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.

This past Sunday afternoon, Pam and I got in the car for the long ride home from DeQueen, Arkansas. We quickly discovered that the 108 degrees had turned the chip in my windshield into a crack across half of it. The Monday morning estimate was a pleasant surprise as less than two hundred dollars was requested to replace the auto glass. However, I must admit that my relief on the price was challenged by my cynicism concerning the quality of this inexpensive repair. Today’s experience not only eliminated the concern, but impressed me with the integrity of this business and its employee.

When I picked up my car, the repairman immediately informed me that he had bent the molding, repaired it to the best of his ability, and ordered the replacement molding to be installed next week. Sadly, I am not accustomed to the men of the 21st century doing the right thing just because it is the right thing. The truth is I never would have detected the mistake. He could have waited to see if I would. He could have pointed it out and asked me to tell him if replacement was necessary. Instead, he just did the right thing no matter the cost to him or the business. That is integrity!!!

May the Lord help us as Christians to follow the leadership of this sweaty, hard working auto glass specialist. Don’t ask, don’t tell…just do the right thing.

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.

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 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’.

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.

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.

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.