Columbus—Sailing by Faith through Uncharted Waters
哥伦布——朝着信念逆流而上
When one thinks of great explorers， Christopher Columbus often comes to mind. This man， who was born to poor workers of wool， had little education and was thought by critics to be ill-equipped to successfully navigate the ocean. However， Columbus had a goal. His goal was to find a shorter route to the Indies. Even though there were many ordeals which arose to discourage him from his goal， he courageously continued in his attempts to reach his goal.
On his first voyage， Columbus' ship was sunk by pirates off the coast of Portugal， and Columbus himself was forced to swim to shore clinging only to a loose oar from one of the life rafts. This incident helped to solidify5 Columbus' resolve to find a new route to the Indies.
In 1483， Columbus confidently brought his plans before King John of Portugal only to have them carelessly rejected. Instead of giving up， Columbus' never-dying determination led him to take his plans to the rulers of Spain， Ferdinand and Isabella. Their majesties rejected his plans twice before his persistence paid off； Ferdinand and Isabella finally accepted his proposition upon the third presentation of his plan. Another discouragement was yet to come， though. In the midst of receiving the finances needed for the voyage， he lost his wife and his only son to death.
Columbus finally set sail with his three-ship fleet—the Nina， the Pinta， and the Santa Maria—never imagining that this voyage would greatly test his judgment， tenacity， diplomacy， and navigational skills. The voyage ultimately took 33 days to sail carried supplies for only 21 days of travel. His crew often begged him to turn back， and they occasionally threatened him with mutiny. Above all these circumstances， Columbus allowed his compass to guide him claiming that “the compass always seeks the truth”. Finally on October 12， 1492， the cry of， “Land， Ho！” was heard from among the rigging， and the Americas were discovered.
Because Columbus refused to allow trials to stop him， we will forever owe him a debt of gratitude for the wonderful land in which we live： America.
500 years ago， one man dared to do what few men ever dared to dream—and the world was changed forever.
There is another great explorer who later came on the scene seeking to find new ways to do greater deeds for the glory of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That great captain is Dr. Lee Roberson. He also faced great obstacles in order to gain his goals. One of the first storms he would face was the storm of the temptation to become a great singer in secular music. Dr. Roberson refused to let his ship veer to the port or to the starboard. He kept himself on a straight course toward his Lord's will. Dr. Roberson continued to be Pastor of two country churches， and was thought by critics to be ill-equipped to build a church of any larger proportions beyond the ones he had pastured. He then proceeded to be Pastor of the great Highland Park Baptist Church of Chattanooga， Tennessee， in a place thought to be impossible to build a church because of the poorness of the downtown area. While there， Dr. Roberson faced the criticism of running what has become the great Life Raft of Fundamentalism： the Bus Ministry.
Another storm Dr. Roberson faced occurred while he was away at a preaching engagement. Upon calling him home， he found out from his wife the tragic news that his daughter Joy had died. Instead of letting this disappointment stop him， Dr. Roberson used this tragedy to expand his ministry by starting a camp which he named in memory of his daughter： Camp Joy.
Like Columbus， Dr. Lee Roberson has a Compass. That Compass not only seeks the truth， but it also is the Truth： the Word of God. He refused to quit， and by faith he has endured for over 70 years to steer countless lives to Christ. Christopher Columbus may have discovered America， but Dr. Lee Roberson has been used of God to save it.
He dared to do what few men have dared to dream—And Fundamentalism was changed forever.
