Archives: Episode

December 22. Hugh McKail. When Hugh was 20 years old, he was ordained a pastor. When he was 21, the government ousted him from his church and called his preaching illegal. When he was 26, on this date in 1666, Hugh was executed because he refused to name the King of England the head of the Christian Church. This is how it happened. 

Fear God, and you won’t need to fear men. 

Excruciating pain overwhelmed Hugh, and he passed out. As he came to, he realized his abusers continued to hammer metal rods into his bone. His leg had been encased in the vice commonly known as the “boot” and was crushed between heavy slabs of wood. 

Still, he wouldn’t give in. He gritted his teeth and refused to divulge the names of his brothers and sisters, who stood their ground in their belief that Christ—not the government—was the head of the church. Hugh would never make an oath to the king, calling him the head of the church. He answered to God, not man. Hugh would remain true to the Lord and to his brethren, who outsiders called “the Covenanters.” 

Not long after being tortured, Hugh stood trial and was condemned to die by hanging. He said, “Fear of my neck makes me forget my leg. I am not so cumbered about dying as I have often been about preaching a sermon.”  

It had been a hard journey to reach the age of twenty-six, but not nearly as difficult as this journey to the scaffold. He crawled up the stairs, dragging his crushed leg, agony ripping through him. That first step reminded him of what had brought him to this place in time. 

It started with one particular sermon when he was twenty-one. After studying at Edinburgh, he learned about the conflict between the church and government. After all, Hugh’s own father had been forced out of the pulpit for not obeying King Charles’s unholy demands. 

In 1661, Hugh got his license to preach and gained many followers. In that first year, he spoke out eloquently against the tyrannical government. He said, “The Church is persecuted by a Pharaoh on the throne, a Haman in the State, and a Judas in the Church.” 

Everyone in the community understood the Bible references: Pharaoh had enslaved and persecuted the Jews, Haman plotted to wipe them out, and Judas had betrayed Jesus with a kiss. 

Not long after that sermon, Hugh escaped to Holland. He stayed for three years until, longing for home, he finally returned to his beloved Scotland. Sadly, nothing had changed. Men, women, and even worse, the elderly and children suffered the cruelty of the British army. 

Because of this, Hugh joined the rebellion, but illness weakened him on his trek to battle, so he turned back and made his way to Edinburgh, where he was captured. Not for joining the rebellion, but for preaching that one sermon. 

Finally, he had reached the top of the scaffold and crawled to the wooden pole from which swung his noose. As he pulled himself up onto his good leg, he spoke his final words: “Now I leave off to speak any more with created beings and begin my communion with God, which shall never be broken off. Farewell, father and mothers, friends and relations! Farewell, the world and all delights! Farewell meat and drink! Farewell, sun, moon and stars! Welcome, God and Father! Welcome, sweet Lord Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant! Welcome, blessed Spirit of grace, God of all consolation! Welcome glory! Welcome eternal life! Welcome death!” 

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 NASB). 

Has fear ever kept you from speaking truth? What step can you take this week to prepare for such a moment? Fear God, and you won’t need to fear men. 

Archivist. “December 22: Hugh McKail Martyred (1666).” This Day in Presbyterian History. December 22, 2015. http://​www.thisday.pcahistory.org/​2015/​12/​december-22–2/. 

Stephen, Leslie and Sidney Lee. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 35. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2004. 

The Newsroom. “A Heart of Darkness.” The Scotsman. February 18, 2008. https://www.scotsman.com/news/heart-darkness-2452322. 

Story read by Nathan Walker 

Story written by Sandi Rog, http://www.sandirog.com/ 

December 21. Stefano “Verbo” Disalvo. Verbo left school to go all-in on Blizzard Entertainment’s popular team-based first-person shooter game named Overwatch.

And he had multiple, multiple first-place wins in online gaming—along with the fame and money that came with. Here’s a 2017 tweet from Verbo: “It is not confidence from within myself, but confidence in him who will strengthen me and provide the skills needed to perform his will.” On this date in 2016, Verbo joined the Immortals, a massive gaming organization.

