Podcast: 365 Christian Men

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Based on an interview with Chris Maxwell, 2019. 

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

Story read by: Joel Carpenter 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Based on an interview with Brian Hardin, 2019. 

Story read by Chuck Stecker 

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

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

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

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

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

The duty to protect the vulnerable goes beyond all boundaries. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poor child. Cromwell asked her name. 

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

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

She was searching for Charles’s body. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story read by Chuck Stecker 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story based upon an interview with Bryan Howard, 2019. 

Story read by Joel Carpenter 

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

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

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

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

“What’s wrong with him?” 

“Is he some kind of retard or something?” 

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

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

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

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

“No, I ate it.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He poured out his heart. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story read by Nathan Walker 

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

December 12. Alexander Mackay. When Mackay was three, he read the New Testament, and at seven, he read Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His father taught him geography, astronomy, and geometry. From eleven on, Mackay got interested in engines, blacksmithing, and the trades, and then mathematics, photography, and even shipbuilding. But when he was sixteen, and his mother died, he threw himself into the Scriptures—and the direction of his life was set. 

When famous African explorer Henry Stanley challenged any brave Christian willing to spread the faith and work hard—to come to Uganda, Mackay was all in. He would go to Africa as an engineer-missionary. He would tell King Mutesa about King Jesus. 

Mackay hacked a road 230 miles through a jungle so dense “a cat could scarcely creep along.” He traveled—land and river—for 700 miles, navigated a battered boat over Lake Victoria (an inland sea as big as Ireland), all the while driven by his fierce love for God and a bold determination. He created an alphabet for the local unwritten language and taught boys to read the Lord’s Prayer. Mackay translated Matthew’s Gospel into Luganda. But he didn’t see the success he hoped for. 

However, within 6 years of Mackay’s death, 100,000 people had been brought into close contact with the Gospel, and half of them could read it for themselves. Native Christians had built 200 buildings where they worshipped God, and they supported 200 native evangelists and teachers. There were 10,000 copies of the New Testament circulating—“and all this in the center of the thickest spiritual darkness in the world.” Here’s his story.  

Driven by a fierce love for God, a man is unstoppable. 

Alexander Mackay stood before one of the most powerful men in the African interior—King Mutesa, who ruled with ruthless authority. The king even called for human sacrifices to appease the imaginary gods. Would the king believe what Mackay had to say? 

Although the king’s dark eyes invoked a kind of primal dread, Mackay wasn’t afraid. He stared right back at the king—eyeball-to-eyeball and thrilled to share the message of hope in Jesus. 

“I am here, O King, to prepare a way for the coming of God’s Son, and I want you to join me in pointing the people of this land to the Lamb of God, who alone can take away the sin of the world,” Mackay announced. 

Mutesa listened with interest, but he wasn’t convinced enough to submit to Mackay’s message. The king did allow Mackay to hold Sunday services so he could hear more of what God’s Word had to say. 

In the beginning, Mackay had a remarkable way of influencing Mutesa for good. But one day, Arab traders appeared at court and gave Mutesa guns, ammunition, and yards of red cloth—in exchange for male and female slaves. 

Mackay stepped in and objected. He asked Mutesa if he was willing to sell his own people to be chained, beaten, whipped, and taken to other lands. Was he willing that others should laugh about him and say, “That is how King Mutesa lets strangers treat his children!” With this, and other challenging words Mackay appealed to the king’s manhood. 

Mutesa talked it over with his chiefs and decided his people would not be slaves—but all the same, Mutesa remained a slave to sin. He continued raiding other tribes and offering gruesome human sacrifices to appease false gods. In fact, sin seemed to increase more and more. 

Mackay wrote in his diary, “… Every crime and form of uncleanness is rampant in the country. Each day reveals fresh tales of iniquity, cruelty, and oppression.” 

When Mutesa died, his son M’wanga took over, and things went from bad to so-much-worse. 

Mackay didn’t give up. Until the day he died, he served Christ faithfully in Africa. 

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. … And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, … These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11: 13, 32, 33, 39, 40 NIV). 

Do you believe the victory belongs to God? Are you willing to commit the hard times to God and not give up? Driven by a fierce love for God, a man is unstoppable. 

Note: Mutesa is also sometimes spelled Mtesa. 

Boone, Ilsley. The Conquering Christ. Boston: Bible Study Publishing Company, 1910. 

Harrison, Eugene Meyers. “Alexander Mackay: Road-Maker for Christ in Uganda.” Missionary Biographies. Date Accessed: August 14, 2020. https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biomackay.html. 

