365 Christian Men | 365 Christian Men

December 5. Joseph Hovsepian. At 12, Joseph gave his life to the Lord Jesus. At 17, Joseph volunteered to serve in the Royal Greek Air Force as a wireless engineer and he served the king’s plane. At 20, he traveled 10 days at sea, 2 days by train, and arrived in Montreal—“tired, sick, and almost penniless.” Two days later, he met the people from Temple Baptist Church, and he was home. For 60 years, he has served that church, the last 36 years as its volunteer pastor.

Joseph “has baptized close to 200 people, many of them from non-Christian backgrounds and faiths. Two tracts he wrote have been reproduced millions of times and distributed locally and around the world, one of them in 12 languages. He has been on the radio every day for over 12 years with a 5-minute inspiration message at noon. His devotional book, God’s Workshop, was recently translated into Eastern Armenian and is being distributed freely in Armenia and surrounding areas.”

Let the spark that ignites your passion become a flame that burns with purpose.

From an early age, a main theme of Joseph’s life could be labeled: shenanigans.

The first time he tinkered with electronics, he was ten years old. He discovered that touching the ends of a nail to the poles on his father’s motorcycle battery created a bright glow. And he gleefully continued this experiment until the inevitable happened.

The next morning, when his father tried to start the motorcycle, the battery was dead, Father was unhappy, but Joseph’s love for electronics sprung to life.

Another time, he mystified his grandfather. Young Joseph invented a mechanism connected to the bedroom-ceiling light. When Grandfather lay his head on the pillow, the light turned on. And when the old man sat up, the light turned off. Not everyone involved was entirely amused.

But the spark inside Joseph never stopped glowing, and eventually it led to a successful career selling and repairing radios and other electronics.

Today, his 80-year-old hands, head, and heart are still in the fixing business. He has a shop, and it services antique radios. So one of the themes of his life has shifted from shenanigans to restoration.

Some of the radios and tape recorders he gets have been neglected for years in a basement or garage. Opening them up often reveals dirt, dead bugs, and even mouse droppings. The wiring and parts inside may be rusty, dried up, melted, or burned. The exterior may be scratched up and discolored.

But Joseph takes great pleasure in the process of restoring each piece brought to him. He says, “While I work on these units, I think of God and His workshop, where He takes battered and neglected lives and deals with every little part of them. He fixes what’s broken, cleans and polishes what’s tarnished or soiled, and refines the entire person. He removes bad habits and vices that have affected the lost soul. Sometimes the process is quick, but other times it’s more painful.”

“So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

Understanding the difference that a masterful touch can make to a radio or a person, Joseph approaches people with care and compassion, knowing they can be restored with God’s help. His business is part of his mission field, and he grabs every opportunity to talk with his customers about faith, their eternal souls, and the God who loves them.

Next to his business cards on the service counter sit gospel tracts and New Testaments.

“I have seen many radios that were discarded become useful and enjoyable again,” he said. “I have also seen many broken and rejected souls come back to life after the Master Technician touched them and restored them.”

Do you have a talent that could meet someone’s need? Let the spark that ignites your passion become a flame that burns with purpose.

Based on an interview with Joseph Hovsepian, 2019.

Joseph Hovsepian Ministries. “Joseph (Hovsep) Hovsepian.” Accessed August 14, 2020. josephhovsepianministries.com/joseph-hovsep-hovsepian/.

Story read by Blake Mattocks

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December 4. AW Tozer. The main thing about Tozer was that he was obsessed with the holiness and the goodness and the glory of God. And he wanted everyone to know that awesome Being.

Although Tozer was self-taught—he wrote more than forty books, and two of them are Christian classics. He never attended seminary, but he pastored for forty-four years. He lived a simple, non-materialistic life, never owned a car, and had six sons and a daughter. He believed the church was headed the wrong way and in danger of compromising with the world, and he was never shy about it, but spoke up every chance he got.

For thirteen years, Tozer was also a magazine editor. In his first editorial he wrote: “It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about—confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run, and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.”

Find the courage to speak; God will bring the power to change.

When seventeen-year-old Tozer wasn’t making a living selling “candy, peanuts, and books on the Vicksburg and Pacific Railroad or hand-cutting rubber for Goodyear,” he spent his days with his head buried in any book, dreaming of wild adventures. Although he regularly attended church with his family, he was unaware of his need for salvation—until a neighbor dared to ask him what no one had ever asked him before.

Tozer told the story: “We had a neighbor by the name of Holman. I do not know his first name or initials. I had heard that he was a Christian, but he never talked to me about Christ. Then one day, I was walking up the street with this friendly neighbor. Suddenly, he put his hand on my shoulder. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘I have been wondering if you are a Christian, if you are converted. I just wanted the chance to talk it over with you.’”

