The Obituary

I have a tendency to read the obituaries in the news. Not just to find out who passed away, but what is their life story, interests, and contributions. Supposedly ordinary people who fought wars, raised families, contributed time and money to charity, and other works that were unheralded. The everyday struggle of earning living, donating your time to charities, and raising a family are rarely noted or glamorized. That there was a life beyond the short printed death notice in a newspaper.



I often wondered about those with short biographies if they did more than reported. What were their ambitions, and what else would they liked to have done (who doesn't think that?). What were their hopes, dreams, and unfulfilled ambitions? Some obituaries are very personal, giving such information as favorite movies, fans of movies, special friends, pets, and funny anecdotes. Others are very sparse with detail, and some have very little or no family listed at all, a making me sad for them, where an obituary page is seemingly their only legacy.



It makes me wonder what my mark in life will be and what a legacy I leave behind. That's probably what is behind mid life crises: the feeling to accomplish what one wants to do is increasingly limited as time passes. In the end, I don't want to remembered as the number one Steelers fan or other such distinction, but rather the title of husband, father, and Christian worker. The number of people I made laugh, made their life better, and helped is a far better legacy to be remembered by that titles or money.

Are You a Kodak or an Amazon?

In 1975, Kodak developed the first digital camera. However, film was a huge revenue source for the company, and a digital camera would have dried up that revenue. So the prototype was place on the backburner for years until competition forced their hand to finally introduce to the marketplace. By then, the opportunity parade had passed by.

Amazon, however had a different philosophy. Whereas their service was selling books, they took the initiative to cannibalize their market short term for long term success. They seen the handwriting on the wall for print, and the advantages of e readers, so thus the Kindle was born. They also got a head start on their competition.

Blockbuster has a similar story. They created a national chain of video stores where their main product was renting videos where before consumers went to rent them from convenience stores, who provided them as only a part of their marketing plan, not primary one. When renting videos were a gold mine in the 80s and 90s, no one could see what technology could bring. Some even predicted the end of the movie industry as we knew it. So in 2000, a young start up called Netflix was presented as firm to be bought, Blockbuster executives declined their offer. Online movies could hurt the infrastructure invested by Blockbuster, so they ultimately declined.

The moral is technology goes on with or without us. We cannot hold it back, no matter how big we are. Beware of the hungry young dropout in their garage with burning ambition and know how. It is where the next revolution will begin.

Everyone is a (and has a) Part of the Body

Everyone has a part to play in the Body of Christ. That is evident in the unlikely people chosen by God to perform tasks that others seemed better suited to do that the Pharisees would find difficult to believe. Consider the following:

Moses, leader and delivered of the Israelis out of the bondage in Egypt, was known to stutter in front of, and uncomfortable, around a large group of people, and even told God so and was very reluctant of his assignment.

Rahab the prostitute assisted the spies sent from Joshua in destruction of Jericho, and was spared in its demise.

David, slight of stature and barely a teenager, slain Goliath the Giant.

Jesus chose from his disciples humble fishermen, and in Matthew's case, a tax collector (the most despised position in Judea).

Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of Christians, had a Road to Damascus moment, and founder of churches and creator of converts that was the genesis of the modern church.

Abraham and Sarah, although very old, bore the seed of a mighty nation.

Deborah, the only female judge in Israel, predicted victory over the Canaanites, despite the reluctance of Barak, and stated the credit for the victory will belong to a woman.

The Bible contains farming analogies to illustrate its lessons. Some Christians  are planters, tossing seeds in to the ground, where it will slowly spring from its roots. Others irrigate the crops by  watering them and pruning its dead branches. And yet others harvest the crops when they are matures and ready to be cultivated. Our witness can be like one of those jobs. Perhaps the results are not spectacular and immediate, but can produce long awaited, and worthy, results.

Don't get discouraged in your walk and wonder if you have made an impact with your faith. We are called to many offices: teacher, preacher, prophet, and evangelist. Each part of the body has to complement other parts, otherwise little will be accomplished. Find your gift, and don't be discouraged. Look at what you gifted at, and find those in need, pray in earnest, and let God do the rest.