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{SFTH} *Sacrificial Visitor* 6/1/01
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It is with the utmost pleasure that I bring a story to you today by
one of my favorite authors: Max Lucado. I don't think I have ever
read something by him that I did not love and today's story is no
exception. May his words touch your heart in a special way...
Our thanks to Mr. Lucado for graciously sharing his story with us
today and to my good friend, Terri McPherson, for helping me to
get in contact with his ministry. You can visit her wonderful site at:
http://www.mnsi.net/~tmcphers/
Be sure to send Max an e-mail and visit his web site today!
Michael
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Sacrificial Visitor
By Max Lucado
An old man walks down a Florida beach. The sun sets like an orange ball
on the horizon. The waves slap the sand. The smell of saltwater stings
the air. The beach is vacant. No sun to entice the sunbathers. Not
enough light for the fishermen. So, aside from a few joggers and
strollers, the gentleman is alone.
He carries a bucket in his bony hand. A bucket of shrimp. It's not for
him. It's not for the fish. It's for the sea gulls.
He walks to an isolated pier cast in gold by the setting sun. He steps
out to the end of the pier. The time has come for the weekly ritual.
He stands and waits.
Soon the sky becomes a mass of dancing dots. The evening silence gives
way to the screeching of birds. They fill the sky and then cover the
moorings. They are on a pilgrimage to meet the old man.
For a half hour or so, the bushy-browed, shoulder-bent gentleman will
stand on the pier, surrounded by the birds of the sea, until his bucket
is empty.
But even after the food is gone, his feathered friends still linger.
They linger as if they're attracted to more than just food. They perch
on his hat. They walk on the pier. And they all share a moment together.
The old man on the pier couldn't go a week without saying "thank you."
His name was Eddie Rickenbacker. If you were alive in October 1942, you
probably remember the day that he was reported missing at sea.
He had been sent on a mission to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas
MacArthur. With a handpicked crew in a B-17 known as the "Flying
Fortress," he set off across the South Pacific. Somewhere the crew
became lost, the fuel ran out, and the plane went down.
All eight crew members escaped into the life rafts. They battled the
weather, the water, the sharks, and the sun. But most of all, they
battled the hunger. After eight days, their rations were gone. They ran
out of options. It would take a miracle for them to survive.
And a miracle occurred.
After an afternoon devotional service, the men said a prayer and tried
to rest. As Rickenbacker was dozing with his hat over his eyes,
something landed on his head. He would later say that he knew it was a
sea gull. He didn't know how he knew; he just knew. That gull meant food
. . . if he could catch it. And he did.
The flesh was eaten. The intestines were used as fish bait. And the crew
survived.
What was a sea gull doing hundreds of miles away from land?
Only God knows.
But whatever the reason, Rickenbacker was thankful. As a result, every
Friday evening this old captain walked to the pier, his bucket full of
shrimp and his heart full of thanks.
We'd be wise to do the same. We've much in common with Rickenbacker. We,
too, were saved by a Sacrificial Visitor.
We, too, were rescued by One who journeyed far from only God knows
where.
And we, like the captain, have every reason to look into the sky . . .
and worship.
Max Lucado
ministry@maxlucado.com
Send Max an e-mail and let him know what you thought of his story!
From "In the Eye of the Storm," by Max Lucado, Copyright (c) 1991
by Word Publishing (Used by Permission)
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With more than 15 million books in print, Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times—1999 for Just Like Jesus, 1997 for In the Grip of Grace and 1995 for When God Whispers Your Name.
In 1994, he became the only author to have 11 of his twelve books in print simultaneously appear on paperback, hardcover and children's CBA bestseller lists. Lucado set a new industry record by concurrently placing seven different Word titles on the CBA Hardcover Bestseller List in both March and April 1997. A Max Lucado title has appeared on the CBA hardcover bestseller list every month for the past seven years. His newest book, He Chose the Nails, was released in August 2000.
Max serves as the pulpit minister of the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. But he says his greatest accomplishment is finding a one-in-a-million wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna, Andrea, and Sara.
You can visit his web site at: http://www.maxlucado.com
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Thought For the Day:
"A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities." (Jules Ormont)
Verse for the Day:
"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
Philippians 2:8
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"A kid who can't catch the ball says his glove doesn't fit right."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"Parents are not interested in justice, they are interested in quiet."
(Bill Cosby)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"You must do the things you think you cannot do."
(Eleanor Roosevelt)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"The only thing shorter than a weekend is a vacation."
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_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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