Growing up in Southern California in the days of the Hippies and Jesus Freaks, we saw a lot of signs and stickers with sayings like; ‘Peace’, ‘Make Love Not War’, ‘The End Is Near’, ‘Flower Power’ and ‘Repent’. Then one day, I saw one bumper sticker that had me laughing out loud in my car (decades before anyone knew what LOL meant!). That one bumper sticker has stayed in my mind all these years and to this day, I laugh when I think of it. It simply said “Jesus is Coming…Look Busy!”
Now, for all my Christian friends: Yes, I know that may be seen as a ‘vain’ use of the Lord’s name and I’m sure laughing at this is somehow a violation of the 3rd Commandment, but God has forgiven me so get over it. Besides, I’m reasonably certain He has a sense of humor; just look at the platypus…is that the work of a serious artist?
What’s REALLY funny though, is the profundity of truth contained within that simple text which the author no doubt intended as a disrespectful joke. I say it’s funny (in the ironic sense) because, using just five words, that sage jokester has described our day-to-day lives with remarkable clarity.
You see, most of us have a built-in sense of urgency about life. We may recognize this sense as the responsibility to care and provide for ourselves and for our families. Or, we may sense a need to leave our mark on society; in some way making a difference for a better world. Those of us with an eternal perspective often think about the return of Christ and feel the urgency to win others for His Kingdom. Sometimes, we Christians satiate that sense of urgency by working within the Church or other charitable organizations. Our communities and churches are full of 'busy' people.
Don’t get me wrong; all of these activities are honorable and vitally important; but what motivates us (whether we’re motivated by personal gain, or by recognition, or by a genuine concern for others, or for a closer relationship with Jesus) is what requires frequent and transparent self-examination, asking ourselves “Why am I doing this?” and listening for an honest answer.
Jesus IS coming. Are we really ready; or just looking busy? When He does come, does Jesus want to find you just keeping busy, or does He want to find you busied by a heart longing for His return? Our lives may look righteous because of all of our work, but is our heart fully devoted to, submitted to and purified by the righteousness and Lordship of Christ in those ways that only He can see? Knowing Jesus and striving to know him better, loving Jesus and wanting to love him more, yearning to please Jesus and be with Him more than anything else you can think of; THAT is what being ready is all about.
Jesus IS coming, but when? We could debate eschatology for years and never agree, but as interesting and important as that discussion can be, it really shouldn’t matter to how we live. It shouldn’t matter because being ready, really ready, expels ANY need to know when. Jesus may come for us all at any time or, He may just come for you or me when we least expect it.
This past week, we received news that a 19 year old friend of the family has been killed in an auto accident. This horrible event is every loving parent’s worst nightmare. It brings into sharp focus, the brevity and fragility of our existence on this planet. This fine young man’s death couldn’t have been more unexpected and was in no way his fault (he was a passenger). His is a strong and loving family. They are close-knit, hardworking and successful. The kids are well behaved and respectful, good students and gifted athletes. They are respected and liked in their schools, workplaces and community. Theirs is the kind of family we all admire and would never expect to experience a tragedy like this. Our hearts are wrenched with pain for them but, the truth is, it could happen to any one of us at any moment.
The ONLY way to live with any hope of a peaceful heart and spirit; the ONLY way we can ever hope to live without anxiety, fear or doubt, is to BE ready; to possess the knowledge and confidence that, should the Lord come today, or should tragedy come our way, we know with certainty that we ARE going with Him, welcomed into His loving arms.
Jesus IS coming! Are YOU ready, or just looking busy?
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come...So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Matthew 24:42,44 (NIV84)
PDS
16-JAN-2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Shorty
60 years ago today, 10-JAN-1953, a B-29 Superfortress, commanded by Capt Arthur Heise, was shot down while bombing the Anju Marshaling Yards in North Korea. Capt. Heise assured the safe exit of his entire crew, then stayed with the crippled giant until it crashed into a mountain. All eleven crew members survived thanks to the heroic leadership of their Captain and friend and all eleven were captured and MIA until the end of the war. Among those POWs was a 22 year old airman known as "Shorty".
They called him ‘Shorty’ because he was. At barely five-foot-four, it was a natural nickname that he never resented; in fact, he embraced it fondly.
