By Mark Hamby
“You’ll be the same five years from now as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charles T. Jones
If you look back five years, who would you say has influenced your thinking? To whom have you turned for inspiration? In our day of shallow thinking and tainted worldviews, who has motivated you to move forward to fulfill your dreams or to answer that subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) calling deep within? Better yet, whose thinking have you influenced? Who has turned to you for inspiration? And who have you motivated to fulfill their dreams or to answer that calling deep within?
We neither live nor thrive in a vacuum. We are neither rocks nor islands. It is our very nature to be influenced or inspired by others; it is our privilege to do the same.
To say that there is no one in your life who has been influential or inspirational, perhaps because you live in a spiritually, culturally, or even geographically deprived area is a poor excuse. You can be surrounded by extraordinary and ordinary people who, through their heroic actions or humble spirit have made a huge difference in this world—either in our day, or in days gone by; in our land, or on exotic soil. Reading books—good books, life-changing books—gives you the opportunity to experience life outside of your finite, limited world. You can bear the burdens, celebrate the triumphs, enjoy the experiences, and learn the lessons of real men and women, boys and girls whom you will never see with your eyes nor feel with your skin. What richness! What depth! What an opportunity to be influenced and inspired!
Many great people have made a difference in my life since I began to read (at 22 years old!). I particularly love the story about the boy who asked many questions. He asked so many questions that his father thought he was stupid and his teacher considered him a dunce and requested that he be removed from school. But his mother believed in him. She believed that God had a special plan for his life. She inspired him to pursue his dreams. Years later, he became a famous inventor. This is what he wrote: “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt that I had someone to live for. I did not have my mother very long, but in that length of time, she cast over me the influence which has lasted all my life. If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should very likely never have become an inventor. Signed, Thomas Edison.”
This glimpse into Thomas Edison’s life helped me to realize the power of influence. Note Edison’s own words—“an influence which lasted all my life.” Sometimes all it takes to light the fire that idly simmers within hearts, all it takes to release the pent-up creativity, all it takes to soften the many-layered hard, crusty shell—is just the right person, or just the right book—carefully selected; carefully timed.
In my early 20s, I longed for a spiritual mentor whom I could follow. Our church fellowship was sweet and endearing, but something was lacking. I wanted conversations that were filled with the issues of life. I wanted to grapple with besetting sins and plans that would change the world. But my inner longings weren’t satisfied. I needed to be influenced. I needed someone to turn to for inspiration. Then, during the summer of 1980, a dozen biographies arrived in the mail, special delivery, from a man who knew my secret—I hated to read! I held the box, and after my initial diagnosis that it wasn’t a bomb, I reached inside and pulled out a book. The first thing I noticed was that it was small and non-threatening—only about 3/8 of an inch thick—and since I never judged a book by its cover, only by its size, I decided I would give it a try. It was the biography of D.L. Moody. Before I knew it, I was halfway through. Literally, I couldn’t put it down! I had found my first mentor, and my love for reading was ignited.
Could there be another book in that box that could breathe life into such a thirsty soul? I reached in and found another “thin one,” He Dared to Trust God for Countless Orphans, the life story of George Mueller. Skeptical at first, I found myself still reading three hours later! What faith Mueller had! What commitment to Jesus Christ on behalf of those helpless, starving children. He fed them through his incredible, faith-believing prayers! I wanted to be like him—yearning to taste the miraculous power of answered prayer!
I learned an important lesson that week. I learned that my mentors could be found on the pages of great books. Inspired by what D.L. Moody did on his feet and what George Mueller did on his knees, I began to pray like I’d never prayed before, and then I began to attach those prayers to my feet. I will never forget the time I was visiting the parents of children who were attending my children’s church class. The parents of this one particular family had never attended our church, so I gave them a visit. After several knocks on the door, in a neighborhood where I felt strangely out of place, this large, dark figure emerged and pressed his nose against the fogged storm door. “Thank you, Mr. Hayes, for sending your children to our church,” was my introduction. There was a strange and eerie silence, so I repeated my nervous thank-you as I began my backward descent. He was an impressive figure with flaring nostrils and bulging eyes—about 230 pounds. Safely at my car, I began to open the door, when all of a sudden he bolted out of his house, running toward me like a mad man! It was the quickest prayer I’d ever offered! Face to face, he began to taunt me, yelling that if I ever came back he’d eat me up and spit me out! There I was—five foot six and three-quarter inches—standing against a six-foot, 230-pound Godzilla! Fortunately for me, he was really referring to eating me up and spitting me out in a game of basketball as we stood near his court. It was like a Clint Eastwood-style movie. I turned, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “Why wait till next time? Let’s do it now!”
Was I crazy? This guy could destroy me in a game of basketball—there was no doubt. But I had an edge—a powerful God who really could answer the innocent prayers of simple faith. This was not really about basketball. I was fighting for a soul. I can’t remember when I was more confident. I could just sense that God was there. All eight of his children and his wife came out to cheer. I looked at Mr. Hayes and told him that I wasn’t a betting man, but if I won, he would have to come to church for the next two Sundays; if he won I would be his slave every Saturday for one month. I felt that it was a win-win situation for me, but with all my heart I wanted this man to come to hear the gospel. He again taunted me, saying how he would eat me up and spit me out; but then there was a change in his behavior. I asked him if I could borrow a pair of his old sneakers (I learned this from Hudson Taylor!). He was shocked that I would ask him, of a different skin color, to wear his shoes. I wore a size 9—he was a 13! Can you picture this? So there I was—it was a classic David and Goliath scene. First, I went over to a large rock behind the court, knelt and prayed, “Lord, I am in big trouble! I need your help. Please help me to beat this guy so he’ll come to church.”
I could feel him breathing down by neck as he yelled, “Hey, what you doing, man!?”
“I’m talking to my Coach,” I retorted with a smile. Let the game begin!
You just had to be there. He wouldn’t let me dribble the ball more than three feet on the court before he forced me out of bounds. He was playing tough. All I could do was throw the ball toward the basket from about 30 feet away, and—SWISH! Fifteen in a row! Everything I shot in the air went in. Angels must have been sitting on top of the basket, catching everything I shot and guiding it in! You should have seen his face!
Two weeks later, during the Sunday evening message, Mr. Hayes was the first person down the aisle, calling upon the Lord to be saved! And to think all of this happened because of a book about a man who put his faith to his feet, and another who lived it out on his knees. Finally, I was experiencing what, up to this point, I had only been reading about. It was true—all true—there is a living faith, an abundant life that God has planned for each of us. All I needed was for someone to show me the way. I had been influenced. I had been inspired. And there was no turning back.
Oh, if there were only enough room for me to tell you about the life-changing stories of Amy Carmichael, John Newton, Hudson Taylor, Charlie Jones, Fenelon, Gladys Aylward, and Esther Anne Kim! I am wholeheartedly dedicated to the task of finding literary treasures that will give all of us, young and old, hope to take on life’s challenges, courage to overcome overwhelming obstacles, and resolve to answer the inner calling that leads to a life of purpose and meaning. Simply, it is my desire to fan the flame, that it might burn brightly in our children’s hearts. As we at Lamplighter Publishing unbury these lost treasures, may they serve to inspire and influence you, and to help you to motivate others to fulfill their dreams and answer that calling deep within.
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