Author: gabrieltew

Peace: a state of harmony between people or groups…third in the list of fruit of the Spirit…God is the God of Peace…Jesus is the Prince of Peace…Paul coupled peace with grace in his most common blessing to his churches…Jesus said the ones who make it will be called the children of God…If we make our request known to God, peace will guard our hearts and minds…The angels proclaimed peace on earth to the shepherds…Yet Jesus said He came to bring not peace, but a sword…Yet Jesus said “My peace I give you”

Peace has a prominent, complex place in the Kingdom of God. Prominent because it’s a foundational characteristic for our lives. Peace is something upon which other character traits rest. Our faith rests on the fact that we’re ok with God and He’s ok with us (peace). Love and kindness flow because we have peace with one another.

Forgiveness, humility, generosity, quickness to listen – these are products of peace and they promote peace. How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity (Psalm 133).

I see peace in Scripture playing out through a process. Like love, grace and forgiveness, peace originates with God, He gives it to us, and we give it out to one another. Jesus came to remove the barrier (sin) between us and God. That’s the peace He brought. There’s nothing between us and God now if we’ve accepted Christ by faith. We have peace with God through Christ.

But then there’s the interpersonal arena. Each of us believers has the directive of Romans 12:18 to do everything possible to live at peace with one another.

Yet there is sometimes a barrier to peace between us and those who choose to not accept Christ, which is often Satan’s attempt to rob us of our inner peace by creating strife. Jesus said this would happen. Father and son…mother and daughter…would be at odds because of Christ. A person choosing to follow Jesus while a person close to them chooses to reject Him can be a difficult situation.

Even those not particularly close to us can present challenges to our peace. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12 that he was given a thorn in the flesh. God gave this thorn purpose, to keep Paul from pride. Many have speculated what that thorn might have been. I think Paul reveals a lot when he says it was a messenger of Satan. That wording makes me think it was either a person or a demon used by Stan to present a challenge to Paul. There was an effort at play in that day’s war between the kingdoms to discredit and silence Paul. If that messenger was a person, how could Paul be at peace with them? Paul must not have thought that possible, so he asked God three times to remove them. (May the slanderer not be established in the land – Psalms 140.) But God’s ultimate answer was that His grace would carry Paul through this attack. So if Paul was to maintain his inner peace, he would have to walk through this immense challenge and trust God’s grace as he continued to be under attack.

So we have our peace with God through our faith in Christ. We have peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ by doing everything possible to keep it. We have our inner peace by walking in the Spirit, even amid attacks from the messengers of Satan at work to attack us. With all that in mind, let there be peace on earth.

The easiest kind of blog to write is a blog like this one, a simple list. Not so simple is deciding what to include – and not include – in the list. This list is my 10 favorite Christmas songs, my Christmas playlist. I won’t try to rank them, with the exception of number 1. All the others would be a tie for second place. 

Here they are:

Number 1: Jesus, What a Wonderful Child – Mariah Carey

https://open.spotify.com/track/7zAoR3Od28Xj97fTLgnaGi?si=tcHLE-m1QKGi-zKlNBROag

The rest of the list:

Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song) – Amy Grant

https://open.spotify.com/track/6fmYoJZsJzUbHPjfTyhhTz?si=KqE0ldXXS2WJk7lgqJ7Gvg

Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal) – Charlie Brown Christmas

