Leaving a legacy, my old friend and mentor Dick "Moby" Brown

I just saw that my old friend and mentor Dick "Moby" Brown passed away. I wrote this blog post a few weeks back, but for my own therapy so to speak I am modifying it slightly and re-posting it.

(I got this picture for his daughter Beth Elswick's facebook page, this is my friend Dick "Moby" Brown working with his grandson on a sermon outline, I love this picture and the message it conveys.)

I believe we all need a mentor. We need someone to come beside us and teach us through example and words how to live. This can happen in a variety of ways both formal and informal. When I went to Bible College I did not know I needed a mentor, but I did. God provided Dick Brown in a very important time of my life. Dick was an adjunct professor of theology and practical ministries and a local preacher.

At the college I went to it was very informal and thus we called professors by their first name. Professor Brown went most often by Moby. As I reflect upon his life I realize more than ever before how much Moby influenced who I am today. Let me just mention four ways in which he has left a positive legacy in my life (these are in no real order).

1. He taught me to love to read. I had never met anyone that had a love for books and learning like Moby.He had a library like no one i had met before. What's more he actually could tell me what the books were about and which were worthwhile. I learned to love to read and learned how to retain what I read due to Moby. I absolutely love to read many types of books. He gave me many books to start my library and suggested great authors to consider. We discussed C. S. Lewis, Lewis Foster, Jack Cottrell, J. R. R. Tolkien, and many more. Today I read and listen to many books. I think I have gone through at least 35 books so far this year. When our house burned down he was there quickly with books in hand. I still have the ones I have not passed on to others. In fact I still have the Bible he gave me. I am not a hoarder, but I will keep that Bible forever I expect.

2. He taught me what it means to be a Christian man. The balance between being in the world, but not of the world is a constant battle for us all. He showed me how to have fun and still seek holiness. We laughed together, sang together, went to a Penn State football game together, went to a few plays together, went to a major league baseball game together, traveled together to conferences, cooked many lunches in the cafeteria for the students together, did church camp together, and ate together real often. We had fun, enjoyed life, and sought to be followers of Christ.I don't know if he realized how much our weekly dinners meant to me. I saw how he loved his Lord, his family, to study, and still did things that he enjoyed doing. While I struggle with balance in life, I did learn much from him.

3. He helped fuel my love for learning. My basic theological training started in his classes and continued in many conversations over a dinner or lunch. He introduced me to the concepts of grace, spiritual warfare, inductive Bible study, and many other key doctrines and concepts. He also greatly influenced my education beyond Bible College. He drove me to Cincinnati and introduced me to professors and the seminary I attended. I don’t think I would have gone to graduate school if he had not pushed me in that direction, much less doctorate work. I would not be teaching today if it were not for him. No doubt we would have stayed in our home area (and there is nothing wrong with that) had he not broadened my horizons. (He even had me eat Skyline Chili to seal the deal, that was wise too.)

4. He showed me the need for true spiritual friendship. A true spiritual friend is one that will help us to become more than we could by ourselves. I have not had many true spiritual friends in my life in which I fully trusted and enjoyed their presence and I believe they did mine. There have been a few like Moby that have come beside me as a spiritual friend and helped me to be more than I could otherwise. Through our trips to conferences, to football and baseball games, to see Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, and weekly meals at our humble home I grew to love my friend. There are few people in life that I feel comfortable with as to not have to come up with topics to discuss. We could sit in silence as we drove and it was not awkward, that is rare. I recall once taking him for an eye surgery and afterwards while he was in pain and unable to talk or really even look out the window, but there was no need to talk. I could pray for him and honestly just feel honored he allowed me to serve him. (Side note, his loving family would have taken off work to take him, they were always there to help him as he was for them, but it worked out for me to take him and again it was an honor). I long for such friendship, but know they are far and few between.

     I do not think I would be where I am today if it were not for Moby. He pushed me to grow spiritually and intellectually. I would not be teaching now, nor would I be the preacher I am today without that encouragement. I thank God for Moby. When I heard he passed away a few minutes ago my heart sank. A great friend, Wade Allen, texted me to see if I was alright. I said I hate I did not get to see him again. Wade in his wisdom replied, "Hey. You'll get to see him again."I needed to hear that.

     To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. While I will miss being able to discuss theological issues with him, miss his wisdom, and miss his friendship, his legacy will never fad from my memory. Moby is not a perfect man, but he taught me what it means to follow the One who is perfect. I will always be grateful, I really I would have visited him. I am much to busy for my own good... which is only my fault.I look forward more and more to heaven.

