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“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
Some of the toughest choices father’s make are in regards to their children. We, especially as men, grow up with dreams. We play games in which we always want to come out the winner. As we grow older, reality sets in. Sometimes it sets in hard. We can’t keep rewinding the game clock until the ball swishes through the basket or goes into the empty net or splits the uprights.
It’s no wonder then, that when our son(s) come along the dreams start over again. No offense against the women of our world. They have accomplished great things, fantastic things. Even so, there’s something special about the bond between a man and his son, just as there is between a woman and her daughter. Gender doesn’t really matter. Parents grow up with the hope that their children will somehow attain all they had hoped to attain when they were kids. But sometimes life deals cruel blows.
It’s always been that way really. Abraham had the tough decision to send Ishmael and his mother into the wilderness. Later he had to lay his son of promise, Isaac, on an altar. Only the last minute call of an angel and rustling of a ram in the thicket saved Isaac from being offered up as a sacrifice.
David had the tough choice of going to war against his son, Absalom. Even though he pled for the safe return of his son, the young rebel was killed in battle.
But perhaps the toughest test of love came from God himself. From the day he decided to create this world we live on he longed for relationship. He created beauty from trees and flowers, majesty from mountains and valleys, power from weather and the seas and the wonder of life from innumerable life forms, both seen and unseen.
All that he created gave him great joy. He looked and saw it was good. But it lacked the one thing he longed for above all else. It lacked relationship. So God created mankind to bring him relationship the relationship he’d always wanted. But mankind failed. There was only one thing Father God could do to restore that relationship. It was the hardest thing any of us parents would be called upon to do. He had to give up his only son.
He looked down through the ages and saw the pain his son would suffer. He saw the guilt that would be placed on his shoulders. He saw the physical and emotional abuse that would be executed on his innocent son so that my sins could be forgiven. He watched him die on a tree so I could live forever.
That’s love. That’s tough love. Tough love says I’ll do whatever it takes. Tough love says I’ll give up whatever I need to get the relationship I want to have with you. That’s what God is saying to each of us. He gave all he had so he could have a relationship with you. All he asks in return is for your love through obedience to his word.
PRAYER: Father God, as a parent I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to give up a son so others could live. Especially when the ones who benefit have nothing to give in return. I have nothing to offer you in thanks for your salvation. Thank you for loving me anyway. Thank you for sending Jesus so I can have a relationship with you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
A Tribute to Denis Bayle
February 8, 1958-April 1, 2011
On April 1, 2011 I lost a very dear friend and the St. Croix Valley lost a living example of the grace, forgiveness and restoration of Jesus Christ. Denis Bayle was transported into the arms of Jesus as the result of a tragic auto accident. Today’s blog post in a tribute to my friend and brother who never judged me, always supported me and reminded me of what Jesus’ love is about.
The following is a transcript of the Eulogy I was honored to share at his Celebration of Life Service. Denis, may you rest in peace and may the legacy you left us continue until the day Jesus comes to take us all home.
- It’s appropriate that we meet here to celebrate the life of Denis Bayle. Denis believed in the ministry of the Association Retreat Center (ARC). He was our St. Croix Falls marketing spot and it was for that reason that I stopped by the shop on Friday to drop off some flyers for our ARC Wild Game Feed. Denis placed all of our ARC posters and flyers strategically for his customers to see. He was known to have made new copies of flyers at the Copy Shop because I was negligent in giving him enough material. He paid for them out of his own pocket or somehow convinced Joyce that it was in her best interest to give them to him. Friday we had a good chat. Funny thing is I left the shop that morning with a strange feeling I still couldn’t put my finger on. Something was different. He wasn’t the Denis I knew in some way. I can’t help wondering if somehow he knew.
- I knew Denis for several years, but got to know him best during my years as Pastor of First Baptist Church. I remember Denis telling me that he and his family were there because they wanted to make a difference in the church and community, and he certainly did that. Like with anything else in his life, he dug into the ministry. Denis made an impact that is felt to this day in that fellowship.
