Articles by Randy Becton at Heartlight

The Happiness Test

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

For the happy heart, life is a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15 NLT)

Someone asked me to take Jeremy Daniels' happiness test. It begins this way:

"In most of ways, is your life close to the ideal?"

And we're to answer with one of the following:

A. Strongly agree

B. Agree

C. Slightly agree

D. Don't agree at all

Now follow up that first question with these questions.

"Are the conditions of your life excellent?"

"Are you satisfied with your life?"

"Have you gotten important things in life you wanted?"

Now take inventory on how you did! Do you look pretty happy? Is there room for a little happiness improvement?

Jeremy goes on to suggest the following ten ways he believes we can be happy:

Savor the moment.

Take control of your time.

Re-program your mind.

Leave time for love.

Act happy.

Don't vegetate.

Get moving.

Get rest.

Give priority to close relationships.

Take care of your soul.

I think that last one should have been number 1! Faith is always the key. Happiness has always been living our lives, aligning our will with the will of God, and tuning our soul to heaven's grace.

Aren't you ready for a little of God's real happiness?

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

Phone Call of Love

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

A story recently touched my heart. It's a story of a mother who persisted in her love for a wayward daughter all the way to her death.

A precious Christian woman died recently. She has done a tremendous work publicly for the Kingdom of God. However, she carried on a private work of ministry that few people knew. Every night, for many years, she called one of her daughters. This child has been a long time prodigal. Although this daughter was raised in a loving Christian environment, she has had very little interest in God in her subsequent adult years. However, her mom kept calling, letting her know that no matter what, she still loved her.

Now, suddenly, the phone calls have ended. How do you suppose that daughter is feeling now? How she must miss those calls! But there is still someone calling to her ... and to you!

Do you realize that someone has been calling you everyday? It's a voice from heaven. Jesus Christ is calling to you: "Are you listening? Can you hear me? Do you have any idea how much I love you? Do you understand how badly I want to walk with you each day?"

Jesus loves you so much -- far more than a mother can love a daughter and far more than any human lover. Jesus says, "Here I am! I'm standing at your door and knocking. I'm hoping you will open that door and invite me to come in! ... Please return the love you once had for me!" (Revelation 3:20; Revelation 2:4, paraphrased and adapted)

On this day when so many are hoping to hear from a secret admirer or someone they hope returns their feelings of love, don't miss the most important call of your life! He's already demonstrated his love for you!

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

Amazing Grace

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

It's hard to understand that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do that can really make God love us any less. Why is this true? Philip Yancey has some marvelous thoughts about grace in his new powerful book, What's So Amazing about Grace?

He tells about a minister friend of his who is battling with his fifteen year old daughter. This anguished father knows his daughter is using birth control. For several nights, she has not come home. Her parents have tried every form of discipline. Nothing has seemed to work.

One night, late, waiting for her, the father was so angry! "Yet," he said, "when my daughter came home early the next morning, I wanted nothing but to take her in my arms and love her. I was a helpless, love-sick father."

Does that ring a bell with you? ... a love-sick Father! That's what our Father is. He sent his Son Jesus, so we could understand that it is not our goodness that draws us close to him, but it is his love that transforms our lives. He welcomes us home at any time and he loves us with a fervent, steadfast love.

This is good news ... and amazing grace ... and what Jesus' coming to earth is all about!

He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:10-14 NRS)

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

Giving Back

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Ten Years Later!
We love and appreciate Randy Becton and Herald of Truth and HopeForLife.org. They offered Randy's content early on for us to use on Heartlight and then committed to follow up with all those who responded. On the anniversary of our tenth year, we would ask you to keep Randy in your prayers as he finds himself once again battling cancer. This article is from the earliest days of Heartlight. Thanks Randy! I don't know of anyone who has given back more than you! If you would like to send Randy a message, please send an email to us and we'll share your message with Randy.

The spirit of generosity is spreading like wildfire through a Northern California community. It all started because of Les Borcut. Les Borcut tinkers with old bicycles.

Les runs a one-man bicycle hospital. He's repaired more than two thousand bicycles and donated them to newly-arrived Russian immigrants. When word spread about his kindness, his community started dropping hundreds of old bikes on his doorstep! Now, there is a story behind this sympathy toward immigrants. Both of his grandfathers had fled persecution in Russia, crossed the Atlantic, and found a new life in America. And Les says, "Fixing bicycles is my way of giving back."

