Anyone who knows me understands that I am totally committed to missions. It seems that I have spent the vast majority of my ministry life in challenging teens to give to Speed the Light, men to Light for the Lost, and the local church to a passion for missions. It has been my honor to travel several million miles in an attempt to fulfill the Great Commission by sending and equipping missionaries and ministries.

As much as I enjoy missions trips, I am convinced that my calling is that of the sender. In an attempt to fulfill that call, I have told and retold many stories of the faith and faithfulness of students, adults and their gifts to missions. There was Amber in Georgia, Sarah in Montana, Grant in Oklahoma and countless others. But none of these stories compare to the one I heard on Mother’s Day…Clare of Missouri.

I was there the evening that Pastor Don opened his wallet and gave six year old Clare a crisp five dollar bill. As you can imagine, her eyes grew large at the prospects of all that money and the possibilities. However, by the time she got home, the first thing she looked for was her BGMC Buddy Barrel. The next step was to deposit the entire five spot in Buddy’s head. As I heard the story, I informed Clare that the good pastor’s intent was that she spend the money on herself. She quickly corrected me with the words, “But Jesus put it in my head to give it to put it in my barrel.”

I may have endless stories of greater faith and much larger amounts, but none are as good as this one. You see, Clare just happens to be my oldest granddaughter. And it sure is exciting to see the family tradition passed on to the next generation.

Paul is 81 years old and the men’s ministries’ leader at Northland Cathedral in Kansas City, Missouri. And before you dismiss him as another church leader who doesn’t know when to step down, you should know that the pastor of this great work in north KC invited him to serve just a few years ago. 

You should also know that the men that follow his leadership are teenagers to his peers and all points in between. You should further know that when he sent us into the gym to play a ball game between the meal and the service of the recent men’s retreat, he was one of the best athletes on the floor. His team won…and that was with me playing on his team. The best part is that he was obviously respected by all as a wise, spiritual leader.

No one is more committed than I to reaching young men in and through this movement. I am convinced that we must make men’s ministries relevant to the next generation. However, we would be foolish to do so by setting our elders in the background. 

The older Paul mentoring the young Timothy still works!  In this case, he happens to be Paul McGarvey. Yes, the same man formerly known as the National Men’s Ministries Director. Thank you Paul for continuing to lead with passion.