Heroes

January 31, 2017
                                                          Heroes
One of my boyhood heroes was Davy Crockett, the “King of the Wild Frontier.”  I even owned a “fake” coonskin cap that I wore religiously until it finally fell apart.  I rarely missed an episode of the immensely popular 1950’s Disney TV series.  I can even still sing a good portion of the catchy theme song.

Recently I came across an article highlighting a new book by Michael Wallis called “Davy Crockett, the Lion of the West.”  Wallis, through his extensive research tries to separate the myth from the real man.  It turns out that Davy never “Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three” as the TV theme song proports.   The real Davy Crockett was far more human.  He made mistakes and had some serious personal problems.  He was somewhat prejudiced, at times egotistical and was known to have a temper.  At the same time, he was a great storyteller and his homespun backwards humor won over may fellow congressmen during his two terms as a representative from Tennessee.

I found the article both disappointing and reassuring.  It was disappointing because my hero’s image was not as pristine as I had imagined.  Yet, it was reassuring to know that he was as human and flawed as most of us are.

This reminds me that, even in the Bible, many of the people God used were less than perfect.  That shouldn’t surprise us.  God is often glorified by showing His amazing power through our weakness.  The apostle Paul puts it this way,   Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. (I Corinthians 1:27)

What that means is that you and I are prime candidates for His work.  God isn’t looking for superheroes; He is just looking for people who are available.  Will you quit making excuses and look for a place to serve.  You might be amazed at what God can do through you if you are willing.  We don’t even care if you wear a coon skin cap.
 
Have a great week!
Pastor Barry
 
 
If you would like to comment or if you have questions for Pastor Barry you may direct those to bglawson75@gmail.com.   We would love to hear from you.