish line, his rivals still strained to catch him. With an astonishing burst of speed, Eric threw his head back and thrust his chin out in that awkward way he was known for.

Nearly a second—and at least 6 yards—ahead of his fiercest opponent, Eric burst through the tape. The crowd exploded. Not only did Eric win, he broke the record at an awe-inspiring 47.6 seconds, a record that stood for 12 years.

People called his lung-bursting speed “lion-hearted.” He ran each of the 3 first 100 meters in just over 12 seconds and the fourth at a blistering pace—barely over 11 seconds. “The secret of my success over the 400 metres is that I run the first 200 metres as hard as I can,” Eric told reporters. “Then, for the second 200 metres, with God’s help, I run harder.”

Before the race, the US Olympic masseur slipped a piece of paper into Eric’s hand. It included 1 Samuel 2:30, “Those who honour me I will honour.”

People were stunned by Eric’s decision in 1924 and by the way God honored his decision. In fact, Eric’s footprint was so great, that in 1981 a film, Chariots of Fire, was produced chronicling this historic event.

After the Olympics, Eric continued to leave footprints of integrity while he was interned in a World War II prison camp in China. He lived out his conviction that God had placed him there to help others. When Winston Churchill negotiated Eric’s release, he insisted a young, pregnant woman be sent home instead. Especially concerned for the interned children, “Uncle” Eric organized and refereed games.

At first there were no games on Sunday, but the children, confined in deplorable conditions, fought. Eric wrestled with what God wanted him to do. Soon Sunday games were instated.

In 1924 Eric sacrificed a Gold Medal for his convictions. In 1943 he embraced God’s grace, convicted that honoring God meant meeting the children’s needs. Eric lived out his beliefs, and story after story of those interned with him record the impact. Dr. Norman Cliff, who was imprisoned with Eric, remembers him deflecting praise. “When you speak of me,” Eric said, “give the glory to my master, Jesus Christ.”

Integrity is often forged in the fire of personal convictions. In what one area of your life should you begin to vocalize your personal convictions? When you walk with integrity, you forge a path for other men.

Burnton, Simon. “50 stunning Olympic moments: No8 Eric Liddell’s 400 metres win, 1924.” Published January 4, 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jan/04/50-stunning-olympic-moments-eric-liddell.

Thomson, D.P. Scotland’s Greatest Athlete: The Eric Liddell Story. Crieff, Perthshire: Research Unit, 1970.

Alcorn, Randy. “The Little Known Story of Eric Liddell’s Final Years.” Published February 12, 2018. https://www.epm.org/blog/2018/Feb/12/olympian-eric-liddell.

Cliff, Norman. Eric Lidell Centre. “Rev. Dr. Norman Cliff.” Accessed June 5, 2020. https://www.ericliddell.org/rev-dr-norman-cliff-a-transcript-of-a-talk-on-his-experiences-of-weihsien-camp-he-describes-eric-liddells-life-and-death-in-the-camp/.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

Lord David Putnam made an awesome film of Eric Liddell’s life called Chariots of Fire. You can hear him lecture about it here: https://youtu.be/r9NclUKgqFs.

Story read by: Blake Mattocks

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/

Project manager: Blake Mattocks

Leave a Comment

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