Episode | 365 Christian Men

August 16. Michael Lyles. Michael is a psychiatrist in Georgia who loves God and demonstrates it by loving the people God has created.

Today’s story takes place when Michael was 14 years old and attending a new school in a new city. Here’s what happened.

Sometimes you get betrayed; what do you do with the pain?

New to Detroit, Michael was in ninth grade at Kettering High School. And the walk from school to home was about two miles long.

Because September in that part of Michigan—especially in the heart of the concrete city—can be roast-your-brains hot, Michael’s strategic routine was to walk the first mile and then duck into the air-conditioned Sears and Roebuck for a short break before he tackled the second hot mile. Sears had a couple café tables and sold drinks, popcorn, and peanuts.

But the break from the sun was the minor part of Michael’s strategy for surviving freshman year in Detroit. The major part was Michael’s friend—Bob.

Bob played football; he stood 6’3” and weighed about 220. And Bob was fast. Nobody could catch Bob. Most days, Michael and Bob walked home together, and Michael thought it a fine, safe arrangement.

This one afternoon, Michael and Bob had their snacks in the nice cool department store. And Bob always managed to finish his before leaving the store. But Michael decided to finish his popcorn on the way home.

“Walking through a gang-infested neighborhood with food in your hand is never smart. I should have known,” Michael said. “Along the way, a group of five tough-looking guys approached, intent on one thing.” They demanded Michael’s popcorn.

“You can’t have my popcorn!” he said. He had no problem standing up to these guys because Bob had his back. “There’s two of us,” Michael said, “but it’s more like three since he’s so big.” And Michael half-turned to point to Bob—but Bob was gone.

“We don’t see nobody but you,” the leader said.

The gang beat Michael, ripped off his clothes, cut him with a knife, and walked away with his money and his popcorn.

As for Bob, as soon as the trouble started, he had run off like the hired hand Jesus described, who—when he saw the wolf coming—took off running.

And after the assault, that’s what stuck in Michael’s mind most. It wasn’t the pain, the indignity, or the missing popcorn, but the anger. Bob should have stuck around to defend him. “That’s why I was walking with that big guy. I thought I would be safe.”

The physical scars from the assault healed. And the humiliation of picking his battered self up off the sidewalk ended. But the scary memories remained.

Then Michael had to make a choice. He was at the age when many beliefs are formed. And Bob abandoning him could have shaped Michael’s attitude. But he had recently become a disciple—like an apprentice—to Jesus, and Michael was learning to think like Jesus.

Michael chose to forgive Bob and move on. That was what Jesus taught.

Today, Doctor Michael Lyles sits with people who are holding onto feelings and memories that hamper their lives. He helps people sort through distorted thinking and teaches them strategies to overcome old traumas. He knows from personal experience such events can beat people down, knock the joy out of living, and leave them feeling angry and abandoned—if they allow it.

Michael teaches: “The Bible is relevant to all of life or not relevant at all” and that it’s “a book of resilience, not just a book of trauma.” It is a book full of powerful affirmations written to show people the path to recovery.

“When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filled with grief” (Matthew 17:22-23 NIV).

Could some old pain be stealing your joy? Sometimes you get betrayed; what do you do with the pain?

Lyles & Crawford. “Dr. Michael Lyles.” Accessed June 16, 2020. http://www.lylesandcrawford.com/biography.

American Bible Society. “Michael Lyles: Empowering People Who Have Lost Power.” Trauma Healing Institute. Published June 5, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHZCeHkWxCo.

Interview with Michael Lyles, September, 2019.

Story read by: Joel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 15. William Gladstone. Gladstone worked for equal opportunity for people, including self-rule in Ireland. He strove toward those goals for the four terms he was England’s prime minister, and he kept fighting for the causes he believed in, even when he wasn’t in office.

Gladstone’s belief in God colored all his adult choices, and he continued to grow and learn. His ultimate decision was that believers must be bound by their own consciences and deep study of the Word of God, rather than by edicts handed down by a religious authority.

The general population fondly called him “The People’s William” or “Grand Old Man.” On this day in 1892, Gladstone was elected prime minister for the fourth time.

The power of love is greater than the love of power.

By day Gladstone had a busy, important job, but in his later years, many nights he walked the streets of London looking for women to rescue. The icy London wind cut through his overcoat, and the rhythmic clacking of his heels echoed off the cobblestone walk. In the dark, he heard the sound of a woman sobbing.

“Madam, you do seem quite distressed,” he said. “Is there anything at all that I can do to help?” Gladstone’s breath ascended like smoke rings in the frigid air.

