Three weeks ago I received the news that RH “Bob” Hawkins Sr. had graduated from this life on February 9, 2010, and was now at home with his Lord and Savior. Bob Hawkins Sr. was the visionary founder of Harvest House Publishers and launched the writing careers of many bestselling authors including Emilie Barnes and Jim Smoke. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association in honor of his leadership in the Christian publishing industry. Kay Arthur said of Bob Hawkins Sr.: “How I loved this man…What a visionary, entrepreneur, and pioneer. I loved his spirit, his heart, his determination.”
I was deeply moved to receive the news of Bob Sr.’s homegoing. Why? Because meeting Bob Hawkins Sr. was a defining moment in my life – you know – one of those moments etched in time that count in a big way for eternity. I had just finished typesetting my book on how to have a quiet time and had uploaded it to the printer.
I was driving home. My cellphone rang. It was Jim Smoke, author of Growing Through Divorce.
“Catherine where are you?”, he asked.
“I’m driving home.”
“Well, it just so happens that I have Bob Hawkins Sr. here – he’s seen your books and he would like to meet you. How fast can you get back here?”
I quickly turned my car around and drove back to the church. I ran upstairs, grabbed some typeset pages from my book on quiet time, and then ran through the sanctuary to the foyer. I will just never forget walking into that little church bookstore and shaking Bob Sr.’s hands and looking into those confident passionate eyes filled with excitement. My heart was immediately won for this new direction and calling in my life, because I saw in him a passion for the Lord, for books, for publishing, and for reaching the world for Christ.
He would often call me after that in those first few weeks and months following our meeting. I’ll just never forget answering the phone and hearing him say, “Catherine, it’s Bob Hawkins!” And then he would talk with me about books and publishing.
Hebrews 13:7 says “remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
I have a lot of names written next to that verse in my Bible. Ney Bailey, Bill & Vonette Bright, Josh McDowell, Kay Aruthur, and Jim Smoke. And I have written Bob Hawkins Sr.’s name there, too.
He had a faith to be imitated – he was not afraid to step out beyond human limits and frailties, and believe God for something big, something impossible – even in his fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties.
God used him, Bob Hawkins, Jr. and all the team of Harvest House to help get my books to people I will never meet who are hungry for God and long to know Him
Like the girl in Dubai who attended a study of Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time and was so blown away that she said if God had brought her there just to learn how to have a quiet time like that IT WAS WORTH IT.
Or the man in Alabama struggling with drugs and suicide, who received Set My Heart On Fire and gave his life to Christ
Or the man in prison who found a copy of Walking With The God Who Cares and found hope to continue on with the Lord and share Him with others.
It’s what I call THE RIPPLE EFFECT.
My brother and I used to stand on the side of a lagoon and throw rocks in the water for hours. Why? We always wanted to see who could create the most ripples.
I’m thankful for Bob Sr for he was such a faithful disciple of Christ that his life came upon us with a huge force, and created thousands of ripples that continue on into eternity. And I am just one of those small ripples. There are so many, many more that will continue on until we are all face to face with our Lord. Heaven will tell the story of all that the Lord did in and through one of the great heroes of the faith, Bob Hawkins Sr.
And I am convinced that heaven is brighter today because he has stepped from time into eternity and is now in the embrace of Jesus Himself.
And I am sure he has heard those words that we are all longing to hear: Well done good and faithful servant.
And he now knows – it was worth it all.
Have you wondered about your purpose in life? My husband’s grandfather used to ask his family, “What’s it all about?”, to stimulate lively conversation at the dinner table. The Lord took me on a journey today in His Word to teach me a powerful truth about His desires and purposes for me. He took me first to Leviticus 22:31-33, part of my reading in the God Sightings version of the NLT One Year Bible. Here’s what I read:
Have you ever wished you could fly? Well, in God’s economy we are given wings like eagles, we can run and not get tired, and walk and not become weary (Isaiah 40:28-30). I love thinking about how the Lord has made me a new creature; the old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We need to remember that the Lord doesn’t alter something old, but instead makes us brand new. The word for transformation in Romans 12:2 is metamorphousthe and means an inward and complete change. The change the Lord works in us is seemingly unreal at times because we wrestle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. But, in fact, the Holy Spirit is now in us and we are “born again.” Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Christ every day. We are sanctified and are “being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10-14). In other words, we ARE a new creation and we are BECOMING who we really are. We grow and mature through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a reminder to all of us that we are made to fly – to soar with wings like eagles – and not live in the barnyard dirt of this world. We are like this butterfly and no longer the caterpillar it once was. We have been made into a brand new creation. So today, let’s fly! Let’s walk and talk with Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads.
