Being a Christian Requires Courage

Today’s reading: 2 Timothy 1:3-10

The audience of this series of articles has been growing very steadily since the start of 2013. When I began these daily writings, my statistics showed about 50 visitors per day coming to this site. By the middle of March, the average was about 150. And so far in April, at least 220 different computer systems have accessed this site to read these articles each day.

The audience growth is probably the result of my activity on Facebook, where I have been diligent about adding new “friends” each day, participating in the various discussions that are happening on my friends’ pages, and posting links to these articles each day.

I will say that I still get relatively little direct feedback to these posts, but what I do see and hear from readers has been interesting. Many of my Facebook friends know me from my life as a semi-wild radio DJ named Hoss The Boss, and, for Hoss, God was mostly an afterthought. So it’s understandable that these people might be surprised at these articles.

“You went and got super religious on me!” a friend I haven’t seen in at least 10 years recently typed to me on Facebook.

That’s been the common sentiment among several of my long-lost friends.

I’ve had a few extended chats with a handful of these friends, and I’ve always be surprised at myself during these talks. It’s amazing how easily I slip into my former habits: cursing, laughing at (and making) lewd comments, and complaining about other people and (life in general).

Recently during one of these talks with a guy I worked with at several radio stations, I shared some interesting news about the radio business here in Corpus Christi:   the country station were I first became well-known as Hoss The Boss in the ’90’s has been sold (again!) to a company that now plans to bring a “Christian” format to the station.

My friend was incredulous. “What? They’re going Christian with a commercial station? They’re going to die a quick death.”

I was embarrassed to tell my friend that I no longer agreed with that common idea among radio people.  In fact, I am excited that a business group has the confidence to put money behind God’s word. I am confident that the station can be a profitable venture, and I may even look up the owners to see if I can help.

But, no. I didn’t say any of the above to my friend. Instead, I pretended to agree with him that the new station is doomed from the start and that its owners are hopelessly naive.

And, as the conversation progressed, I remember thinking of Peter and his three denials of Christ just before the crucifixion.

So today I am proud and confident as I retype these words from our reading:

“for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,”Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.” (Verse 8)

I also say this to my old friends who may be shocked at this “new” attitude of mine: you’re not seeing a changed Don in these posts. You’re finally reading what it took me decades to find the courage to say out loud.

Thanks be to God for His patience, which finally led to my strength. May I (and we) only get stronger.