It was a muggy evening in August 1934. The congregation of the Cullowhee Mountain Church of God was listening intently to a sermon delivered by their minister, Albert Teaster. A man walked in and placed a box in front of Teaster. It was not a gift; rather, it was a challenge.
Two weeks earlier, Albert Teaster had preached on Mark 16: 15-18. This is the passage that says that believers are able to take up poisonous snakes and not be hurt. This man, in the hopes of mocking Rev. Teaster, had brought a five-foot long rattle snake to the service. The congregation held their breath as Teaster reached into the box and lifted out the snake.
Quick as lightning, the reptile struck, biting deep into Teaster's right hand. Teaster dropped the snake, but then, in a show of either great faith or great stupidity, picked it up again. Twice more, the snake buried its fangs into Albert Teaster's right arm. Then he tossed the creature away and ran from the church.
At first, the pain of the snake bites knocked Teaster flat to the ground. His right arm swelled up, and paralysis began to take over his body. Members of the congregation gathered around Teaster, praying fervently and begging him to go to a doctor. But he refused any medical care. "God will take care of me," he insisted.
Three days passed, in which Albert Teaster hovered between life and death. A local reporter, John Parris, heard of Teaster's ordeal, and he wrote a story about it for the Asheville Citizen-Times. By the next day, the story had spread to newspapers all over the U.S., and within two days it was also being reported in Europe. John Parris interviewed Albert Teaster a few days later, and snapped a picture of the bewildered backwoods preacher with the grotesquely swollen arm. Soon, Teaster's little cabin was flooded with offers for speaking engagements, special revivals, and television and radio interviews. The world wanted a piece of this unknown minister who had put his life on the line for his faith.
After intense prayer, Albert Teaster accepted the invitations to speak. He would never return to his North Carolina home, spending much of the rest of his life on the speaking and revival circuit. Public opinion soon judged him a fool. His simple faith, and the dangerous challenge it withstood, made him a laughingstock among many people. John Parris, the reporter who first shared Teaster's story with the world, went on to prestigious jobs with the United Press syndicate. Albert Teaster died in North Carolina in 1967. (1)
Now I ask you--was Albert Teaster a man of faith or a fool? Suppose I brought a box of rattlers into our service this morning and asked you, as a test of faith, to reach in and pick one up? If you did, would that make you a saint? The greater Christian community has had no difficulty answering this question--handling snakes has nothing to do with faith. It not only is foolishness; it is similar to Satan's demand to Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the Temple. It borders on tempting God. But what is faith really? And what does it have to do with our lives?
Go with me to Genoa, Italy in the 1400s. A child was born in Genoa--one who would push back the frontiers of what we think about our planet. His name? Christopher Columbus. As one author has written: "Columbus was not only an explorer, he was an entrepreneur. Before refrigeration and rapid transportation, most food was spoiled by the time it got to the table. Spices were essential for food to be palatable, and some rare spices were worth their weight in gold. Columbus proposed that by sailing west and circling the globe, he could find a faster route to the Spice Islands. But, in seeking a sponsor, he was denied by those who were not as farsighted and adventurous. He spent ten years looking for support and was turned down by nearly every country in Europe before Spain granted one of his many requests.
"Even the Portuguese--known for their sailing skills and discoveries along the coast of Africa--were content to hug the coastline rather than venture into the unknown open sea.
"After weeks on the ocean, Columbus's crew nearly mutinied when he wouldn't turn back. He told his crew that if land was not sighted within forty-eight hours, they'd head home. Land was sighted the next day.
"Columbus died without ever reaching the Spice Islands or realizing what he'd really discovered. As commercial ventures, his voyages were failures, but he doubled the size of the earth and opened an age of discovery . . ." (2)
Doesn't this description make your heart race just a little faster? Now listen to these words from Hebrews concerning a man of faith named Abraham: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval . . . By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
What is faith? Faith is focus, first of all, on a future promise. This is all Abram had when he left his home in Hebron--a future promise.
The story is often told of swimmer Florence Chadwick in her effort to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Evidently, staying home and baking cookies were not in her life plan. Now she was 34 years old. As she looked toward the California Coast she saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.
"On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on--hour after hour--while millions watched on national television. Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther, but all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out. Still thawing her chilled body several hours later she told a reporter, "?Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it.' It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.
"Two months later she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours!" (3)
It is very difficult to achieve your dreams without focus on a future promise. Columbus thought he would find a short cut to the Spice Islands. Florence Chadwick thought she could establish a new standard for excellence by a woman swimmer. Abraham was focused on the promise that he would father a great people. It is very difficult to sustain a life of greatness if you do not see before you the fulfillment of a promise, a vision, a goal. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen . . ." Faith is focused on a future promise.