https://open.spotify.com/track/6EMvKeE4QfAhWWAzYgKQCo?si=_oFJLdOHT0akzPXZpd8how

A Strange Way To Save the World – Mark Harris

https://open.spotify.com/track/0JSIgGYb8WViSYzi1btn5i?si=fCvZ48XVR-WVe7BiOIiJrQ

Mary Did You Know – Michael English

https://open.spotify.com/track/5pDiT08BvoTLf6ukdoWN6j?si=ZvVvSqFTRv-ZawZFR2QyWQ

O Holy Night – Steve Green

https://open.spotify.com/track/58HCMIoXvN2K2qHacXB9Sw?si=Ot_ptckOQCGnj5mmEh5pOg

The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) – Nat King Cole

https://open.spotify.com/track/5xzETaJgoicv0snhKFwnfa?si=-mLSxH27RTKvQOByq5-Kjw

For Unto Us a Child Is Born – London Philharmonic Orchestra

https://open.spotify.com/track/66WbG74JwC7hON6G4QpqnO?si=7nqsn3aaS7CPNM1KbpOdcw

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem – Hannah Kerr

https://open.spotify.com/track/4MxbgLZrNGahJRZAnwCJgE?si=5NabY2TSSvqY0dAtZkTczg

Frosty the Snowman – Jimmy Durant

https://open.spotify.com/track/3q8tJKCvgzBAjQDo088EwQ?si=tKi-HKCTRnqL1bJRaBidzw

Silver and Gold – Burl Ives

https://open.spotify.com/track/5EmYSWE2LpTd4hXxPYdbSf?si=K7zgn2YLTQWGC3dTs-OllQ

White Christmas – Bing Crosby

https://open.spotify.com/track/3XsaSIPWvM61RIFfeb0BBR?si=hL8q1ic9Qqi1C1HHDvm-og

​The music of Christmas is so fitting of the joy our Savior brought to the earth. I hope you enjoy your Christmas!

​Noel!

I was an accident. At least that’s what I used to think. I was fourteen when I did the math to realize there’s only seven months between February and September. 1962 was the year my parents married in February and I was born in September.
“I was a big accident,” I said to my parents as I discovered their marriage was only seven months older than I was. Big enough to usher them down the aisle of matrimony, I thought.

They looked at each other and smiled. They knew the day would come when I would put two and two together. They looked back and forth at me and each other, laughing, embarrassed yet relieved that someone had said it out loud.
Being an “accident” wasn’t something that bothered me. I wasn’t someone who thought much about such things, especially as a teenager.
I never gave it much thought for more than ten years. By the time it occurred to me again, I had become a Christian, aware now that God loved and valued me. So, by God’s grace, I’ve never felt like an accident.

A lesson we all need to get is that, just because something – or someone – was
unexpected, doesn’t mean it- or they – were accidental. God is never caught by surprise, so the unexpected can be experienced only by people (and angels, I guess – both holy and fallen).
We’re in the season of celebrating Someone who was humanly unplanned and largely unexpected, but whom God had planned for ages and ages.
There are so many lessons in Christmas. And here’s one I’ve never thought about. It’s this: If God would have His Son enter the world by way of the unexpecting and unprepared, why would those of us who were “unplanned” see ourselves as accidents? Jesus, who came with greater plan, purpose and mission than any other human, also came into the womb of a virgin, to an unprepared couple, into an ill-equipped birthing environment, even unwanted by some.

So let’s learn yet another truth from Christmas: people are not accidents; the
circumstances into which we are born says zero about our value or purpose. God gets to say what our value and purpose are, and He says we’re the whole reason He sent His Son.

Enjoy your Christmas!

My son and his wife are expecting their fourth child, our fifth grandchild. When that child is born the parents will hold the baby in their arms and their hearts will be filled with love and excitement. They’ll be overwhelmed with expectation.

 Who knows what the baby will grow up to be! What this person we don’t even yet know will achieve! The baby will come with such promise! Such potential! We don’t know exactly how it will play out. Yet we know the newborn will arrive with promise.

Most every new parent sees their child through eyes of promise. They may not have a specific promise, but they just know the child will be someone special.

 So, the promise that comes with newborn babies is more about possibilities than guarantees. But there is an exception.

 When a virgin teenage girl named Mary and her husband Joseph held a newborn in Bethlehem at the time of the Roman Census ordered by Quirinius their hearts were filled not only with possibilities but with guarantees, with promises conveyed by angelic messengers of Jehovah God.

In their case, promise was more than something possible; it was specific and certain: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;” and “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33) That’s what Mary’s messenger had said. Joseph’s had said to him: “He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Pretty specific promises.