     The challenge is, will I leave a legacy of faith and discipleship like he has done in my life? I believe I have made an impact on the lives of few, but I have a long way to go to live up to my old mentor. What about you?

Prayer of Patrick

Patrick was born in 387 and died on March 17, 461. At the age of 14 he was taken as a slave to Ireland. At the age of 20 he escaped back home. Then on March 25, 433 he went back to the very people that had enslaved him to bring them to Christ. Here is an example of a prayer that is attributed to him: 

I arise today 
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

My thoughts after watching "The Son of God" movie

       This past Sunday a group of about 120 of us from FCC went as a group to see the movie “The Son of God.” Since then I have had several ask my thoughts about the movie and how closely did it follow the Biblical text. It is very good that we are asking these questions. In Acts 17:11 it says that the Bereans were nobler because they sought out from the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was right. We too must examine what we hear others say and what we watch on a screen to see if it is in line with Scripture.

What I Liked About The Movie

Too often entertainment that is geared toward Christians is done very poorly. To be honest I have a hard time listening to Christian pop music because too often it is just not very good in my opinion. (You don’t have to agree with me, I reserve the right to be wrong.) Several Christian movie/television shows have left me more frustrated than inspired. This movie was overall well done. I admit, the special effects were not spectacular, the acting will not win any major awards, and the images of the Temple were … well not great. However, it was done at a much higher level than many other attempts at depicting the life of Christ. The music seemed to fit, the overall scene of ancient Israel was good, the costumes where well done.
The viewer walked away from the experience with a basic understanding of the ministry of Christ. Hopefully, it will illicit much conversation and Bible study. If the movie brings people to the Word and wanting to know more about Christ, I count it as a success.

What I Did Not Like About The Movie

Whenever a narrative moves from book to movie is seems to almost always lose something in the process. This movie is no exception. There is too much material in the Gospels to cram into a two hour movie. There is too much theology that can’t be shown in a short movie. The interpretation of the text is often suspect when Hollywood gets a hold of it. I love the Word of God and part of my role as given by the Lord is to point out discrepancies when I see them.
Before I start making a list here of my concerns, let me put a few caveats: 1. I did not see the beginning of the movie so I can’t speak to that; 2. I’m not going to go into what Jesus looks like in the movie, I am an rather ugly, short, big boned like a gorilla, easily forgotten guy and Brazilian models/soap opera stars are not my mental image of what the common Jewish man looked like 2,000 years ago; 3. I did not take notes during the movie, so I may well get some facts wrong; 4. While I have studied and taught the Word of God for some 15+ years, I have much to learn and again I reserve the right to be wrong; 5. These thoughts might be out of order, I’m just kind of thinking out loud, not trying to write a scholarly review; 6. I am not trying to be negative, just honest. 7. Please do not let my thoughts keep you from enjoying the movie. Anytime we can think about, pray about, and put into action Scripture that is a very good thing. So on with my lift of things that made me say, “Hey wait a second, that’s not the way I read it in the Gospels.”

• Overall there was a political focus that frustrated me. It appeared to me that the authors tried too hard to make the Romans the villains and the Jewish leaders as simply lovers of God’s people trying to keep the peace. The Bible portrays the religious leaders as power hungry, they wanted Jesus dead not because they were afraid that Herod would shut down the Temple, but because he was a threat to their power. They were hypocritical and corrupt, Jesus said this numerous times.

• With the calling of Simon Peter the movie shows it with Simon out on the water and Jesus joins him by himself. The Gospels tell us it was Peter, Andrew, James, and John together. In fact it was Andrew that brought his brother Simon Peter to the Lord. Simon is given the name Peter much later in the story (worthy of further discussion about what his name means and confession of faith he made, but that is for another time I suppose). Also in the movie, Jesus says give me an hour and I’ll change your life? Then let’s go change the world. In the Bible he says follow me, not join my revolution.

• While the movie showed Jesus being dipped in the Jordan River at his baptism, I really wish it would have shown the voice of God speaking and declaring Him to be the Son of God. It would have been good too if we had seen John say, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

• I wish the Transfiguration would have made it into the movie as well …

• The wedding feast would have been good thing to include as well since it is where Jesus preformed his first miracle.

• I understand why Satan was left out for political reasons (he looked too much like President Obama), but the temptations in the desert and simply Satan’s role in all this is important.

• The whole scene with the raising of Lazarus frustrated me. The Bible says that Jesus wept before he raised Lazarus. Also Jesus never went into the tomb; much less kiss him back to life. Rather, Jesus spoke and the dead arose. This is important because it foreshadows our own resurrection from the dead when Christ will speak and all with arise.