“Sir, you’re most kind to inquire. However, I fear that my life at the moment requires more than I would want to burden a stranger with.” She sniffled and forced a smile.

“I see,” Gladstone said. “Well I am, in fact, no stranger to the people of England, and I don’t believe that there is any urgency you may be facing with which I cannot assist.”

The two stood in silence. Slowly her lip began to quiver, as she fought back the tears suddenly welling up in her weary eyes. “Perhaps …” But her voice broke, and she started to weep.

Gladstone reached into the inside pocket of his overcoat and offered her his silk handkerchief.

“There is a much better way of life than this for a young woman like you. It’s late tonight, bitterly cold out, and anyone could conclude from your attire the profession that you are in. Is this the life that you’ve chosen, or did this life somehow choose you?” asked Gladstone.

“Kind Sir, I ran away from home as a very young girl. To escape my father’s violence. One horrible decision led to another, and now I find myself at the mercy of violent men every day,” she said. “I have nowhere to turn for help, and nowhere to sleep tonight, unless I turn a trick.”

“Tonight, there is a bed waiting for you, without strings attached,” he said. “My wife will gladly look after you at our home this evening. And in the morning, we will secure for you more permanent lodging at the hostel, which we maintain for women similarly situated. Our people will be pleased to help you begin at once exploring a new, dignified course for your life. The choice in all of this is, of course, yours.”

Her eyes grew wide. With both hands, the disheveled young woman wiped the dark lines of tears and mascara from her cold, red cheeks.

“Sir,” she said in disbelief, “I am indeed speechless at your offer. Who are you, if I may ask, and why is it that would you want to help someone like me? Every man of power that I’ve ever encountered has wanted to use that power to his advantage. Certainly not mine.”

“Perhaps in this dim light you’ll not recognize me, but please forgive me for not already offering a proper introduction,” he said. “My name is William E. Gladstone, and I am the Prime Minister of England. As such, you will find that I am happily at your service, and at the service of all those who call our beautiful country their home.”

The young lady gratefully accepted Gladstone’s offer. Just as many others had over the course of his life and his decided efforts to improve society by offering a better way of life to London’s ladies of the night.

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NASB).

How can you leverage your power or influence today to benefit others, especially those who would otherwise be helpless without it? The power of love is greater than the love of power.

West, Anthony and reply by Frederick C. Crews. “Gladstone’s Prostitutes.” The New York Review of Books. Published October 6, 1966. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1966/10/06/gladstones-prostitutes-2/

GOV.UK. “William Ewart Gladstone.” Past Prime Ministers. Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/william-ewart-gladstone

Justice delayed is justice denied.

~William Gladstone

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.

~William Gladstone

Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.

~William Gladstone

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

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 14. Maximillian Kolbe. Kolbe was born in the part of Poland that belonged to the Russian Empire. When he was 16, he and his brother stowed away in a hay cart so they could attend seminary on the Austrian side of the country.

From there, he went on to Rome to get doctorates in theology and philosophy. He built robust evangelism and publishing organizations. When the Nazis overran Poland, Kolbe was able to rescue 3,000 persecuted persons. On this date in the year 1941, he was executed by lethal injection for the crime of rescuing Jewish people.

When oppression forces a fearless man to change course, he accepts it as his next assignment.

One day in the year 1939, Poland was suddenly “crowded with Germans … quartered in all the larger houses…. Armed SS soldiers … and ‘blue police’” hunted Jews. They were taken “from their houses, barns, cellars, attics, and other hiding places…. Sometimes hand grenades were thrown into the cellars. Jews were beaten and kicked; it made no difference whether they were men, women, or small children.

By mid-afternoon the Nazis had assembled more than 900 Jews and posted a notice: “All Jews will be shot…. Poles were forced to begin digging graves in the Jewish cemetery.” The penalty for helping the Jewish people was death. This was from an eye-witness report from a prominent Polish physician, who recorded what happened in the public arena.

But in a less public part of life, one humble monk named Kolbe committed his life to overcoming the growing evil with love.

Before sunrise, despite his fragile health from life-long illness, he rose early in the morning to offer a warm breakfast to a mother in peril, a coat to an elderly Jewish man who had run for his life from the Nazis, a blanket to a child who was suddenly an orphan.

The once-silent monastery, which Kolbe had been entrusted with, was now filled with the sounds of gratitude and hope—and this right in the middle of unprecedented suffering. Kolbe worked tirelessly to hide, feed, and clothe 3,000 refugees, 2,000 of whom were Jews.