- Denis loved music. He introduced First Baptist Church to the group ‘Third Day’. It’s said that during one construction project at the church Third Day was heard a block away! Made me glad we’d re-leaded the stained glass windows the year before. Not only did he enjoy listening to music, he loved to sing. Some may question whether he had a ‘good singing voice’ but no one could dispute that he had a song in his heart just waiting to burst forth.
- Denis was the kind of guy who always wanted to give kids a chance. He’d to his best to provide them with all sorts of opportunities to prove themselves. Failure on their part was no reason to quit; it was only an opportunity to try again. Sometimes Denis took his desire to believe in kids to the extreme. I remember the time we were decorating for Christmas at the old First Baptist Church building. We were blessed to have Donna in charge of our decorating. Donna was meticulous and creative in her work. She took pride in what she did and rightfully so. Denis got us a Christmas tree for the rotunda area of the church. We aren’t sure where he got it, but the white house tree may have been smaller than ours that year. After Donna had directed us in how to decorate the building it was time for the tree. Denis wanted to be in charge of putting the glass bulbs on the tree with the Sunday School kids, the majority of whom were six years of age and under. As we were working around the building we heard the sound of breaking glass followed by a wince on Donna’s face. “Don’t worry! We still have 23 left” Denis said reassuringly, Crash/tinkle, “make that 22”. A dozen broken bulbs later Denis went to find more bulbs. In his absence Donna quickly put the remaining glass bulbs high on the tree. Denis returned in amazement that Bills Ace Hardware didn’t carry red, plastic Christmas Tree bulbs.
- Denis’ love for kids was evident in his teaching. Why just teach about foot washing? Let’s get a bowl, a towel and take off our shoes! The lesson plans provided were never creative or exciting for Denis. He could always find some way to make the lesson more of an event or adventure. Over the past couple days I’ve heard several people tell me that their child accepted Jesus as a result of Denis’ ministry.
- Denis never grasped the idea of denominations. In his world I don’t think there were any. People came in two types. Those who followed Christ and those who didn’t. If you followed Christ as savior he was an encourager, if you didn’t, he was an evangelist. The sign on the front of his business said Shipping and Handling but that was really a front for the Denis Bayle Evangelistic Association. To Denis, every conversation was an opportunity to share Jesus. If you left ‘Shipping and Handling’ without hearing about Jesus, you simply weren’t paying attention.
- I remember another time when Denis and I stood talking to a local business man who happened to own a bar. He told me that he’d heard some talk about him from ‘church’ people and it hurt him deeply. This man constantly reached out to many who were in need. He told me he’d always admired the beautiful stained glass windows in our church. I invited him inside. As we entered the sanctuary his cell phone went off. The conversation I heard on my end went something like this. “Hello son….You’ll never guess where I am….the Sanctuary of the Baptist Church…no, really…I’m not kidding you son. I’m in the sanctuary of the Baptist Church!” That day began a relationship that continues to this day.
- That’s the way Denis was. He was constantly seeking out the ‘misfits’ around him so he could relate to them and be an example of salvation.
- Denis was always reaching out with grace to those who may have rejected because he knew what it was like to fail. Denis knew what it was like to need forgiveness and be forgiven. He knew what it was like to experience the restoration of a soul, emotions and identity that can only be found in Jesus.
- It didn’t matter how long you knew Denis, he was a friend you could call on when you needed him and he’d be there. In his world there were two groups of people. Those who were his close friends and those close friends he didn’t know yet.
- Denis never forgot where he’d come from and the effects of the poor choices in his life. He never forgot that it was only because of Jesus’ forgiveness that he was even alive. He’d do anything he could to keep people from making the same mistakes. Maybe that’s why some people saw him as annoying. He had such a passion for people and such a desire to help that he’d do anything to keep others from making the same mistakes. That’s why, at times, he was a little overbearing. He knew what could happen if you make wrong choices. Denis may not have always done things right, but he was always motivated by love.