What a beautiful example for all of us who are Christian believers. We were delivered from the bondage of Satan, we were welcomed into a new life in Jesus Christ, and what we do now is we try to pass along God's steadfast love to other people. We give it to them, not because it is duty, but because we are grateful. Think about the doors that open when we love other people extravagantly in the name of Jesus Christ. Follow Les Borcut's example! It may not be bicycles, but give what you have, because you are grateful to God.

Paul said that he was sent to the lost "to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." (Acts 26:18 RSV)

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

A Titanic Truth

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Do you remember the movie TITANIC? It is still one of the most popular movies of all time and has enjoyed a repeat run on the television movie circuit and DVD sales? Why? And what is the subtle message the movie conveys?

On the surface, the story seems very noble. A young man rescues a girl from abuse and death, then later sacrifices his life so she can survive the disaster. Rose says of her hero Jack, "He saved me in every way a person can be saved." But it carries a very subtle spiritual message, doesn’t it?

The receipts of this movie are well over a billion dollars and it still brings in significant dollars in DVD sales. The film TITANIC struck a nerve. Millions have seen the movie multiple times. After its original release, writer Terry Mattingly says: "TITANIC has a filled a hole in romance-starved movie-goers."

A major reason this movie has gripped our hearts is that the story points to a longing all of us have. We want to be loved. We want to be rescued from harm. We want to be raised above the pettiness of this world. We want to be saved in every way a person can be saved!

Only Jesus offers all of that and so much more. His love is with a passion we cannot even begin to understand. He gave his life so that each one of us can be saved. He went to the cross so that we might have real joy. His life was lost and reclaimed. In a time when disaster has crushed our bubble of invincibility, let's remember the only true and lasting source of love, rescue, and salvation. His name is Jesus!

... Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. ... There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them. (Acts 4:10-12)

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

New Bodies and Close Calls

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Sat, 03 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0500

It was another near miss! I'm no cat with nine lives, but my latest close call with death -- a wreck that totaled my car -- left me shaken to the bone. I am convinced that life is, at best, pretty fragile.

Certainly we don't think about death for long periods of time. On the other hand, we do think about our death fairly frequently, even if it is just for an instant before we put it away for our other thoughts. "It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)

The Dallas Morning News is the newspaper that in my opinion gives the most thorough coverage to religion in America. In the Saturday edition, right before Easter this year, I read that "Resurrection Day" is increasingly important to those who believe Jesus was raised from the dead by God. This day is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus as the Son of God, a day that proclaims that those who hope in him expect that new life will be given to them by means of a "resurrection body" unlike any body they can imagine.

When I read of the faith of the earliest Christians, I truly don't understand the strength of their witness or the courage of their daily faith without getting up close to the life of their resurrected Lord. The resurrected Jesus transformed their lives from fear-laden followers, who are almost defeated, to those so convinced that He is risen that they are glad to suffer disgrace for the honor of His name. (Acts 5)

Early Christians told their neighbors that their God was the one who raised Jesus from the dead -- and that all who trusted God's promises would go through a like experience. (Romans 4:17) All who give Jesus allegiance by identifying with his death and resurrection in baptism now live in a new creation.

Ever since I was a pre-teen, I've figured that everything important to our Christian faith is tied to the resurrection of Jesus from that grave. "Jesus is risen" is the foundation of pretty much all the rest of our faith. The evidence is ample to support our faith -- but it is still a proclamation of faith. I look forward to a transformed body at the day of redemption, knowing this will take place at the second coming of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15: 51-54; 2 Corinthians 5:1) When I think of it, I yearn for it to happen soon. God's Holy Spirit lives in us as a "foretaste" of that day. I want better clothing in that immortal body.

Tell your family, even those who don't share your longing! Then maybe one day soon, they will come to share your hope.

There are many things I don't understand and several things that I truly doubt will happen the way some people think. However, I'm fully aware of this beat-up body that I carry around -- based on my Lord's promise -- will be replaced with a wonderful new one.

When the universe was created, God brought order out of chaos. I remember one writer saying that God is going to hold us "spellbound" when he culminates his work in the full transformation of all of his people into the same dimension as his Son. We will have "ring-side" seats so we won't miss any of the action. Praise His Name!

