It was one hundred one years ago today that my life changed forever. Many years before I was born, he was. I am speaking of my grandfather, the Reverend S.N. Greene. I cannot imagine what my life would have been without his influence.
 
He never pastored a megachurch. He had to subsidize his income through other means. As a matter of fact, you would have considered him old fashioned in the good old days. His convictions and mine didn’t always match. But what a man!
 
The family never argued over the inheritance. As a matter of fact, all he left me was a library filled with old books, grocery sacks of hand and typewritten sermons, a stack of worn out Bibles and a good name of integrity to live up to the rest of my life!  What a man!
 
Happy Birthday, Grandpa. And thank you Jesus for one of the best gifts you ever gave me…101 years ago today.  

Yesterday’s e-mail from a new friend was exciting as he reported the opportunity to preach at a snow retreat and an invitation for another preaching date in the near future. My prayers are being answered.
 
I met Steve and Sam at the recent Minnesota District Men’s Advance. These two North Central University students actually believed I had something worth saying to them. Our lunch together in the dining hall was filled with questions about how to get started in an active preaching ministry. What they may not know is that I got more out of that conversation than they possibly could have. You see, a constant prayer request of mine is that the Lord would call and equip a strong wave of young, fiery, Holy Ghost preachers.
 
Please do not misunderstand me. I know that God’s call for 21st century ministers comes in all forms. The call of God is not limited to the pulpit. However, it happens to be a desire of my heart that a passion for preaching would grip this generation of leaders. I must admit personal pride creeps in when I get to hear my own son and son-in-law preach with authority and anointing. Sam and Steve stirred that same pride as they burned with a hunger to preach.  And thank God for Pastor Jeff who sat next to them as a committed mentor in the building of these preachers.
 
A new generation of young men and women are answering the call to the role of Timothy. May the role of Paul to young Timothy motivate me, Pastor Jeff and many other veterans of the pulpit to equip and empower these radical servants to fulfill their call.

They call it March Madness. An entire month now has an identity thanks to the marketing genius of college basketball. Just the mention of those two words brings to mind bracketology, buzzer beaters, the sweet sixteen and the final four.
 
We call it Men’s Ministries. The mention of those two words should evoke a year-round passion to reach, teach and release men to grow to their full potential in Christ. Those two words should bring to mind the building of great fathers, faithful stewards and men on a mission. This will require more than marketing, but leadership committed to prayer and partnering with others for the cause of men’s missions.