Tozer replied politely, “No, Mr. Holman, I am not converted, but I thank you for saying this to me. I am going to give it some serious thought.”Tozer then bid Mr. Holman goodbye and went about his business, outwardly unchanged by the conversation.

A few days later, when walking home from work, Tozer was shocked to see a German man shouting on a street corner in a thick, almost incomprehensible accent. Being a curious boy, Tozer ambled over to listen carefully.

This strange man was a street preacher, and what he said next hit Tozer harder than a hammer to the chest: “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner,’ and God will hear you.”

For the first time in his life, a preacher’s words burned on Tozer’s heart, and not only that, “They troubled him. They awakened within him a gnawing hunger for God.”

He went straight to the attic and after much anguish of heart, he surrendered his life to God. And that afternoon in 1915, Tozer became a new man in Christ Jesus. He became a man whose pursuit of God would never end.

Neither Tozer’s neighbor nor the street preacher could have imagined the profound impact their words had made on the boy, or how their kindness and courage had changed him. Nor could they have perceived that his books, In Pursuit of God and Delighting in God would be read by millions of people.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21 NIV).

Is there someone in your life who needs to hear the life-changing news of Jesus? Take a minute today to ask the Lord for courage to share with them. Your words may change them forever.

Find the courage to speak; God will bring the power to change.

Snyder, James, L. The Life of A.W. Tozer: In Pursuit of God. Bloomington, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 2009.

Hobson, John. On the Trail of A. W. Tozer: A Biography. Frome, Somerset, UK: John Hobson, 2015.

Story read by Daniel Carpenter

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December 3. Mehdi Dibaj. Dibaj had become a Christian. He said, “A Christian means one who belongs to Jesus Christ. The eternal God, who sees the end from the beginning and who has chosen me to belong to Him, knew from everlasting whose heart would be drawn to Him … I would rather have the whole world against me, but know the Almighty God is with me; be called an apostate, but know I have the approval of the God of glory.”

On this date in 1993, an Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Dibaj to death. His crime—he had become a Christian. Here’s how it happened.

Know what you’ll die for, and you’ll know what to live for.

The Iranian prison authorities thrust a paper before Dibaj. If he would sign it and declare himself a good Muslim, he could go home to his family. When that didn’t work, Dibaj’s captors tortured him and performed mock executions, pressuring him to deny Jesus.

Meanwhile they threatened his wife Azizeh with stoning. Eventually they broke her. Turning from her faith, her marriage vows, and their four children, Azizeh agreed to marry a “proper” Muslim.

Years passed. Even in prison, Mehdi shared his faith, and the hearers followed Jesus. Frustrated, the authorities sent him, unsupervised, for dental work outside of the prison, hoping Mehdi would flee. But he returned at the appointed time.

When Mehdi was shoved into a nine-square-foot unlit cell, solitary confinement seemed like suffering the fate of hell. But then Mehdi sensed God’s closeness. At first, he had structured prayer times, but eventually he realized God kept him company minute by minute.

Mehdi received two death sentences. Each time he appealed on technicalities. On December 3, 1993, after two years in solitary confinement and almost a decade in prison, the Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal of Sari issued Mehdi’s third—and last—death sentence. This time he planned a different response.

When his son visited, Mehdi sent a note with him to their Christian friends. “When they gave me the verdict, my heart was filled with joy because I saw that my name would be listed with those martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ.”

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV).

Mehdi requested a few simple things, including a last Communion and to wear the cross when he was executed.

Then, instead of a legal defense, he wrote a bold statement of faith: “The invisible God who knows our hearts has given assurance to us, as Christians, that we are not among the apostates who will perish but among the believers who will have eternal life. … People say, ‘You were a Muslim from your birth.’ God says, ‘You were a Christian from the beginning.’ … They tell me, ‘Return!’ But to whom can I return from the arms of my God? … They object to my evangelizing. But if one finds a blind person who is about to fall in a well and keeps silent, then one has sinned.… I have committed my life into His hands. Life for me is an opportunity to serve Him, and death is a better opportunity to be with Christ. Therefore, I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the honor of His Holy Name, but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus, my Lord, and enter His kingdom sooner, the place where the elect of God enter everlasting life.”

Friends leaked Mehdi’s story outside of Iran, and the world responded with public outrage. The death sentence was never reversed, but due to the pressure, Mehdi was released on January 16^th. For six months Mehdi traveled Iran, encouraging believers, who said, the “light and love of Christ just shone from his face.”

