THE
STORY OF THE BRICK
THE BRICK
The memories of Joe will forever fill
my heart. Some of them are of the great times when he made me laugh with his
witty sense of humor, others when he was not at his best. Joe and I had in many
occasions somewhat intense exchanges of opinions; typical of a Mom and her
teenage son. Often it had to do with my emphatic encouragement for him to do
something that he was not totally convinced he wanted to do. But my less than
gentle prodding usually resulted in him giving in and following my instruction
and complying with my wishes. Most of the time I would request and encourage him
to attend activities that would enhance his spiritual life. Some of these were
sponsored by Student Venture which is a youth ministry through Campus Crusade
for Christ. It was clear for me to see the marked change and the positive
influence that the Biblical teachings presented in these gatherings affected
Joe.
Since Joe was a typical teenage boy, I felt that he needed constant spiritual
direction for at times, he deviated from his commitments regarding his walk with
the Lord. For this reason I was extremely happy when I was informed by Joe’s
football coach that there would be an opportunity for Joe to attend a Christian
camp sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This Christian coach had
previously announced this to Joe’s football team with the hope that there
would be a positive response from a number of the players. As my one and most
intense desire had always been for each of my sons to walk closely with the Lord
and serve Him above all else, I felt that this would be one more open door for
Joe to go through and learn from other Biblically based ministries what his life
should reflect as a Christian. I also knew that the dedicated and well-trained
members of this youth ministry would bring the Gospel message to these young
people in a way that perhaps I nor his Dad could.
It was July of 2000, the Summer before Joe’s Senior year in high school. he
was at that time, 17 years old. He had made the commitment to attend this
week-long camp in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Being led by his vivacious
personality he was ready to make the best of everything and enjoy whatever he
was doing to the fullest. I am sure that he did his best to enjoy his activities
at camp as well. Perhaps at times, he included some mischievous behavior as part
of this “enjoyment”, which I am sure was not totally pleasing to the camp
staff.
{The following story was
compiled from the facts as related by the friends who accompanied Joe}
The Biblical teachings which were shared with all camp members had the
consistent goal of bringing as many to Christ and receive their Salvation as
possible. Consequently, they all were given numerous opportunities to come
forward and repent from their sins, accept Jesus into their hearts and make the
commitment to follow Him. During one of these altar calls, Joe was one of the
first ones to come forward and receive his Salvation to guarantee him eternal
life. The rest of the group who were members of his football team followed him.
They would later relate that Joe had always been their role model; as the
Captain of the football team and the starting linebacker, they regarded Joe as
more than just their friend, but their strong leader.
As part of the activities, a regular visit to the Chapel was a priority. The
talks that were shared while they gathered there were done in a way that could
bring the message of the Gospel so that their young minds and hearts could grasp
and understand. The goal was to bring home the message of the Savior who died
for each one of them in order to give them eternal life.
The visual aids used in this talk were bricks and sticks. The essence of the
message centered around the concept that you can gather sticks in your life
symbolizing the sins that we all have. Building a life with sticks and without
Christ is a life that is weak, unsteady and easy to destroy. However, when you
repent from your sins and receive God’s forgiveness, then it’s as if the
sticks are broken and thrown away. Once free from sin, then a life could be
built with bricks solid as the word of God; strong, unmovable and able to
withstand the blows of life.
After this talk, the group of boys was
invited to go outside and individually take some sticks representing the sins in
their lives, as they repented from them, they would break them and throw them
away symbolizing their genuine repentance and the forgiveness brought to them
through Jesus. With this new freedom, Their hearts and minds held the image of
the new life which was now solidly built with bricks grounded in Christ, the
solid rock.
During one of the breaks between the sessions, five boys led by the leadership
which characterized Joe challenged them to do something “crazy.” While they
stood at the foot of a tall mountain, they were met by Joe’s invitation,
“…do you want to do something crazy? Do you want to climb a mountain”?
Most of them expressed apprehension but they admit it was difficult to say
“no” to Joe. Perhaps this invitation would have been well received by the 16
and 17 year old group of boys had it not been for the rattle snake warning which
had been officially announced that morning for those in that immediate area. As
they hesitantly followed Joe, they came across a large black dead snake, the all
stopped in their tracks not knowing what to do. Joe bent down, picked up the
snake, tossed it to the side and said, “…come on, let’s climb.”
The long two and half hour climb was not easy, they grew tired, weak, hungry and
some wanted to go back.
