Leadership Thought: A Quick Way to Share Your Faith.

Dear Friends

In the early 1970’s while I was pastoring in Philadelphia Pa., I attended one of the most valuable seminars I have ever taken. It was held in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. where 30 years I would later pastor, it was there that I spent a week learning how to share my faith while attending the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. The program was called Evangelism Explosion, and it not only impacted my life, but it impacted the life of my church in Philadelphia, where I taught our members how to go into our community and share their faith while witnessing to others.

I still use parts of what I learned in sharing my faith today. The program was predicated on two introductory questions that I would ask people. The first is “Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain if you were to die today, you would go to heaven?” And a second follow up question was “Suppose you were to die today, and God were to say to you why should I let you into heaven, what would you say?” The first question helps you know what they believe about heaven, and the second question informs you of what they believe is needed to get there. More often than not, the answer to the second question would be a series of “I” statements. I go to church, I pray, I do good things, I. I, I………. All such answers generally indicate that the person I am witnessing to is depending on the things they have done to earn their way into heaven. At that point, I will sometimes say, “I thought I might have some good news for you when I asked those first two questions, but hearing your response I know I really have some of the greatest good news you will ever hear. Would you mind if I took a few moments to share that news with you”? 

I always ask permission to share with them to determine their willingness and interest, as I don’t want to force my faith on someone who is openly resistant.

I then quote Ephesians 2:8-9, or if I have a Bible with me, I will open it up and ask them to read aloud the passage themselves. “It is by grace you have been saved through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Most people believe that it is their good works that will get them into heaven when in reality your good works, no matter how good they are, can never save you. These two verses make it clear that your salvation is not by your own works or efforts but only  by God's grace (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense). That expense was Christ’s death, and it is the only good work that will save you. It is only your faith, (your trust in Christ alone) that will save you, “for all your good works are simply dirty rags” (Is. 64:6). Then I will turn to Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and then to Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the (free) gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I also will have them look at Romans 3:10, Rom. 5:8 and Romans 10:9.

Obviously, time does not allow me to do justice to a complete presentation of the gospel, but hopefully this will help you get started on the path to sharing your faith.

If you are interested in learning more, let me know and if there is enough of a response, I will lead a class on “Sharing Your Faith” this fall at New Monmouth.

I close by adding this: There is no greater joy in life that one can receive than being used to lead someone to Christ.

For more information I suggest you google “Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws,” and you will find one of the most effective tracts ever produced for sharing the plan of salvation.”

Have a great weekend,

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Do You Have Any Woman at the Well Stories?

Dear Friends,

While I was chaplain and coach at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, I had the opportunity to meet  many wonderful people Among them was Mark Merrill, who with his wife, Robin,  had been missionaries in the Philippines. Mark was serving as an art teacher on the staff at the church, and he and I became good friends during our time together at the school.

In response to one of my devotional messages on loneliness-I was sharing the story of the loneliness of the woman at the well before  her  encounter with Jesus- he told me a story that I will never forget. He writes “Your words brought to mind a vivid memory. The most significant memory of my mission field experience in the red-light district of Manila, Philippines was to witness with my own eyes  a living picture of the woman at the well described in John 4. Robin and I, with the Lord’s hand, ‘plucked out’ a woman prostitute after many ministry encounters, only to receive a message from her that she was back at her old brothel and wanted us to meet her  there. Earlier in the year, we had driven  this woman far away from her home above the bar where she had sold herself into prostitution. The hardest thing for us to hear  was this that this ex prostitute who had given her heart to Jesus had gone back to her old business. It was a long hard drive to our meeting with her, and our hearts were heavy, and our imaginations were on overdrive.”

“But when we walked into this seedy bar asking for this woman, we heard voices talking and laughing upstairs. When Diana came downstairs, we could tell she had the Spirit of the Lord all over her. She was no longer lonely. She had come back to her old place to tell everyone about Christ and what He meant to her and how He had changed her life. I still remember her vibrant smile, and soon after I tried to paint a picture of it, but the painting could not begin recreate the extreme joy of that living scripture live moment.”

What an incredible picture of how the living Lord Jesus can change one’s life. If you have personally prayed to receive Jesus, you can identify with this story. The story brought me back to the time I knelt beside my cabin room bed at a Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisc. in 1962 and gave my life to Jesus. If you have never made a decision to personally  commit your life to Jesus, I implore you to do so today. I promise you that your life will never be the same again. If you want more information on how to make this decision, please let me know, and I will gladly share more about how you can do this.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. If you have any “Woman at the Well” stories, please pass them along. I’d love to hear from you.

Leadership Thought: Chasing Sticks or Souls? Your Answer Determines Your Kingdom Value.

Dear Friends,

I love the Peanuts’ cartoon in which Linus has just thrown a stick for Snoopy to retrieve. Snoopy's first instinct was to chase after the stick, but he pauses a few moments and decides against it. “I want people to have more to say about me after I’ve gone than he was a nice guy….he chased sticks.”

