WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE ?

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE ?

It's late in the afternoon on a beautiful spring day in Texas. Walking alone on a road that rarely sees a car and I am so hungry. All I can think about is how hungry I am. In fact, the walk was supposed to distract me from my growling stomach. But to no avail.

One month earlier I had agreed with 6 other men to enter into a secret month long fast, each man fasting for twenty four hours, and passing it along to the next man. The purpose of the fast was to support the leadership in our church, praying for each elder and his family.  At the time it seemed like a good idea, even though I know I get grouchy if I go without food longer than four hours. And on this particular day I had hit the wall, so I began praying as I was walking.

Lord, I am so hungry. And why am I doing this anyway? It can't possibly make any difference to You, if I'm fasting while I'm praying. Certainly praying is enough. Right? I mean, men do this kind of thing all over the world to appeal to their gods. They practice self denial, they fast, they pray for hours on end, getting louder and louder. They cut themselves and wail and throw themselves on the ground.They sacrifice animals. They sacrifice their own children.  All in an attempt to get their gods attention and to gain their gods favor. So what's the difference Lord, between what they are doing and what I'm doing?

Now I want to stop here for a moment. I'm not one of those guys who hears answers to his prayers. I'm not one of those guys who goes out of his way to have a "spiritual experience." If anything, I lean in the direction of shunning the Spirit, for fear of being scared out of my wits. Charismatic I am not.

Looking up, with eyes wide open, I hear three short sentences. Now mind you, there was no audible voice, but I've never forgotten the words that came into my mind.

"Yes Terry, you're right. Men do these things. The difference is, I'm the real deal."

Since that day, I've thought quite a bit about that encounter with Jesus. I've hesitated to write about it. Not wanting to cheapen it. At the same time wanting to give all the praise to to the One who bore my sin, and who, without scolding me for complaining, gave me an encounter that will last until my dying breath.

MY COMMITMENT

The following was written by a young African pastor and tacked on the wall of his house.

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me-my banner will be clear.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 02, 2007

BOOMERS

You've heard a lot from us. How could you not? We've made more noise than any previous generation. You see, "It's all about us." If this is news to you just think back over what we have introduced to the world. We're the generation that brought you the 60's. Now many of you may not be old enough to appreciate just how unusual the 60's were, but the fallout from that decade is still wreaking havoc in American culture.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind a little. We come from the parents who were the greatest generation. Our parents were born before the Great Depression, fought their way through WWII and preceded to raise their children in the safest and most affluent time in America's history. It was our parents who instilled in us the importance of character, hard work, honesty, faith and patriotism. And what did we do with this wonderful launch? We threw it in the dumpster. We took the gifts given to us by America's greatest generation and perverted them for our own selfishness.

We're the ones who became physically rebellious on campuses all across the land. We scoffed at patriotism, scorned our military men and women, made fun of hard working fathers and mothers and produced songs that were the threads of anarchy. We gave you the bumper stickers that said, "if it feels good do it." We introduced laws that provided abortion on demand, no fault divorce, started the trend of lawsuits for frivolous infractions, decided that day care was the best way to raise children, preached the nonsense that there is no difference between men and women and raised billboards declaring "God is Dead."

Then just to be sure that our influence and presence was continually felt, we became the professors, the politicians, the lawyers and the social engineers that have kept our self centered dream alive.

We are now entering the retirement years. You may think that you are finally done with our nonsense, but, "Oh---No," we have now increased our demands. We want health care for all of us older folk who need it more and more everyday. But we are so generous with your tax dollars that we are willing to include you in the plan. Besides it makes us look so compassionate. We also want senior care, bike paths, handicap access to everything, senior passes, senior discounts, senior menus, senior, senior, senior. You see, "it's still all about us." we are the leading consumers of not only your tax dollars, we are also leading the charge for every cosmetic operation known to man. And we go around saying things like, "hey, I'm on a fixed income!!", when in actuality we are the richest generation [in terms of money] that America has ever known. And still we demand free prescriptions, Medicaid, Medicare, electric scooters, eye glasses, and shuttle buses. And I hate to tell you this, but we're not through.
If you don't stop us, we will bankrupt the nation. Sacrifice isn't in our vocabulary. We do know that our social engineering has changed the way all Americans think. We have convinced ourselves that you are better off because of us. And of course, we still think that we are vital to the betterment of mankind. It's going to take years of hard work and sacrifice to correct what we have done. The one advantage you will have is we will finally be dead. God help the generation that rediscovers our nonsense.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2007

