June 30, 2009
Last week, three icons from the world of entertainment stepped into another world. A singer, a swinger and a zinger all died within three days. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon. Three superstars from Hollywood. Suddenly gone. Instantly standing before a holy God. One 50. One 62. One 86.
Michael Jackson, “the king of pop,” sold over 750 million albums. Farrah Fawcett, one of TV’s famous “Charlie’s Angels,” sold over 12 million copies of a swimsuit poster. Ed McMahon, known as “the greatest sidekick in show business,” was watched by millions of people, on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson five nights a week for years.
All three battled health and financial issues in their final days. Jackson battled constant pain and may have had an addiction to prescription drugs. Fawcett battled cancer. McMahon broke his neck in a fall and never fully recovered. Michael leaves behind debts that may total more than $400 million. Ed was losing his multimillion dollar home and was virtually broke when he died. Farrah’s career had struggled for years. All three had been involved in numerous lawsuits.
Among other things, Michael will be remembered for his moonwalk, signature songs: Billie Jean, Thriller & Beat It and for dangling one of his children off a hotel balcony. Farrah will be remembered for her iconic poster, her single season on Charlie’s Angels and her incoherent interview with David Letterman. Ed McMahon will be remembered for being Johnny Carson’s straight man, his signature phrases: “H-e-e-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny” and “Hi-yo!”, and his involvement with Star Search and American Family Publishers.
Michael co-wrote the song, We Are The World. Ed participated in the Jerry Lewis Telethons for Muscular Dystrophy for years and Farrah played a preacher’s wife in The Apostle with Robert Duvall. Michael’s gloved hand, Farrah’s hair and Ed’s laugh will be remembered by millions for years to come.
Even though the world loved them, all three struggled with love. Michael was married to Debbie Rowe and Lisa Marie Presley and divorced them both. Farrah was married to The Six Million Dollar Man, Lee Majors. She divorced Lee and lived with Ryan O’ Neal off and on for years. Ed McMahon was married three times.
Michael, Farrah and Ed weren’t able to escape death - no one will. Death is an inevitable, inescapable part of life. They didn’t escape judgment either - no one will.
Money won’t help you. At one time all three had tons of it. Good looks won’t. Even though they would be considered among the world’s “beautiful people,” all three were rumored to have had plastic surgery. Talent won’t. No one can dispute their talents. Neither will Fame. The past few days are proof of their popularity.
The past few days also serve as a sobering reminder to all of us: Eternity is an appointment scheduled for everyone of us. The day will come when we will all stand before God. I have no idea when my appointment is. Neither do you.
Neither did Michael, Farrah or Ed. But last week, all three stepped out into eternity . . . without their fans . . . without their fame . . . without their friends . . . without their finances . . . without their families.
My prayer is they didn’t step out into eternity without a genuine faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
At this point, only the One Who schedules the appointments knows for sure.
“It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
© 2009. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Death, Entertainment, Eternity, God, Hollywood, Hope, Judgment, Life, Uncategorized 
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June 26, 2009
A few days ago, an Israeli woman, identified only as Anat, wanted to surprise her mother by doing something incredibly nice. She bought her mom a brand new mattress and threw out the old one. The only problem was - her mom had hidden her entire life savings in that old mattress. Approximately $1 million dollars! Oops!
When the daughter realized what she’d done, she immediately and frantically went looking for the mattress. But it had already been taken by garbage collectors. She contacted three different landfill sites but subsequent searches turned up nothing.
One dump manager said he’d increased security at the dump but admitted finding a mattress among some 2,500 TONS of garbage dumped there every day would be very difficult.
It would be wonderful if they did find the million dollar mattress. But my guess is no one will. Or if someone already has, they would be a rare person, indeed, if they found it within themselves to turn it in.
In light of the situation above, Proverbs 21:5 provides an eerie warning: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Think that daughter wishes she had this one back? Specifically, her mom’s old mattress? I can think of at least a million reasons why she should.