Success is not defined by your status, but by who you are as a person.

It started with a Game Boy and a computer he had gotten from his mom, but when he saw competitive online gaming, Verbo knew that’s where he wanted to be.

What started as a hobby turned into a professional e-sports career. And—for the popular video game Overwatch—Verbo became known as one of the best support players in the world. Disalvo’s gamer name is “Verbo” and means “word of God.”

Verbo’s career took off. Wins and championship titles in the Overwatch League added to his already impressive resume. His testimony and story spread through interviews and articles on an international level.

Despite his youth, Verbo was at the top of his game. He was climbing up the mountain and going higher and higher in his status as a gamer.

But after a year and a half, things started to change. Wins started to become losses. Championships were lost. Fame began to wane. And as new, talented players joined the league, Verbo found himself struggling to keep up.

The losses shook Verbo’s confidence. When he won, he felt happy. When he did his best and inspired other players, he saw his life as successful. But when he lost, he found his joy weakened. When his performance wasn’t the best, his confidence turned into insecurity.

Verbo’s desire in Overwatch was to shine in the spotlight for God. He wanted to use his talents and gifts for a good cause, so why was he no longer finding success?

The inner turmoil weighed heavy on his heart, and the mountains he used to climb so high now led him down into a valley. Verbo wondered if he had made a mistake in placing such a high priority on his stats and performance as a gamer.

In the end, the world’s definition of success didn’t bring him joy. It didn’t allow him to see himself as a valuable person. It didn’t give him anything he could count on.

Verbo’s career proved that the world’s version of success was always changing. Wins and high scores were never guaranteed, and talent could be found in plenty of places.

Things like career, material possessions, appearance, even the people in his life—all of those could change. If success was based on something that could be taken away, was the foundation he had built his identity on really that stable?

Verbo realized he needed to re-define success and find his identity in something more stable.

Success had to be tied to who he was as a man.

Character—he had plenty of that. Hard work. Integrity. Motivation. And most importantly, Christ.

Verbo didn’t find the change easy, especially after he had been used to so much winning. He had to be consistent in his decision and focus. He had to ask himself what was really important to him. Why he was competing?

He also found a new way to cope with the losses: they weren’t obstacles any more. They were his new stepping stones to growth. They could be accepted, even welcomed.

“A firm understanding of who I am is what keeps me grounded and content,” he said. “Navigating through ups and downs of my career is knowing to enjoy and cherish the ups, but also to be humble enough to ride the process of the lows, and to grow as much as possible.”

Verbo decided to stay in the Overwatch League, working as a team general manager. And now he can take the lessons he’s learned and help the men on his team grow, too. “Success for me is using what I’ve learned in the highs and lows of my past experiences to push the guys on the team I’m managing forward.”

“My performance doesn’t define who I am,” he said. Instead, it became about who he was as a person, how he loved others, and the God who loved him—whether he won or lost. And with his confidence more secure than ever, Verbo knew he had finally found true success.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew NIV 21–:196).

Many struggles are the result of the wrong definition of success. Success is not defined by your status but by who you are as a person. Where do you need a new definition?

Based on an interview with Stefano “Verbo” Disalvo, August 8, 2019.

Disalvo, Stefano “Verbo”. “Where Do We Place Identity?” YouTube. July 31, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7zHvu_I1jQ.

Story read by Joel Carpenter

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

Verbo credits his success in gaming and in life to his faith. He says that through what he learned at church, he was able to succeed during a tough period in his life.

“Verbo” in Latin or Italian or Spanish means “word” and Verbo thinks of it as “The Word of God.”

December 20. AJ Freeman. After Freeman became totally blind, he heard the gospel from a nurse where he was hospitalized. He grabbed onto that word of truth and climbed out of a severe depression. 

From there, Freeman went to the School of the Blind and learned a craft—how to make brooms. Before long, he opened a factory and employed 15 men, who made 600 brooms a day for him. In his spare time, he preached the gospel. 

Freeman longed to preach the gospel, but he had to support his family, and—after all—he was blind.  