In April, a fatwa—a pronouncement based on religious authority—was issued in a Tehran newspaper calling for Mehdi’s death. On June 24^th Mehdi Dibaj disappeared. His body—tortured and murdered—was found in a Tehran park on July 5^th. Three Iranian Christians were martyred that year. Since then more than a million Iranians have chosen faith in Jesus.

What are you willing to die for? Know what you’ll die for, and you’ll know what to live for.

Based on an interview with Abe Ghaffari of Iran Christians International in Colorado Springs, CO, USA, 2018. http://www.iranchristians.org/.

Fickett, Harold. “Three Pastors: Life, Death and Religion in Muslim Iran.” January 1, 2007. https://www.crisismagazine.com/2007/three-pastors-life-death-and-religion-in-muslim-iran.

Dibaj, Rev. Mehdi. “The Written Defense of the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj Delivered to the Sari Court of Justice.” December 3, 1993. http://farsinet.com/persecuted/dibaj.html.

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

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December 2. Michael Lovold. On this date in 2016, Michael completed the last of seven major surgeries that had left him in chronic pain in a downward spiral. And when he had come to the end of his resources, God gave him a whole new life. Here’s how it happened.

When you’ve pitched your tent at rock bottom, let God turn your pain into purpose.

In the dead of summer, Michael parked his car in his driveway so his buddy wouldn’t notice his whisky plates. He had gotten a DUI a few weeks before, and the shame bore down on him. And his buddy would be dropping by soon.

For fifteen years, Michael had struggled through chronic, physical pain, which led to four back surgeries and three hip surgeries.

Along the way, he had lost his job and ended up on Social Security Disability. This crushing blow stripped away his role—a big part of his identity—family provider. All he had done was work hard for his wife and three daughters. No more.

Why had God brought him here? What would he do now? What was his purpose in life?

His last surgery was the most successful. His pain subsided some. Never completely gone, but enough to get off pain medication.

But the agony of not being able to physically work a regular job ate at him, so to escape, he thought, why not have a beer? And then another, and another. Like so many other times, instead of Michael having control of the substance, the substance took control of him.

And then the DUI. English teachers might think “rock bottom” is a cliché, but Michael knew differently. He had pitched his tent there, and the tent had collapsed on his head.

But God did not abandon Michael. Michael never took another sip of alcohol.

Now, in the driveway, he looked at the car again, hoping his buddy wouldn’t notice the license plates that screamed, “DUI!”

But as soon as he got there, the buddy announced, “You got whiskey plates!”

It was a punch in the gut. Michael didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve had those before,” the buddy said. “I’ve had a couple DUIs. Before you know it, Mikey, this will be so far behind you, you won’t even believe it.”

Maybe he wasn’t alone.

“I’ll pick you up on Sunday and take you to an AA meeting not far from here, if ya want. I usually go every week,” he said.

Michael never wanted to be controlled by alcohol or any other substance again, so he said yes, and he went to that AA meeting, and for the first time in his life, he embraced it. Praying to God for another chance in life—with his wife, with his daughters, with himself—he continued going every week, and then other meetings besides that.

He made new friends there, who had stories similar to his. Weekly coffee meetings with them started happening on a regular basis. He really wasn’t alone anymore, and in Michael, they had found a true friend.

His buddy, who had first brought Michael to the AA meeting, encouraged him to take on some leadership roles, which he did. And that’s when Michael started realizing his life, his experiences—both good and bad—were worthwhile.

Michael had been good at drinking beer. And he had been good at being a friend. Now he was good at being sober with his friends. He found himself on a path of doing something different and good and a perfect fit for him—he had a purpose in life.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

What are you struggling with right now? Big stuff? Not so big? When you’ve pitched your tent at rock bottom, let God turn your pain into purpose.

Based on an interview with Michael Lovold, 2019.

Story read by Nathan Walker

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December 1. Duncan Campbell. On this date in 1982, Channel of Revival: Biography of Duncan Campbell was published. Duncan was a man who trusted God and obeyed Him. Once, he was sitting near the pulpit at a church convention, when an overpowering urge to go to the island overcame him.

He had never been there, didn’t know anyone from there, but he had to go. So, he got up and left in the middle of the meeting, leaving them without a closing speaker. A couple of planes, a car ride, and a ferry steroidi italia later, Duncan arrived at the island Berneray, population 500.

When he arrived, he asked a boy to point him to the preacher, but the boy said both churches were pastor-less. To an elder, then. The boy pointed to a house on a nearby hill.

Duncan trekked up there and sent the boy in to tell the elder that Mr. Campbell had arrived. After a few minutes, the boy came back and said, “Hector McKennon was expecting you to arrive today. And you are to stay with his brother. And he asked me to tell you that he has initiated a meeting at the church at 9:00 tonight and he expects you to address it.”

