Patrick Morley in The...
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Patrick Morley in The Man In The Mirror tells about some fishermen in a small seaplane who find a secluded bay in Alaska. They have a great day pulling in salmon, then return to the plane late in the afternoon. Much to their surprise they find the plane high and dry because of the fluctuating tides. There is no choice but to wait until morning when incoming tides will make takeoff possible again. The next morning, plane afloat, they start the engine and take to the air. Within minutes, however, the plane falls back into the sea. A leak in one of the pontoons had let it fill up with water and the extra weight caused the plane to crash. The three adult fishermen survived the crash, as did Mark, the twelve-year-old son of one of the fishermen. After praying, the four abandon the sinking plane and begin to swim toward shore, fighting the cold water and a vicious riptide as they go. Two of the men, strong swimmers, reach shore exhausted. But looking back out into the water they see the third man, the father, cradling his son in his arms as they are swept out to sea. The father could have made the shore alone, but his son, much smaller, could not. The father decided to die with his son rather than to leave him. So too Saint Paul sees in this life the opportunity to serve Christ, but he sees in the giving of his life an even greater love and reward.
-- Lentz
-- Lentz
