Crutches

My beautiful daughter had an injury recently and needed crutches to get around for weeks afterward.  Actually, she needed more than that, but her crutches were the last thing to go.  It wasn't easy to give them up either.  At first they were essential and then they became less important physically but more and more important psychologically.

Eliminating your crutches is not as easy as you might think.  There is a fine line between giving them up in the correct time and giving them up too early, which might cause you to develop a limp that you could carry with you for the rest of your life.

Some people use god, or more correctly, “religion,” as a crutch. They are in trouble and religion is just the thing to help them out; that’s not entirely bad, but they need to get rid of the crutch at the right time or they may permanently limp through life.

 

This may sound counter-intuitive, but God is not meant to be our perpetual crutch.  In reality, he is the whole hospital, but if you spend all your time in the hospital, that is a sure sign of being unhealthy!  God has everything we need but he intends for us to eventually be able to stand on our own intellectually, emotionally and psychologically.  We will never be able to handle all our own spiritual problems without God, but he wants us to be logical and normal to the fullest extent possible.  He desires for us to be dependent but not to be permanently debilitated by our situation or circumstances. His goal for each of us is that we would be complete in the power and strength of Jesus.

The danger is in not finding the balance between trying to go it alone in life and ending up limping through it, or never trying to walk on our own and not maturing to become that which we were intended to be.

“Wouldest thou be made whole?  The sick man answered him, Sir,
I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the
pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
 Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.  And
straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed and
walked.”  John 5:6-9

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Ministry Update

Spring 2011

Greetings from sunny Dallas to all of our wonderful friends! We only send out one update a year so I hope you will take time to read this.

An Auspicious Start In 2011

Some of you know that my 17 year old daughter, Tyler, recently broke her leg in a horrible volleyball accident while participating in a tournament.  She had to have a titanium rod surgically inserted in her Tibia, but we expect a full recovery.  What you may not know is that while she was in the hospital and we were searching for some answers as to how all of this could possibly bring glory to the Lord.  Well it didn’t take long to find at least one answer when we had the privilege of leading Roger into a saving relationship with Jesus.  He was at the hospital due to the pregnancy of his wife and the unfortunate loss of one of their newly delivered twins.  His marriage was under stress and his heart was open to the Lord who marvelously stepped in to his life.  I was able to share how a solid relationship with Jesus is the only foundation on which to build a strong marriage and complete life. It was a slam dunk!

The other very big blessing came in the form of having one of our board members (and our pastor), Wayne Braudrick, make a visit to Tyler’s room.  Before he left, Wayne asked us all to hold hands as he offered thanks to the Lord for the blessings of good friends and asked for God’s healing hand to be on our precious daughter.  This small gesture has opened up amazing opportunities to continue to let our lights shine for the Savior – so the answers keep coming.  Jesus is glorified whenever we give him first place; even in our disappointments.  Please remember to pray for both Tyler and Roger and the other friends with whom we are sharing Christ as a result of all these circumstances.

2010 First Full Year of Operation

In addition to my paid consulting, training and coaching work with the Daniel Southern Leadership Group; I serve on a volunteer consulting basis with PROstrata Foundation.  Our budget is not huge.  Last year we brought in about $20,000 and spent almost all of it helping the ministries which the Lord has brought our way.  This year we need your help to keep going.  All gifts are tax-deductible.

In 2010 we took steps to help launch two other very exciting ministries.  Early in the year I connected with Todd Pierce who serves as the chaplain of the Professional Bull Riders Association (PBR).  Todd’s ministry is called “Riding High.” He is focused on ministering to the athletes and staff of PBR but they have an open door to reaching the audience of PRB as well.  You can check out more at their web site:  http://www.ridinghighministries.org.  

  

The other fledgling ministry we are launching is called “Champions2Heroes.”  C2H is based on the concept of helping successful athletes and professionals find the inner accomplishment they have experienced outwardly.  We plan on launching this work May 26^th at a dinner here in Dallas.  Please let me know if this is something you might like to attend and I will provide you with more details.  Anthony Dorsett Jr. will be sharing his thoughts and we have a few other big name professional athletes we hope to see there.  Our strategy is to begin with professional baseball pitchers and we are on a fast track to getting it under way.  You can learn more at: http://champs2heroes.blogspot.com.

PF has taken on many existing resources from other ministries including my work with actor Stephen Baldwin.  It is our aim to be a resource to as many start-up ventures as we can in the hope of assisting them get the traction to become viable and self-sustaining.  It is our aim to equip them so they can reach their segment of the world for Christ.  Maybe you know of a young ministry which needs our help or perhaps you want to get involved with PF as a volunteer.  We all see needs every day as we seek to launch believers into more effective ministry even on a personal level.  We can put you to work or maybe you can put us to work.

Coming in 2011 and 2012

One of our new partners is Jay Lowder’s Harvest Ministries.  Jay is one of the most gifted evangelists I have met in a long time.  Jay will be looking for help in the coming months. See: www.jaylowder.com.  We will be looking for skilled teachers to go with us at their own expense to Ireland and train Christians to counsel and mentor new believers and we are planning a major outreach at a Texas university campus.  So if you are willing to help in some way, just let us know.  We can help you figure out a place of service based on your availability and gifting.

Inspirational Thoughts

If you like this blog, maybe you will subscribe.  I write very sporadically so I promise you will not be inundated with spam in your inbox, but it is a good way to stay up on our work and prayer needs too.

We are thankful for all that we have accomplished in 2010 and look forward to a promising year ahead. I truly believe Jesus is coming back soon.  As my mother used to say: “I am looking for the upper-taker; not the under-taker.”

Your encouragement, prayers and financial support are huge to us and we are so grateful for your friendship. 

An Awesome Portion of Scripture

meditating and memorizing

    “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS!”                                                           ~ Revelation 19:11-16 KJV