Torch, Summer 2000

minority to your motivation to serve and your vision for the future. What is it that motivates you to sacrifice? What is it that motivates you to work for more than a paycheck? Many of us are involved in Christian education; what is it about that pursuit that motivates us? Christian schools cannot begin to pay what the secular schools can pay. Why should you take a job for less money? Where do you look for your motivation? The answer, at least in part, is contained in Revelation 5, for there it is we read about the worthiness of the Lamb. The introductory remarks of the chapter are about the unworthiness of all creation. Verse 2 says, “And I saw a strong s I think about this new century, a series of questions comes to mind. “What do we really have to live for anymore? What do we challenge young people about? What is our vision of the future?” As I ponder my own Christian walk, I like to think in terms of being in the minority. Most people say, “I don’t want to be a minority. I want to go where everybody else is going.” Not me. I want to be in the minority. If I were to ask a basketball player, “Who do you want to play like? Do you want to play like the majority of people, or do you want to play basketball like Kobe Bryant? Do you want to play basketball like Michael Jordan?” When it comes to playing basketball, I want to be like Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is a minority. I approach the Christian life also from the minority perspective. I want to be a cut above the rest. I want to be one of those individuals who volunteers to Almighty God to serve Him in difficult assignments where I’m specially trained, specially conditioned. I want to take on difficult missions. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a Marine. The Marines’ slogan then was “The Marines build men.” I wanted to be a man. I used to do sit-ups, push-ups, and one-handed chin- ups. I would purposely run into trees because I wanted to be tough. I wanted to be a Marine because they were special; they were in the minority. I still like that imagery. Apply that concept of being in the A By Dr. Charles Ware 8 Torch is the