One bleak winter evening in the year 1941, the infamous Gestapo pounded on the monastery door. They had one agenda, to bring Maximillian Kolbe to justice.

Kolbe assured his friends, “Courage my sons. Don’t you see we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible.”

The Gestapo ripped the door from its hinges, exploded into the monastery, and shouted angry commands in German.

“Seize these men, and show them their fate!” shouted the Nazi Commander.

Without another word, Kolbe gave himself up and offered a confident smile of hope to his fellow brothers, as one by one they were bound and dragged away.

The Nazis packed the bound prisoners into the cars of a train, where the stench of human waste and the cries of hungry children tormented Kolbe for the three-day journey.

When they arrived at the camp, an impatient soldier shouted, “Everyone out!” Someone bashed Kolbe in the head for moving too slowly and shoved him along until he ended up in the uniform line, where a soldier tattooed Kolbe common prisoner ID #16670. It was a good sign. Prisoners earmarked for the gas chamber received no tattoo.

The Gestapo immediately sent Kolbe to work and forced him to haul heavy stones for the crematorium wall, breaking down his already frail body. The Gestapo singled him out for extra brutality. A guard known as Bloody Krott pointed to Kolbe. “Double the load on that Polish pig!” he shouted.

After only a few steps, Kolbe buckled under the impossible weight of the stone. The soldiers beat him brutally and left him for dead. But Kolbe did not die. “Bless him, O Lord, he doesn’t understand what he is doing,” Kolbe whispered. He kept hearing prisoners’ confessions and gave them Holy Communion with smuggled bread.

One day, a prisoner escaped, and to retaliate, the Nazis chose ten prisoners to die in the starvation tank. One of the chosen prisoners cried, “My poor wife, my poor children!”

Kolbe forced his way up to the Commander and asked if he could take the poor man’s place.

To everyone’s surprise, the Nazi’s agreed, and guards led Father Kolbe with the other nine prisoners to the starvation bunker.

The ransomed prisoner said, “I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. I, the condemned, am to live, and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me.”

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV).

In the scope of eternity, what choices will you make today that give life to another? When oppression forces a fearless man to change course, he accepts it as his next assignment.

[EM1]

Petttinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Maximillian Kolbe.” Updated March 2, 2019. Biographyonline. https://www.biographyonline.net/?s=Maximillian+Kolbe.

Encyclopedia Britannica. “St. Maksymilian Maria Kolbe: POLISH MARTYR.” Updated January 4, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Maksymilian-Maria-Kolbe.

Franciscans of the Immaculate. “St. Maximilian Kolbe: The Saint and Martyr of the Immaculate.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://saintmaximiliankolbe.com/biography/.

Story read by: Chuck Stecker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Story written by: Shelli Mandeville, https://worthy.life/

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 13. William “Bill” Melone. Bill was a high-school teacher in a tough neighborhood in Philadelphia. He is now Pastor for Mercy and Outreach at a church plant in NE Philadelphia. Today’s story shows a time Bill needed and received mercy and how it changed him.

Wherever you find yourself, be all in.

“Hey, Andre, can I see your homework assignment?” Bill asked the tall boy stretched out at his desk.

Andre reached into a folder and grabbed a piece of paper. He crumbled it up and threw it across the room. “There, Mr. Melone.” Andre scowled defiantly.

Bill fought his own anger and breathed deeply.

But Andre straightened up in the chair. “Hey, remember those ‘therapy days’ you said we could have if we needed them? Can I take one?”

“Of course,” Bill said, surprised. “You can just lay your head down here on the desk and rest, or you can go see a counselor for the class period. Whatever you think you need.”

“Yeah, I’m just going to rest. Things are bad again at my house. And hey—I’m sorry, Mr. Melone. I’ll pick up that paper,” Andre said.

While other teachers came and went after only a year or two, Bill taught for more than eight years at one of the roughest high schools in Philadelphia. He used the challenges to intentionally develop strategies to model the gospel for his students. He learned to rely on God—not himself, for creative strategies to show Jesus to his students.

Some of them had seen a parent shot. Others lived with the threat of deportation, some had imprisoned family members, and most subsisted under a cloud of poverty.

The traumas his students endured directly influenced how they reacted to their teachers and schoolwork. He saw small, but growing transformations in himself and the kids in his classroom.

But then Bill walked through his own trauma when his twin baby boys passed away.

