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