But faith is also obedience to a high calling. Abraham left his home, left his comfortable lifestyle, moved to a far country. Why? Because this is what he believed God wanted him to do. Abraham had a high sense of calling and he was obedient to that calling even when life was difficult.
In the book, What's So Good About Tough Times?, there is a powerful story about a wealthy philanthropist who set up a music scholarship for 10 deserving students in a certain city. Dozens of young people applied for the ten scholarships, among them a young woman named Mary Maguire. Mary was ecstatic when she was accepted into the music program. She was an excellent sight-reader and had good fingering technique, but the judge noted on his form that she had very stiff wrists. The judges decided that Mary's piano at home needed to be tuned, to loosen up the keys. They would provide the service free of charge. For some reason, this upset Mary. She begged them not to worry over her piano.
When the tuner showed up at Mary's address, he discovered it to be in a very poor neighborhood. Mary's mother greeted him warmly, but Mary was nowhere in sight. When the tuner explained why he came, Mary's mother understood. She pointed toward Mary's "piano": it was an old ironing board with clothes pins glued to it to simulate piano keys. Many years before, Mary had played a neighbor's organ. She never forgot the experience. After the neighbor moved away, Mary taught herself to play piano on the underside of this old ironing board. Although she hadn't touched a real piano in years, through sheer determination and ingenuity, she had developed excellent skills of sight-reading and fingering. (4)
There are many people who contribute mightily to our race simply because they refuse to give up. They feel an inner call and they pursue that call regardless of what life may send them.
What is your calling? Everyone has a calling from God. That does not mean that everyone has the same abilities or opportunities. But it does mean that everyone's life does have purpose, dignity, meaning. It may be that God has called you to be a leader in our church, or a teacher. It may mean that you have a calling in your workplace or in your family. There is no higher calling than to be a good Mom or Dad. Maybe your calling is simply to bring joy to the people in your sphere of influence. The secret to life is to be obedient to your calling and to give your best to it. Faith is a focus on a future promise. Faith is obedience to a higher calling. And faith is the belief that God is with you whatever your situation.
Abraham's life knew many strange twists and turns. He was an old man before God's promise was fulfilled that he would become a father. But Abraham always knew that God was with him. Abraham was not a perfect man by any means, but he was a man of faith. A person of faith can be a young person just embarking on the great adventure of life or an older person fighting hard to hold on to life in a nursing home. The key to success in all of life is the belief that God is with you.
In 1982, Mary Ayotte was chosen to receive the American Award, a special honor that goes to the most "outstanding senior collegiate gymnast in the country." She has won many competitions, and has earned the respect of her peers. How did she reach such success? Sure, she worked hard. And Mary Ayotte believed in herself. She had to because initially, no one else believed in her. But there is an additional explanation.
Mary had always been a strong and talented gymnast, but when she began shopping around for a college to attend, no one seemed to want her. The coaches at Mary's top two picks told her that she shouldn't get her hopes up. She just wasn't that good. Mary knew she had a few weaknesses. Although she was physically one of the strongest gymnasts in her field, Mary was slow to catch on to dance moves, and she had little confidence in her abilities. But then, three things happened that led to Mary's success.
First, a coach saw some potential in Mary. He convinced her that she had great, untapped talent as a gymnast. Next, Mary learned to capitalize on her strengths, rather than focus on her weaknesses. She changed her training and routines so they would reflect her awesome strength, not her lack of grace. And finally, Mary became a Christian. As she studied her Bible and prayed, Mary developed a sense of confidence that wiped away her fears and insecurities. These three things combined to set Mary Ayotte on the road to success as a gymnast. (5)
We could just as easily have said Mary Ayotte had faith in a future promise, she believed she could be a great gymnast. She was obedient to a higher calling. She worked hours without end to achieve her dreams. And she trusted that God was with her. That's what faith is. There's no great mystery to it. You and I can have it, just as easily as Mary or Abraham. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen . . ." May you go forth from this place as people of faith.
1. Carden, Gary and Nina Anderson, Belled Buzzards, Hucksters and Grieving Specters. Appalachian Tales: Strange, True & Legendary (Asheboro, N.C.: Down Home Press, 1994), pp. 117-123.
2. The Business Speaker's Almanac, Edited by Jack Griffin and Alice Marks (Prentice Hall, 1994).
3. A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, pp. 237-238.
4. "158 Spruce Street" Author Unknown, in What's So Good About Tough Times? compiled and edited by Joe Wheeler (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2001), pp. 105-108.
5. Marshall, Nancy Thies and Pam Vredevelt, Women Who Compete (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1988), pp. 26-29.