Author: amerrill

Is there anything purer and more joyous than Christmas morning through the eyes of a small child? Do you remember what that was like? To be in your pajamas and wake up earlier than your parents and the rest of creation, tiptoe over the to a grand and glorious Christmas tree, and realize there is a present or a pile of presents nestled beneath the branches where there was nothing before. You recognize your name written on the shiny wrapping of one of the gifts and you pick up the box. What could it be?

Soon the rest of your family enters the room sleepily, and your mom or dad gives you the nod that means it’s okay to open your present. You eagerly tear open the wrapping paper and find that it had been concealing the very thing you wanted! The fast racecar or the new doll or the video game everyone has been talking about. For a child, the best part of Christmas morning is the surprise.

[Photo by Cathy Stanley-Erickson. Creative Commons license]

But as you get older, you want the surprise much sooner. You start looking for presents in every closet in the house in the days leading up to Christmas. And when you finally find one and extract it from its hiding nook, you shake the gift to determine its weight. Maybe you feel around the package or tear the wrapping carefully to peek at what’s inside. But once you’ve done that, the surprise is lost. Christmas morning loses a bit of joy when you know exactly what you’re getting.

God’s Gift

Buried within your current struggle or trial are seeds of truth that, when fully sprouted, are God’s gift to you. It might be the precious necessity of learning patience or perseverance; it might be victory or some type of reward, be it spiritual or physical. Don’t attempt to receive the gift He has for you before it’s your time to receive it. Simply be obedient today, trust the Lord, and wait patiently to open the gift until He gives you that nod that lets you know the time is right. In doing so, you will not only please your Father in heaven, but also learn the lesson God wants you to learn—and this is actually part of the gift.

God had a special gift in store for His people at the battle of Jericho. It was wrapped in seemingly unbreakable walls and iron gates. And like a Russian nesting doll, it actually contained more gifts, larger gifts—riches, abundance of land and agriculture, and a gateway to other cities that would be theirs for the taking. But the Israelites had to be patient and obey God’s instructions to a tee before any of these blessings would be realized.

Joshua conveyed God’s command to the army by saying in Joshua 6:10, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” (emphasis added).

The word until is an important preposition in the English language. It denotes our need to wait, and to submit to the leading and timing of someone or something else. From the time of our youth, we have learned that we cannot get dessert until we eat our dinner, and that we can’t go out and play until our room in clean or we finish our homework. We start a career knowing that we won’t get a paycheck until we complete two weeks of work. A woman doesn’t give birth until she has carried her baby for approximately nine months.

There is no better plan than the one our heavenly Father has established. There is no better lesson than the one He desires to teach us.

In the battle of Jericho, the Israelites had to do exactly as God said and wait until the time was right. So do we. We cannot open God’s gift a second sooner. Like Joshua and the Israelites, we first have to submit to God’s leading and timing, and then we can learn what He is attempting to teach us. We can either do things our own way—which seems easy but is actually the hard way—or we can do things God’s way, which seems hard but actually is the easy way. There is no better plan than the one our heavenly Father has established. There is no better lesson than the one He desires to teach us. And the men and women who are patient, obedient, trusting, and eager to learn are the people who get the privilege of experiencing extraordinary triumph in their lives.

Treasure the Learning Process

Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder, the renowned author of the Little House on the Prairie books, was unpublished as an author of books until she was sixty-five years old? Talk about waiting a long time to achieve “success” by the world’s standards! And yet, here’s the interesting thing: Even though it took her a long time to realize her dream of being an author, her works have already lasted long after she passed away in 1957.[1]

Ronald Reagan was a month shy of his seventieth birthday when he realized his dream of becoming the president of the United States.[2] To date, he is the oldest man elected to the office of the president. David Seidler, who wrote the script for the 2010 Academy Award-winning film, The King’s Speech based on the inspiring true story of King George VI, struggled in Hollywood for thirty-three years. At the age of seventy-three, he won an Academy Award for best original screenplay.[3] Abraham was one hundred years old and his wife Sarah was ninety years old when the Lord fulfilled His promise to give them a child of their own, from whom a great nation would grow one day (Genesis 21:1-7). And Moses was eighty years old when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 7:7).