Lambert, John C. “Alexander Mackay, The Hero of Uganda.” Missionary Biographies. Date Accessed: August 14, 2020. https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biomackay7.html. 

Mathews, Basil. “Alexander Mackay: Fighting the Slave Trade (1878).” Missionary Biographies. Date Accessed: August 14, 2020. https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biomackay13.html. 

Story read by Chuck Stecker 

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

December 11. Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli was born a few months after Martin Luther, and they both served in Zurich. They both were Catholic priests, and they both wrote lengthy theses detailing the errors they saw in the Roman Catholic Church. But they were acting independently. 

Zwingli said, “Before anyone in the area had ever heard of Luther, I began to preach the gospel of Christ in 1516 … I followed Holy Scripture alone.” 

On this date in 1518, Zwingli was elected stipendiary priest, and after he became a priest, he taught himself to read Greek so he could read the New Testament.  

Next, he bought a copy of the Latin translation by Erasmus, and he fell in love with the Scriptures. One of Zwingli’s biggest contributions to the Reformation was that he began a practice of preaching systematically through the Scriptures. The people were at last hearing the Word of God. Here is his story.  

Doing what is right is not always safe, but it can demonstrate God’s kindness. 

When Ulrich Zwingli arrived at the healing hot springs of Pfeffers, he was hoping for a much-needed rest. He had worked so long and hard in his first year of pastoring at Zurich, it led to exhaustion. It weakened his health. His co-workers had told him before he could help anyone else, he needed to recuperate. 

But only a few days at the hot springs had passed when a messenger showed up and handed Zwingli a letter. He tore open the seal. It was probably just a simple update. But no! 

The plague had come to Zurich! He suddenly found it hard to breathe. 

With shaking hands, he lowered the letter, and his body felt like he was made of molten lead. His friends, even some of his family, were still in Zurich … not to mention the thousands of innocent souls—ones he ministered to. They would need him. He had to get home to Zurich. He had to care for the people who were about to die. No one survived the plague. 

He hurried back to Zurich, but his home was deserted. The students who had been studying there were gone. The only person left was Ulrich’s younger brother, Andrew, and Ulrich ordered him to get back to where their family was at Wildhaus, away from Zurich, so he wouldn’t get the plague. It was terrifyingly contagious. 

Immediately, Ulrich went to work. With all the strength and compassion he could muster, he visited the homes of the dead and dying to minister to them any way he could. 

When the ill and dying saw him, they were moved by his kind demeanor and uplifting spirit. He reminded them that God was still there with them despite their suffering, and he comforted them. But Ulrich’s friends were worried he would catch the plague, too. “Perform your duty,” one of the friends said, “but at the same time be careful to guard your own life.” 

But Ulrich did not listen; he had his duty, the people needed him, and he continued to work long hours. Soon the plague claimed him, too. 

The disease hit him furiously, taking advantage of his already-weakened immune system, wracking his body with chills and pain. He was bound to bed, and the plague ravaged his entire body. He knew he was going to die. “Help, Lord God, help in this trouble! I think Death is at the door,” he wrote. “The illness increases; pain and fear seize my soul and body. Come to me, then, with Thy grace, O my only consolation!” 

Word spread quickly of the minister’s demise, and an already-suffering population felt despair that such a kind-hearted man was dying. Word spread to his family in Wildhaus, where totally distraught, Andrew sent a letter to Zurich begging for news. “Tell me in what state you are, my dear brother,” Andrew pleaded, but he got no reply. 

Rumors swirled about that Ulrich was dying. Overwhelmed with grief, his family, his friends, and the people he ministered to came together day and night to pray that Ulrich might be healed, despite the fact that surviving the plague was almost impossible. 

But they would not give up. Ulrich Zwingli had supported them in their time of need. Now, they would support him. 

They prayed when they heard no news. They prayed when rumors swirled that Ulrich had already died. They prayed when they didn’t know what else to do and all hope seemed to be lost. 

And suddenly, word came. The disease had been defeated. Their pastor was recovering and would survive. Almost half the population of Zurich had perished, but Ulrich Zwingli was spared. 

“I think I am already coming back!” Ulrich wrote in gratitude. The people rejoiced and praised God at their answered prayer, and word went to his family’s home in Wildhaus to spread the good news. Ulrich recovered, gradually gained back his strength and stamina, and returned to minister to the people who had prayed for him. 

“Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God” (1 Peter 5:2 NLT). 

When doing your duty is costly, where can you turn for support? Doing what is right is not always safe, but it can demonstrate God’s kindness. 

Blackburn, Rev. William M. Ulrich Zwingli: The Patriotic Reformer, A History. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1868. Internet Archive. Accessed: February 18, 2019.  