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere. (Philippians 3:20-21)

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

The Four Hardest Words

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0600

Tiger Woods wins more major tournaments each year than any other golfer in the world. And he only recently celebrated his 28th birthday. He was voted Player of the Year for the fifth successive time by his fellow golfers on the PGA tour

Tiger knows more about success as a golfer at this stage of his life than any golfer in history. Yet even with all this success, he faced the most stressful, nervous time in his adult life during a vacation to South Africa.

Greater than the stress of all those major tournaments was summoning the courage to say four words. Rehearsing the magic words "will you marry me?" felt so severely nervous to him because "you don't ever want to blow a special moment like that. If you hit a great putt and you know it's in, it's in. But even if you say it absolutely perfectly -- those four words -- you could still get denied."

When Woods told reporters that he faced the most nervous moments of his adult life when he asked Elin to become his wife, he was referring to the major fear of rejection, being told "no" by the love of your life, a person to whom you revealed your heart's deepest feelings.

Tiger was verbally committing his love for Elin with a promise to be her life companion -- the one with whom he would share everything life offers, the good and enriching times and the sad and tragic times. A commitment to stand together in building a family. Woods was offering all of himself to the woman he loved. Think for a moment about his vulnerable position: Elin could have said no. To repeat Woods' words, "You could still get denied."

I invite you to a document written about AD 80 by a man named John, one of the closest of Jesus' friends, maybe his best friend. He lived long enough to write a brief biography of Jesus. John tells early in his story that Jesus was God's son, and that his purpose in coming to earth was to show us what God is like. (John 1:18)

He adds that many of his own people rejected him, yet "to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13)

John tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh, inviting humans into a close relationship with God. There were those who said "yes" and those who said "no."

I wonder how Jesus felt about being accepted and rejected. John writes that Jesus gave his life for man's sins. Some would appreciate this sacrifice of love so much that they would follow Jesus to their dying day. But others would reject the story of love, giving it no place in their lives at all.

At worship each Sunday, I think about his sacrifice of love when the time comes to participate in communion. Why would the King of kings offer himself to a bunch of ungrateful people, including me? Why should he die for my sins when it's so likely I'll reject him?

I say this because of the large number of unbelievers in the world today. Jesus is the one human being, I believe, who knows the most about selfless living. He also knows the most about rejection.

As you think about his best friend, John, writing his biography, can you almost picture him weeping that his friend went through all of that suffering, humiliation and rejection, so that humans could know how much God the father loves them? I can. But what I think the most about is my life -- how I said "yes" to Jesus.

Tiger Woods got nervous about Elin's response to his proposal. Tiger, what is your answer to Jesus' question to you about receiving or rejecting God's love for you?

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

A Place at Dinner with Jesus

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0600

In the mid 1820's, wealthy plantation owners in Atlanta, Georgia were best known for the lavish dinner parties they gave, honoring each other, famous authors, politicians, businessmen, and anyone who would further their reputation of "greatness."

One thing was certain about these gatherings: no one would expect a slave to be seated with them in a place of honor. Slaves and white people didn't eat dinner together in the same room, much less at the same table back then. Some call it "culture" while others know it as "racism."

The scandal that Jesus caused in first century Palestinian Judaism was precisely this: Jesus welcomed table fellowship with beggars, prostitutes, tax collectors and others thought of as social outcasts or religiously inferior.

Jesus loved sinners. He knew who the hated were. He welcomed people to share a meal with him not just when they had a bad reputation, but even when that reputation was well-deserved. We are told that the religious leaders were outraged, in part, because they believed these dinners gave God a bad name.

Those who know the significance of "sharing a meal" in the Eastern culture of Jesus' day tell us that the invitation to "come to my table" meant that friendship was being offered. So if you invited Zacchaeus to a meal in the presence of a number of people, you would be sharing his shame and guilt, and even an approval of his sinful life. (Luke 19:1-10) That's exactly Jesus' mistake -- unless we understand that Jesus was bringing Zacchaeus God's offer of a fresh beginning, new dignity, a friendship with God.

