365 Christian Men | 365 Christian Men

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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August 6. Brennan Manning. Brennan was a Marine in the Korean War, studied journalism at the University of Missouri, and later, philosophy and Latin at Saint Francis College, where he became a Christian.

He was ordained a Franciscan priest, taught, and then joined a contemplative order that served the poor in Spain and Switzerland. For six months, he lived in a remote cave in the desert.

Next, Brennan helped establish a ministry and chapel for poor shrimp farmers on an Alabama bayou, ministered on a college campus, befriended musician Rich Mullins, and wrote 15 books. This is a man who learned to trust God.

Hurting people hurt people; let forgiveness put an end to the cycle.

Brennan learned a harsh lesson from a cold and distant mother. She had made him believe what she had believed: “You don’t always get what you want.”

Years later, when Brennan got the call that his mother had died, he felt no grief. He was ticked he would have to go to her funeral.

Her death certainly didn’t erase all the years of abuse and pain and shame he had endured. “My mother had completely lost her memory,” Brennan said. “But I hadn’t.”

He flew to New Jersey and checked into a motel near the funeral location. But he didn’t go to the church and pay his respects; he went to the liquor store and bought Scotch. He locked himself in his hotel room and shut the curtains and drank the time away.

Thoughts of his mother plagued him. What she had said. Brennan had no memory of ever being hugged, held, kissed—not by her. Once, when he had said she loved his older brother more than him, she punched him over and over.

Now, ashamed and alone in the motel room, he downed more alcohol, tried to forget, and finally blacked out.

The next day, Brennan woke and tried to remember where he was. Eventually, the truth became clear. He had blacked out from drinking and missed his mother’s funeral. He hadn’t thought he could feel more ashamed, but now he did.

Another decade passed, and winter was on its way again. One day Brennan took time out to talk to God about the daily needs on his mind. His mother wasn’t on the list of things to focus on, but when he was in the middle of prayer, an image crossed his mind.

He saw a little girl, about six. He knew it represented his mother when she had been a child. He saw her kneeling at the windowsill of the orphanage, her nose against the glass, praying for God to send her a mother and father so she could be loved.

The little girl wanted to be like other kids. Cared about.

The image shook Brennan, and he realized his mother had been burned by life too. Because she never got the affection she had needed growing up, she didn’t know how to give it away.

In the vision, the little girl walked over to Brennan, and as she got closer, she aged.

When she had become the old woman he remembered from a decade ago, she said, “You know, I messed up a lot when you were a kid. But you turned out okay.” Then, she kissed him.

The hurt, the pain … Brennan realized it was okay to feel it. God was showing him through the vision that it was okay to admit that the shame had affected him all those years. But he couldn’t allow it to disable him any longer. He could no longer be controlled by it.

He looked at her. “I forgive you,” he said.

In the vision, his mother smiled back. “I guess sometimes you do get what you ask for.”

He later wrote about the experience. “A trusting heart is forgiven,” he wrote, “and, in turn, forgives.”

“‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven’” (Luke 6:37 NIV).

Resentment will cripple you; release it. Hurting people hurt people; let forgiveness put an end to the cycle.

Manning, Brennan and John Blase. All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2011.

Lee, Dolly M. “What was Brennan Manning’s biggest obstacle to trust?” Posted September 17, 2014. Soul Stops. https://soulstops.com/what-was-brennan-mannings-biggest-obstacle-to-trust/.

Owens, tiffany. “Ragamuffin author Brennan Manning dies.” Posted April 15, 2013. World. https://world.wng.org/the year 2013/04/ragamuffin_author_brennan_manning_dies.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

“My life is a witness to vulgar grace—a grace that amazes as it offends,” he wrote in All Is Grace. “It’s not cheap. It’s free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility.” Brennan Manning.

