Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘lessons’
Exciting News to Share
One of the great joys of serving the Lord is watching Him work in ways we could never have planned. Yes, we are “laborers together with God” and He has graciously allowed us to be participants, partners in His mission. But, in the end, all of us recognize that we are just along for the ride. He is doing the work and we are witnesses of it. Recently I told someone that it has been thrilling to see that the most blessed things I have been privileged to be part of were those things that were not my idea at all! God has a way of doing the unexpected and producing the unexplainable. Only He gets the glory. This is…
Read More3 Lists You Should Make Today
We live by lists! Grocery lists, to do lists, lists to keep up with our lists. At this particular time in our world people are more reflective. God has providentially allowed us to have time to meditate and ponder what is truly important. The question is: will we remember what we are learning? Someone said that a short pencil is better than a long memory. It is so easy to forget what God is impressing on our minds. I learned as a student in college that if I intended to take action on something or share it with others then first I had to write it down. After our Lord’s miracle of feeding the five thousand He had the disciples…
Read MoreWhat Is The Most Important Lesson You Have Learned?
As I write these words I am sitting in northern Michigan. It is a beautiful summer day at camp. This morning at breakfast I had an engaging conversation with a young man who is starting out in ministry. Near the end of our time together he asked me a question that seemed very broad. And yet as I reflected on his question only one answer would come to mind. Q: “What is the most important lesson you have learned in ministry?” While a hundred great truths could be discussed, there is one that stands out above the rest. It is the answer I gave to my young friend. It is the answer the Holy Spirit gave to me. A: “My…
Read MoreTruths for Travelers: Lessons Learned On the Road
As many of you know I spend a good deal of time on the road. Another frequent traveler, the Apostle Paul, once wrote, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21-22). F.B. Meyer observed that everything is God’s classroom and serves to teach me something. Sitting in a hotel room recently I began to make a list of some of the truths the Lord is patiently teaching me. God is the same everywhere. The omnipresent God is not bound by geography. I am never alone. I never check into a hotel alone or board a plane by myself. Christ is my constant Companion and He has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). The family of God…
Read MoreThe Influence of Evangelist Billy Graham
Like so many days, I am flying through the Charlotte, North Carolina airport this morning. Four miles from the terminal a private memorial service is being held for the most famous preacher in the world. Billy Graham has preached the gospel to more people than any evangelist in history. While there are things that Graham said and did that I could not support, I am truly grateful for the way God used him to carry the message of Christ around the world. “Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:18). Billy Graham stayed with one simple message. His consistent emphasis was the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not try to become a motivational speaker. He…
Read MoreThe Most Important Lessons I Learned in My College Years
A few days ago I had the joy of addressing a group of college students in a local church. There were freshmen and upperclassmen, full of hope and excitement as they approached the beginning of a new year. Life is divided into seasons and every season has a purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). The college years are a time of preparation. In these days God is at work in so many ways to prepare young people for all He has for them. All of college was good for me. Dorm life. Student Events. Even History of Civilization. As I reflected on my college years I began to see that it was in this season of life that I began to understand that some…
Read MoreHave You Ordered the “GO” Kit?
Just a few month’s ago I had the privilege of writing five Bible studies on witnessing. They are designed to both inspire and instruct believers to begin sharing their faith right where they are. Each lesson provides a thorough exposition of a passage of Scripture, a teachable outline, helpful illustrations, and practical applications. There are a variety of uses for the lessons. Several pastors have told me they have used them in Sunday School classes, small group studies, or even in their Wednesday night services. These lessons will help to place a one month emphasis on both the power and responsibility of the gospel. You do not have to order multiple copies of the lessons. When you order the kit…
Read MoreWhat I Have Learned in My First Year of Evangelism
It has been a privilege this week to take part in a special conference on revival and evangelism. I have enjoyed the fellowship with a number of wonderful evangelists and pastors, and have been honored to labor alongside men who have been in this work for so many years. As the meeting concludes today my heart and mind are full of the goodness of the Lord. This month our family begins the second year of full-time evangelistic work. The adventure of following the Lord is never dull! I have been reflecting a great deal about what the Lord has taught me over the last year. Many of the lessons are reminders of truths previously learned. (I can be a slow learner!)…
Read MoreLessons Learned on My Daily Run
Running has become for me many things. It is a means to stay in shape, a stress reliever, time to think. Recently it has become a classroom in which the Teacher has been showing me so many important lessons. It is not by accident that God refers frequently in the New Testament to our life as a race to be run. Henry Drummond wrote a great deal about how the physical world mirrors so many spiritual realities. This should be no surprise to us, for the creation simply reflects the Creator. This is why the Lord Jesus so often used parables – physical, earthly, every day things – to speak of much higher truth. In this way, running has begun…
Read MoreLessons My Children Are Teaching Me
Children are often the best teachers…”out of the mouth of babes.” Tammy and I want to teach our kids everything we possibly can, but I realize that often God is using them to teach us. Many lessons have been learned through my own failures as a parent. School is in session every day and the classroom is our home. This list is by no means exhaustive but here are a few of the lessons my children are teaching me… 1. Peer pressure starts early (and never ends!). It is fascinating to observe the influence that older siblings and peers have on young children. Everyone wants to belong, to be accepted. Learning to live for the approval of One is among…
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