Are you familiar with the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and the fiery furnace?  The king, being quite full of himself, made a large golden statue and ordered that all immediately stop and fall in worship of the statue whenever music sounded.  Failure to follow this command would result in a horrific death in the fiery furnace.  All but three obeyed this law of the land.  Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Rack, Shack & Benny for fellow Veggie Tales fans out there!!) and they knew that God did not want them to worship false gods and idols.  Their blatant disobedience enraged the king who ordered that they be thrown into the fiery furnace.  He was so angry that he had the furnace heated 7 times hotter than usual.  

We all start off as somebody’s something.  Someone’s child.  Someone’s sibling.  Someone’s niece, nephew, cousin, grandchild.  Someone’s neighbor.  Someone’s friend. Some of us move on to be someone’s spouse, parent, coworker… Throughout most of our lives we move in and out of roles as someone’s something.  We typically carry these titles proudly!  Think about how you felt when someone excitedly exclaimed, Oh! You are so and so’s parent or, you are X’s best friend, sister, spouse, etc. These connections can open, and potentially close, doors.  Regardless, it becomes part of our identity.  Woven deep into the fiber of who we think we are and how we are perceived by the world.  

The Great Commission is detailed in Matthew 28:18–20, after His resurrection, Jesus declares to His disciples that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  I am not a biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I see the Great Commission as a call to action for ALL believers.  My understanding of this lesson is that, as believers and followers of Christ, we are ALL required to do these things: to seek, to teach, and to share God’s word; to help bring others to Christ and to do so without borders. 

Any others out there of the Get Smart generation?  I grew up watching reruns of this iconic TV show, which originally aired in the mid-60’s. The reliable comedy of the show provided a solid base to my humor and gifted me with many one liners that I still use to this day.  I only recently (today!) learned that Mel Brooks was a writer and creator of the program.  As an admirer of his work, that actually explains a lot.  I have long considered Mel Brooks to be an original, imaginative, hilarious, outside the box type of entertainer.  Many of my favorite movies and quotes can be traced back to inspirations provided by his creative genius.  Thank you Mr. Brooks for your many influences on my life over the years.  

Wake up.  Check the phone.  Did they call?