Turned out, Hector McKennon had been out in his barn praying for God to send someone to lead a revival. McKennon’s wife heard him pray, “God, I do not know where he is, but you know, and you send him.”

And God did.

Today’s story is about a time when Duncan was young, and his heart was far from God.

Pride can harden the heart of a child, but a praying parent can make a difference.

Above the shrill and haunting sounds of bagpipes and Scottish step-dancing, young Duncan was drenched in sweat.

His bagpipe music filled the air, and his band—with its lively Scottish step-dancing—had the dancefloor jumping, when a gentleman from the crowd approached the stage and requested a traditional Scottish song, “The Green Hills of Tyrone”—a song Duncan remembered from his childhood.

When the band started playing the song, memories flooded Duncan’s mind. “As I came to the second part of that great tune, I found my mind altogether wandering …” back to a time when his family had sung this song together in their times of worship at home.

In that moment, he heard the still small voice, and couldn’t respond fast enough.

By the time the group finished the song, Duncan was so gripped by the Holy Spirit that he told the other players to carry on without him.

One of the bandmates asked him, “Are you not well?”

“I am very well in body, but terribly disturbed in my mind,” Duncan said.

He left the stage immediately and headed home. Conviction consumed him, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. On the way, he spotted a church with a light on inside. Duncan peeked through the keyhole.

On this evening, the church was having an all-night prayer meeting. He saw man standing at the altar crying out to God. Duncan stepped inside and realized the praying man was his own father. “I’m sure he was praying for his wayward son,” said Duncan. Even though Duncan had been brought up in a sincere home of faith, as a young man he lived a godless life.

In full Scottish costume, he made his way toward the front. He walked up the aisle and sat beside his father.

His father turned to look at him, as if he had expected his son to walk in, as if he had had no doubt God was going to answer his prayers for his son that night. His father said, “I’m glad to see you here.”

A young woman read from the Scriptures: “For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it” (Job 33:14 NKJV).

These words pierced Duncan’s heart like a holy arrow. The love and conviction of God overwhelmed him, and he left the church in a hurry so as not to cause a scene.

On his way home, his conversation with the Lord intensified. “If I prayed one time along that country road, I’m sure I prayed ten times, crying to God to have mercy on me. I saw myself … sinful.”

At home, he found his mother on her knees by the fire, praying. “I’m sure she too was praying for her wayward son,” Duncan said.

Duncan got alone and cried out to the Lord. “‘Oh, God, I know not how to come, and I know not what to do, but if you’ll take me as I am, I’m coming now.’ And God … swept into my life. It was miraculous. It was supernatural,” he said.

“Oh, thank God for Christian parents,” he said as he looked back on that night.

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).

Do you have a loved one who needs Jesus? Pride can harden the heart of a child, but a praying parent can make a difference.

“Brief Biography of Duncan Campbell.” oChristian.com. Accessed July 6, 2020. http://articles.ochristian.com/article13380.shtml.

Campbell, Duncan. “Duncan Campbell Saved and Sanctified.” Accessed June 29, 2020. http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?%20view=article&aid=10397.

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

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

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November 30. Robert Boyle. Not only was Robert a pioneer in scientific methods, the characteristics of air, and how gasses behave, but he was also a clear thinker about the things of God.

He wrote, “I am not a Christian, because it is the Religion of my Country and my Friends. I admit no man’s Opinions in the whole lump.” He goes on to say that he sometimes has disagreed with scientists and with the clergy. He wrote, “And when I choose to travel in the beaten Road, ’tis not because I find ’tis the Road, but because I judge ’tis the Way.”

On this date in 1660, Robert helped start the Royal Society of London, a group set up to promote scientific learning through experimentation—the world’s first such organization. Here’s his story.

Stand in the freedom of faith, and think outside the box!

Anyone who’s been to high school and done a science experiment can thank Robert. When he was born in 1627, even the idea of conducting an experiment was controversial! Scientists thought they could “discover” things by arguing within the confines of the rules of logic. Aristotle and others had established these rules 2,000 years before.

But Robert was different. He wanted to make discoveries by observing nature and drawing conclusions from what actually happened, not by dissecting somebody’s centuries-old ideas. He believed it was his duty to look for God’s purposes in nature.

Nature was God’s handiwork, so if you studied it, you would also learn more about God and His goodness.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NIV).

Robert’s inquisitive faith gave him the desire to explore the hidden wonders of science.

You probably learned Boyle’s Law in chemistry class—the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to the volume it occupies—and it was Robert who discovered it through this wonderful new idea of experimentation.

His early publications detailed how to perform a controlled experiment. Words like procedure, observation, and apparatus began with Robert. He even wrote a long paper on the sole topic of repeating “failed” experiments to learn from them.

