Memory Lane

Mad Dog Ratliff was a pretty good small town high school football player. I remember the coaches discussing the idea of bringing Mad Dog out on a leash with a spiked collar before the game. In theory the idea had promise, but honestly, he was not a dominating player. Maybe they realized if anyone looked at his size listed in the program or his real name, Ronnie, it would be more laughable than intimidating. Mad Dog never went on to college ball, his incredible heart for the game was overshadowed by his diminutive size. I went off to college and lost track of Mad Dog for a few years. On a trip home to see my parents I saw a van with custom paint proudly announcing Mad Dog Ratliff was coming my way. My first impression was, what a pity, move on to something else in life, don't get stuck in the past, glorious as they were. What are you doing now? Sadly, I learned later that Mad Dog had no future to look forward to. The van was a gift to accomodate the physical needs of a person with terminal cancer. I understood why they gave him the van. I'd have chipped in had I known. I liked Ronnie. I'm sorry he did not get the chance to move on to other great things. I believe he would have.

Unfortunately I see a lot of Christians with terminal Christianity. Whatever life they had in Christ has long since passed by. Oswald Chambers puts it this way: If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it.

What are you riding around in these days? Is it time for a new set of wheels. Live life. Live free.