 Those weren’t the first promises given about this Bethlehem newborn. Isaiah was God’s human messenger to the Hebrew nation centuries before, “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) And “He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

Jesus’ birth was also something not many others’ have ever been: fulfillment of a promise. Or promises I should say. Isaiah was specific in his foretelling of circumstances around the Christ child’s arrival: “A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Micah, about 700 years before Christ, specified the town of the coming Messiah’s birth: “out of you, Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2)

 So, the newborn Christ was both proceeded and succeeded by promise, promise of His coming and promise of His life’s accomplishment. Even in our day, those who believe in Him are living out His promise.

And the fulfillment of His promise will continue throughout eternity. “Of His kingdom there will be no end…He will save His people from their sins.”

The Christmas Newborn’s promise fulfilled forever and ever. Amen!

God has been massaging into my heart for several weeks now an understanding
of 1 Timothy 6:6.
Now Godliness with contentment is great gain.

At first I took it as just a focus the Holy Spirit had for me personally, not
considering that He may want me to share it with anyone else. Then I was invited to
speak to a group of Christian men and I sensed God wanted to apply the verse to those
men as well. I communicated what God had been working into me and the men were
very responsive. So I think maybe this readership may benefit from it, too.
Think through what it might take to get yourself prepared for thanksgiving.
Notice the small t. If it were the big T Thanksgiving, we might say
– Make it through the summer and Halloween
– Don’t mess up any family relationships so we’ll all want to be together for the
holiday dinner
– Be prepared for Black Friday & Cyber Monday

But since we’re talking little t, the question is how we can prepare our hearts to be
thankful. I know there are many answers, but one of them is 1 Timothy 6:6. Let’s look at
it expositorally.
Godliness comes from a Greek word that is often translated holiness. To be holy
means to be set apart. God is holy; He’s set apart from all others. There’s none like Him.
He has no comparable foe and no peer. None can stand against Him and none can stand
beside Him as a possible equal. He is in a class completely by Himself. He is unique in the
highest and best ways.
For us to be Godly or holy means that we are set apart with God. This isn’t time out;
we aren’t set apart to be alone in some proverbial corner.

I was in a foreign country once with a team of missionaries. We all got into a vehicle
for our host to drive us to a destination. As we were all figuring out where we’d sit on
the journey, the host insisted that I sit up front with him. So, I sat in the front
passenger seat. Holiness is no more like riding shotgun than it is like sitting in timeout. It was an honor to ride shotgun that day but Godliness/holiness is even better.

Godliness is sitting with God ruling and reigning in your life. You sit with God in the
court of authority and judge with Him. Deception and anxiety present themselves and
you banish them from your kingdom. Grace and peace come before you and you give
them a place of honor.
Contentment is best understood by looking at the word contents, like the contents
inside a container.

Being content means you’re okay with the contents of your life.
You’re okay with where God has you right now, okay with what He’s doing with you,
okay with what He’s doing in you. You may not be totally comfortable, but you’re okay;
you trust it’ll all be fine because God is working His will in your life.
I have a close friend who usually exudes contentment regardless of his
circumstances. A few years ago he was working in a job where he was undervalued and
underpaid. I saw that he was overqualified and told him over breakfast one morning,
“You have a business degree, a college football career in your history and the
personality and skill set to do far better than your current situation. I think you should
pursue something more in line with your potential.”

I was his pastor at the time, and he replied to me, “Pastor Gabe, I’m right where I’m
supposed to be. I believe God wants me to stay right where I am.”
I was his pastor giving him “Godly counsel,” yet he demonstrated an attitude of
contentment. I realized he was right and my perspective was the one in need of
adjustment. He was okay with where God had him. I learned a valuable lesson that day.
In 1 Timothy 6:6, the word with is preceded by Godliness and followed by
Contentment. It could read “adding contentment to Godliness is great gain.” I believe
we can flip the two adjacent words and not lose the main point of the verse. It would be
“contentment with Godliness is great gain,” and the meaning would be that being okay
with Godliness (ruling and reigning with God) is great gain.”
Great Gain refers to material gain. That’s obvious from the context. (See the
previous verses.) But we also know that the gain God brings is far greater than any
compilation of material possessions.
A very important word remains in this passage; it’s the word “is.” Notice it doesn’t
say that Godliness with contentment leads to great gain. It reads that it is great gain. In
other words the contentment we have with Godliness is itself the great gain. It isn’t
something our contentment will eventually bring us to. The reality is that if we have
contentment, our contentment is the gain; it is the benefit.
Now, try being grateful without being content. Can’t do it, can you? It’s impossible.
But if we are content with what God is doing with us, a gratitude will ensue that’s bigger
than the holiday itself.

