Uncommonly Average Series

UNCOMMONLY AVERAGE

The Cure For The Common Life—Part 1

Bud Villers was a good man. Bud was my neighbor. I grew up beside him until he died when I was in college. Bud helped my dad put a roof on our house, he assisted my dad when they poured concrete sidewalks and porches. My dad helped him put a roof on his patio. When Bud got older he would hire me to cut his grass occasionally. He usually invited me in for a glass of Coke and a piece of pie. He was always generous. I also delivered his newspaper for a couple of years. He tipped well. He was kind. He didn’t get upset if our baseball, wiffle ball or football went into his yard.

Mr. Villers was an avid fisherman. He often brought us some of his trout catch.

I don’t remember Bud talking a lot about religion when I was a kid, but it struck me that EVERY Sunday morning I saw Bud walking up the street with his Bible in hand—rain or shine Bud walked to church with a Bible in his hand every week.

Every year he invited my younger brother and me to attend VBS at the Nutter Fort Baptist Church. Most years we didn’t go, but some years when some of my friends were going I did go. Then when I was 15 Bud invited us to church on a Sunday. I didn’t go, but my younger brother did. And the next weekend he invited us again. Again, I didn’t go but my little brother went. The same thing happened the next Sunday and the Sunday after that. My brother started going to church two or three times a week. I caught him reading the bible a couple of times.

Months later Bud was still inviting me and I was still not interested. Then a singing group attended my school. They were college students and the girls were really pretty. They performed several songs and they told us that they were going to be at a church that evening and they wanted us to come. When I got home from school that day, Bud came over and invited my little brother and me to come to church that evening. The singers from the school were going to be there, so I went. That night I became a Christian and my life has never been the same since.

To my knowledge, Bud Villers never taught a Sunday School class, never preached a sermon, never held a position of leadership in the church. He was an usher, a faithful usher. He simply lived a life of integrity and love for God and his family and friends. And occasionally invited people to church.

If Bud was an ice cream flavor, he would be vanilla. But he would be HÄAGEN-DAZS vanilla.

Icebreaker Question: Who influenced you to become a Christian or to check out Christianity?

After 2 minutes of this Icebreaker Question—Roll the Brandon Heath Music Video “Give Me Your Eyes.” There will be no cue—just roll the video after two minutes.

I’m guessing that the overwhelming majority of you are in a similar situation to me. You were influenced by people who were quite normal. Nothing spectacular, just average people who invited you to church.

We’re not all called to do great things for God. Most of us are called to do average things for God. Priscilla and Aquila were average people with average gifts, skills and abilities, nevertheless they lived an uncommon life. Being a godly person doesn’t necessarily mean we should be a spiritual Braveheart. It’s not “what” we do that makes our common life uncommon, but rather for “whom” we do it.

In many ways Bud Villers was like Priscilla and Aquilla in the Bible. They were what you might call average people, but they lived an uncommon life. They were vanilla, but they were HÄAGEN-DAZS vanilla.

Roll The Born To Be Wild Video Here

This guy gets it. I may be vanilla, but I’m going to be HÄAGEN-DAZS vanilla.

Is the only way we can please God involve morphing us into some sort of super saint? Are all the true heroes of the faith mountain-moving, charge the hill, warriors for God?

Somehow, somewhere along the way I picked up the idea that we’re all called to do great things for God; that the godlier we become, the more will be transformed into spiritual Bravehearts, serving God and marshalling dozens of others to do the same.

It sounds good. It’s motivational, as long as you’re a type-A personality with strong leadership gifting who dreams big dreams.

But what if you’re more like Priscilla, Aquilla and Bud Villers? What if you’ve never dreamed of turning your world upside down for God?

What if your idea of a great life is a quiet life?