Sermon Central
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"living Life With Purpose"
Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 2, 2021 (message contributor)
Jewish novelist Chaim Potok (his novel "The Chosen" sold over 3 million copies) gave a lecture at Johns Hopkins University. He had wanted to be a writer from an early age. But when he was ready to go off to college his mother took him aside and said; “I know you want to be a writer but I have a better idea. Why don’t you be a brain surgeon? You’ll keep a lot of people from dying. You’ll make a lot of money."
He replied, “No mama, I want to be a writer.”
He returned home for vacation and his mother got him off alone. “I know you want to be a writer, but listen to your mama, be a brain surgeon you’ll keep a lot of people from dying and you’ll make a lot of money.
Again he replied, “No mama, I want to be a writer.”
This conversation was repeated every vacation break, every summer, every meeting. The exchanges accumulated. The pressure intensified.
Finally there was an explosion; Son, you’re wasting your time, be a brain surgeon; you will keep a lot of people from dying. You’ll make a lot of money.
He replied, Mama I don’t want to keep people from dying! I want to show them how to live!
(Under the Unpredictable Plant, page 47 by E. Peterson)
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