Robert believed that if he thought outside the box instead of looking for what he wanted to see, he could discover something new. “Even when we find not what we seek,” he said, “we find something as well worth seeking as what we missed.”

When Robert first published his work based on controlled experiments, people ridiculed him. But he had to challenge the status quo and refuse to listen to his detractors.

Instead of giving in to criticism, Robert simply tried harder to document his work and prove his point. Over time, he won the respect of the scientific community.

As Robert took copious notes during his controlled experiments and published his results, other great thinkers were drawn to him. A group of them, who eventually became the Royal Society, met regularly to discuss their “out-of-box” thinking and to compare notes about their experiments.

Robert continued to experiment and then publish the results of his work, and he continued to question. He named his books things like The Sceptical Chymist and New Experiments and Observations. His work disproved many of Aristotle’s theories and opened brand-new fields like chemistry. Robert became so respected that the King of England sometimes dropped by to ask him scientific questions!

As Robert became popular for his scientific breakthroughs, he continued to have to fight the status quo. He was asked to be the president of the Royal Society, but he declined because he didn’t want to be bound to the Society’s oath. The upper crust of England’s social structure wanted to draw him into high society, but being popular took away from the things he really cared about.

How can thinking outside of the box expand your impact on the world? Stand in the freedom of faith, and think outside the box!

Burling, Alexis. Robert Boyle. Leaders of the Scientific Revolution. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2018.

Principe, Lawrence M. “Robert Boyle: Anglo-Irish philosopher and writer.” Britannica. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Boyle.

“Robert Boyle (1627 – 1691).” BBC: History. Accessed August 21, 2020. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/boyle_robert.shtml.

“The History of the Royal Society of London.” MacTutor. Accessed August 21, 2020. http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Honours/RShistory.html.

Story read by: Joel Carpenter

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November 29. Titus Coan. In the early 1830s, in the United States, Titus went in to a revival led by his cousin Asahel Nettleton and came out believing in Jesus. After his early training, Titus arrived in Hawaii, where he partnered with missionaries Sarah and David Lyman. The Lymans manned the outpost in Hilo, and Titus became a traveling evangelist. On this date in 1836, Titus made his first evangelical tour of Hawaii.

He journaled: “[There were] no roads, no bridges, and no horses in Hilo, and all my tours were made on foot.” So Titus learned the language and planned traveling/preaching tours, and he told everyone with breath that Jesus is Lord, and He’s here now, and He wants a life with you. Thousands of people poured into the Kingdom of God.

“Now they rallied in masses,” Titus wrote, “[they] were eager to hear the word.” And “The word fell with power, and sometimes as the feeling deepened, the vast audience was moved and swayed like a forest in a mighty wind. The word became like the ‘fire and the hammer’ of the Almighty.… Hopeful converts were multiplied, and there was great joy in the city.”

In 1836, the local church had had only 23 members. Soon, they had to build a second church that would hold 2,000, and that was packed almost to the point of suffocation. But there was tragedy too. A tsunami hit—with all its atrocity.

Titus wrote: “This event, falling as it did like a bolt of thunder from a clear sky, greatly impressed the people. It was as the voice of God speaking to them out of heaven, ‘Be ye also ready.’”

This revival made such an impact that within a single generation, the Hawaiian ruler Kamehameha III declared his kingdom to be a Christian nation. In today’s story, Titus is on an early evangelical tour.

No obstacle can block God’s plan for God’s man.

As Titus headed for his next preaching stop, the Hawaiian sky was blue, and the peaceful stream gurgled gently near where Titus stood. But a thunderous rumbling broke the stillness. And he jumped.

“Awiwi! Awiwi!” running natives called out. “O pea oe ika wai!” Quick! Quick or the waters will stop you!

His native companions ran downstream and leaped nimbly from boulder to boulder. Heart pounding, Titus grabbed his pole. He followed the natives and used the eight-foot-long stick for balance. Upstream, a column of turbulent water—maybe six feet tall—pounded toward him. Stunned, he stopped.

“Awiwi! Awiwi!” The cries broke through the haze of fear. And Titus splashed to the other side. He reached the bank right before the wall of water crashed down and swept past. His companions slapped him on the back, wide grins stretching across their faces. “When you hear the sound of many waters, you must move quickly, or you will be late to preach,” one said.

Or dead, Titus thought, and he nodded, too shaken to speak.

His companions picked up the calabash—a large gourd that stored their provisions, and Titus signaled he was ready. He wouldn’t miss a single appointment on this sixty-mile preaching tour. Everyone in his district needed the Gospel.

At the next village, men, women, and children gathered. Titus prayed silently. His Hawaiian had improved, but he didn’t want language mistakes to create barriers. Titus told the story of Jesus. And the Hawaiians peppered him with questions. Eventually, a nod from his guide indicated it was time to move on.