How do you want to be remembered? What motivates you to do more in life than just chase sticks?  As the clock winds down on my life, I sometimes find myself wondering how people will remember me. I trust it will be for the words I have spoken, or the things that I have done, or the contributions I have made to make a difference in people’s lives.

When General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, stood before Queen Victoria, and she asked what she might do for him, the rugged old man replied, “Your majesty, some people’s passion is money, and some people’s passion is fame, but my passion has been men” Commentary on Romans, Righteousness from Heaven, Kent Hughes, p. 25.

That was the Apostle Paul’s passion. His passion is clearly revealed in that first chapter of Romans where he writes to the church and tell them of his desire to visit them. “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong “ (Romans 1:11).

 Like General Booth, Paul’s passion was people. He wanted to share with them, so that those who knew Christ would be strengthened, and those who had yet to know Him might discover the joy of their salvation. In essence, he was a man who wanted others to know Christ and the change He would make in their lives.

Neither Paul nor General Booth could ever be accused of chasing sticks. No, they were too busy chasing after souls, and what could be more exciting or rewarding than  that?

As you and I look at our schedules, and as we examine our goals, let’s ask ourselves how much of what we are doing is directed towards chasing souls and not sticks.

I want my life to count, and I know you do to. May God help each of us to keep our priorities straight as we continue to be difference makers for the Kingdom of God.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

New Monmouth Musings: What We Learned at U Turn for Christ about Adversity and Addiction.

Dear Friends,

A few months ago, I met with members of U Turn for Christ, an addiction ministry that we host each week at our church. We were studying the subject of adversity, and I asked the question, “How has adversity shaped your life”? 

And one by one each of them began revealing  the pain and problems  they had experienced as they dealt with their particular drug or alcohol addiction. They all shared different stories, but they all agreed on one thing: They were glad for the adversity they experienced as they battled with their addiction.

Why would they say that? Because it was  adversity that  led them into a recovery ministry that had taught them about God. In spite of their painful pasts, they were all grateful  for their pasts for they could now see how that adversity had now brought them  face to face with Jesus.

Someone was right on when they said, “What we call adversity, God calls opportunity.”  How often God uses adversity to break the bonds of some particular sin that enslaves us.

Together we examined James 1:2-4 : where James reminds us that we’ are to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”.

These brothers in their newfound faith could now see how their painful pasts had now produced a new and a promising future. They now had come to fully understood God’s promise in Romans 8:28 that “In everything, God works together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

Each day I receive pastor Allister Begg’s e-mailed daily devotional, and I was struck by his words which focused on the very subject we were discussing within our group. He writes " Rest assured , if you are a child of God you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them  you will be weaned from earth and made (ready) for heaven.  You will be delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eternal things that are so soon to be revealed." 

Have a great day today and remember that “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; but by trials God is shaping us for higher things.”

Yours in faith and friendship.

Tom

Leadership Thought: Lead with Your Ears and Follow up with Your Tongue.

Dear Friends

I love the Message Bible translation of James 1:19: “Lead with your ears and follow up with your tongue and let anger straggle along to the rear.” The verse reminds me of the story of the mother who came home after a long hard day. Her little girl ran out of the house to greet her. “Mommy, Mommy, wait until I tell you what happened today”. After listening to a few sentences, the mother responded indicating the rest could wait as she needed to get dinner started. During the meal, the phone rang, then other family members’ stories were longer and louder than the little girl’s. Once again, she tried to talk with her mom after the kitchen was cleaned, and the brother’s homework questions were answered, but then it was time for her to get ready for bed.

The mom came to tuck the little girl in bed, and quickly listened to her prayer. As she bent down to tousle the little one’s curls and to kiss her soft cheek, the child woke up and asked, “Mommy, do you really love me even if you don’t have time to listen to me?” Ouch! (Taken from Stories from the Heart, Alice Grey)

I don’t profess to be the greatest listener in the world. I try, but there have been all too many times in my life when I have been guilty of allowing the busyness of  my life to crowd out my ability to listen to another with a genuine listening ear and a caring heart.

 Someone remarked “a ‘good’ listener is one who can give you his full attention without  hearing a word you say,” and sadly, I confess that I have the ability to be just that kind of "good listener."

One of the best ways we can show our love and concern for another is by listening to them. The late author and speaker Bruce Larson has said  “One of the best ways to demonstrate God’s love is to listen to people.” How true it is that listening is simply another word for caring.

When I was serving in another church, I received a call from my secretary that there was a young girl  downstairs who needed to talk with someone. When I came down, I found her overcome with emotion. As we walked up to my office, tears were falling as she began unraveling her story. To make a long story short, her life was collapsing all around her, and she didn’t think there was anyone who cared. We sat down in my office, and for the next 45 minutes she poured out her life to me. I didn’t say much. I just tried to listen and ask a few questions. As the end of our time together, she got up, and thanked me and then she spoke words  I will never forget. She said, “I really feel much better now, and I am so glad that I had a chance to talk with you.”

