This blog--one of over 600 million--is uniquely devoted to Uncommon Christian Ministries (www.UncommonChristian.com), the preaching and writing ministry of Dr. Francis Kyle. And to all things James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829), the recently rediscovered Princeton University and Yale Seminary-trained evangelist, cousin of famed Protestant minister David Brainerd (1718-1747) and third generation admirer of pastor-theologian and Brainerd biographer Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).
An oasis of calmness in the midst of a tension-filled and Muslim-dominated East Jerusalem, The Garden Tomb is popular with Evangelical Protestant pilgrims visiting The Holy Land.
Entitled "The Garden Tomb: Where Jesus Rose Again?", here is a 5-minute news video from CBN.com (April 1, 2010):
In honor of the 210th anniversary of the birth of James Brainerd Taylor (born April 15, 1801), Uncommon Christian Ministries is pleased to announce that a photo of J. B. Taylor's gravestone has been online since September 8, 2008.
James B. Taylor.
Of Middle Haddam, Conn.
A Preacher of the Gospel.
Died in this County.
At the house of his friend
Doctor Rice [John Holt Rice, 1777-1831].
On the 29th of March, 1829.
In the 28th year of his age [actually, 17 days shy of his 28th birthday].
Reader, his epitaph is,
what he would have yours to be.
A sinner saved by grace.
Ten years ago, on April 15, 2001, it was fitting that the bicentennial anniversary of J. B. Taylor's birth fell on Easter/Resurrection Sunday. Though once well known among mid-to-late 19th-century American and European Christians, it is nice to see the American evangelist's "uncommon Christian" life and ministry being resurrected in the early 21st century via books and the Internet, including the free online (Google Books) editions of the two memoirs published on him in the 1830's.
Francis Kyle has written a thorough, careful, balanced biography of this evangelical saint, so influential in mid-19th century America and so little known today. Based on exhaustive research in the relevant sources, this book offers a grass-roots view of New England revivalism in the 1820's, as the foundations of the antebellum "Evangelical Empire" were being laid. Readers interested in early New England and undergraduate studies of American religion should find this work accessible, interesting and useful.
May today's church, seminary and university be instructed and challenged upon learning about the Princeton University and Yale Seminary-trained Taylor and his advocacy for uncommon Christianity--"eminently holy, self-denying, cross-bearing, Bible, everyday" Christianity.
Of the 50 or so innocent bystanders who were injured by a bomb at a crowded 3:00 p.m. Jerusalem bus stop on March 23, 2011, the 55-year-old Gardner was the only person who died. On her day off from school, she was walking by the bus stop in order to have lunch with an Irish friend who had just arrived in the city with a tour group. Though not a suicide bombing, it was the first bus bombing in The Eternal City since 2004 and the Second Intifada.
Gardner was a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1986. She served in a remote area of Togo, West Africa, for 20 years, and helped complete the New Testament translation into the Ife tribal language in 2009. A short-term student studying biblical Hebrew at Hebrew University's Rothberg International School, the never-married Gardner was preparing herself to go back to the Togo tribesmen this summer in order to translate the Old Testament into Ife.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, and the daughter (oldest of five children) of British missionary parents, she was a graduate of St. Andrews University (Class of 1977) in Scotland. A biographical summary of Gardner's life is available at Wycliffe Bible Translators' U.K. blog--click here.
The world of CMJ was shocked to learn of the December 18, 2010, murder of one of its newest staff members. Kristine Luken was stabbed to death by two Muslim terrorists from the West Bank/Palestinian territories while hiking with a friend in the Jerusalem Forest southwest of the city.
A 44-year-old American Christian with a love for the Jewish people and Israel, Kristine worked for CMJ's U.K. office since 2009. I had met her briefly when she visited Jerusalem's Christ Church a year ago (winter 2009-10). A graduate of Virginia's George Mason University (Class of 1988), the non-Jewish/Gentile uncommon Christian Kristine had resigned from her comfortable 15-year federal government job in Washington, D.C., in order to serve the Lord in full-time vocational ministry, first at Patrick Henry College in Virginia, then with CMJ U.K. Click here to read her obituary.
Kay Wilson
The brutal and senseless murder made front-page news in the Israeli media (see below links), as well as international headlines. A month after the murder, the Israeli police announced 13 arrests. The 13 Muslim men were members of a Palestinian terrorist group that formed in 2009. Miraculously, Kristine's hiking companion, the 46-year-old British-born Israeli Kay Wilson, survived the attack of 12 stab wounds, helped police in locating the attackers, and lived to tell about it (see below links to her interviews). Kay is the main educator/tour guide for CMJ Israel's Shoresh Study Tours.
Please join me in praying that the Luken family be comforted by the Divine Comforter during their time of loss, and that the Lord will be glorified in this tragic death (John 11:4). Also, consider giving to the Kristine Luken Memorial Fund via CMJ's U.K., U.S. or Israel office. Pray for Kay Wilson, too, as she heals both physically and psychologically.
