Erling Thu

To be somebody is not a matter of right or wrong

To be somebody
is not a matter of right or wrong
it is not a matter of having the political correct opinions
or the classical orthodox doctrine

To be somebody
is a matter of being kind
- of caring for others
- of loving in words and deeds
To be somebody
is all about forgiving
- those who persecute you
and being generous
- towards those who are different

To be somebody
is not a matter of theology
it is all about living a good life
- trusting the Son of man
who set aside the privileges of deity
and became one of us to bring us to God
ministering life to us by dying our death

When you do a favour
to those who don't deserve it
then you are really somebody

To be somebody is living in the sacred garden of covenant

To be somebody

is to live a life of consistent commitment

to let friendship and love grow

to become beautiful flowers

in the sacred garden of covenant

It is to allow the early buds

of encouragement and excitement

turn into full bloom

- as a foretaste of heaven

When your friendship is too costly

to be expressed in words

then the future is yours

to explore the beauty of covenant living

To be somebody

is to be adventurous enough

to dare to explore the depths of covenant love

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

To be somebody

Is to know that a mother is concerned for you

And thinking of you with a tender heart

It gives a great sense of worth

Knowing that someone is worried

With motherly love and care for you

As you are travelling places

And fulfilling your holy vocation

In serving the people of God

To really be somebody

Is to appreciate this loving concern

And give thanks to your mother

While she is still alive

When she is gone, and you realise

how valuable her worries were,

it is too late to acknowledge their worth.

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

A father, a brother or a sister,

A friend, a fellow believer, a servant of God,

A neighbour, a postman, a nurse, a doctor,

A preacher, a football player, an athlete,

• someone cares because of love,

but no one cares like God,

he cares for all of us with his everlasting love!

Looking with new eyes

To be somebody
is not only to explore
virgin territory or unknown places
but to look with new eyes
- look from new perspectives
- look with new perception
- look with new expectancy
- look for new insight
to the old and known world
to discover the virginity
and the hope for a new beginning
in the midst of corruption and decay
and than seize the moment
to make history
in our own little world
knowing that the great achievements
is the sum of all the small deeds of faith

By faith we can see
the impossible become possible
and the invisible become visible
and the world changed to a better place

Being a grandfather

To be somebody
is being a grandfather
of many unique grandchildren
and loving each one of them
in a very special way

Grandchildren are the crown of life,
crowning you with dignity and honour.
Grandchildren are the desert of life,
making your life radiant of joy
When you have many grandchildren
you realize that you are truly somebody
for you have achieved something very great.

To be somebody
Is being a grandfather of happy grandchildren,
For there is no greater achievement in life
Happy grandchildren prove that you have succeeded,
that you are somebody - all by the grace of God.

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Being a grandfather

To be somebody
is being a grandfather
of many unique grandchildren
and loving each one of them
in a very special way

Grandchildren are the crown of life,
crowning you with dignity and honour.
Grandchildren are the desert of life,
making your life radiant of joy
When you have many grandchildren
you realize that you are truly somebody
for you have achieved something very great.

To be somebody
Is being a grandfather of happy grandchildren,
For there is no greater achievement in life
Happy grandchildren prove that you have succeeded,
that you are somebody - all by the grace of God.

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Answering emails or messages

To be somebody
Is to answer emails or text messages
Showing that you care
And take people seriously
It is to come up with simple solutions to complicated questions
Or to admit that you don't have all the answers

To be somebody
Is to sit in front of a screen
Typing letters, words, reason and insight
As if you were sitting in front of a person
Communicating eternal truths
Sharing real life experiences
Opening up your heart
For the world to see
The beauty and simplicity
Of faith, hope and love
Poured into a human heart by the Holy Spirit

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Being a moral person

To be somebody
Is to be marked by love
Knowing how to distinguish
Right and wrong – goodness or badness
Love is never glad about injustice
But rejoices every time the truth wins out
Love never gives up
Love never loses faith
Love is always hopeful
Love endures through every circumstance

To be somebody
Is to know that it is possible
To refuse to do evil things
Knowing it is possible to be a moral person
Irrespectively of what others do
Irrespectively if others follow your example
Irrespectively of the outcome of your life
Even if you don’t become a hero
Even if you don’t save anybody by your sacrifice
Even if you don’t change anything by your stand
Even if you have to die for your belief

To be somebody
Is to be a moral example
Even more - it is to be a moral person
To refuse to do evil
Solely because it is bad
Then you make a difference
- to yourself
- and to us

Text: Erling Thu (c)

A loving and loyal servant

In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul is introducing himself as a loving and loyal servant of the Anointed One, Jesus (Rom 1,1 TPL). When I read what Paul was writing about himself, his words struck me. What a sound self-image. What a wonderful self-esteem. What a bold statement about himself: I am a loving and loyal servant!