One day, he came home and found his 10-year-old daughter teaching a group of children about Jesus, and the children were responding. Freeman took this as confirmation of his calling, and he took his little daughter as his preaching partner and guide. On this date in 1903, Freeman was ordained in the Swedish Free Church of Moline, Illinois. Here’s his story. 

Challenges in a man’s life are resources in God’s hands. 

Many people consider blindness a hurdle, but on Freeman’s first day as a preacher, it was clear nothing was going to slow him down. Freeman’s preaching always drew a crowd, and he was grateful they showed up, even if it was only out of sympathy or fascination. 

Freeman didn’t preach in front of stained-glass windows or before a pulpit. He worked from a “church on wheels,” called Palmquist’s Memorial, and the mobile church was powered by two horses. 

It’s hard to imagine a blind minister traveling around the state of Illinois with nothing but his young daughter to guide him, but God went before Freeman and provided everything he needed to answer his calling. 

On that first day, as Freeman prepared to share Jesus with the local townspeople, there was some confusion as people mistook Palmquist’s Memorial for a fish cart, since the two looked remarkably similar. 

With money in hand, a man approached the cart. “What kinds of fish are you selling?” 

“I am not a fisherman, but a fisher of men!” Freeman told the visitor. 

Soon another local approached, believing that Freeman was selling medicine. 

Freeman explained that the only medicine he had to offer was the Good News of the Gospel. 

The blind minister and his horse-drawn church on wheels proved to be an irresistible oddity for many, but Freeman didn’t mind. Children came from all over town to climb the mobile church and inspect its underside. 

“Mister,” a little one said, “My mother gave me bread to feed the horses. May I?” 

Every question and conversation made an opportunity for Freeman to scope out the hearts of those he spoke with and share the Good News of God’s saving grace. Blindness was an asset, not an obstacle. 

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4–7 NIV). 

The obstacle before you may be difficult; take the first step to overcome it. Challenges in a man’s life are resources in God’s hands. 

“The Blind Swedish Evangel.” American Foundation for the Blind. 1917. https://​archive.org/​stream/​blindswedishevan00alfr/​blindswedishevan00alfr_​djvu.txt. 

Rusten, E. Michael and Sharon. “The Blind Evangelist.” The One Year Christian History. Michigan: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Pp. 710–711. 

Story read by Daniel Carpenter 

December 18. Chris Maxwell. Chris is a long-time pastor—five years with youth and nineteen as lead pastor. For the last fourteen years, he has been Campus Pastor and Director of Spiritual Life at Emmanuel College. He speaks in churches, conventions, and schools, and has written nine books.  

On this date in 2014, Chris appeared on “Faith Talk Atlanta” and told his story. It’s a story that reveals why his accomplishment is so amazing. Listen to this. 

The limp you have, may be the message you live; be bold. 

Twenty years ago, Chris was at the top of his game. Happy and healthy—physically and mentally—he enjoyed coaching youth-league basketball and pastoring in sunny Orlando, Florida. A scholar, Chris had complete books of the Bible memorized, and he remembered the name of every person he met. 

But in March 1996, Chris got sick. He had high temperatures and headaches and stomach pain so bad he passed out. When his speech stopped making sense, his family rushed him to the hospital. 

“The doctors didn’t think I would live,” Chris said. The diagnosis was shocking: herpes simplex encephalitis. The neurologist said an MRI of Chris’ brain looked like Swiss cheese. It was severely scarred, and his left temporal lobe was permanently damaged. 

Epileptic seizures followed, and though they were eventually controlled with medication, Chris suffered a lot. After his discharge, he had to have extensive rehabilitation, including three daily visits from a nurse and speech therapy that made him feel like a child. 

For six months, he wasn’t allowed to drive. 

The most difficult things to cope with, however, were the invisible effects of Chris’ illness: his personality, knowledge, memory, and emotions had all changed. His wife Debbie said it was like getting to know a second husband. 

But Chris refused to give up. He survived and has become an advocate for people who deal with epilepsy and encephalitis. He has also published several books—only now he’s more of a poet than a scholar. 