They hadn’t traveled far when Titus heard the now-familiar sound—rushing water. He glanced toward his guide.

“Don’t worry. The people of the next village expect you.”

When they reached the river, Titus stared at the churning current. Downstream, a mini-Niagara splashed over a drop of several hundred feet. Across the raging river, Hawaiians waved. But how could he reach them?

On the opposite bank, several strong, nearly-naked men locked hands, made a line, and entered the water. The human chain moved carefully across until the lead person gained a foothold near Titus. His guide explained the plan. Titus grabbed hold of the first strong shoulder and stepped into the swift current.

Titus slipped, but the sturdy native held strong. Titus grasped the next shoulder and the next, crossing on a “chain of bones, sinews, and muscles.”

Once on shore, Titus greeted the natives. As they walked, he talked about Jesus. They had reached the edge of the village when a regal man, nearly six-feet-tall, stepped into the path. Whispers erupted. This was the high priest of the volcano. A drunkard, adulterer, and murderer.

Titus breathed a quick prayer. A language barrier had not halted God’s plan. A raging river couldn’t stop it. Neither would a cultic leader. The priest squared his shoulders. Titus met his gaze and kept moving toward him.

The high priest stepped aside.

The village swarmed with people. Adults. Children. Invalids on the backs of their friends. Blind people led by family members. Titus told them about Jesus’ love. Their need for new life. That God would help them. Tears flowed. And many became Christians—including the volcano priest.

It was like that in nearly every village. When Titus returned home, scores of people came to town to hear more. Within a few months, its population of 1,000 swelled to 10,000. One Sunday, as Titus prepared to preach to a crowded room of two-thousand people, he thought of the obstacles of his 60-mile evangelistic tour. The roaring rivers. Cultic leaders. His own inadequacy. Weariness.

Not once did an obstacle block God’s plan.

“Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes” (Psalm 112:1, 7, 8 NIV).

What obstacle do you treat like a barrier? No obstacle can block God’s plan for God’s man.

Coan, Titus. Life in Hawaii. St. Helens, OR: Helps Communications, 2014.

Coan, Titus. Adventures in Patagonia: A Missionary’s Exploring Trip. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1880.

Story read by: Chuck Stecker

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November 28. George Mueller. Mueller was a thief and a gambler—up until he was 14. About his childhood, he wrote: “Despite my sinful lifestyle and cold heart, God had mercy on me. I was as careless as ever.… I never heard the gospel preached. Nobody told me that Jesus meant for Christians, by the help of God, to live according to the Holy Scriptures.”

But when Mueller was 20, there came a prayer meeting that changed everything. He wrote: “[Christ] began a work of grace in me. Even though I scarcely had any knowledge of who God truly was, that evening was the turning point in my life.”

Mueller went on to pastor a church for many decades. On this date in 1836, he opened his first infant orphan house—one of many orphan houses. He fed and dressed and educated the children so well that merchants complained of a lack of new young people to do servile labor. Mueller’s children got apprenticeships and opportunities.

For 17 years—beginning when he was 70—Mueller traveled and preached. At a time when there were no airplanes, he traveled more than 200,000 miles, and he preached in English, French, and German. When his audience didn’t understand one of those, his sermons were translated. Listen to this.

Because we know God is good, we can face reality and make a difference.

Imagine what it would be like to live in the London Dickens portrayed or on the south-side of Chicago or on the eastside of Detroit or just about anywhere in Haiti.

Faced with that kind of poverty and pain, how could you find the courage to stand with the suffering and do something good?

Mueller believed in a sovereign God who is good and does good. Mueller’s faith in the goodness of God gave him the confidence to tackle one of the greatest problems of his day: the tragic lives of England’s orphans.

In 1832, England had few orphanages, and the ones they had charged fees. If relatives didn’t take in orphaned children, they ended up in the workhouse, where poor food, inadequate heat, and lack of nurturing contributed to high mortality rates.

Mueller prayed about starting an orphanage, and provision arrived. In 1836, he and Mary, his wife, welcomed thirty girls into their own home—the beginning.

The pastor of a large church, Mueller never took a salary. He trusted God’s goodness to provide for his family—just as He trusted God would care for the orphans.

And God’s goodness was evident in all that was accomplished. Mueller’s orphanages cared for 10,024 orphans and provided such educational opportunities that he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station.

Mueller also established 117 schools, offering Christian education to more than 120,000 children. He never asked for money from anyone but God. Estimates of God’s provision (by today’s standards) range from several million to half a billion dollars.

Mueller clung to God’s goodness for himself—not just for those he served—even in times of great pain. At Mary’s deathbed, Mueller read from Psalm 84.