When I read about the way Jesus treated people, I see Jesus, whom Scripture claims is God come in the flesh, constantly representing the most dramatic expression of God's redeeming love and mercy. Scripture gives us the picture of Jesus regularly sharing meals with people. But the picture leads us to think that the Jewish religious leaders weren't at the table with Jesus. Jesus' message was one of peace and reconciliation with God, for whoever knew they were not worthy of God's attention. But the last to appear willing to humble themselves were the religious leaders (according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

Jesus once spoke to an expert in the Jewish law and told him that the most important commandment in the Law is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind." The second most important commandment is "Love others as much as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) In his essay on "Healing Through Meal-Sharing", Brennan Manning says that Jesus is telling us "the only norm for a good and faithful disciple is that he be a professional lover of God and people."*

The conclusion that I must put into practice -- if I claim to belong to Jesus -- is to treat every person as a guest at my table for a meal of love, fellowship, and mercy. I live in a relationship with the living God, who is King over all the universe, and I'm the child of a King. I have a seat at His table. I must invite others to the table of the King because of the King's invitation to them to come and join us for the feast.

I began by referring to the plantations around Atlanta. It would have been viewed "scandalous" to invite slaves to a meal with their owner. But God is the owner of all that exists! His amazing offer to humanity is that, though our sins have separated us from him, he has reconciled us to himself through the cross of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

We are all invited to God's banquet table to eat with the friend of sinners, Jesus Christ!

*References: Manning, Brennan. A Glimpse of Jesus, (Harper, 2003) p.60.

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

Compassionate Like Our Savior

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0600

Riding down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with my wife Camilla, my daughter Shana and my nine-year-old grandson Breylin was an experience I'll never forget. We were on the lookout for Hollywood movie and TV stars. We were also noticing the Rolls Royces, jewelry and fashion stores.

I wondered to myself, "Is this where the ultimate happiness springs from -- being able to walk into one of these stores, purchase something expensive, then walk out and do it again two or three times in other stores?"

You see, on Rodeo Drive, you can buy a $43,000 blue-gray fox-fur bedspread, a $32,000 suede poncho to toss on over your jeans, or you can stop at John Peter's for a $125.00 haircut. Shopping where the richest of the rich shop may be someone's idea of living well (or of fun), but for my grandson and I, it was "Boring!" ... and "Could we leave to go buy a Big Mac for lunch, cause it's well past our lunch time?"

As we drove out of the rich area to go find our Big Mac, our eyes quickly spied the people pushing grocery carts loaded down with everything they owned. They were also going towards McDonald's. Why? To ask the customers for money so that they could eat a hamburger.

You see, if they had asked for money on Rodeo Drive, the police quickly would have arrived to arrest them on charges of "panhandling." Rodeo Drive merchants won't put up with beggars, street people or the homeless because they want an atmosphere of happy, carefree shopping to surround their patrons. Joy-filled shoppers buy more, shop longer and generally have a more "contented" shopping experience.

Think of what the site of these poor people could create in the minds of the Rodeo Drive crowd -- pangs of guilt over excess shopping, uneasiness when someone with a crazed look asks for a couple of dollars while blocking the crosswalk, and the sense that "these people" wreck a good shopping climate for important tourist dollars from around the world. The last of these sentiments was illustrated by one French shopper who bemoaned, "There should be more laws to protect us from the beggars."

What would Jesus have thought of Rodeo Drive shopping bonanzas? Would he be tender toward those trapped in their excessive spending lifestyles? Would he challenge the down and out to get up, go out and find a job, tossing aside their grocery baskets?

I don't know the answer to these questions. But there is one question I can't escape: what would he have me do?

I claim to be a Jesus-follower. I know he has called me to enter the lives of people who need to experience his compassion -- whether those people are rich and if they are poor. I've read Jesus' story and I'm convinced that the Cross is firmly bound to compassion for all people. You remember one thing Jesus said on that Cross, "Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:33 NLT)

What do people need?

Jesus met people at their point of need whether they were rich or poor. It's easy to despise the rich, thinking, "I'm not rich." It's often easy to feel sorry for the poor and yet give them none of my time or attention. How does that square with what Jesus would have me do?

In the Bible, compassion always means action on behalf of someone. Study Jesus' life. It's not sentiment, but action. Should the "haves" share with the "have nots?" In Jesus' teaching, we who are blessed by the touch of Jesus in our lives are expected to be involved in behalf of needy people, whether rich or poor. How often I've seen someone rich who is poor in relationships and lonely for real friendships -- look at the divorce rate for Hollywood millionaires and superstars. And the poor sometimes have the "contentment" of the Savior because their faith is real and deeply satisfying -- go on a mission trip to a third world country and meet Christian people with nothing who are full of joy because of their faith.