He recognizes that his difficulties, his slowness, and his struggle allow him to teach and write in a way he never could have before. He relates well to the Old Testament story of Jacob. 

“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not go unless you bless me’” (Genesis 32:24–26 NIV). 

Chris is determined to grab hold of the blessings that come with his “mental limp.” 

The man who used to write curriculum on the Psalms is now living them. Today, Chris sees value in each moment. In each person. In each conversation. In each breath. In his advocacy work, he explains that the Greek root of the word epilepsy is seized but adds: “Instead of being the object of seizure and being held back, I choose to be the subject: to seize the day, to seize the moment. Seize this moment.” 

Chris has learned to slow down, to pause—a theme he often writes about. “Instead of doing more to impress God, how can we find Him in the now? Driving down the road. Eating in a restaurant. Having a conversation with you? Where is God in the picture? He is here.” 

Is there something you deal with, something causing you to limp? The limp you have, may be the message you live; be bold. 

Based on an interview with Chris Maxwell, 2019. 

Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. “Pause with Jesus.” 100 Huntley Street. May 30, 2016. http://www.100huntley.com/watch?%20id=223470. 

Story read by: Joel Carpenter 

December 17. Brian Hardin. Brian founded the Daily Audio Bible podcast, which has been accessed 40 million times, and Four Winds Mission—“an Artistic, Socially Conscious, Community of Faith” in Tennessee. He is an accomplished record producer, a filmmaker, a photographer, a narrator, and a skillful graphic designer. 

Zondervan asked Brian to write a book for adults about the Bible, and on this date in 2011, Brian published Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything For You. 

But Brian has had his hard times, too. About that time, he said, “… I was raised a Christian and even grew up a pastor’s son, but after 20 years in the music business, I was living a comfortable, semi-agnostic life. I didn’t really know God. …” That’s where today’s story starts. 

Religion can harden a man, but relationship with God transforms him. 

“God, if you’ll speak to me for yourself, I’m listening,” prayed Brian. The house was still, and he settled into the couch that evening. With his family out of town, he sat alone with his thoughts—and an uncomfortable tension that had been growing in his heart toward God. 

He lifted one of several family Bibles from the coffee table in front of him and slowly flipped through the pages. Hardin wrestled with the awareness that he had never actually read the entire book from cover to cover. 

He leaned back on the couch, and suddenly realized that everything he had ever learned about God, his entire life of faith, had been second-hand. 

As a devout believer for most of his life, church had been at the center of his life and his family. He had dedicated himself to learning about God. But always through someone else’s interpretation. In that quiet moment, he recognized that he was familiar with bits and pieces of the Bible, he was living the life of what some people thought of as a “good Christian,” but his heart still ached for something more. 

Is this all there is to being a Christian? If so, I’m not sure I can do this for the rest of my life. 

He lifted his eyes from the Bible and looked around the living room. Pictures of his beautiful wife and family caught his attention. How could he lead the family God had trusted him with into an authentic Christian faith if he didn’t know the God of the Bible for himself? 

And how could he get to know God for himself in a more meaningful way? In frustration, he closed his eyes. 

“God, if you’re going to speak for yourself through your Word, I’ll read the whole Bible,” Brian prayed. 

Then he opened his eyes, opened his heart, and opened his Bible to the very first page. Genesis Chapter One. The first three words were “In the beginning.” 

Those three words felt like a prophesy. Like a new beginning for Brian. He had read these words before, but tonight they landed differently in his heart. This time he wasn’t reading to get to know the Bible. He was reading the Bible to get to know God. 

In that moment, something changed for Brian. He realized that God wanted to reveal Himself through the Bible, that God wanted to build a relationship with him through His Word, and that God had given us the Bible to get to know Him. 

“The more I learned God’s Word, the more I came to understand that knowing the Bible, becoming a theologian, wasn’t the ultimate goal in life, it was getting to know the God of the Bible through knowing His Word.” 

“Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. I am but a pilgrim here on earth: How I need a map—and your commands are my chart and guide. I long for your instructions more than I can tell” (Psalm 119:18–19 TLB). 