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

It was a long day. I was tired and wanting to get home, but first, a stop for dinner at McDonald's. As I wheeled into the parking lot there was a car right behind me. One of those imports that has been lowered and modified. The sound system was rattling my windows. As I got out of the truck, the driver of the car parked next to me. I paid scant attention, but I did notice the tattoo's, the trousers with the crotch at the knees, and the untied shoes. What a waste I thought. Another drugged out kid, slouching into McDonald's for some food. Obviously this guy is so saturated by today's culture that he isn't even aware how predictable and annoying he is.

I place my order and then head for the bathroom. As I am returning to the counter I pass by this young man who has already gotten his food. There he was, leaning forward, and what was that printed on his shirt? a picture of Jesus, with the words, "soldier of the cross" written underneath. And why was he leaning forward like that? He was earnestly praying over his food.

Well, shame on me. My self righteousness andprejudging was hanging out all over the place. I was humbled by this young man. What a lesson God was teaching me at that moment.

Now wouldn't it be nice if this lesson really stuck with me. Of course it would. But it hasn't. I found myself just this very day, doing virtually the very same thing I just described earlier in this post. It is discouraging. However, God is faithful. He will not allow my present state of mind to rule. He forgives. Daily. He renews daily. He encourages daily. Praise His name.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007

SUFFER REJECTION

Easy for you to say. Personally, I am allergic to rejection. I break out in hives. I get a stomach ache. I want nothing more in all the world than to be accepted by all those who are around me. I'm very insecure. I don't like controversy and I don't take criticism well. So then, why title this post SUFFER REJECTION? Because Jesus asks us to. He made it quite clear that those who would come after Him would suffer for His name. He said, "if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." John 15:20b.

This discomfort, this putting ourselves at risk for the sake of the gospel, is part of the reason that evangelism is unpopular. In our hearts we say,---boy, anything but evangelism. We will volunteer for almost any Christian duty, but evangelism !!!!----let someone else better qualified, tackle that one. I wasn't called to be an evangelist.

Those who kinda know their way around the Bible are quick to quote Ephesians 4:11, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers." So you see; they will say, I wasn't called to do that, I don't have that gift, it just isn't my nature. Or better yet, there is the famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi, that goes something like this, "share God with everyone you meet, and if you have to, even use words." This is an extremely popular quote because it suggests to the hearer that your good deeds are sufficient for others to somehow absorb the gospel from that. I don't know about you, but I have never in my life had a man come up to me and say, --you know,-- you live such a good life, would you tell me your secret?

Underneath all of this is fear. And this is where training comes in. This common fear can be defeated with a little simple training and some practice. Be intentional. Get with a guy who has experience and ask him to coach you. Then, put yourself into a situation where sharing the gospel is expected. On a short term mission trip perhaps, or prison ministry, or a soup kitchen.

When Jesus was walking on the shores of Galilee, the first thing He said to the fisherman there was, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Then when he was leaving those men the last thing He said was, "go and make disciples." It's really that simple. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. After you have done that go and make disciples.

Sure there are a lot of things that make up a Christian walk, things that require much attention and regular sacrifice, but the primary thing is "go and make disciples." Look, here's the deal. You are saved because somebody was obedient to the Holy Spirit and shared the gospel with you. In fact, probably several somebodies shared the gospel with you before you really got it. A number of men faced your rejection and perhaps your scorn all because they knew the importance of evangelism.

Recently I was at a large gathering of Christian men. The question was posed, how many of you men were saved in church? Several stood up. Then the question, how many of you men were saved at an evangelistic event. Once again, several stood up. Then the question, how many of you were saved because a man shared the gospel with you, thousands stood up. It is for that very reason that we share Christ. Men want to hear about the gospel from another man, one on one. That's what makes our personal testimony so important. That's why we need training and practice. With training and practice, sharing the gospel becomes a natural part of who you are.

