About this episode

The episode discusses missed opportunities for kindness and the importance of being present to serve others.

Have you ever missed an opportunity to do something good—not because you didn't care, but because you were somewhere else in your head? On a layover in Frankfurt, Germany, host Colonel Richard J. Mendelow (Ret) walked past a hungry homeless man with a full meal's worth of leftovers sitting on the table behind him. He admits he was too caught up in his own disappointment to see the opportunity right in front of him. And it stayed with him. In Part 1 of this two-part mini-series, Colonel Mendelow and his wingman Christy Mendelow open a conversation that is less about failure and more about what is possible. Small acts of kindness—a recovered voicemail, a volunteer EMT saving a life at a parade, cold drinks taken to men working outside in the heat—are happening all around us every day. The question is whether we are awake enough to see them and present enough to act. James 2:14-17 makes it plain: faith without deeds is incomplete. Not because our works earn us anything, but because in our salvation, the desire to serve will grow. Loving others is worship. So what opportunities are passing you by right now? Listen in and be encouraged to open your eyes to what is…

People in this episode

Host: Colonel Richard J. Mendelow

Guest: Christy Mendelow

Topics covered

• opportunity
• kindness
• faith
• awareness
• service

Keywords

• opportunity
• kindness
• faith
• awareness
• service
• Christianity
• spirituality

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: James 2:14-17

More episodes of Courageous Christianity with Richard Mendelow

• "Missed Opportunities, Part 2: Who Would You Be If You Were Paying Attention?" · July 18, 2026 · 55 min
• "Declaration of Independence 250 Years Later" · July 4, 2026 · 55 min
• "Real Faith for the Real World: Two Words That Change Everything—Series Finale" · June 27, 2026 · 55 min
• "Fatherhood: What the World Is Getting Wrong and What God Says" · June 20, 2026 · 55 min
• "The Plank in Your Own Eye" Anger, Accountability, and the Man in the Mirror" · June 13, 2026 · 55 min

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