MONTANA - Greetings from the Big Sky Country.
The signs are a little too obvious to ignore.
My body has a few more aches and pains.
I move a little slower.
Tiny things that I drop on the floor require me to come up with a plan on how to pick them up from off the floor.
It’s definitely not the way I recall my body working in the past.
I can remember back to when my wife and I began our journey together. One of the things we did a lot was move. Some of the moves were just across town. Some of the moves were considerably longer than that.
I have a lot of memories from those moves. We had to load everything we owned into car and make multiple trips. Sometimes a friend had a pick up and that made the move easier. And sometimes … we even used a U-Haul.
It was always a lot of work but it was a real joy to have people around to help.
That's why I made it one of my goals to be quick to help when I heard someone was moving. I used to do that a lot.
But I don’t do that anymore.
It seems the best way for me to help someone move today is to stay out of the way.
The fact is … I’m getting old.
Which leads me to today’s story.
Dr. Charles McCoy was a Baptist pastor in Oyster Bay, New York. He was an impressive man, 6 feet 4 inches tall, and well educated. He had seven university degrees, including a Ph.D. from Columbia and a Ph. D. from Dartmouth.
But he had this one problem. He was old. Seventy-two years old.
Time to Retire
His church felt he was too old to be their preacher anymore and asked him to retire, which was their way to try to nicely say, “You’re fired.” He was single. He had never married but had cared for his mother until she passed away.
After being told he needed to retire, Dr. McCoy recalls lying on his bed and thinking his life was over and he hadn’t done much of value.
“I’ve been pastor of this church for so many years and nobody really wants me much – and what have I done for Christ?”
A week after being asked to retire, he met a Christian brother from India and asked the man to speak at his church. After preaching, the brother from India asked Dr. McCoy to come preach in his country.
Dr. McCoy explained that he was old and was being sent to a retirement home in Florida but the man said he should not go to the retirement home. Instead he should go to India where they respected a man whose hair had turned white.
Dr. McCoy believed it was a foolish idea but as he considered his future, he felt if he went into a retirement home he might never come out alive.
It Sounds Like a Bad Idea
As he was praying about his situation, he believed God told him to go to India.
As bad as the retirement home sounded to him, going to India seemed a whole lot worse. He argued with God saying he was too old, he didn’t have enough money, and he wasn’t much of a traveler. In fact, he had never even been on a boat or a plane.
But he believed God made it clear to him that he should go.
So, Dr. McCoy sold his car and the possessions he and his mother had acquired through the years and booked passage on a ship going to Bombay. All the possessions he had left fit into a single trunk.
When he arrived in Bombay, he learned that the trunk that contained all his earthly possessions had disappeared. Now all he had left were the clothes he wore, a wallet, a passport, and the address of a missionary he had copied from a magazine.
So, he asked for directions and boarded a bus. When he got off the bus, he discovered his wallet and passport were now missing. All he had left was the address.
Nothing Left
But he was in India.
The missionary family whose address he had was very gracious in taking this old American into their home but they didn’t know what to do with him.
Dr. McCoy told them God had led him to India so he was going to visit the Mayor. They explained the mayor was an important person and very busy. They had lived there for years and never been allowed to see the Mayor.
But Dr. McCoy said that he had come so far and that he intended to see “important” people, so he walked to City Hall. He told the clerk that he wanted to see the Mayor and the clerk asked to see his card. When she saw all the degrees and credentials on his business card she asked why he wanted to see the Mayor.
Dr. McCoy told the clerk he had been a student and teacher at important American universities, he had been a minister of Jesus Christ in New York, and this was his first time out of the United States, and he wanted to tell the Mayor about Jesus Christ.
The clerk left and when she returned a few minutes later she apologized that the Mayor couldn’t see him right then but if he came back at three o’clock the Mayor would receive him.
When he arrived for the afternoon meeting, he found the room full. The Mayor had been impressed with the Ph.D.’s on the business card and the clerk’s description of the tall, white haired man, so he gathered all the important officials in Bombay for a tea in honor of Dr. McCoy.
The Mayor greeted Dr. McCoy and said …
“I understand that you are an eminent scholar and that you are interested in our country; that this is your first time abroad and that you really came to talk to us about Jesus Christ. We are honored, sir. Please go ahead.”
Dr. McCoy spoke for half an hour sharing his testimony and telling what Jesus meant to him. The group applauded and treated him graciously.
After the meeting a man in uniform approached Dr. McCoy and asked if he would speak at his school the following week. Dr. McCoy agreed and on the appointed day showed up at the National Defense Academy — India’s West Point. He spoke to the cadets and was so well received he was asked to return four weeks in a row.
Word got out about Dr. McCoy and invitations for him to speak began pouring in from everywhere.
Too old to preach at his church in New York, Dr. McCoy spent the next sixteen years travelling the world sharing about Jesus Christ.
At the age of 88, after preaching at a morning service in Calcutta, he took a nap before a scheduled evening meeting at the YMCA.
He didn’t make the evening meeting.
Instead, he went to be with the Lord.
He had finished his great adventure working to the very last day.
The Reason for this Story
I share this story with those of you who, like me, have a lot of years under your belt. Life isn’t over when you get old. God knows each day in your life.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
We are here for a reason. God has us on this world for a purpose.
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.”
Acts 17:26-27 (ESV)
God wants people to come to Him.
When you get old, the goal is not to quit working and go off and play somewhere. The goal is to do what God wants you to do where He has placed you today so that people will turn to Him.
I pray you will have a fantastic day being a light for Jesus.
Source: Bob Pierce: This One Thing I Do by Franklin Graham with Janette Lockerbie.
When you think of Harvard, what comes to your mind?
A place for students to learn about God?
A place where the search for truth is founded on the Bible?
A place where students are encouraged to pray for God’s direction and understanding?
Or, do you have a little different view of Harvard?
I thought you might appreciate words about the goal of Harvard University back when it began.
Here are some stories I found interesting recently. You might want to check them out.
“A Real-Life Lassie Story” I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories but then I was raised with Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin having their own network TV shows.
“… The client of the public school is not the parent …” by Alex Nizberg. There are many people in our society today who believe that the government, not parents, should decide what children are taught. If you know human history, you know this is a common belief of dictators and a destructive practice to the rest of us.
“More Police are Dying, Even More quitting …” by John Grimaldi. This article was written before the two New York police officers were killed this past weekend.
“The Truth Behind the 5G Airline Hysteria” an interview with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. What is 5G? How will it impact our lives? The interview is 40 minutes so it will cost you some time to listen to it, but it’s an important topic. I would encourage you to listen.
“Financial Hanky-Panky” by Bill Bonner. An interesting look at price controls and inflation.
Before I go I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today!
Clint
Clint, thanks for sharing this article. I just turned 75 and I feel way old. Also, The Christmas card I sent you came back. So obviously I don't have the right address for you. Please text me your address on my cell phone. keep up writing these great articles. They are a real encouragment and it edifies the body of Christ.