I only wish that every one of my counseling sessions turned out like this one. What she was saying was that she was grateful that someone took the time to listen to her. So many times, what people need most is not the semblance of a sermon but the solace of silence. They just need a listening  ear. As a pastor, I confess I am often much better at delivering a sermon than I am ‘distributing’ silence, and maybe you can identify with me.

Let me encourage each one of us to work on our  listening skills, always keeping in mind that almost always it is  more important to speak less and listen more.  Remember one of the greatest and most lasting gifts you can give to anyone is a listening ear and a caring heart. That is the kind of 'counseling' that will truly make a difference in another's life.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. And remember that “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.” Wilson Mizner

Leadership Thought: I Want to like John Wooden, George Whitefield and Dick Winters.

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite books is titled “Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.” The late Wooden, is still today acknowledged as the most successful college coach of all time. He was not only famous for his coaching ability, but also for creating the “Pyramid of Success,” a list of 15 qualities that people need to be successful in any walk of life. One of the cornerstones of this “pyramid or success” is industriousness. In commenting on it, he states, “I have always wanted to be the best I can be. I still do, so I work at it. My knees and hips make it difficult to walk very far or stand very long, but I keep up with a busy speaking and traveling schedule. I continue to meet with individuals during the week. And I still answer every letter I receive. I used to read more than I do now. My eyes are failing some. I don’t remember quite as well as I once did; my memory is going, too. But I will continue to do the best I can with what I have. Although I don’t know any other 94-year old’s who work as hard as I do, that is not the point. The only competition I have is with myself. Even at 94 I want to be the best I can be, and hard work is the only way to make this happen.” (Coach Wooden’s  Pyramid of Success), John Wooden and Jay Carty, p. 31.

Yes, at 94 coach Wooden was still going strong. Long ago he must have learned the truth that “there is no office hours for leaders.”  Proverbs 21:5 reminds us that “good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but shortcuts lead to poverty.” And the Apostle Paul exhorts us to “serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord” (Ephesians 6:7).  I hope that if I live to be 95, I am still going strong in the service of the Lord. I hope that I can serve with the same enthusiasm as coach Wooden, and that I can continue to bring glory to God, even as my knees weaken, and my eyes fail, and the body begins to prepare for “Moving Day.”

When I read something like this, I am reminded of George Whitefield, a British evangelist who lived more than 200 years ago. He exhibited a great devotion to Christ. After preaching several times one day, he went to his room and prepared for bed. Then someone came and asked him to speak one more time because a crowd had gathered outside. Although very tired, he picked up a candle and said he would preach until it burned out. And hour later the flame flickered and died, and Whitefield closed in prayer and went inside. The next morning, he was found on his knees beside his bed-the flame of his earthly existence had glimmered and died. The story is taken from the devotional “Our Daily Bread.”

The writer of the devotional concludes with these comments. As believers we are called to be faithful in representing the Lord Jesus until life is over, no matter how limited our energies. This does not mean we should drive ourselves to an early grave. But, even when we retire from our jobs, there are still opportunities to grow spiritually, serve others, and be a witness for Christ.”

I have a friend, Dick Winters, who at 91 is still serving our church faithfully as a member of our trustees. He too has learned that you are never too old to serve the Lord.

Let each of us “work wholeheartedly as if we were serving the Lord,” for the fact is we are, and since we are, let’s do it in a way that would be honoring of Him.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: What Must It Be Like to Die Alone?

Dear Friends,

I will never forget the conversation I had with Cleve Bell who was involved in a prison ministry while I was pastoring in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He shared with me how one of his volunteers had not shown up for work, and after a few days he went to visit him. Sadly, he found Jim dead in his home. He had gotten himself cleaned up from drugs several years ago, but the damage had been done to his family. His wife divorced him, and his family disowned him.  There he was living all by himself those many years with a heart to serve others, but with a family whose heart was bitter and consumed by an unforgiving spirit. And as Cleve concluded the story, I will never forget his sorrowful words: “He died alone.”

As I thought about those words this morning, I thought about the many who have died alone, the result of Covid. They spent the last days of their lives in a hospital, unable to see family and friends. I wondered how many of them, like Cleve’s friend, might have died, knowing they died “with still unfinished business.”

I wonder if Jesus must have felt the same way. Yes, his mother was there and so was John, and maybe a few of the other disciples, but for the most part you would have to say He died alone. Where were the ones He healed, the Gadarene demoniac, the women with a flow of blood, the man born blind? Were they there? There is no mention of any of them being present.

What would it be like to die alone? What was it like for Cleve’s friend to go through life without a family who cared and who was willing to overlook and forgive the past?