Today as you’ve heard this story, are you like Brian, living on a second-hand relationship with God? If you are, it’s not yours; take a step today and make it your relationship. 

Do you see any signs of anxiety in your life? If so, what is the next step in dealing with it? 

Religion can harden a man, but relationship with God transforms him. 

Based on an interview with Brian Hardin, 2019. 

Story read by Chuck Stecker 

Story written by John Mandeville, https://www.johnmandeville.com/ 

December 16. Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was a politician and Puritan. He believed men could go directly to God without a go-between, and he was willing to defend his belief with his life. 

In the 1600s, civil war broke out in England with the Parliament fighting against the King. Cromwell led the Parliament Army. The King believed in his “divine right for absolute authority” and used his station to try to eliminate the Puritans from England. The King and Parliament wanted control of the army. Like any civil war, it was hideous—a country’s people fighting their own. 

On this date in 1653, Cromwell became Lord Protector of England—the title one uses to say “I am in charge” when the authority of the king has been denied. Cromwell’s side won, and he lived to fight many more battles. His army loved him, Puritans like John Owen and John Milton supported him, and foreign rulers admired him. But many saw him as harsh, and the Royalists still hated him. Eventually, Cromwell died of malaria. 

Two years later, the King’s men dug up Cromwell’s body, hanged it, cut off its head, and hoisted his head on a pole at Westminster Hall. Today’s story is about one of the battles of the civil war. 

The duty to protect the vulnerable goes beyond all boundaries. 

In the Battle at Marston Moor, 4,000 sons and brothers and fathers and uncles died. The King’s soldiers and the Parliament’s soldiers lay together on the battlefield. 

And when the battle finally ended, a few parents and siblings picked their way among the bloody bodies across the field of battle. They searched for their dead; they wanted to bring them home. It had been a hard-fought victory. 

With those families, Cromwell—a leader on the Parliament’s side—walked that field. 

He thought of his nephew. During the battle, young Walton had been hit by cannon fire. Medical help had arrived, but failed to save the boy’s life. Cromwell would have to write to his sister and brother-in-law. He would have to let them know Walton had died with dignity. 

Stepping around a body, Cromwell noticed a young woman ahead, stepping carefully among the fallen. She searched each of the faces. Clearly, she was looking for someone. This was no place for a young woman. Didn’t she know the battlefield was a gruesome place to be? 

And it was dangerous. Despite the military presence, looters still polluted the fields. And if she were related to the King’s men … the victorious Parliament might count her an enemy. 

He hurried toward her. Whether friend or foe, for her own safety, she had to get off this battlefield. 

As he got near, she must have felt his presence for she looked up. And she looked panic-stricken. 

But he raised a palm to her and showed what compassion he could in his face. He saw her panic dissolve into grief. Overwhelming loss. 

Poor child. Cromwell asked her name. 

She was called Mary. Wife of Charles Townley of Lancashire—a member of the King’s Army and from a prominent Catholic family. The people Cromwell’s side had defeated in battle the previous day. 

Though he knew the awful answer, he asked about her business at the battlefield. 

She was searching for Charles’s body. 

Cromwell listened to her intently, and he recognized the kind of sorrow she had. That was all he needed to know. The woman could not bring her Charles back, and many of the dead had already been buried. She risked her life just being there, especially with her connections to the King. 

Despite her bravery, he gently urged her to seek the safety of her home. Not only would she find the close-up view of the horrors of war traumatizing, but she could easily be attacked or killed. He implored her to think of her own safety, to return to the family who needed her, especially now. It didn’t take long to convince her to go home. She complied and turned back to find the road. 

But Cromwell would not let her go alone. Vagabonds and looters threatened even outside of the fields. So, he called for one of his own troopers, one he trusted, to escort her back and make sure that no one would harm her. The trooper arrived, mounted her on his horse, and set off. 

Cromwell didn’t tell her his name. There was no need to frighten her. Would she have accepted his help if she knew he was one of the leaders of Parliament’s armies? He didn’t know. Nor did it matter. What mattered was that she got home safely. And when his trooper returned to confirm Mary’s safe return, Cromwell was satisfied. Too many had been lost in the Battle of Marston Moor, but at least one life could be saved. 