A few weeks after their deaths, Bill returned to his teaching schedule. He felt unfocused and on edge, and he struggled with fatigue. He knew he was experiencing what some of his students felt on a daily basis. The difference was: he had faith in God’s promises and grace to meet him in hard times.

One night, while Bill was unable to sleep, God gave him an idea. He would offer the students two days out of every month to take as “therapy days.” Students could use the time to calm themselves or to talk with someone. It was an opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace towards children who too often had experienced judgment and condemnation from himself and the world.

But implementing a creative way of showing God’s grace changed his attitude—and the students noticed and thrived. Several even opened up to him about problems they were experiencing.

Bill has received numerous emails from grateful students thanking him for how he built trust and hope into their lives—not just with therapy days, but in how he daily encouraged them.

“‘Find your own Calcutta’ is something Mother Teresa had said, and it always stuck with me,” said Bill. “I think everyone needs to find a place to serve God and sacrifice themselves. This is where God has led me to serve, and I’m all in.”

“So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me” (Colossians 1:28-29 NLT).

That challenge you’re facing—how might God turn that challenge into an opportunity to serve someone? Wherever you find yourself, be all in.

Based on an interview with Bill Melone, 2019.

Story read by: Stephen Holcomb

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Story written by: Krista Crumpton

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 12. Doug Smail. Doug—a left winger—played in the National Hockey League for 13 seasons from 1980 through 1993.

Doug is a man who loves God. He also loved hockey, but he loved his family more. On this date in 1990, at a Christian Training Camp, Doug dedicated his son Cody to God. Today’s story focuses on Doug and Cody.

You can’t outrun pain, so charge into it, and stay in the game.

Doug held his son Cody’s hand. Since his mother left, nine-year-old Cody often held Doug’s hand. “Let’s go for a walk, Buddy,” Doug said.

Losses had piled up. Because his wife demanded it, Doug left the pro-hockey career he had loved. But when he confronted her about her on-going affair, his wife chose divorce. She left, and the kids were devastated. Doug liquefied his assets. While the money lasted, he would be a “house daddy” and help his children heal.

As Doug and Cody wandered through a nearby field, Cody held on tight. “Watcha thinkin’ about, Daddy?”

Doug lifted tear-filled eyes to a blue sky. “Oh, Buddy, I was thinking of how great it would be to grab Anna, you, and Mom and just go to heaven.”

Cody was silent. Then he tugged on Doug’s hand. “That would be great, Daddy, but we’re still here … and that means Jesus must have some work for us to do.”

Cody was right. Doug had to stay in the game.

Twelve years later, Doug sat next to Cody’s hospital bed. The hand Doug held was now man-sized. Machines ensured Cody’s next breath, but his brain no longer functioned. Though they had resuscitated him, Cody had succeeded at taking his life.

When Cody was a baby, Doug had whispered, “The LORD bless you and keep you … the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24–26 NIV).

As Cody grew and life confused him, he often asked for his blessing. Doug whispered it again. Evening came. The clock ticked to 9, Cody’s—and Doug’s—hockey number. Hospital personnel unplugged life support.

For twenty minutes Cody labored to breathe.

“Bud.” Doug fought for composure. “Man! We want you here…. We love you…. You are our world. Buddy, everyone … thinks getting my NHL contract was the best thing that happened to me…. But … you were my best thing ever. But if you want to go … I was there with you when you accepted Jesus…. It’s okay to go home.”

Cody took two long breaths. Then he was gone.

The agony of suicide’s godless evil could not be appeased. Doug’s pain was empty, hopeless, forlorn. But Doug had to stay in the game.

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:17–18 NIV).”

In hockey, you seldom score from the perimeter. You skate into the center and take the hits to get the shot. Doug couldn’t outrun the pain, so he charged into the chaos. He was real, honest, and raw. Looking to God’s truth, Doug fought for the intellectual capacity to stand against the “would-a, could-a, should-a” accusations.

Doug didn’t run from grief. He put on headphones to “be with Cody” and lost himself in Cody’s music. He relived memories. Baby-Cody-after-a-bath snuggled into Doug’s bare chest. Deep-thinking-child Cody, full of questions. Cool-teen Cody, who had welcomed outcasts. Cody on a ski slope. On the rink. At the beach.

One of Doug’s hardest battles was to reconcile the evil of suicide with the grace of heaven. For three months Doug charged into the fear. He screamed at God, “Let me know he’s okay!”

And God did.

One night, Doug asked, “Why does this hurt so much?”

One of Doug’s children said, “It’s because you love so deep.”

That’s Christ, Doug thought.