Jackson, Samuel Macauley, ed. The Latin Works and The Correspondence of Huldreich Zwingli, Together with Selections from His German Works, Volume One 1510–1522. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1912. Internet Archive.  Accessed: February 18, 2019. 

Simpson, Samuel. Life of Ulrich Zwingli: The Swiss Patriot and Reformer. New York: The Baker & Taylor Co., 1902. Internet Archive. Accessed: February 18, 2019. 

Story read by Daniel Carpenter.  

December 10. Francis Schaeffer. On this date in 1930, Schaeffer pledged to give his life for God’s service. 

Eighteen years later, Schaeffer and his family became missionaries to Switzerland. Within seven years, he established L’Abri, a spiritual community which attracted thousands of followers in the following years. 

At first, the Schaeffers opened their home to visitors who wanted to talk about Jesus and philosophy. Visitors were called students, and they spent from a day to several months at L’Abri. Soon more houses opened in the area, and Schaeffer took on a staff, who were available to talk with visitors. After study time, students helped with cooking, cleaning, and household maintenance—based on Schaeffer’s belief that Christianity took in the whole of life. 

Schaeffer also wrote at least thirty-nine books. His How Should We Then Live? was so well-received, a documentary film series based on the book was produced, and the book served as the basis for ten major films. Today’s story focuses on Schaeffer when he first started college. 

To reach the stubborn, speak the language of perseverance. 

“Alright,” the bully told a still-bleeding Francis Schaeffer, “but only if you’ll carry me.” 

Schaeffer hadn’t expected to hear that. 

Moments earlier, the tall bully had thrown a can of talcum powder into Schaeffer’s face. The can clipped him above the eye, and blood dripped down his brow. The dispute wasn’t over a girl or money or even pride. It was over a prayer meeting. 

Schaeffer, then a 20-something first-year college student, had repeatedly invited the other student to attend a prayer meeting in his dorm. And the young man, agitated at Schaeffer’s persistence, finally snapped. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to pray. He didn’t want religion. 

Perhaps Schaeffer should have expected it. Or ducked. 

The college was a mixture of sinners and saints. Some of the young men wanted to party hardy. Others, like Schaeffer, wanted to spread the gospel. Confrontation was bound to happen. Given Schaeffer’s perseverance, it was a matter of how soon and how loud. 

Schaeffer’s dorm was infamous and had a reputation for mischief. Students brought their rifles to the building and tucked them away in the corners. They would use them to kill mice and to shoot out the light bulbs in the stairwell. Just for fun. 

The guys went out on Saturday nights and stumbled back after midnight, drunk and undeterred by the prohibition laws and college rules. 

They also relentlessly hazed the freshmen. If the freshmen disobeyed an upperclassman’s orders, they got spanked with a stick or paddle. Ministerial students like Schaeffer received the harshest treatment. He endured the beatings for a few weeks, but then broke the code by fighting back and pinning his tormentor to the ground. 

The hazing stopped. 

Professors rarely stepped foot in that dorm. Pre-Schaeffer, the Student Christian Association also wanted nothing to do with that dorm, though they organized prayer meetings in every other dorm on the campus.  

And then Schaeffer arrived. He was courageous and daring and even a little reckless. A year earlier, he had pledged his life to God’s service. 

He wanted to see men transformed by the gospel—no matter the cost. Even if his boldness for Christ resulted in insults. Even if it resulted in pain. Even if it resulted in a talcum-powder projectile to the head. 

After he was hit, Schaeffer didn’t punch the boy. At five-feet-six to the bully’s six-feet-two, that was a sound decision. Instead, Schaeffer did the unthinkable. He repeated the invitation. That’s when the bully agreed to attend … if Schaeffer would carry him. 

Perhaps he thought Schaeffer was too weak. Maybe he figured Schaeffer wouldn’t try. 

But Schaeffer, still bleeding, used the same technique firemen still use today. He bent over, heaved the tall guy over his shoulders and upper back, and stood upright. He navigated precariously down the dark stairwell and into the meeting room, where he set the guy down. 

Schaeffer—persistent and patient—had won. 

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV). 

How do you respond when others challenge or even mock your beliefs? To reach the stubborn, speak the language of perseverance. 

Duriez, Colin. Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2005. 

“Alumnus Francis Schaeffer and the Spirit of L’Abri.” History. Accessed August 14, 2020. https://www.cogito-hsc.org/​our-history/. 

Roberts, Mostyn. Francis Schaeffers. Bitesize Biographies Book 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Evangelical Press, 2012. 

Story read by Chuck Stecker