Growing up near Pittsburgh (Go Pirates!) had lots of uniqueness. I grew up in a day when the milk was delivered to your doorstep and placed in a little metal container. How’s that for telling my age? 😛 I remember the milk though. It was called Meadow Gold. We also had Bordens mile delivered until mom started buying milk at the store (along with that gag nasty Carnation Instant Milk that she mixed so the milk would double and go farther). After all, 4 boys drank a lot of milk.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY ABOUT WILLIAM BORDEN?
He was born in the late 1800s, the son of a multi-millionaire and an heir to the Borden dairy company. He did his undergrad work at Yale and earned a graduate degree from Princeton. But he left it all to follow Christ. As a high school graduation gift his parents sent him on a tour around the world. As he traveled he felt God’s call to reach out to those who had never heard of Jesus. He wrote 2 words in his Bible on that trip:
No Reserves.
He knew that following Jesus would require a complete commitment. His dad insisted he attend a university so he enrolled at Yale. His passion for the Bible led him to start a Bible study that grew to over 1000 by his senior year. During his time at Yale he founded and funded the Yale Hope Mission in an effort to rehabilitate alcoholics and addicts. His father died while he was at Yale, leaving him a sizable fortune. Upon graduation, he wrote two more words in his Bible:
No Retreats.
There would be no looking back. He planned to go to China, but needed to go to Africa to learn the Arabic language. While there he caught spinal meningitis and died one month later at the age of 25. He was buried in Cairo.
Some might say he was foolish, that he wasted his life, his family’s fortune, and his career, all to follow Jesus as a missionary only to die before realizing his goal of going to China. After his death, they found three phrases written in his Bible. The first two I have already given. The third tells it all:
No Regrets.
No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets. Doesn’t get much more “all in” than those phrases. I’m not going to lie or sugarcoat it: I was moved by that story. Moved because I AM NOT THERE. Nope, not even close. I want to be. I want to follow without reservation. I want to follow not thinking of retreating. I want to end my life with no regrets, without a second thought that I have chosen wisely to follow Jesus. Borden=fool or Borden=wise. Bill=fool or Bill=wise. My choice to make. Yours also.
Your thoughts? Where do you find yourself? How does Borden’s story hit you?
There was a Borden’s dairy processing plant – and icre cream parlour – about 10 minutes from my house when I was growing up. I never knew this story. But it’s a marvelous epitah: No Regrets.
Totally agree Glynn. Yummm ice cream. I believe I would have visited that as often as possible. thanks for coming by.
Bill, in a strange way, it goes with what I will post for tomorrow. If we looked at those three phrases every day with our Bible study……wow.
Looking forward to reading your post. Yeah, what a difference.
Hi Bill,
This man William Borden had a calling from God to go to China as a missionary/evangelist. Not all believers get this kind of calling.
We are called to be faithful to God with our lives. This is what William Borden did.
I’ve not been called to China as a missionary. Nor am I expecting this call from God. If I was going to find myself traveling around the world and doing this kind of missionary ministry, I probably would have had the urge to begin doing this many years ago.
Perhaps God gave me an opportunity to go to Russia and I turned it down in the late 80’s. That was my perogative. I may have missed out on an amazing time with God travelling the world, but I did what I did. I said no, to someone who asked me to come and minister with him in Russia. He was taking a team over there to minister to churches and believers. I had two small kids to look after at the time.
One child had insulin dependant diabetes, the other child had some alergies and asthsma.
I’ve still walked with God. Now I’m grounded because of an ear disorder.
I don’t believe we ever waste our time or our life following after God. What else is there that is worthwhile? Striving to get rich? Not many are rich. As of 2008, there were 10 million people around the globe who are classified as U.S.-dollar millionaires. Out of 7 billion people living on the earth.
Any average person who’s thinking they are going to become a millionaire is reaching for *pie in the sky*. We have all kinds of warnings about relying and trusting in riches in the Bible.
Does this mean poverty for the believer? No. That’s ridiculous. Does this mean then that believers will never experience financial hardship in our lives? No. I don’t think so.
However, God is our helper and deliverer. I’m convinced that there is nothing greater we can do with our lives than to give it up for Christ. I’m sold out.
I’m not all there yet either, Bill. But I’m working on it.
