December 2015 El Camino Baptist Church Growing, Serving, Reaching What is Christmas All About From the files of Ronald L. Rushing, Th.D. Senior Teaching Pastor December 2015 This inspiring story of Rick and Dick Hoyt was originally published in Sports Illustrated (June 20, 2005) by Rick Reilly entitled “ Strongest Dad in the World” Eighty-five times Dick Hoyt pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars – all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right? And what has Rick done for his father? Not much – except save his life. This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution." But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain." "Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that." Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks." That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!" And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard -belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. "No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway. Then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year. Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?" How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried. Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzz kill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think? Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 – only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time. "No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century." And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago." So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every (continued on page 3) CHRISTMAS IN THE LIBRARY CHRISTMAS DVDs The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey When a broken-hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a reclusive, ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, and to allow her son to watch him carve it. As Christmas approaches, the three of them struggle to come to terms with each other, their painful memories, and the process of putting their unhappiness behind them. Based on the award-winning children’s book (also in our library), this story of love, redemption, and hope is a great family movie experience. The True Christmas Story (Ray Vander Laan/ Focus on the Family) A video exploration of two kings--the ruthless and wealthy Herod, and Jesus, creator of the universe. Teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan travels to the land of Israel to discover fascinating truths--biblical, archeological, and historical--about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Silent Night (Timeless Tales for Children) This animated film is a story of the first Christmas through the eyes of a donkey named Abib who is purchased by Joseph to transport his wife Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of their baby. Along the way, Abib plays a vital role in the greatest story ever told - the birth of Christ. The Star of Bethlehem This documentary is a scientific and biblical exploration of what the Star of Bethlehem was. The author uses scripture for clues and state-of-the-art astronomy software to look at the actual skies in Jerusalem to actually see what the planets and constellations were doing at Christ's birth. The DVD is very easy to follow as the author shows us step by step what he was looking for and why, as well as why other hypotheses (such as meteors or comets) can be discarded as being the Bethlehem Star. Excellent for sharing with family and friends. Christmas Child (A Max Lucado Story) An updating of Max Lucado's book "A Christmas Cross." This film brings us into the life of Jack Davenport, a journalist who is at a crossroads in his life. Jack's adoptive father has passed away, he and his wife are simply not getting along, and he is turning 40. With many heart questions and quite a bit of emptiness, Jack hits the road for another inconvenient assignment from his magazine. He finds himself in a small town, complete with a large nativity in front of the church and open and helpful people, where he is able to reflect on his life and its meaning. This is a great Christmas film with a heart-warming message about the importance of faith and family, forgiveness and redemption. The Nativity Story The Nativity Story basically tells the story of Mary and Joseph from the time Mary is betrothed and then finds out she is to give birth to God's Son up through the time of Jesus' birth and the family's evacuation to Egypt. The details about Jewish life are amazing as the film portrays the turmoil of the world into which Jesus was born. They represent the reality of the hardships and difficulties the key figures would have experienced and felt - Mary would have been shamed and shunned, Joseph would have been looked down upon for still taking her as his wife, the trip to Bethlehem was long and hard, etc. These are facts that easily get lost in the excitement of Christmas. Highly recommended as an evangelism tool. The Crippled Lamb This animated DVD is based on Max Lucado's story of Joshua, a little lamb who is different, who is left out and left behind. Joshua longed to keep up with the flock, but God had a very special place for him – just as He does for everyone. One cold starry night, Joshua was in the right place at the right time to watch history’s greatest event unfold…. and to play a part in it. There he learns a lesson that is true for us all: “Don’t be sad…God has a special place for those who feel left out.” VISIT OUR SPECIAL DISPLAY AREA FOR CHRISTMAS BOOKS AND DVDs DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. Let us help you and your family keep a special Christ-centered focus during this busy season! 2 (What is Christmas-continued from page 1) weekend, including this Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.