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5 NIV). 

Think of someone you know who may lack a protector. How can you be there for them? The duty to protect the vulnerable goes beyond all boundaries. 

Hood, Edwin Paxton. Oliver Cromwell: His Life, Times, Battlefields, and Contemporaries. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1883. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://archive.org/details/olivercromwellh01hoodgoog. 

Morley, John, M.P. Oliver Cromwell. New York: The Century Co., 1900. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://archive.org/details/olivercromwellby004057mbp. 

Story read by Chuck Stecker 

December 15. Jerry Falwell, Sr. In the middle of his sophomore year in college, Falwell Sr. believed in Jesus. “I wanted to study the Bible and prepare myself for whatever God wanted me to do,” he said later. “My heart was burning to serve Christ. I knew nothing would ever be the same again.” 

He switched to Bible college, became a pastor, and founded a Baptist Church with a congregation of 35 people. A week later, on this date in 1956, Falwell Sr. broadcasted the first episode of “Old Time Gospel Hour.” 

Over the years, the church grew to a congregation of 24,000 and included a day school and support for missionaries. 

In 1979, Falwell Sr. also founded the Moral Majority and encouraged politicians to “reverse the politicization of immorality in our society.” He supported voluntary prayer in public schools, opposition to abortion, and military strength. 

Evangelist Billy Graham said about Falwell Sr., he had been “a close personal friend for many years. We did not always agree on everything, but I knew him to be a man of God.” Here’s his story. 

When faith requires you to take a stand, sometimes you must stand in the spotlight alone. 

Like he did every Saturday morning, Falwell Sr. sat at Lee Bacas’s shoe-shine service, where soft-spoken Lewis worked. Their conversation always centered around the two men’s walks with God. 

“I heard your sermon on television last week, Reverend,” Lewis said, like he always did. “I sure do like the way you preach.” 

“Thank you, Lewis. How are you and the Lord getting on?” Falwell Sr. asked. 

“So good, the Lord is so good,” Lewis said. 

But it was clear Lewis wanted to say something more. He stopped polishing, looked up at Falwell Sr., and lowered his voice. “Say, Reverend, when will I be able to join that church of yours over on Thomas Road?” 

The question hit Falwell Sr. hard. No Black man had ever asked to join his church. And deep lines of segregation still plagued the South. If Falwell Sr. allowed Black people into his church, what would happen? 

For one thing, he would be crossing into political territory. For a long time, he believed politics should be kept separate from church matters. For another thing, some families had already left his church over other racial matters, like when he had hired a Black pianist, and when he allowed all children, not just white children, to participate in a church summer camp. But could there ever be a good reason to keep godly men and women from joining his church? Jerry couldn’t weigh the matter in an instant. So, he said nothing. 

“I don’t want to cause you trouble, Reverend.” Lewis went back to buffing a shoe. “But I sure do like the way you preach, and one day I’d like to join Thomas Road, myself.” 

The gentle request shook Falwell Sr., and he wrestled with the situation for weeks and then months. Ultimately, he kept coming back to the same answer: no matter what people thought of him, and no matter how political the matter was, there was no way he could face God while shutting the door against fellow believers. 

Soon Falwell Sr. had his opportunity to act on this conviction. Shortly after the assassination of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., a Black family applied to join Falwell Sr.’s church, and under Falwell’s direction, the church board unanimously accepted them. 

When Falwell Sr. went to get his shoes shined, he told Lewis about the new church members. 

“I guess it’s time for me to come visit, too.” Lewis’s eyes glistened with tears. 

From then on, Lewis and his family, along with hundreds of others, who now saw the door open for them, visited and joined Falwell Sr.’s church, and the pastor never regretted that decision to take a stand for his brothers and sisters in Christ. 

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13 ESV). 

Today can you take a stand for your convictions, no matter how unpopular or political they are? When faith requires you to take a stand, sometimes you must stand in the spotlight alone. 