We can't stereotype the rich and the poor into convenient little categories. We encounter people one at a time. Our categories often are confusing and somewhat complicated. What I've found far more consistent and easy to understand is the way Jesus treated people.

And that is the assignment he has given you and me. "Randy, you say you love me. That's good. Now, go do my work in the world. Love and serve people in my name. I'll be with you, right by your side. Remember, love them according to their need, not according to what they deserve. Be compassionate, just as your Heavenly Father is compassionate."

I understand the charge I've received. And I really want to live that way. But it's hard to push out beyond my selfish desires to work compassionately in another's life.

Whether it's on Rodeo Drive or in the McDonald's in downtown Hollywood, people need to see Jesus and experience his touch of mercy. Jesus' words stand, "I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least, you did it for me." (Matthew 25:31-46) That's my call in life ... and yours. We are called to minister with Jesus, whether in the life of the one pushing a shopping cart or the one buying a blue-gray fox-fur bedspread on Rodeo Drive.

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life

Sabbath Rest: The Key to Revived Spirits

info@hopeforlife.org (Randy Becton) — Sun, 09 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0600

Then Jesus said, "Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest." There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31)

"I just don't have enough time!" Maybe you've thought or said these words in exasperation or despair. Maybe, as a spiritually committed person, you are trying to remember that we all have our limits ... and yet the demands seem so great.

Juliet Schor, economist and author of The Overworked American, reported that work hours and stress levels are going up, and that we are sleeping less and spending less time with our families. And, Schor adds, we feel there is no way out.

Then we go to church, where at least for a couple of hours we won't be given more responsibilities or more guilt. The sermon is on Sabbath -- how we yearn for it, and how impoverished we are for not having it in our lives. The minister reminds us that Sabbath stood at the very heart of Judaism, but that it is also available to Christians, even though we're no longer under the old Law.

The practice of Sabbath rest -- six days of work, followed by one of rest -- is woven into the fabric of the Bible. Before we go on, please understand that I'm not saying that all of Jesus' followers need to stop worshipping God on Sunday and worship on Saturday. Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath and we know that God blessed the Sabbath as a day set aside for rest and refocusing on God's glory, deliverance, and holiness. Scripture teaches that a "Sabbath-rest" for the people of God exists -- and that entry can be given to those who need rest from their own work.

What about when Satan's snares, the cares of this world, worries over the souls of loved ones, personal sins and weaknesses seek to rob one of the joys of Jesus' companionship on the journey? How can one gain the strength for the battle, moment by moment?

I want to give you an honest answer. I'm hoping that you will find bread for the journey and refreshing springs of water to quench your thirst while you worship the "Fount of Every Blessing" -- Jesus our Lord and best friend. Here is what I believe is true about Sabbath:

Refreshment of my faith is a gift that Jesus gives when I try to encourage, teach, mentor, or help someone else. The one who gives from the heart receives to the heart.
Refreshment doesn't come in packages labeled "two weeks," "one month," "four days," "a long week-end." Almost always the length, location and tone are designed by the Master Architect, not me.
God, in Christ, usually gives me Sabbath rest connected to some level of human reconciliation.

The further I go in life, the more I need fellowship with God, my brothers and sisters, and small children who recreate "wonder" for me. Reading and underlining Scripture, reading Scripture out loud in my car, the park near my home, or our den late at night are extremely powerful in assisting me to receive Sabbath from God. Jesus is our Peace. He is our Sabbath rest. Praise His name!

I would enjoy hearing from you. Tell me, how has Sabbath been a blessing in your life? Or is it still out there, belonging to someone else, and having never stopped at your house?

Some of us think we can squeeze in some Sabbath time if we can just go off to be by ourselves. We think, "Just let the world go on for today, no media, no noise, and let me think on Sabbath and I'll be happier." This may be true. I write about this because of the lives that I see -- lives overwhelmed by other people, but which seem balanced, peaceful, and engaged with the world.

Hurry, we must leave. I must catch them and listen to what they have to say about the tension between stress and being properly engaged with the world.

Randy is a cancer survivor who writes with conviction and compassion about life's challenges.

Website: Hope for Life