A Significant Life
The year: 1967. The location: Swallow Falls, Maryland. A 7-year-old redheaded boy jumps out of the car, eager to embark on a long-awaited adventure. The sound of the cool, rushing water beckons him as he races to the crown of the cascade. At the first glimpse of the waterfall, his curious mind starts to wonder, “Where’s all this water going?” So he jumps from rock to rock, working to gain a clearer view. Finally, he’s close enough to peer over the edge, but just as he catches the first glimpse-- his foot slips. He quickly begins the slide downward, when out of nowhere a hand reaches out and grabs his arm. The boy holds his breath for fear of any movement that might cause the hand to lose grip. Wide-eyed, he watches as a gold watch falls from the wrist and takes his own place among the rocks below. At last, he breathes a sigh of relief as he’s pulled in and carried back to safety.
Good story, huh? It sounds like one you’d hear on the 6 o’clock news or see featured in your hometown newspaper-- the account of one brave soul who risked his life to save another. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case in this situation. This story didn’t make the headlines. The man’s face wasn’t splashed across the Boston Globe, and he was never rightly recognized for his act of courage. But it didn’t matter to him. He was far more concerned with rescuing a little boy with an anxious heart than reading some heroic headline bearing his name. How do I know all of this? Because I was there. As a matter of fact, I was the little boy whose life was saved that day. And though I was too shocked to even ask the man’s name, what he did made a lasting impact on my life. He might not have made the front page, but his act of courage has remained at the front of my mind for years. That simple act of understated bravery has become the motivating spirit for a cause to which I’ve devoted my life: salvaging the hearts and lives of the overlooked.
The last 4 years, I’ve travelled all throughout small county America sharing this story and conveying my passion for the unnoticed to like-minded pastors. And I’ve met incredible people along the way-- people with the same focus as that gold-watched man: on rescuing hearts without even considering headlines. These people live in places like Sallisaw, Oklahoma; Clovis, New Mexico; and Somerset, Kentucky—cities you’ve most likely never even heard of. I know I hadn’t. I still don’t expect to hear Anderson Cooper reading off their names any time soon, but I know that’s not of concern to them. Why? Because they’ve learned to employ Jesus’ method of ministry: to act regardless of recognition. Sure, they may never experience joy from seeing their work in the Sunday paper, but they find it on the faces of those they serve. And they realize that’s enough.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m certainly not against people making headlines for noble causes. In fact, I’m grateful for it because when used rightly, it can greatly advance the work of God. I simply believe it's time we recognize that receiving admiration from people isn't all that life’s about. It’s about salvaging lives without consideration of credit, because to God a rescue is a rescue and a heart is a heart. Whether it’s the heart of a congressman or a farmhand, they’re all the same to him. So shouldn’t hearts and lives be rescued in smaller towns just like in Chicago? Houston? New York City? Of course they should be. People feel trapped by sin all over the world. They need someone willing to look past their circumstances and recognize that regardless of their location or situation, they are all worth the rescue.
Need proof? Just think back to the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4. The passage starts by saying that “Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John … So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.” Doesn’t sound like he was too interested in headlines, does it? While people were getting caught up in numbers, he was focused on his next mission. This particular mission involved a Samaritan woman, who according to the text had a list of sins longer than most. On top of that, she lived in an off-road, obscure town among people often avoided and overlooked. It was apparent this story wouldn’t be making headlines, but that didn’t stop Jesus. In fact, it served as his motivation to go to Samaria in the first place. He knew that unless someone was willing to walk into this woman’s world and look past the labels placed upon her, she could never experience a lasting heart change. Her life was dependent upon Jesus’ commitment to seeing her rescued just as mine was upon the bravery of my unnamed hero.
Now, let me ask you this: Do you think that heart-change could’ve occurred had Jesus viewed this seemingly “insignificant” woman as a waste of time-- as just another number to add to his growing list? Absolutely not. But like many people today, the disciples didn’t seem to comprehend this concept. They just couldn’t understand why Jesus was associating himself with someone so common and easy to look past—so ordinary. “What are you doing? Why are you talking to her?” they asked. Jesus’ reply was simple, yet extremely profound. “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?” he asked. “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” What was Jesus’ point? It was this: Don’t miss out on the harvest simply because of your limited view of who’s worth rescuing. Never disregard a person because of their past and never disregard a place because of its size. Every community is filled with people needing a greater understanding of his grace.