Isn’t God so good?! That He would give us so much in one package is amazing! No
wonder we thank Him so much! He totally deserves all the gratitude we can ever give
Him! Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! And Happy Godliness with Contentment!

One of the many examples Jesus set for us was separating Himself from the loud and chaotic to enter into secrecy with His Father. Psalms 91 describes what happens to those who dwell in such a secret place. 

A Place of Protection. The psalmist composed this song of God’s protection by listing symbols of the varius dangers that threaten us but over which God’s protective power they cannot prevail. Essentially, God is saying to those who abide in Him, “Don’t you be afraid of anything!” A pretty long psalm, all but the last twelve words pertain to God protecting us from…everything. 

A Place of Intimacy.God also promises us that He’ll be with us. This isn’t just any “be with;” it’s a “stick very close” kind of presence He promises us. When one of our kids, Nate, was in the hospital as a three-year-old with an athsma flare-up, his mother and I sat in the room with him, right beside his bed. Yet every time a nurse entered the room, he wanted us closer to him. It’s that kind of close we have with God. In fact, verse 15 says “He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.“ He never leaves us, yet there’s at times an added closeness we can have with Him, and that happens when we call to Him. 

A Place of Honor. Verse sixteen says that, along with deliverance, He brings honor to us. It’s like He rescues us from a life-threatening danger and takes us immediately into a parade where we ride with Him in the position of the greatest honor. 

A Place of Salvation. In the age of grace, our current era, we usually think of salvation as eternal, the saving from eternal destruction and into life that never ends. But the psalmist was probably thinking more about salvation from earthly threats. In Christ we enjoy both. We have the promise that we won’t perish but have everlasting life, and we have the Holy Spirit living in us guiding us always into God’s protective spaces. When we press often into secrecy with God He reminds us of His salvation, both temporal and eternal. In the last line of Psalms 91, God says He will  show us His salvation. So He does more than speak of it. He demonstrates it for us.  

All this makes me want to get into the secret place with God and stay there – dwell there. 

 “You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

^14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

A friend of yours is having big trouble with his attitude toward God. He’s so distant from Him that he’s stopped attending worship service. He’s stopped participating in the downtown street feed, something he’d done faithfully for years. He’s withdrawn from his friend groups and has been isolating. His isolation is brooding, unhealthy, pessimistic, suspecting that God has changed His mind about him and now has it in for him. He confides that it’s been months since he spent devotion time praying and perusing the Scriptures.

Eventually, your friend lashes out at you, “You’re an idiot!“

            “Where did that come from?” you wonder, “What have I done?”

            “Think you’re so much better than everybody else!” as he exposes more of his heart.

            He’s critical of everybody, not just you, but he’s particularly belligerent toward you.

            You drive into the church parking lot excited to connect with God, to worship Him with your friends, to offer a gift to the Lord, a gift of praise, a financial gift for the offering, a gift of time hearing God’s Word with a surrendered heart.

As you’re walking up to the doors of the church, a memory invades your mind. You recall with clarity a conversation you had with someone when you were talking about a mutual friend, the one with the negative attitude. You were saying to that person that your mutual friend could be more effective for God if he would stop pursuing earthly success so vigorously.

            “That’s it!” you realize, “That’s the problem he has with me. It must’ve gotten back to him, what I said.”

            Just as you’re reaching your hand out to open the door and enter to church lobby, these words come to your mind as if someone is speaking them: “Leave your gift and go.” The Scripture immediately comes to mind. The pastor spoke on it several weeks ago and you ran across it again in your morning Bible reading just the other day.