“As you read [Brennan’s] memoir you may be tempted, as I am, to think ‘Oh, what might have been … if Brennan hadn’t given into drink,’” commented his friend Philip Yancey. “I urge you to reframe the thought to, ‘Oh, what might have been … if Brennan hadn’t discovered grace.’” Philip Yancey, quoted in world.wng.org

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 5. Kurt Warner. Kurt was an American football quarterback. He played for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals.

He went on to be considered the best undrafted NFL player of all time, following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories in the NFL. On this date in 2017, Kurt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When things get tough, it’s not time to quit.

Kurt dreamed of playing in the National Football League (NFL); he wanted that more than anything. But he wasn’t the best player, and he didn’t come from a big-name college.

He made it to the NFL as a fourth-string quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, only to be cut by the team. Kurt had no option but to go back home to Iowa and work—not on the football field—but in a grocery store. His dreams of playing in the NFL seemed hopeless, but he refused to give that up.

While he worked at the grocery store he continued to work on his game and eventually had the opportunity to play in the Arena Football League (AFL), a professional indoor American football league. His faith and talent continued to grow. Even in difficult circumstances, Kurt relied on God for strength.

As his talent grew, he got his chance to play in NFL Europe. And Kurt was once again catching the attention of NFL scouts in the US.

When he finally got the opportunity to play in the NFL in the US, he was a backup quarterback. And he was with the St. Louis Rams, a team known for losing. But that didn’t bother him, because he knew God would use him where he was. His part was to trust God and keep practicing his football skills.

Then during the 1999 pre-season, the starting quarterback Trent Green was injured. Kurt became the team’s starter and led the Rams to an unexpected resurgence. He led the NFL in pass-completion percentage, touchdowns thrown, and passer rating that season. The Rams won thirteen games in the second-greatest single-season-win improvement in NFL history. And he took his team to Super Bowl, which they won, and Kurt was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL.

Two years later Kurt took the Rams back to the Super Bowl and were upset by the underdog New England Patriots. But he was brought low again. Kurt was injured during the 2002 season and only played in seven games. And he was ineffective in those seven games. In the first game of the 2003, Kurt fumbled six times. He was benched for the remainder of the season and found himself in a backup role. After a season on the bench, the Rams released Kurt. Two different teams tried to revitalize his career, but it seemed like it was over.

Kurt kept trusting God and practicing football. He played for the Cardinals and took them to a place they had never been, the Super Bowl. And he went on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Kurt’s college coach at Northern Iowa said, “[Kurt] represents what we believe Northern Iowa is and that’s perseverance, nothing was given to him. Everything was earned.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4 NIV).

Is there any area in your life where you feel stalled? When things get tough, it’s not time to quit.

Moraitis, Mike. “Kurt Warner’s Grocery-Store Checker to NFL MVP Story a Tale of Perseverance.” Posted May 21, 2012. NFL. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/the year 1190204-kurt-warners-grocery-store-checker-to-nfl-mvp-story-a-tale-of-perseverance.

Weinfuss, Josh. (2007, August 5) “Kurt Warner’s time at Northern Iowa influences Panthers who followed, David Johnson included.” Posted August 5, 2017. https://www.espn.com/blog/arizona-cardinals/post/_/id/26403/lessons-from-kurt-warners-time-at-northern-iowa-influence-panthers-who-followed-david-johnson-included.

Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?

For more information see Kurt’s book about his faith called All Things Possible: My story of faith, Football and the Miracle Season.

Story read by: Nathan Walker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio Production: Joel Carpenter

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 4. David Livingstone. Livingstone was a physician, a missionary, an explorer, and a writer. He was the first European to cross the width of southern Africa. His work and his writing taught Europe about the horrors of slavery and why it must be stopped.

When confronted with injustice, do you step back or speak out?

Livingstone deplored slavery—with good reason.

On June 19, 1866, Livingstone wrote about one of his trips across Africa: “We passed a woman tied by the neck to a tree …”

She was dead. Natives explained that she had been unable to keep up with the other slaves, was going to be left behind, and the slave-trader had decided that if she wouldn’t be his property, neither would she belong to anyone else.