Falwell, Macel. Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy. New York, NY: Howard Books, 2008. 

“History.” Thomas Road Baptist Church. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://​trbc.org/​history/. 

“Jerry Falwell Biography.” Biography.com. April 2, 2014. https://​www.biography.com/​personality/​jerry-falwell.  

Mark, David and Adelle M. Banks. “Jerry Falwell, Architect of Religious Right, Dies at 73.” Christianity Today. May. 15, 2007. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/mayweb-only/120-23.0.html. 

“Old Time Gospel Hour.” IMDB. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://​www.imdb.com/​title/​tt1401837/.  

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

December 14. Bryan Howard. Bryan is a man who serves Jesus with his whole life every day. Where he works, the students and teachers call him Mr. Howard. By his work, his example, and his speech, he calls them into the Kingdom of God. 

On this date in 2017, Bryan won top honors as Math Coach. 

Risk opening up about your experience. It could be the opening someone needs. 

Bryan Howard had a couple of important jobs, and both involved middle-grade kids. Principal Howard guided kids at school, and he led at the local church’s Bible Club. 

In the sanctuary that day, Principal Howard noticed Brandon, one of his middle-school students. And this was the second or third Bible Club meeting Brandon had attended. Mr. Howard grinned. Like other eighth graders, Brandon was willing to listen to anyone (even Mr. Howard) talk for a few minutes—if it meant he would get to play for the church’s basketball league. 

The basketball league drew kids who otherwise probably wouldn’t be there. But it seemed as if Brandon and Mr. Howard lived worlds apart. 

Brandon had been in the principal’s office a few times, and not to talk basketball. If things didn’t change, Brandon’s consistent misbehavior was certain to land him in the county’s alternative school. 

Mr. Howard had tried to get through to Brandon, but the boy couldn’t see how Mr. Howard could ever understand his situation. And Brandon had created an image of the kind of kid God would like. He figured God only liked someone just like Mr. Howard. 

And Brandon would never fit that image. He had tons of badly packed baggage from his past, and his present circumstances weren’t anything to make a kid smile. His grades were under the scum at the bottom of the pond, and now he and his parents faced truancy court because of his poor attendance. Mr. Howard had asked God to help him get through to Brandon before it was too late. 

So at that Bible Club meeting, when Mr. Howard saw Brandon in the audience, he grinned. God was answering his prayer. 

Mr. Howard openly shared about having come from a broken home. He told how—before his parents finally decided to separate—he had often felt torn between them. His dad drank heavily, and neither of them attended church. 

Mr. Howard said that when he was a young teen, to escape his situation, he started smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol.  

Hmm. Maybe Mr. Howard and Brandon weren’t so different after all. 

After the separation, because the dad often worked late, Mr. Howard couldn’t bear coming home to an empty house. He usually stayed out late with his friends and went home when there was nowhere else to go. That pattern continued—until the night he found his father lying dead on the bedroom floor. The man had suffered a fatal heart attack. 

For months, Mr. Howard blamed himself for his father’s death. If only he had come home earlier, maybe he could have gotten his father to the hospital in time. The what-ifs tormented him to the point of attempting suicide. 

Luckily, one of his friends intervened. And this was the turning point. He faced the reality that trying to escape his pain through drugs and alcohol only increased the hurt. 

That’s when he decided to turn to the Lord for help. God showed him great mercy. And Mr. Howard experienced the amazing grace of God in his own life.  

He begged the audience to realize that God uses real-life, flawed people to show off His acceptance, forgiveness, and grace. 

Brandon gripped every word. It was as if Mr. Howard were telling Brandon’s life story. He often felt the same way. 

The Scripture pierced Brandon like a knife. Maybe he did have wrong ideas about God and the people who follow him. Could he put his past behind him like the principal had? He decided to ask Mr. Howard if they could talk, and this time he would listen. 

“Be merciful to those who doubt” (Jude 1:22 NIV). 

Risk opening up about your experience. It could be the opening someone needs. 

Story based upon an interview with Bryan Howard, 2019. 