            It’s unmistakable. You know what you have to do. You turn around and walk back to your car, get in and drive to your offended friend’s house.

“We need to talk.” You say when he answers the door. “I think I must’ve hurt you with something I said about you.”

            Your friend nods his head. “Come on in.”

            You and your friend get out of your car and walk toward the entrance to the church.

            “Thank you.” he says, “this is the first time I’ve actually wanted to go to church in a good while.”

            “I just thank you for forgiving me so quickly.” You say with relief, “I’m sorry I caused you such problems.”

            “It’s not all your fault. I didn’t have to take offense.”

            “Let’s go get our praise on.”

But I [Jesus] say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought to court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

            So, if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:22-24)

This is the third in a 3 part series of significant phenomena in the U.S. over the past 100 years.
A hundred years ago, in 1922, a man named Poplawski created an electric blender. Today, my go-to meal – usually six to eight times a week – is a smoothie, either standing in line at
Smoothie King or collaborating with my wife in the kitchen because she wants one, too. Point is, I’m not the only smoothie lover. Nor are smoothies the only use for blenders. Good work, Mr. Poplawski!

Ninety-five years ago, Ford Motor Company concluded its production of the Model T; Henry
Ford and company had succeeded in individualizing the automobile. Today, I drive one of 289 million cars on the road in the U.S. And some days I’m sure most of them are in front of me at the stoplight.

Ninety years ago, polaroid photography and the zoom lens flashed onto the scene. Now the
most common picture is the selfie. The smart phone is the most oft used camera.

In 1937, eighty-five years ago, the copy machine was invented. Now when I want a copy of
something, I often use one of many ways to get it onto my phone and print it by Bluetooth (oh, but that’s jumping ahead about seventy years).

1942 was the year the electronic digital computer was invented. It occupied a 1,500 square feet room. The one I’m typing on right now occupies my lap.

Three surprises had come along by the end of 1947 (and I don’t mean some couple’s unplanned triplets). I’m referring to the microwave oven, the mobile phone (though not exactly the cell phone), and the holograph. (If you don’t know what that is, just Google it; I did. Fascinating!)

So you get the idea. You can get a good sample of the past century’s technology growth by
peeping in five year increments. And what we see in each thread that’s tied to its future (us) is that it becomes more individualized.
Instead of a family tv, like my family had when I was a kid, the whole family viewing
programming together, each family member has their own screen, so there are as many
different musings being viewed as there are people in the household.

My siblings and I used to play vinyl records on our very big stereo that sat in our living room.
Now everybody has their ear buds in and listens to their chosen music, regardless of how many people are around them or what those people are doing.

Previous generations sat on their front porches, watched passers-by and communed with their neighbors. We sit inside where the AC is cool and “connect” in a different kind of neighborhood on social media.
We’ve gained freedom, individual choice and convenience, but we’ve lost fellowship and
togetherness. Some consider that a good trade; others treasure times when technology was less advanced and we did things together.
We live in a time when access is quick and easy. That we can get the answer to almost any
question in a matter of seconds is a privilege unique in history.
The real question is what should we do with such privilege of access. That answer lies in
Romans 11:36 For everything comes from [God] and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. The technology available to us is neither bad nor good per se. The tendency is to judge it by its use. We should judge it by its potential to bring glory to God. Viewing it through that lens, we see it in a more positive light.
What if we thank God every time we use one of the advanced tools of our age? What if we
consulted God for how we should view and use it? Our perspective on it would change and so would what we do with it.
So God, we thank You for the tools you’ve placed in our lives. When they’re in our hands help us to honor You, to bring glory to you in the way we wield them.
May we cooperate with God as He answers our prayer.

This is the second in a 3 part series of significant phenomena in the U.S. over the past 100
years.

In the fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul lists what we’ve dubbed the five-fold ministry. These are the five “offices” of leaders in the church (the body of Christ). In other words, they’re the categories into which we can divide ministers to the church to understand their various roles.

