Grace Undeserved

We all have people in our lives who need our help, and who need our grace. They could be people with large or small problems. They might be family members, friends, or even the strangers that God occasionally sends our way. One thing is always true though:  if you care about people, if you put yourself out there, you are going to get hurt sometimes. Your heart will be broken, or at least bruised, and that is just a part of life. In fact, the more you care the more likely you are to be hurt because when we open up our hearts is when we are most vulnerable. And it’s easy to write people off, or to give up on them. In fact, when folks need us the most is when they are also most likely to offend us … and that is the challenge, dear friends.

As a Christian my example is Jesus, who showed me so much more grace than I could have ever deserved. His love for me, and for you by the way, has no basis whatsoever in my deserving it. Indeed, rather than being based upon any inherent value in me, His love is actually what gives me value. God could have given up on me. He could have written me off when I offended Him, and turned His back on me when I turned my back on Him. Instead He sent His Son to die for my sins and draw me into eternal relationship with Him. That is the meaning of grace, and one of the foundations of Christianity. This morning in church we sang a song entitled One Thing Remains, the chorus of which repeats the words, “Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.” That captures the spirit of grace beautifully, and that kind of love must, by nature, trickle down into our human relationships.

So what about those people in my life, the ones who need my help … and my grace? If I am the recipient of so much undeserved grace how can I possibly withhold it from others, especially when my love and grace may actually be, at least in part, the manifestation of God’s grace to them? I have to love them and offer them the kind of grace that I have received.  So think about your own life. Who are you getting ready to write off or give up on? Better yet, who do you feel called to love and show grace to?  

Here’s what I know for sure. I’ve received way more grace than I’ll ever be able to reciprocate. But I’m going to do my best and I call upon you to join me. Together, and with God’s help, we can change this hurting world.

Grace Undeserved

In a moment of frustration
I was ready to declare
“That’s it, I quit, let’s walk away
It just hurts too much to care”
But then God calmed my spirit
As He soothed me patiently
And I realized I can’t give up
Even when folks challenge me
Because my Lord and my example
Had the chance to walk away
He could have left me to my sins
And God knows where I’d be today
But He didn’t quit, He didn’t judge
He didn’t abandon me
Though I was utterly undeserving
Jesus still chose Calvary
So when I seem at wit’s end
With those I’m called to serve
I remember that the grace I’ve known
Was not what I deserve
So give me strength, oh Savior
And remind me constantly
That I must love as You loved
The ones entrusted to me
           By Frank Carpenter ©

For more on this subject check out this previous blog entry as well:  http://frankcarpenter.blogspot.com/2005/02/forgiveness

Have a Little Faith

I had the pleasure and unique opportunity this afternoon to interview Brad Moore, president of Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions for the past twenty-nine years. We discussed their latest movie, Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith which premiers this Sunday, November 27, on the ABC Television Network. (9:00-11:00 ET) The movie is based upon Mitch Albom’s best-selling book of the same name, his first nonfiction work since Tuesdays With Morrie. Albom also wrote the screenplay and played a big part in the production. When I asked Brad what was so special about this film he replied, “It’s a wonderful story of redemption … a true story of regaining faith and overcoming cynicism.” That sounds to me like the kind of story we all need to hear. The synopsis from Albom’s web site seems to capture the beautiful dichotomy of this story best:

"Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he’d left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor-a reformed drug dealer and convict-who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Mitch observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi, embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Mitch and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times … Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.”

This is just the kind of inspirational story we have come to expect from Hallmark Hall of Fame, but it’s also brought to life through an amazing all-star cast. Laurence Fishburne plays Henry Covington, a Detroit preacher who overcame a life of drugs and crime. Martin Landau is the aging New Jersey Rabbi, Albert Lewis, the spiritual and cultural counterpart to Covington. In the middle is Mitch Albom, played by Bradley Whitford. Covington’s wife, Annette is portrayed by Anika Noni Rose. There is every indication that the chemistry between these outstanding actors perfectly compliments Albom’s already very personal story in a way that gleans all the emotion and meaning from his original words. In the case of a writer as gifted as Albom that’s a very tall order to fill, but they definitely do.

In the words of Brad Moore, Have a Little Faith is “deeply moving … and very satisfying.” Brad’s excitement about this film was definitely contagious and I’m truly looking forward to seeing it this Sunday evening. I would encourage my readers to do the same. I believe it promises a welcome and insightful look at two relevant versions of faith that we should all understand better, but it is also a wonderful launching point for further and deeper conversations. That’s why it would be a good movie to watch with either friends or family. It offers something beyond mere entertainment value. The very title is intriguing to us, especially in these difficult times, and it promises some hope to people that they might discover something within themselves, or beyond themselves. Without a doubt many on either end of the religious spectrum will find some spiritual shortcomings or feel like they may have been underrepresented. But this isn’t a film about doctrine or about whose faith is the right one. It acknowledges a higher power in a way that can appeal to a broad audience. It’s a starting point to get your own intellectual, spiritual and emotion gears turning. That’s one of the reasons I believe it has so much value. Watch it with an open mind and an open heart. Then talk about it. Just as Mitch Albom finds himself in the middle, between two faiths, many people in our society find themselves in the middle as well. That’s a good starting place for anyone … so share it with someone.