In these extraordinary examples, each of these men and women embraced the gift of learning something important and valuable during the long waiting period that would prepare them for their season of victory. It’s the same for you and me. We must have the attitude of Moses when he made this humble request to the Lord: “Teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you” (Exodus 33:13). Treasure the learning process.

Excerted from the book Walls Fall Down, by Pastor Dudley Rutherford. Published by Thomas Nelson 2014.

[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/643657/Laura-Ingalls-Wilder

[2] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/492882/Ronald-W-Reagan

[3] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/david-seidler-a-writer-who-found-his-voice/story-e6frg6z6-1226016762328

What would you do in the midst of a dark and hopeless situation with no rescue in sight? How would you respond if oppressive forces did everything in their power to knock you down and break your spirit? Would you remain unbroken?

Last night I had the privilege of seeing an advanced screening of Unbroken, the incredible story of Louis Zamperini. The movie opens on Christmas Day and is adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. When I was writing my book Walls Fall Down earlier this year about overcoming impossible obstacles like Joshua and the Israelites did at the battle of Jericho, I just had to share Louis Zamperini’s story. And when I heard a movie was being produced, I was so thrilled that even more people would become aware of his message of hope, faith, and redemption.

[PHOTO: Louis Zamperini’s son, Luke, and I at the screening of Unbroken.]

In case you are not familiar with his story, Louis Zamperini was an Olympic distance runner and a lieutenant in World War II whose plane crashed 800 miles south of Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 1943. Perched on a raft with only two other survivors of the eleven people who had been on the doomed B-24, Louis was pushed to the limits of his will and resolve. He and his companions fought off sharks, survived thirst and starvation, and miraculously remained unscathed after enduring forty-five minutes of machine-gun fire by a Japanese bomber.

Glimmers of Hope

As they drifted for thousands of miles with no rescue in sight, God gave them glimmers of hope. One day they found a few chocolate bars in the pockets of the raft. When their bodies had become gaunt from near-fatal dehydration, merciful rain showers poured down water for them to drink. An albatross landed on Louis’s head, and he reached up slowly and caught it. The men feasted on the seabird like kings and then used its bones to fashion claws to catch the occasional fish that swam just beneath the surface of the water. Seeing the stars strewn across the night sky reminded Louis that God was still there.

“When you reach the end of your rope and there’s nowhere else to turn . . . you’re going to look up,” Louis said later. He promised the Lord that if He got him through this, he would serve Him for the rest of his life.

After 33 days at sea, crew member Francis McNamara died. On day 47, Louis Zamperini and fellow survivor Russell Allen Phillips were picked up by Japanese sailors. They were held in prison camps for more than two years where they were tortured viciously, injected with strange substances, and deprived of food. Somehow, the defiant American with an unbreakable spirit survived. When the Japanese surrendered and the war ended in 1945, Louis was released and reunited with his family.

The Rest of the Story

This is where the film ends, although a series of end cards explains how Louis suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and became an alcoholic but eventually made good on his promise to serve the Lord. Unbroken is a powerful movie; there’s no doubt about it. I understand that to dive into the second half of Louis Zamperini’s life would have turned a two-hour film into a four-hour film, but to me, his faith in Jesus is what allowed the war hero to become truly unbroken despite the horrors he endured.

You see, back home in America, Louis received the Purple Heart and many other honors, but he suffered from severe PTSD, including haunting nightmares from his horrific experiences in Japan. He drank heavily to cope, and his marriage was crumbling. At the prompting of his wife, Louis attended a crusade in Los Angeles in 1949 where a young evangelist named Billy Graham shared the gospel. During the invitation, Louis remembered a prayer he had spoken on that little raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean six years earlier, promising God, “If you save me, I will serve you forever.”

At the crusade, Louis stepped forward and gave his life to Christ and experienced a complete transformation. His marriage was restored and his nightmares never came back. One critic wrote, “I can’t understand how someone with severe PTSD could get over it in one night.” After hearing about the incredulous comment, Louis said with a laugh, “The fellow obviously doesn’t know his Bible. When you accept Christ, you become a new creation. Old things are gone.”

“When you accept Christ, you become a new creation. Old things are gone.”