When I reflect on the past 100 years in our nation, certain ministers come to mind as
functioning in these various roles. I’m certainly not the final authority on this subject. Many
may disagree with me on several differe nt choices. I wouldn’t put up an argument at all. So if you comment with an opposing view, I won’t respond. I’ll just let it sit. You’d probably be right, anyway. Regardless, here’s my list of representatives of each of the five roles.

1. Apostles

• Chuck Colson – Dr. Colson took the gospel of Jesus Christ into new territory (prisons), organized the ministry, named Prison Fellowship, and raised up other leaders to continue the work beyond his own years. I believe that’s what an apostle does. Apostle really means one sent by God; I believe God purposed Chuck Coleson to transform inmates and prisons in response to the crimes of which Colson was convicted as part of the Nixon Watergate scandal.

• Chuck Smith – Rev. Smith responded to the hippie movement of 1960s California by leading multitudes of young people into a relationship with Jesus. They became known as the Jesus People as part of the Jesus Movement. Eventually Pastor Chuck organized the Calvary Chapel movement, raising up many local pastors, evangelists and local fellowships across the country.

2. Prophets

Martin Luther King, Jr. – Dr. King is one of the most impactful figures on American culture in our nation’s history. I count him a prophet because he challenged injustice across our land by leading civil rights followers with both courageous example and eloquent speech, which is what Old Testament prophets did. And he did so as a minister of the gospel and by the teachings of Jesus (nonviolence). His vision – or dream – was racial equality and interracial love. He wouldn’t settle for resorting to retaliation but held tight the priority of mistreated African Americans not taking on the attitude of the hatred with which they had been treated. The abuse he suffered is also reminiscent of that of the Old Testament
prophets, and with comparable impact, even, as many Bible prophets, to martyrdom . I consider MLK Jr. the prophet to America in the twentieth century.

3. Evangelists

Billy Graham – Dr. Graham preached the gospel in person to more people than anyone in
history. Yet many came to faith in Christ by watching his crusades on TV. There have been many effective evangelists in America, but Billy Graham stands apart from all others as the evangelist to our land in the past one hundred years.

4 & 5. Pastors/Teachers
We’ve had many, many wonderful pastors/teachers these past hundred years, so many that I almost scrapped this blog for my inability to decide whom to exclude. I’m going to list several and include their more specific contributions (in parentheses).This list is a very subjective list, based on my opinion and limited by my own exposure. I know many would disagree with some of my choices and I’m ok with that.

Rick Warren (organizer) – The lead pastor and founder of Saddleback Community Church
constructed the mold for local church structure. His Purpose Driven Church is my favorite on the topic. And his Purpose Driven Life and Forty Days of Purpose have helped millions of individual Jesus followers organize their walk with Christ in an effective Scriptural way.

Tony Evans (teacher & master of the sermon illustration) – Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible
Fellowship in Dallas, Dr. Evans is my favorite Bible teacher/preacher. Whether topical or expository (not necessarily mutually exclusive), his preaching is clear, Scriptural and edifying. His mastery of using relevant illustrations to help listeners understand God’s Word is second, in my opinion only to Jesus Himself. Pastor Evans is also a prolific author. His ministry has crossed racial and cultural lines, doing much to unify a historically divided U.S. church.

I want to include others – though I’ll surely leave out many – who have been used by God to equip many Christians in the U.S. to serve God.

Chuck Swindoll (teacher), Charles & Andy Stanley (teachers), Adrian Rogers (teacher), John Piper (teacher), John McArthur (teacher), TD Jakes (teacher), Joel Osteen (encourager), Craig Groeschel (teacher & innovator of smart phone Bible app), Steven Furtick (teacher),
Joyce Meyer (women, as well as me and other men), James Dobson (family)

Finally, let me not neglect to mention the less-known local pastors across our land. Some of the very best preaching, teaching and ministry of all kinds is carried out by the local pastors and leaders of our local churches. They may not be as widely known, but their impact may actually be even greater than the list of well-knowns I’ve made above.

Dear God, thank You for every person named and unnamed here! Please bless them all and all of us whom they’ve so faithfully equipped!

