News Archive
My heroes
The first category are famous people in the limelight. Drawn from the political arena, or the sporting field, or the arts, I find myself drawn to personalities who inspire me, move me, make me laugh, or even, cause me to look at my world again in a different way. Amongst these are people like Churchill, because of the power of his oratory, or Tiger Woods, because of that wonderful mix of talent and determination. As I get older, I’m also appreciating more the power to release imagination when looking at a beautiful painting, reading a great book or listening to Handel or Elgar.My second category are those "Christian" heroes, particularly those leaders who’ve shaped my thinking or just simply inspired me to be a better Christian. Interestingly, I’ve discovered, that the qualifications for this group are not necessarily people I always agree with (not that they will lose sleep over that), but who cause me to want to look again at the person of Christ. So here, I’ve listed Billy Graham, because of his sheer integrity and resilience. What a role model he is. Then there’s Bill Hybels, mainly because of his belief in the local church because “there’s nothing like the local church when the local church works well.” Amen to that. Then, in terms of my own formation, I would want to list first John Wimber, then more latterly, Bill Johnson, both of them because of their courage in pursuing the Holy Spirit and their unshakeable belief that there’s nothing that Jesus did 2000 years ago, that spirit-filled believers can’t do today. Amen to that, too.
But I’ve left the best til’ last. My third tier are my Premier League of heroes. Very few of them are famous, but their lives have made a huge difference, especially to me, whether through unbelievable courage, peace and grace in the heat of opposition, forgiveness in the face of hostility, or faith that’s changed a culture of unbelief. Such a person is my friend Robin who lives on the Isle of Man, and Lesley in Poynton, and Baz in Sheffield, and Keith in Rochdale, and Norma in Corbridge. I could list a few more, including one or two from Heaton, but they’d be embarrassed, as heroes always are. These people aren’t perfect, but they choose grace, faith and love, whether it’s in season or out of season. I feel humbled to know them, and their influence and blessing on my life is way beyond anything they could imagine.
So these are my heroes. What about you?