Louis forgave and made peace with his captors and went on to become an inspirational speaker who boldly shared about faith and forgiveness. Only through faith in Jesus can a person’s life be changed in such a dramatic way as Louis Zamperini’s was. His story teaches us that even when we are in the midst of a terribly hopeless situation, we need to look up! God’s light may start as a small glimmer of hope, but it will grow brighter in time and overpower the darkness.

Healer and Redeemer

It is through faith in Jesus that a person can forgive those who have wronged us unthinkable ways. It is through faith in Jesus that our souls find peace. It is through faith in Christ that we find victory over addictions and trauma. It is through this faith that we are healed and truly become unbroken.

I’m reminded of the words Isaiah prophesied about Jesus: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…” Praise God there is always more to the story!

What would we give for true leadership during this critical time? To be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin, as Martin Luther King Jr. once said. To treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated, as Christ our Lord said.

Our world and our country are so divided. It is hard to see such hatred and division. There are no easy answers except to value all of life. Rioting, racism, looting, shooting, injustice, provoking, charging, hatred, prejudices, division, failing to stand for the least of these—all of these things bring the opposite effect of what we need.

[Photo: Martin Luther King Jr. waves from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963]

We need to serve one another. We need consideration and grace. We need respect for one another. We need a genuine love for one another. You say it’s not possible???? I tell you it is possible. It is! Through Jesus all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). I put no trust in man. Only in God. He has never failed me and He never will. Please pray for those involved in the Ferguson, and bring God’s love and grace into your corner of the world and watch change become real!

Bring God’s love and grace into your corner of the world and watch change become real

Yes, without laws and those to enforce them we would have anarchy in the streets. No one denies that. But laws will never change a man’s heart. Only love. Imagine if we truly loved one another. Imagine if we truly loved God. Imagine if citizens loved civil authorities and civil authorities loved the communities they served. I have to believe most do.

But for those who don’t—for those who commit crimes, or those that promote injustice, or for those who do not respect life, for those who burn buildings, or those who are racist—I want you to know that in Christ, your life can change.

In Christ, you’ll find hope, peace, love, grace and mercy. In Christ, you can become a new creature, a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Christ, you’ll treat one another with respect. In Christ you will find a family who cares for you. In Christ, you will honor the laws of our land. Christ can change your bitter heart to a better heart. Christ can remove racism and replace it with radical love. Will you join me in standing for those who are treated with injustice? Will you join me in standing with those in uniform that have the world’s most difficult job? And will you join me in praying that all would find Christ? He is our only hope!

As a pastor and an avid basketball fan, I have been fascinated by Jeremy Lin’s story of faith and perseverance. Now that he is playing for my favorite team, the Lakers, I like the guy even more. But it’s easy to look at a person like Jeremy Lin—who always seems to have a smile on his face, a positive attitude, and has the privilege of playing ball for one of the greatest franchises in the NBA—and think that the road has always been a smooth one.

Photo credit: TheDailySportsHerald

Lin endured a series of disappointments and setbacks prior to becoming the most talked about basketball star during the 2011-2012 season. Upon graduating high school, Lin hadn’t received a single athletic scholarship offer and was rejected by his first-choice school, Stanford University. After six months of prayer, he decided to enroll at Harvard, but he was not selected in 2010 NBA draft after graduation.

It was then that Donnie Nelson, the president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks, called him and reminded him that God had a perfect plan for him. “This could be just…another barrier that you have to overcome, but God is sovereign,” Nelson told him. Lin played in the Summer League at Nelson’s invitation and received offers to play on multiple teams including the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.

He chose to sign with the Warriors, which was his favorite team growing up and located in his hometown of Palo Alto. But Lin was released after a year without getting very many of those all-important minutes on the game clock to demonstrate his ball handling skills. He went on to the Houston Rockets who waived him less than a month later. The New York Knicks claimed him off waivers in December 2011. Knicks’ coach, Mike D’Antoni, finally gave Lin a chance to play early the next year because the team was not doing so well. During a game against the New Jersey Nets on February 4, 2012, Lin reached careers highs and teammate and superstar Carmelo Anthony suggested to Coach D’Antoni that Lin play more in the second half. According to a Christian Post article published that same month:

“Lin surprised everyone and became an overnight sensation when he helped secure seven consecutive wins for the Knicks. He was also the first NBA player to score at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts.

