The battle against mediocrity is constant indeed! We all struggle with the temptation to “just get by”. I know I sure do! Maybe it’s not throughout my entire life, but it creeps in here and there with what I might consider to be the “little” things. But as I tell my boys, “the little things will eventually add up, then will be too big to handle, so handle it now, while it’s still ‘little’ ”.

For example, during the summer between my Freshman and Sophomore year, I’d wake up 3 days a week at 5:30 a.m. to row, so I could improve my stroke, get stronger and learn to row both port and starboard. I didn’t want to stay in the Novice Boat forever and wanted to have a chance to row in the elite Lightweight Girls boat the upcoming school year. The Lightweight Girls boat was normally filled with seasoned Junior and Senior girls, not a second year Sophomore. I hated being Bow (which was my seat position in one of the novice boats during my Freshman year). Bow meant you were the person that basically did nothing else, but helped keep the boat on even keel. The entire crew is dependent on every rower to help keep the boat on keel. If one person’s oar is raised lower or higher, then it drastically affects the momentum of the boat as it causes the boat to rock which inhibits it from smoothly propelling through the water. But I wanted to do more than the very least that was expected  of every crew member. I trained Monday through Friday, two hours per day to row a 1500 meter race in 6 minutes or less. That’s a lot of prep work for a little “show” time.

Well, my hard work during the summer paid off, and Coach Steven Weir, after trying me at every seat from Bow 1 all the way up to Stroke (the lead seat), assigned me as the Stroke for the T.C. Williams Girls’ Lightweight 8! Not only did I make it to the boat I wanted to row in, but I was Stroke! Unfortunately, this got to my head and Coach Weir had to teach me a lesson. One day, I skipped practice. No reason, really. I was just tired and after all, I was Stoke, so I wasn’t the one who needed the most work, it was everyone else. I didn’t tell Coach why I skipped, but he knew and said that I could not row Stroke for the Regatta that weekend. I would have to take the seat behind me, the 7 seat. That was the first race we lost and boy did I hear it from all the girls! They badgered me with how I let the team down, and how lame my excuse was. Of course, I attempted to blame it on Coach because he’s the one who took me out of the Stroke seat. But no one bought my reasoning and just said, “Yeah, but if you hadn’t skipped practice, he wouldn’t have taken you out of the Stroke seat!” The person I really felt bad for was the lonely Freshman who also made it to the Girls’ Lightweight 8 and was the one who took my seat for that race.

I learned that day that, ironically, the word mediocrity starts with me - in more ways than one. I can decide to either live fully for Christ, with excellence in all that I do and leave the result to Him, or I can make excuses and convince myself that I could indulge myself in my laziness, just this once. But it never stays at just once does it? That’s the pitfall of mediocrity. After the first step into it, the other steps don’t seem so hard. Unfortunately, because we’re too busy indulging ourselves in our laziness, we don’t even realize the slow roast of mediocrity as it worms it’s way into every aspect of our lives. Before we know it, we’ve become someone we never meant to be and look back only to witness the wake of careless work, weak relationships, and constant chaotic situations, all casualties of me-diocrity.

Therefore, I have a choice to make daily. Will I settle for mediocrity or will I resolve to live as if everything I do and think is for my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 6:5-7). If I do the latter, I know I will do all things in the most excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13) with love, God’s faithful, steadfast, self-sacrificing love. Not self-indulging, self-centered mediocre love. And the wake I leave behind will not be one of fumbled mishaps, but one with little regrets, and the greatest joy…making my Savior smile!

Last year on December 9, 2007 the world witnessed another casualty of the seeker-friendly, worldly-based, false gospel that is not only injuring the purpose of the Church, but also grieving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matthew Murray, a 24 year old false convert of Christianity killed four people: two at Youth With a Mission Training Center in Arvada, CO and two at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO as well as wounding five others before he took his own life.

Below is a two page letter Matthew wrote "To God". It was found in his car after the second shooting. Please read the letter carefully and soberly, as Matthew describes his torment and anguished struggle to find the truth from professing Christians who could neither answer his questions regarding sound doctrine, nor lead him to the one and only Savior God has provided for all mankind, Jesus Christ.



I hope this encourages every child of God, to never again support or preach the false gospel that states that we all have a "Jesus-shaped hole in our hearts", "build a bridge/relationship", or "accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and ask Him into your heart and He will most certainly come in". No He won't. The Bible never says that. Jesus clearly states that only those who are called by God (John 6:44 & 15:16, Romans 8:29), can come to Christ. And those called by God are granted the repentance that leads to salvation. (Luke 13:2-3, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

It's neither loving nor compassionate to tell lost people anything that tickles their ears so you can get a "profession of faith" and increase your numbers at your church. Instead it is selfish and self-elevating - both of which opposes Christ.

Preach the Gospel of Christ just the way He did and allow the Holy Spirit to lead them to the repentance, and faith in Christ alone, that can save them.

I know that statement seems a bit obvious and even strange to say, but I feel it’s necessary. It’s simple, clear and to the point…like me. And here’s the point: As much as sitting in a garage won’t make you a car, sitting in a church won’t make you a Christian either.

Many years ago when my boys were toddlers, during one of our breakfast, family devotionals, I wanted to explain to them that being a Christian is more than just saying a prayer, going to church or anything else. I wanted to share with them that they become a new creation. So to drive this picture home, I took my boys into the garage and began:

“Well, boys, guess what?! Mama’s a car! Isn’t that cool?!” They both looked at me as if I had lost my mind and said simultaneously, “No you’re not, you’re our Mama.” But I insisted, “No boys, what are in garages?” They responded, “Cars.” I added, “Correct. So, it only makes sense that if I’m sitting in a garage, then I must be a car!” Then I started to make sounds like a car, “dressed” myself to look like a car with wheels, pretend doors, etc. and stated, “Well, now, I’m sitting in the right building to be a car, I sound like a car and look like one too. Now do you believe that I’m a car?”

But before I could make the correlation between my being in a garage won’t make me a car, any more than sitting in a church won’t make me a Christian, my youngest son who was only 4 years old at the time quickly interjected:

“Mama, you’re still not a car. You’re in the right building, sound like a car and look like one too, but you’re still not a car. To be a car Mama, you need a motor, and you don’t have one Mama. A motor is like the heart of a car, it’s what makes a car, go. If you want to be a car Mama, someone would have to take your heart out and put a motor in you. But then that would mean you would die Mama, and you wouldn’t be my Mama any more. You would be something else. And I would be so sad because you would never be my Mama ever again, because you died and became a car.”

I was overjoyed as tears welled up in my eyes when I recognized my Father’s voice, teaching me, through the mouth of a babe! Truly, I would cease to exist in my present state and I would become a new creation and there would be no turning back.

Over the years, I’ve received some disturbing answers as to why people believe they are Christians – all of which are un-Scriptural. I feel very sad for these people because they have either been deceived by the false gospel that has infiltrated the Church (i.e., “accept” Jesus as your Lord and Savior and get a better, problem free life), or because they choose to believe their “good deeds” will appease God’s just wrath and give them admittance into Heaven. Many falsely believe that if they sit in church religiously, volunteer, look and sound like a Christian, they are. There could be nothing further from the truth.

Exterior piety means nothing to God, it’s what’s or rather Who is inside that matters. I can’t think of a better way to say it than the way God spoke it through my child: a person must die – cease existing as you did once before; and become a new creation – begin existing as someone you’ve never been or could have never been in your previous state. You need a new “motor”. You need the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within you. And that can only happen when you repent and trust in Jesus Christ.