organic christianity

watermelon

A couple nights ago God spoke to me in one of those ways where he uses a really simple thing to demonstrate a powerful revelation.  I was eating dinner with my wife and my dog, Toby, started barking ferociously at something on the counter.  At first it scared me out of my mind but then I realized that he was barking at a watermelon.  Charlotte and I started to laugh at our poor "pansy" dog.  So me being the mature 25 year old father and husband grabbed the watermelon and started chasing Toby around the house with it while he fled for his life.  When I got back to the table God gave me an illustration about my own walk with Him.  Just like Toby was barking out of fear at a harmless watermelon I often times will focus so much attention and fear at things in my own life that have no chance of hurting me.  Toby, for a moment, forgot that his daddy, me, was in the room and that I would never let something hurt him.  How often do I forget that my daddy, God, is in the room at all times and that out of his love for me I don't ever have to be afraid because He is in control.  Now He is of course a better father than me because he would never chase us around the room just to see us flee for our lives.  You might think that He is like that but it isn't the truth. 

What watermelons are you barking at right now?  Just stop for a moment and realize that your loving father is in the room and that He is so much greater and much more powerful than the harmless situation before you.   

pour out

In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison. No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time. But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian institution. Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes.  But when he was asked about the transformation, here’s what he said, “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.”

Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden. Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn’t stop Catherine!

When the first prison basketball game was held, she walked into the gym with her three beautiful children and she sat in the stands with the inmates.

Her attitude was: “My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don’t have to worry!” She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records.

She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit. Holding his hand in hers she said, “Do you read Braille?” “What’s Braille?” he asked. Then she taught him how to read.Years later he would weep in love for her.

Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison. She went to school to learn how to use sign language. Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921 to 1937.

Then, she was killed in a car accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes didn’t come to work, so the acting warden took his place. It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong.

The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison. As the acting warden took his early morning walk, he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate. He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness. He knew how much they loved Catherine.

He turned and faced the men, “All right, men you can go. Just be sure and check in tonight!” Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes.

And every one of them checked back in. Every one!

Real life change doesn't happen so much by our words but by the pouring out of our lives.  May we as Christ followers pour out our lives like Catherine Lawes did.