First of all he wants to tell that he is a servant of the Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah. He had been called and chosen by Jesus Christ to be a servant. He was set apart with a mission. As a servant he was a sent one, an apostle. His mission was to reveal the wonderful news of the Kingdom of God. He was to bring people out of darkness and ignorance into the light and understanding of the Good News of what God had done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was his mission to bring insight to people, to help them grasp the eternal plan and purpose of Christ. He was never disobedient to this heavenly vision. He was a servant of Jesus Christ his entire life. The heavenly vision made him a servant. 

Facing setbacks

To be somebody is to face setbacks in faith, hope and love

to be able to see them as the Selah of the Lord

- times for listening to His voice

- times for rest in His presence

- times for being refreshed in His purpose for my life

To be somebody is not to close your eyes to dark reality

or to run away from difficulties and trials,

but to face all the realities of life

with faith in God, hope in God alone,

and  love Him who is in control and showering His love on us

in all circumstances at all times.

Being remembered

To be somebody is being remembered

On a very ordinary birthday,

By wife, children and grandchildren,

By family and friends,

By people near and far away,

Through e-cards, phone calls and text messages.

Being remembered on a birthday,

Is a token of love and appreciation,

Making you feel you are somebody.

But really, it is the person who remembers another person

And care enough to express his or her love

Who is somebody!

To be somebody is to forget about oneself

To remember our neighbour

And think about our other people’s need

Praying for friends

To be somebody is to pray for your friends

when pain in your body keeps you awake

and don’t allow you to sleep

but your care, concern and love are overcoming the pain

and causing you to pray with such fervour and zeal

that you transcend the aching body.

When you are able to forget your own pain

because you care for your friends

and must lift them up to the Throne of Grace

you show yourselves to be A Great Somebody

able to deny your own needs to meet those of others!

Valueing relationships

To be somebody is to value relationships

above politically correct opinions

or orthodox teology and right confession of belief

Living in a good relationship

with my Creator and my fellow man

make me a human person

Political opinions or religious theories

have a tendency to make me a political animal or a religious beast

Being a friend is more important

than having the best argument

When you care for people

by showing love through acts of mercy

you far exceed the greatest philosopher

in his clever definition of love

When you live in proper relationships

you are really somebody

even though you can't explain love

Seeing people through eyes of grace

To be somebody is looking for grace

And not be blinded by needs or shortcomings

It is to see God at work in people

Rejoicing in the small beginnings

Marvelling at the faith of the trembling steps into new grounds

Appreciating the budding potential

- in people longing, dreaming and believing

When you can flow with the grace of God

In whatever measure you find it in people

You will be able to help them grow

Bringing out the best in them

Stirring them to aspire for more

Provoking them to love and good works

You are somebody when you see people

Through the eyes of grace

Then you enable them to see themselves

Through the eyes of hope and faith

Ignoring the failures and dreaming of new adventures

As they rejoice in the incredible wealth of grace and kindness

Shown to them by God and their fellow man

Connecting people

To be somebody is being in the business
Of connecting people and
Allowing yourself to be connected to people
- Constantly reaching out to others
- Constantly breaking down barriers
- Constantly jumping over walls
- Constantly removing borders
Receiving and giving spiritual insight
Leaving comments and responding to e-mails
Talking on the phone and sending SMS messages
Touching, hugging and kissing
As you generously encourage others
Blessing them with your big smile
Accepting them for what they are
Receiving them into your heart
Lifting them up to God in prayer
Allowing God to speak to you
Through those who are different from you

Great people have the capacity
Of being joined in heart with a diversity of people
Each time they enter a covenant relationship
By the uniting Spirit of God
Their capacity for connecting with others is being enlarged

Being married

To be somebody is to be married
Because marriage is a risky enterprise
To marry is to dare to commit yourself
- to another person for life just because of love
To marry is to renounce a life of sovereign decision making
And to embrace the views and opinions of another person
Before any decisions are made – together!
To marry is to dare to open up your life
And fully share it with the one you love!

To be somebody is to stay married
In spite of differences and conflicting interests
In the faithfulness and loyalty of love
You will find strength and wisdom
To overcome the biggest obstacles
And fight through the battles to win the war of Love
By laying down your life
To make your marriage partner happy

To be somebody is being married
And enjoy every minute
As you find your way - together