Be willing to love your lost friends enough to suffer rejection. Love them enough to be willing to offend them, if that's what it takes to get them into the kingdom. Then leave the mysterious work of the conversion to God.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2007

DISCIPLINE

No discipline----no growth. Everything else I'm going to say here, can be summed up in that first sentence. It is our tendancy as men to rationalize and procrastinate. The best man among us participates in these two activities, rationalizing and procrastinating. Both of these activities are a cancer on the disciplined life. They are the tools that eat away at the very core of living a disciplined life.

I'll give you an example. I know a man who ranks very high on the discipline chart. He is by all outward appearances the model of constant discipline. He is every woman's dream and every child's hope. He practices the golden rule. He is patriotic, healthy and smart. And if you ask him about his discipline, he will tell you he fails regularly to maintain the standards that are his goal.

So I think it is safe to say, that the best man among us participates in rationalization and procrastination. Why do we intentionally shoot ourselves in the foot? Why, when we know what to do, and when to do it, do we not do it?

Read the book of Proverbs. If you don't have a Bible, borrow one or go on line. Read the whole book. It won't take you long. Write down how many times you see the word discipline in the book. And then, read the warning that accompanies the word. Proverbs is one of those texts that are recommended reading for newlyweds as well as old guys like me. It becomes quickly apparent that and undisciplined life if rife with trouble.

As it turns out, discipline is our friend. Used properly, it will provide daily benefits that add up to yearly gain. If it were easy to attain, it wouldn't be called discipline. The very nature of the word suggests it's meaning.

Jesus had twelve disciples. They were being exposed to His teaching, both through His words and His modeling of how to live life. Did they bumble along? You bet they did. Did they vie for position and power? Yep. Did they miss the point of many of Jesus' statements? Of course they did. Did they end up spreading the gospel until their dying breath? Yes.

My conclusion is keep at it. In second Timothy 2:2, Paul states, "and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men, who will also be qualified to teach others." Reliable men are disciplined men. Qualified men are disciplined men. It is impossible to make very much progress with a man who isn't personally disciplined.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2006

JUST BUSINESS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2006

Do you live out your Christian walk with Jesus during the week the same way you live it out in church on Sunday morning? If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence amongst your business peers, to convict you? ---My answer was no to both questions.

In the spring of 1975 at the ripe old age of 30 I opened for business. Having worked previously for a man who trained me to run a business in the ways of the world. His training was thorough and I was an attentive student. Along with learning the ropes of being a small businessman I also learned very well how to cheat.

Here is the premise. You are a small businessman and the deck is stacked against you. Taxes are too high. Employees are too expensive, landlords don't give you a fair shake and suppliers only provide deep discounts to volume buyers. Of all of those statements only the last one is essentially true. All of the others are reasons to cheat. Once the cheating begins it is quickly applied to every area. The first and most obvious is what is famously known as "two sets of books." In my case this wasn't true, I had one set of books and I entered only the information that I wanted to be known. The rest of the information and money was unaccounted for. That seemed the safest to me. No record, no case.

Cash was king. I worshiped cash. It made the whole enterprise worthwhile and gave me a sense of power that my cleverness was triumphing over the world. I ran my business this way for 21 years.

In the last half of 1995 I was under great conviction about how I was handling the money that the Lord had entrusted me with. By this time I had been saved for 4 years and my declaration to God, about how I wasn't going to give His church any money until I died, was wearing thin. The problem was I was simply too scared to make any changes. What I had been doing for the last 21 years was wrong, yes wrong, but it paid the bills and left me with spending money. Doing anything to upset that system gave me the willies.

In the last quarter of 1995, with my wife's encouragement, I decided that in January of 1996 I was going to surrender the business to the Lord. That's it. Lock, Stock and Barrel. It was going to be His and I would go on salary. Along with all of the dramatic financial changes that were going to be taking place, I was also going to tithe 10% of all the before tax profits.

It was a surrender second only to giving my heart to Jesus. On January 2nd 1996 I arrived at work and felt as though I was stepping straight off a cliff. I had made all these promises to the Lord. No more cheating---period. My employees would no longer receive cash bonuses. We would declare exactly where every penny was and where it was going. We would start all our company meetings with prayer. We would do all these things in the name of the Lord and with His help. Unfortunately I didn't lay out a plan to succeed financially in this new climate. The only thing I did was project out how long I could last. My calculations told me we would be out of business by the 3rd quarter of 1996. On that happy note I began the most daring journey of my Christian life.