It’s been a pleasure for me to learn about this inspirational story and the people involved in it. Many thanks to Brad Moore, of Hallmark Hall of Fame, for taking the time to speak with me this afternoon, and to Grace Hill Media for making that possible. Remember that Have a Little Faith airs this Sunday evening on ABC. Every once in a while a story comes along that tugs at our hearts, one that supports traditional values and challenges all of us to take our eyes off of ourselves for a few hours and to look up together. This is one of those stories. I could not think of a better way to close today than to simply encourage all of you to just … Have a Little Faith.

The Romance of the Century

I was waiting in line at the grocery store this afternoon. Like most people, I filled that idle time looking over the photos and the headlines on the covers of the various magazines displayed there. Usually I find nothing of interest in the intellectual wasteland of those magazines, but one in particular cover caught my eye today. The new issue of Vanity Fair had a classic photograph of Elizabeth Taylor in her prime with the bold face headline, “Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, the Romance of the Century.” It all sounds very glamorous and I’m certain that a lot of folks would concur. However, especially today, I must take issue therewith. I’ve grown weary of Hollywood romance. I’m tired of all the hype, the glitz, the frenzy of interest and speculation, and often the character of those in the limelight who rarely live up to the images they project. Celebrity romance promises so much and generally delivers very little. It’s a case of people no better than you or I making below average choices in public, flitting in and out of rehab, and practically getting worshiped for it. And if they adopt a child from Africa once in a while they achieve near sainthood. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids from Africa. However, these celebrity couples are rarely more worthy of being our role models than anyone else.

Now let’s return to Liz and Richard and the supposed romance of the century. Seriously? Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven different men. She was married to Richard two different times, which hardly qualifies them for that title. After all, they failed twice. I’m sorry, but Liz wouldn’t know the romance of the century if it hit her on the head. They might have shared the infatuation of the century or the divorce (s) of the century, or the public affair of the century, but the title of romance of the century certainly must belong to someone who didn’t fail at it eight times.

I suppose it boils down to a world view and our definition of love. The problem is that Hollywood’s other great contribution to society is that it has completely corrupted the meaning of the word love. We’ve been programmed to believe that love, true love, is tumultuous and tragic, that it comes and goes like flu season, and the whole story can be told in two hours. (at $10 a ticket) I cannot, I will not, believe that. True love isn’t a fickle feeling that we can fall in and out of over and over again. Genuine love is a way of life that cherishes and honors another person and builds over the course of years. If you’re really looking for the romance of the century, then start crashing fiftieth anniversary parties. That’s where you’ll find it. That’s where you’ll discover the actual experts on love. Those are the people who took their wedding vows to heart and proved out their love for better or for worse.

I’ve been married for nearly twenty-nine years to just about the most wonderful person in the world. And you know what? Our love and our life just keep getting better and I thank God for them every day. Now, I don’t think we deserve the romance of the century title because it belongs to a lot of amazing couples who have been together for twice as long as us. However, I can honestly say that during the two centuries we have had the pleasure of being a part of, I’ve felt we like were at least contenders in each one. You can’t really ask for more than that.

Today, I dedicate this poem to all those folks who have lived and loved together for a lifetime. You are the definition of the word love and the personification of romance. Liz and Richard, for all their glamour and their undeserved title from Vanity Fair, will never hold a candle to you.

Till Death Do Us Part
We seem to have forgotten
How much wedding vows mean today
So when life grows too difficult
Folks just seem to walk away
They forget about their promise
To stand through sickness and health
To stay when things were better or worse
Through poverty and through wealth
We cast aside the promises
We made back at the start
To the ultimate commitment
When we vowed, ATill death do us part@
A vow devoid of options
Which, in this world of lies
Stands as the measure of commitment
Unmarred by compromise
Those vows don=t mention happiness
Nor compatibility
Clearly, because they become subjective
When folks begin to disagree
In the end, there is no greater tribute
To what marriage is all about
Than those who stay Atill death do us part@
Who live those wedding vows out
So when your commitment is waning
And you feel love slipping away
Remember the vow you made before God
And your loved ones that long ago day
Find a way to rekindle the fires
Which once burned so bright in your heart
And stand by your promise, whatever the cost
Until death do us part
By Frank Carpenter ©