There is a scene from a movie a number of years ago called “Nobody’s Fool.” There is a working man named Donald Sullivan. Everybody calls him Sully. He is about sixty years old, having spent his whole life in the same town. When his parents died, he inherited their house. He never moved in. Instead he left it alone. It was the house where his father beat him as a child. So, he has chosen to leave it alone, and every day he drives by to watch it slowly fall apart. One day he takes one of his friends, a builder, through that broken-down house.

The builder says, “Sully, you could have saved this place. You could have fixed it up a little bit, rented it out. You could have sold it and put the money in your pocketbook. Instead you have chosen to stick it to your old man. What’s it been-thirty, thirty-five years? You still keeping score? Well, here’s the good news: you won.” The Arithmetic of Forgiveness, William Carter, quoted from the internet.

How many people are there who think they have won because they were unwilling to reach out and forgive? For them it is a sign of weakness. I will never humble myself and forgive that so and so. Why look what he did to me, and to my family…Yes, in their mind they think they won, but they really lost. They lost an opportunity to bring healing, pardon, forgiveness, and restoration to a sad and broken life, who like Jesus died mostly alone.

If God stopped keeping score on us, why is it that we feel we have to keep score on those around us? “Father forgive us, for we know not what we do.”

Remember, “He who cannot forgive breaks the bride over which he himself must pass.” George Hebert.

And if you happen to be one of those broken bridge people, let me encourage you to take a look at Matthew 18:21-35.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Growth Is Not Automatic.

Dear Friends,

Hardly a day goes by that I take a minute to listen to a one- or two-minute message from a friend named John Maxwell. Oh, I have never met John personally, but I have probably read at least 30 of his books, and listened to hundreds of his messages on tapes ( I know this dates me), CD's, and the internet. He is a world renown  writer, speaker, and teacher on the subject of leadership. He has written close to 100 books, and he has probably spoken to more people on the subject of leadership than any person on the face of the earth. A former pastor, who at 28 led the largest church in his denomination, John is a person of great faith. 

Each day I receive his free "Minute with Maxwell" message on my computer, and combined with my devotional time, I find these two habits help me get my day off to a good start. This morning's message from John served to encourage me to continue my investment in growth. I remember  a man who always closed one of his letters, "Yours at 83 and still growing." I want to be like that man, so growth is something I am committed too, and I hope you are as well.

I don't know what you are doing to improve yourself spiritually, relationally or professionally,  but I hope you are investing your time wisely and that you are daily growing in each of these areas.

I want to encourage you to click on to the two-minute message below from John and the challenge he presents. No, there is nothing to buy, and I don't get anything out of your doing so except the joy in knowing that, like me, you are investing in your own growth and development.

If you like what you hear, why not simply click on to his free daily messages?  I think you will find them to be a great resource to your own growth.

"Yours at 79 and still growing,"

Tom  

PS If you like what you hear, why not drop me an e-mail and let me know your listened

https://johnmaxwellteam.com/2020-investment/?c=jmax-em-np-bo&jmtc=mwm-word&jmta=mwm-word-cta

Leadership Thought: What Does Commitment Look Like?

Dear Family,

Commitment expresses itself in many forms. It is seen in Hernando Cortez’s  burning of all his 11 ships after landing in Veracruz, so that he and his men had no place to go but forward.

It is revealed in missionary David Livingstone’s response to those who wanted to join him on the mission field. When he was asked,  “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you.” He wrote back, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”

But one of the most powerful expressions of commitment is found in the life of the missionary Adoniram Judson who sweated out Burma’s heat for 18 years without a furlough, and six years without a single convert. Enduring torture and imprisonment, he admitted that he never saw a ship sail without waiting to jump on board and go home. When his wife’s health broke, and he had to put her on a homebound vessel in the knowledge he would not see her for two full years, he confided in his diary: “If we could find some quiet resting place on earth where we could spend the rest of our days in peace….,” but he then concluded with this remarkable postscript, “Life is short. Millions of Burmese are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to communicate salvation” (Regions Beyond, Vol 37, p 2 taken off the Internet). Judson stayed and was instrumental in establishing a significant Christian influence in Burma.

I will never forget the answer I read that one pastor once gave to a woman who asked him to define the word commitments (she called it consecration). OLDING UP A BLANCK SHEET OF PAPER, HE REPLIED, “iT is to sign your nbame ast the bottom of this blank shee3t, and to lewt God fill it in asa He will.” Holding up a blank sheet of paper, he replied, “It is to sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet, and to let God fill it in as He will.”ernando Cortes’Hernaqndo Corte3zH

God calls us to commitment not comfort, service not slumber. When Ananias was told by God to go and search out Paul, he was afraid, for he had heard how Paul was persecuting believers in Jerusalem. But the Lord said, “Go, and do what I say. For Paul is my chosen instrument to take the message to the nations,  and before kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for me” (Acts 9:12-16).

