Being a sports fan, I have been convinced for a long time that there are a lot of good players out there that never make it in the NFL, NBA or MLB; the reason being there is so much competition that a lot of good players get overlooked. Also, coaches and managers have a paradigm about what they are looking for and may not notice someone who does not fit that paradigm. I see players from Johnny Unitas to Kurt Warner that were initially overlooked. Being 5’8”, Barry Sanders was “overlooked” by most college recruiters.1 At 5’ 10”, linebacker London Fletcher initially had his height listed at 6’ just so he would get a chance to make the team.2
But I have seen more and more how this is true in all fields. One of the few shows that I make a point to watch is Mysteries at the Museum. This show is a very entertaining way to learn history. And interestingly enough, this phenomenon of what has value being overlooked is a recurring theme in this series. Segments include John Gorrie inventing air conditioning. But his invention was not well received at the time.3 George de Mestral could not find a market for his Velcro until NASA started using Velcro for zero gravity spacecraft environments. 4 William Henry Perkins invented synthetic dyes but could not get investors interested. So he got his father to finance him.5 The Great Gatsby did not become popular until being issued to World War II servicemen and servicewomen, after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s death.6
I can really relate to all of this. After hearing the late D. James Kennedy on Truths that Transform, I became interested in biblical creation and started developing my own presentations. I knew that this is what churches need because I knew that this is where the church had failed me. The church did not prepare me for all of the materialistic philosophy (to include the General Theory of Evolution and the big bang theory) that I would have to deal with in my life. In spite of my knowing that this is what churches need, I just could not get church leadership interested.
But the person that I can really relate to is a lady named Edna Murphey. Edna Murphey sold the first deodorant – Odo Ro No.7 She initially had a hard time selling it because people did not want to admit to themselves that they had body odor. I think sometimes church leaders just do not know what they do not know and that is the problem with getting through to them. But I think sometimes they are like the people that did not want to admit to themselves that they had body odor. I am telling church leaders that this is where they have failed and where they continue to fail. They are not teaching people why they can believe the Bible. They are not preparing people to deal with all of the materialistic philosophy that is so pervasive in our society; and this is why our society has declined. And they do not want to admit to themselves that they have failed. I have tried to have conversations with church leaders who just absolutely refused to have a conversation.
So what finally happened to Edna Murphey and her Odo Ro No? She ran an ad in Ladies Home Journal. Her product caught on. What have I done? I wrote a book – Why Should I Believe? Why Should You Believe? – A Wake-Up Call to the Church! I started writing articles and started a blog. Now I have a new radio program – Believing this Bible! This airs at 1:45 PM, Saturdays, on AM 630, KSLR – the Word in South Texas. For those outside of the San Antonio listening area, or those that cannot tune in at that time, it is available on podcast by going to KSLR.com. Click on the podcast button, and then scroll down until you find our show. As far as the fruit of my efforts, we will see. But that is up to God. I have to remember that people did not appreciate the prophets in their time.
Now what is my scripture for this article? I find II Corinthians 2:14-16 fitting – “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?”8
Terry Read
1. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/23/sports/sanders-is-in-no-rush-for-glory.html?pagewanted=all
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/redskins-linebacker-london-fletcher-has-grown-from-boy-in-peril-to-nfl-elder-statesman/2013/01/05/01f8e1d2-5734-11e2-8a12-5dfdfa9ea795_story.html
3. http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~ihas/gorrie/fridge.htm
4. http://www.livescience.com/34572-velcro.html
5. http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/themes/molecular-synthesis-structure-and-bonding/perkin.aspx
6. http://mentalfloss.com/article/62358/how-wwii-saved-great-gatsby-obscurity
7. http://priceonomics.com/americans-thought-they-smelled-fine-until/
8. http://biblehub.com/nlt/2_corinthians/2.htm
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