Livingstone wrote: “… We saw others tied up in a similar manner, and one lying in the path shot or stabbed, for she was in a pool of blood.” The slaver had become enraged when the woman could no longer march. And the man was beside himself over the money he was losing in the deal. So he killed her.

On June 26, Livingstone came upon a well-dressed African woman with many fine beads, as only wealthy women wear. She had a heavy slave-taming stick jutting out of her back, as if she could be steered by it. When she saw Livingstone, she cried out to him about the injustice done to her.

He realized the man with her was likely a slave trader. Here he was at this exact place and time. Just as if God had orchestrated the meeting. Livingstone stopped and asked the woman what had been done to her.

She said she was a near relative of Chief Chirikaloma, and she was going to see her husband when this man—her captor—chased off her maid and seized her.

But the man—not at all eager to stop and chat—claimed she was running away from the great Chief Chirikaloma, and he had captured her so that Chief Chirikaloma wouldn’t be angry.

Livingstone was certain the old man planned to sell the woman. But instead of responding with a knee-jerk reaction, in a friendly voice, he asked the man what he expected to receive from Chief Chirikaloma for capturing the woman.

The old man said, “Nothing.”

Well aware that the man’s story didn’t hold up, Livingstone gave the old man a gift of fine woven cloth to give to Chief Chirikaloma to appease him—if he was offended. Then Livingstone freed the woman and told the man, “Say that I, feeling ashamed to see one of his relatives in a slave-stick, released her and would take her on to her husband.” Perhaps God had brought Livingstone here for such a time as this.

“This was Mordecai’s reply to Esther: ‘Do you think you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed? If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?’” (Esther 4:13–14 TLB).

When confronted with injustice do you step back or speak out?

Livingstone, David. The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866–1868. Scotts Valley, CA: Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.

Jackson, Dave and Neta Jackson. Escape From the Slave Traders. Evanston, IL: Castle Rock Creative, Inc., 2016.

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

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 3. Gene McGuire. Gene started down a wrong road when he was very young. Apart from God, he had no hope. But on this date in 2008, the Holy Spirit whispered to Gene, “Bow low.” This is what happened.

Depend on yourself, and limit your future. Depend on God, and miracles happen.

Gene blocked out the clang of cell doors, the roar of voices, the jingle of keys in locks. Prison noise no longer fazed him. Gene’s life sentence had begun when he was a sophomore in high school, so for most of his life, his home had been a prison cell. And it would likely be for the rest of his life. His appeals for a reduced sentence had been repeatedly rejected.

Thankfully, it was Sunday. Gene pulled on the approved white T-shirt. Then he grabbed his Bible and sat on the metal stool attached to the small metal desk. He turned to a particular passage. “He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking” (Isaiah 51: 14 ESV).

“Bow low,” said the Holy Spirit.

Gene knelt by the desk.

“No, lower.”

Gene leaned until his forehead touched the concrete.

“No, lower.”

To keep his white T-shirt clean for church, Gene supported his chest with his hands as he stretched out on the floor.

“Lift your hands.”

Gene obeyed. All of his weight—legs, torso, head—pressed into the cold, hard concrete.

“That’s how I want you to live,” said the Lord. “Totally dependent on me. If you depend on yourself, you can have only what you can get. If you depend on me, you can have what I can give.”

Later, as Gene entered the prison chapel, the Holy Spirit spoke again, “Sit up front. Don’t serve today.”

“But Lord, I’m supposed to pass out hymnals.” As an elder, Gene helped with Sunday services.

“No, sit.”

Gene sat for the whole service. As the worship band closed with an old hymn, Gene sang along. “I surrender all . . .”

“Go to the altar, kneel, and sing to me,” the Lord said.

Gene frowned. What would everyone think? But he went. When he knelt, God’s presence caused him to sob. Gene felt a hand on his back. Bowed before the Lord, he worshiped.

