Kutipan dari buku yang lagi gw baca ‘Finish Strong’ (yang gw beli hanya dengan harga 15 ribu hehehe), bahan perenungan

You’ve heard of Billy Graham. But what about Chuck Templeton or Bron Clifford? Have you ever heard of them?

Billy Graham wasn’t the only young preacher packing auditorium in 1945. Chuck Templeton and Bron Clifford were accomplishing the same thing and more. All three young men were in mid twenties. One seminary president, after hearing Chuck Templeton preach one evening to an audience of thousands, called him “the most gifted and talented young man in America today for preaching”

Templeton and Graham were friends. Both ministered for Youth for Christ. Both were extraordinary preachers. Yet in those years “most observers would probably have put their money on Templeton”. As matter of fact in 1946, The National Association of Evangelicals published an article on men who “best used of God” in that organization five existence. The article highlighted the ministry of Chuck Templeton. Billy Graham was never mentioned. Templeton, many felt, would be next babe Ruth of evangelism.

Bron Clifford was yet another gifted, 25 year old fire ball. In 1945, many believe Clifford the most gifted and powerful preacher to an auditorium of thousands in Miami, Florida. People line up ten and twelve deep outside the auditorium trying to get in. later that same year, when Clifford was preaching in the chapel at Baylor University, the president ordered class to turn off so that the young man could minister without interruption to student boy…..

…. In 1945, all three came shooting out the starting blocks like rockets. You’ve heard about Billy Graham. So how come you never heard of Chuck Templeton or Bron Clifford? Especially when they came out of chutes so strong in 45

just five years later, Templeton left the ministry to pursue a career as a radio and television commentator and newspaper columnist. Templeton had decided he was no longer a believer in Christ in the orthodox sense of the term. By 1950, this future Babe Ruth wasn’t even in the game and no longer believed in the validity of the claims of Jesus Christ

what about Clifford? By 1954, Clifford had lost his family, his ministry, his health, and then… his life. Alcohol and financial irresponsibility had done him in. He wound up and leaving his wife and their two down’s syndrome children. At just thirty-five years of age, this great preacher died from cirrhosis of the liver in a run down motel on the edge of Amarillo. His last job was selling used cars in panhandle of Texas….

… In 1945, three young men with extraordinary gifts were preaching the gospel to multiplied thousand across this nation. Within ten years, only one of them was still on the track for Christ

In Christian life, it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

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Biarlah kita menjadi Joshua dan Kaleb, yang tetap berdiri teguh sampai pada garis akhir. Bukan hanya in our early twenties. Keep the fire.

“Stay true to Jesus! Make sure that you keep your heart close to Jesus everyday. It is long way from here to where you going to go, and satan’s in no hurry to get you”

–Dr. Paul Beck-

Gw suka perkataan Opa Kaleb

“…Joshua 14:10-11 Jadi sekarang, sesungguhnya TUHAN telah memelihara hidupku, seperti yang dijanjikan-Nya. Kini sudah empat puluh lima tahun lamanya, sejak diucapkan TUHAN firman itu kepada Musa, dan selama itu orang Israel mengembara di padang gurun. Jadi sekarang, telah berumur delapan puluh lima tahun aku hari ini; ¹¹ pada waktu ini aku masih sama kuat seperti pada waktu aku disuruh Musa; seperti kekuatanku pada waktu itu demikianlah kekuatanku sekarang untuk berperang dan untuk keluar masuk…”

Stay strong girls!!

juli