“‘There were just so many different things that really had to happen in order for me to make it into the NBA, and you know I have a list of about twelve to fifteen things that had to happen; none of it had anything to do with me, and it was all in God’s control. His fingerprints are all over my story,’ Lin said.

…His humility on and off the court, hard work ethic, and praises to God every chance he gets have sparked an overwhelming fan base and the subsequent ‘Linsanity’ movement, which many hope is here to stay.”

Lin has shared that one of his favorite Bible verses is Romans 5:3-5, which reads: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

To know—to be fully convinced of something in one’s mind—is powerful because it can motivate a person to accomplish the impossible despite hardship. The Wright brothers and other aviation pioneers were convinced that it was possible for men to fly. As a result, the airplane exists today, enabling us to soar to great heights and travel across the world in less than a day.

When I was writing my book, Walls Fall Down: 7 Steps from the Battle of Jericho to Overcome Any Challenge, I couldn’t help but share Lin’s story. Just like this inspiring young NBA player, Joshua and the Israelites were able to persevere because they were convinced that God’s promises were true. The Lord had said to Joshua,

“See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” (Joshua 6:2-5)

Because of this promise, the Israelites knew that the tiring and monotonous work of walking around a heavily fortified city would result in victory. Similarly, you and I must be fully convinced of God’s promises and His desire to lead us to triumph in any situation we are facing. Having a razor-sharp dedication to a singular goal produces consistency. Consistency leads to victory, and victory begins in the mind.

Consider this: All of the people you admire went through some kind of adversity—poverty, abuse, imprisonment for what they believed, doubt in their ability to achieve their goals, setbacks, flaky friends, discouragement.

Consider this: All of the people you admire went through some kind of adversity—poverty, abuse, imprisonment for what they believed, doubt in their ability to achieve their goals, setbacks, flaky friends, discouragement. With every awe-inspiring biography or autobiography you read, you find out what makes these extraordinary people different from every other person who has endured the same kinds of hardship. It’s a steadfast determination and unwavering mindset that they were going to change their situation, pursue their goal, and achieve it.

Choosing to focus on and believe in your success instead of succumbing to doubt and discouragement is a constant battle we all face. James 1:6b-8 says this: “…he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” This verse comes in the midst of James talking specifically about persevering under trial and receiving wisdom in the midst of those trials. I believe the apostle hits on single-mindedness in this specific context because of its impact on our perseverance. Having a singular, laser-like focus on a goal helps people maintain consistency. But a person with a mixed up mentality is like a man trying to run both north and south at the same time. He will only be in conflict with himself and end up going nowhere.

Jeremy Lin’s journey to the Lakers is a reflection of his commitment to his basketball dreams and honoring God throughout the ups and downs of life. I love what he shared during an interview with GoodTV, a Taiwanese evangelical Christian channel, when he said, “The Bible talks a lot about how God takes bad situations…and He teaches us, and He uses those times of suffering to draw us closer to Him. And that’s what I try to focus on during those times. For me, when I get knocked down, I really try to get back up and go at it again. I don’t like to give up.”

Adapted from an excerpt of the book, Walls Fall Down by Dudley Rutherford.

Recently I did an interview with Book Pal about my new book, Walls Fall Down: 7 Steps from the Battle of Jericho to Overcome Any Challenge. Elizabeth at Book Pal asked me a lot of great questions–from what inspired me to write the book, to who I would cast in a movie about the Battle of Jericho.

This book project has been near and dear to my heart for quite some time now. It’s really about God bringing victory in the midst of an impossible situation. Just as God has a plan for Joshua and the Israelites long ago, He has a plan for you and me today.  We need to trust Him–no matter how unusual the plan might seem.  God’s way always leads to victory.

I believe Walls Fall Down will give many readers HOPE and the tools needed to walk in victory. I hope it will bless and encourage you and that you will share the book with someone who needs it. Check out my interview with Book Pal here: http://bookpalblog.com/2014/08/7-steps-to-spiritual-success-qa-with-pastor-dudley-rutherford/