Today Doug says there is no answer for the pain of tragedy, “but you have to run into the chaos. You have to stay in the game.”

What pushes you out of the game? You can’t outrun pain, so charge into it, and stay in the game.

Based on an interview with Doug Smail, 2019.

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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August 11. Brian Welch. Brian—also known by his stage name Head—was a guitarist and a founding member of the nu metal band Korn, who pioneered nu metal music, a form of alternative metal music—music for the disenfranchised.

In 2005, Brian left the band to focus on life as a father and to pursue his own solo career. He released his debut Christian album, Save Me from Myself, in 2008.

Now, at the top of Brian’s Facebook page, he’s posted: “I am an example that depression, addiction, and deep-rooted self-hatred can be conquered.” On this date in 2009, Brian published his award-winning book Washed in the Blood: Lessons from My Time with Korn and My Journey to Christ. Today’s story shows what turned Brian into a conqueror.

If you’re a slave to the fix, surrender to Jesus, and be free.

The whole world thought Brian and his bandmates were living the musical dream, but behind the scenes, Brian’s life had eroded into a nightmare.

The alternative-metal band Korn was #1 on the charts, and night after night the group played to stadiums filled with screaming fans. “We’ve made it; we’ve arrived. There’s nowhere else to climb,” said guitarist Brian. But he soon learned that the cliché was true: it really was lonely at the top. And loneliness was not his biggest problem.

Brian had become a slave to a meth addiction and its chaotic lifestyle. He was using every day just to function. On the road with the band, he had every type of drug at his disposal; he couldn’t get away from it if he wanted to. At home, he would wake, snort meth, and make breakfast. “I spent day by day, week by week … using meth. I didn’t miss one day because I couldn’t get out of bed without it,” Brian said.

Brian knew no way out of his hell, so he emailed a trusted friend with a cry for help. His friend replied with a Scripture he felt God had given him for Brian.

Brian read the words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV). That moment was a turning point for Brian. The words his friend had sent comforted him, and he got a glimpse of hope—a way out of the hell he was in.

On Sunday morning that same friend invited him to church. Desperate for help, with nothing to lose, Brian accepted. The two men sat together in the service. The singing and praying going on around him made Brian feel awkward. He didn’t want to be there, but he felt compelled to stay.

The pastor talked about how God had brought him out of a life of alcoholism and violence. And something began to stir inside Brian. He needed what that pastor had. Brian needed freedom. He prayed that if God were real, He would show up.

At home that night, Brian put his daughter in front of the TV and sat down to do what he always did. Snort some meth. But this time was different. This time he prayed. “Jesus, if you’re real like that pastor said, you gotta take these drugs from me. When you’ve reached the top … come into my life … you know I want to stop.[EM1] ” Suddenly the words of the pastor rang in Brian’s head.

“The Lord will fix you. You don’t have to come to him fixed. You come to him all broken.”

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls’” (Matthew 11:28–29 NLT).

Do you struggle with habitual sin? If you’re a slave to a fix, surrender to Jesus, and be free.

RealTalkTVShow. “Interview with Brian ‘Head’ Welch.” YouTube. February 4, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfYPSpq6Faw&t=585s

Welch, Brian. Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2008.

[EM2]

Story read by: Nathan Walker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

Story written by: Shelli Mandeville, https://worthy.life/

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 10. Lawrence of Rome. In Rome, during the first half of the third century, the government was sold out to Roman so-called deities, and Christians were not to be tolerated. Often they were given the chance to “convert” and prove it by offering sacrifices to the so-called gods. And those who refused were arrested, confined, tortured, and executed.

Lawrence was one of the city’s seven deacons–men who cared for the buildings, their contents—who maintained the roofs, repaired the structures, and protected the art. Men who cared for the poor and ill among the congregation.

Lawrence took his duty to the buildings and the people seriously. A lot of the Church’s leaders had already been executed. Today’s story is about what happened when the Romans came for Lawrence. On this date in 258, Lawrence outwitted the Emperor of Rome.

Strategic generosity trumps going with the flow.

About 200 years after the Apostle Paul wrote a famous letter to the believers at Rome, when Lawrence served as deacon, the beheaded bodies of some of his fellow church leaders lay in undignified graves, and the whole congregation suffered terrible poverty and hunger.

One day in August, the Emperor sent a messenger to Lawrence and demanded he turn over all the treasures of the church. The Emperor intended to melt down crucifixes and sacred vessels like chalices and sell the gold. He would sell the paintings, too.

And brutal Roman soldiers stood ready to aggressively enforce this order.