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

Though he asked God to heal Mary, his ultimate hope was in God’s goodness. He preached Mary’s funeral service starting with Psalm 119:68, “Thou art good and doest good.”

Stories abound of Mueller’s simple faith in God’s goodness. Here’s a universal favorite. One morning the housekeeper came to Mueller because there was no food in one of the orphanages. He told her to seat the children in the dining room. He entered and prayed, thanking God for breakfast. Then they waited.

Within minutes, a baker showed up. He said he couldn’t sleep because he somehow knew the children would need bread. In the night he had baked three batches.

Soon there was another knock. The milkman’s cart broke down right in front of the orphanage. Rather than allow the milk to spoil, he offered Mueller free milk—enough to satisfy 300 thirsty children.

While Mueller cared deeply about the orphans, he said their care was not his primary objective. His end goal was to bring glory to God, showing Christians that God is faithful.

He said, “I desire that you may taste the sweetness of that state of heart, in which, while surrounded by difficulties and necessities, you can yet be at peace, because you know that the living God, your Father in heaven, cares for you.”

How does holding onto the truth that “God is good” help you live large? Do you have a favorite story from your life that shows God’s goodness? Because we know God is good, we can face reality and make a difference.

Elliff, Jim. “Introduction to a Million and a half in answer to prayer by George Muller.” Christian Communicators Worldwide. Published April 9, 2000. https://www.ccwtoday.org/2000/04/introduction-to-a-million-and-a-half-in-answer-to-prayer-by-george-muller/.

Müller, George. A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller, Volume 2. London: J Nisbet & Co, 1886. pp. 398–399.

Whitney, Donald S. “What George Mueller Can Teach Us about Prayer.” Crossway. July 27, 2015. https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-george-mueller-can-teach-us-about-prayer/.

Story read by: Daniel Carpenter

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November 27. Keith Green. As a toddler, Keith sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with perfect pitch. And his parents provided musical training.

Keith liked piano but not playing the long classical pieces. When he was expected to learn to read sheet music, he simply memorized the classical pieces and pretended to be sight-reading the notes when his teacher was there. When he learned to play chords on the piano, he began writing and singing his own songs. He was six years old.

Keith went searching for spiritual truth, and that took about fourteen years and led him through drugs and Eastern mysticism. Finally, Keith met a woman who introduced him to Jesus, and Keith married her and gave his life to Jesus.

Keith and Melody opened their home to anybody with a need or who wanted to kick drugs or to get off the street. Keith preached to them all, and their home became known as The Greenhouse.

Even in concerts, Keith said, “If you praise and worship Jesus with your mouth, and your life does not praise and worship him, there’s something wrong!”

On this date in 2001, Keith was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Here’s his story.

A guy can play it safe and live a comfortable life or take a risk and live an adventure.

Keith’s next move shook the music industry to its core.

People whispered: He’s going to do what? Why?

This is not generosity; it’s foolishness.

It’s going to make everyone else look greedy.

As a Christian musician in the 70s and 80s, Keith set a high bar. His life reflected the words in his songs. He lived his beliefs. Keith had an intense love for Christ along with radical ideas to serve others.

Most Christians steer away from radical Christianity. They live small lives while serving a big God. Keith and his wife Melody decided compromising their beliefs would be hypocrisy. So, they made difficult choices to live out their high standards. It would mean standing out and risking rejection and ridicule.

To live the radical life God wanted for them, the Greens chose first not to worry about money. Before they became Christians, they had been generous, always inviting people to stay with them. After they became Christians, their generosity grew. With their first freefall of money, they bought two houses and rented four more to house anyone in their lives who needed shelter.Even in the hippy culture, which was still prevalent, this was a radical move. When Keith signed on with Sparrow Records, a Christian record label, money started pouring in.

His albums shot to the top of the charts, and the Christian music industry took notice. The brave choices Keith and Melody made in spending their money to serve others was met with admiration. The Greens created Last Days Ministries to continue to serve others. Keith’s heart was to tell people about Jesus through his music and concerts.

The Greens wanted to reach every person they could. So, Keith decided to give his albums away for free or charge whatever people could afford. The Greens didn’t want anyone left out because they couldn’t afford an album. Last Days Ministries began sending albums to prisons and hospitals.

The Christian Music Industry began to question Keith’s motives. Sure, living for Christ meant living by God’s Word, but the Greens were being too radical. Were they doing this to look better than everyone else? Didn’t they know that this seemingly generous behavior would affect the other Christian musicians? The Green’s decision to give albums for free was simply wrong, according to the popular opinion.

But the Greens decided to do what they felt God was telling them, not to cave in to the pressure of the record companies. The risk was worth it.

