A Friend Like Andy

(I wrote this one without consciously realizing I was going to North Carolina the next week...We stopped in Mount Airy, Andy Griffith's hometown, on the way down! )

One of my favorite channels is TV Land. So many of the fun shows I watched when I was young are still running there. And no show gets my attention more than the Andy Griffith Show. The simple life in Mayberry, the interesting people, the fix-it shop and the respectful children harkens back to a time of three channels of black and white television and no remote control. But the aspect of the show that keeps coming to my mind is the relationship between Sheriff Andy Taylor and his bumbling, but well-meaning, Deputy Barney Fife. Andy always looked out for Barney. He found chances for Barney to succeed, to receive accolades. He turned down plenty of opportunities when Barney wasn’t going to be included. Andy valued the friend and the friendship more than his personal accomplishment.

I wonder if you’ve ever had a friend like Andy. I suppose you might never know. You see Andy never let Barney in on the whole story; leaving him blissfully unaware of the good being done for him. I wonder if you’ve ever been a friend like Andy. Philippians 2:3-4 says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”.

Andy wasn’t just making good television; he was modeling true Biblical friendship. Why not give it a try yourself? See you at the fishing hole!


Brian

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No one too lost. No one too low.

On July 1st the YMCA co-sponsored a Freedom Celebration in conjunction with a local township and one of our church partners. It was a great family-friendly event and as we walked around thanking people for being there I heard much positive feedback. The high point of the evening was a free concert by Sanctus Real, a local Toledo band that has made it to the top of the Christian music scene. Since that night I’ve not been able to stop thinking about the last two lines of their current hit: “No one too lost for me to love. No one too low for me to serve.”

I think those sixteen words convey the essential fabric of the Christian life; loving and serving. Everyone is included, no one is excluded. We are called to love our neighbor and love our enemies. We are called to serve those in authority over us and to be servant leaders to those we oversee.

I don’t work with the sick and dying in Calcutta like Mother Theresa did or try to save the lives and souls of the poor in Honduras like Great Commission Latin America. But working for a mission-driven, Christian organization gives me the chance to live out “no one too lost; no one too low” in a public way every day. Whatever you do, wherever you are, seize the opportunity that you have to love and serve.

Brian

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We have met the enemy

We live in Perrysburg, Ohio, named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Perry was the first to ever defeat an entire British naval squadron and capture every boat as a prize. The victory was a major turning point in that conflict. In reporting to General William Henry Harrison, Perry wrote the words for which he is remembered; “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

There are days when I feel like my motto is; “I have met the enemy and he’s winning.” The Apostle Peter wrote, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I guess that means it’s not just me. Everyone faces the same kinds of trials at times. It can take the form of discouragement, of depression, of doubts, fears and loneliness, you name it.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2

We can always find rest in God. We can always count on him to be the fortress that protects us from the enemy. In Him we can find the courage to turn and face the enemy, to rush headlong into battle and to win like Perry did.

We have met the enemy and, with God’s help, we will be victorious!

Brian

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