God calls each man/woman differently. What works for one does not work for another. That was not my intention if taken that way: that God calls us to go to China. I have never felt the call to go to a foreign mission field but I have sensed God’s call to my “field” here. And I am certainly not there yet either.
I lived in Shadyside for a few years when I was at CMU. Ahh the burgh! As for Mr. Borden, I had never heard this story. This is one of those puzzlers. Seems like God could have really used someone with his drive and passion and commitment, but he snuffed him out before he got any traction. Yet I continue to plod along, too focused on myself. There has to be more to Borden’s story that is known by man.
Borden’s life made a difference in a huge way, just not in China. Those 1000 students in Bible study were led by him and his passionate pursuit of God. Who can understand and explain God’s ways? Not me.
I did not know that about Mr. Borden. (I do remember milk and bread deliveries, though.) His story is complementary to the story of the missionaries who went to bring the Gospel to the Indians in Ecuador back in the 1950’s. Those five men and their families were committed to doing what God wanted them to do. When the Indians killed all five of them, people were apt to say, “What a tragic loss. What a waste of their lives.” But, as I heard Steve Saint say (son of Nate Saint who was killed) their story had ended, but God’s story is still going on today.
That tragedy was not a waste of lives. That loss of life was the trigger that opened the Auca Indians to the truth of the Gospel. Jesus brought almost every member of that tribe to Himself through that tragedy.
Bill, I don’t think any of us have it nailed. I’m pretty sure Mr. Borden did not have it nailed or he would not have needed those reminders that I imagine he looked at often.
Maybe taking “risks” for Jesus is not really risky. It might feel like it to us. Others might gasp and moan as they watch. But what is the worst thing that can happen to us? I don’t think that Mr. Borden was at all disappointed at the end. A waste of time, money and life? Not even.
Oooooh you are telling your age Susan! 🙂 You are right in that what the world sees as a waste of life is anything but that. Mr. Borden has nothing to be ashamed of that is for sure.
This is an amazing story that I never heard before. And your title is just perfect.
No Reserves, No retreat, no regret. I fail on all of those counts! But to hear this story makes me want to start anew
When I read that story the first time i had the same reaction David. Blown away by his willingness to give it all up.
I’ve used those words for most of my life… just for the wrong reasons; me…
I too feel the need to be more like that, the way God designed me and us for true peace and joy as we honor him.
I follow suit with you Floyd. Way too easy to fulfill self. But glad it has changed for the most part-for me and for you.
No Reserve, No Retreat, No regret. That is a powerful challenge to all of us in our walk with the Lord.
I believe the bible teaches we are commanded to be a missionary where ever God places us. Some are place in foreign countries, some are place in the same town they grew up in. Our call is to walk like Christ and strive to live that challenge Mr. Borden penned in his bible. Susan is so right, none of us have this nailed down. Words written in a bible testifly to that. Great post Bill. Needed to read this. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment Betty. I totally agree that God has told us we are to be missionaries no matter where we are.
Sounds like a combination of John The Baptist/Jesus to me…Good post!
He was a standard bearer for sure Ed. Thanks.
I had heard this story before, but I don’t think I knew he was part of the dairy company’s family. I’m with you! I want to live my life that way, completely surrendered and sold out to His heart. No matter my feelings at any given moment of frustration, I know He is the Treasure of treasures. Good stuff, Bill. Thanks.
The feelings are hard to deal with sometimes and get in the way. Thanks Jason for coming by.
What a powerful story. I love reading about the lives of people like this. I’m struck by how easy it is to compare ourselves to the world around us and to pat ourselves on the back. But the standard that we’re called to is higher than high.
I like biographies of people that go their own way. This is one. I will only add, because I think it enhances the emphasis, that the notation of “No Retreat” was added after his father , in disgust, informed him that he would never work for the company and was not in agreement with his decision.
Peace
The story hits me between the eyes Bill, thank you for sharing. Simple but powerful…I AM NOT THERE either. I pray that I have the courage and faith to act foolishly (in the eyes of man). I am writing these in my day planner so I plan for no regrets (if I can find it among all the to do’s that don’t really matter!)
What an inspiring story. Some may find that strange, but I think in his short 25 yrs. of life, William Borden did more to make a difference than I’ll ever do… Talk about “Love Does”!