Heroes

We all have heroes. There’s something about these people who say what you wish you could say, do what you wish you could do and live lives that you wish you could be apart of. Now I am not referring to any caped crusader or some imaginary person with unrealistic abilities, I am talking about your everyday ordinary “joes” that really are no different than you, you just admire them for who they are and what they do.

I know it’s dangerous to put anybody on a pedestal because there’s always someone in the crowd throwing rocks trying to knock them down. If they’re not being knocked down by the rocks being thrown, sometimes they just stumble and fall.

With that being said, let me tell you about two heroes who have impacted my thinking this week:

John Piper

I have been listening to sermons by this man this week and I am simply amazed at his understanding and exegesis of Scripture. I admire his dedication to the Scriptures but more importantly to his ministry and his family. If you don’t know who he is, check out his website, appropriately named desiringgod.org. Some neat facts about John, (ahem) I mean Mr. Piper, are that: he doesn’t own a TV and hasn’t for many years, he drives a regular used vehicle, he shops at thrift stores and lives simply. His reasoning? He would rather his riches be stored in heaven than to live extravagantly here on earth. Another reason I admire him, 90% of his resources are free on his website, and those that do cost a price are only to cover the costs of the product.

All right enough about John Piper. Hero number two is:

Steve Brown

Steve Brown’s blog is named “The Old White Guy Blog”. That alone piqued my interest from the start. My first encounter with Steve Brown was through a book entitled “No More Mr. Nice Guy”. It’s a book about saying no to doormat Christianity. He gives practical application for standing up for what you believe in, not so much apologetically but by your convictions. The other thing I like about him is, he is brutally honest. I have never personally talked to the man but in his radio program and teaching, he can tell you like it is, offend you, step on your toes, grind them into the dirt, and you’ll want to hug him for it! Not only will he be honest to you about you, but he’s even more brutally honest about himself and he’s harder on himself. Take a moment and read his article posted on his blog yesterday. Some people don’t like him, and that’s ok. There are moments when I think” I can’t believe he said that!” But at the core of everything this man talks about, you can’t deny the fact that he just loves Jesus.

So what makes a hero? To me it’s about loving our Savior and living for Him. I believe this area will continue to be added to, as I have many heroes. For now, do your selves a favor and give these two guys a chance. You’ll be better for it.