The next time you and I are prone to complain about long hours, hard work, little free time, or unrealistic expectations, let's allow our minds to wander to one or two of the above examples, and ponder how little we really know about what it means to accept the cost of commitment.

Jesus did not say, “Come to me and get it over with.”  He said, “If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.”  Daily is the key word. “ Our commitment to Christ, however, genuine and wholehearted it may be today, must be renewed tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that until the path comes at last to the river.” Louis Cassels, Quotations from the Christian World, Edythe Draper, p 1541.

Today, let’s pray that God would forge our faith into a such a steel like commitment that when tested by the challenges of those long hours, hard work, high expectations and unreasonable people, it will stand the test and abound to His glory.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: The Move that Every Christian Should Make.

Dear Friends,

Compassion, someone wrote, “Is your hurt in my heart.” It has been described another way writer and speaker Frederick Buechner who once said, “Compassion is that somewhat fatal capacity for feeling what it’s like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never be any joy and peace for me until there is joy and peace for you as well.”

Compassion may be found in prayer as you have often prayed when you learned of someone’s special need. It is often expressed in your tears, but it is most clearly and most meaningfully revealed in your time. Compassion expresses itself in many forms  like taking food, babysitting, providing resources, visiting the hospital, forgiving a debt.  Compassion has many faces, but  behind each one is a heart that says until you have joy and peace, I will not have joy and peace.

Jesus was the Master of Compassion. Wherever He went, He had a way of identifying with the hurts of the people he met, but it never stopped with just His feeling for them. He did something with His feelings. Many of us can be sympathetic and say, “I am sorry,” but compassion “feels and whispers I will help.”

Many have been the times I have felt sympathy, but unlike Jesus I didn’t translate that sympathy into compassion, and I am the lesser for it. Repeatedly in Matthew’s gospel we read of Jesus seeing,  feeling, and responding to needs. Again and again we read that Jesus “was moved with compassion” (9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 22:34. The Greek word for compassion means to “suffer with” which implies that  Jesus cared so much for others that their pain physically affected Him. It’s as if He almost retched because he was so deeply concerned.

You and I need to pray that we would see the world through the eyes of Christ, and that our “hearts would be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”

When I think of compassion, I am reminded of a heart wrenching story that is a sad lesson of the consequences of an unfeeling heart.

The phone rang in a high society Boston home. On the other end of the line was a son who had just returned from Viet Nam and was calling from California. His folks were the cocktail- party circuit kind- with wife swapping, gambling and all the other things that go with it. The boy said to his mother, “I just called to tell you that I wanted to bring a buddy home with me. “ His mother said, “Sure, bring him along for a few days.” “But, mother, there is something you need to know about this boy. One leg is gone, one arm is gone, one eye is gone, and his face is quite disfigured. Is it all right if I bring him home?”

His mother said, “Bring him home for a few days.” The son said, “ You don’t understand me, mother. I want to bring him home to live with us.  The mother began to make all kinds of excuses about embarrassment and what people would think…and then the phone clicked.

A few hours later the police called from California to Boston. He mother picked up the phone again. The police sergeant at the other end of the line, said, “We just found a boy with one arm, one leg, one eye, and a mangled face, who has just killed himself with a shot in the head. The identification papers on the body says he is your son.” (Taken from Rebuild Your Life, by Dale Galloway).

Enough said!

May God help each one of us to be just a little more compassionate this day and this week, and this month, and this year, and………………

Yours striving to be moved by the things that moved the heart of the Master.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Something No One Should Ever Leave at Home

Dear Friends,

I still remember the old American Express card advertisement: “Don’t leave home without it.” The same thing can be said for integrity; it is something that we should never leave home without.

The late former President Dwight Eisenhower writes that “integrity is the supreme quality of leadership,” and the Scriptures remind us that the one who lives with integrity will live securely, but whoever perverts his way will be found out” (Prov. 10:9). That’s a good verse to commit to memory

Job was a man of integrity. His wife asks “Are you still holding on to your integrity. Why don’t you curse God and die?” That’s a wife I am glad I wasn’t married to. Nothing like that kind of encouragement from your mate to get your day started. Job responds  says “ I will never admit you are in the right. Until I die, I will not deny my integrity “ (Job 27:5).

Integrity,  says Socrates, “is being in reality what you are on the outside.” “ It is being congruent-your public persona and your private persona are one and the same. A person of integrity is one who does the right thing when no one is looking and everyone else is compromising. He is the one who will keep promises when there is no one to check up on him. In short, a person of integrity is a “promise keeper.”