+ "Street smarts" saved wounded victim: Messianic Judaism community "in shock"; praying for recovery of tour guide stabbed in brutal attack Jerusalem Post, December 20, 2010
With the 2011 NFL playoffs upon us and Super Bowl XLV (45) next month (February 6), this is a good time to announce the recent DVD release of "Raymond Berry: Receiving Fundamentals."
An Uncommon Christian
The man featured in the 2-DVD set, Raymond Berry (born 1933, Corpus Christi, Texas), is not only one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the National Football League, a former NFL head coach and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he also has been a committed "uncommon" Christian since 1960. In the online article "More to Life than Football" (January 27, 2002), Berry stated,
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord" (NKJV).
In this passage God tells us where life is and where it is not. God’s priority is that we have a relationship with Him. I found a relationship with God more than 40 years ago and it is still going on.
Another online article, "Raymond Berry: Hands of Glue, Transformed Heart," is equally edifying in that it points the reader to Berry's and our only hope in this life and in the life to come, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to read the article from the September 2009 newsletter of Spirit of Grace Ministries (McKinney, Texas).
Long retired and with 9 grandchildren, Berry now lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn. His son Mark is a Presbyterian (PCA) missionary in Lima, Peru--click here to watch a video of Mark's church-planting ministry.
"Raymond Berry: Receiving Fundamentals" DVD
Concerning the instructional DVDs for the football player or coach or Berry fan, current Indianapolis Colts All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning stated, "Every receiver will benefit from Raymond Berry's route and receiving techniques."
According to the producers, the DVDs are "an educational, entertaining and inspirational way to learn the essence of the wide receiver position." Here is an excerpt from the DVDs:
Click here for the December 10, 2010, news release of the DVD set. Also, visit RaymondBerry.com to purchase the $29.95 set.
Pro Football Hall of Famer (Class of 1973)
As the main wide receiver (1955-67) for the famed Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, Berry caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career.
A perfectionist, Berry fumbled the football only once during his entire playing career.
Click here for a full biography on Berry via Wikipedia.org, here for a tribute to him from his alma mater of Southern Methodist University (SMU), here for his page on the Texas Sports Hall of Fame website (Class of 1974), and here for his Pro Football Hall of Fame page.
Among the many YouTube videos on the football legend, a unique and funny one is his November 9, 1958, appearance on the popular TV show (1950-67) "What's My Line":
Childhood Memories, New England Patriots . . . mid-1980s, Connecticut
When Berry was the head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots (1984-89), I used to correspond with him through letters/fan mail.
The letter writing hobby was followed-up by periodic in-person visits to the Patriots training camp in Smithfield, R.I., and to some Patriots games in Foxborough, Mass.
In 2001, I donated to Canton, Ohio's Pro Football Hall of Fame archives the many letters and autographs I received from Berry, as well as his signed football cards and signed book he sent me, Raymond Berry's Complete Guide to Coaching Pass Receivers (Parker Pub. Co., 1982).
I also donated the letters and autographs I received from some of the 1950's and '60's Colts players and head coach who knew Berry and who were fellow members of the of Hall of Fame, namely, head coach Weeb Ewbank (Class of 1978), quarterback Johnny Unitas(Class of 1979), and running back Lenny Moore (Class of 1975). In his hand-written letter, Moore shared about his and Berry's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though not a member of the Hall of Fame, also donated was a 1986 letter from Don Shinnick, a former Colts teammate of Berry's and fellow Christian. Shinnick served as a Patriots assistant coach (linebackers) under Berry.
Additionally, the dozen or so letters I received from Berry's boss at the time, Patriots founder and then-owner (1959-88) William "Billy" H. Sullivan, Jr., were gratefully received by the Hall of Fame archives department.
To my teenage delight, Mr. Sullivan at one point gave me his home phone number in order for me to call him and set up an appointment to meet him in his Sullivan Stadium office prior to a Patriots game. With my parents, I took him up on the offer during the 1986-87 season.
Thanks for the memories, Mr. Berry.
With you, and by His sovereign grace, I glory in the fact that the one and only true God "understands and knows me."
Jeremiah 9:23-24
UPDATE
After sending the now 78-year-old Raymond Berry a printed copy of this blog post, I received a letter in response.
With the letter, Berry also enclosed an autographed football card of his that has on it, "Raymond Berry, Baltimore Colts 1955-1967, Hall of Fame 1973."
On the back of the card, Berry explains how his Baltimore Colts teammate Don Shinnick (1935-2004) led Berry to placing his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. After their playing days were over in the 1960's, Berry hired Shinnick as his linebackers coach when Berry was head coach of the New England Patriots (1984-89).
