An Ordinary Person in Extraordinary Times
1. James C. Dobson, as quoted in Charles R. Swindoll, Living on the Ragged Edge: Coming to Terms with Reality (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1985), 19.
2. Dwight L. Moody, as quoted in David Jeremiah, Life Wide Open: Unleashing the Power of a Passionate Life (Nashville: Integrity Publishers, 2003), 103.
3. A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread Publishers, 1993), 96.
4. Peggy Noonan, “Remembering a Hero, 15 Years after 9/11,” The Wall Street Journal, September 9, 2016, peggynoonan.com/remembering-a-hero-15-years-after-911.
Secret #1: Discover Your Unique Purpose
1. Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1990), 103.
2. The Shorter Catechism (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1965), 3.
3. John Piper, “God Is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him,” sermon, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 13, 2012, http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-is-most-glorified-in-us-when-we-are-most-satisfied-in-him.
4. Myles Udland, “Bank of America: There’s a 20%–50% Chance We’re Inside the Matrix and Reality Is Just a Simulation,” September 8, 2016, Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-wonders-about-the-matrix-2016-9.
5. Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998), 3–4.
6. Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 118.
7. Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), 95.
8. Os Guinness, Rising to the Call: Discovering the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2003), 45.
9. Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005), 7.
Secret #2: Determine to Influence Your Culture
1. Billy Graham, World Aflame (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965), 16–17.
2. Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2008), 37.
3. J. Budziszewski, The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man (Dallas, TX: Spence Publishing, 1999), 20.
4. Howard G. Hendricks, Take a Stand: What God Can Do through Ordinary You (Portland: Multnomah Press, 1983), 9.
5. Robert Jeffress, Not All Roads Lead to Heaven: Sharing an Exclusive Jesus in an Inclusive World (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016), 24.
Secret #3: Wait On God’s Timing
1. Steve Farrar, “Can I Trust God with My Future?” sermon, Stonebriar Community Church, Frisco, Texas, March 13, 2016.
2. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 222.
3. Malik Jefferson, as quoted in Wescott Eberts, “Texas LB Malik Jefferson on Pre-benching Attitude: ‘I Wasn’t Trying to Get Better,’” SB Nation, November 7, 2016, www.burntorangenation.com/2016/11/7/13556222/malik-jefferson-benching-texas-longhorns-charlie-strong.
4. The metaphor of the boot camp and the crucible is adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 21–22, 45.
5. The Hebrew word for “hide” in 1 Kings 17:3 is not the same word used in Joshua 6:17, 25 when Rahab hid the spies in Jericho or in 1 Kings 18:4, 13 when Obadiah hid the one hundred prophets of the Lord. Both Rahab and Obadiah were attempting to protect God’s people from harm. The word in 1 Kings 17:3 is akin to the use in Genesis 31:49: “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other,” meaning separated from each other.
6. A. W. Pink, The Life of Elijah (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2011), 31–32.
7. Hendricks, Take a Stand, 25.
8. Jezebel had issued “wanted posters” for God’s prophets and had already “destroyed [some] prophets of the LORD” (1 Kings 18:4).
9. At least eight times Scripture declares that nothing is impossible for God (Gen. 18:14; Job 42:2; Jer. 32:27; Zech. 8:6; Matt. 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27).
10. Adapted from Peggy Noonan, “Ronald Reagan,” Character Above All: Ten Presidents from FDR to George Bush, ed. Robert A. Wilson (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 219–21.
Secret #4: Burn the Ships
1. It is very unlikely Cortés actually ordered the burning of the ships. According to later testimony, Cortés ordered the ships be grounded and stripped of their riggings, sails, anchors, guns, and other tackle. Cortés claimed the ships had been rendered unseaworthy because of a wood beetle. Instead of destroying the wood, however, Cortés planned to use the timbers to build houses. See Hugh Thomas, Conquest: Montezuma, Cortés, and the Fall of Old Mexico (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993), 222–23, for a detailed account of Cortés’s order and the legend of “burning the ships.”
2. Thomas, Conquest, 223.
3. See Swindoll, Elijah, 75.
4. Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2013), 233.
5. Kirsten Powers, “Fox News’ Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower,” Christianity Today, October 22, 2013, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/november/fox-news-highly-reluctant-jesus-follower-kirsten-powers.html?start=1.
6. Author unknown, as quoted in R. Kent Hughes, 1001 Great Stories and Quotes (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1998), 61–62.
Secret #5: Unleash the Power of Prayer
1. Davis, 1 Kings, 234.
2. The authorization is important since Elijah was establishing a place of worship outside of the temple in Jerusalem, the place where God had determined to establish His name (1 Kings 9:3; 2 Chron. 7:16).
3. “Two measures of seed” is literally two seahs of seed. One seah equals approximately eleven quarts.
4. Some critics question where Elijah got twelve large jugs of water since there was a severe drought. Though several springs surround Mount Carmel, these were probably dried up. However, the Mediterranean Sea, which was unaffected by the drought, was just down the hill.
5. George Müller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller, part 3 (London: J. Nisbet & Co., 1855), 476.
6. A. J. Gordon, as quoted in Ben Patterson, Deepening Your Conversation with God: Learning to Love to Pray (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2001), 20.
Secret #6: Learn How to Handle Bad Days
1. Lone Survivor, directed by Peter Berg (Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, 2004), Blu-ray.
2. Bertrand Russell, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, 1872–1914, vol. 1 (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1967), 287.
3. Theodore Roosevelt, as quoted in Edmund Morris, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1979), 241.
4. Theodore Roosevelt, Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail (New York: The Century Co., 1899), 59.
5. See 1 Kings 19:15–16, as well as 10:31 and 2 Kings 5:12; 8:15; 10:32; 12:3, 17. On the anointing of Jehu to be king over Israel we are told that “one of the sons of the prophets” was commissioned by Elisha to anoint Jehu (2 Kings 9:1–6). So in what sense did Elijah anoint Jehu? Jehu may have been anointed twice, as David was (see 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4). Or, in the same way Jesus was said to have baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus never baptized anyone, Jesus’s baptisms were carried out by His disciples (John 4:1–2). So Jehu may have been anointed by one of Elijah’s disciples.
6. David Jeremiah, A Bend in the Road: Experiencing God When Your World Caves In (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2000), 97.
Secret #7: Live Life with the End in View
1. I am indebted to Chuck Swindoll for the historic importance of Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho, and the possible significance of these places in the life of Elijah. See Swindoll, Elijah, 165–67.
2. Tony Benn, as quoted in Howard G. Hendricks, Standing Together: Impacting Your Generation (Gresham, OR: Vision House Publishing, 1995), 200.
3. Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000).
4. Jean Vanier, as quoted in Jean Bethke Elshtain, Sovereignty: God, State, and Self (New York: Basic Books, 2008), 248.
5. Theodore Roosevelt Sr., as quoted in David McCullough, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981), 137.
6. Billy Graham, as quoted in Bill Adler, Ask Billy Graham: The World’s Best-Loved Preacher Answers Your Most Important Questions (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 224.
7. Lionel Logue, as quoted in Mark Logue and Peter Conradi, The King’s Speech (New York: Sterling, 2010), 202.
8. King George VI, as quoted in Logue and Conradi, King’s Speech, 202.
9. J. C. Wimbusch, as quoted in Logue and Conradi, King’s Speech, 227.
10. I am indebted to Howard Hendricks for many of the ideas and much of the structure of this material. See Hendricks, Standing Together, 98–105.