Pastor Tommy Moore said it better than I, “You know your church is way out in the woods when you are fourteen miles from the nearest Piggly Wiggly”. I had my detailed directions in one hand and the steering wheel tightly gripped with the other. Drive north through Bonifay, turn left at the flashing caution light, ten miles to the school, and then right two miles and you will see the church. No need to bring the cell phone, there is no service.

As I followed the directions, I was impressed as I looked up to see not only a beautiful sanctuary, but a gorgeous, well groomed church campus…and a parking lot filled primarily with pick up trucks. My opportunity was to preach to more than 250 men at a weekend men’s conference provided by West Florida’s Carmel Assembly of God. The atmosphere was charged from the opening worship set as men hungry for God exceeded the expectancy I had experienced in more than one hundred youth camps.

In our culture that challenges men to be REAL MEN, this event redefined what that is. The room did not lack for big bruisers from all walks of life. Some older, some younger, some salesmen, some students, all hard working men, we had one thing in common. There was a genuine love for Jesus Christ and a respect for each other. And by the way, real men do cry.

I only wish you could have looked into the tearful eyes of Highway Patrolman Jason as he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was moved as he personally shared his commitment to follow through on the tough decisions of a young man giving control of his life to the Lord.

Look up to Jeffrey, the 6’ 9” deputy sheriff from Pensacola. You will see tears flowing down his cheeks as he intently worshiped God. Look around the room as grown men collapse at the altar overwhelmed by the presence of the Spirit.

We let society convince us that real men are only those who can sack quarterbacks, bring down the buck from 300 yards and press 300 pounds or more. That is impressive, but I had the honor of spending three days with real men…men of God.

The seventeen year old high school senior left each day at 11:00 am on a work permit. His daily destination was the construction site of Grace Assembly of God in south Oklahoma City. At some point in each afternoon’s work itinerary, the local youth pastor would bring the strange greetings of “Hey fathead, how are you doing?”. Believe it or not, it was a welcome greeting. It was also the beginning of a lifetime friendship. I was that student and Keith Elder was the youth pastor.

It was certainly a blessing to be in Hungry Horse, Montana this past Saturday night as Keith and Marlys Elder were honored for twenty nine years of amazing service as District Youth and Education Directors. In my commitment to abbreviate these blog entries, I will not attempt to appropriately list their accomplishments. Simply stated, the Elders are living legends in Assemblies of God youth ministries. Even better, Pam and I consider them to be among our dearest friends. What a gift from God!

The lesson in this for all of us is that we should see every young person as a good opportunity for investment. I will always be grateful for the youth pastor who sowed into the life of this fathead.

Here we go again. It is another chapter of the guys in the office dragging me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Remember, I’m the one that is still trying to figure out how e-mail saves me time…when it takes so much time to do it.

So how are they doing it this time? As of today, I am a member of the Facebook generation. It’s not like I needed something else to do. However, David Raley said it was a great way to communicate with those that share our vision. Darian Amsler was willing to set it up. James Pauls has been pushing me to at least attempt being cool. These men make up my team. So I guess I should catch up with them if I am going to be their leader. Huh?

It really does make sense that if we are going to reach, teach and release men for Christ, we need to go where they are. One of those places seems to be the internet. So here we go. Web, blogs and now Facebook. That’s what I get for saying “Whatever it takes” thirty five years ago!

Thirty five years is a long time. So why does it seem like just yesterday, I stood before my beautiful bride exchanging vows of love and commitment? As a matter of fact, it was just yesterday that we celebrated thirty five years of marital bliss. For me it has been bliss, perhaps she would have a few other words as well.

Thirty five years ago yesterday, there is no way we could have anticipated where this path would have taken us. Two children, four grandchildren and millions of miles later, I am more in love than three and a half decades ago. While there have been a few bumps along the way, I could not have anticipated a better life. Yet I believe the best is yet to come.

No lady could have been more supportive and patient than my Pamela. While we have travelled this road together, most of the miles have been separated from each other. While I have been willing to go, I am convinced the more difficult was her willingness to stay. The call of God and her commitment to it have required so much. I am sure that she has identified with the single parent and the lonely widow on more than a few occasions.

In spite of it all, she still loves me and we are having the best times of our lives. In a few weeks, we will be off to our two weeks of celebration. I can’t wait! And then on to the rest of this adventure of life together ‘til death do us part’.

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.

Last week while on the Light for the Lost tour in the Potomac District, I made a new friend. My host and banquet emcee was Johnny Green. Johnny pastors a great church in Jessup, Maryland and serves as the LFTL rep for the northern half of the district at the invitation of District Men’s Director Bobby Basham.

Johnny and I covered more than 1,300 miles and six banquets together in one week. In those few days, you either become great friends or tolerant team members. We became great friends that discovered we had more in common than a last name, even though he spells his incorrectly.

I am not sure I ever met a man that had more distinct chapters in his life story and yet each of them were obviously part God’s great plan. He grew up as part of a large family in Georgia, served in the Air Force for twenty years and has pastored for the past five years. Johnny is a prime example of a man who has experienced diverse careers while remaining in God’s will during each.

One of my favorite Sundays ever was in church with Pastor Johnny, his wife Alice and their amazing congregation. People don’t get any better than this. As we say back home, ‘they about preached me to death’. And the best part… they are my new friends.

An invitation by District Youth Director Mark Dean to do Speed the Light events is always a welcome one. In addition to great fellowship with a longtime friend, I always look forward to the meals featuring walleye fish, hanging out with Minnesota students and leaders, and experiencing the winter wonderland (as low as -22 this time).

An unexpected highlight of this trip was the meeting with Carl, Kirk and Mike, leadership team members of the Blacksmiths. That is the name of the men’s group at Grand Rapids Assembly of God based on the role of the blacksmiths in II Kings 24. But this is more than a men’s ministry, it is a ‘movement’ according to Kirk.

Some of the church’s men attended last year’s district men’s retreat and experienced something special that inspired them to make strategic moves in reaching the men of their community. The pastor empowered them to commit one Sunday night a month to the Blacksmiths. This meeting, diverse in ages and content, is now impacting about 60 men in a church that averages about 220 on a Sunday morning.

As these men first met me in the lobby of the youth center, I was especially impressed by the bear hugs exchanged with virtually every teenage man that walked through the doors. It was obvious this ‘movement of men’ will positively influence generations as these leaders have purposed to reach out to every man in the community.

Thanks, Blacksmiths, for reaching out to me. This is a movement that needs to take place across America!