In the November 9, 2011, letter, Berry wrote of the success he hopes the new DVD will have and how the DVD came about. The Hall of Famer wrote,
As a brother in Christ, you may be interested to know how this DVD ever came to be. I was coaching with the Cowboys (Tom Landry) in 1968 and 1969. In January 1970, the Lord spoke clearly to me one Saturday afternoon: 'Quit your job--finish that film.'
Well, it took another 30 years but Berry finally made the film. Better late than never. I am so glad he made the DVD for the sake of the future generations of football wide receivers who can learn from his knowledge and experience of the position.
Berry also wrote in his closing remarks,
By the way, the Lord turned my attention to the Jews and Israel when I was a Babe in Christ [New Testament, 1 Peter 2:2]. He put a love for them in my heart.
On December 29, 2011, the NFL announced that Berry will participate in the Vince Lombardi Trophy ceremony at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVI. Berry will carry the trophy to the stage and deliver it to Commissioner Roger Goodell who will present it to the Super Bowl champion. The ceremony will be televised live by NBC at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, February 5, 2012.
ALSO:
As an aside, Robert Kraft, the Jewish philanthropist and owner (1994- ) of the NFL's New England Patriots, began the Israel Football League (Kraft Family IFL) in 2005. The Jerusalem-area teams play at Kraft Family Stadium, the same stadium that hosts the annual Israel Bowl (2008- ).
IFL games can be heard in English and online for free on Israel Sports Radio. The season runs November to March.
After the NFL season is over, Kraft normally visits Israel where he has a business. Some past and present Patriots players often accompany him on the trip, including Pro Football Hall of Famer (Class of 2008) Andre Tippett who converted to Judaism during his playing days (1982-93).
When living in Jerusalem, I saw Kraft, Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick and others during the Kraft delegation's visit to Kraft Family Stadium in March 2011.
May your 2011 be filled with the joy and peace that only the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Lord Jesus Christ, can give.
As a means of inspiration and encouragement to use this annual time for healthy self-examination--spiritual and otherwise--below are excerpts from the personal writings of James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829). The "uncommon Christian" American evangelist wrote in his journal on December 31, 1823:
Looking at my record made one year ago this evening, I find my testimony to the Lord's goodness the year just then ending, and an invocation for the continuance not only, but for an increase of his favor and love, during the succeeding year. My prayer has been heard. Great and glorious things have been done for my soul, in secret with my God; and of all men I am under the strongest bonds of gratitude, of love, and of praise to him in return.
Why may I not expect greater things the coming year? "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day" [Proverbs 4:18].
Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, whose I am, thine would I be. To thee, through the beloved [the Lord Jesus Christ], I renewedly and solemnly engage my love and obedience. O keep me--save me from all evil [Matthew 6:13]--and bless me abundantly, more than I can ask or think [Ephesian 3:20]; all things are possible with thee [Philippians 4:13].
And in his journal on January 1, 1824, the cousin of the famed missionary David Brainerd (1718-1747) wrote the following "short but expressive notice" while a first-year student at Princeton University:
The Lord has indeed given me a happy beginning of a new year. At evening devotion, had a blessing so rich and full that there seemed a want of room to receive it. Carry on, carry on thy glorious work, O my God, and make me more like Jesus.
For further reflection, here is part of Taylor's annual New Year's letter (1824) to his family in Middle Haddam, Connecticut. The letter is "full of affection, filial and fraternal" and is "strongly expressive of gratitude and piety towards the Giver of every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17).
Reviewing the past year, many things which awaken pleasing reflections rise to my recollection. No period of my life has been marked with clearer indications of the Lord's goodness to his unworthy servant. . . .
As to religious enjoyment, no year has witnessed such displays of divine love. And I may humbly and joyfully say, I have grown in grace [2 Peter 3:18]. My trials have been few, and have all worked for good [Romans 8:28]; my temptations many, but in heaven's armor I have overcome [Ephesians 6:13]. . . .
To look forward a year! It is a precious--an invaluable--period of time. Thus, more thanwedo, the ransomed of the Lord, and the spirits of the lost view it. O that we may be wise, to make the most of the year that is before us! What new plans, then, for doing good can we devise [Galatians 6:10]? Or how can we improve those already adopted? Why should we not strive, as individuals, to make our influence to be felt all over the earth [Acts 1:8]? The Lord help us to labor faithfully. And this we should do, not merely from a sense of duty, as obligatory upon all, but as binding uponeach,and that too now,as we know not but, ere the close of 1824, we may be summoned hence. Has not heaven something for us to do; something to make known for the good of mankind through us? Let us pray over this interrogatory until we are satisfied.
What is before us as a family, and as individuals, we know not; but to Him who hath brought us hitherto, all is plain [Psalm 139:16]. Concerning this we should not be anxious [Philippians 4:6-7]; for, "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right" [Genesis 18:25]?