So Lawrence immediately sought direction from Pope Sixtus II. Lawrence was not to turn over the Church’s treasures to the Roman government. Instead, he was to redistribute them to the congregation who needed them most.

Of course, this flew in the face of the Emperor’s order, but Lawrence promised he would find a way to carry out the plan.

Within days of the emperor’s decree, while Sixtus was ministering in a city garden, Roman soldiers arrested him and executed him—to entertain the public. The other remaining deacons, Lawrence’s closest friends, were also hunted down and executed.

This left Lawrence alone, shocked and heartbroken, and now the senior ranking church official in all of Rome. As the Roman Church’s senior official, he was immediately called before the Roman throne to answer the Emperor’s demands to turn over all the assets of the Church. Presuming that his life would be the next to be required, Lawrence stood silently before the Emperor, as Valerian began to speak:

“You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Yours is a Kingdom of words, but Rome is a physical Kingdom, in need of resources. Therefore, bring Rome the riches of the Church!”

“The church is indeed rich,” Lawrence said. “I will show you the most valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.”

Emperor Valerian gave Lawrence three days to deliver the Church’s treasures in exchange for his life.

With a nod and a bow, Lawrence rushed from the court and feverishly set out to fulfill the vow he had made to Sixtus before his death.

Working tirelessly over the next few days, Lawrence liquidated a vast amount of the Church’s wealth—the paintings, the gold chalices, and the embroidered linens. He smuggled it into the hands of the poor, the outcast, and the sick. As he met secretly with the people of the parish, he commissioned lay leaders to take care of the poor after he was dead.

When it was time for Lawrence to present himself before Valerian, presumably to save his own life, he brought with him a crowd of peasants and outcasts, the blind, and the lame.

The sound of shuffling feet and nervous chatter echoed off the marble floors of Rome’s highest court, and spectators anxiously waited, unable to imagine what would happen next.

Suddenly, the Roman Emperor and his entourage burst into the room. The crowd fell immediately silent. Valerian climbed the stairs and sat upon his throne.

“Deacon Lawrence!” shouted the Emperor. “Have you brought with you the riches which Rome rightfully demands? I’ll accept them as ransom for your life.”

“I have,” Lawrence humbly said, his warm voice reverberating on the cold, stone walls.

The courtroom fell silent again, as Valerian glared intently at Lawrence. “Very well then. Show me the riches!” The Emperor stood.

Lawrence looked lovingly across the ragged congregation he had brought with him, gestured toward them, and declared: “These are the treasures of the Church.”

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV).

Is God calling you to be uncompromising about the riches of His Kingdom? Which ones? For yourself or for others? Strategic generosity trumps going with the flow.

Franciscan Media. “Saint Lawrence.” Accessed June 14, 2020. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-lawrence/

Kiefer, James E. “Laurence, Deacon and Martyr.” Accessed June 14, 2020. http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/223.html

Miller, Jennifer Gregory. “St. Lawrence’s Universal Appeal.” The Liturgical Year. Posted August 10, 2019 from original in 2016. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-lawrences-universal-appeal/?repos=6&subrepos=0&searchid= 2021048

Story read by: Daniel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 9. Franz Jagerstatter. Jagerstatter started out like your average wild kid. As a teenager, he fathered a child out of wedlock, led a motorcycle gang, and got arrested for street fighting.

But when he met the woman he soon married, she introduced him to Jesus, prayed with him, helped him grow in faith.

And soon Jagerstatter stood all-in for Jesus Christ, which put him at odds with the Nazis. On this date in 1943, Jagerstatter was executed by guillotine.

Sometimes it’s better to lose your head than to lose your integrity.

In 1938, German troops marched into Austria, took over, and it legally became part of the Third Reich. They held a vote to determine whether Austria would adopt the Nazi leadership, and more than 99% of the population approved. The church—having seen what happened to clergy who disagreed with the Germans—took the position that it was the duty of all Austrians to obey legitimate authorities. And the entire village of Saint Radegund voted in favor of the Nazis, except one man.

Franz Jagerstatter believed that Christianity and Nazism were completely incompatible. Oil and water. Good and evil. The thought of believing in your country taking the place of believing in God was absurd.In about five years, he was drafted, and he refused to enter the war and fight for Hitler.

Franz swore it was impossible to be a good Catholic and a true Nazi. His bishop—who believed as Franz did but did not want to face the consequences—confronted Franz, said that it was not his place to decide whether the war was righteous or unrighteous, said it was Franz’s duty to serve.