This is the first in a 3 part series of significant phenomena in the U.S. over the past 100 years.
In the past 100 Years, there are eight athletes that, in my opinion, stand out above all others. I’ll name and elaborate on them here.

But first, let me name a few that don’t quite make the list – but receive honorable mention – and explain why they didn’t break into The Great 8.

Tiger Woods. Tiger was on track to prove himself the best golfer ever, but his legacy imploded in 2009, along with his personal life, when his infidelity was discovered. He hasn’t been the same since. Never able, even in his best years, to pull beyond comparisons with Jack Nicklaus and other greats from previous generations, his 2009 implosion derailed him from what seemed his likely destiny of being the winner of more majors than Jack and more tournaments than anybody . Still, I’m not saying Tiger hasn’t been the best golfer ever. I happen to think he has. But he lacks longevity and needed it badly to make The Great 8 list.

Wilt Chamberlain. Before Lebron James came along, there were debates about who the all-
time best basketball player was. Wilt or Russel? Wilt or Kareem? Wilt or Doc? Wilt or Magic? Wilt or Michael? Notice Wilt was always in the conversation. Michael finally ended the debate in my mind (although it still goes on for some). Wilt receives honorable mention for two big reasons. First, he did more than any player in history to change the game from a rules and regs standpoint. For example, they widened the lane because he could practically straddle the old one. And they instituted offensive goaltending as a rule so his opponents might have a chance for some defensive boards. The second reason Wilt gets honorable mention is the records he set. I seriously wonder if any of these will ever be broken: Most points in a game (100); Most points in a half (59); Most points per game in a season (50.4) Most minutes per game in a season (48.5). That’s just 4 of Wilt’s records. There are 68 more that he still holds. His reason for not cracking The Great 8? He didn’t win as many championships as Michael, Russell, Kareem, Magic or Bird. More championships would’ve elevated his legacy, for sure.

Michael Phelps. The most dominant swimmer in history, Phelps shattered Mark Spitz’s records of the 1972 Olympics. Not only is he the most decorated swimmer, but the most decorated Olympian of all time. He has more medals (28), more gold medals (23) than any athlete, and a host of records in specific events and in swimming in general. Perhaps Phelps would make The Great 8 if he competed in a different sport. That logic may be lame, but it’s all I’ve got, sorry. I’m not a sports writer. Just an average fan. And I don’t swim very well. Sorry, Michael.

Bo Jackson. That Bo is mentioned after having had such a relatively short career says a lot by itself. He was a professional athlete less than four years, but excelled in two professional sports. He’s the only player to ever be named an all-star in both major league baseball and the NFL. His combination of strength and speed set him apart from other players in both sports. It’s crazy that he doesn’t make The Great 8, because it could be argued that he was the greatest athlete of all time when you consider his strength-speed combination.. But it’s simply his brevity that disqualifies him. Although he may have had the strongest throwing arm in baseball history, could either and/or both run over and/or outrun would be NFL tacklers and was freakish in some of his exploits, his career-ending hip injury in his fourth pro season grounded him as an athlete. Still, I see Bo as someone not unlike the heroes of ancient mythology. If Hercules or Odysseus had been real and living in the twentieth century, that’s Bo Jackson. I’m not worried that Bo would be offended by my snub from The Great 8 (like he’d ever know of it anyway), because in terms of where he stands in history, I feel confident of this: Bo knows.

Lebron James. When Lebron first came into the league, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I remember saying he had the athleticism of MJ and the skillset of Magic with Karl Malone’s body. It was frightening for all his league-mates. As for the reason he didn’t make The Great 8, it’s simple. While he’s the most complete individual player ever (He can play all five positions at both ends.), like Wilt, he lacks the championships.

And now here are The Great 8 in chronological order.

1. Babe Ruth. A hundred years ago, Ruth was already in the eighth season of his MLB
   career. But he wasn’t near its end; he still had thirteen more seasons to go. He’s easily
   the most famous baseball player in history. Even a hundred years after the prime of his
   career, everybody is familiar with the legend of the Babe. Many still consider him the
   best ever. But Babe isn’t on this list just because he’s the best-ever baseball player. It’s because he was, and still is, bigger than baseball. Like all the athletes here, he transcended his sport.