All of us have things we wish we could do over again. Maybe not discarding a missing million dollar mattress. But there have been decisions made, actions taken, things done that now we wish we’d taken more time to think about and pray about before doing. Some things we don’t need to pray about like reading God’s Word every day, sharing our faith, being in worship every Lord’s Day, living a holy life, tithing, etc. We just need to do them. There are other things we better pray about and seek wise, godly counsel before doing. Remember “haste leads to poverty,” and every decision we make affects not only us . . . but others as well.
Tempted to walk out on your marriage? Considering a job change that might not be good for your family or faith but means more money? Thinking about going back to old friends you used to have fun with but always knew they weren’t living for the Lord and still aren’t? Contemplating a decision you know isn’t right? Thinking about an old habit you promised the Lord you wouldn’t do again?
Every choice carries consequences. So next time you’re tempted to do something without praying about it, think about the missing million dollar mattress and remind yourself to pray and seek God’s wisdom. Then, before you do anything else . . .
. . . SLEEP ON IT!
© 2009. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Decisions, God's will, Good Intentions, Haste, Money, Patience, Prayer No Comments »
June 22, 2009
This summer, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios released a new, animated feature film called UP. It’s the story of 78-year-old balloon salesman, Carl Fredricksen, and his attempt to fulfill a lifelong dream going to a place he and his wife, Ellie, had always wanted to go: Paradise Falls in South America.
After Ellie’s death and being forced to move from the house he and Ellie had built, instead of moving to an old folk’s home, he ties thousands of balloons to his house and off he goes in pursuit of his dream. As the movie (with Carl inside his flying house) takes off, an unexpected stowaway is discovered on the porch - 8-year-old, Junior Wilderness Explorer, Russell. What happens next, and for the remaining hour or so, will touch your heart and leave you feeling . . . well, UP!
I was thinking this week . . . isn’t that what Christians and the church are supposed to be all about? Touching people’s hearts and leaving them feeling . . . well, UP? I’m not just talking about worship services. Certainly, in the opening moments of every service, our hope is people’s hearts will be touched and what happens in the remaining hour or so will leave them feeling . . . well, UP!
Christians ought to be the most positive, optimistic people on the planet - and not just on Sundays. (Let that one sink in.) When people meet us in a mall, see us in a store or run in to us at a restaurant, shouldn’t those few fleeting moments leave people feeling UP? When they watch us at work or at play, with friends or family, when they have the chance to visit with us or watch us worship . . . whatever we’re doing and wherever we’re doing it . . . shouldn’t it leave them inspired, motivated, challenged and encouraged? Or to put it even simpler: UP?
My thought is if we’re living the life Jesus wants us to live, no matter what we’re doing, who we’re doing it with, or wherever we are when we do it, it should touch people’s hearts and leave them feeling . . . well, UP! Everything we do as Christians ought to leave people a little bit different and a little bit better than they were before. Woudn’t you agree? So are you living like that?
Oh, and one more thing . . . that’ll touch your heart and leave you feeling . . . well, UP!
One day soon, every born again believer will literally be taken UP! And we’re going to a genuine paradise this time - HEAVEN! not a Pixar animated version of Paradise Falls. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.)
And this time . . . we won’t need balloons!!
© 2009. Barry L. Cameron
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June 12, 2009
Whether you want to or not - you’re gonna run into God. Eventually. Inevitably. Ultimately. As a matter of fact, right now every person on this planet is moving closer to that moment.
People may be walking in a mall somewhere, thinking they’re headed toward a particular store. What they don’t know is they’re actually heading toward God and each step takes them one step closer. They may be driving a car somewhere, believing they’re heading down a highway toward a specific destination. What they don’t know is they’re actually driving toward a Sovereign destination - a face-to-face meeting with God.
It may be completely unintentional on your part. But it will happen nevertheless. It’s unavoidable and even unexplainable. But somehow, someway, someday you, and everyone else, will run into God. It’s an appointment you won’t be able to skip or reschedule. It’s a meeting you won’t be able to miss. An invitation you won’t be able to ignore.
A lot of people spend their entire lives, or good portions of them, running from God. Only to discover, when they stop running, they’ve run smack into God. You will, too . . . everyone will.
When you run out of time . . . and you will.
When you run out of excuses . . . and you will.
When you run out of plans . . . and you will.
When you run out of lame explanations . . . and you will.
When you run out of money . . . and you will.