Franz wrote to the bishop: “If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church were ever opened again?” But if Franz remained silent and turned his back on God, that would make a huge difference. All the difference for eternity. The day of consequence was approaching.

First, Franz offered to serve as a medic and to care for fallen soldiers, but that offer was denied. So Franz refused to take the oath to Hitler and declared himself a conscientious objector. His line in the sand had been drawn, and he would not cross it.

German military authorities immediately arrested Franz and imprisoned him in the same prison that was holding Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

While awaiting trial, Franz learned that one year earlier Franz Reinisch, an Austrian priest, had been a conscientious objector on the same grounds and was summarily executed.Franz was deeply touched, and it was clear that he could “change nothing in world affairs, but he wished to be at least a sign that not everyone would let themselves be carried away with the tide.”

Eight months later, he was found guilty of undermining military morale. And he was executed by guillotine.

This has been happening to the saints from the beginning. In Acts 5:25–29, we see this account, a person coming in to religious leaders of the Jews.

“Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

“The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’

“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’” (NIV).

Are there times when you are challenged to stand for God in the face of evil? Sometimes it’s better to lose your head than to lose your integrity.

Katholische Kirche [EM1] in Oberosterreich. “Franz Jagerstatter 1907— 1943—Martyr—Short Biography.” Accessed July 13, 2020. https://www.dioezese-linz.at/site/jaegerstaetter/english/biography/article/ 22528.html.

Cope, Dorian. “The Death of Franz Jagerstatter.” Accessed June 13, 2020. http://www.onthisdeity.com/9th-august- 1943-the-death-of-franz-jagerstatter/.

Denver Catholic. “Solitary but not alone: Meet the martyr/dad Franz Jagerstatter.” Posted March 28, 2016. https://denvercatholic.org/franz-jagerstatter-solitary-but-not-alone/.

Zahn, Gordon C. “The Peasant Who Defied Hitler.” Commonweal. Posted June 18, 2004. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/peasant-who-defied-hitler.

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

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio Production: Joel Carpenter

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

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

“Neither prison nor chains nor sentence of death can rob a man of the Faith and his own free will.”

~Franz Jägerstätter.[EM2]

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August 8. John Scudder. Scudder was the first American medical missionary in India.

He was the first Scudder missionary in India, which went on for 1,100 combined years of missionary service. Forty-two members of four generations of Scudders.

That run began when he was visiting a patient and saw a tract on the table that talked about the responsibility of the Church for 600 million unsaved souls in the world. Scudder was a man who knew how to tend to his responsibility.

It’s not the power of persuasion that leads men to Christ, but the power of the gospel.

When the crew of the steamship Indus heard they would be escorting American missionaries to India, some smirked, some laughed. Among its belligerent crew were haters, mockers, and blasphemers—men willfully opposed to being “changed.”

The men who were the most hardened sinners had already resolved not to allow those missionary zealots on board to affect them one bit. One called Parker boasted he had “blasphemed enough to damn a thousand souls.”

Beyond hope? The one called Parker thought so.

But the Captain was a believer.

When the ship set sail one day in June, Captain Wills allowed Scudder and the other missionaries to arrange religious meetings on deck. The Captain expected his crew to attend. And the nice missionary ladies made sure every seaman got his own Bible. How could the sailors say no?

Soon cursing yielded to songs of praise and Bible lessons. This left little room for the seamen to escape—other than choosing to jump ship, which some may have been tempted to do, but nobody actually did.

Then mysteriously, everybody felt something intangible. The Indus seemed to have taken on a new presence. It was as if a celestial wind had carried the Holy Spirit aboard. The sailors grew studious and interested in the gospel. Hardened seamen began to feel the weight of their sins and the terrible consequences of remaining an enemy of Christ.

Incredibly, one by one, they turned their hearts to the Lord.

The cook in the galley, a sullen man who swore constantly, tried to brush off the holy influence. He poked fun at the revival and mockingly said, “May God grant that the Spirit of God may light upon every soul on board this night.”God was listening.

Scudder wrote about the cook’s encounter in his journal. “He awoke that night in a fearful agony. The Holy Spirit lit upon him, and he was in deep distress on account of his sins….”

The foul-mouthed chef cast his soul upon the Savior and became a new man. No longer sullen and morose, he became a happy soul.

Scudder resolved to win the one named Parker, who had “blasphemed enough to damn a thousand souls.” He had sunk to an increasingly wretched state. Captain Wills confronted him about his belligerent attitude, but Parker stomped off cursing. Whoever dared to cross Parker again might get a black eye.