“Brother Gene,” the pastor said, “come and close in prayer.” When Gene stood, he was stunned. Behind him were about 150 guys on their knees. The Spirit whispered, “I am looking for one man to be obedient.”

Gene lived another two years of his life sentence. Then, despite strong recommendations and a powerful resume, his fifth request for commutation was denied. Gene cried. He told God he was grieved, hurt, and confused.

God said, “I will release you, Gene. It’s not going to be based on what you’ve done or who you know—I’m going to release you.”

Two months later Gene received a letter from an attorney. Due to a recent Supreme Court decision, Gene had the right to an appeal. At first, Gene ignored the letter. He had suffered so many disappointments. But the Holy Spirit nudged, and the process began.

On April 3, 2012, a black-robed judge called a crowded courtroom to session, and Gene fought for slow, calming breaths. Shackled, handcuffed to a chain around his waist, and wearing the bright-orange shirt of an inmate, Gene awaited re-sentencing.

Finally the judge said, “The defendant shall rise.” Gene had been in prison since he was 17–34 years, 9 months, and 15 days. The judged declared his sentence served. The courtroom exploded. Gene collapsed into his chair and sobbed.

Someone shouted, “Unshackle that man! Release him from those chains! He’s a free man.”

In Pennsylvania, 479 juveniles had been imprisoned, sentenced to life without parole, but Gene was the first who, without parole or probation, was freed. When Gene “bowed low,” God fast-tracked Gene’s liberation.

Who do you routinely depend on? Depend on yourself and limit your future. Depend on God and miracles happen.

Based on an interview with Gene McGuire, 2019.

McGuire, Gene, with Darin Michael Shaw. Unshackled: From Ruin to Redemption. Colleyville, TX: Gene McGuire Publishing, 2018.

Story read by: Chuck Stecker

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 2. Benjamin Rush. At the age of 23, Rush, the physician, became the first professor of chemistry in America. He also published a tract on the evils of the slavery and helped organize the first anti-slavery society in America.

He was brilliant and accomplished and prolific, but some also called him, “unshakable in his convictions, as well as self-righteous, caustic, satirical, humorless, and polemical.” No, Rush was not perfect, but God did use him.

Rush also founded the first college in America—Dickinson College and educated 3,000 medical students. On this date in 1776, he signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

For a discouraged man, encouragement can be timely.

It looked as if the colonies were going to lose the American Revolution. Benjamin Rush was disheartened.

But during the summer, he had become a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. It was a step of faith—an effort to support the cause that would bring freedom to America. The next spring, Rush was appointed physician-in-chief of the military hospital of the Middle Department of the Continental Army.

As the war progressed, Rush had to help on the battlefield. He joined the Philadelphia militia, who supported George Washington. In Bristol, he tended to the soldiers’ health, but more than that, he encouraged the men to stay strong, to remain firm in their duty.

By the time a dreadful winter descended on the area, the excitement of declaring independence had diminished, and the stark realities of war glared. Just before Christmas, Rush met with General Washington near the Delaware River, and Rush could see how discouraged and ragged the Continental Army was. Not enough guns. Treacherous icy weather. Some of the men were fighting barefooted. Some had rags tied around their feet in place of boots. Washington seemed depressed.

Rush listened intently and reminded the General that the Continental Congress supported him and knew that the war had been tough. They had faith in Washington’s leadership.

Washington began to scribble on some papers. At first, Rush didn’t think anything of it, until a single paper accidently fell by his feet. The words on the page were: “Victory or Death.”

The following evening, Washington had to take troops across the Delaware to contain the risk of 1,000 Hessian soldiers. Large chunks of floating ice made the river hazardous to cross. And a heavy snow storm had hit 10 miles south, where Rush had returned to the militia in Bristol.

But the next morning brought miraculous news: Washington had been successful in his crossing and had taken 1,000 Hessians by surprise. Rush also learned the password for the mission: “Victory or Death.”