2. Muhammed Ali. The Greatest? Greatest what? Greatest boxer? I think so. But many
   don’t. Some say he didn’t have a bona fide knockout punch as a heavy weight. I’ll
   concede that. But his agility, mobility, boxing skill and hand speed offset that deficiency;
   they gave him the ability to wear down his opponents and jab away until he was able to
   deliver the knockout blow. And he still had enough fuel in the tank in the later rounds
   because of his superior cardio condition. But two other factors may have been more
   effective for him than any of his physical abilities: his mind and his mouth. So intelligent
   and innovative was he that he could utilize a winning strategy nobody had ever seen
   before and make history with it, i.e. the rope-a-dope, and that was after his prime when
   his cardio and foot speed had waned somewhat.

3. Pele. 1970s North Carolina had three primary sports for boys: basketball, football
   (American, not futbol) and baseball, and we were separated from any other sport by a
   wall as strong as the one running through Berlin and the one protecting China. A fourth
   sport, hockey, was popular in some regions, but not in the South, where the only ice we
   had was in our glass of sweet tea. Yet Pele broke through this great wall of separation
   and ushered in with him this sport that has now become equally popular with the
   traditional sports across the US. Without Pele, that doesn’t happen.

4. Secretariat. So phenomenal was this horse, the first triple crown winner (in 1973) in
   twenty-five years, that he is considered by consensus to be the greatest racehorse in
   history. He still holds the record for the fastest time in all three Triple Crown races. The
   last of those three races, the Preakness, he won by an astounding thirty-one lengths. I
   was ten years old that summer and I remember the overwhelming buzz around this
   horse. People were talking about him at school, at home, at church and on tv and my
   world wasn’t even a horse racing culture.

5. Michael Jordan. Michael did three big things: 1. He restored the image of NBA players
   to a more respectable – even admirable – one. 2. He did for basketball what Pele had
   done for soccer, achieving global acceptance of the sport. 3. He changed the way the
   game was played; the NBA is now about finding the mismatch and exploiting it with
   isolation (Michael always created the mismatch, something many others have wrongly
   assumed they also do); it’s allowed great individual players to shine, but it’s also
   exposed many players as being not as dominant as they wished they were. Michael’s
   athleticism, skill and style were huge for his legacy, but if I’m pointing to a stat that
   proves he’s the GOAT, it’s that he won more regular season MVPs and finals MVPs
   combined than any other player ever (11, and the next closest is 8). That tells me he was
   the best player and leader on the most successful teams, and he was the main reason
   for those teams’ success. And we haven’t even mentioned his college and Olympics success.

6. Serena Williams. Power. Power. And more Power. And without sacrificing quickness,
   touch in volleying or placement of the ball with any type of shot. Serena is simply the
   greatest women’s tennis player ever. She’s Stephi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris
   Evert all rolled into one. And you know what? Go ahead and throw a little Roger Federer
   in the mix too – just because she could probably have competed on the men’s tour.
   (Easy now, guys, not saying she’d win, but she could stay on the tour with the men.)

7. Usain Bolt. How do sprinters inch forward over decades, breaking records by only one
   to three percent increase each time, and then have a guy come along suddenly running
   twenty percent faster than the current record? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know that’s exactly what Bolt has done. And how is it that that guy’s named Bolt? Talk about the power of a name! I just don’t think he’d have done what he’s done if his name was, say, Creeper. Or maybe he would.

8. Tom Brady. I thought Brady was just a major cog in the workings of a winning machine.
   A machine that had to include Belecek. Then Brady went to Tampa and led that team to
   a Super Bowl victory. To me, that says it all. He’s not only the best QB ever. He’s the best
   FP (football player) ever.

So that’s my Great 8. My blog isn’t usually about sports. It’s purpose is to bring honor and credit to Jesus Christ. So before I sign off, let me do that with this prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gifts You gave these athletes and the way You have used them to inspire millions, even billions, in my generation! They are, like the other greatests of your creation, representations of how great You are, Oh Creator of all!