Silly Old Bear

It’s hard to believe it has been eight years: November 24, 2001. Sometimes it seems as though it was only yesterday that you left us, Ashley. Then there are moments when it seems that a lifetime has passed since that awful day.

I still miss you like crazy. We’re doing OK, though. You taught us to cherish every day. Most days we remember to do that. You taught us to live life to the fullest, to squeeze every drop of adventure out of every day that God gives us. You showed us that the real beauty of life is living with a complete trust in God. It’s funny how I’ve been a minister most of my adult life, but you figured that out so much better and lived it so much more completely than I ever have.

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A few months after my daughter Ashley died, I called a friend and asked him to meet me for lunch. Andy Moya is one of those creative types who seems to be good at everything he does. He is a graphics artist/designer by trade, and a very talented musician by avocation. I was captivated by his CD of Christmas favorites played on piano.

Andy is also just an all-around great guy. I came to know him through a mutual friend, and have always enjoyed any opportunity to visit with him. He is deeply spiritual and loves the Lord with all his heart. I have a great respect for him in that regard.

I invited Andy to lunch because I had a favor to ask of him. I wanted to have a beautiful instrumental song written especially in Ashley’s memory. Knowing Andy’s creativity, musicianship, and heart, I felt like he would be the perfect person for such an undertaking, if he was interested.

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The Spirit of Aggieland

Some may boast of prowess bold
Of the school they think so grand
But there’s a spirit can ne’er be told
It’s the Spirit of Aggieland.

The Spirit of Aggieland. From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.

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[PART 4 OF 4]

In the previous article, we looked at the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the perspective of the prodigal son himself. In this article, we will re-examine the parable from the perspective of the older brother.

Go ahead and read through the parable again by clicking on the picture of the Bible to the right. Then come back here and continue reading.

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[PART 3 OF 4]

In the previous article, we looked at the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the perspective of the father in the parable. In this article, we will re-examine the parable from the perspective of the prodigal son himself.

Go ahead and read through the parable again by clicking on the picture of the Bible to the right. Then come back here and continue reading.

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[PART 2 OF 4]

Over the course of the next few posts, we will be exploring the Parable of the Prodigal Son from three different perspectives:

1. The perspective of the father
2. The perspective of the prodigal son
3. The perspective of the older brother

Go ahead and read through the parable again by clicking on the picture of the Bible to the right. Then come back here and continue reading.

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[PART 1 OF 4]

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is one of Jesus’ most well-known parables. It is actually the third in a series of parables that Jesus told, one after the other, in Luke chapter 15. All three parables have a common theme.

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When you are dead and gone, what will your life have counted for? Will the world be a better place because you were here?

One of my biggest fears in life is mediocrity – just sort of drifting through life without ever really accomplishing anything worthwhile. I don’t want to come to the end of my life, look back over all those years, and wonder, “What was that all about?” I want to know that my life counted for something, that I somehow made other people’s lives better. I don’t want to just take up space.

Every one of us has the ability to make our lives count for something. It doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, how famous or unknown; it doesn’t matter what side of the tracks you live on, what color your skin is, or whether you are male or female. No one is destined for mediocrity. Your life matters, and you can make other people’s lives better. And the really cool thing is, you have the unique ability to do that in a way that no one else can!

So I challenge you to rise above mediocrity. Make your life count for something. Make the world a better place. Here are four ways you can do just that.

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My friend Horace Bratcher told me a funny story from his childhood that I thought you might get a chuckle out of as well.

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The following article appeared in the November 2009 print issue of the “Christian Chronicle”, an “international newspaper for Churches of Christ” whose mission is “to inform, inspire and unite”. The article was written by Chris Blair, who ministers to students on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, while serving as the Campus Minister for the Huntsville Church of Christ. This article is reprinted with the gracious permission of Chris Blair and the Christian Chronicle.

I think you will be inspired.

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