By Brenda Cannon Henley
This is an old story, but I heard it recently, and loved it all over again. A young man gave the first sermon of his life at my son’s church and I drove in to hear him speak and to support him and his family, whom I had long loved. He did a remarkable job, was well prepared, had studied for hours, and he seemed quite comfortable in the pulpit addressing the rather large crowd. The people responded warmly to his message. Here’s a tip for churches all across our area. Concentrate at least some of your time on reaching young people. They are the lifeblood of your church’s future. They bring excitement, fun, and a good reinforcement for the foundation you must have to succeed in ministry.

Dr. Curtis Hutson, my pastor, friend, and employer for many years, often said, “The church must operate correctly and feature the nursery and youth classes as the incubators for new Christians, and especially for our children and teens. If we reach them early, teach them the things of Christ, nurture and admonish them, our churches will be stronger and their lives blessed with God’s grace and love.” He was right. A church with no sound youth program will languish, and as the older members die or move away, the church will shrink and eventually go away for good.

The young man told an interesting story in his opening remarks and right away, he got and held the attention of his audience members. He was excited and it showed. Dr. Hutson also said often, “Excited people excite people,” and this young speaker seemed to know that in his heart.

A farmer had a nice pen for his chickens and ducks and he was quite proud of the fowl he produced and sold. His wife had a small business collecting and selling fresh farm eggs from the laying chickens. One day as he was feeding the birds, he noticed an unusual egg in one of his nests. He knew right away it was not a chicken or even a duck egg. It was just different and larger than he usually saw. Leaving it where it was, he watched one of his old hens take on the project of caring for the egg, sitting on it, and keeping it warm. One day the egg hatched and the farmer was surprised to see a young eaglet. Soon the young chick was eating and drinking with the chickens and he became proficient in pecking and gathering worms, insects, and the feed the owner scattered.

The farmer continued to monitor the progress of this eaglet and one day he was shocked when he came to the pen to feed to see that the eaglet was apart from the chickens and looking up into the bright blue sky. Two older eagles were flying over the farmland and he watched them until they were out of sight. A few days later the young eaglet was watching the same eagles fly over, but this time the bird was on top of one of the chicken pens. He again watched until the eagles were out of sight. A few days later, the farmer observed the eagle attempt to fly off the roof of an even higher pen, but without success. He landed plop in the dust and debris of the pen.

But, this young, strong bird did not give up easily. He kept trying and watching and practicing. And one glorious spring day, he flapped his quickly growing wings and managed to soar a few feet in the air. Boy, did that ever feel good. He knew in his heart that was what he was created to do. He kept at it, and one day, he reaching heights he had never dreamed of seeing. The older and wiser eagles kept encouraging him and monitoring his success. The days went by and the summer sun was hot in the chicken pen, so he stayed gone longer. Each day, he grew stronger and stronger, and his flights were longer and longer. And then one day in early fall of the year; he did not come back to the farm. He soared with the eagles where he was mean to be from his birth.

The young man said as he looked at life and all of the people he knew, he had discovered that so many Christians were living in the various pens, pecking and eating with the chickens and the ducks, limiting their lives, when God wanted them to be flying high. He ended the message with the plea that if there were folks there that were living in the pens Satan had created for them, that they did not have to live like that.

As we begin this busy holiday season, I have already seen fretting, worrying, planning extensively, shopping, travel, and heartache, when it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s learn to live above the fray and seek a happier way to live and interact with family members and friends. Just say no literally to unnecessary drama, gossip, being too busy, not taking time for important things, and rushing until our bodies are worn and weary. Be an eagle this season and not a chicken. God wants us to be happy, successful, and free in Him.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788 or at [email protected].