Jesus was extremely passionate about his disciples understanding this truth. In fact, he was so passionate about it that when asked if he was hungry, he simply responded with: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” This phrase might seem a bit extreme, but here was Jesus’ point: God’s work will never be completed on the earth unless his people start living with the right perspective. That’s why he only spent weeks of his life in Jerusalem and the majority of his time ministering throughout the small towns of Israel. He knew it would be easy for his church to forget the small places, so he led by example. Matthew 9:35 says that “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness."
I was reminded of this verse one day several years ago as I was driving to visit my brother-in-law. The route took me through small town after small town. In each one, I’d notice great football stadiums, built with the finest materials and engineering skills available, standing as monuments of pride in their cities. But in those same communities I’d pass churches revealing clear signs of neglect, some hardly even standing. I kept these images in my mind for months. I’d ask myself, “Is that really what God intended for church to be-- one pastor struggling on his own, in an area most don’t even know exists?” Though I clearly knew the answer, I continued to mull over the thought. Finally, I decided to do some research. I called together my staff, and together we studied over 2,783 counties, each with a population under 150,000. We found that combined, these counties represented 90 million people in approximately 15,000 smaller cities and towns.
90 million-- That’s a lot of people! If considered as their own nation, they would be the 13th largest nation on earth! That survey gave us insight into the untapped potential that lies in small county America. It sparked an idea for a network to be built—one we call the Significant Church Network. Within the past few years, many pastors have caught onto its vision to live boldly as ambassadors to America’s most overlooked towns. We’ve built a family of thriving churches working to make an impact on our communities, and we’ve experienced amazing results.
Take this one for example. It’s a story of a woman from the little town of Picayune, Mississippi. She attends Resurrection Life Worship Center, an incredible church pastored by my friend and fellow network member, Allen Hickman. This woman began abusing drugs at a young age, and the struggle continued for many years until she finally decided she’d had enough. Though it wasn’t easy, she managed to quit drugs and began enjoying an addiction-free lifestyle. Unfortunately, her troubles were still far from over. There had been little eyes watching her all of those years, and now they had chosen a similar lifestyle. Her daughter was now in an intense life-threatening battle with drugs.
The mother tried everything she could think of to get her daughter to quit, but nothing seemed to work. She became extremely frustrated but made a bold decision—one that eventually made all the difference. Instead of condemning her daughter, the mother chose to use her knowledge as a resource to change the situation. She started a drug rehab center, and that became the turning point. Her daughter attended the program, made a decision to follow Christ and eventually got freed from drugs. Not only that, but she’s now working alongside her mom as the vice president of the center! It has grown to be the largest in the county and offers a program that is now required by every judge in the area.
Did this story make the headlines of the New York Times? Nope. But did it make a life-changing difference in the hearts of people? You bet. The center has helped to save hundreds of lives all because one woman saw the need for a rescue—a rescue for the heart of her daughter and for her daughter’s friends. A rescue for the heart of the woman she used to be. That’s a significant life. People like that are the reason we started this network over 4 years ago. We desire to see lives rescued all over the nation—not just in metropolitan areas. We want to encourage and empower each other to excellently minister the gospel right where we’re at, and to serve as a vital life-source to those in our areas.
Today, many people are understandably alarmed by the condition of our nation. Our moral fabric has decayed, affecting our educational systems, which are no longer at the top of the pack. It’s obvious that our communities lie in great need. But in the midst of this discouraging reality, I can honestly say that I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of our country. This hope has been strengthened immensely within the last 4 years, and it only continues to grow. It’s strengthened as I encounter people like the woman from Picayune, Mississippi, who choose to give hope to those in bondage despite their own suffering. It’s strengthened as I fellowship with pastors passionate about bringing healing to the people in their hometowns.
There is indeed great hope for our nation, but it doesn’t lie in the hands of one person-- it lies in us all. As we rescue hearts knowing we may never make headlines, we'll help those around us recognize that every heart is worth the rescue.