Jesus leads us out of despair, failure, difficulties, and sorrows on to a new place in His plan for our lives. When we are in the midst of these trials, we can feel as though we are in a black hole that goes on seemingly forever. But take heart. The Lord will lead you out. You see the Lord doing this again and again in Scripture. Look at the failure of Joseph’s brothers. They sold him into slavery and broke their father’s heart. But in the end, God was merciful even to them. Joseph rescued them in the great famine and brought them and their father to a safe place. When Joseph sent his brothers to bring the family back to Egypt, he said, “See that you do not become troubled along the way” (Genesis 45:24). I love those words. They point to a trustworthy God, who rescues us in spite of our failures. God can be trusted and He does not want us troubled along the way. Look at the disciples with Jesus. They could not stay awake with Jesus while in the garden of Gethsemane. They failed, not once or twice, but three times. Three times they could not watch and pray. Did Jesus fire them from serving Him? Did He leave them and look for better disciples? No! He said, “Get up, let us be going…” (Matthew 26:46). We need to remember that Jesus is so very different than people in the world. He does not respond or act the way people in the world react. He is more than a man…He is God. And He knows our hearts better than we understand ourselves. And He has taken us on as His own. He will lead us on to a new day. I firmly believe in the theology of the “new day” for failure, sin, sorry, difficulties, despair, and mourning. The Lord’s plan for us does NOT stop even though we feel we have come up against an immovable wall. The roadblocks we face in life are as paper to the Lord. I love what Oswald Chambers says: “The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept awake, and when they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say – ‘it is all up now, it is no use trying any more.’ If we imagine that this kind of despair is exceptional, we are mistaken, it is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize that we have not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity of doing, then we are apt to sink into despair; and Jesus Christ comes and says – ‘Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost forever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing.’ Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him.”
In my greatest trials, I struggle with a sense of helplessness. No wonder the author of Hebrews says, “So then, since we have so great a High Priest who has entered heaven; Jesus, the Son of God; let us hold firmly to what we believe” (Hebrews 4:14). Holding firmly to what we believe is a challenge, especially when everything seems to be falling apart before our very eyes. We need to remember that in Jesus, “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The great trials occur in seasons, and don’t last forever. Difficulties have time stamps on them. In the greatest challenges of our lives we need endurance. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and He will use the Word of God to strengthen our heart, enabling us to endure and “hold firmly to what we believe.” What should we do first when we find ourselves helpless and losing our grip on faith in God’s Word? Again, the writer of Hebrews gives us the answer. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT). When the Lord gives you grace, He pours out everything you need in your trial. You may sit and cry for awhile. But finally, remember to draw near to the throne of grace, and pour out your need to your Lord. Then, dry your eyes, get up, and keep going in the strength of your Lord. You will be amazed to discover that things look different after you’ve been to the throne of grace. Why? Because you are different. Grace never fails to change you, strengthen you, and move you on to a new place in your relationship with the Lord. So today, find courage in a fresh supply of grace for every one of your needs.
We live in that sometimes uncomfortable place of the “now and not yet.” The future for any who know Christ is bright and filled with promise. There will come a day when we have a true face-to-face experience with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will “appear” and we will see the magnificent glory of His appearing. Titus 2:13-14 says that we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Malachi 3:16-17 speaks of the time when the Lord makes up His “treasured possession.” He says “They will be Mine” (Mal.3:17). I wonder if we realize just how precious we are to the Lord. I wonder if we know His own personal longing to hold His treasure close to His heart in eternity forever and ever. Such an experience for us will be like the sunrise – a dawning of a new day. All shadows will flee and sorrows disappear. Until then, may we heed the words of Paul written to Titus and “wait for the blessed hope,” giving ourselves to Him and serving tirelessly until we step from time into eternity.
Have you ever eaten a meal and you still experienced hunger pangs long after the last bite? The Lord lays out a feast for us in His Word. And while our hunger for His Word grows and grows, our heart is satisfied every time we enjoy its delicacies. We are to let the word of Christ richly dwell in us (Colossians 3:16). That means we must eat extravagantly from its treasure. I enjoy meals from the psalms almost every day. And then, using the Daily Light devotional, I have an appetizer of related verses on particular topics. Using one of my devotional Bibles and a current Bible study, I feast at great length in a particular passage of Scripture. And then, there is always that one verse that I carry with me as takeout, enjoying it moment by moment throughout the day. So today, are you hungry? Be a Jeremiah, who said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
I dance for the Lord and no one else. Yesterday I heard the story of a woman who played for a Philharmonic orchestra – can’t remember the instrument she played. Anyhow, she received a standing ovation. The next morning the critics in the paper were brutal about her performance. A reporter asked her how it made her feel to receive such harsh criticism after receiving a standing ovation the night before. She replied, “I listen to neither the crowds nor the critics, only the conductor. He alone knows whether I gave a good performance. I loved that story for it is the same with us. We must live in the audience of our Lord, and look for His smile. In Streams in the Desert today, Mrs. Charles Cowman said that the apostle Paul “did not count as we are apt to count; he did not care for ease; he did not care for his mortal life. He cared for only one thing, and that was to be loyal to Christ, to have His smile.” Those are good words for today. “I count all things as loss in view of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 Williams Translation).
Today the Lord specifically reminded me of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I thought again of the woman at the well. But this time a light seemed to shine around Jesus’ words in John 4:10 when He said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” When He speaks of “living water” and “the gift of God” we know He is talking about the Holy Spirit. He specifically says in John 7:37-39 that the “rivers of living water” that flow from within our innermost being is a reference to the Holy Spirit. So today I thought long and hard about the living water of the Holy Spirit constantly flowing from within our hearts. This picture of the Spirit as constantly flowing water in our hearts is seen throughout the Old Testament. And when you meditate on that picture, the beauty and power of the Holy Spirit will give you new hope to face the day. Isaiah 12:3 reads: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”. I loved those words. I wonder if the Lord thought of the woman at the well for, of course, He knows everything at once, for He is omniscient and eternal. In Isaiah 43:19-44:4 I read, “Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert…For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring and blessings on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.” I LOVE this picture of a willow by a flowing stream. Imagine yourself as a willow by a constant, flowing stream. That’s us with the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts. Never underestimate the work of the Spirit in you, or His power though you may feel weak and powerless.