Several years ago, I went into Wal-Mart to buy some flower seeds. Unfortunately, I was a nickel short when it came time to pay the bill. There was a long line behind me as I fumbled through my pockets hoping to find a few extra pennies, but I came up empty. The casher waved me on and said, “Don’t worry about it.” As I walked to my car,  I thought to myself, I need to find a nickel and go back and make up the difference. Lo and behold, there on the floorboard of my car was a nickel, so I picked it up, headed back to the store and gave it to the cashier. Now I know what you are thinking, so please don’t draw a comparison with me and Honest Abe. I only walked a few yards compared to the many miles it is reported he walked to pay an overdue library fine. But as I handed the cashier the nickel, I was stuck by her look of amazement. She didn’t know what to do or say. I suspect the thought “who is this guy-did he come from another planet?”

 Well I share this story for no other reason than to make the point that “integrity,” as someone wrote “is made up of those little choices of correct behavior that are carried out in small daily decisions.” Each time we come to a situation like the one I described, we are faced with two paths: one leading to character and the other to compromise. Each time we choose the path leading to character we grow stronger, and every right decision that we make to do  the right thing strengthens our character to deal with the greater integrity challenges we may face down the road.

All this makes me think of the story of two engineers who both applied for a single position at a computer company. They both had the same qualifications. To determine which individual to hire, the applicants were asked to take a test by the department manager.

Upon completion of the test, both men missed only one of the questions. The manager went to the first applicant and said, “Thank you for your interest, but we’ve decided to give the job to the other applicant.”

“And why would you be doing that since we both got 9 questions correct, “ stated the other applicant.

“We have based our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you both missed, “ said the department manager.

“And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other” the rejected applicant inquired? “Simple,” said the department manager.

“Your fellow applicant put down on question 5, “I don’t know.” And you put down,  “Neither do I.”

As I think about it, that disappointed applicant must have left  home without one of his most valuable possessions, integrity. Friends, "Don't leave home without it."

Make today great and have a wonderful weekend.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: How God Uses Dryness for Spiritual Growth.

Dear Friends,

We have all been through those spiritual dry periods. I know I have and it is not fun. In the article below from Pastor Rick Warren, he presents some wise spiritual insights on how these tough times can be a source of spiritual growth and change. His thoughts were helpful to me, and I hope they will be to you as well.

“August is often the driest month of the year here in Southern California. Not only is it physically dry, but it can also be spiritually, relationally, and emotionally dry. The fact is, you’re more than halfway through the year, but you still have a long way to go. It’s about that time when you start to reflect on all your goals and wonder how you’ll get everything done.

We all face dry periods. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been in ministry. Dry periods are a part of everyone’s spiritual journey—a truth we often forget. When I find myself in a spiritually dry spot, I use it as an opportunity to evaluate my life and examine whether I’m living in the will of God. It’s easy to get out of the will of God, but it’s also quite easy to get back into it if you will simply ask God these three questions.

Who do you want me to be? God wants us to always grow more and more like Jesus. If you ask this question, God will show you areas where you need to grow.

 ·

What do you want me to be? Often, this is wrapped up in the question of your vocation or the roles you take on in life. Your roles will change depending upon the stage you’re in.

Where do you want me to be? This final question is about your location. I ask these questions all the time. I never assume where I am is where God wants to keep me. Nor do I assume that I don’t have an area of my life that needs tweaking. We must constantly grow and change. That’s why these questions are important. Otherwise, you’ll assume you’re already who you should be, what you should be, and where you should be.

Most of us aren’t wired to instinctively seek change. Instead, we get stuck in ruts, and a rut is just a grave with ends kicked out. We rarely change when we see the light; we change when we feel the heat. One of the ways God brings on heat is through dry spells. Dry spells shake us up. My experience in 50 years of walking with the Lord is that God brings different dry spells into our lives when he wants to get our attention. · When God allows your peace to dry up, he is dealing with who you are. Everything seems to be in chaos. You’re struggling to make ends meet. You’re not fulfilling your deadlines. Instead of seeing what’s wrong in you, you’re noticing what’s wrong in someone else—a family member, a coworker, or a congregant. Whenever you start looking more deeply at what you don’t like in others, God will disturb your peace. He wants you to ask, “What about myself needs to change?” · When you lose your joy, God wants to change what you’re doing. You simply don’t enjoy what you did in the past. What you used to like about your job doesn’t seem to fit anymore. I’ve had a variety of jobs in my life.

 I’ve served as a senior pastor, a youth pastor, a writer, a Christian college teacher, and a program intern. I’ve also had several different secular jobs. Each time God began to change my vocation by taking away my joy in what I was doing. · When God makes you uncomfortable, God wants to change where you are. God did this with Elijah in 1 Kings 17. God was using the ravens to bring him food and take care of him, and he could drink out of a nearby brook. But then the Bible says, “After a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land” (1 Kings 17:7 NLT). Elijah started having a pity party, asking God if he still loved him. But God was trying to move Elijah on. God will do that to you, too. As long as you’re comfortable, you won’t go anywhere. So God makes you uncomfortable.