• Why was Mary Magdalene so prominent in the movie? If all I knew of the life of Christ was based on this movie I would assume she was one of the Apostles, she even rebukes the Apostles for disbelief at one point in the movie. That is was a bit much for me.

• Poor Thomas was portrayed as extreme in his unbelief. Remember after Lazarus was raised from the grave in John 11? Jesus said he was going to Jerusalem to die. Thomas replied basically, “well ok then, let’s go die with him.” That is impressive faith in my simple mind.

• Why is Barabbas all over the place in the story? In the Bible he is only there as Pilate releases him.

• The whole scene of the trial of Jesus bothered me. It was a set up from the start with the Jewish leaders. In the Bible we are told they even brought in false witnesses. When Jesus is brought before the Romans he is sent to Herod Antipas in the Bible, but that is left out here. Also the symbolism of the washing of hands is not explained at all. Remember in Matthew 27:24-5 it says that Pilate washed his hands and said to the crowd, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” Then the people answered, “His blood shall be on us and our children!” That is a chilling scene.

• What is Nicodemus doing all over the place? John 3 says that he came to Jesus alone and at night to talk with him. There is no reason to make him good friends with the High Priest or to make him the one that tries to trick Jesus. Also the line about being born again, he left out born of water and spirit. He simply said spirit in the movie, we must be careful to not leave out what God says.

• Also they made a big deal of Jesus saying he would tear down the Temple. First of all they took it out of context. In John 2:19 Jesus says, “Tear down this Temple, and I will raise it in three days.” Of course he was talking about the resurrection here. That is a bit different than the way it was portrayed.

• Then there is Judas. In the Gospel of John it is very clear he betrayed Jesus out of greed. John tells us this several times to be sure we understand. In the movie the last supper scene (which I will address next) has him being shown as the trader publicly, though that is not how it happened. It also has him being almost forced to go do it by Jesus. The Bible says Satan had taken control of him by that point.

• The last supper scene bothers me more and more as I think about it further. First, they left out the washing of feet, which was a mistake. Second, it is clear in the Bible Jesus was celebrating Passover with them, not just having a fun meal with buddies. Third, the whole Jesus got a vision and turned the mood somber then basically storms out is not good at all. Jesus knew what was going on and planned it well.  Also I wish they would have had Jesus explain what he was doing with the Last Supper better.

• I really did not like that the temple vale simply fell down rather than split from top to bottom as depicted in Scripture. There is theological significance there.

• At the crucifixion water and blood should have poured out. If I remember right, Jesus utters 6 rather than 7 sayings from the cross in the movie. The line from the guard that was there in Matthew 27:54 “surely this man was the Son of God” is left out as well. Not sure why? (If the title of the movie is “Son of God” they sure missed a bunch of opportunities to use that title).

• The resurrection scene had lots of problems. The rock look like it had been hit with C4 rather than rolled away. The angel was left out. John and Peter running to the tomb and John beat him there is not there. Peter runs back and explains the Lord’s Supper in the meal and Jesus shows up, that is simply not how it happened.

• The Ascension was not really an ascension at all in the movie, Jesus just kind of vanishes. It would have been better to show a true ascension to the heavens.

• On a minor note, it seemed accents were off to say the least. Jesus had about four during the movie. Peter seemed Scottish at times. While that is really no big deal and nothing to do with the Scriptures it was still odd to me.

• On another personal preference note, I picture Jesus not so much as surfer Jesus (that was the thought I got at the beginning of the movie, forgive me please), but as a powerful man that commanded respect and awe… I could go on, but I should stop.

A Few Closing Thoughts

If you persevered through my ramblings, well done my friend I am proud of you, you deserve a piece of chocolate. Sorry if I came across too harsh, that was not my intent. I take the Word of God very seriously, and at the same time realize the purpose of this movie. Overall, it was a good overview of the ministry of Christ. As noted, there are many issues and I wish they would have added some other things I will not mention here (the beatitudes would be nice).
I hope at the end of the movie we all asked this question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” Remember it was not the Jews or Romans or Judas that killed Jesus. Ultimate it was my sins. Jesus chose to go to the cross because I am unable to save myself. I hope each of us that watched the movie will go back to the Scriptures to read the full account of the life of Christ. I pray our hearts were pierced as we saw a glimpse of the agony of the cross. I pray that we will go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I pray we will teach them to obey everything Jesus taught us. For we know that Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the world.