{When Joe came back home, he related
that he felt in his heart an urgent need, one he couldn’t explain, to finish
the climb and get to the top of that mountain}
As they got closer to the top, the view and splendor of the clouds brushing
against the trees gave them renewed energy to keep going. Any attempts of giving
up were dismissed by each other’s determination to keep going.
The final goal to reach the top was met by these boys whose feeling of
exhilarating joy served to vanish any fatigue felt just moments before. The
satisfaction and relief of having finished their hike was rewarded by an
overwhelming feeling of awe…not so much because of the breath taking splendor
of the view, but from the one, solitary brick laying on the very top as if it
was purposely placed in a spot that could not be overlooked! Joe is remembered
as saying with excitement, “…here it is, this is exactly what we were
talking about!!”
Joe knew that this was no coincidence nor an accident. He knew in his heart that
God had put it there to bring to them a more vivid message of what He intended
their lives to reflect.
Each boy in the group understood the meaning. The message they had heard earlier
in the chapel was made real to them in a way that would impact their lives in a
powerful way. They formed a circle and prayed, Joe’s prayer was similar to
those in the group: “Father, I thank you for this opportunity that we have to
be up on this mountain close to You. This brick was the only brick up here and I
thank you for letting us find it, thank you for your message”
After pictures were taken of each other with the background of an unforgettable
view, the group began their descent down the mountain. This time, however, with
hearts of gratitude of a changed life, they took turns in carrying the brick as
a symbol of the message clearly meant for them. Each young man remembered that
the descent from the mountain was made in record time because of their
excitement and eagerness to relate their experience. However, in the back of
their minds, they also had concern for the consequences they might suffer for
having been absent for so many hours. Back at camp, the 4 to 5 hours they were
missing caused the coaches’ fear for their safety to turn to extreme anger for
no one knew where they had gone. Once Joe explained with much detail what took
place, the coaches hearts were changed, their anger turned to relief and joy for
the boys.
At one of the gatherings where the over 300 camp members attended, they were
given an opportunity to share any thought, experience or change they had
undergone. Joe stood up, approached the stage, and took the mike. As the rest
of the team followed him and stood behind him, he began to relate the change
their lives had taken because of the impact of this experience. Joe shared
that they knew that God had a special message for the group at the top of the
mountain and explained that his heart had changed as he knew the power of God.
Giving his life to Christ as Joe did,
however, is more than just making this decision; it means that he had to stay
unashamedly committed to Jesus. He demonstrated this conviction when a few weeks
before God called Joe home, he had a tattoo placed on his left arm. It was of a
beautiful cross. Although Joe had always complied with our wishes not to have
any tattoos on his body, Only Joe and God know the real reason for him to make
that decision at this particular time to intricately design this cross which
held a special meaning for him.
A couple of weeks later, he and a group of childhood friends who were visiting
Florida went to the beach. When he was asked the reason for the cross on his
arm, he replied that he had accepted Christ as his Savior and the cross was a
symbol of that commitment.
Perhaps this was the last audible
message Joe gave to his friends. However, this message from Joe, although now
silent, speaks even louder to urge his friends to make the commitment to Christ,
one that will ultimately lead them to heaven. Joe was strong, physically, and
also in character. He had friends from all walks of life and seemed to be their
leader. Those friends who love Joe can now see clearly that no one is
invincible; their days on earth may end in a second. Joe was prepared and he is
now leading his friends to follow him in yet another more important decision.
We always knew Joe was a leader since he was very young. Although As a young boy
he would use these abilities to lead his buddies in mischievous ventures, as he
matured, he led his peers in more positive ways. He excelled at every sport he
participated in, breaking records but always making sure he encouraged his peers
in all aspects of life to be the best they could be.
If there would be a message that Joe’s life gave to all would be that his
physical absence is not the real tragedy. The real tragedy is that this event
would evoke pity and compassion but fail to see the urgency of making the
decision which will determine where they spend eternity.
Joe’s Dad and I have the comfort of knowing that he did not put off his
Salvation by thinking that there is a tomorrow in which to seek it. Joe did
not wait for that tomorrow, and his life brought to reality what the Bible
says that our lives are like a vapor which lasts a short while.
In his short life, Joe was far from perfect and did struggle in his walk with
the Lord. However, God did not expect Joe to be perfect… just forgiven by Him
and committed to him.
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