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Then come back for today’s Catch:
Ben lived all of his brief life in a constant state of urgency. He knew his life would be short, and that lended an intensity to everything he did. This was why he was brash and always insisting on the truth. He simply didn’t have any time to waste.
There is something in this solemnity for all of us. The brevity of Ben’s life was only brief in comparison to the average lifespan of the human beings he observed all around him. But what if you compare an average lifespan to eternity? What do you find out then? You find out what the Bible says about our mortal lives:
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14)
The length of our days … quickly pass, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)
You have made my days a mere handbreadth. (Psalm 39:4)
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone. (Psalm 103:15)
It doesn’t take much to realize this talk about brevity of life is all relative. Ben’s life was short, but compared to what? When you consider the known history of life on earth, what is the difference between 10 years and 80? Not much. So the same things that drove Ben should drive us as well.
That is just one of the values behind this story. Why shouldn’t we live with the same passion? As we said before, not in panic, but in a sense of healthy urgency?
Do not pass this story off as only fiction about an unusual 10-year-old boy in the 1950s. And don’t pass it off as about someone else. See it as a story about you, because you matter. You are all part of an army of love — boots on the ground, making relationships wherever you are all over the world.
When Jesus said Go and make disciples, He was also saying Go and make relationships, because you can’t make disciples outside of a relationship. It’s all one-on-one. That’s one of the reasons why you all are so important.
The Catch Ministry isn’t John and Marti, members of the board, staff members and volunteers. Our relationships are limited. The Catch Ministry is not limited when it is seen as you. All of you. And it’s growing. That’s why we are having this campaign — to inspire your participation in our purpose to introduce the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone everywhere.
And finally, see Ben’s story as a challenge, at whatever your age, to live with a sense that your life is a mist, a handbreadth, a flower of the field that the wind blows over and is gone. So what are you going to do with the time you still have?
Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere.
2026 Annual Fall Campaign — Gotta Get the News Out
The Catch Ministry is developing disciples to carry the Gospel of Welcome into the lives of others. Your contribution allows this work to continue and grow.