As for myself, I feel that the seeds of mortality have taken deep root within me, and I am frequently reminded of my latter end. But does this alarm me? No; for every evidence of the approach of the messenger, death, I have cause to rejoice, rather than to be terrified. It is a sweet exercise to pass the valley, in imagination, and look beyond, upon the pearly gates. Faith enters within the city, and walks the golden streets [Revelation 21:21].
"O glorious hour! O blest abode!
I shall be near, and like my God!"
Excerpts taken from:
John Holt Rice and Benjamin Holt Rice, Memoir of James Brainerd Taylor, Second Edition (New York: American Tract Society, 1833), 178-82. Memoir viewable online via Google Books. Click here to read.
Also, click here to read the memoir's sequel/companion volume A New Tribute to the Memory of James Brainerd Taylor(1838) by James' younger brother Fitch W. Taylor.
From the land of the Bethlehem-born Jesus, Uncommon Christian Ministries wishes you a Christ-focused and joyful Merry Christmas.
With tourism currently booming, over 90,000 tourists and pilgrims are expected to visit Israel during the Christmas season.
May the below Christmas 2010 meditation inspire us to likewise be "looking unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2) with the same uncommon focus and intensity as the "uncommon Christian" James Brainerd Taylor (1801-1829).
This evening my mind has been led to look to Jesus, as the apostle says, 'Looking unto Jesus.' I was thus led, more particularly, because tomorrow [Sunday] is to be our communion season [the Lord's Supper].
'Looking unto Jesus.' Before the world was, he dwelt with the Father. And, O what glory and delight he must have had from all eternity! We may look unto him as God, by whom the worlds were made [John 1:3, 10]. But had he need of worlds? What do they add to his infinite, underived, eternal glory? For whom, but for man, was this fair fabric formed, and lighted up, and adorned so richly? Upon God's equal we may gaze with wonder, and adore his condescension. O what pity touched his sympathizing soul! What the might of that love which brought him down! Well might the plains of Bethlehem resound with glory to God in the highest; peace on earth, and good will to men [Luke 2:14]. And well may we join the heavenly host in praising God; for unto us a Savior was born, who is Christ the Lord [Luke 2:11].
'O for this love, let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break.'
Let us look to Jesus during his state of humiliation, for from the manger to the cross he was preparing the way to bring many sons unto glory [Hebrews 2:10]. O the contradictions he met from sinners! What temptations in the wilderness! What agony in the garden! But the wonders of the cross! It is here our hopes center. For the hope which the cross inspired, the primitive Christians were ready to suffer; nay, did suffer and die. However opposed, they preached its doctrines, and said, 'God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' [Galatians 6:14].
Extending our view beyond the cross, we may profitably look upon him whom we have pierced [Zechariah 12:10], as arising from the dead. 'He rose again for our justification' [Romans 4:25]. What joy his disciples felt when their eyes once more beheld their Lord, whom the Jews had crucified and slain! But he was soon to leave them, and triumphantly ascend up where he was before.
Thither our forerunner hath entered--our captain has led the way; and now we may look unto him at the right hand of the Majesty on high. By faith, too, we may look at the mansions he hath prepared [John 14:2]. But what is faith's vision? It is indeed a blessed reality; 'it is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen' [Hebrews 11:1]. But we want more, and more we shall have. Not through a glass darkly shall we see him, but face to face--see him as he is [1 Corinthians 13:12]. 'Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom' [Luke 12:32].
Do we want stronger faith? To Jesus must we look, who is the author and finisher of faith [Hebrews 12:2]; and pray, as by example we are taught, 'Lord increase our faith' [Luke 17:5]. Would we be what God would have us to be, what do we need but to be conformed to the image of his dear Son [Romans 8:29]? And how shall this be effected but by looking continually unto Jesus?
Are we ignorant? He is our Prophet. Are we sinners? He is present to plead our cause--a Priest whom the Father heareth always, and whose blood cleanseth from all sin. Would we have all things brought into complete subjection to his law? As King, he is on the holy hill of Zion. Where is such an example of patience under suffering? And he knows how to succor them that are tempted. In doing the will of his heavenly Father, how assiduously and perseveringly did he accomplish his work!
What we find to do, may we do it with our might [Ecclesiastes 9:10]. The more steadily we look to Jesus, the faster we shall run, the higher will be our attainments, the happier we shall be, and the more we shall honor God.
Taken from:
John Holt Rice and Benjamin Holt Rice, Memoir of James Brainerd Taylor, Second Edition (New York: American Tract Society, 1833), 172-77. Memoir viewable online and at no cost via Google Books. Click here to read.
Also, click here to read the memoir's sequel/companion volume A New Tribute to the Memory of James Brainerd Taylor(1838) by James' younger brother Fitch W. Taylor.