Shorty had been small in size his whole life but, even as a kid, he never let it hold him back. His favorite sport was basketball and he earned the respect of the big kids with his feisty, competitive spirit and a nasty hook shot!
This tenacious, typically Nordic attitude toward life followed Shorty into the Air Force, where he was well liked and respected for his integrity, generosity and an amazing work ethic. It was these characteristics, supported by the hand of God (though he didn’t know it at the time), that enabled Shorty to survive being shot down over North Korea on that frozen January night. Severely wounded, he spent the first four months in solitary confinement at a camp on the North Korean/Chinese border.
Subjected to inhumane interrogations, malnourished and imprisoned in a box too small for him to either stretch out or stand up, Shorty considered his small size to have been a blessing in these conditions and the little bit of watery rice he received each day, he found to be perfect, because his jaw, broken from shrapnel, wouldn’t have allowed him to eat anything more substantial. He later applied Genesis 50:20 to this situation, quoting: “What they intended for evil, God intended for good.” After being transfered from solitary confinement, Shorty spent the rest of the war in the general population of prisoners at Camp #2 Annex near the Yalu River.
Shorty was never shy to let you know what he thought about something. Gruff and un-filtered, he was more concerned with being honest than with watering-down the message. This blunt honesty meant that you would always know where you stood with him; nothing was left to doubt, even if it hurt.
Ironically, his was one of the purest examples of unconditional love I have ever known. Shorty’s love for his family was never based on whether or not he agreed with you. He could leave you smarting from his rebuke, then demonstrate through some thoughtful act, how he’d always be there, ready to encourage and support you. If he did realize that he’d offended someone, he would, in his own unassuming way, apologize as unconditionally as he loved.
Though always an unwaveringly moral man, Shorty didn’t realize a personal relationship with his Lord until later in life, when his faith took on and benefited from the same strong character that his creator had used to bring him through so many trials and sufferings.
Shorty passed on to be with his Savior on April 15, 1993, at the age of 65. During his short lifetime, he touched so many, many lives with his generosity and thoroughly un-prejudiced love for people, particularly those whose lives he considered to be more difficult than his own. He valued hard work, honesty and loyalty; and he rewarded these generously. One of Shorty’s employees summed it up when he said “I have never had to work so hard for anyone, and I have never been treated so well by anyone.”
To his friends, he was known as Shorty, Bob or maybe even Storky, but to a privileged few of us, Robert K. Storkson was Papa…my Papa, my hero.
Dear Jesus, please tell Papa "Hey" from me. Tell him how much I miss him; how much I love and admire him; and how much I look forward to seeing him again someday. Amen
PDS
10-JAN-2013
60 years ago today, 10-JAN-1953, a B-29 Superfortress, commanded by Capt Arthur Heise, was shot down while bombing the Anju Marshaling Yards in North Korea. Capt. Heise assured the safe exit of his entire crew, then stayed with the crippled giant until it crashed into a mountain. All eleven crew members survived thanks to the heroic leadership of their Captain and friend and all eleven were captured and MIA until the end of the war. Among those POWs was a 22 year old airman known as "Shorty".
They called him ‘Shorty’ because he was. At barely five-foot-four, it was a natural nickname that he never resented; in fact, he embraced it fondly.
Shorty had been small in size his whole life but, even as a kid, he never let it hold him back. His favorite sport was basketball and he earned the respect of the big kids with his feisty, competitive spirit and a nasty hook shot!
This tenacious, typically Nordic attitude toward life followed Shorty into the Air Force, where he was well liked and respected for his integrity, generosity and an amazing work ethic. It was these characteristics, supported by the hand of God (though he didn’t know it at the time), that enabled Shorty to survive being shot down over North Korea on that frozen January night. Severely wounded, he spent the first four months in solitary confinement at a camp on the North Korean/Chinese border.
Subjected to inhumane interrogations, malnourished and imprisoned in a box too small for him to either stretch out or stand up, Shorty considered his small size to have been a blessing in these conditions and the little bit of watery rice he received each day, he found to be perfect, because his jaw, broken from shrapnel, wouldn’t have allowed him to eat anything more substantial. He later applied Genesis 50:20 to this situation, quoting: “What they intended for evil, God intended for good.” After being transfered from solitary confinement, Shorty spent the rest of the war in the general population of prisoners at Camp #2 Annex near the Yalu River.