Believers gathered in the cabin to pray privately as Scudder sought Parker out to share the gospel. And Scudder approached Parker with the easy bedside manner of a trusted physician. Every gospel word spoken was applied forcefully but kindly with surgical skill.

To his astonishment Parker didn’t explode in anger like he had done the day before. Instead “he was humbled in the dust before God—convinced of his wretched situation—that he was lost and undone and that there was no salvation for him except through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In God’s good time the Great Physician intervened to heal. Believers on board could only say, “The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23 NIV).

Scudder had become willing to be “anything or nothing” for the cause of Christ. Is there anything you are holding back from him today? It’s not the power of persuasion that leads men to Christ, but the power of the gospel.

Waterbury, Rev. J.B., D.D. Memoir of the Rev. John Scudder, M.D., Thirty-Six Years Missionary in India. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1870.

Ambalavanar, Dr. D.C. “Dr. John Scudder and the First Western Medical Centre in South Asia” PDF. October 29, 2017. https://250.ps.columbia.edu/scrapbook/dr-john-scudder-and-first-western-medical-centre-south-asia.

Story read by: Stephen Holcomb

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 7. Roy Edward Lucas, Jr. Roy was a man who loved God and wanted to be useful. He made himself available to help wherever God put him. On this date in 2011, he had a breakthrough with a young man—their first Icee together.

The secret code is: Be a friend to make a friend.

Before the Sunday morning service, Tyler’s mom approached Roy, a longtime friend of the family. Tyler’s mom asked if Roy would consider counseling twelve-year-old Tyler.

Divorce had rocked their home, and Tyler’s dad had dropped off the scene. Tyler felt rejected and abandoned. Though he had been outgoing, now he spent most of his time in his room.

Roy had mentored many young men, but he had never counseled a pre-teen. He felt way out of his comfort zone, but Proverbs 17:17 encouraged him: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (NIV).

So Roy agreed to reach out to Tyler.

Roy didn’t want it to appear obvious about his intentions. The last thing Tyler needed was to think his mother or Roy thought he needed a professional counselor. Tyler needed a friend he could talk to. But Roy struggled to think of a common interest Tyler and he could share. Then it hit him. Tyler loved Icees—fluffy, flavored, frozen carbonated drinks.

After Sunday services, Roy waited for Tyler and his mom in the church’s parking lot. “Sure hot out here today,” Roy said.

“It sure is,” Tyler’s mom responded.

“Tyler, you know what today would be a good day for?”

He looked up at Roy and shook his head without saying a word.

“An ice-cold Icee. How would you like to join me for one?”

An old familiar grin spread across Tyler’s face. “Can I, Mom?” It was the first glimmer of interest Tyler had displayed in anything for weeks.

“Of course you can. But don’t you two go getting into any trouble.” She chuckled.

They chatted as they drove to the local commissary, and Roy asked Tyler what he had learned from the Sunday-school lesson.

Tyler shrugged and gazed out the window. Then Roy teased Tyler about whether or not he had a girlfriend. He giggled and shook his head.

Roy was beginning to think there was no way he was going to get Tyler to relax and open up. But then Roy began a debate over the best flavor of Icee. Roy insisted it was cherry cola. Tyler favored wild berry and argued Roy needed to try it once and he would agree. By the time they bought their Icees and found a seat, Tyler seemed at ease.

Before long he shared how hard it had been since his dad left. To Tyler, it was as if his dad had thrown him away like an old cardboard box that nobody wanted. And Tyler believed he had to protect his mother. That it was his responsibility.

Night after night in her bedroom, for days after his father had left, Tyler had heard her cry. He didn’t want to cause her pain too, so he kept his hurt bottled up inside.

Roy told him he understood and promised to keep their conversations confidential. This gave Tyler the freedom to share all the hurt he had held onto.

On the ride to Tyler’s house, they came up with an agreement, a secret code of sorts. Whenever Tyler was struggling and needed someone to talk to, he would ask Roy if he would like to go get an Icee. That would be Roy’s signal.

As Tyler got out of the car, his eyes glistened with hope, and that old familiar smile spread across his face once again. Roy thought, sometimes the most seemingly insignificant things can have the greatest significance. Tyler ran up to the porch, where his mom was waiting for him. Then turning toward the car, he shouted, “Don’t forget!”

Roy winked and gave him a thumbs up as he drove away.

Do you know someone you can encourage today? The secret code is: Be a friend to make a friend.

Based on an interview with Roy Lucas, 2019.

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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