Dave Dishman

When I was a student, seat assignments for basketball tickets at the University of Missouri came available on a certain evening in the fall. The first in line got the best seats. But the location was kept secret lest fans camp out days ahead (Mizzou was a top 10 program at the time). Mad for college basketball, I prepared to race across campus.

However, my roommate assured me that he had an inside track on the location. I was to wait in our room (no mobile phones at that time) until he called. Then I could run straight to the ticketing location and be one of the first in line.

The evening arrived and students started searching the campus. I heard a rumor of the location, so I split. Bad decision. The news was wrong, and as a result I missed my roommate’s call. Due to my lack of nerve, I spent the season in the upper deck. I needed a cooler head in the moment.

One gentleman in Scripture showed a cool head in a ridiculous situation. Paul preached in Ephesus and so many people converted that the local silver trade took a major hit. New followers of Jesus no longer purchased idols of Artemis, the local deity. The silversmiths started a riot that consumed the city (economics and devotion to Jesus don’t always go hand in hand). I love the description of the scene: Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

The mob didn’t know why they were there, only that something rowdy was going to happen and they wanted in (sort of like my days at Mizzou). In their midst stepped the town clerk. We don’t know his name, or if he was a follower of Jesus, but this city leader showed hutzpah. He quieted the crowd, pointed out that no law had been broken, and reminded them of the harsh punishment Roman authorities dealt out to rioters. Amazingly, he dismissed the assembly like they’d come together for a town hall meeting, and they all filed out.

A cooler head prevailed. A wonder in Ephesus, and a breath of fresh air in our day as well. I’m reminded to pray for our leaders, for calm hearts and wise decisions. Our world is a better place when cooler heads are in charge.

Acts 19:21-41

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante

Paul was a tough guy. In one situation an angry crowd swarmed around him and beat him to the ground. An eyewitness described the scene: They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple…seeking to kill him.

Only a cohort of Roman soldiers saved Paul’s life. Remarkably, as they pulled him from the clutches of the mob, Paul asked to address the crowd. Wiping blood from his face, he delivered a speech about his conversion. Needless to say, the rabble was not impressed. They demanded Paul’s life. Whisked away by his guards, Paul escaped to teach another day.

God needed a resolute and hardened man to take the message of Jesus to the world. As a bonus, Paul came highly educated and wrote brilliantly. Physical courage and intellectual prowess characterized this most unlikely apostle.

Paul shared the secret to his boldness when he wrote to live is Christ and to die is gain. While alive he would preach Jesus, and when he died he would go be with Jesus. In his wake many would discover Jesus.

I may not possess Paul’s bravery, or compulsion to preach to hostile crowds, but I benefit today from his writings and life example. Let’s pray for more and more followers of Jesus with the brains and brawn of Paul to spread the gospel anew in our world today.

Acts 21 & 22

Photo by Jon Tyson

David recorded several psalms during the year or more Saul wanted him dead. During that time David escaped out windows, hid in wilderness areas, and even moved under the protection of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. There he acted like a madman to avoid suspicion (he had killed their champion Goliath not that long ago).

It’s amazing to me that David wrote prolifically while on the run. At least one psalm emerged from a cave, and somehow David kept these manuscripts safe and dry during his constant movements. As you might guess, his words reflect a dire situation and the attitudes of those stalking him:

Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.

David faced men who sought power above all else, who understood that the head of David on a spike promised riches and honor in the court of Saul. Like bounty hunters of the Old West, hardened assassins gunned after David.

But David knew where to place his faith. In the chaos he sought the Lord for relief: Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

The Lord answered. In the midst of this storm, while running for his life, David experienced the steading presence of the Lord: But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

I may not face off with bounty hunters, but life brings plenty of storms. David’s wilderness psalms, written under duress, remind me of the ultimate source of hope and courage when life looks bleak.

Psalm 38 & Psalm 52

Photo by Maciej Karoń

I love the original Rocky movie. A down-and-out fighter turned muscle for a neighborhood loan shark gets a shot at the title. Rocky goes all-in. Up before dawn to train, guzzling raw eggs (I tried this once, almost threw up), pounding sides of beef in a meat locker. Rocky trained relentlessly. In the ring he proved his mettle. In leadership parlance we call this dynamic determination.

Paul the Apostle was a lot like Rocky. After taking a right hook from Jesus, Paul relentlessly pursued the mission given to him by the Lord. Following one episode of mistreatment and stoning, he and his companion Barnabus picked up and moved to the next city where we’re told they continued to preach the gospel. That’s dynamic determination.

Screams in their face, rods broken across their back, rocks bouncing off their head—all part of the job. Paul and Barnabus proclaimed the the good news until they died. Paul’s preaching career ended in Rome, beheaded by Nero. Barnabus was stoned to death by a crowd in Cyprus.

A simple formula, really. Preach Christ until you die. Their determination changed the world, and ushered in the faith we enjoy today.

Acts 14:7

Photo by The Ordinary Moments