What a great gift I had yesterday. All day Sunday with my wife is a rare occasion. Sitting in church together, meals together and watching golf on a Sunday afternoon are significant times because they are so scarce on the calendar. And yet the Sunday out of the pulpit reminded me of how blessed I am to have the many invitations to preach.

As much as I enjoyed this weekend, it reminded me to thank those that make sure I don’t have too many weekends like it. You see, strange as it may seem, I am a bag of mixed emotions while sitting in the pew. When not preaching on Sunday, I am wishing I was. Therefore, thank you to so many of you that open your services and events to my ministry.

As a matter of fact, the last Sunday of this month was canceled recently and I am already dreading the ‘time off’. I may not be the best in the pulpit, but I am among the worst out of it.

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It’s happening. It really is happening. And this past Sunday was a prime example! And the Sunday before that as well.

Pastors across America are becoming aware of the benefits of strong Men’s Ministries in the local church. I had the honor of responding to the invitations of pastors to “please come and motivate my men to get off the church pew and pursue the adventure of men’s ministries”.

In both cases, it was inspirational as I personally witnessed men gathering around their pastor in a significant time of commitment. Their commitment was not only to the Lord, but to the man of God He had placed in authority over them. It is refreshing to see pastors modeling Christ as they look to their own and boldly challenge them to “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.

I have never been more convinced that the best in men’s ministries is yet to come! Thank you for all you are doing to make it so.

I can’t believe I did it. I had it on the calendar for almost a year. As it drew closer, I came so close to not following through. I overcame other pressing responsibilities, requests and even guilt, but I did it anyway. I still can’t believe I did it. Can I ever forgive myself?

I spent four consecutive afternoons stretched out on my couch in my dude room…watching The Masters tournament. There you have it. I confess. And I loved every minute of it.

You see, I have a problem. I am a lazy man. That is why I work so hard. I put in endless hours at my work, rarely take a day off, and I make myself take vacations. I do this because I do not want people to know how lazy I am.

I am not proud of this habit. As a matter of fact, I am determined to overcome it so that I might finish the race well. Last week, I felt I was about to hit a brick wall. Those four days were a good investment. As a matter of fact, please excuse me. I must go and mark next year’s calendar.

Don’t do as I do. Do as I say. Take some time for yourself occasionally.

I walked into the Louisiana Men’s Retreat recently and among my first greeters was Paul. Paul reminded me that we had met two years earlier at the same event. His next words were humbling as he informed me, “I am praying for you”. I regret that these are words that we say and hear often, but fail to understand the gift of prayer to a friend. The humility I felt when Paul spoke only grew with the rest of his announcement, “I am praying for you and have every day for the past two years”.

The humility brought on by this man’s gift of prayer bordered on embarrassment when Paul approached me as the retreat was concluding. He had purchased a copy of my book and asked me to sign it. I was honored to do so and as I handed it back to him, he turned it over to the back cover. I have rarely been so moved as he said, “I can’t wait to get home and show my wife the picture of the man that we pray for every morning”.

Paul, thank you. I am at a loss of words to properly express my gratitude for my southern Louisiana friend. The only way I can begin to repay you…”I am praying for you”.

“I am praying for you.” May these never be frivolously spoken words of spirituality, but rather a sincere commitment. I am sure that Jesus never gave a better encouragement to His disciples than when He promised, “I am praying for you”.

This February may be the most hectic I have experienced to date, but
never more gratifying. And the best of it may have happened today
during a brief conversation with a tenderhearted grandfather.

The National Men’s Ministries Leadership Conference earlier this month
was a dream come true. Three years ago we imagined what could happen
with an event for local, district and national leaders coming into one
place to seek God’s direction for pentecostal men across America. The
dream came true when more than 250 leaders prayed together,  worshiped
the Lord,  and learned from each other. One of the highlights was when
district leaders committed to work toward a goal of more than two
million dollars for LFTL in 2009. What a way to start a month!

The next ten days were spent with Pen Florida LFTL Coordinator Baldy
Boyd. A team of speakers including my friend David Raley spread across
the state on the annual banquet tour. Almost a million dollars in
faith promises have been received with several banquets yet to come.
What a way to spend winter days in Florida!

And now for today. It was the closing service of the Southern Idaho
Men’s Retreat. I preached on being faithful to your family. The
tenderhearted grandfather approached me after the service with these
words, “If only I had heard this sixty years ago.” He  actually
expressed this with a smile on his face as he realized it wasn’t too
late. He still had grandchildren to influence…God’s second and third
chances.

Yes, it has been a busy month. But rewarding. And the further I go,
the more I am convinced that the best is yet to come.

What a way to spend a life!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a sports fan. If we have spent any time together, you probably know that I am a huge fan of the Oklahoma Sooners. As the fight song goes, “I’m Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead.” As a result, other sports fans know that today, January 8 is a very significant day to this and every other Sooner. Maybe you have heard about it: The BCS National Championship.

There was a time in my life that the results of a game like this would have had a major impact on my psyche. Don’t misunderstand me. I will be ecstatic if we win and temporarily insane if we lose. But please notice the priority of the word, temporarily. It is a game. As competitive as I am, it is fun to win and upsetting to lose. But it is a game. No matter the results tonight, the real challenges and victories of life will be here tomorrow.

You see, in the past twenty four hours, I have been notified that a very dear friend remains in the hospital recovering from major injuries from an auto accident. This morning’s e-mails brought news that a very young mother, one of our former campers, will be subjected to a biopsy this afternoon. The latest phone call informed us that a good friend/leader in North Dakota is dealing with cancer and the major surgery that accompanied it. Yesterday’s calls included two very close friends that are consumed with finding God’s next step for their lives.

Tonight is a game. My cheers will not be heard in Miami. My screams at the television will have no impact on the final score. But my prayers and personal expressions of concern just might make a difference where it really counts. Those realities are not a game. But no matter the final outcome, we are guaranteed victory because it is all in the hands of God.

I just replied to an e-mail from a very special friend. Johnny was kind enough to express appreciation for my friendship and his desire that the friendship continue to grow. I was pleased to not only return the greetings but the genuine respect for the relationship God has given us. Friendship is a very special gift from Heaven. I never take the compliment of being referred to as one’s friend lightly. What an honor!
 
Through my many years of youth ministries, I have challenged thousands of students to choose their friends wisely. My admonishment has been to select relationships that will make them a better person just to be with them. You should always desire to fellowship with people that raise the bar in your own life. I am convinced it makes me a better person to be with those that challenge me by their own life.
 
The Lord has honored me with just such friends. There are too many to mention by name. They are across the nation and around the world. They are my colleagues in the office. They are even within my own family. Many are the friends that dare me to become better.