In fact, Keith decided to let folks into his concerts for free. This decision drew more criticism and insults. But the Greens didn’t slow down. The ministry rented the venue for the concert, and then Keith took an offering for Last Days Ministries to help cover the costs. He and Melody did not receive any of the offerings because they were able to support themselves with their music royalties.

Passion for Christ requires courage to live an adventure, not a safe life.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, perfect and pleasing will” (Romans 12:2 NIV).

Is your life constrained by comfort zones? Or are you taking risks for Christ? A guy can play it safe and live a comfortable life or take a risk and live an adventure.

Green, Keith. “About Keith Green.” Last Days Ministries. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://‌www.lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx.

Hazard, David, and Melody Green. No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green. Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1989.

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

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November 26. Robby Dilmore. Robby is a car guy. He’s been a car guy since 1971, when he started out at the dealership—washing cars. Over about 27 years, he worked his way up from service to parts to sales to owning a dealership. And from there—the God of the universe called Robby to do more.

In 2006, he started The Christian Car Guy Radio Show, which is now syndicated nationally on 73 radio stations, streams live on the internet, and is podcast.

In 2008, he began hosting Kingdom Pursuit, a one-hour, live show on radio and internet. He also co-hosts Masculine Journey Radio and Disciple Magazine. And since the year 2000, he has taught the Special Needs Sunday School Class at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC.

On this date in 2016, Robby posted “Four Days Late but Right on Time” on The Christian Car Guy website.

Don’t miss an opportunity to listen, lean into another man’s fear, and share Jesus.

Stretched to the limit, Robby was feeling strained trying to run a car dealership and to oversee details on the construction of a new building when Johnny, a top car-salesman, stopped in with some bad news.

“Robby, I’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” Johnny announced.

Searching for the right words Robby replied, “I am so sorry to hear that, Johnny.” He rallied his positivity and added, “You’re going to be fine. I’ll pray for you. Don’t worry about it. I had cancer almost eight years ago, and I’m fine.”

The message seemed clear. Don’t worry. Keep your chin up. Now get out there, and do what you do best. Sell cars.

That wasn’t the reply the salesman was looking for. Robby had a settled faith in God, but Johnny wasn’t there yet. And he wasn’t interested in being reminded Robby had had cancer and was cured. He was concerned about his own life and looking for a listening ear, not a ‘don’t be worried about cancer’ pitch.

As Johnny turned away, Robby noticed the doomed look on Johnny’s face. It was then he realized he had missed a valuable opportunity—an opportunity to listen and lean into another man’s fear and share Jesus.

Early that August, Robby got a call from Johnny’s wife. She explained Johnny was lying in a coma at the hospital after surgery to remove his pancreas.

“Please come to the hospital,” she pleaded. “They aren’t sure he’s going to make it.”

When Robby got to the hospital, the doctor informed the family he might not make it through the night. The next few hours were critical.

Visiting with the family, Robby learned Johnny had once gotten angry with a preacher and quit going to church. That may have explained his reluctance to take part in any conversation about God. “Please pray for him,” his wife pleaded.

Robby spent the night praying for Johnny and himself as well. He had worked with Johnny for five years and had never shared the gospel with him. Robby promised God if He would give Johnny more time, Robby would introduce him to Jesus.

Four days after surgery, Robby learned that Johnny had come out of his coma. And Robby determined to make good on his promise. This time, he wisely asked God to give him the right words.

When he went to see Johnny, Robby said, “You know, Johnny, when you were in that coma, and things didn’t look good, I made a deal with God.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I promised that if He would give you some more time, I would help you to get to know Him better—and if you didn’t know Him, I would introduce Him.”

“A deal is a deal. You better get to it,” Johnny said.

And Robby did.

Later that afternoon, while listening to a song called “Four Days Late” by Bill and Gloria Gaither, the Holy Spirit enabled Johnny to put his trust in Jesus Christ. He placed his faith in the One who said:

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live’” (John 11:25 CSB).

Is there someone you’re hesitant to share Jesus with? Instead of assuming they aren’t ready to hear about Jesus, assume God has chosen you to tell them. Don’t miss an opportunity to listen, lean into another man’s fear, and share Jesus.

Dilmore, Robby. “Four Days Late but Right on Time.” The Christian Car Guy. Published November 26, 2016. http://christiancarguy.com/four-days-late-but-right-on-time-2/.

Dilmore, Robby. “Christian Car Guy Documentary.” YouTube video. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPTndiZ9gcYhWb3nPciTpA.

Dilmore, Robby. The Christian Car Guy. Accessed August 21, 2020. http://christiancarguy.com/robby/.

Story read by: Nathan Walker

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