 I don’t know where you are today. Maybe you’re experiencing a time of great spiritual richness. But trust me, one day you will experience a dry time in your life and ministry, and God will feel like he’s a million miles away. Your prayers will feel like they’re bouncing off the walls. But God is there. He has never left. He loves you too much to leave you where you are. Dry spells are God’s wake-up calls. Are you listening to what God is saying?”

I trust Rick’s words will be of value to you. Even if you aren’t in a spiritual dry place right now, sooner or later you will be, so file  his thoughts away and when the time comes, hopefully they will be of some help and encouragement to you.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Comments About Civility from One Born in the Iron Age.

Dear Friends,

What really irritates me is the lack of civility that exists within our nation. I looked up the word civility in the dictionary, and I found synonyms like courteous, respectful, polite, well mannered, and the two I liked the best, were gallant and chivalrous.

I went to school in the South where they still say “yes, mam,” and “no sir,” and maybe it is my military upbringing-my dad was a colonel in the army reserves, and I attended Virginia Military Academy-but I still like and frequently used those same words when addressing others, especially policeman, if you know what I mean. I like them a lot better than “yeh” and “nah.”

As a former high school coach and teacher, I have learned that it is hard to teach young people civility if they have not been taught it at home. If they see their parents screaming at officials, demeaning teachers, insulting educators, berating coaches, how can we expect that their children will become anything but carbon copies of themselves? The present hostile political environment has created an atmosphere ripe for incivility with children witnessing their parents' hurtful, and hostile comments in the midst of their political discourse.

I long for the days when strangers would walk by you and acknowledge you, even if it was only a grunting “good morning.” At least that is a start on the road to civility. I yearn for the days when a student walks past a teacher and initiates a “Good morning, Mrs.______ before the teacher takes the lead and the student feels obliged to respond. I desire for the days when a handshake is a handshake and the person you are greeting extends his hand and squeezes it so hard that it makes you want to shout, “I give up.”

It saddens me that our nation has lost that kind of civility. Proverbs 15:32 reminds us that “we are to be courteous to all,” and all includes everyone, even those with whom we disagree, and yes, even those we may not respect.

I close with a story that always reminds me of the way we should treat others. A family went into a restaurant. The waitress, walked up and looking into the young boy’s eyes, said, “What will it be?” The boy eagerly shouted back: “I’ll take a hamburger, french fries, and a chocolate shake.” The father immediately interrupts him. “Oh, that’s not what he wants. He’ll take the roast beef, a baked potato, and a glass or milk.” Much to the surprise of both the mother and the father, and the boy, the waitress completely ignored her and again asked the boy: “And what do you want on that hamburger?” The boy shouted back, “Ketchup, lots of ketchup.” “And what kind of shake?”  “Make it chocolate.” The boy then turned to his parents with a big smile on his face and said, “Say, ain’t she something. She thinks that I am real.”

The next time someone walks by you without speaking, maybe you should reach out and grab their arm, look them in the eye, and enthusiastically remind them of who you are by shouting, “My friend, I’m real.”

Just some thoughts from someone born in the iron age.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Devotional thought derives from a message  I shared while I was a coach and athletic director of Calvary Christian School in Fort Lauderdale, Florid 

Leadership Thought: Some Medicine from Dr. James for Avoiding Pity Parties.

Dear Friends

Did you ever feel like quitting, giving up, quitting the race? Maybe you were tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, feeling like your arms were tied to two horses who were each pulling in opposite directions. I suspect we all have had times like these  when we wondered if we were  going to make it through the next hour let alone the next day.

Former professional basketball coach Pat Riley writes, “There always comes a time when giving up is easier than standing up, when giving in looks more attractive than digging in. And in those moments character may be the only thing that you have to draw on to keep you going.” What is he saying? Simply, you ‘gotta’ be steadfast.

I looked up steadfastness in the dictionary, and I found the following descriptions: “Firmly fixed in place”, “not subject to change”, “firm in belief”, and  “determination.” These are all great words to describe the race we run as believers, a race we are all called to run with perseverance. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”(Heb 12:1-2).

It is one thing to rejoice when things are going well for us, but James tells us that we are to rejoice when things are not going well for us, when we face rejection, loss, suffering, both physical and emotional, and all of the other things that would seek to rob us of our joy. Listen to his prescriptive wisdom: “Consider it pure joy…….whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance, (and) perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).”

In his book The Strength of a Man, David Roper writes, “The key to reacting with joy is to know that the pain of life is purposeful. Suffering has meaning, adversity is working for us, producing endurance. Endurance is not mere resignation, tooth clenched determination to tough it out to the end.  That may be stoic, but it isn’t Christian. James understood endurance as simple persistence,  doing God’s will in the face of counter-influences, forgiving slights and unkindness for the four hundred and nineteenth time, staying with a difficult marriage, forgiving someone who has torn out your heart, struggling against enslaving habits, showing purity of mind and body when to do so means lonely days and long nights, keeping one’s word despite the pain of keeping it, and obeying it when life is hard and when it hurts.”