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV).

Listening well is often the key to encouragement. Look for opportunities. For a discouraged man, encouragement can be timely.

[EM1]

Warren, Michael. “Dr. Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence, education visionary and renowned physician.” America’s Survival Guide. Accessed June 11, 2020. http://www.americassurvivalguide.com/benjamin-rush.php.

Kathryn Glynn. “Benjamin Ross.” The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Posted December 11, 2011. https://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/benjamin-ross/.

Story read by: Joel Carpenter

Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter

Audio production: Joel Carpenter

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

Project Manager: Blake Mattocks

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August 1. Phil Floyd. Phil is a young man who loves to conquer large obstacles. Here’s his story.

On this date in 1987, Phil camped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

If you don’t want to live in fear, don’t feed it.

The last day in July, Phil—expert hiker and camper—was packed and primed for his eleven-day backpack trip into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He would leave in the morning. “Independence” was his middle name. Trekking through mountains was one of his greatest pleasures. And he loved to hike alone.

After dinner, a hiking buddy phoned, and Phil joined some friends to see the new Schwarzenegger film. They laughed and joked and pretended The Predator wasn’t scary.

Sure, Phil and his friends had jumped and jerked a couple of times, but watching the commandos be killed off one by one hadn’t unnerved Phil. The fact that the movie was set in a dark forest—where the Predator appeared with no warning—was just Hollywood doing its job.

The next morning, Phil drove off to spend eleven days by himself in the woods.

The first night, he stayed at a campground. “That night I was scared pee-less. Every time I looked up around the campfire and into the forest, I saw the Alien Predator as he planned to shoot me with his three-red-dot weapon.”

The next day Phil hiked up to 9000 feet and set up camp near a crossing of trails. After having a gourmet supper of coffee, jerky, and Top Ramen, he cleaned up and left his pans on a log to dry. Phil felt at peace as he stared at the star-crowded black sky.

At two in the morning, a noise woke him. “I reached for my gun and a flashlight.”

Phil pointed his weapon and light straight in the eyes of a four-point buck. “The massive animal looked back at me with his three-red-dot weapon.” Phil shook his head to rid himself of the hallucination. It registered that the dear was licking salt out of the pans Phil had left to dry. He kept still, and the deer wandered off. “I thought I might be the buck’s next meal. Scared me to death. It was a Predator.”

The next day, instead of using a trail, Phil hopped over boulders and followed some cairns up to 11,200 feet to a gorgeous lake, where he could fish. He carefully set up camp, spent the rest of the day fishing, and caught a couple and ate them for dinner.

“I figured I would sleep well, because I was exhausted. But when I laid down, sleep wouldn’t come.” Phil wished he had invited his hiking buddies. Fear was a new sensation in this setting.

In the chilly night air, he began to sweat. “I knew why. I was at 11,200 feet in the Sierra Nevadas with no one around for miles. The Alien Predator was there to kill me; I just hadn’t seen him yet.” If Phil told his buddies about this, they would laugh. But the fear was palpable.

For a few hours, Phil became a sculpture, stiff and unmoving. He tried to shake it off. He focused on cuddly animals, but his fear won. In the middle of the night, Phil moved. In a mind-over-matter effort, he forced himself to stand. He looked at the massive mountains, the shadowy forest, the yellow moonlight. He was not alone. Another presence was with him. Not an imaginary monster. He prayed . . .

“God, why am I so afraid? Why can’t I shake this fear?”

In the quiet of the night, Phil heard the answer in his heart. What do you put in your mind?

Phil had seen a scary movie and then come to the wilderness. What was in his heart had seeped into everything. Fear. Phil had set himself up. Now, peace descended on him. Again, he heard a whisper in his heart.

If you don’t want to live in fear, don’t feed on fear.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2 NASB).

What do you spend the most time focusing on? If you don’t want to live in fear, don’t feed it.

Based on an interview with Phil Floyd, June 4, 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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