ie:missional

The late minister and poet Thomas John Carlisle penned a series of poems based on the prophet Jonah, whose story is recorded in the biblical book of the same name. Writing from Jonah’s actions, attitudes and perceptions, this short volume of poems is as insightful as its poems are brief. The book, You! Jonah!, included poems that Carlisle had published in various newspapers and magazines both sacred and secular, as well as previously unpublished poems on the same subject matter. The book was first published in 1968, but has been out of print for 35 years.

Here are four of my favorites:

Coming and Going
The word came
and he went
in the other
direction.

God said: Cry
tears of compassion
tears of repentance;
cry against
the reek
of unrighteousness;
cry for
the right turn
the contrite spirit.

And Jonah rose
and fled
in tearless
silence.

Reprimand to a Naive Deity
I will not advertise
this crazy scheme
of Yours.

God, what a farce
that men should sin and find
escape.

I mean, of course,
not me
but all our mutual

antagonists.
Dear God, kind God, don’t listen
to their prayers.

Sunk
A man overboard
gasping and drowning,
does he actually look
at his own disappearing
identity?

Jonah could see
only an admirable
ambassador of God
sunk by his own
superior
opinions.

Personnel Problem
Jonah cherished chips
on both his shoulders.
He was in the wrong
business. On the accounts
he clamored to handle
he was calculating
to liquidate
the customers.
However, his Employer
computed profits
on another basis
and kept the dynamite
too readily
defusable.

We may be truly said to worship God though we lack perfection; but we cannot be said to worship him, if we lack sincerity; a statue upon a tomb, with eyes and hands lifted up, offers as good and true a service; it lacks only a voice, the gestures and postures are the same; nay, the service is better; it is not a mockery; it represents all that it can be framed to; but to worship without our spirits is a presenting God with a picture, an echo, voice and nothing else; a compliment; a mere lie; a ‘compassing him about with lies.’ Without the heart the tongue is a liar.

[...]

He is a carnal worshipper that gives God but a piece of his heart, as well as he that denies him the whole of it; that has some thoughts pitched upon God in worship, and as many willingly upon the world. David sought God, no with a moiety of his heart, but with his ‘whole heart;’ with his entire frame; he brought not half his heart, and left the other in the possession of another master.

To meet him was to be blessed by him. To be around him was to know that he was more than a man. To hear him was to become convinced that he knew God in a way that others didn’t. To know him was to have your life impacted forever.

My family went to Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA in December of 1976, if I’m not mistaken. All these years later, I’m not sure if Al and his family were already attending there but it seems that they were. Either way, it would be a short time before I met this man who would become my mentor and friend.

Though Al wasn’t trained in any Bible college or seminary, he influenced every man who ever served as his pastor and every young man called to preach at the church. I don’t know how long he taught in youth Sunday School, but I know that there have been decades worth of lives he’s influenced as kids listened to his teaching and encouragement and experienced his love during those formative years. I’ll never forget, as a high school aged boy, standing around with some friends one Sunday morning in the lobby of our church building yakking it up about probably nothing. Al walked over, leaned into the circle with hand extended and said, “Hello, men!” After he’d shaken hands and walked away, one of our group looked around and said, “Well, if Al says we’re men, I guess it’s time to grow up.” Another time, after my wife-to-be and I had only been dating for a few months, I was out on church visitation with Al. As part of a far ranging conversation he said, “Bobra (Mrs. Autrey’s name is “Barbara,” but he always pronounced it ‘Bobra’)…Bobra has already prognosticated that you are going to be marrying Sonya.” I don’t recall my verbal response to his statement, but inside I was thrilled; I still am after 24 years.

When I had a crisis of faith that brought me to my knees, there was only one person to whom I could talk and that was Al Autrey.  When we sat together, he wisely did not try to convince be that I was saved, but allowed the Holy Spirit to finish His convicting work unto salvation.

Al was with us on camps, retreats, visitation, at revivals, Bible studies. He never stopped encouraging. Not long after I got to New Bethany, he was able to pull away from his own responsibilities and come to hear me preach a time or two. After one service, when I had preached from Hebrews 11, he said, “That’s the best I’ve ever heard on faith.” Now, I know everyong he had heard because I had heard them, too. I don’t know whether it was really the best he’d heard, but I know it encouraged me for him to say that. “Marty, God’s gonna use you.” “Son, God’s given you wisdom beyond your years.” “There’s no telling what God’s going to do with you.” Over and over again I heard this kind of affirmation from Al.

Al had a brother named “Turtle” who was probably best friend my Dad ever had. More than ten years ago, Turtle was killed in a tragic accident while my parents were on a trip out west. At first we did not even know where or if we might find them, but were finally able to leave a message at a camp where they were staying. When my Dad called me, I began the conversation with, “There’s been an accident…” About 5 years ago, while on a retreat in Florida, I received a call from Sonya that began, “Honey, there’s been an accident…” I didn’t even have to ask “Who?” only “What and how bad?”