- No doubt everyone in this room owed Denis a favor at one time or another for something he did for you. Were he here today I think his response would be something like “Forget it. The only repayment I want is for you to live for Jesus every day of your lives.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (NLT)
All of us dream, at one point or another, of being well-known for some type of achievement. We play out our dreams as children. Dreams of being ‘cops or robbers’ or being star athletes or president of the United States. Dreams are the stuff life is made of. As we get older our dreams become more realistic. Sometimes they are buried in the midst of failure and the wounds we receive from others that tell us we’ll never amount to anything…and we believe them. But deep inside of us we never stop dreaming of a better tomorrow.
One day, John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness. He cousin, Jesus the Christ, came out to hear him preach. Even though they were cousins and just a few months apart we don’t really know much about their lives together as children. We do know that John had a special mission to fulfill. His ‘dream’ was to be a preacher, his mission was to make known to others the coming of Messiah.
When John saw Jesus coming he proclaimed, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” He could have called him the great healer, for many were healed by his touch. He could have called him a great teacher. Even those who don’t acknowledge him as the son of God admit that he was a tremendous teacher. His methods are still followed today! John even could have proclaimed ‘Look, it’s the creator of the world!”
But he didn’t. John’s words spoke far more loudly of whom Jesus was, “the Lamb of God.” The very term brought a visual that only the Jews of that time could fully understand. When a lamb was born it was checked for flaws. If it was a perfect lamb it was kept until the day of sacrifice. It’s only real purpose in life was to die on the altar for the sins of God’s people.
Jesus was the Lamb of God. He wasn’t born to heal us. He wasn’t born to free us from emotional, physical or political oppression. He wasn’t born to make a great name for himself. He was born to die. His sole purpose for coming was to die for my sin. Life on this earth will be filled with calamity and pain and hardship. There will be days, even years filled with tears more than laughter. But in the midst of all we go through our one constant that we can rely on is that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die so we could live. That was the plan.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, once again I come to you in praise and worship for your desire to come to earth just to die for me. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with life that I forget the huge price you paid for me. I ask that today, you would help me to be in constant remembrance that your sole purpose for coming was to die for me. Let that be my encouragement as I face today’s challenges. In your name I pray, Amen.
But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. Acts 2:23 (NLT)
One of my favorite movies of all time is Apollo 13. I watched the drama of the moon bound spacecraft hobbling back to earth after an explosion ‘first-hand’ on television. Still, when I watch the movie I still feel that twinge of ‘will they make it?’ surging through me. It amazes me how this group of people (some on planet earth, some thousands of miles away on a crippled hunk of metal) could work together to figure out how to solve the crisis.
Apollo 13 is a perfect example of a ‘successful failure’. They didn’t get to the moon and back safely. But they did get back safely after revamping their plans. True heroics is the ability to go with plan ‘B’ or ‘C’ when plan ‘A’ is no longer an option. To carry on when failure tells you success isn’t possible.
Although the story of Apollo 13 is intriguing, the story of salvation through Jesus Christ is even more so. Were we, as humans, able to look into the future and see how some of our decisions would play out, we’d no doubt change our plans to avoid failure. God didn’t do that.
Long before Adam was a glint in his eye he knew you would be where you are right now, while you are reading this. The website you looked at last night? He knew you’d visit there too. And the cruel words you said to or about that person at work, or in the next locker at school? Yep. He knew about that too.
God knew, long before what we call time, that you’d disobey him. He knew every failure you’d make. He knew every time you’d reject his quiet voice telling you to follow him. Even so, he made two decisions. One was to form you in your mothers’ womb in his very image. The other was to provide a way for you to escape a life bound by sin and struggle and pain.
God isn’t surprised when you fail and he’s not about to give up on you when you reject him. Nothing you can do will surprise him. Nothing you’ve done has made him give up on you. You can never escape his love and his forgiveness and grace is there for the asking.
Apollo 13 is an example of a good plan diverted by failure but ending in success. Salvation through Jesus Christ is an example of a good plan unaffected by failure and ending in a rich relationship with God and eternal life after we die!
PRAYER: Father God, there are so many times when I fail you. I even surprise myself by my weakness and inability to do the things I want to do! Thank you for the cross. Thank you that even though you knew I’d fail you went ahead and made me in your image. Thank you that your plan isn’t affected by my weakness. Empower me by your spirit to live a life pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 