The Coolest Thing You Can Do

"More than 100 years ago a man living in London was converted to Christ.  He became pastor of a church in the slums of London.  He went to the poor, the down and out and the oppressed.  He formed a little group of people called the Hallelujah Band, and he would stand on street corners and preach the Gospel.

Many of the clergy were embarrassed by it all.  The man was called before a conference of religious leaders, who said, "William Booth, will you go where we tell you to go?  If not, you will be defrocked."  In the balcony a woman stood.  She was Booth's wife, Catherine.  She said, "William, say 'No, never!'"  And he said, "No."  That no changed history in Great Britain and in many other parts of the world, as Booth founded the Salvation Army, which has given help for both body and soul wherever it has gone." (Billy Graham, Decision Magazine, p. 2, July-August 2010)

I can't help but be reminded when I read this story, of the hundreds of young men and women I know who are giving their all, their energy, their heart and soul to reach out to the least of these in their cities and around the world.  Like Booth, many of these young people may look foolish as they preach on the streets, hang with the homeless, walk in purity with Christ in a dark world and call the Body of Christ to action ... 

But if eternity is real, both heaven and hell .. as real as Jesus Christ exclaimed and lived that it was .. then any human would agree - those who are doing this are doing the coolest thing you can do.