What’s Next?

I can go in numerous directions with this title: “What’s Next?”.

What’s going to happen next? Prophecy? Eschatology? No. I have little to add.

What’s next to explore on this blog? Now, that’s reasonable. Yes. I have a theme and series to share with you. I think it’s time for a theme to follow.  I also need to wrap up two topics, for now, that I’ve recently explored: my health and house churches.

First, let me reveal my new series. Then I’ll conclude with a short personal health and local church update. Thank you for caring and praying.

Regarding a new series, I need to offer you content worth your time and reading. What most inspires you, motivates you, and offers wisdom to follow? If you are similar to me, it may be the following:

I’m most inspired, motivated, and directed by good biographies. True stories with lessons or patterns I can pull from them.The Scriptures are full of biographical figures. We all would like to have fuller accounts of their lives, but God has given enough in his sweep of human history to reveal His story — Himself and His relationship to His creation and creatures.

I love biblical stories. I also love Christian biographies, and I appreciate other biographies, especially of people who show me how they overcame obstacles and created something or served people and left legacies that continue to bless the world. Also important are biographies of  generally unknown people, but they are known to their own people, leaving legacies that ripple through time. Biographies can be published books or private interviews. However we can access them, learning from others is one of the delights of life.

Therefore, I want to begin a biographical storytelling series. This will be challenging for me. I always am in the middle of reading a number of books, not always biographies, but every author has a biography of his/her own that’s worth some telling. I plan to give a broad sketch (a concise profile) and then hone in on a few points and characteristics evident from their lives that may inspire and motivate us,  offering insightful examples for us.

So, I’ve chosen a few people to begin our series. Since I’ll only sketch them, highlighting what I want to accent,  maybe you’ll want to explore further the lives of some of them.  Here’s the beginning of my list:

George Matheson. John Newton. Charlie Kirk. Vibia Perpetua.

1.George Matheson, the author of the hymn, “O Love that Will Not Let Me Go” (1842-1906; from Scotland). I tell some of his story in chapter 11 of my book, A Traveler’s Guide through Suffering and Joy. However, part of his story that I told turns out to be incorrect, so I want to address what we truly do know and what is misleading. I’ve spent many hours reading a 386 page biography of him published in 1908, and I have two of his many books. So, I hope you’ll be inspired by the limited parts of his story that I can tell and how his example can encourage us.

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2. John Newton, the author of one of the world’s most well known hymns, “Amazing Grace” (1725-1807; from England). Maybe you know his story. Many people don’t, and his story is colorful, and well, amazing.

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3. Charlie Kirk, the author of  Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath will Transform Your Life  (1993-2025). This book is worth reviewing and putting it together with his life. I wrote about him a year ago after his death, and I’ve been surprised at the varying responses in the year since.

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4. Vibia Perpetua, author of an extant journal which came to be entitled The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity (AD 182 – AD 203, from Carthage in northern Africa).  Perpetua offers us a rare account by a woman from the era of the early church. Are you familiar with her story?  How could such moral strength and focused stamina converge in a 22 year old, young lady and new mother?

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Four people of different backgrounds and eras who loved Jesus Christ and served him variously. They are a part of the “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 who encourage us let us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12: 1-2 NIV).

This is the focus we need. Yet, I must conclude as I said I would by mentioning my health and our house church consideration.

I have made some more doctor visits, one referring me to another, and these two together referring me to a new dental pain specialist in Fort Wayne. While we aren’t getting to any “primary causes” yet, I am now trying out another pain medication which seems to be lowering the fire not only in my face and head much of the time, but elsewhere also, so I’m sleeping better. I don’t know if this will last, but I’m grateful for this current partial relief.

We have been visiting the house church I mentioned in my last post on Sunday evenings, and the fellowship is lovely. They have several home sites and then meet together at one location two Sunday mornings a month. The morning services don’t work for me because they have drums, which as you know, with my hyper-sensitivity and FM, causes much stress for me. The irony is that with the ringing in my ears and my hearing loss, I miss out on much of the group conversations during the evening gatherings. I’m used to that. At least I can be with the group.

There you have it.

I hope you will stick around to imbibe some stamina from George Matheson, John Newton, Charlie Kirk, and Vibia Perpetua in my coming posts. What refreshing sips and strengthening nutrition will we gain from their examples!