Wow, I needed to hear our brother James dispense a valuable dose of wisdom to encourage my endurance, and Dr. Roper to give me a healthy spiritual reminder that steadfastness encompasses more just getting through life with “tooth clenched” determination. Life can be tough. Life’s journey often includes  more than just dancing through the daisies, or tip toeing through the tulips. It can become so overwhelming that we wonder if we can ever make it to the finish line.

No, the Christian  life is not for the faint of heart, and pity parties are not planned for believers.  I leave you with the words of the late New Testament commentator William Barclay, who writes “Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”

"Thanks be to God who gives us the victory that overcomes the world" (1 Cor. 15:57).

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: So You Don’t Believe in the Devil?

Dear Friends

One of the devices Satan employs is to allow people to create pictures of himself that cause us to deny his reality. He enjoys when people caricature him as some being dressed up in a red jump suit, with horns growing from his head, and carrying a pitchfork. He knows that people, when they view him this way, will  laugh at him, and as a result they will fail to take him seriously. This is part of the strategy he employs. He makes himself appear to be unreal, imaginary, fanciful, so no one will take him seriously, and once this happens,  he has got you.

The Apostle Paul knew differently, however. Paul believed in the reality of the devil, and he knew that he was crafty, cunning, and deceitful. He knew that the devil was his adversary and when he dealt with him, he was not dealing with some imaginary or fanciful creature. No, he knew that he wrestled…….against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ( Eph 6: 12) He knew that Satan was the commander and chief of these forces. He knew that the Christian’s world was not a playground but a battlefield and that he had better be constantly on guard lest he be ambushed when he least expected it.

A well-known evangelist was one day confronted by a man who said he didn’t believe in the devil. The man asked why he didn’t believe in the devil, and he said, “Because I have never met him.” The evangelist said “that probably is because you are traveling in the same direction. Turn around, do an about face, and change directions, and you will not only meet him, but you will discover he has the power to destroy you.”

Jesus met him, and He called him a liar, a murderer, and a thief. He said he was already judged and that one day he would be caste into a fiery pit. But for now, he roams our world, unleashed and ever ready to wreck his havoc on unsuspecting believers. As Corrie Ten Boom wrote : “He wastes no ammunition on those who are dead in trespasses and sins. “ He aims at Christians.

Satan prowls like a roaring lion seeking those whom he can devour. He is our adversary, our enemy, the one who wages war against us and all  who would seek to live for Christ. Don’t ever underestimate his power, and his ability to deceive and devour you.

As someone said, “Satan is never partying late Saturday night frequenting the bar scene. He goes to bed early on Saturday night so he can be well rested to go to church with Christians.”

Satan is subtle, scheming, strong and yes, spiritual. He will rob us of our joy and victory, and so we need to recognize him and take him seriously. But we also need to know that at the Cross he was eternally defeated and that the ultimate victory has been won by Christ. We can lean on Christ, and we can rely on Him for our victory. When he comes knocking at our door, don’t go yourself, but send Jesus, and Satan will go “ a running.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought for People Who Find It Easy to Make Excuses.

Dear Friends,

An inmate at Butte County Jail in California explained his absence from jail to a sheriff’s deputies in this way: “I was playing pole vault and got too close to the wall and I fell over the wall.  When I regained my senses, I ran around and tried to find a way back in, but being unfamiliar with the area, I got lost”. Next thing I knew I was in Ohio.”

Wow, that is a giant size excuse. I know another man who made some excuses, although not quite as big as the one I just described.

In the 4^th chapter of Exodus, Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Again, the Lord speaks to Moses and tells him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go, and once again we see him offering up his excuse. Moses says to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me why would Pharaoh listen to me since I speak with faltering lips?” (Exodus 6:12)

Ever make and excuse? I know I have, and there have been too many over the years, and often those excuses have belied my lack of trust in God. When we are asked to do something that we think is beyond our ability, do we like Moses offer up some form of excuse? And is that excuse more a sign of our lack of our faith than a lack of our own ability?

 Be careful when you make an excuse. Before you say no to something you are asked to do, take the time to ponder the request. Be sure to pray over it,  asking God to show you if this is something He is calling you do to do. And  if it is, then step out in faith and trust in His strength to help you accomplish the challenge.

It is one thing to quote Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”), but it is another thing to apply it personally to our own lives.

Moses didn’t think he could speak, but we know that in time he developed his speaking ability, and he did so in a big way.

I love how the evangelist Billy Sunday once described an excuse. He said, “an excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with as lie.” We all need to think about that the next time we are tempted to say no to something that we know in our heart God wants  us to do.

Have a great weekend.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom