Not too long ago, I read a book by Mark Sanborn entitled, “The Fred Factor.”  The book is about a mailman who took his job seriously and consistently went above and beyond the call of duty in performing his job.  While the book is not a “religious” book, the spiritual and biblical applications are everywhere.  

Consequently, I have been teaching a Wednesday night adult class on the biblical principles contained in the “Fred Factor,” and I have been challenging people to go out a be a “Fred.”  It has been interesting to see how much interest this class has generated.  People have taken up the challenge of being a “Fred” (translated - a disciple of Jesus) and going the second mile with people.  I would heartily recommend the book to you.  It is an easy read, being only 112 pages long.

Well allow me to share a close encounter I had with being a “Fred” this past week.  My son, Michael and I went to the courthouse so that he could get his driving permit.  As we stood in line, there was a 16 year-old girl in front of us who was bubbling over with excitement because she too had passed her driving permit.  As she stood at the window, one of the clerks asked her if she had her birth certificate.  She excitedly said, “Yes Maam!  I sure do!”  Then the clerk asked her if she had her Social Security card.  Again, with exuberance, she said, “Yes Maam!  I sure do!”  Then the clerk said, “That will be $12.00.”  Suddenly, the girl’s disposition changed.  “$12.00?  I don’t think I have $12.00.  I didn’t know I had to pay anything.”  Well, she began digging through her wallet and could not come up with $12.00.  Finally she asked, “Can I just run home real quick?  I just live a few blocks away and I’ll bring you the money.” 

Well, can you guess what I did at that point?  If you’re thinking I gave her the $12.00 that she needed, keeping her from running home, and making a huge impact on her life by having an absolute stranger help her out, you would be wrong!  Nope, I just stood there and watched her run out of the room and off toward home.  Only after she was gone did I think, “What an opportunity to make a difference!  And I missed it!” I could have kicked myself.  Instead of being a “Fred,” I was a “Claude.”  In fact, with a little reflection, I think I could probably write a book entitled, “The Claude Factor.”

So I’ll live and learn, and hopefully be more sensitive to the opportunities I have to make a difference in the lives of other people.  Not because that’s what “Fred” would do, but because that’s what Jesus would do.

Yesterday, several good friends and I were sitting in the office of a neurosurgeon. We listened to him as he explained why he left a thriving practice in a large metropolis to come a much smaller hospital in our area of the country. He said it was all because of a letter he received.

You see, he had been so busy with his job, he told us that he literally had not seen his little girl in three weeks. Then one night when he came home from work, there was a letter by his bed from his 11 year-old daughter. It was a letter in which this little girl told her daddy that she missed him and wanted more of his time. She acknowledged to her daddy that he had an important job, but she said, “Daddy, doing the ‘right’ thing is sometimes the ‘hard’ thing to do.” It was at this point that this successful neurosurgeon decided he wanted to be a father first. So he left his practice and moved his family to South-Central Kentucky.

I couldn’t help but be touched by this doctor’s story. Before me was a man who knew that there are things in life that are more important than fame, ego, work, and money. It doesn’t take a “brain surgeon” be able to identify proper values and priorities in life. Sometimes, little 11 year-old girls who miss their daddy can discern those things. The question I have for you is have you discerned these same truths? Give it some thought.

What next?  Read and weep…

The Abilene Reporter News published a story last week with the headline: ACU Changes Alcohol Policy - Sanctions To Be Removed Against Legal-Age Drinking Off Campus. The article said taht the change came as a result of discussions and input received from student organizations and the university board of trustees.

Jean-Noel Thompson, vice president of student life and dean of students said that this new approach is supported by Scripture, but he expects some alumni and members of the Churches of Christ to disagree with the policy.  He further said that he didn’t want this to turn into a “theological debate.”

Royce Money, President of ACU said that this new policy does not represent a “backing away of our historic prohibition of the use of alcohol by our students.”  Instead he argued that the former policy, which prohibited alcohol consumption by students, “was not enforceable and was unrealistic in its scope.”

For further information, you can read much more of this change in direction in an article from Brotherhood News.

This past week, I had the privilege of preaching for the good people at Groveport, Ohio.  Groveport is located just east of Columbus, Ohio.  David Stevens has been the preacher there for nearly two decades.

The last time I preached in Groveport, the church was meeting in an old brick building in the heart of town.  As I remember it, they didn’t have much parking.  However, in 2001, they moved to the edge of town and built the building shown in the picture.  It is a really nice facility, has more than adequate parking, and they also have acreage for growth and activities.  The work is going well there, and they are soon going to have to make some changes to create additional classroom and auditorium space.  That’s a good problem to have.

If you’re ever travelling in the Columbus, OH area and looking for a congregation with which to worship, make your plans worship with the brethren at Groveport.

For three days this week, we’ve had the opportunity to hear several lesson from Dale Jenkins (http://www.dalejenkins.blogspot.com/).  Our meeting was one of the best attended meetings in the 19 years I have been in Glasgow. 

Dale’s lessons presented several challenges and thoughts that need contemplation and implimentation.  Instead of jotting some of those thoughts down in this blog, I thought I would just do a little audio editing and allow you to hear several soundbites of Dale, himself, as he spoke to us.

Enjoy!

 

 Excerpts from Dale Jenkins [11:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download