When you run out of other things to do . . . and you will.
When you run out of health . . . and you will.
When you run out of life . . . and you will.
. . . you’ll find you’ve run right into God.
Romans 14:10-12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
How much better to walk with Him than run from Him.
Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Are you walking today? Or running?
© 2009. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Deception, Eternity, Futility, God, Hell, Life, People, Running, Selfishness, The Future No Comments »
June 5, 2009
Last Friday afternoon, I found myself sitting in the rain. Not literally. But I might as well have been. I was actually sitting in a church pew, in a Baptist church with Mel. We were there for the funeral of a friend. Sitting in the stillness of that sanctuary, watching pictures of our friend rotate on a screen in front of us, while music played in the background, I began to reflect on what I was experiencing and the reflecting hasn’t stopped.
Here are a few of my observations:
(1) We never take enough pictures of our family and friends. We watched the same 30 or more photos several times in the minutes prior to the service. I wish there would’ve been more.
(2) Pictures tell stories. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words. One of the pictures was of our friend and his son outside of a football stadium. Carved in the wall above their heads were words that said something to the effect: “Destiny is not a matter of chance. Rather, it’s a matter of choice.” Ironic, since our friend had taken his own life.
(3) No one knows what’s really going on in the hearts and minds and lives of others. We hide a lot behind the smiles and the “I’m fine, and how are you doing?” comments, etc. Truth is, none of us genuinely tell the truth about how we feel and what we’re going through to our friends and family, and that’s the real tragedy.
(4) There’s never a good enough reason to take your own life. It creates more problems than it solves. In fact, it doesn’t resolve anything. Interestingly enough, when someone takes their life, they unintentionally take the life out of everyone who loves and cares for them.
(5) There are no unsolvable problems. As we sat in that church full of people, I couldn’t help but think every person there would’ve dropped everything and done anything they could to help our friend. No matter what. No matter when. No matter where. It wouldn’t have mattered. But we were never given the privilege to help - and it would’ve been a privilege . . . to help.
(6) When people say funerals are supposed to be celebrations, that can come off pretty empty. Especially when it’s your friend or family member in that casket. True, we don’t “grieve as those who have no hope,” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) but we still grieve. I don’t know who came up with the idea there’s something wrong with grieving. Even the pagan Egyptians mourned the death of Jacob for 70 days (Genesis 50:3).
(7) Why are people so afraid to talk about death? Death will touch and take every single one of us if the Lord doesn’t return first.
(8) I’m not sure I want to outlive all my friends if it means attending more funerals.
(9) Going to church should always be a life-changing experience - even if its a funeral. People who come empty shouldn’t leave empty. People who come with broken hearts shouldn’t leave the same way they came. I’m not saying one service can fix everything. But it ought to get our hearts and minds fixed on the One Who can fix everything.
(10) God does provide answers to our questions (Jeremiah 33:3) and somehow brings good even out of the bad things and bad times of our lives (Romans 8:28).
(11) Because of a Savior Who died for us, we have a living hope (1 Peter 1:3; 3:15).
(12) Every day someone is sitting in the rain, in a church or a funeral home somewhere, at the funeral of someone they love and care about deeply.
So next time you read the newspaper and are tempted to quickly bypass the pages of death notices in the obituary columns, remember the families and friends of the people in those pictures. They’re hurting. Next time you pass a funeral home with a full parking lot or a procession of cars with their lights on, following a hearse, remember those are people whose hearts are broken, whose dreams have been dashed or put on hold and whose tears are tearing at every fiber of their being.
You also need to remember the Hope we have in Christ and the fact He’s coming back for us (Titus 2:13). In John 11:25-26, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” That may be hard for some to comprehend. In fact, the only way to really understand it is to know the One Who makes the promise.
I saw a plaque recently that said, “Happiness is not a matter of avoiding the storms. It’s learning to dance in the rain!” I’m not done reflecting on the events of last Friday and will probably never have it all figured out - until I get to Heaven.
One thing I am doing because of what Jesus has already done . . . I’m committed to doing a better job of dancing in the rain!
© 2009. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Christians, Death, Eternity, Family, Friends, Funerals, Hope, Life, Purpose 1 Comment »
