Empty Me

Beth Watson is my hero. Long before I was here, long before the Lord lead me down this path, long before my first Easter Walk, my first mission trip or spiritual awakening, Beth went on the first Elk Horn Luther League mission trip to Denver, Colorado. She was just a sophomore at the time. But something special happened to her on that trip. The group was small, but they went on a great spiritual journey.

While there, Beth and another girl met a little bag lady. I don't recall her name, but I have heard the tale of what happened over and over like the foundation on which our group is built. When they first met her, they felt so sorry for her. They saw that she had nothing. She wore the only clothing she had. She lived hand to mouth. She slept in the streets. But as they worked with her during that week they saw a light inside of her. They saw the richness of spirit, a faith stronger than a mountain. They realized that this little lady, a woman of the streets that had no material possessions, was rich in different way. She had something far more valuable than anything that money could ever buy. By the end, they realized that they desperately longed for that which she had!

They came back with a light and this light lit the way for our group. Beth was such a strong leader. She has used her life as an athlete to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to reach out to the needy. She has obtained great success on the basketball court, but her work for the Kingdom is even sweeter. Younger girls looked up to her and wanted to be like Beth. One of these was Megan. Beth was a guide for her through her teenage years. By the time Megan reached the end of her senior year, she had grown into an amazing Christ-follower in her own right. Inspired by Beth's example, she transformed into an amazing Christian.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

Matthew 13:31, 32

Now Megan is off at college. But her influence can be seen in the lives of the kids I work with now. People striving to be like Megan are doing great things. It is like an amazing cycle. That little lady, much like a tiny mustard seed, gave a light to Beth. It grew and multiplied. She shared it with others. It became like a mighty tree. Beth passed it on to Megan and now the kids of today are carrying the torch.

The Great Divide
by Brant Bollman

The bible says it takes the heart of a child to enter in
But dare not I let vanity stand in the way of my sin
Jesus came and Jesus died, with his arms held open wide
To bridge the gap between him and I
Laid himself down to bridge the great divide

I’m standing up for he who so readily sacrificed

On that cross he shed for you and I
I’m throwing in my ego, giving up my pride
Lay me down to bridge the great divide

I know the parable about the camel in the needles eye
And how the beggar entered in while the rich man cried
But still sometimes it seems too much to part with all my earthly stuff
But one thought of the treasures that He holds
So much more valuable than gold

I’m standing up for he who so readily sacrificed
On that cross he shed for you and I

I’m throwing in my ego, giving up my pride

Lay me down to bridge the great divide

I'll lay me down to bridge the great divide

Wednesday night, Beth returned and gave an amazing message for our Lenten service. She spoke of the need to empty one's self in order to be filled up by the Lord. We carry so much baggage. We place our own selfishness and our pride on like armor and we force out the voice of Truth from our minds. There is nothing more urgent then stripping off the shell, pouring out the bloated ideas of self, and going humbly before God. It is the difference between churchianity and contrition, of pretense and new life, of passing Jesus on the street and embracing him.

Beth spoke with such clarity and urgency. It feels so good to see her come back and she has things figured out! Oh, where would we be with Beth?

Lord, take this vessel. Empty it of all the notions of grandeur. Take my pride. Take my ego. Take stubbornness. Erase them so that I might become like you. Empty me so that I might become filled with something far better.