一提到那些伟大的探险家，克里斯多夫·哥伦布这个名字总会不由自主地浮现在我们脑海中。他生于一个以制作毛纺织为生的贫苦家庭，从小也没受过什么正规教育。当时一些吹毛求疵的人都嘲笑说，就他那几艘装备简陋的破船，根本无法成功穿越大西洋。然而，哥伦布有他宏伟的目标，那就是要找到一条通往印度的海上捷径。这番征途中，尽管种种磨难也曾让他产生放弃的念头，但他还是勇敢地坚持自己的信念，勇者无惧。
哥伦布第一次航海就遭遇了葡萄牙海盗，船只沉没。他仅仅靠抓住一支救生艇的船桨才得以游向岸边。而这次遭遇反倒坚定了哥伦布的信念——一定要找到一条通往印度的新航线。
1483年，哥伦布满怀信心地把这份航行计划呈献给葡萄牙约翰国王，却被漫不经心地否决了。他不但没放弃，却更加坚定信心了。哥伦布又把这份航海计划书呈献给西班牙统治者，斐迪南与伊莎贝拉，却两度遭到拒绝。就在他快要放弃这份信念时，斐迪南和伊莎贝拉终于被他坚定的信念所打动，采纳了哥伦布第三次提交的航海计划方案。然而，又一场不幸正悄悄降临。在他获准得到航海资助期间，哥伦布失去了心爱的妻子，惟一的儿子也去世了。
哥伦布终于率领由尼娜号、品塔号、桑塔·玛丽娅号组成的舰队起航了。无法想象他那敏锐的判断力、坚定的信念、游刃有余的外交手段及航海技术会接受多么严峻的考验。航行最终持续了33天，船上所带的物资却仅能维持21天。船员们乞求他转舵回去，甚至还用兵变来加以威胁。面对种种难题，哥伦布始终在罗盘的指引下，坚持主张“罗盘指引真理”。终于，在1492年10月12日那天，伴随着从缆绳上传来的一声惊呼“看哪！陆地！”美洲，就这样被发现了。
正是哥伦布无惧艰险，美洲，这片神奇的土地才得以发现。为此，我们永远怀念他。
五百年前，有个人敢为他人之不敢想，整个世界从此改变了模样！
如今，又有一位伟大的“探索家”登上了历史的舞台，他要寻求新的方式来为上帝——伟大的救世主效劳。这位一流的“船长”就是李·罗伯逊博士。要达到目标，罗伯逊同样面临着诸多阻碍。其中迎接他的第一场“风暴”就是成为一位非宗教音乐歌手的诱惑。罗伯逊拒绝让自己这艘船转舵回港或是调转方向。他始终坚持把自己的发展方向与其救世主的意志保持一致。罗伯逊曾连续在两个乡村基督教堂任牧师之职。一些人认为，就凭他微薄的实力，不可能建起更具规模的教堂。之后，罗伯逊又连续在位于田纳西州的查塔诺的加城大高地公园浸信会教堂任牧师。然而，反对者曾一度认为查城过于贫困，无论如何也建不起一座教堂。舆论指责罗伯逊经营管理当地的巴士局，而当时该局正是正派基督教会危机时期的“伟大救生艇”。
他遇到的另一次重大灾难是：一次他正外出传道，却从妻子那得到了心爱的女儿乔伊去世的噩耗，他只能紧急地跑回了家。但这场悲剧没能把罗伯逊打击得心灰意冷，他反而化悲痛为力量，坚定信念并建起一座以他心爱女儿命名的营地“乔伊营”，发展扩大了巴士局的规模。
与哥伦布一样，李·罗伯逊也握有一个“罗盘”。他的罗盘不仅能指向真理，其本身就是一个真理：上帝之词。他拒绝退缩，70多年来，一份坚定的信念指引着他把无数生命引向基督。克里斯多夫·哥伦布曾经发现了美洲大陆，而李·罗伯逊博士借助上帝的力量来为美洲大陆祈福。
罗伯逊也敢为他人之不敢想之事，正派基督教因此永远改变了。
译者感言
法国的罗曼·罗兰曾说，“信仰是一种力量，惟大智大勇之人才有。”人，一定要有一种信念，有所追求。人的一生，会有痛苦，有的人能够面对挫折，化解痛苦；有的人会夸大挫折，放大痛苦！不一样的选择，就会有不一样的人生之旅。而要让我们的心灵城堡开满鲜花，就只有面对挫折。
无疑，哥伦布与罗伯逊都是生命中的大智大勇之人。哥伦布是一个意志坚定的人，他决不会让他苦心组建的船队半途而废，留下终生遗憾。他坚持继续向西航行，有时候，他甚至不得不拔出宝剑，强令水手们向前，再向前。
人生种种磨难与挫折，正是催人向上的力量与信念，使得有志之人不为一切艰难困苦所阻遏，更不为种种庸俗欲望所诱惑，最终到达成功的彼岸。