At the tender young age of 65 or so, Al was playing kick ball with a bunch of kids on a Wednesday night. For some reason, they were inside the building rather than on a field. In the course of the game, Al lost his balance and fell face first into the corner of a table. The angle and velocity of his fall caused the edge of the table to start at an area around his upper lip and proceed to peel his face almost from his skull. He almost died there from suffocation from the blood that was flowing. Al had several surgical procedures, but the doctors never were able to get things exactly right. One beneficial side effect from all the reconstructive work was that he got the effect of a face lift out of the deal. I always thought that was cheating.

At some point, cancer appeared. Started as prostate and went into remission once. Came back and couldn’t be stopped. As with so many who suffer with it, chemo was not very effective and, while it showed some promise at a time, didn’t bring the healing we all desired. After the blood counts were indicating a lack of progress, Al finally asked the doctor, “Why should I have more treatments?” The doctor replied, “To help you maintain a quality of life.” Al’s response was, “If this is a quality of life, then I don’t want any of it. I’m ready to go be with my Savior.”

After that decision, Al and Barbara had hundreds of visitors to their home. Since they live half-a-mile past the ends of the earth, almost no one drove less than an hour and many drove two or more. The man at the local hardware store stopped by…and cried. Cashiers from the local grocery store came to visit. Former co-workers came to visit. One former youth pastor drove in from Alabama while another flew in from Colorado to spend just a few more hours with this man. His church brought an entire bus load of people.

Alvin Luther “Al” Autrey went to be with Jesus Sunday, February 24 at about 2:30 in the morning. He’s left behind his wonderful family-Barbara, Connie, Resie, Lori and Chad (some with spouses), some grandkids, brothers, a sister, sisters-in-law, his Mom and impacted lives, the number of which only God Himself can count.

Al, I miss you already.  I love you and I’ll see you soon.  Tell Turtle not to drink all the coffee.

Words and Music by Derek Webb (Song and album The Ringing Bell available on iTunes)

people love you most for the things you hate
and hate you for loving the things you can’t keep straight
people judge you on a curve
and tell you you’re getting what you deserve
and this, too, shall be made right

children cannot learn and children cannot eat
stack them like lumber when children cannot sleep
children dream of wishing wells
whose waters quench all the fires of hell
and this, too, shall be made right

the earth and the sky and the sea are all holding their breath
wars and abuses have nature groaning with death
we say we’re just trying to stay alive
but it looks so much more like a way to die
and this, too, shall be made right

yes there’s a time for peace, there is a time for war
there’s a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
a time for babies to lose their lives
a time for hunger and genocide
and this, too, shall be made right

oh I don’t know the suffering of people outside my front door
and I join the oppressors of those I choose to ignore
I’m trading comfort for human life
and that’s not just murder, it’s suicide
and this, too, shall be made right

oh this, too, shall be made right

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:19-27

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

The date was May 6, 1954 when the unthinkable happened. Considered to be beyond the limits of human endurance, three men had challenged themselves and, from three different continents, challenged each other to run a sub-four minute mile. Australian John Landy, American Wes Santee and British medical student Roger Bannister were all chasing the holy grail of track. Scheduled to run at Iffley Road, Oxford, England, Bannister watched as the cloudy weather threatened to ruin his chance at the record. Finally, just as he was determined not to run, the sky cleared and a rainbow shown through prompting his coach and training partners, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, to decide (via vote) to go ahead with the attempt.

The effort was to work this way: Brasher and Chataway were to run as pace runners to help Bannister, who had the best shot at breaking the time barrier, run at a consistent 1 minute per lap for 3 laps keeping enough in reserve to run a final lap of 59 seconds. When the gun fired start, Brasher moved into the lead and stayed there for two and a half laps. At that point, beyond spent, Chris Brasher gave way to Chris Chataway who moved from the third spot, passing the cruising Bannister, into the first position maintaining the pace speed. Finally, with about 230 yards to go on the bell lap, Bannister moved to the outside, passed his pacing partner and used his finishing kick to cross the line in 3:59:4, immortalizing himself in what Sports Illustrated referred to as the greatest sporting accomplishment of the 20th century.

This post, however, isn’t about Bannister; it’s about Brasher and Chataway and what it means to run the race. Chris Brasher was a steeplechase runner and not really the kind of distance runner that had a legitimate shot at that record. Chris Chataway was a world class distance runner and, if memory serves, eventually ran a sub-four minute mile himself. But on May 6, 1954, both of them lost the race. They did their jobs, but they lost the race. The reason they lost was not because they were less than talented runners, but they could not sustain the rate that Bannister could. The plan was that they would pace Bannister so that he would have his best shot at running below 4:00, but this meant that they would be running at Bannister’s level and not their own. IOW, they were not running their own race, they were running Bannister’s race. He won, but they lost.

The writer of the Hebrews said in 12:1, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Sometimes lost in our concern for endurance is the need to run our own race. Often Christians and even pastors tend to look at other believers and think, “I wish I could have what they have.” Many pastors spend so much time wishing to run the race of another pastor that they neglect the race that God has placed before them to run. I can never run my own race with endurance and run it to finish well if I am consumed with Andy Stanley’s race or Erwin McManus’s race. God has given me a race to run and I cannot be simultaneously focused on “Jesus, the author and finisher” of my faith if I am focused on the runners around me.