Story read by Joel Carpenter 

December 13. David Ring. For nearly 45 years, David has shared his story of hope with more than 100,000 people a year. He speaks at high schools, colleges, military bases, hospitals, churches, and corporations. 

He and his wife Karen have four children and two grandchildren. ​His life has not been easy, but it has been full and productive. David says, “God took my greatest liability, and made it my greatest asset.” Here’s how it happened. 

We throw away broken things; God treasures them and puts them to work. 

The new kid just kept walking—if you could call it that. Even watching him walk up to the bus stop was painful. He was hunched over so far that he looked like a question mark missing its dot. It was as if David Ring were dragging his cerebral-palsy-racked body against its will, towing the weight of the world behind it. Other kids were a little freaked out. 

“What’s wrong with him?” 

“Is he some kind of retard or something?” 

“Hey retard, can’t you walk straight?” 

“What’s the matter? Retard got your tongue?” 

David was angry at the world and angry at God. He had declared war on life and everyone around him. As he staggered down the hall toward his next class, another student followed him, imitated his slurred speech and his stumbling walk. Everybody laughed. 

David entered the classroom, and his English teacher asked if he had his homework. 

“No, I ate it.” 

She corrected him. “You mean your dog ate it.” 

“No, I mean I ate it before you would have a chance to eat it.” 

David didn’t want to live any more. Taking his seat, he thought … just another day of torment. The same as yesterday and all the days before that. He just wanted it to end! 

When David got home, his older sister asked, “David, why don’t you go to church tonight? You know that God loves you.” He started to ignore her, but this time he decided to go. 

David stumbled into the church that evening and took a seat in the back. He would just put in his time and leave. But that night Jesus changed David’s life—forever. 

The next morning—in David’s body—a new person walked into school. Going down the hall David didn’t walk any more smoothly, but he was all smiles and said “Hi” to everyone. His classmates didn’t recognize him. 

After school, his psychology teacher reached out to him. “David, what happened to you?” 

He poured out his heart. 

She told David everyone needed to hear his story. “What this world does not need is another person who sounds like everyone else,” she said. And in time, David grew and became ready to tell his story. 

Ms. Myers arranged for a voluntary all-school assembly. She posted flyers: COME SEE THE BOY BORN DEAD. 

When the day of the assembly finally arrived, students and teachers came voluntarily to listen to someone speak to them. 

David could feel the silence. He got out of his seat and limped to the podium. As he took his first step, the gym erupted in cheering and clapping. He was overwhelmed. 

They were all there. The same kids who had been tormenting him. But after that day, his new smile brightened the hallways, the kids had started to get to know him. He had become the most popular boy in school. 

At the podium, he waited for the roar to end. 

“I—I was—born to lose. I was born dead. When I was born, I was a still-born baby. I was a dead baby. I was a blue baby. They put my body on a table in the corner and left me for dead for eighteen minutes. But it’s not over until God say it’s over.” 

“One night, I went to church. I didn’t want to go to church. I’d been to church, and I knew God didn’t love me. If God loved me, why God take away momma? Why God picking on me? God don’t even like me. But that night, … I found out that God does love me—and has a wonderful plan for my life. … I’m not okay, but that’s okay. God loves me just the way I am.” 

David paused. “We throw away broken things, but God don’t. God uses broken things. God saw a dead baby, and God brought that dead baby to life. And if I can live, I promise you can live, too. I have cerebral palsy … what’s your problem?” 

“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 NRSA).  

Lamb, Joni. “The Boy Born Dead, David Ring.” Son of God—Jesus Christ. Date Accessed: August 30, 2020. http://sonofgod49.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-boy-born-dead-david-ring-joni-table.html. 

Peterson, Scott and David Ring. A Story of a Champion. Dr. Scott Consulting, 2010. 

Ring, David, David Wideman and John Driver. The Boy Born Dead. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2015. 

Ring, David. I Am Second. White Chair Film, 2013. Date Accessed: August 14, 2020. https://youtu.be/rUEjnpeN-Is. 

Story read by Nathan Walker 

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