Live Like You are Dying

The other day I reached for my phone and was excited to talk to one of my mentors, Dr. Harold Brown. 

The Brown family entered my life for the first time while I was a student at Baptist Bible College in Springfield Missouri.  On one particular day of classes, Harold and his son Dan attended one of my ministry classes and offered practical perspective to aspiring pastors.  Harold and Dan were incredible ministers serving the people of Somerset Kentucky at Oak Hill Baptist Church.  Although, this was my first encounter with them, one of my classmates leaned over and shared with me their reputation; I was immediately impressed, intimidated and naturally curious.

My first real introduction came a few months later.  I was now serving as the youth pastor of Fairfield West Baptist Church and Dan had invited our ministry to attend LIFT; an up in coming camping ministry that was like none other.  Through the circumstances surrounding the planning and attending of LIFT (which still continues today some 16 years later), I fell in love with the entire Brown family and have forged one of my most intimate friendships in life.

However, on the day in which Harold called me, I never anticipated what I was about to hear.  “Hey Rob, I need you to find me a place that will let me jump out of an airplane.” 

My response went something like this, “Huh?”

Harold reiterated, “I want to jump from an airplane this weekend, can you help me?”

I could not believe what I was hearing.  I know people jump out of airplanes all the time.  Sky diving is often the preferred way adrenaline junkies get their fix, however I never would have guessed that my 70 year old ministry mentor would be asking me to hook him up in a tandem sky dive. 

Immediately my head began to spin.  I did not know whether I had a whole new respect for Harold or I had just lost all respect for Harold.  In any case I agreed to help him mark off another line item from his bucket list, but this is when the craziness turned to madness.  Harold continued, “You should come and do it with me.”    

Now he did it.  What was I to do now?  I have to be honest; the thought of me jumping from an airplane had never crossed my mind.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things that I would love to do before the Lord comes or before I die, but jumping from an airplane was not one of them.  It all just seemed so, so…unnecessary.  I did not get the point.  Why would any perfectly sane person jump out of a perfectly good airplane at 13,000 feet?

Nevertheless, I had just agreed to set it all up and now Harold had asked me to join him in taking the plunge.  I began to scramble for an answer.  Then it hit me so I said, “If my wife signs off on the idea, then I am in.”  I thought to myself that this was the perfect answer.  I am a husband with great responsibilities in life.  I have young children that need a father.  I am a pastor which people depend upon.  I just knew that my wife would never be okay with me jumping from an airplane.  Therefore, I believed my response was brilliant.  I would appear as a caring and responsible husband, father and pastor once I declined Harold’s invitation to jump.  No one could fault me for putting my family and ministry first.  I could say no and save face.  No one could ever call me a weenie for being afraid, instead I would come off as a devoted and conscientious man that values personal relationships more than cheap thrills in life.

However, my scheme all unraveled with my wife’s response, “Sounds like fun; go ahead Hun, opportunities like this do not come along every day.”

Therefore, on May 22, Harold Brown, Bruce O’Neal (president of Manna Worldwide) and I put on blue jump suits, boarded a prop plane, ascended to 13,000 feet and we jumped. 

Regardless of how one might feel about the adventures of skydiving, my experience has placed many things in perspective.  The first thing that resonated with me is that life extends many opportunities.  Opportunities are usually seen as a favorable circumstance that offers some kind of advantage, but in the end they are all chances.  In other words, life offers us chances to achieve and accomplish the things we value in life. 

The second thing I learned is that we need to decide on the opportunities that we are going to take.  Life is full of decisions; the question becomes is this, when making the necessary decisions in life what do we base our decisions upon?  Is there a standard on which we measure the opportunities that have presented?  How do we know which fork in the road to take?

Finally, we must understand that some decisions we make cannot be undone.  Some decisions are so significant that once they have been decided, they will totally alter one’s future.  Regardless of whether we fully understand or appreciate the full impact of life’s choices, some decisions are irreversible; in other words, there is no turning back.  Therefore, choose wisely.   

Although some may see jumping out of an airplane as being careless and irresponsible, I see it as one of the most memorable opportunities of my life.  Sure, there was some risk (not as much as one might think), but this was a chance for development and growth which has afforded me a fresh perspective on making life’s decisions. 
Joshua 24:15  …choose you this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

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