Shorty was never shy to let you know what he thought about something. Gruff and un-filtered, he was more concerned with being honest than with watering-down the message. This blunt honesty meant that you would always know where you stood with him; nothing was left to doubt, even if it hurt.
Ironically, his was one of the purest examples of unconditional love I have ever known. Shorty’s love for his family was never based on whether or not he agreed with you. He could leave you smarting from his rebuke, then demonstrate through some thoughtful act, how he’d always be there, ready to encourage and support you. If he did realize that he’d offended someone, he would, in his own unassuming way, apologize as unconditionally as he loved.
Though always an unwaveringly moral man, Shorty didn’t realize a personal relationship with his Lord until later in life, when his faith took on and benefited from the same strong character that his creator had used to bring him through so many trials and sufferings.
Shorty passed on to be with his Savior on April 15, 1993, at the age of 65. During his short lifetime, he touched so many, many lives with his generosity and thoroughly un-prejudiced love for people, particularly those whose lives he considered to be more difficult than his own. He valued hard work, honesty and loyalty; and he rewarded these generously. One of Shorty’s employees summed it up when he said “I have never had to work so hard for anyone, and I have never been treated so well by anyone.”
To his friends, he was known as Shorty, Bob or maybe even Storky, but to a privileged few of us, Robert K. Storkson was Papa…my Papa, my hero.
Dear Jesus, please tell Papa "Hey" from me. Tell him how much I miss him; how much I love and admire him; and how much I look forward to seeing him again someday. Amen
PDS
10-JAN-2013
They called him ‘Shorty’ because he was. At barely five-foot-four, it was a natural nickname that he never resented; in fact, he embraced it fondly.
Shorty had been small in size his whole life but, even as a kid, he never let it hold him back. His favorite sport was basketball and he earned the respect of the big kids with his feisty, competitive spirit and a nasty hook shot!
This tenacious, typically Nordic attitude toward life followed Shorty into the Air Force, where he was well liked and respected for his integrity, generosity and an amazing work ethic. It was these characteristics, supported by the hand of God (though he didn’t know it at the time), that enabled Shorty to survive being shot down over North Korea on that frozen January night. Severely wounded, he spent the first four months in solitary confinement at a camp on the North Korean/Chinese border.
Subjected to inhumane interrogations, malnourished and imprisoned in a box too small for him to either stretch out or stand up, Shorty considered his small size to have been a blessing in these conditions and the little bit of watery rice he received each day, he found to be perfect, because his jaw, broken from shrapnel, wouldn’t have allowed him to eat anything more substantial. He later applied Genesis 50:20 to this situation, quoting: “What they intended for evil, God intended for good.” After being transfered from solitary confinement, Shorty spent the rest of the war in the general population of prisoners at Camp #2 Annex near the Yalu River.
Shorty was never shy to let you know what he thought about something. Gruff and un-filtered, he was more concerned with being honest than with watering-down the message. This blunt honesty meant that you would always know where you stood with him; nothing was left to doubt, even if it hurt.
Ironically, his was one of the purest examples of unconditional love I have ever known. Shorty’s love for his family was never based on whether or not he agreed with you. He could leave you smarting from his rebuke, then demonstrate through some thoughtful act, how he’d always be there, ready to encourage and support you. If he did realize that he’d offended someone, he would, in his own unassuming way, apologize as unconditionally as he loved.
Though always an unwaveringly moral man, Shorty didn’t realize a personal relationship with his Lord until later in life, when his faith took on and benefited from the same strong character that his creator had used to bring him through so many trials and sufferings.
Shorty passed on to be with his Savior on April 15, 1993, at the age of 65. During his short lifetime, he touched so many, many lives with his generosity and thoroughly un-prejudiced love for people, particularly those whose lives he considered to be more difficult than his own. He valued hard work, honesty and loyalty; and he rewarded these generously. One of Shorty’s employees summed it up when he said “I have never had to work so hard for anyone, and I have never been treated so well by anyone.”
To his friends, he was known as Shorty, Bob or maybe even Storky, but to a privileged few of us, Robert K. Storkson was Papa…my Papa, my hero.
Dear Jesus, please tell Papa "Hey" from me. Tell him how much I miss him; how much I love and admire him; and how much I look forward to seeing him again someday. Amen
PDS
10-JAN-2013
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